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{{Title|''Halo: The Machine Breaks''}} | {{Title|''Halo: The Machine Breaks''}} | ||
{{Status|RealWorld}} | {{Status|RealWorld}} | ||
[[File:TheMachineBreaks_Cover.jpg|thumb|300px|Cover art for the story.]] | |||
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'''''Halo: The Machine Breaks''''' is a short story in the [[Halo Waypoint Chronicle]] series, released on [[2024#September|September 5, 2024]]. The story focuses on a malfunctioning [[Promethean Knight]] rediscovering its [[human]]ity. | '''''Halo: The Machine Breaks''''' is a short story in the [[Halo Waypoint Chronicle]] series, released on [[2024#September|September 5, 2024]]. The story focuses on a malfunctioning [[Promethean Knight]] rediscovering its [[human]]ity. | ||
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The Third Dignitary Schema (TDS) descends upon the [[Human colonies|Human colony]] world [[Oban]], designated CE-174-6 c, and sends dozens of Promethean forces from [[twelfth-order escort]] craft. The [[Promethean Knight]]s and [[Promethean Crawler|Crawler]]s, concealed by thick clouds, begin their [[Battle of Oban|assault]] on the rocky mountainous world. Oban's vast rolling hills and untouched lowlands, dotted with early Human colonies, offer little defense against their precision and strength. A nexus of Human prefabricated strongholds, research facilities, and power plants stands isolated among the highland crags. | The Third Dignitary Schema (TDS) descends upon the [[Human colonies|Human colony]] world [[Oban]], designated CE-174-6 c, and sends dozens of Promethean forces from [[twelfth-order escort]] craft. The [[Promethean Knight]]s and [[Promethean Crawler|Crawler]]s, concealed by thick clouds, begin their [[Battle of Oban|assault]] on the rocky mountainous world. Oban's vast rolling hills and untouched lowlands, dotted with early Human colonies, offer little defense against their precision and strength. A nexus of Human prefabricated strongholds, research facilities, and power plants stands isolated among the highland crags. | ||
TDS-009 lands on soft grassy terrain, its anterior shield distributors flaring momentarily. Advancing through the aftermath of the rain season, a two-month engineered weather period designed to make invasion difficult, the Knight moves unhindered. Its [[Z-250 lightrifle]] bursts hardlight rounds, easily penetrating Human armor and flesh, recalling the [[Human-Forerunner wars|ancient wars]] between the [[Promethean]]s and Humanity over 100 millennia ago. These primitive Human forces are no match for the combat-wisdom of the | TDS-009 lands on soft grassy terrain, its anterior shield distributors flaring momentarily. Advancing through the aftermath of the rain season, a two-month engineered weather period designed to make invasion difficult, the Knight moves unhindered. Its [[Z-250 lightrifle]] bursts hardlight rounds, easily penetrating Human armor and flesh, recalling the [[Human-Forerunner wars|ancient wars]] between the [[Promethean]]s and Humanity over 100 millennia ago. These primitive Human forces are no match for the combat-wisdom of the Strategos, which directs all Promethean units through the battlenet. Without a [[Composer]] device, capturing and converting Humans is impossible, forcing TDS-009 to eliminate them instead. | ||
As the last Human in a grey-green structure is blown apart by a nearby detonation, TDS-009's combat performance is recognized by the Strategos, promoting it to [[Knight Commander]]. Its new authority subsumes other local Promethean units, including a dozen Crawlers, and grants it deeper access to the battlenet, enhancing its autonomy. The unit's new status is visually marked by hardlight patterns on its helmet and carapace. With its forces reinforced, the TDS marches toward the next objective: A dull rectangular industrial building labeled "UNSC," featuring a large communications dish on its roof. | As the last Human in a grey-green structure is blown apart by a nearby detonation, TDS-009's combat performance is recognized by the Strategos, promoting it to [[Knight Commander]]. Its new authority subsumes other local Promethean units, including a dozen Crawlers, and grants it deeper access to the battlenet, enhancing its autonomy. The unit's new status is visually marked by hardlight patterns on its helmet and carapace. With its forces reinforced, the TDS marches toward the next objective: A dull rectangular industrial building labeled "UNSC," featuring a large communications dish on its roof. | ||
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Halsey theorizes that an unwilling mind will inevitably rebel, perhaps explaining the rogue Promethean Knight. After returning the malfunctioning Knight's brain to its storage unit, she hopes that other Knights will exhibit similar failures. She concludes that the effectiveness of Prometheans created from modern Human essences is limited and Jul's control over them is waning. As her plan nears completion, Halsey considers ending her alliance with Jul sooner than expected. | Halsey theorizes that an unwilling mind will inevitably rebel, perhaps explaining the rogue Promethean Knight. After returning the malfunctioning Knight's brain to its storage unit, she hopes that other Knights will exhibit similar failures. She concludes that the effectiveness of Prometheans created from modern Human essences is limited and Jul's control over them is waning. As her plan nears completion, Halsey considers ending her alliance with Jul sooner than expected. | ||
