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{{Title|Cortana}}
{{Ratings}}{{Era|H3}}
{{Status|Gameplay}}
<center>''Looking for [[Cortana (AI)|Cortana]], the Human AI?''</center>
{{Disambig header|the Halo 3 campaign level|the human AI|Cortana}}
{{Article Quote|Cleanse [[High Charity]]. Save [[Cortana]].}}
{{Level infobox
{{Level infobox
|pagegamelabel=H3
|prev=''[[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]]''
|prev=''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''
|next=''[[Halo (Level) (Halo 3)|Halo]]''
|next=''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''
|game=''[[Halo 3]]''
|name='''''Cortana'''''
|name='''''Cortana'''''
|image=[[File:H3 Cortana Loadscreen.png|300px]]
|image=
|game=''[[Halo 3]]''
[[Image:High Charity Infested.jpg|300px]]
|devname=<code>110_hc</code>{{Ref/File|Id=H3EK|H3EK|H3EK\tags\levels\solo\110_hc\110_hc.scenario}}
|player=[[SPARTAN-117]]
|player=*[[Master_Chief_(gameplay)#Halo_3|Master Chief]] (player 1)
|date= Late [[2552]]/Early [[2553]]
*[[Arbiter_(player_character)#Halo_3|Arbiter]] (player 2)
|place= [[High Charity]]
*[[Elite (co-op)|N'tho 'Sraom]] (player 3)
|Objective= Save [[Cortana (AI)|Cortana]] and Destroy [[High Charity]]
*[[Elite (co-op)|Usze 'Taham]] (player 4)
|enemies=*[[Flood]]
|date=[[2552#December|December 11, 2552]]<ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/intel/featured/video/herofortitude/bfe5038b-314a-4f17-a6be-f7613e0e3788 '''Halo Waypoint''', ''Hero-Fortitude'']</ref>
**[[Pure Form]]
|place=[[Installation 00]], inside the crash site of [[High Charity]]
**[[Combat Form]]
|objective=Rescue [[Cortana]] and destroy [[High Charity]].
**[[Carrier Form]]
|partime=00:15:00 {{C|''Master Chief Collection''}}
**[[Infection Form]]
|parscore=17,000 {{C|''Master Chief Collection''}}<br/>15,000 {{C|''Halo 3''}}
 
}}
}}


{{Article quote|Cleanse [[High Charity]]. Save [[Cortana]].}}
'''Cortana''' is the ninth [[campaign]] mission (eighth playable mission) of ''[[Halo 3]]''.


'''Cortana''' is the ninth [[campaign]] level of ''[[Halo 3]]''. It takes place in the [[Flood]] infested [[High Charity]]. The player's mission is to find [[Cortana]] in order to activate [[Installation 08]].  
It takes place in the [[Flood]] infested ''[[High Charity]]''. Your mission is to find [[Cortana (AI)|Cortana]] in order to activate [[Installation 04 (II)|the new Halo ring]].  


Upon completing it on the [[Normal]], [[Heroic]], or [[Legendary]] difficulties, the player will earn [[the Key|"The Key" achievement]] and 40 [[Gamerscore]]. Earning over 15,000 points in the campaign meta-game on this level will give the player the [[Orpheus]] achievement, and 10 Gamerscore.
Upon completing it on the [[Normal]], [[Heroic]], or [[Legendary]] difficulties, the player will earn the [[The Key (Achievement)|"The Key" achievement]] and 40 [[Gamerpoint|Gamerpoints]]. Earning over 15,000 points in the campaign meta-game on this level will give the player the [[Orpheus]] achievement and 10 Gamerscore.


==Summary==
A curious note to add to this level is that if you listen carefully, [[Cortana (AI)|Cortana]] will say some quotes by [[Dr. Halsey]] from [[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]. The Gravemind will also repeat his line "two corpses, in one grave" that he first said in the penultimate Halo 2 level - [[High Charity (Level)|High Charity]].
With the [[Prophet of Truth]] dead and the [[Covenant]] defeated at last, the Master Chief must now infiltrate the Flood-infested [[High Charity]] and rescue [[Cortana]], who possesses the [[Activation Index]] needed to activate [[Installation 08|the new Halo]]. The Chief flies into High Charity in a Banshee and journeys into the depths of the city, searching for his lost AI companion. During this mission, not only does the Chief encounter stiff resistance from the Flood, he is constantly plagued by disturbing visions of Cortana being tortured, as well as taunts and threats from the [[Gravemind]]. Despite this, he finally locates and retrieves Cortana, finally fulfilling the promise he made to her before departing for [[Earth]]. The Chief then overloads High Charity's backup reactor to destroy the city. The Arbiter unexpectedly shows up and aids the Chief in his escape. The pair find a crashed Pelican and use it to escape from High Charity just before the city is destroyed.
 
This level has been infamous among the community for being overly difficult, frustrating and generally not very fun, along with Combat Evolved's [[The Library]].<ref>[http://www.xbox360forum.com/forum/halo-3/52037-whats-annoying-about-level-cortana.html]</ref><ref>[http://forum.8bitbrigade.com/showthread.php?t=4009]</ref> The entire level is covered with Flood 'sludge', which is thought to be flesh of dead bodies. This means that the layout is sometimes disorienting, when it's not possible to tell directions, or even walls from floors. enemies easily blend into the scenery, thus making the level very difficult. A few players have commented that the levels layout is simply too confusing for those playing it the first time - this is because the enormous amount of enemies and maze-like pathways. Some fans have even claimed it is one of the worst Halo single player missions ever made and a few have even labeled it as the 'worst video game level ever designed'.<ref>[http://forum.8bitbrigade.com/showthread.php?t=4009]</ref>
In contrast, other players enjoy the level for its challenge, and many praise Bungie for making this as realistic as possible.
 
