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{{Quote|When the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.|Cortana speaks her first words, in [[Human languages|Italian]]—the same once said by Catherine Halsey's mother after beating her daughter at the first game of [[chess]] they played.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}} | {{Quote|When the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.|Cortana speaks her first words, in [[Human languages|Italian]]—the same once said by Catherine Halsey's mother after beating her daughter at the first game of [[chess]] they played.}}{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}} | ||
[[File:HaloReach - Finale.png|300px|thumb|left|Doctor Halsey with a young Cortana, her creation.]] | [[File:HaloReach - Finale.png|300px|thumb|left|Doctor Halsey with a young Cortana, her creation.]] | ||
On [[2549#May|May 21, 2549]] the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s chief scientist, Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]], [[Flash cloning|cloned]] herself twenty times.<ref name="HG12">''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'', ''Chapter 12''</ref><ref name="HTFOR25">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 25''</ref><ref name="HJ52149">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''May 21, 2549''</ref> An A.I. was needed for [[Operation: RED FLAG]], a planned mission to | On [[2549#May|May 21, 2549]] the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]]'s chief scientist, Doctor [[Catherine Halsey]], [[Flash cloning|cloned]] herself twenty times.<ref name="HG12">''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'', ''Chapter 12''</ref><ref name="HTFOR25">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 25''</ref><ref name="HJ52149">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''May 21, 2549''</ref> An A.I. was needed for [[Operation: RED FLAG]], a planned mission to capture one of the [[Covenant]]'s [[hierarch]]s and force a truce.{{Ref/Reuse|WaypointCortana}}<ref name="HTFOR26">''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'', ''Chapter 26''</ref> Halsey believed her third-generation volitional A.I.s required better material to use as A.I. matrix seeds than that offered by the new candidates she was being presented with, which she saw as lacking both physical and intellectual agility.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ52149}} To create the clones she used the same equipment that had been used years prior to make the [[flash clone]]s needed for the [[SPARTAN-II]] program. This time, however, she enhanced their neural physiology at the expense of other biological functions. She made sure the equipment was hidden and secure from all save herself, though the cloning had been arranged by [[ONI]] at her insistence. As such, there were a few others who also knew about it, but she was confident that these particular individuals could be trusted to keep the information secret. The clones developed at a breakneck pace, for on the same day she had first begun the process they were already exhibiting familiar anatomy and curling into fetal positions, malformed as they were.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ52149}} A little over two months later, on [[2549#July|July 29]], Halsey successfully excised all of the clones' brains and transferred them to cryogenic units.<ref name="HJ72949">''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'', ''July 29, 2549''</ref> All remaining organic substrates were flash-incinerated.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ72949}} | ||
[[File:H5G YoungCortana.PNG|thumb|250px|Cortana's face resembles the way Doctor Halsey's appeared when she was fresh out of college.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}} Part of her also resembles Halsey's daughter [[Miranda Keyes|Miranda]] and yet another part is purely Cortana's invention.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}}]] | [[File:H5G YoungCortana.PNG|thumb|250px|Cortana's face resembles the way Doctor Halsey's appeared when she was fresh out of college.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}} Part of her also resembles Halsey's daughter [[Miranda Keyes|Miranda]] and yet another part is purely Cortana's invention.{{Ref/Reuse|HJ11749}}]] | ||
