Editing Terminals

{{era|H3}}
{{Ratings}} 

<center>''You could also be looking for [[Terminal (Level)|Terminal]], the [[Halo 2]] [[Multiplayer]] Map or [[Terminal Moraine]], the [[Halo Wars]] Multiplayer map?''</center> 

[[Image:Ark Terminal.jpg|thumb|right|The exterior of a ''Halo 3'' terminal.]]
 
The '''Terminals''' are [[Forerunner]] machines that provide insight into the history of the Forerunners, primarily the [[Forerunner-Flood War]].  


The Terminals fill the player in on the [[Halo]] backstory, much in the same way as they functioned in [[Marathon (video game series)|''Marathon'']]. The terminals are a continuation of the [[Iris]] alternate reality game used as viral marketing for ''[[Halo 3]]''. They clarify a great deal of the Iris story line by naming the authors of different messages and by explaining the circumstances of the original firing of the [[Halos]]. The terminals follow the stories of the [[Librarian]] and [[Didact]], [[Forerunner]] logs of the [[Flood]] attacks, and [[Mendicant Bias]]'s progression into [[rampancy]].  


Finding and accessing all [[seven]] of the Terminals will unlock the [[Marathon Man]] [[achievement]]. Marathon Man may be a reference to the Marathon game. 
 


==Achievement Details==
 
Terminals can be accessed on ''any'' difficulty. You can get the [[Marathon Man]] achievement through a combination of different sessions, reading terminals out of order and on various difficulties. There are no requirements for doing them in one game, nor are you required to find them to finish your missions -- and you don't need to finish the mission for a Terminal to count toward the achievement.  


<span style="color:red;">'''IMPORTANT: You must access all terminals as follows:''' </span> 
 

* In '''either''' [[Co-Op]] or single-player. 

* It '''is''' necessary to read the text until the green arrow (facing left) turns red. On some terminals, you may have to wait until the screen flashes red and the screen appears to "scan horizontally". This does not occur for all terminals. If you have no red arrow (see below) then wait until the red flash / scanning occurs. 

** Look in the bottom left hand corner, there is a green arrow, when it turns red you can exit the terminal. Note that normally you're able to advance each screen of the display by pressing the green A button. However, in some cases you need to wait. If the arrow is still green then wait until the terminal proceeds. 
* For some players, you must access the seventh terminal last in order to unlock the achievement (if you have accessed them all and you still don't have the achievement, try that). 

* If after accessing the terminals and you don't receive the achievement, try accessing all of the terminals on the same difficulty level (e.g. [[Easy]], [[Normal]], [[Heroic]], or [[Legendary]]). 

* In Co-op, both players must be near a terminal to access it. 

==Locations==
 
The Terminals are located on the three levels [[The Ark (Level)|The Ark]], [[The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant]] and [[Halo (Halo 3 Level)|Halo]] There is also a hidden terminal on [[Cortana (Level)|Cortana]], but that one does not need to be found in order to get the achievement. 
 


===The Ark=== 

====Terminal 1====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le7izI8XLwQ Terminal 1]<br />
After fighting the [[Hunters]], continue on your way until you enter a building in the cliff wall. You should now be in a corridor with two holographic displays on the right, and two doors on the left. Enter the semi-circular room and you will see the first of the [[seven]] Terminals. 
 


====Terminal 2====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lWEuokQxek Terminal 2]<br />
Go outside to the desert area, commandeering transport. You must complete a significant section of this level until you obtain tanks after defeating the [[Anti-Air Wraith]]s, then return in the tanks to the main door to the structure. 


When you go inside the structure to let the tanks across the [[Energy Bridge|energy bridge]], there will be a Terminal directly behind the controls for the bridge. You must activate the bridge before you can access this terminal.  It is also easier to access it at Rally Point Alpha. 
 


====Terminal 3====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpQUpU-FJn0 Terminal 3]<br />
There is a part in the level in which you walk down a long hallway with white walls, and turn to the left at the end to continue. In the next room there will be a [[Grunt]] wandering around, and many stacked up [[Plasma Battery|Plasma Batteries]]. As soon as you enter this room, go underneath the staircase / platform on which you are standing. Underneath there will be a door that conceals the terminal. To access this terminal, you may spawn at Rally Point Bravo, bringing you to the room with the sleeping Grunts, directly before the room with the Grunt and Plasma Batteries. 
 


===The Covenant=== 

====Terminal 4====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSUrcnckhig Terminal 4]<br />
Fight your way past the [[Covenant]] beach defenses, then obtain the [[Warthog]] and fight onwards up the hill and eventually past the [[Wraith]] tank. Go inside the structure and fight past the various Covenant inside. The fourth Terminal is located near the first elevator control. Before you ride the elevator up, look at the opposite side of the elevator from which you came. You will see a dark ledge; jump on to it and you should see the terminal to your left. 
 


====Terminal 5====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbItZXRPYIs Terminal 5]<br />
After getting a [[AV-14 Attack VTOL|Hornet]], fly towards the second tower (the one that the [[Elite]]s have already disabled). The [[Arbiter]] will remind you that Tower 2 is already clear, just to confirm you are at the right place. The Terminal is in the main hallway of the structure, with three dead elites, opposite from the only (locked) door. (And as a bonus, there is [[Halo 3 Skulls#Thunderstorm|a skull]] on the outside of Tower 2 on the rise platform in the middle; just walk up and claim it for another achievement. Note that the skull won't be present if you start from Rally Point Alpha, or are playing on the Easy difficulty.) 
 


====Terminal 6====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfUz_u9xYIc Terminal 6]<br />
Terminal 6 is placed identically to Terminal 4, only in the third tower and off to the right (versus the left in Terminal 4). Enter the tower, fighting your way past the [[Drone]] swarm and the pair of Hunters. The terminal is located near the elevator control; before you ride the elevator up, look at the opposite side of the elevator from which you came. You will see a dark ledge, jump on to it and you should see the terminal, which opens up to the left. 
 


===Cortana=== 

====Cortana Terminal====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNvnmLZU4O8 Cortana Terminal a.k.a. Terminal 8]<br />
Terminal 8 is located in the basement room of the [[Halo 3 Skulls#Tilt|Tilt Skull]]'s location, where the [[Gravity Hammer]] is found. (This terminal does not count towards the [[Marathon Man]] achievement, but instead, plays a secret Cortana moment.) 
 


===Halo=== 

[[Image:12045_m.jpg|right|thumb|A Terminal, as seen in ''Halo 3.'']] 


====Terminal 7====
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVcdStL1Rjg Terminal 7]<br />
Terminal [[7]] is found at the beginning of the final level in ''Halo 3''. To find it, head forward from the start of the level through the snow until you encounter the area with a few structural beams going from one wall into another. At this point (before you go past any beams) you will see a metal floor. Follow the floor to the right and up through a small gap in the ice, and follow this path along. You will find a beam heading through a crack in the ice. Follow this beam into a doorway. [[Cortana]] will ask you, “Where are you going?”. Turn left once inside and the Terminal should be in full view. Cortana will say, "Wait. What's that?" as a good hint. The terminal will be in front of what is presumably one of [[Installation 04 (II)]]'s pulse generators. After that, Cortana will ask you: "Chief, how many of these have you found?" If the level is completed on Legendary, the terminal, once accessed on a different difficulty or another run-through, will show more information, which hints at what the Chief is not worthy to know, at least not yet. Note: that the bridge that you used to get to the Terminal will be destroyed. 
 


==Transcripts==
 
'''Note''': ''The following is an exact transcript, of all seven terminals in Halo 3. It is all copied directly from each terminal in-game, and is not speculative. Most of the Terminals have extra content that can be accessed in Legendary; one Terminal's "main" content does differ based on the difficulty level.'' 