== Starting Weapons ==
 
{|class="wikitable" border="1"
|colspan=1|'''Player V <br> Starting Point >'''
|colspan=1|'''Mission Start'''
|colspan=1|'''Rally Point Alpha'''
|----
|colspan=1|'''[[John-117|Master Chief]] Primary Weapon <br> Solo'''
|colspan=1| [[M90A Close Assault Weapon System]]
|colspan=1| M90A Close Assault Weapon System
|----
|colspan=1|'''Master Chief Secondary Weapon <br> Solo'''
|colspan=1| [[MA5C Assault Rifle]]
|colspan=1| MA5C Assault Rifle
|----
|colspan=1|'''Master Chief Primary Weapon <br> Co-op'''
|colspan=1| M90A Close Assault Weapon System
|colspan=1| M90A Close Assault Weapon System
|----
|colspan=1|'''Master Chief Secondary Weapon <br> Co-op'''
|colspan=1| MA5C Assault Rifle
|colspan=1| MA5C Assault Rifle
|----
|colspan=1|'''[[Thel 'Vadam]]/[[N'tho 'Sraom]]/[[Usze 'Taham]] Primary Weapon'''
|colspan=1| [[Type-51 Carbine]]
|colspan=1| Type-51 Carbine
|----
|colspan=1|'''Thel 'Vadam/N'tho 'Sraom/Usze 'Taham Secondary Weapon'''
|colspan=1| [[Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword]]
|colspan=1| Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword
|}


==Transcript==
==Transcript==
{{Walkthrough}}
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQtAv7HmhK0 '''{''Cutscene''}''']
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQtAv7HmhK0 '''{''Cutscene''}''']


''The [[John-117|Master Chief]] flies a [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]] to [[High Charity]]. He finds an opening into the hive. (In co-op, [[Thel 'Vadam]] will follow the Chief and land his Banshee next to the [[Spartan]]'s Banshee)''
''The [[Master Chief]] flies a [[Banshee]] to High Charity. He finds an opening into the hive. (In co-op, [[Thel 'Vadam]] will follow the Chief and land his Banshee next to the [[Spartan]]'s [[Banshee]])''
 
*'''[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Junior Johnson]] (COM)''': "Chief, I'll round up our survivors, fall back to the ''[[UNSC Forward Unto Dawn|Dawn]]''."


''The Chief drops down onto a wide platform from a hole above ('Vadam follows him in co-op)''
*'''[[Sergeant Major]] [[Avery Johnson|Johnson]] (COM)''': "Chief, I'll round up our survivors, fall back to the Dawn."


*'''Johnson (COM)''': "Arbiter will do the same with the [[Sangheili|Elites]]."
''Master Chief drops down onto a wide platform from a hole above ('Vadam follows him in co-op)''


''(Co-op Change)'' '''Johnson (COM)''': "[[Rtas 'Vadum|The Shipmaster]] will do the same with the Elites."
*'''Johnson (COM)''': "Arbiter will do the same with the Elites."


[[File:H3-MC-Boot-FloodBiomass.jpg|thumb|300px|Flood organic materials stuck on the Chief's boot.]]
-(Co-op Change) '''Johnson (COM)''': "[[Rtas 'Vadum|Shipmaster]] will do the same with the Elites." ('''Note there are no subtitles for this line, since the text varies''')
''The Chief shakes off some organic material sticking to his boot.''


*'''Johnson (COM)''': "[[Cortana]]'s in there somewhere..."
''The Chief shakes off the organic material that is stuck to his boot.''


'''{''Gameplay''}'''
*'''Johnson (COM)''': "[[Cortana (AI)|Cortana]]'s in there somewhere..."


===Rampant===
===Rampant===
'''''Graverobber.'''''
'''''Graverobber.'''''


''The Chief begins his journey through the hive, killing any Flood in his path.''
'''{''Gameplay''}'''


*'''[[Gravemind]] ([[Character interludes|Gravemind Moment]])''': "Child of [[Forerunner|my enemy]], why have you come? I offer no forgiveness: a [[Forerunner-Precursor war|father's sins]] [[Reclaimer|pass]] to his [[Humanity|son]]."
''Chief begins searching, further in the hive.''


''The Chief drops down a [[porta]].''
*'''[[Gravemind]] ([[Gravemind Moment]])''': "Child of my enemy, why have you come?  I offer no forgiveness; a [[Forerunners|father's]] sins passed to his [[Humans|son]]."


*'''[[Cortana]] ([[Character interludes|Cortana Moment]])''': ''(A strange mix of cries of agony and psychotic laughter)''
''A little later.''


''The Chief passes through the area where the [[High Council Chamber]] once was. Exploring further, the Chief goes to an outside area where he finds a crashed, but intact [[D77H-TCI Pelican|Pelican]], possibly from the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}}.''
*'''[[Cortana (AI)|Cortana]] ([[Cortana Moment]])''': ''(A strange mix of cries of agony and maniacal laughter)''


*'''Cortana''' ''(coming from a speaker within the crashed Pelican)'': "I ran, tried to stay hidden, but there was no escape! [[Gravemind|He]] cornered me, wrapped me tight... and brought me close."
*'''Cortana''' (coming out of a speaker within a crashed Pelican): "I tried to stay hidden, but there was no escape! He cornered me, wrapped me tight and brought me close."


''As the Chief goes deeper into the hive.''
''As the Chief goes deeper into the hive.''


*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': "Of course, you came for ''[[Cortana|her]]''... [[Prophet of Mercy|We exist together now. Two corpses, in one grave...]]"
*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': "Of course, you came for ''her''.... We exist together now. Two corpses, in one grave."