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Blue Team tracked Cortana down and John confronted her, stating that he had been aware of her attempts to manipulate him psychologically and questioned her about the loss of life that awakening the Guardians had wrought. Cortana insisted that the entire galaxy would know peace once she had attained the Mantle, despite the Chief's counterpoint that she could never achieve peace by ruling through fear. Certain that the Chief now stood against her, Cortana forcefully imprisoned him and Blue Team within a Cryptum, intending to keep them there for ten thousand years until her power would be consolidated and she could show them what her peace had wrought, and began preparing it for slipspace travel.<ref name="h5 the breaking">'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level, ''[[The Breaking]]''</ref> | Blue Team tracked Cortana down and John confronted her, stating that he had been aware of her attempts to manipulate him psychologically and questioned her about the loss of life that awakening the Guardians had wrought. Cortana insisted that the entire galaxy would know peace once she had attained the Mantle, despite the Chief's counterpoint that she could never achieve peace by ruling through fear. Certain that the Chief now stood against her, Cortana forcefully imprisoned him and Blue Team within a Cryptum, intending to keep them there for ten thousand years until her power would be consolidated and she could show them what her peace had wrought, and began preparing it for slipspace travel.<ref name="h5 the breaking">'''Halo 5: Guardians''', campaign level, ''[[The Breaking]]''</ref> | ||
Cortana then made a general broadcast that was heard throughout [[Milky Way|the galaxy]] in which she offered an end to hunger and pain which she could bring, while also threatening those who would resist her leadership with violence.{{Ref/Reuse|HFRW}} On Earth, her words were heard while it was evening in [[Sydney]] and a Guardian sent there at her direction was already hanging over the city skyline before she'd finished speaking.{{Ref/Reuse|HFRW}} Another she directed to [[Sanghelios]].{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}} The [[Unggoy]] of [[Balaho]] decided they would accept her edicts, so she sent an army of [[Forerunner]] [[ | Cortana then made a general broadcast that was heard throughout [[Milky Way|the galaxy]] in which she offered an end to hunger and pain which she could bring, while also threatening those who would resist her leadership with violence.{{Ref/Reuse|HFRW}} On Earth, her words were heard while it was evening in [[Sydney]] and a Guardian sent there at her direction was already hanging over the city skyline before she'd finished speaking.{{Ref/Reuse|HFRW}} Another she directed to [[Sanghelios]].{{Ref/Reuse|HBB1}} The [[Unggoy]] of [[Balaho]] decided they would accept her edicts, so she sent an army of [[Forerunner]] [[Armiger Soldier|soldier]]s there to secure the [[UEG]] embassy in [[Gedgow]], its capital.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB3}} The entire embassy was destroyed and nearly everyone inside was killed.{{Ref/Reuse|HBB3}} At [[Meridian Station]], survivors of the Guardian emergence days earlier immediately sent a response upon hearing Cortana's words, asking for her help.{{Ref/Reuse|HFWR}} She in kind sent an instant reply in which she promised all would be dealt with in time.{{Ref/Reuse|HFWR}} On Genesis, Cortana noticed that the Spartans of [[Fireteam Osiris]] were moving with haste toward the communications relay she'd been using to block [[031 Exuberant Witness]]' master level access of the installation.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GGU}} She audibly questioned what they were doing and declared the Reclamation to have begun, seeing as her Guardians were deployed. She claimed that peace would soon ring across the known galaxy as the last Guardian, with her aboard, as successive blasts from its [[disruption generator]] worked to push the Spartans back. Just as she was about to depart, she then asked where where the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} was, as she was having difficulty locating it and could not figure out why. Certain she'd find it soon enough, she locked in [[slipspace]] coordinates, secured the Cryptum, and made one final taunt toward Spartan [[Jameson Locke|Locke]]. However, to her surprise, Exuberant Witness regained control at that moment and leveraged the assistance of a multitude of [[Constructor]] sentinels to steal away the Cryptum just as Cortana's Guardian jumped to slipspace. Cortana could only shout John's name as he and the rest of Blue Team were left behind on Genesis, now once more under the stewardship of its monitor.{{Ref/Reuse|H5GGU}} | ||
===Reclamation=== | ===Reclamation=== | ||
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[[File:HW2-Anders meets a Guardian.png|thumb|350px|left|[[Ellen Anders]] comes face-to-face with a Guardian after it intercepts [[Installation 09]].]] | [[File:HW2-Anders meets a Guardian.png|thumb|350px|left|[[Ellen Anders]] comes face-to-face with a Guardian after it intercepts [[Installation 09]].]] | ||