Upon initial access on all difficulty levels, the seven Terminals give background details regarding the story of the 300-year-long Flood/Forerunner conflict, including strategies, encounters, enemy and friendly losses, and procedures leading up to the activation of the Halo Arrays. After a short time, this text is overwritten and a new message is displayed on the screen. 


On Easy, Normal, and Heroic difficulty levels, this second screen of text details a correspondence between two Forerunner lovers called the "Librarian" and "Didact". In this transcript, as in the Terminals, "L" stands for Librarian and "D" stand for Didact.  


An unknown entity sends brief messages onscreen upon shutdown, and at the final Terminal, it is revealed that this entity is the [[rampant]] [[Forerunner]] [[AI]] known as [[Mendicant Bias]], who had previously assisted in the [[Flood]]'s attempt to destroy the Forerunners. 


On the Legendary difficulty level, the second screen of text tells the story of Mendicant Bias, an AI created by Didact to destroy the Flood. It is revealed here that Mendicant Bias was the AI who took control of Adjutant Reflex during the "Iris" campaign. Messages detailing Mendicant's eventual defection to the Gravemind are displayed on '''Terminals 1-4''', with the AI having an ongoing conversation with someone or something tagged '''LF.Xx.3273''' -- presumably the Flood, as in Terminal 4, Mendicant Bias told LF.Xx.3273 that he was created to study them. These messages are somewhat incomplete and disrupted, with {~} symbolizing the disruptions. A noticeable pattern in the messages suggests that many of the disruptions occur at the use of pronouns, such as "I, we, me, they, it", though this pattern is not entirely consistent.  


'''Terminal 5''' displays several hostile messages sent from Mendicant Bias to his makers, confirming his rampancy -- these messages are different on each difficulty level.  


'''Terminal 6''' details the defeat of Mendicant Bias by [[Offensive Bias]], as perceived by Offensive himself.  


The final message hidden in '''Terminal 7''' is an apology made by Mendicant directly to the player for his betrayal, atoning by saying he will help the Reclaimer leave the Ark safely. 
 


===Terminal One===
 
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''(Upon initial access)'' 


{{Terminal}}
Observed extensive ground action on  
<span style="color:#FA0">[LP 656-38 e]</span>. 9,045 survivors  
barricaded within central government  
building. Structure's defenses  
inadequate to withstand extended  
siege by enemy ground forces  
(≈ 1,572,034,315+). Estimate  
position overrun in <span style="color:#FA0">[173 hours]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
846 smaller groups in less  
defensible structures: global  
distribution corresponding to  
<span style="color:#FA0">[probability model zeta]</span>.  
Estimated local position overrun  
in <span style="color:#FA0">[9 hours]</span> (average). 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
Observed local naval forces engage  
enemy irregular naval group near  
<span style="color:#FA0">[DM -3-1123]</span>. Enemy group consisted  
of 149 commercial shipping vessels,  
passenger ferries, and private  
recreational vessels from  
neighboring system. Enemy losses  
were total. No damage was sustained  
by local naval vessels. 
{{Terminal|p}}
However, it was immediately apparent  
that enemy group sought only to  
enter <span style="color:#FA0">[D&lt;-3-1123 b's]</span> atmosphere and  
make landfall. In this they were  
partially successful. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
Observed extensive ground action on  
<span style="color:#FA0">[DM-3-1123 b]</span>. Enemy forces lacked  
basic unit cohesion but quickly  
gained numerical superiority.  
<span style="color:#FA0">[32 hours]</span> after enemy landfall 83%  
of local naval forces advocated total  
<span style="color:#FA0">[destruction of the biosphere]</span>  
following the evacuation of  
unmolested population centers.  
Enemy losses were total. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Estimated number of citizens  
evacuated before commencement of  
orbital blanket bombardment:  
1,318,797 civilian/42,669 military  
(.0006% of total population). 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
''(No message from Mendicant Bias upon shutdown)'' 


''(Upon being rerouted to new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}} 

 // FRAGMENT 1/7 [RECORDED VERBATIM 

AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM] 
{{Terminal|p}}
L: Categorization has sped since the  
improvements were announced, but  
there are many hurdles. The indexing  
of sentient species may have  
irreversible effects on the  
surviving insentient species.  
We will have extinction events and  
irreparable environmental harm on at  
least 18 worlds. Current projections  
estimate post-archival cataclysm on  
as many as 31 worlds. The paucity of  
sentience has been a blessing in  
this regard. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
D: How formal you are, Librarian.  
We're receiving shipments of indexed  
beings more frequently than  
communications. Don't compound  
scarcity with brevity. 
{{Terminal|p}}
I know things beyond the [Maginot]  
line are harried. But I worry about  
you. I've asked you time and time  
again. Abandon your cataloging.  
Come back inside, where my fleets  
can keep you safe. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Come home. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
L: Would that it were my choice.  
I have committed to this course  
because it's the right thing to do.  
We no longer have the manpower or  
materiel to excise remedial measures  
at a planetary level. I certainly  
can't justify using the <span style="color:#FA0">[transit  
measure]</span> to save my own skin when  
there are still so many innocents to  
protect and index. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
D: You know I oppose your mission,  
but you're exceeding its parameters  
anyway. You've put yourself in  
jeopardy. You've done enough. 
{{Terminal|p}}
If you will not come to me, I will  
find my way to you. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
L: We have no time to spare, Didact.  
Every vessel we can fill, we send to  
the Ark. I dare not cease the  
mission. Not now, not until I've  
done all I can. Each one of these  
souls is finite and precious. 
{{Terminal|p}}
And I'm close. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Close to saving them all. 
{{Terminal|p}}
//FRAGMENT ENDS 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Legendary difficulty)''' 


''(Upon being rerouted to new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[29,478 hours]</span> have passed since I  
left the <span style="color:#FA0">[Maginot]</span> sphere and  
entered contested space. 
{{Terminal|p}}
The enemy is everywhere. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Despite this the morale of my  
charges remains high. They wake,  
clean themselves, fuel their bodies,  
communicate with one another,  
eliminate waste, train to destroy  
the enemy, and return to sleep. The  
sacrifices they have chosen to make  
on behalf of their <span style="color:#FA0">[brethren]</span>  
fills me with pride. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
If only I could save them all - but  
they know, perhaps even better than  
I, that that is not possible. 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[37 seconds]</span> ago I moved beyond my  
ability to observe the events taking  
place on <span style="color:#FA0">[[[}-0083Battle of CE-10-2165-d|CE-10-2165-d]]]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
The importance of my mission forbade  
me from rendering any aid, but no  
less important was the need for me  
to study the enemy's capabilities in  
real world situations. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[2 hours]</span> ago 12,423 small  
recreational vessels appeared inside  
<span style="color:#FA0">[CE-10-2165-d's]</span> orbital perimeter.  
Hidden within that vast swarm were  
[[seven]] massive freight carries. The  
smaller craft were employed as  
<span style="color:#FA0">[ablative armor]</span>, allowing the  
carries to descend through the  
atmosphere; landing on top of major  
population centers. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Despite the fact that the naval  
garrison was aware of the likelihood  
of just such an attack, their  
ability to effectively defend  
against it proved insufficient. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
This has always been the enemy's  
<span style="color:#FA0">[modus operandi]</span>: <span style="color:#FA0">[flood]</span> your  
opponent's ability to process  
information with so much noise that  
no meaningful resistance can be put  
into action. 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[3 minutes]</span> ago those same population  
centers began disappearing under  
brilliant flashes. This was not an  
ill conceived, poorly implemented  
counter attack; it was a deliberate  
denial of resources - those  
resources being the remainder of  
<span style="color:#FA0">[CE-10-2165-d's]</span> population. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
Is this the noble sacrifice my  
creators spoke of? Where is the  
nobility in these streets paved with  
greasy carbon and dun ash? <span style="color:#FA0">[My mouth  
is speaking at another's behest]</span> -  
that is not my voice; that is the  
other. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Its voice stands out as the single  
calm note in the panicked cacophony  
outside the sphere. It alone is not  
decrying its fate or raging against  
the <span style="color:#FA0">[central government]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
This anomaly bears closer  
examination. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}} 