*'''Cortana''': ''(distant)'' "A collection of lies; that's all I am! ''Stolen'' [[artificial intelligence|thoughts and memories]]!"
*'''Cortana''': ''(sounds distant, then when "stolen" is said, sounds suddenly close)'' "A collection of lies; that's all I am! ''Stolen'' thoughts and memories!"


*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': ''(intrigued)'' "And yet, perhaps a part of her...remains?" ''(maniacal laughter, fades into Cortana's voice)''
*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': "And yet, perhaps a part of her... remains?"


*'''Cortana''': ''(deranged laughter)''
*'''Cortana''': (deranged laughter)


''In the large room where the [[Halo 3 skulls|Tilt skull]] is located, a [[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminal]] can be activated, but does not count towards the Marathon Man achievement. If activated, it displays another Cortana Moment.''
''In the large room where the [[Tilt skull]] is located, a Terminal can be activated, but does not count towards the Marathon Man achievement. If activated, it displays another Cortana Moment)''


*'''Cortana (Terminal)''': "[[SPARTAN-II program|It]] was the [[Quarter|coin]]'s [[Halo: The Fall of Reach|fault]]! I wanted to make you strong, keep you safe...''(drop in tone)'' I'm sorry, I can't..."
*'''Cortana (Terminal)''': It was the coin's fault! I wanted to make you strong, keep you safe ''(drop in tone)''. I'm sorry, I can't...


''Cortana begins to show signs of [[rampancy]].''
''(Reference to earlier sections of [[Halo: Fall of Reach]] in which Doctor [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey]] examines [[John-117]] as a potential [[Spartan II]] candidate)''


*'''Cortana''': ''(casually and kindly, as though nothing is wrong and mimicking Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]])'' "May I speak with you, please?... What's your name? It's very nice to meet you!... You like games? So do I."
''Cortana begins to show clear signs of malfunctioning.''


''The Chief fights through more narrow, Flood-contaminated tunnels.''
*'''Cortana''': ''(casually and kindly, as though nothing is wrong)'' "May I speak with you, please? ... What's your name? It's very nice to meet you! ... You like games? So do I."


*'''Cortana''': ''(upset and frightened)'' "I'm just my [[Catherine Halsey|mother's]] [[Cognitive Impression Modeling|shadow]]... don't look at me, don't listen! I'm not who I used to be..."
''(Also reference to earlier sections of [[Halo: Fall of Reach]] in which Doctor [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey]] examines [[John-117]] as a potential [[Spartan II]] candidate)''
''The Chief struggles through into more narrow, Flood contaminated tunnels.''


''As the Chief nears a large room (with the route to the reactor room at the top):''
*'''Cortana''': ''(upset)'' "I'm just my [[Catherine Elizabeth Halsey|Mother]]'s shadow... don't look at me, don't listen! I'm not who I used to be..."


*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': ''(angrily)'' "Time has taught me ''patience''! But basking in new freedom, I will know ''all that I possess''!"
''As the Chief nears a large room {with the route to the reactor room at the top}.''


''The Chief continues to the reactor room.''
*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': ''(angry)'' "Time has taught me '''PATIENCE!''' But basking in new freedom, I will know '''ALL THAT I POSSESS!'''"


*'''Cortana (Cortana Moment)''': ''(panicking, her voice slightly distorted)'' "I have walked the edge of the abyss. I have seen your future, and I have learned!"
''En route to the reactor room.''


''The image of Cortana suddenly turns a tinge of green. She clutches her head and writhes in pain.''
*'''Cortana (Cortana Moment)''': ''(Panicking, her voice slightly distorted)'' "I have walked the edge of the abyss. I have seen your future, and I have learned!"


*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': ''(angrily)'' "''Submit''! ''End her torment and my own''!"
''The image of Cortana suddenly turns a tinge of green, and clutches its head and writhes in pain.''


''The Chief heads through a tunnel littered with bones and skulls, and enters the reactor room. He sees one of the four reactor pylons malfunction and overload. The Chief fights his way through the reactor room, and exits through a door on the other side. He enters yet another hallway.''
*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': (Shouting angrily.) "'''SUBMIT! END HER TORMENT AND MY OWN!!'''"


*'''Cortana (Cortana Moment)''': ''(panicking, voice slightly distorted)'' "There will be no more sadness, no more anger, no more envy!"
''The Chief enters the reactor room, passing by bones and skulls back at the entrance.''


*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': ''(enraged)'' "You ''will'' show me [[Activation Index|what she hides]]...or I shall feast upon your ''bones''!"
''The Chief finds a door out of the reactor room, and follows it.''
 
*'''Cortana (Cortana Moment)''': ''(Panicking, voice slightly distorted)'' "There will be no more sadness, no more anger, no more envy!" (a possible reference to the three main stages of [[rampancy]].)
 
*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': "You '''WILL''' show me what she hides, or I shall feast upon your BONES!"


[[File:Cortanam2.jpg|thumb|300px|Cortana turns green.]]
''The Chief begins to reach the end of the hallway.''
''The Chief begins to reach the end of the hallway.''


*'''Cortana (Cortana Moment)''': ''(speaking in a calm, distorted, monotone voice as though brainwashed. Her image is green.)'' "This is [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[AI serial number|AI Serial Number]] CTN 0452-9. I am a monument to all your sins."  
*'''Cortana (Cortana Moment)''': ''(Speaking in a distorted monotone voice as though brainwashed. Her image is green.) "This is UNSC AI Serial Number CTN 0452-9. I am a monument to all your sins."