At some point Cortana's attention was drawn to the [[Lethbridge Industrial]] research and development facility [[Auriga Station]], notable for its ability to carefully disassemble, analyze, and rebuild nearly any piece of recovered technology to aid in reverse-engineering efforts.{{Ref/Reuse|CF63}} As part of her galactic conquest, she stripped bare Lethbridge's vast archives of secrets and made a mockery of its counter-cyberintrusion suites, quickly repurposing the loyalty of the station's resident A.I. and removing the human crew. She and the other A.I.s of the Created were eager to use the station's tools to harvest, decompile, and rebuild new tools and weapons to be wielded by constructs advancing Cortana's plans across her growing [[ecumene]].<ref name="CF63">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-storm-surge '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Storm Surge'']</ref>{{Ref/Note|It is known that a plan was hatched by those resisting Cortana to board Auriga Station with Spartans, disable or steal the manufacturing systems onboard, and wipe the A.I.s still bound to its holographic storage systems. The ''Halo 5: Guardians'' [[multiplayer]] map [[Stasis]] is set within the snow-covered wreckage of a [[habitat ring]] that likely represents the station, indicating that something caused it or debris from it to deorbit and slam into the planet it existed over.}} As Cortana and the [[Created]] further extended their influence across inhabited worlds, the A.I.s burrowed into Forerunner machinery and UNSC information systems to turn [[terraforming]] equipment and world engines to their own grand designs.{{Ref/Reuse|IA}} At Cortana's direction they initiated processes which they hoped would reshape worlds into verdant gardens teeming with life after only a few decades of manipulation, be it at much short-term cost. On one colonial planet in particular which was scarred by wars both ancient and recent, the Created shifted entire continents and oceans after balancing the drawbacks of both limited [[extinction]] events and damage to the existing colonial infrastructure.<ref name="IA">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-5-guardians/updates/infinitys-armory '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Infinity's Armory'']</ref> On [[Sanghelios]], Created scouts persisted as a problem for UNSC expeditionary forces allied with the [[Arbiter]].{{Ref/Reuse|CF77}} By [[2559#January|January 24, 2559]], the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} remained on the run from Cortana, maintaining an erratic series of slipspace jumps in order to avoid detection by her Guardians.<ref name="lootcrate11">''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'' ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #11]]''</ref><ref name="lootcrate12">''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'' ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #12]]''</ref> A little over two months later a Guardian intercepted [[Installation 09|a newly built Halo ring]] that had been launched from [[Installation 00|the Ark]] just after the start of April, it having suddenly dropped out of slipspace soon after entering a portal between the extragalactic installation and the [[Soell system]].<ref name="HW2LS">''[[Halo Wars 2]]'', ''[[Last Stand (Halo Wars 2 level)|Last Stand]]''</ref> One year after the original issuing of her galaxy-wide ultimatum, many worlds remained subject to martial law under the indomitable grip of Cortana's Forerunner weapons.<ref name="CF107">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/shadows-of-the-former '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Canon Fodder #107: Shadows of the Former'']</ref>{{Ref/Note|1=In ''[[Discover Hope]]'', a trailer for ''[[Halo Infinite]]'', Cortana's voice is heard while John walks toward a blue light within the control room of a [[Halo ring|Halo]] installation, extolling John's uniqueness and their partnership. Whether or not this voice-over strictly corresponds with the scene in question canonically is undetermined but it has been deliberately and explicitly confirmed that John was walking in the forerunner room to ''connect'' with someone or something. Additionally, an audio file hidden within the trailer features Cortana's voice remarking "This... This is part of me. I don't know why. I don't know how. But it is me." In an [https://youtu.be/Jye1-0zh41E?t=406 interview], a 343 Industries developer states "That was a... a really important part of the trailer where Master Chief is um, going into a very... Forerunner um, environment, to kind of uh, reconnect."