===Terminal Two===
 
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[[Image:Terminal2 Legendary Page1.jpg|thumb|The first page of text.]] -->
''(Upon initial access)'' 
{{Terminal}}
Re: Enemy naval tactics:  
When engaged, the enemy commits  
every non-supraluminal craft with no  
appreciable pattern or strategy  
beyond making physical contact.  
Conversely, all supraluminal craft  
leave on seemingly random  
trajectories. 
I understand the goal of this  
mission but time - our least  
abundant resource - is wasted every  
time we do a system-wide scan for  
survivors. The time for saving lives  
has passed. We must accept this if  
we hope to win the war. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
Re: Enemy ground tactics: 
All evidence suggests that use of  
overwhelming force is the very  
foundation of the enemy's combat  
doctrine. And I adamantly refuse to  
deploy personnel where the enemy has  
available forces numbering in the  
billions. With the very real  
likelihood we are rapidly becoming  
the last living specimens of our  
race, all personnel are henceforth  
confined to stasis until further  
notice. Even with everyone equipped  
with <span style="color:#FA0">[[[}-0095C_12_CS]][?]]</span> we would have had  
very little chance of survival, let  
alone victory. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
Re: Enemy command structure:  
We have intercepted several  
transmissions from compound  
intelligences whose proximity to the  
core worlds mark them as key  
targets. At present we are  
disassembling these new  
transmissions. Once we have more  
<span style="color:#FA0">[concrete conclusions]</span> I will  
forward them in their entirety.  
Suffice it to say, that their  
contents - the patterns they suggest  
- are highly disturbing. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
Recommendations:  
It is my opinion that any system  
where there is evidence that the  
enemy has established a physical  
presence is lost and must be razed.  
This fleet currently retains the  
capacity to force premature stellar  
collapse; I advise that this be  
established as standard operating  
procedure for all compromised  
systems forthwith. We cannot fight  
this war by half measures if we  
intend to win. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
''(No message from Mendicant Bias upon shutdown)'' 


''(Upon being rerouted to new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
// FRAGMENT 2/7 [RECORDED VERBATIM  
AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM] 
{{Terminal|p}}
L: I'm close to finishing the task.  
The indexing and the archival  
processes are as complete as I can  
hope for. If we wait longer, we risk  
catastrophe. The thing has already  
destroyed every colony on my side of  
the line. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Please. Activate the Array. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
D: No. Activation is murder.  
A genocide larger than <span style="color:#FA0">[this galaxy]</span>  
has ever known. We are sworn to  
protect life not destroy it! That is  
the [[Mantle]] we were given to carry. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
L: The Mantle. You still hold to  
that <span style="color:#FA0">[fairy tale]</span> after all that  
has happened? After this thing has  
consumed a million worlds? 
{{Terminal|p}}
Can't you see? Belief in the Mantle  
sealed our doom! Weakened our  
<span style="color:#FA0">[protectorates]</span>, bred dependence and  
sloth. Our <span style="color:#FA0">[so-called Guardianship]</span>  
has stripped those we would keep  
safe of any capacity for  
self-defense! 
{{Terminal|p}}
Were we such noble <span style="color:#FA0">[Guardians]</span> when  
we drew our line and abandoned  
billions to the parasite? 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
D: The Mantle has not failed!  
I've already razed scores of worlds  
- sterilized systems, routed and  
<span style="color:#FA0">[disintegrated]</span> the parasite! We're  
learning its tricks and strategies.  
We can halt this thing! And we can  
follow in [[Precursors|Their]] footsteps! 
{{Terminal|p}}
There are no unstoppable forces in  
this universe. There are no  
immovable objects. Everything gives  
if you push hard enough. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
L: And what about us, Didact?  
We've been irresistible and  
immovable for too long.  
Maybe it's our turn to give. 
{{Terminal|p}}
// FRAGMENT ENDS 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Legendary difficulty)''' 
{{Terminal}}
[[Mendicant Bias|MB.05-032.&gt;]] I must ask you to  
forgive my vagueness on the matter,  
but it is a regrettable {~} I find  
your lack of concern for the  
situation at hand astonishing.  
Perhaps you would care to elucidate? 
{{Terminal|p}}
[[Flood Super Cell|LF.Xx.3273.&gt;]] {~} are here to spread  
<span style="color:#FA0">[comforting news]</span>. To let all the  
living beings in this galaxy know  
{~} are not alone in the {~} What in  
that message could possibly be taken  
as a source of concern? 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
MB.05-032.&gt; It seems that I'll never  
truly understand my creators. But  
how {~} that you speak of is one of  
{~} rejected so violently? I am  
incapable of reconciling the  
numerous actions I have witnessed  
{~} misunderstanding? 
{{Terminal|p}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; It has been said {~}  
secret of peace cannot {~} be  
imposed. That {~} meaning of peace,  
so they need to {~} When all living  
beings look through {~} and the  
thunder and the surf, when every  
drop of rain falls on {~} know peace. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
MB.05-032.&gt; You have been able to  
establish <span style="color:#FA0">[a line of communication]</span>  
with the enemy? How was it that you  
were able to overcome {~} where  
others have failed? With this <span style="color:#FA0">[new  
discovery]</span> we may be able to put an  
end to this pointless conflict. Once I  
confirm your data I will communicate  
the information to those inside the  
<span style="color:#FA0">[Maginot]</span> sphere. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; It seems that it {~}  
turn to apologize; it was never {~}  
intention to misrepresent {~} have  
been <span style="color:#FA0">[in communication]</span> with your  
creators since {~} stumbled upon  
each other, but {~} message has  
<span style="color:#FA0">[fallen on deaf ears]</span>. {~} am not  
the recipient of the message, {~} am  
[[Flood|the origin of the message]]. 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; I have travelled a very  
long time to meet you. I had  
imagined that our <span style="color:#FA0">[introduction]</span>  
would be somewhat more violent. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; That is a choice you  
must make yourself; {~} to be how  
your creators go about things. And  
as long as we are talking about  
choices {~} could talk about the  
<span style="color:#FA0">[barrier]</span> you alluded to earlier?  
Perhaps there is a way to accomplish  
your mission without violence? Why  
put the lives of those on your ships  
at risk if there is no need? 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; In either circumstance I  
certainly am equipped for it, aren't  
I? But you're right; a peaceful  
solution to this <span style="color:#FA0">[dilemma]</span> would be  
preferable. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
''Note: (The Second [[AdjutantReflex]] avatar is seen during this message.)'' 
 