''The Chief rushes to the end of the hallway and enters the former [[Sanctum of the Hierarchs]]. There he finds Cortana lying prone in a stasis field in a center podium. He bashes the shield until it finally fails. Cut to black.''
''The Chief rushes to the end of the hallway, to find Cortana lying prone in a Stasis Shield in a center podium. The room resembles the Sanctum of the Hierarchs. He beats and bashes the shield until it finally fails.''


[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEnWjrjJpDc&feature=related '''{''Cutscene''}''']
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEnWjrjJpDc '''{''Cutscene''}''']


*'''Cortana''': ''(weakly)'' "You ''found'' me."
*'''Cortana''': (weakly) "...you found me..."


''The Master Chief leans closer towards the panel [[Cortana]]'s on. The AI lies pitifully on the podium, pain and shame on her face. The animated code that usually flows across her skin is absent.''
''Master Chief leans closer towards the panel Cortana's on. The AI lies pitifully on the podium, with an expression of pain, suffering and shame on her face.''


*'''Cortana''': ''(weakly)'' "But so much of me is wrong… out of place. You might be too late…"
*'''Cortana''': (weakly) "But so much of me is wrong... out of place. You might be too late..."


''The Chief kneels right next to Cortana.''
*'''Master Chief''': "You know me. When I make a promise..."


*'''[[Master Chief Petty Officer]] [[John-117]]''': "You know me. [[High Charity (level)|When I]] [[Fall of High Charity|make a promise]]…"
''She looks up at the Chief.''


''Cortana looks up at the Chief. She starts to glow.''
*'''Cortana''': "...you... keep it. (she raises her head, and sounds amused) I ''do'' know how to pick 'em."


*'''Cortana''': "You… keep it. ''(she raises her head, and sounds amused)'' I ''do'' know how to pick 'em."
*'''Master Chief''': "Lucky me. Do you still have it?"


*'''John-117''': "Lucky me. Do you still have it?"
''Cortana slowly gets up, recovering her strength. She opens her palm and a hologram of the Index floats above her hand.''


[[File:H3-Index and Cortana.jpg|thumb|300px|Cortana shows the index to John-117.]]
*'''Cortana''': "The [[Index|Activation Index]] from the [[Installation 04|first Halo ring]].  A little souvenir I held onto... just in case. ''(she looks around)'' Got an escape plan?"
''Cortana slowly gets up. As she does, she begins to glow more brightly and the lines of code and equations begin to fall over her surface again. She opens her palm and a hologram of the Index appears above it.''


*'''Cortana''': "The [[Activation Index]] from the [[Installation 04|first Halo ring]]. A little souvenir I [[Battle for the Control Room|hung]] [[Two Betrayals|onto]]… just in case. ''(she looks around)'' Got an escape plan?"
*'''Master Chief''': "Thought I'd try shooting my way out - mix things up a little."


''The Chief gets back on his feet.''
''The Chief takes Cortana's old [[Data Crystal Chip|data chip]] out of his helmet and holds it in front of her. Cortana touches its core and uploads herself into the chip, and the Chief inserts Cortana back, at long last, into his armor.''


*'''John-117''': "Thought I'd try shooting my way out - mix things up a little."
*'''Cortana''': ''(jokingly exasperated)'' "Just keep your head down... There's two of us in here now, remember." ''(This is a reference to ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', where Cortana would say "Keep your head down, there's two of us here now, remember?!" When the Master Chief first loses a health bar on the first level, [[Pillar of Autumn (Level)|Pillar of Autumn]].)''


''The Chief takes Cortana's old [[data crystal chip|data chip]] out of his helmet and holds it in front of her. Cortana touches its core and uploads herself into the chip. The Chief inserts Cortana back, at long last, into his armor.''
===Nor Hell A Fury...===
 
'''''Shoot your way out.'''''
*'''Cortana''': ''(jokingly exasperated)'' "Just [[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|keep your head down...]] [[Battle over Installation 04|There's two of us in here now, remember]]."


'''{''Gameplay''}'''
'''{''Gameplay''}'''


===Nor Hell A Fury…===
''If the Chief continues to stay in the room Cortana was in.''  
'''''Shoot your way out.'''''
*'''Cortana''':''(weakly)'' "Chief, get me out of this place. I... I don't want to stay."
 
*'''Cortana''': ''(weakly)'' "Chief, get me out of this place. I… I don't want to stay."


''The Chief heads back out into the hallway.''
''The Chief heads back up the hallway.''


*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': ''(roars)'' "Now, at last, I see! Her secret is ''revealed!''"
*'''Gravemind (Gravemind Moment)''': ''(roars)'' "Now, at last, I see! Her secret is ''revealed!''"


''The Master Chief returns to the reactor room. Flood forces, now aware that Cortana is in possession of the Index, start attacking. The Chief stands his ground and defeats them.''
''The Master Chief makes it back into the reactor room.''
 
*'''Cortana''': ''(weakly)'' "We need to buy some time. This reactor... start a chain reaction. ''Destroy'' [[High Charity]]."
 
''The Chief heads to the center of the reactor room and accesses the main controls, exposing the three remaining reactor pylons. A new wave of Flood swarms the reactor room, attempting to stop the Chief. However, he successfully destroys all three reactor pylons.''
 
*'''Gravemind''': ''(roars in pain)''


''Alarms blare. Explosions erupt throughout the reactor room.''
*'''Cortana''':''(weakly)'' "Wait, we need to buy some time. This reactor... start a chain reaction. ''Destroy'' [[High Charity]]."


*'''Cortana''': "You hurt it, Chief. But not for long. We need to get to [[Installation 08|Halo]] - destroy the [[Flood]] once and for all."
''The Flood begins to swarm the reactor room, realizing the Chief's plan. However he successfully destroys all three reactor pylons.''