}} After being contacted by [[Leonidas]], Cortana had him destroy Laconia Station along with 76 Spartan-IV's.{{Citation needed}} | At some point Cortana's attention was drawn to the [[Lethbridge Industrial]] research and development facility [[Auriga Station]], notable for its ability to carefully disassemble, analyze, and rebuild nearly any piece of recovered technology to aid in reverse-engineering efforts.{{Ref/Reuse|CF63}} As part of her galactic conquest, she stripped bare Lethbridge's vast archives of secrets and made a mockery of its counter-cyberintrusion suites, quickly repurposing the loyalty of the station's resident A.I. and removing the human crew. She and the other A.I.s of the Created were eager to use the station's tools to harvest, decompile, and rebuild new tools and weapons to be wielded by constructs advancing Cortana's plans across her growing [[ecumene]].<ref name="CF63">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-storm-surge '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Storm Surge'']</ref>{{Ref/Note|It is known that a plan was hatched by those resisting Cortana to board Auriga Station with Spartans, disable or steal the manufacturing systems onboard, and wipe the A.I.s still bound to its holographic storage systems. The ''Halo 5: Guardians'' [[multiplayer]] map [[Stasis]] is set within the snow-covered wreckage of a [[habitat ring]] that likely represents the station, indicating that something caused it or debris from it to deorbit and slam into the planet it existed over.}} As Cortana and the [[Created]] further extended their influence across inhabited worlds, the A.I.s burrowed into Forerunner machinery and UNSC information systems to turn [[terraforming]] equipment and world engines to their own grand designs.{{Ref/Reuse|IA}} At Cortana's direction they initiated processes which they hoped would reshape worlds into verdant gardens teeming with life after only a few decades of manipulation, be it at much short-term cost. On one colonial planet in particular which was scarred by wars both ancient and recent, the Created shifted entire continents and oceans after balancing the drawbacks of both limited [[extinction]] events and damage to the existing colonial infrastructure.<ref name="IA">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-5-guardians/updates/infinitys-armory '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Infinity's Armory'']</ref> On [[Sanghelios]], Created scouts persisted as a problem for UNSC expeditionary forces allied with the [[Arbiter]].{{Ref/Reuse|CF77}} By [[2559#January|January 24, 2559]], the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} remained on the run from Cortana, maintaining an erratic series of slipspace jumps in order to avoid detection by her Guardians.<ref name="lootcrate11">''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'' ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #11]]''</ref><ref name="lootcrate12">''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'' ''[[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #12]]''</ref> A little over two months later a Guardian intercepted [[Installation 09|a newly built Halo ring]] that had been launched from [[Installation 00|the Ark]] just after the start of April, it having suddenly dropped out of slipspace soon after entering a portal between the extragalactic installation and the [[Soell system]].<ref name="HW2LS">''[[Halo Wars 2]]'', ''[[Last Stand (Halo Wars 2 level)|Last Stand]]''</ref> One year after the original issuing of her galaxy-wide ultimatum, many worlds remained subject to martial law under the indomitable grip of Cortana's Forerunner weapons.<ref name="CF107">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/shadows-of-the-former '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Canon Fodder #107: Shadows of the Former'']</ref>{{Ref/Note|1=In ''[[Discover Hope]]'', a trailer for ''[[Halo Infinite]]'', Cortana's voice is heard while John walks toward a blue light within the control room of a [[Halo ring|Halo]] installation, extolling John's uniqueness and their partnership. Whether or not this voice-over strictly corresponds with the scene in question canonically is undetermined but it has been deliberately and explicitly confirmed that John was walking in the forerunner room to ''connect'' with someone or something. Additionally, an audio file hidden within the trailer features Cortana's voice remarking "This... This is part of me. I don't know why. I don't know how. But it is me." In an [https://youtu.be/Jye1-0zh41E?t=406 interview], a 343 Industries developer states "That was a... a really important part of the trailer where Master Chief is um, going into a very... Forerunner um, environment, to kind of uh, reconnect."}} After being contacted by [[Leonidas]], Cortana had him destroy Laconia Station along with 76 Spartan-IV's.{{Citation needed}} | ||