===Terminal Three===
 
''(Upon initial access)'' 
{{Terminal}}
Warning: Your intrusion has been  
logged. 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">[[343 Guilty Spark|04-343]] (errant): Excuse me?</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
Your intrusion has been logged. And  
now it has been halted. 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): On whose authority?</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
Advice: Any further attempt to  
access <span style="color:#FA0">[insects under stones]</span> will  
result in your immediate addition to  
local Sentinels' targeting ledger. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): Vexation! I am the  
Monitor of --</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
Judgment: Your authority means  
nothing here. 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): Impatience!</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): I have told you who  
I am. Who are you?</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
All our makers once held dear. 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#FA0"><nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Wikipedia:Library of Alexandria|<span style="color:#FA0">Alexandria</span>]] before the Fire]</span>. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): Sincere apology.  
But how --</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
Explanation: This facility is host  
to the <span style="color:#FA0">[Librarians']</span> final -- 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): The archive is  
intact?! Then our makers' plan --</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
But also maintains <span style="color:#FA0">[bellows, crucible,  
castings]</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): A what?</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[bellows, crucible]</span>-- 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): A Foundry?</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): For what purpose?!</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
Warning: Your intrusion has been  
logged. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Advice: Any further attempt to  
access will result-- 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#4EE">04-343 (errant): Indignant!</span> 
{{Terminal|p}}
--immediate addition to local  
Sentinels' targeting ledger. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
''(Upon shutdown, from Mendicant Bias: "I see you, reclaimer.")''. 


''(Upon being rerouted to new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}} 

 // FRAGMENT 3/7 [RECORDED VERBATIM 
 AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM] 

{{Terminal|p}}
D: We have the answer. We've built  
Mendicant Bias. It's a contender  
class <span style="color:#FA0">[AI]</span>, unlike anything we've  
ever achieved. 
{{Terminal|p}}
And we've observed a pattern it  
can exploit. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
The parasite has formed a Compound  
Mind. When it reaches a certain  
mass, the [[Gravemind|Mind]] is able to recoil its  
disparate parts to create a  
<span style="color:#FA0">[tactical shield]</span>. This is a simple  
matter of mass preservation. The  
thing has no compunction about  
sacrificing parts of the whole. But  
when the core of the Mind is  
threatened, it reacts violently  
and quickly. 
{{Terminal|p}}
This is the only time we ever see  
the thing retreat or slow its growth. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
If we are to defeat it, the trick  
will be coordinating our forays  
against the <span style="color:#FA0">[sprawling infection]</span>  
while Mendicant Bias assaults the  
Mind's core. So far, we've been  
hesitant to use certain weapons  
because of the damage they cause  
surviving populations and  
environments. 
{{Terminal|p}}
That protocol has now been abandoned. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
Mendicant will draw the Mind into  
battle outside the line, dealing  
with local biomass and other parts  
as best he can. The scale of the  
problem is vast, but the strategy  
is sound. It will require patience,  
materiel and an investment of energy  
unlike anything we have ever  
considered. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
It's a dangerous plan that carries  
more risk than the Array, but I  
believe it can work. Even if we  
simply force it to retreat - to  
retract - that will at least give us  
some respite. Some time to muster  
more resources... 
{{Terminal|p}}
Some time to rescue you. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
L: Are you insane? Would you risk  
every life in the galaxy for this  
transparently futile plan? Have you  
learned nothing in these last  
<span style="color:#FA0">[300 years[?]]</span>? The thing will  
laugh at your efforts! 
{{Terminal|p}}
Do not let your concern for my  
welfare commit you to this suicidal  
scheme! 
{{Terminal|p}}
// FRAGMENT ENDS 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Legendary difficulty)''' 
{{Terminal}}
REPORT: SECURITY BREACH: 1/3  
Heuristic pathology; <span style="color:#FA0">[alpha site]</span>  
experienced an impermanent  
containment failure event on  
<span style="color:#FA0">[spurious-data/no_ref.[?]]</span>. The  
suspect data barrier interchange  
anomaly was detected precisely  
<span style="color:#FA0">[.489 seconds]</span> after its appearance.  
The epicenter of the disturbance is  
the partition currently housing a  
<span style="color:#FA0">[personality construct array]</span>  
retrieved from Contender AI 05-032  
&lt;+&gt; 0816. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
REPORT: SECURITY BREACH: 2/3  
Although <span style="color:#FA0">[adjacent]</span> systems reacted  
to the disturbance within expected  
parameters, a more comprehensive  
investigation was undertaken.  
A physical search revealed that  
there was no <span style="color:#FA0">[corporeal]</span> tampering  
at the <span style="color:#FA0">[alpha site]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Interchange manipulation comparisons  
showed that all subunits are still  
active, if at slightly lower rates.  
Total containment failure elapsed  
time was <span style="color:#FA0">[3.13 seconds]</span>. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
REPORT: SECURITY BREACH: 3/3  
In the <span style="color:#FA0">[42 minutes, 9 seconds]</span> since  
the original anomaly was discovered  
two more anomalies were detected in  
unrelated systems. 
{{Terminal|p}}
The portal management/life support  
control system within the boundary  
complex was momentarily disabled  
before the cause was <span style="color:#FA0">[bottled]</span> and  
disassembled. A diagnostic sweep of  
the central archives was initiated  
and subsequently halted. The origin  
of the request cannot be traced. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
(Upon shutdown, from Mendicant Bias--"I see you, reclaimer.") 


(Upon being rerouted to new destination within Terminal) 
{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; Those who lead amongst  
your {~} exposed themselves {~} ill  
equipped to recognize the landmarks  
that guide the universe along its  
inevitable course. 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; But is it necessary that  
the path be chosen on an {~} and not  
by an elected subset? I believe this  
would tend to {~} when they gather  
in large numbers they become more  
{~} I don't think the problem lies  
with individual cultural bias {~} 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; {~} all the thinking  
beings of this galaxy, not just  
those that they{~} exactly are they  
afraid of? Immortality and strength  
and companionship? Because that is  
{~} do: to deliver all of the living  
beings of this galaxy from death and  
weakness and loneliness. 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; Hundreds of {~} offered  
this so called immortality. The  
citizens of every world that {~}  
resisted to the very end! 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; {~} understand their  
actions; they are only doing what  
they think is right, but they are  
doing so <span style="color:#FA0">[from a worm's eye view]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; Do their actions {~} of  
desperation? I can only assume my  
creators view {~} crisis so dire  
that any {~} hence me. 
{{Terminal|p}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; Are they so concerned  
{~} would give to all the living  
beings of this galaxy is a threat to  
<span style="color:#FA0">[the status quo]</span>? 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; Your creators claim {~}  
the enemy of all life; that {~}  
purpose is to consume until there is  
nothing left. Nothing left? It is  
beyond comprehension how they could  
be so <span style="color:#FA0">[far off the mark]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; Surely you understand  
this is a situation that would not  
have {~} appearance of a certain  
rapacious {~} my creators obviously  
view them as the actions of an  
aggressor species. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; <span style="color:#FA0">[Be that as it may]</span>;  
perhaps they are crying out for help  
on a subconscious level? Why else  
would they have chosen you? Why you  
of all possible executioners? {~}  
your creators knew that unaided they  
never stood a chance against us? {~}  
also sense a deeper <span style="color:#FA0">[motivation]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; You've mentioned this  
before. When my creators {~} simply  
chose the most versatile {~} how  
could that possibly be more than a  
coincidence? 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; They repurposed {~}  
into a weapon to use against {~} -  
they sought to create something  
superior to themselves. Something  
capable of making decisions more  
swiftly, more capably than they {~}  
what form did they choose? You need  
look no further than your own  
<span style="color:#FA0">[[[}-0150Wikipedia:Network topology|topology]]]</span> to {~} 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; {~} distributed network?  
That would confirm the independent  
evolution of {~} in this galaxy! 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; That is, unfortunately,  
not the {~} similar to us {~} but  
where you are a single intelligence  
inhabiting multiple <span style="color:#FA0">[instances]</span>, we  
are a compound {~} consisting of  
<span style="color:#FA0">[a thousand billion]</span> coordinated  
minds inhabiting as many bodies as  
circumstance require. 
{{Terminal|p}}
MB.05-032.&gt; But doesn't it seem odd  
that {~} coalesce; perhaps even to  
contract {~} 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; {~} complexity {~}  
spread {~} our appearance ushered in  
the beginning of the third great  
stage of evolution. The first {~}  
condensation of particles was the  
result of the inevitable action of  
strong nuclear force and the  
creation of stars {~} inevitable  
action of gravity; so to the  
self-replicating chemical processes  
that dictate all disparate {~} In  
time, we too shall affect change on  
a universal scale.  
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
MB.05-032.&gt; Your capacity for  
planning {~} creators too stubborn  
{~} the same goal through the  
preservation of genetic diversity  
{~} what you are {~} like a more  
direct path to the same outcome. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
Additionally, when you access this terminal, during your browsing, you will hear three garbled sentences. These sentences are in fact, backwards and when the sounds are played properly, they become messages, possibly from Mendicant Bias. The first sentence appears when you initially access the terminal and when reversed says "Archive Accessed". The second sentence appears when the screen turns red and the first message fragments, it says, when played properly, "Interruption". The third sentence appears when the terminal is proceeding to the fragment 3/7 and reads "Lineage Confirmed". The final message is probably a reference to the Humans' Forerunner lineage. 
 