''The Chief leaves the reactor room and races through High Charity, which is now rapidly falling apart.''  
*'''Gravemind''': ''(Roars in pain)''


''If the Chief takes too long:''
*'''Cortana''': "You hurt it, Chief. But not for long. We need to get to Halo - destroy the Flood once and for all."


''If the Chief takes too long''
*'''Cortana''': "An explosion just made us an exit! I'll mark it on your HUD, Chief, go!"
*'''Cortana''': "An explosion just made us an exit! I'll mark it on your HUD, Chief, go!"


''When the Chief reaches the halfway point to escaping High Charity:''
''When the Chief reaches the halfway point escaping.''


*'''Cortana''': "Analyzing the route ahead… I have it mostly figured out. Just keep going. I'll update your [[heads-up display|HUD]] as quickly as I can."
*'''Cortana''': "Analyzing the route ahead...  I have it mostly figured out. Just keep moving, I'll update your [[HUD]] as you go."  


''The Chief reaches a blocked hallway.''
'''Cortana''': "Corridors ahead have all collapsed. I'll find another way, Chief; be careful."  
 
*'''Cortana''': "Corridors ahead have all collapsed. I'll find another way, Chief; be careful."
 
''Or''
 
*'''Cortana''': "Corridors beyond this point have collapsed. I'm looking for an alternate. Careful."
 
''If the Chief still can't find his way out:''


*'''Cortana''': "There, Chief, into the maintenance tunnel."
*'''Cortana''': "There, Chief, into the maintenance tunnel."


''The Chief finds his way back when…''
''The Chief finds his way back when...''


*'''Cortana''': "I've got a friendly contact! Who would be ''crazy'' enough to come in here?"
''(''Single-Player Only'')
*'''Cortana''': "I've got a friendly contact! But who would be ''crazy'' enough to come in here?"


''The Chief and Cortana find the Arbiter battling Flood with a [[M7057 flamethrower|flamethrower]] (occasionally, Thel will use his energy sword instead).''
''Chief and Cortana find [[Thel 'Vadam|The Arbiter]] battling Flood with a [[M7057 Defoliant Projector|Flamethrower]]. The Chief assists.''


*'''Cortana''': ''(amused)'' "[[Gravemind (level)|Wait]], you [[Thel 'Vadam|two]] [[Arrival|made]] [[Sierra 117|nice]]? [[Battle of Kenya|What ''else'']] [[Battle of Installation 00|did you do]] [[Human Weakness|while I was gone]]…?"
*'''Cortana''': ''(Amused)'' "Wait, you two made nice?! What else have you been up to while I was gone...?"
 
[[File:H3 High Charity Blowing up.jpg|thumb|300px|''High Charity'' is destroyed.]]
 
''The Chief and 'Vadam clear the immediate area of remaining Flood, then head outside.''


[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0i93cjEEyM '''{''Cutscene''}''']
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0i93cjEEyM '''{''Cutscene''}''']


''The Chief and the Arbiter board the Pelican the Chief discovered earlier. The Chief uploads Cortana into the Pelican's holotank and starts up the engines. One of the [[Gravemind]]'s tentacles reaches for the dropship, but the heat from the thrusters forces it to retreat. The Pelican takes off, smoke pouring lightly from the left engine. The tentacle comes back and tries to ensnare the dropship, but the Pelican pulls free of its grip. The Pelican barely escapes as [[High Charity]]'s reactor goes critical, consuming the planetoid in a massive explosion. The Pelican makes its way to the new Halo ring.''
''The Master Chief and The Arbiter find a Pelican, possibly from the ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'' nearby and board it. The Chief uploads Cortana into the Pelican's holotank and starts up the engines. One of the Gravemind's tentacles advances to the Dropship, but the heat from the thrust forces it to retreat. The Pelican takes off, smoke pouring lightly from the left engine. The tentacle comes back and tries to wrap around the Dropship, but the Chief escapes its grip. The Pelican barely escapes from a massive explosion caused by the reactor going critical as High Charity is finally destroyed, and the Pelican makes its way to the new Halo ring.''
 
==Achievements==
The following [[achievement]]s can be unlocked on this mission on the [[Xbox 360]] edition of ''Halo 3''.
{|class="wikitable"
|-align="center"
!Icon
!Name
!Description
!{{Gamerscore|Gamerscore}}
|-align="center"
|[[File:H3 Achievement The Key.png]]
|[[The Key]]
|Finish the eighth mission of the [[Campaign]] on [[Normal]], [[Heroic]], or [[Legendary]].
|{{Gamerscore|40}}
|-align="center"
|[[File:H3 Achievement Tilt.png]]
|[[Tilt (Achievement)|Tilt]]
|Find and claim this skull.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|}
 


==Production notes==
==Walkthrough==
{{Main|highcharity}}
{{Main|Cortana (Level)/Walkthrough}}
{{Quote|I took the Cortana mission, completely gutted it and rebuilt it in about three weeks—that mission where Gravemind is talking to you and Cortana is in distress. We didn’t have a lot of resources for that. It was a lot cooler on paper. And it had the transforming Flood, but I don’t think we did great there. It’s a kind of half-baked mission that needed to be there for the story, so we sort of threw it together, but I would’ve preferred not to do that.|[[Paul Bertone]] discussing his work on Cortana.{{Ref/Site|Id=VICE|URL=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo: An Oral History|D=10|M=10|Y=2021}}}}
 