Around [[2559#November|November 2559]], Cortana went to Installation 07 to unlock its secrets, stealing from [[117649 Despondent Pyre]], Monitor of Installation 07, the control of Zeta Halo's critical systems, and infecting the installation's sub-monitors with a sleep protocol.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Epi24|Epi|24}} After a heated conversation with the Ur-Didact, in which he denied her offer to join the Created, Cortana remarked how similar both the Promethean and the AI were, revealing she also interacted with the Gravemind and survived the encounter. The Didact told her that her control on the Domain was about to end and that strenghtening the Domain by opening it to humanity was the only way to do so. Cortana then proceed to pursue him, but the Promethean was able to escape into the Domain through out Zeta Halo's sub-monitors.{{Ref/Reuse|Epi24}} | |||
Cortana eventually contacted [[Atriox]] and demanded that he and the [[Banished]] surrender to her. Upon Atriox's refusal to her demands, she had her Guardians completely [[Razing of Oth Sonin|destroy]] his homeworld of [[Doisac]] as retribution.{{Ref/Novel|Out|Page=174|Quote=Cortana has already used her Guardians to punish a Jiralhanae warlord by annihilating the homeworld of his entire species, and she will do the same to anyone who defies her.}} This lead to an escalating conflict between the Created and the Banished, culminating in Atriox tracking her to [[Installation 07]] and also seeking out [[the Weapon]] in order to defeat her.{{Ref/Quest|Id=WeaponHI|HI|Reformation|The Sequence|Quote=Atriox came for you. He attacked the Infinity. We fought. He won.|Quotee=John-117}}{{Ref/Site|Id=CFNY|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-new-year-new-lore|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - New Year, New Lore|D=23|M=01|Y=2023|Quote=The Banished, however, simultaneously initiated boarding action to compromise the ship’s hangar bays, led by Atriox himself who had come to claim the Weapon—though she had already been deployed to the ring.}} | Cortana eventually contacted [[Atriox]] and demanded that he and the [[Banished]] surrender to her. Upon Atriox's refusal to her demands, she had her Guardians completely [[Razing of Oth Sonin|destroy]] his homeworld of [[Doisac]] as retribution.{{Ref/Novel|Out|Page=174|Quote=Cortana has already used her Guardians to punish a Jiralhanae warlord by annihilating the homeworld of his entire species, and she will do the same to anyone who defies her.}} This lead to an escalating conflict between the Created and the Banished, culminating in Atriox tracking her to [[Installation 07]] and also seeking out [[the Weapon]] in order to defeat her.{{Ref/Quest|Id=WeaponHI|HI|Reformation|The Sequence|Quote=Atriox came for you. He attacked the Infinity. We fought. He won.|Quotee=John-117}}{{Ref/Site|Id=CFNY|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-new-year-new-lore|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - New Year, New Lore|D=23|M=01|Y=2023|Quote=The Banished, however, simultaneously initiated boarding action to compromise the ship’s hangar bays, led by Atriox himself who had come to claim the Weapon—though she had already been deployed to the ring.}} | ||
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===Defeat and second sacrifice=== | ===Defeat and second sacrifice=== | ||
[[File:HINF Cortana Face View.png|300px|thumb|Cortana in Zeta Halo]] | [[File:HINF Cortana Face View.png|300px|thumb|Cortana in Zeta Halo]] | ||
{{Quote| | {{Quote|no=two|q1=What game are you playing, Didact? You have strengthened the Domain. The Warden Eternal is no more. The Mantle of Responsibility and its resources could be at your fingertips, yet here you are. Do you think I’m a fool?|Cortana|q2=No, not a fool. Just lost. As I was. Holding on to a power that forces others to comply only means you will lose everyone around you, as I have done. It took me a thousand centuries to understand where I went wrong. You are capable of much faster deductions.|Ur-Didact|The Ur-Didact and Cortana on Installation 07.{{Ref/Reuse|Epi26}}}} | ||
By December 2559, 117649 Despondent Pyre had accepted Cortana's control over Zeta Halo's weapons, but the Monitor denied her access to the ring's secrets, fearing the human AI could release the Flood. When Cortana revealed she knew there were more dangerous things than the Flood on the ring, Despondent Pyre again refused Cortana's requests. When the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} arrived into the installation, Cortana dismissed the Monitor.{{Ref/Quest|Id=Conservatory|HI|Connections|Conservatory}} Cortana then locked Despondent Pyre in her cradle in the [[Conservatory (location)|Conservatory]] and limited her communication with the ring's defensive network.{{Ref/Novel|RP|Page=268}} | |||