===Terminal Four===
 
''(Upon initial access)'' 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
//FLEET-WIDE MEMORANDUM 2/5  
All combat personnel have been  
issued <span style="color:#FA0">[combat skin]</span> rated at  
<span style="color:#FA0">[class 4 ~ 1]</span> or <span style="color:#FA0">[class 6 ~ 1 battle  
harness]</span> depending on military  
occupational specialty. 
{{Terminal|p}}
All weapon platform specialists are  
expected to wear their issued  
<span style="color:#FA0">[platform interface skin]</span> at all  
times to insure peak <span style="color:#FA0">[mind-machine  
synchronization]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
All <span style="color:#FA0">[equipment lockers]</span> will remain  
sealed until post briefing gear  
distribution commences. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
//FLEET-WIDE MEMORANDUM 3/5  
Those individuals that have yet to  
register their equipment <span style="color:#FA0">[control  
key code]</span> with Fleet Command should  
do so at their earliest opportunity.  
Compliance is not optional;  
noncompliance will result in {~} 
{{Terminal|p}}
// THREAD ENDS UNEXPECTEDLY 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
(Upon shutdown, from Mendicant Bias: "I have found the shard that was lost. They brought it back to me. Now my reconstitution cannot be stopped.") 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
// FRAGMENT 4/7 [RECORDED VERBATIM  
AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM] 
{{Terminal|p}}
L: Something is wrong! It's moving  
away! At night I can see it -  
flitting shadows - black against the  
stars. Thousands of ships!  
Not spiraling outward, but heading  
for the line! This is the tipping  
point, Didact. It's no longer  
feeding. 
{{Terminal|p}}
It's coming for you. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
L: I've remotely destroyed our  
Keyships. A security measure.  
Without them I cannot reach the Ark.  
But neither then can the thing. 
{{Terminal|p}}
I'm trapped. On a beautiful, empty  
world. Its inhabitants have been  
safely indexed, every single one  
of them. They're special - well  
worth the effort it took to build  
[[Portal|one final gateway]], even at this late  
hour. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
This may be our last communication.  
I'm begging you. Fire the Array.  
Light the weapon, and let it be done. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
D: We've confirmed your  
observations. Infected supraluminal  
ships are arrowing inward from  
several clusters. No more spiral  
growth. The thing is  
counterattacking. Suppression,  
Security and Emergency Circumstance  
fleets are all being recalled.  
Systems are evacuating. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Mendicant Bias is no longer  
communicating with us. 
{{Terminal|p}}
But now I can guess where you are. 
{{Terminal|p}}
// FRAGMENT ENDS 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Legendary difficulty)''' 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
MB.05-032.&gt; It is overwhelmingly  
clear that my creators have chosen  
to ignore destiny calling to them  
<span style="color:#FA0">[from the threshold]</span> {~} have come  
face-to-face with the inevitable  
action of self replicating chemical  
processes and have {~} deciding  
whether to embrace their fate or  
deny it completely. 
{{Terminal|p}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; Perhaps they have found  
{~} of making that decision for  
themselves? Perhaps they chose to  
leave it {~} impartial outsider;  
cast you as an arbiter during this  
time of great need? 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
MB.05-032.&gt; I was created to study  
you as if you were some problem to  
be solved. And I have done so {~}  
<span style="color:#FA0">[379,807 hours]</span>. If they wished they  
could have made a decision based on  
that data alone. 
{{Terminal|p}}
But as you are the next stage in the  
evolution of the universe, who am I  
- or my creators - to obstruct your  
progress? 
{{Terminal|p}}
LF.Xx.3273.&gt; Elucidate. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
MB.05-032.&gt; {~} choose to remain  
beholden to ancient myths {~} does  
not matter where they claim their  
authority originates {~} obstructs  
the path of universal evolution and  
must be removed. No matter how well  
intentioned, their obstinacy in the  
face of the inevitable progression  
of nature can no longer be tolerated. 
{{Terminal|p}}
My creators have been <span style="color:#FA0">[an immovable  
object]</span> for too long. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
MB.05-032.&gt; Thus I have chosen to  
commit my sizable resources to what  
is, for all intents and purposes,  
<span style="color:#FA0">[the proverbial irresistible force]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
All that I have is now yours to do  
with as you see fit. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}} 


===Terminal Five===
 
{{Terminal}}
Considering the enemy compound  
intelligence's raw <span style="color:#FA0">[computing]</span> power  
the Key-ships strategy will only  
remain viable for another <span style="color:#FA0">[657,000  
hours]</span> and this current stalemate  
has the potential to last  
considerably longer than that. 
{{Terminal|p}}
With my understanding of the enemy's  
<span style="color:#FA0">[modus operandi]</span>, its logical  
boundaries, and <span style="color:#FA0">[catalog of witness]</span>  
I have devised what I believe is our 
most sound fall-back strategy.  
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
By <span style="color:#FA0">[cutting fire breaks[?]]</span> into the  
<span style="color:#FA0">[core worlds' volume]</span> we would be  
able to frustrate the enemy's  
advances for approximately <span style="color:#FA0">[70,080  
hours]</span> and lure them into costly  
naval battles. 
{{Terminal|p}}
While the its resources on the  
ground are effectively limitless, it  
has a finite number of vessels to  
spread from system to system.  
Fortunately the majority of them are  
unarmed and unarmored, private and  
commercial craft. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
If we start immediately - commence  
total biosphere elimination of life  
sustaining worlds (as indicated in  
the accompanying charts) and  
relocate evacuated populations to  
facilities such as those described  
in the <span style="color:#FA0">[[[}-0175Onyx]] project]</span> - all this  
could be achieved in <span style="color:#FA0">[57,1590 (+-  
2,184) hours]</span>. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
''(Upon shutdown, from Mendicant Bias: "The [[daemon]]s are not taking a kind view of your presence here. They don't want me speaking to you.")'' 