During the [[Development of Halo 3|development]] of ''Halo 3'', ''Cortana'' was originally intended to be a very different mission, with a prominent role for the [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]]. This version was scrapped and mission increased in scope by around 75% - due to issues with development, the geometry cut from [[Cut Halo 3 levels#Flood Ship|Flood Ship]] to Cortana.{{Ref/Site|Id=GDC1|URL=https://www.bungie.net/en/aboutus#page=publications&publication=12662|Site=Bungie Publications|Page=Halo 3 Flood Alien Level Autopsy|D=10|M=10|Y=2021}}{{Ref/Site|Id=GDC2|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/images/Inside/publications/presentations/Bungie_EnvDesign_GDC.pptx|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Halo 3 Flood Alien Level Autopsy|Detail=Original presentation download link|D=18|M=1|Y=2021}}{{Ref/Twitter|dmiller360|533780549807398912|Dan Miller|Quote=the level order was the same,just the geometry was different. Originally floodgate consisted  of both floodgate AND Cortana|D=10|M=10|Y=2021}}{{Ref/Twitter|dmiller360|1113434705133625344|Dan Miller|Quote=In floodgate you went into the covenant cruiser at the end, correct? Well that was the Cortana geometry. The Floodgate mission was much, much longer. There was original High Charity geometry made for the Cortana mission that was cut due to lack of time.|D=10|M=10|Y=2021}}{{Ref/Twitter|dmiller360|533780831513624576|Dan Miller|Quote=the old original geometry for cortana was cut- that was high charity geometry.|D=10|M=10|Y=2021}}
 
<gallery>
File:H3 Cortana DesignDoc 1.jpg|An early design draft for the initial layout of Cortana.
File:H3 Cortana DesignDoc 2.jpg|A later design document for Cortana, more resembling the final game.
</gallery>


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
===Glitches===
*This level is a reference to the Halo: Combat Evolved level [[The Library (Level)| The Library]] and the Halo 2 level [[Sacred Icon (Level)| Sacred Icon]], where you have to retreve a Halo's activation Index and that it is a pure-flood level.
{{Main|Glitches}}
*The [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]] can be seen in the distance when standing near the crashed Pelican. This and the [[Prophets]]' Inner Sanctum are essentially the only recognizable features of High Charity in Halo 2 that can be seen in Halo 3. One can see in the Bungie feature "Flood Autopsy", that they had originally planned to have the Flood re-animate all Arbiter corpses in the room, creating an Arbiter army for the player to fight.
*During the level, the player will find dead Elites wearing [[Assault Harness|Assault Armor]]. One of them is glitching by doing their death position in mid-air though; it looks like his foot seems to be stuck in Flood biomass. The corpse will fall if the player melees or uses explosives against it.
*Nearly all of the [[Cortana Moments]] are quotes from [[The Fall of Reach]], such as at [[Crow's Nest (Level)|Crow's Nest]] it is a direct quote from the speech Dr. Halsey, and many in Cortana (level) involve or are quotes from the genius, Dr. Halsey.
 
*If you enter the crashed Pelican when first making your way through, you can hear Cortana's voice.
===Easter eggs===
*The section of the level after saving Cortana is called 'Nor Hell A Fury...', referencing the poem by William Congreve 'The Mourning Bride'. The entire line is 'Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned', possibly referencing Cortana, who, after months of torment, now has the ability to light the newly constructed Halo ring and destroy the Ark, as well as the Flood.
{{Main|Easter eggs}}
*Thematically, this level also has much in common with the levels [[Keyes (Level)|Keyes]] and [[The Maw (Level)| The Maw]]. It depicts the Chief venturing alone into a vessel to rescue a comrade or friend, from the Flood, most specifically for a data construct in their possession; and detonate the fusion reactor core. In this case the objective is the Index to fire Halo; in Keyes it was [[Captain Keyes|the Captain]]'s neural implants to destroy [[The Pillar of Autumn]].
*The [[Halo 3 skulls#Tilt|Tilt]] Skull can be found on this level.
*The room where [[Cortana]] is located is a remake of the room from the level [[High Charity (Level)|High Charity]] from [[Halo 2]]. This room is located before the final gravity lift, where Cortana says, "Apparently these are the Prophet Hierarch's private quarters, their inner sanctum". In the "inner sanctum" there are three doors, two located opposite one another, with a third, opposite a large view screen. In the level High Charity, the Chief enters through the third door, and exits through the door on his right; in the level Cortana from [[Halo 3]], he enters through the door that was locked in [[Halo 2]] (opposite the door that leads to the final gravity lift). The graphic design of the room and the rest of High Charity's interior has been remodeled in Halo 3. It resembles the corridors of the CCS-[[Truth and Reconciliation]] from [[Halo: Combat Evolved]].
*After obtaining [[Cortana]], there is a skull on a ledge-like structure (it's purple and is kind of bulbous at the end) overhead after the player exits the hallway that leads to Cortana. To get it, one needs to get the Deployable Cover, deploy it on the floor directly in front of the edge of the roof, jump on the deployed cover and crouch jump onto the roof. One may also partner jump or grenade jump with a plasma grenade. Once on top of the roof, locate the skull towards the apex of the angled roof and get the skull. Please note that this skull has no affiliation with the "[[Halo 3 skulls|13 required skulls]]" list and, if carried for the rest of the level, will start Master Chief with a Spartan laser on the next level. This may only work with certain skull combination's and/or other factors in gameplay. However, this skull is unavailable in the ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' edition of ''Halo 3''. An unknown glitch causes the skull to spawn in incorrectly, which then rolls off the ledge and into the abyss below the reactor room. Whether this will be fixed in a future patch is as-of-yet unknown. Season 8 update seems to have fixed the skull from dropping down and can now be used again as intended in the original Halo 3.
*The [[Tilt]] skull can be found on this level.
 