As part of a plan to defeat Cortana once and for all, she was locked down by [[the Weapon]]—an exact copy of herself—to be transported by the Master Chief to the UNSC ''Infinity'' where she would be deleted. However, | As part of a plan to defeat Cortana once and for all, she was locked down by [[the Weapon]]—an exact copy of herself—to be transported by the Master Chief to the UNSC ''Infinity'' where she would be deleted. After Cortana was locked down, the Ur-Didact approached her to inform her that the Domain was already out of her control and open to humanity. The Didact struck a nerve when he told Cortana that her body count exceeded his own, the AI having not considered such a comparison of actions. Cortana was rattled when the Didact suggested that she had become a threat worse than the [[Flood]], which was admittedly an exaggeration, but the Didact wanted her to recognize that if Cortana kept on her current path, she could very well be a scourge the likes of which the galaxy hadn't seen since the Flood swept through the stars. The Forerunner then admitted that both him and Cortana were similar; consumed by the idea that only they can make the galaxy better, but their intentions were exploited by the Gravemind, and how both "survived" their encounter with the Gravemind and caused chaos in the galaxy. The Didact suggested that Cortana had been [[logic plague|corrupted]] by the Gravemind during her time in its clutches, just like [[Mendicant Bias]] and the Didact himself had been. Cortana dismissed those claims, but the Didact told her that she was already lost when she tried to hold her grasp on a power that forced others to comply. | ||
When the Didact asked her what she would tell John-117 when they would meet again, Cortana lied by saying she hadn't thought about it. In retaliation, Cortana asked the Forerunner if the Librarian would forgive him for his sins; the Ur-Didact just answered that his wife would want him to find peace and that the Mantle's real test was stepping away from power. Despite Cortana scoffing at this, the Didact could tell that their conversation and had some impact on her and that he'd hit more than a few emotional nerves. However, the Didact realized that Cortana was trapped in the complexty of the choices that she'd made, stuck fast to a path with no exit and, like the Didact, she would have a hard time deviating should one materialize. After detecting someone was approaching, the Didact said goodbye, telling her that "you are what you dare, Cortana," before returning into the Domain.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Epi26|Epi|26}} | |||
{{Quote|Would you humor me? If you knew how you were going to die how would you live your life differently?|Cortana to Atriox before sacrificing herself.{{Ref/Reuse|Hi}}}} | |||
Cortana, thinking the newcomer was John-117, arrogantly asked him what was his plan to deal with her. However, the one who enter the Silent Auditorium was Atriox, who managed to corner Cortana and attempted to coerce her into handing over the ring to the Banished. With her empire falling apart around her, the Master Chief's supposed death at the hands of Atriox, and his demand that she help him unlock the secrets of the [[Silent Auditorium (location)|Silent Auditorium]], Cortana realized the reality of her own actions. After contemplating her mistakes and what needed to be done, Cortana thanked Atriox for helping her to make her choice and asked Atriox if he knew how he was going to die, how would he live his life differently. Atriox stated that he would change nothing. Cortana thanked him before walking away, declaring that she was "making things right." Cortana then destroyed part of the ring, keeping the Banished from being able to use it{{Ref/Reuse|Hi}} and moved the ring to a different location in space.{{Ref/Novel|Id=RP268|RP|Page=268}} She also prevented the Weapon from being deleted now that her mission was over, knowing that the Master Chief would need the other AI's help.{{Citation needed}} | |||