Afterwards, TDS-009 has achieved satisfactory results, meeting all completion parameters. However, an outlier note indicates actions taken outside expected behavioral patterns, observed and flagged by thrall units during the deployment. A review of executable data reveals 67 deviant processes across both operations, exceeding the acceptable range for this deployment type. It is conjectured that TDS-009 is likely experiencing | Afterwards, TDS-009 has achieved satisfactory results, meeting all completion parameters. However, an outlier note indicates actions taken outside expected behavioral patterns, observed and flagged by thrall units during the deployment. A review of executable data reveals 67 deviant processes across both operations, exceeding the acceptable range for this deployment type. It is conjectured that TDS-009 is likely experiencing a 89% chance of catastrophic failure in its [[durance]] membrane, leading to unacceptable personality dissonance. | ||
Because of this, TDS-009 will undergo immediate remote severance for extended isolation and quarantine. Further observation and a recomposition evaluation will be considered upon reacquisition of the unit frame. Additionally, the frequency of these deviant behaviors over the past solar year suggests they are not linked to the rogue [[Artificial intelligence|ancilla]] process detected within the command mesh. This warrants further investigation, with a preliminary recommendation to enact more remote severance measures if the rogue ancilla process gains network control. | Because of this, TDS-009 will undergo immediate remote severance for extended isolation and quarantine. Further observation and a recomposition evaluation will be considered upon reacquisition of the unit frame. Additionally, the frequency of these deviant behaviors over the past solar year suggests they are not linked to the rogue [[Artificial intelligence|ancilla]] process detected within the command mesh. This warrants further investigation, with a preliminary recommendation to enact more remote severance measures if the rogue ancilla process gains network control. | ||
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The girl is gone, now just a fading shadow in the corner. TDS-009 is left to sift through its memories, piecing together fragments of a past life: Memories of [[Coral]], a young girl digging for fossils in her garden, and a bright future as a student of archaeology. She was 19 when Humanity made [[First Battle of Harvest|first contact]], a student at the [[Pegasi Institute]], then...fire and destruction, plasma strikes burning her home, her family gone, the remnants of her life to be unearthed like fossils one day. She was evacuated to [[Lodestone]], offered a new job, a fresh start far from home. | The girl is gone, now just a fading shadow in the corner. TDS-009 is left to sift through its memories, piecing together fragments of a past life: Memories of [[Coral]], a young girl digging for fossils in her garden, and a bright future as a student of archaeology. She was 19 when Humanity made [[First Battle of Harvest|first contact]], a student at the [[Pegasi Institute]], then...fire and destruction, plasma strikes burning her home, her family gone, the remnants of her life to be unearthed like fossils one day. She was evacuated to [[Lodestone]], offered a new job, a fresh start far from home. | ||
The memories flood in: The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], [[Installation 03|Gamma Halo]], [[Ivanoff Station]], Service Number CC-728304. All these details coalesce until they collide with her old identity: [[Sandra Tillson|Sandra Katherine Tillson]], Doctor of Xenoarchaeology. | The memories flood in: The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], [[Installation 03|Gamma Halo]], [[Ivanoff Station]], Service Number CC-728304. All these details coalesce until they collide with her old identity: [[Sandra Tillson|Sandra Katherine Tillson]], a Doctor of Xenoarchaeology. | ||
But now, she is no more. She is TDS-009, the Third Dignitary Schema. | But now, she is no more. She is TDS-009, the Third Dignitary Schema. | ||
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;Artificial intelligence | ;Artificial intelligence | ||
*[[031 Exuberant Witness]] | *[[031 Exuberant Witness]] | ||
*[[Strategos command pattern]] {{1st}} | |||
*[[TDS-002]] | *[[TDS-002]] | ||
;Forerunner | ;Forerunner | ||
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*{{Pattern|Domotos|energy sword}} | *{{Pattern|Domotos|energy sword}} | ||
*[[Lightblade]] | *[[Lightblade]] | ||
*[[ | *[[M395 DMR]] | ||
*[[Z-180 Scattershot]] {{Mo}} | *[[Z-180 Scattershot]] {{Mo}} | ||
*[[Z-250 lightrifle]] | *[[Z-250 lightrifle]] | ||
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***[[OPERATOR-class Mjolnir]] | ***[[OPERATOR-class Mjolnir]] | ||
*[[Promethean Knight]] | *[[Promethean Knight]] | ||
**[[Knight Battlewagon]] | |||
**[[Knight Commander]] | **[[Knight Commander]] | ||
*[[Sangheili harness]] | *[[Sangheili harness]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
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{{Navbox/Media/ShortStories}} | {{Navbox/Media/ShortStories}} | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Short stories]] | ||
[[Category:Canon]] | [[Category:Canon]] |