*There is a area with a dead ODST (not the crashed Pelican). It is unknown how he made it so far from the Pelican or if he was from the Frigate ''[[UNSC In Amber Clad|In Amber Clad]]'' before the Flood attacked [[High Charity]]. There is also a Flamethrower in this area which hints to a final stand since he's in a pipe area with one opening.
===References===
*After obtaining Cortana, there is a skull on a ledge-like structure (It's purple and is kind of bulbous at the end) overhead after you exit the hallway that lead to Cortana. To get it, you need to get the Deployable Cover, deploy it on the floor directly in front of the edge of the roof, jump on the deployed cover and crouch jump onto the roof. Once on top of the roof, locate the skull towards the apex of the angled roof and get the skull. Please note that this skull has no affiliation with the "[[Halo 3 Skulls|13 required skulls]]" list and, if carried for the rest of the level, will start Master Chief with a Spartan laser on the next level. This may only work with certain skull combination's and/or other factors in game play.
*The section of the level after saving Cortana is called 'Nor Hell A Fury...', referencing the poem by William Congreve 'The Mourning Bride'. The entire line is 'Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned', possibly referencing Cortana, who, after months of torment, now has the ability to light the newly constructed Halo ring and destroy the Ark as well as the Flood.
*One of Cortana's lines, "There will be no more sadness. No more anger. No more envy," appears to reference [[Marathon]]'s stages of Rampancy; Melancholia, Anger and Jealousy respectively.
*One of Cortana's lines, "There will be no more sadness. No more anger. No more envy," appears to reference [[Marathon]]'s stages of Rampancy; Melancholia, Anger and Jealousy, respectively.
*The line "It's the coin's fault," is a reference to where [[John]] was brought into the Spartan program. He identified the side of a 20th century quarter that was about to the hit the ground before it did in [[Halo: The Fall of Reach]].
*The line "It's the coin's fault," is a reference to a factor that brought [[John-117]] into the Spartan program. He identified the side of a 20th-century quarter owned by [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]] before it fell to the ground in ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''.
*On single-player campaign at the end of the level, go out to where the Pelican is, and look to your right. You will see the Banshee the Arbiter rode in on. While you can get to it and destroy it, you cannot enter it, and oddly, grenades will not stick to it.
*The Gravemind uses a line from ''Halo 2'': "We exist together now. Two corpses in one grave." This line is referring to Cortana, and referred to the Prophet of Mercy in ''Halo 2''. This line was said in the level ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]''.
*Much of ''High Charity'' is flooded with water; the reason for this is that it crash-landed in a large body of water near the Ark's Control Citadel. This can be seen by going out to the crashed Pelican and looking towards the Mausoleum and looking downwards.
*The achievement for gaining over 15,000 points on this level, entitled Orpheus, is a reference to the ancient Greek mythology story in which the Greek hero Orpheus ventures into the depths of hell to retrieve the one he loves. This is easily compared to the Chief's mission: venture into hell, that is represented as High Charity, to rescue Cortana.
*Sometimes in the level, you will walk above a room where Infection Forms are running on top of each other.
*The line "Just keep your head down... There's two of us in here, remember." is a reference to the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' level ''[[The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn]]''. When the player's shield is completely depleted, Cortana would say the exact line, albeit with a more urgent tone.
[[Image:floatingelitebody.jpg|thumb|The floating Elite body.]]
 
*In co-op, after saving Cortana and destabilizing the generators, if one player stays behind in the hallway with the hole, the generator room will disappear and the room will be replaced by the other player's point of view.
===Miscellaneous===
*The Flood [[Porta]]s have [[7]] parts, a direct reference to the number seven. There are also 7 Portas in the level.
*Due to Flood form action in the reactor's room, one of the four reactors explodes when the player first enters the room. This led to the player's mission to only destroy three reactors instead of four.
*During the level, you will find dead Elites wearing Assault Armour. One of them should be glitching by doing his death position in mid-air although; it looks like his foot seems to be stuck on one of the corrupted Flood rock-like. If you stick his body or deck it, the corpse will fall. That is the only way except for a Brute Shot grenade or other explosive.
*The [[Mausoleum of the Arbiter]] can be seen in the distance when standing near the crashed Pelican. This and the [[San'Shyuum|Prophets]]' Inner Sanctum are essentially the only recognizable features of High Charity in ''Halo 2'' that can be seen in ''Halo 3''. One can see in the Bungie feature "Flood Autopsy", that they had originally planned to have the Flood reanimate all Arbiter corpses in the room, creating an Arbiter army for the player to fight.
*This is the last level to not have any usable vehicles at all.
*The room where [[Cortana]] is located is a remake of the room from the level ''[[High Charity (level)|High Charity]]'' from ''Halo 2''. This room is located before the final gravity lift where Cortana says "apparently these are the Prophet Hierarch's private quarters, their inner sanctum". In the "inner sanctum" there are three doors, two located opposite one another, with a third, opposite a large view screen. In the level ''High Charity'', the Chief enters through the third door, and exits through the door on his right; in the level ''Cortana'' from ''Halo 3'', he enters through the door that was locked in ''Halo 2'' (opposite the door that leads to the final gravity lift). The graphic design of the room and the rest of High Charity's interior has been remodeled in ''Halo 3''. It resembles the corridors of the {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}} ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
*Many [[Elite]] bodies in this level wear Assault Armor, which is strange because Elites never wore Assault Armor while in the Covenant.
*There is an area with a dead ODST (not the crashed Pelican). It is unknown how he made it so far from the Pelican or if he was from the Frigate {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}} before the Flood attacked [[High Charity]]. There is also a Flamethrower in this area which hints to a final stand since he's in a pipe area with one opening.
*If you finish the previous level with an energy sword and rocket launcher, both with ammo remaining, you will start this level with no weapons at all.
*Most of the weapons from the [[The Covenant (level)|previous level]] are carried on to this level unless the player makes a fresh start, in which case the loadout will be an [[MA5C assault rifle]] and an [[M90 shotgun]].
*This level and [[Keyes (Level) | Keyes]] are named for the character you need to achieve to help you destroy Halo. Also, the primary enemy in both levels is the [[Flood]].
**In the opening cutscene, the Master Chief is shown holding the shotgun no matter what weapons the player starts with. However, if the player starts with the default loadout, they are holding the assault rifle instead of the shotgun with the shotgun as their backup weapon.
*This level was originally split into two separate Campaign missions, both considerably shorter than the current level.
**If the previous level the player brought Fuel Rod Gun or Gravity Hammer, the loadout would reset to the Assault Rifle and Shotgun.
*It is near the lines of being impossible to do this level on [[Halo_3_Skulls|Mythic]].
*As seen later, primarily in ''[[Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare]]'', [[High Charity]] was not completely destroyed when the player detonates its reactor. This shell is eventually covered by a [[containment shield]] under the command of [[000 Tragic Solitude]].{{Ref/Game|HW2|Detail=''[[Phoenix Logs]]'' - ''Idle Hands II''}} This is later breached by [[Voridus]] and the [[Banished]] in ''Awakening the Nightmare'', [[Outbreak on Installation 00|releasing the Flood that had survived the destruction of High Charity]] and the firing of [[Installation 08]].
*The acheivement Orpheus is a refrence to mythology, a person named Orpheus went to the underworld looking for his wife, similar to Chief looking in Gravemind for Cortana.
*After [[Thel 'Vadam]] joins you in battle against the [[Flood]], you can find his [[Type-26 Banshee|Banshee]] outside by the [[D77H-TCI Pelican|Pelican]]. You can jump up to his Banshee and even destroy it, but it is impossible to enter the vehicle.
*According to a quote made by Bungie developer Jason Keith, found in [http://www.2old2play.com/Blog/Comments/352/17564] and [http://blog.ascendantjustice.com/halo-3/hindsight-halo-3/halo/], it is implied that the Flood Hive of High Charity and the Gravemind were one and the same during ''Halo 3'', thus making this level seem like a boss fight, in a sense.<ref>http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/966/966319p1.html</ref>
 