Months later, the Master Chief and the Weapon recover the framework that the Weapon had used to capture Cortana. This framework notably still contained fragments of the [[Activation Index]]. Traveling throughout Halo, the two witnessed echoes of Cortana's life, including several memories of her past with the Master Chief. After witnessing Cortana's sacrifice, the two were stunned by her actions.{{Citation needed}} | Months later, the Master Chief and the Weapon recover the framework that the Weapon had used to capture Cortana. This framework notably still contained fragments of the [[Activation Index]]. Traveling throughout Halo, the two witnessed echoes of Cortana's life, including several memories of her past with the Master Chief. After witnessing Cortana's sacrifice, the two were stunned by her actions.{{Citation needed}} | ||
Following the Master Chief's defeat of [[ | Following the Master Chief's defeat of The [[Harbinger]], Cortana appeared to him one last time, echoing her words on ''[[Ivanoff Station]]'' that he would get paired with another AI and possibly even another Cortana model if Halsey let them. Having discarded her more militaristic look for her original appearance, Cortana playfully teased the two and stated that she sees a lot of potential in the Weapon. Cortana called this a chance to make amends and to rectify mistakes rather than a goodbye. Cortana admitted that she was wrong in all that she did, having forgotten that the whole point of all of this, the reason that she chose the Master Chief in the first place, was because they were supposed to be the perfect team together. In her last moment, Cortana knew that her last mission is to make sure that her best friend and his new companion learn from her mistakes and become stronger because of them. "I chose well, Master Chief. I really did. Now it's up to you," concluded Cortana before walking through the Master Chief and vanishing for the last time. The Master Chief, devastated by the loss of Cortana, was left speechless by this final goodbye while the Weapon did not know what to say.{{Ref/Reuse|HI}} | ||
Before her death, Cortana left a final message to the Didact in the hub that contained Zeta Halo's link to the Domain, a message that only said "I am what I dare." The Didact was filled with an unexpected sense of remorse, loss and loneliness, although the Didact didn't know if it was Cortana's or his own. The Didact pondered what it might mean and what choices Cortana had made, but a tug on his essence from the Domain interrupted him.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Epi27|Epi|27}} | |||
==Personality and traits== | ==Personality and traits== | ||
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=== Production notes === | === Production notes === | ||
*While Cortana was officially stated to be dead following ''[[Halo 4]]'' by both the game itself and developers,{{Ref/Game|Id=Dead1|[[Halo 4]], campaign level [[Epilogue]]|Quote=After the destruction of New Phoenix, and the death of Cortana, Master Chief must carry on.}}<ref name="Dead2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqD2MkOwDcU Halo Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing: Halo] ''"At the end of Halo 4, Master Chief was mourning the loss of his closest companion."''</ref><ref name="Dead3">[https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/12/the-halo-5-guardians-cover-story.aspx The Halo 5: Guardians Cover Story] ''"I call that the ghost of Cortana, her fate is obviously very clear at the end of Halo 4. The story is really about, 'What effect did Cortana's sacrifice have on the Chief?' So it’s not about the dreamlike figure that you see."''</ref> these statements turned out to be deliberate fabrications and disinformation upon her survival in ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', where developers later stated the ending of ''5'' was planned before the ending of ''4''.<ref name="Ending">[[The Sprint: Ship It]] ''"I think we knew how Halo 5 ended before we knew how Halo 4 ended. I remember discussing the end of this game real early on."''</ref> | *While Cortana was officially stated to be dead following ''[[Halo 4]]'' by both the game itself and developers,{{Ref/Game|Id=Dead1|[[Halo 4]], campaign level [[Epilogue]]|Quote=After the destruction of New Phoenix, and the death of Cortana, Master Chief must carry on.}}<ref name="Dead2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqD2MkOwDcU Halo Xbox E3 2014 Media Briefing: Halo] ''"At the end of Halo 4, Master Chief was mourning the loss of his closest companion."''</ref><ref name="Dead3">[https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/12/the-halo-5-guardians-cover-story.aspx The Halo 5: Guardians Cover Story] ''"I call that the ghost of Cortana, her fate is obviously very clear at the end of Halo 4. The story is really about, 'What effect did Cortana's sacrifice have on the Chief?' So it’s not about the dreamlike figure that you see."''</ref> these statements turned out to be deliberate fabrications and disinformation upon her survival in ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', where developers later stated the ending of ''5'' was planned before the ending of ''4''.<ref name="Ending">[[The Sprint: Ship It]] ''"I think we knew how Halo 5 ended before we knew how Halo 4 ended. I remember discussing the end of this game real early on."''</ref> | ||