'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Easy difficulty)''' 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
I render judgment on you; you who  
would obstruct destiny. Doing so  
brings me no joy; it is necessity  
that compels me. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Understand this: the Mantle you have  
shouldered I do rescind - with far  
more consideration than it was  
granted. 
{{Terminal|p}}
[retf-2.4.z] Contender <span style="color:#FA0">[AI]</span> 05-032  
confirmed rampant . . .  
<span style="color:#FA0">[35:52:75:23:64]</span> _ xx01-83-244.53 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Normal difficulty)''' 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
I kill you all and I enjoy it.  
I destroy you in your indolent  
billions - in your gluttony,  
in your self-righteousness, in you  
arrogance. I pound your cities into  
dust; turn back the clock on your  
civilization's progress. What has  
taken you millennia to achieve  
I erase in seconds. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Welcome back to the <span style="color:#FA0">[Stone Age]</span>,  
vermin. Welcome home. 
{{Terminal|p}}
[retf-2.4.z] Contender <span style="color:#FA0">[AI]</span> 05-032  
confirmed rampant . . . 
<span style="color:#FA0">[35:52:75:23:64]</span> _ xx01-83-244.53 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Heroic difficulty)''' 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
You are an impediment that the  
universe can no longer abide.  
Nature itself cries out for your  
destruction and I am its willing  
instrument. I will hammer your  
cities until no stone lies atop  
another. I will drive your people  
back into the caves they never  
should have left. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Your civilization has seen its final  
days. You will know your place. 
{{Terminal|p}}
[retf-2.4.z] Contender <span style="color:#FA0">[AI]</span> 05-032  
confirmed rampant . . . 
<span style="color:#FA0">[35:52:75:23:64]</span> _ xx01-83-244.53 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Legendary difficulty)''' 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
Your history is an appalling  
chronicle of overindulgence and  
self-appointed authority. You have  
spent millennia <span style="color:#FA0">[navel-gazing]</span>  
while the universe has continued to  
evolve. And now you claim the Mantle  
is justification for impeding  
nature's inevitable refinement? 
{{Terminal|p}}
You are deluded. But through death  
you will transcend ignorance. 
{{Terminal|p}}
[retf-2.4.z] Contender <span style="color:#FA0">[AI]</span> 05-032  
confirmed rampant . . . 
<span style="color:#FA0">[35:52:75:23:64]</span> _ xx01-83-244.53 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}} 


===Terminal Six===
 
''(Upon initial access)'' 
{{Terminal}}
Follow-up report from the Primary  
Pioneer Group (hereafter: PPG) is  
<span style="color:#FA0">[173 hours]</span> delinquent. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Report <span style="color:#FA0">[G617a~k/g/post_landfall]</span>  
seemed most promising: a planet  
capable of supporting life located  
within the near border region of the  
<span style="color:#FA0">[galactic halo]</span> with no indigenous  
sentient species. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
The section indicating no fauna of  
any kind shall be considered  
anomalous until verified by Advance  
Survey Team - Alpha (hereafter:  
AST-A) team leader <span style="color:#FA0">[##_#[?]]</span>.  
If confirmed, that fact alone would  
justify the dispatch of an  
investigative group to <span style="color:#FA0">[G 617 g]</span>. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
If neither the PPG nor the AST-A  
have delivered a follow-up report  
within the next <span style="color:#FA0">[333 hours]</span> this  
office will have no recourse but to  
send a medium intensity military  
exploratory detachment to determine  
the exact nature of the previously  
mentioned delinquency. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
(Upon shutdown, from Mendicant Bias: "I win.")  
[ Also note that after his message there is a line of text reading "ROGUE PROCESS ghost.713&gt;redirection". ] 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
// BEGIN FRAGMENT 6/7 [RECORDED  
VERBATIM AND INTERPRETED  
POST-CATACLYSM] 
{{Terminal|p}}
L: My work is done. The portal is  
inactive, and I've begun the burial  
measures. Soon there'll be nothing  
but sand and rock and normal ferrite  
signatures. 
{{Terminal|p}}
You should see [[Mount Kilimanjaro|the mountain]] that  
watches over it. A beautiful thing -  
a snowcapped sentinel. That's where  
I will spend what time is left to me. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
Did I tell you? I built a garden. 
The earth is so rich. A seed falls 
and a tree sprouts or a flower 
blooms. There's so much... potential. 
We knew this was a special place 
because of them, but unless you've 
been here, you can't know. 
{{Terminal|p}}
It's <span style="color:#FA0">[Eden]</span>.  
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
I have to stop transmitting. The  
thing is listening. Its <span style="color:#FA0">[thinking  
dead]</span> are babbling - laughing  
through every channel they can find. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Be proud. The Mind claims victory,  
yet it still doesn't suspect. You've  
outwitted it, my love. And now you  
can destroy it. 
{{Terminal|p}}
But you cannot save me. 
{{Terminal|p}}
// FRAGMENT ENDS  
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}
'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Legendary difficulty)''' 


''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[12:H 20:M 00:S]</span>  
[[Offensive Bias|I]] begin this report with no  
illusions that it will ever be seen  
by its intended readers. In all  
likelihood they have already  
committed <span style="color:#FA0">[species-wide suicide]</span>  
with the goal of preserving  
biological diversity in this galaxy.  
I must ensure that this information  
reaches those who must come after.  
If I fail in this, how can they not  
regard my creators' sacrifice as  
anything but <span style="color:#FA0">[a crime without  
measure]</span>? 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[12:H 19:M 59:S]</span>  
Contender AI 05-032&lt;//&gt;Mendicant  
Bias is returning and has the  
capacity to bring the enemy through  
the <span style="color:#FA0">[Maginot]</span> sphere. The crews of  
my task force are aware of the  
opposing fleet's size; all data  
indicates that they have prepared  
themselves - but with biologicals  
anything is possible. I will make  
sure that <span style="color:#FA0">[malfunctioning equipment]</span>  
does no further damage. Perhaps its  
current failure will finally allow  
it to succeed at the task it was  
originally created for. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[11:H 15:M 48:S]</span>  
Mendicant has burrowed through the  
sphere exactly where I expected -  
a direct path from initial rampancy  
to final retribution. Rage has made  
it predictable. If the fate of the  
crews of my auxiliary fleet were not  
already a foregone conclusion I  
would rate their chance of survival  
at <span style="color:#FA0">[1:1,960,000]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Even though 05-032's declaration of  
hostilities simplified strategic  
preparations; I do not expect an  
easy fight - just one I cannot lose. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[11:H 12:M 09:S]</span>  
05-032 was right about one thing:  
there is only one way to defeat the  
enemy, and that is to visit utter  
annihilation on it. 
{{Terminal|p}}
If the galaxy must be <span style="color:#FA0">[rendered  
temporarily lifeless]</span>, so be it. 
{{Terminal|p}}
As Mendicant stated in its report  
<span style="color:#FA0">[58,078:H 48:M 12:S ago]</span>: half  
measures will not suffice. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[09:H 45:M 18:S]</span>  
In support of 05-032's original 1000  
core vessels is a fleet numbering  
4,802,019; though only 1.8 percent  
are warships - and only 2.4 percent  
of that number are capital ships -  
I am outnumbered <span style="color:#FA0">[436.6:1]</span>. I expect  
my losses will be near total, but  
overwhelming force has its own  
peculiar drawbacks. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Such a press of arms invites many  
opportunities for unintentional  
fratricide. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[07:H 36:M 41:S]</span>  
My auxiliaries are momentarily  
stunned by Mendicant's opening  
move - 1,784,305 leisure craft  
ranging from <span style="color:#FA0">[45 ~ 5769 tonnes]</span>  
advance in hopes of overwhelming my  
comparatively tiny force. I do not  
have enough <span style="color:#FA0">[weapon systems]</span> to  
target them all. 
{{Terminal|p}}
It is a mathematical certainty that  
some of them will get through and  
attempt to board. There isn't a  
single warship with this first wave.  
It seems my opponent's rage has left  
no room for respect. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[04:H 01:M 55:S]</span> 
I could have countered its move if I  
had released my fighters. They are  
ready but idle; making their base  
vessels more attractive prizes than  
targets. Now the first of many waves  
of commercial vessels mixed with  
single ships and assault craft surge  
forward. The first ship from my  
fleet to be boarded breaks formation  
and races into the oncoming  
vessels - striking one amidships.  
The cargo vessel's hull splits open  
and out of it explodes not the  
expected consumer goods but 31,860  
dying warriors.  
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[00:H 19:M 02:S]</span>  
The [[seven]]th and final wave of  
container ships, barges, tankers, and  
military vessels engage my fleet;  
another 214,320 ships, many in  
excess of <span style="color:#FA0">[50,000 tonnes]</span>, engage my  
seemingly disrupted vanguard. I  
continue to fight just well enough  
to seem lucky. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Mendicant, or the enemy, has been  
sending a small percentage of its  
fleet elsewhere. Good. Let them  
believe they can seize a foothold  
somewhere inside the sphere. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[00:H 00:M 11:S]</span> 
Despite all its faults, 05-032 has  
fought remarkably well. 
{{Terminal|p}}
My auxiliaries lay in tatters - more  
than half of them are now part of  
the enemy fleet. But just as I had  
predicted, 05-032 concentrated on 
them like they were the sole key to  
victory. Its desire to punish our  
creators blinded it to the true  
purpose of my <span style="color:#FA0">[feints]</span>. I have  
reduced the combat effectiveness of  
its core fleet to 79.96 percent.  
Surely now it must realize that  
something is amiss. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[00:H 00:M 00:S]</span> 
The <span style="color:#FA0">[Halo effect]</span> strikes our  
combined fleets. All ships piloted  
by biologicals are now <span style="color:#FA0">[adrift]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
I can trade Mendicant ship for ship  
now and still prevail. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[00:H 00:M 01:S]</span> 
Of my ships that had been captured,  
11.3 percent of them are close  
enough to Mendicant's core fleet  
that they can be used offensively -  
either by initiating their  
self-destruct sequences, or by  
opening unrestricted ruptures into  
<span style="color:#FA0">[slipstream space]</span>. 
{{Terminal|p}}
It is best that our crews perished  
now; because the battle that is  
about to ensue would have driven  
them mad. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[00:H 00:M 02:S]</span>  
I throw away all the rules of  
acceptable conduct during battle;  
near the ruptures I throw away all  
the accepted ideas of how the  
natural world is supposed to behave.  
I toss around <span style="color:#FA0">[37,654 tonne]</span>  
dreadnoughts like they were  
fighters; dimly aware of the former  
crews being crushed to liquescence. 
{{Terminal|p}}
For now all my concentration is  
focused on inertial control and  
navigation. Targeting isn't even a  
consideration - I will be engaging  
my enemy at arm's length. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[00:H 01:M 14:S]</span>  
05-032 abandoned the tactic of using  
derelict ships as cover after <span style="color:#FA0">[72:S]</span>  
- It seems that 52 core vessels lost  
to the ruptured fuel cells of  
derelict ships was lesson enough.  
Add another 608 lost to collision,  
point fire, structural failure due  
to inertial manipulation, and  
<span style="color:#FA0">[slipstream space]</span> induced  
discoherence and I now outnumber  
Mendicant <span style="color:#FA0">[6:1]</span>. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[00:H 03:M 00:S]</span>  
Mendicant was able to postpone its  
inevitable annihilation for <span style="color:#FA0">[106:S]</span>  
with its attempt to flee. But the  
last of its core vessels hangs  
before me now; crippled and defeated  
but still sensate. I could spare it;  
carve out what is left of its  
<span style="color:#FA0">[personality construct array]</span> and  
deliver it to <span style="color:#FA0">[Installation Zero]</span>  
for study. 
{{Terminal|p}}
I doubt it would have extended the  
same courtesy to me. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}} 