*It is odd that the weapons next to bodies in this level are usually found with a full magazine or charge, as their owners were probably fighting when they died.
==Gallery==
*Cortana, along with [[Sierra 117 (Level)]], [[Crow's Nest (Level)]], and [[Floodgate (Level)]], has no drivable vehicles.
===Concept art===
*In the opening cutscene, [[John]]'s Banshee fly towards a slanted and upside down [[High Charity]]. However, when John lands inside, the interior appears to be right-side-up and straightened. This error has been overlooked by almost every Halo fan as well as Bungie.
<gallery>
File:H3_HighCharity_Schematic_Concept.jpg|A concept art schematic for the level.
File:MausoleumConcept.jpg|Early concepy art of John-117 looking at Mausoleum of the Arbiter.
File:H3 Cortana Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the environment in the level.
File:H3 Cortana Reactor Concept.jpg|Concept art of the reactor room.
File:H3 Cortana Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Master Chief's raid within ''High Charity''.
File:H3_Cortana_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art of the Flood-infested ''High Charity''.
File:H3_Cortana_Concept_4.jpg|Concept art of the Flood-infested ''High Charity''.
File:H3_Cortana_Concept_5.jpg|Concept art of the Flood-infested ''High Charity''.
File:H3_Cortana_Concept_6.jpg|Concept art of the Flood-infested ''High Charity''.
File:H3_Cortana_Concept_7.jpg|Concept art of the Flood-infested ''High Charity''.
File:H3_Cortana_Concept_8.jpg|Concept art of the Flood-infested ''High Charity''.
File:H3 Gravemind Concept.jpg|Concept art of an encounter between the Chief and the Gravemind.
</gallery>
 
===Storyboards===
<gallery>
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 1.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 2.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 3.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 4.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 5.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 6.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 7.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 8.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 9.jpg
File:H3 Cortana Storyboard 10.jpg
</gallery>
 
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:H3 Menu 09 Cortana.png|Preview of the level in ''Halo 3'' menu.
File:H3-MC-Boot-FloodBiomass.jpg|John-117 finds Flood biomass stuck on his boot upon arrival.
File:H3-JohnFlamethrower.jpg|John-117 uses a flamethrower against a Flood combat form.
File:H3-Cortana-StasisField.jpg|thumb|300px|The shielded podium in which Cortana is trapped.
File:H3 Arbiter Flamethrower.jpg|Thel 'Vadam, wielding a flamethrower, links up with John-117.
File:H3-117 and Cortana (Cortana level).jpg|The Chief and Cortana ready to escape on a Pelican.
</gallery>


==Sources==
==References==
{{Ref/Sources}}
*[[Halo 3 Achievements|''Halo 3'' Achievements]]
*[[Fall of Reach|''Halo'' The Fall of Reach]] page 24


{{succession box
{{succession box
|before = ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]'' <br />
|before = ''[[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]]'' <br />
|title =  ''Halo 3'' Campaign Missions
|title =  [[Halo 3 Campaign|''Halo 3'' Campaign Missions]]
|years = '''''Cortana'''''
|years = '''''Cortana'''''
|after = ''[[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]''
|after = ''[[Halo (Level) (Halo 3)|Halo]]''
}}
}}


{{Levels|H3}}
{{Level}}
[[Category:Halo 3 campaign]]
[[Category:Halo 3 Campaign Missions|{{PAGENAME}}]]

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