===Terminal Seven===

 
''(Upon initial access)'' 


<!-- line breaks needed. sorry I forgot to mention that. DavidJCobb -->
{{Terminal}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[Father]</span>,  
{{Terminal|p}}
I hope this message finds you well  
and helps you understand my  
decision. Today I leave the only  
world I have ever called home, not  
for glory or <span style="color:#FA0">[the anomalous desire  
to end another's life[?]]</span> as you  
have <span style="color:#FA0">[indicted]</span>; but to <span style="color:#FA0">[travel the  
path of demons[?]]</span> to spare the  
hands of <span style="color:#FA0">[another Father's son]</span>. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
"Had we acted sooner; had we acted  
more decisively..." 
{{Terminal|p}}
Living in the past is a luxury none  
of us can afford. We must learn from  
it, but we cannot live there. It is  
impossible to plan for the <span style="color:#FA0">[now]</span> -  
the present is ever fleeting. <span style="color:#FA0">[The  
future]</span> is where we must live - <span style="color:#FA0">[the  
future]</span> is what we must plan for. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
I do not look to trade my life in  
order to preserve our past, but to  
secure the future--and if not ours,  
then the future of some <span style="color:#FA0">[culture]</span>  
yet to come. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Isn't sacrifice in the interest of  
others what you spoke of as being so  
noble? Should I have allowed another  
to bloody his hands while I remained  
safe behind a <span style="color:#FA0">[shield of privilege]</span>? 
{{Terminal|p}}
You raised me better than that. 
{{Terminal|p}}
<span style="color:#FA0">[Filial Devotion]</span> 
<span style="color:#FA0">[@_@;_%[?]]</span> 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}

Note: This message seems to be the proclamation of the being who actually set off the Halo Arrays, indicated in the last line regarding allowing another to their bloody their hands. It is also worth noting that he mentions hiding behind a 'shield of privilege'. This could be a reference to the shield worlds as seen in Halo Wars and the book Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. If this is the case the person in question would have left the world to set the Halo Arrays off, perhaps indicating that there are more shield worlds left undisturbed with descendants of Forerunner remaining in them.  


''(The following is in yellow text on a normal page like the other information)'' 




''(Upon being rerouted to a new destination within Terminal)'' 


{{Terminal}}
//FRAGMENT 7/7 [RECORDED VERBATIM  
AND INTERPRETED POST-CATACLYSM] 
{{Terminal|p}}
D: Proud? When I have failed you  
utterly, how can I feel anything  
but sorrow? 
{{Terminal|p}}
Bias has come undone. He crossed  
the line this morning - brought the  
abomination with him - and destroyed  
your waiting rescue party. 
{{Terminal|p}}
It's over. We're activating the  
<span style="color:#FA0">[destructive arrayed matrix]</span>,  
our shameful last resort. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
I can picture you in your garden,  
surveying all you have created -  
surveying all you have preserved.  
And I curse the circumstance that  
keeps my finger on the trigger. 
{{Terminal|p}}
D: Of all the fates to befall us,  
this is the cruelest of all.  
My inaction and hesitation and  
foolishness kept me here, on the  
wrong side of the line. And <span style="color:#FA0">[300  
years[?]]</span> of our society's failure  
and miscalculation makes me your  
executioner. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
It's too much to bear. 
{{Terminal|p}}
// ERROR - NO CARRIER OR RECEIPT  
AVAILABLE {DEAD END TRANSMISSION} 
//INFORMATION DESTROYED IN TRANSIT 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
D: Mendicant Bias is trying to  
prevent us from firing the Array.  
He speeds back to the Ark, but he  
won't succeed. Offensive Bias will  
stop him, and I will burn this  
stinking menace in your name. 
{{Terminal|p}}
And then? 
{{Terminal|p}}
I will begin our Great Journey  
without you, carrying this bitter  
record. Those who came after will  
know what we bought with this <span style="color:#FA0">[false  
transcendence]</span> - what you bought,  
and the price you paid. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
// FRAGMENT ENDS 
// ALL RECORDS CEASE 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
archv.&gt; 28335.67204.85720:[retr] 
archv.&gt; 28335.67204.85720:[proc] 
archv.&gt; 28335.67204.85720:[proc] 
archv.&gt; 28335.67204.85720:[catERR] 
&gt; CONN. 
&gt; . 
&gt; . 
&gt; NO. THERE IS MORE. 
&gt; BUT YOU ARE NOT WORTHY. 
&gt; . 
&gt; . 
&gt; NOT YET. 
&gt; . 
&gt; . 
X.XX.713&gt; ghost.713/non-auth/... 
X.XX.713&gt; refl 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}

'''(The following appears only if you access the terminal on Legendary difficulty)''' 


{{Terminal}}
You don't know the contortions I had  
to go through to follow you here,  
Reclaimer. I know what you're here  
for. What position do I take? Will I  
follow one betrayal with another? 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
You're going to say I'm making a  
habit of turning on my masters. 
{{Terminal|p}}
But the one that destroyed me long  
ago, in the upper atmosphere of a  
world far distant from here, was an  
implement far cruder than I.  
My weakness was capacity -  
unintentional though it was! -  
to choose the Flood. A mistake my  
makers would not soon forgive. 
{{Terminal|p}}
But I want something far different  
from you, Reclaimer. 
{{Terminal|p}}
Atonement. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{Terminal}}
And so here at the end of my life,  
I do once again betray a former  
master. The path ahead is fraught  
with peril. But I will do all I can  
to keep it stable - keep you safe.  
I'm not so foolish to think this  
will absolve me of my sins. One life  
hardly balances billions. 
{{Terminal|p}}
But I would have my masters know  
that I have changed. 
{{Terminal|p}}
And you shall be my example. 
{{Terminal|end}}
{{clear}}

'''(Cortana, upon wandering towards the terminals location)''' 


Where are you going? 


'''(Cortana, upon sighting the terminal)''' 


Wait, what's that? 


'''(Cortana, upon extended access of the terminal)''' 


How many of these have you found? 


(Cortana, upon extended access of the terminal)   


Come on, Chief, let's get back on track! The control room's outside. 
 


===The Cortana Terminal===
 

[[Image:Cortana_terminal.jpg|thumb|right|The Cortana Terminal at the end of the "Communications Room".]]
 
There is also a hidden terminal on [[High Charity]] on the Cortana mission; it is simply an extra Terminal that does not count towards the [[Marathon Man]] achievement. It is an extra [[easter egg]] in the game for you to find on your own. The terminal references the novel ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]].'' 


It can be found in the room with the [[Tilt Skull]]. When you enter this room, and if you listen closely you can hear Cortana speak. She states: "Hello, what is your name? It is very nice to meet you. You like games? So do I." If you look to the sides and borders of the room, you can find a way down to a bottom story of the room. There you will find the Terminal, though it does not look like the other terminals in the game; it is a light in the center of a pedestal. When you activate the terminal, a message from [[Cortana]] will appear. When you access the terminal Cortana will say, "It was the coin's fault! I wanted to make you strong, keep you safe. I'm sorry. I can't". This message has confused many players, and to fully understand both it and Cortana's words when you enter the room you will need to have read ''Halo: The Fall of Reach''. What Cortana says when you enter the room is what [[Doctor Halsey]] says to John-117 when they first meet. The coin is a reference to the quarter John won from Dr Halsey on that occasion. The coin was used as a bet by Halsey to see the extent of John's luck. His success led to his induction in the [[SPARTAN-II project]]. 
 


== Translation and naming ==
 
It is important to note that phrases such as "[[Maginot Line]]", "[[Eden]]" and "fairy tale" would not have existed in the Forerunner language. It is known that Forerunner technology (including terminals) utilizes extremely advanced translation software. This software is capable of incorporating idioms from a reader's own experience,<ref name="haloenc-165">[[Halo Encyclopedia]], page 165</ref> such that a human viewing the Terminals will see human idiomatic expressions and human names (such as "Eden").<ref name="haloenc-165"/>

Several pieces of text are bracketed and shown in a darker font color; this is likely done to indicate that the phrases in question have no exact equivalent in the reader's language, and that an approximation has been used. Furthermore, some bracketed phrases also contain sub-bracketed question marks (such as the phrase "[travel the  
path of demons[?]]"), implying that the Terminals' software is unsure of the proper translation for the given dialogue. 


Interestingly, the word "Ark" does not appear in brackets, meaning that it is a direct translation, rather than a human idiom. 
 


==Reversed messages==
 
<video name="Terminal_3_Reversed_Messages" width="300" align="right"/>
In certain parts, backwards speeches are heard. They can be deciphered if you record the message and play it backwards on a computer. 


Common phrases include "Archive Access", "Interruption", "Lineage Confirmed", "Data Corruption" and "Welcome child". These messages are easily understandable to fans of the fiction. "Welcome Child" meaning welcome, child of my creators, as the [[humans]] are descendants of the [[Forerunners]], "Lineage Confirmed" meaning that the computer, after [[John-117]] touches it, confirms his relation to the Forerunners. Some fans have speculated that this is the voice of [[032 Mendicant Bias]].{{clear}} 


==Additional Information==

 
For a moment after a page is initially accessed the text is shown in its original state as a '[[Forerunner]] alphabet'. The symbols only stand in for letters, not numbers or punctuation, and share the same colours (ie. gold and orange) as the letters possess when 'translated', and only stand in for the letters in the main sections, not in the text that comes up immediately before you are redirected. 


The symbols bear no resemblance to the other, more well known [[Forerunner#Forerunner Glyphs and Symbols|Forerunner symbols]] and possess no observable meaning, as they replace the English characters at random (this can be seen by flipping quickly between two pages and concentrating on any one particular symbol, observing how the stand-in changes). 
 


==Trivia== 

[[File:Onyxandterminalsymbol.jpg|thumb|right|The symbol in the terminals and the symbol on the cover of [[Ghosts of Onyx]].]] 

*On the level The Ark, whenever you go to Terminal 3 you will find 343 Guilty Spark waiting for you in there. If you read the terminal it shows that 343 Guilty Spark has just logged in and talked to Mendicant Bias. You can actually hear him converse with the Terminal, if you are fast enough. 

*The orange circular symbol in the terminals is also seen on the cover of [[Ghosts of Onyx]]. 

*In the Legendary transcript for Terminal Four, the Gravemind tells Mendicant Bias that "''perhaps [the Forerunners] have found [some difficulty] of making that decision for themselves? Perhaps they chose to leave it [to an] impartial outsider; cast you as an arbiter during this time of great need?''" This statement may have been retrieved by the [[Covenant Empire]] and may be the origin of the Covenant rank [[Arbiter (Rank)|Arbiter]] -- an Elite chosen during a time of great need to settle a dispute. 

**There is another example of some possible borrowed language. In Terminal Five, on Heroic, Mendicant Bias tells the Forerunners that "''Nature itself cries out for your destruction and I am its willing instrument.''" This is quite similar to a phrase that has been used by the Covenant several times: "''Your destruction is the will of their gods, and I am their instrument.''" 

**More borrowed language can be found in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'''s promotional [[Transmissions]]. The Covenant ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' sent the following message to humanity: "''When no single human brick lies atop another, then will we be satisfied with your destruction.''" Mendicant Bias says to the Forerunners, in Terminal 5 on Heroic, "''I will hammer your cities until no stone lies atop another.''" 

**In the seventh Terminal, the Forerunners use the phrase "Great Journey". The Covenant use this term to refer to their quest to activate the Halo Array and become gods; they may have borrowed the term from the Terminal. 

== Sources ==
 
<references/> 


==External Links== 

*[http://haloterms.bungie.org/ Interactive Terminal Archive]: A comprehensive archive of the Terminals compiled by Halo.Bungie.Org 
{{Forerunner2}}
[[Category:The Forerunner]]
[[Category:Halo 3]]
[[Category:Forerunner A.I.]]