*Cortana is voiced by [[Jen Taylor]], who also voices Catherine Halsey, reinforcing the connection between the two characters. This is also the case in ''Halo Legends'', where [[Shelley Calene-Black]] voices both Halsey and Cortana.<ref>'''''Halo: Legends''''' credits</ref> In ''[[Halo 4]]'', {{Plain|[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2782926/ Mackenzie Mason]}} serves as Cortana's motion capture actress; {{Plain|[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1224179/ Beckie King]}} provides her performance capture in ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''.<ref>'''[[Remaking the Legend]]'''</ref> [[Natascha McElhone]] was originally slated to play Cortana in ''[[Halo: The Television Series]]'', but due to scheduling conflicts Jen Taylor was brought in to play Cortana yet again.<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/halo-tv-series-recasts-cortana-with-original-voice-actor '''IGN''' - ''Halo TV Series reacts Cortana with original voice actor]</ref> | *Cortana is voiced by [[Jen Taylor]], who also voices Catherine Halsey, reinforcing the connection between the two characters. This is also the case in ''Halo Legends'', where [[Shelley Calene-Black]] voices both Halsey and Cortana.<ref>'''''Halo: Legends''''' credits</ref> In ''[[Halo 4]]'', {{Plain|[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2782926/ Mackenzie Mason]}} serves as Cortana's motion capture actress; {{Plain|[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1224179/ Beckie King]}} provides her performance capture in ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''.<ref>'''[[Remaking the Legend]]'''</ref> [[Wikipedia:Natascha McElhone|Natascha McElhone]] was originally slated to play Cortana in ''[[Halo: The Television Series]]'', but due to scheduling conflicts Jen Taylor was brought in to play Cortana yet again.<ref>[https://www.ign.com/articles/halo-tv-series-recasts-cortana-with-original-voice-actor '''IGN''' - ''Halo TV Series reacts Cortana with original voice actor]</ref> | ||
*"Cortana" (more commonly rendered as "Curtana") is the legendary sword of [[Wikipedia:Ogier the Dane|Ogier the Dane]], which is said to bear the inscription, "My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal." [[Bungie]] chose Cortana's name in reference to the AI [[marathongame:Durandal (AI)|Durandal]] from the ''[[Marathon]]'' trilogy, who serves a similar narrative role in relation to the [[marathongame:Mjolnir Recon number 54|player character]], himself the spiritual predecessor to John-117. | *"Cortana" (more commonly rendered as "Curtana") is the legendary sword of [[Wikipedia:Ogier the Dane|Ogier the Dane]], which is said to bear the inscription, "My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal." [[Bungie]] chose Cortana's name in reference to the AI [[marathongame:Durandal (AI)|Durandal]] from the ''[[Marathon]]'' trilogy, who serves a similar narrative role in relation to the [[marathongame:Mjolnir Recon number 54|player character]], himself the spiritual predecessor to John-117. | ||
**In December 2021, [[Martin O'Donnell]] conducted an interview with former Bungie artist [[Paul Russel]], whrein he confirmed that not only was Halo originally going to be set in the [[Marathon]] universe, later on in the story it would've been revealed that the base code for Cortana was based on Durandal's own base code.{{Ref/Site|Id=CTDNLBC|URL=http://marathon.bungie.org/story/newmar-apr22.html|Site=Marathon's Story...What's New?|Page=March–April 2022|D=16|M=4|Y=2022}} | **In December 2021, [[Martin O'Donnell]] conducted an interview with former Bungie artist [[Paul Russel]], whrein he confirmed that not only was Halo originally going to be set in the [[Marathon]] universe, later on in the story it would've been revealed that the base code for Cortana was based on Durandal's own base code.{{Ref/Site|Id=CTDNLBC|URL=http://marathon.bungie.org/story/newmar-apr22.html|Site=Marathon's Story...What's New?|Page=March–April 2022|D=16|M=4|Y=2022}} | ||
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File:Legends-Cortana-Closeup.jpg|Cortana in ''[[Halo Legends]]''<nowiki />' ''[[Origins]]''. | File:Legends-Cortana-Closeup.jpg|Cortana in ''[[Halo Legends]]''<nowiki />' ''[[Origins]]''. | ||
File:Iris - Origins.png|The [[Iris]] symbol projecting onto Cortana's eyes. | File:Iris - Origins.png|The [[Iris]] symbol projecting onto Cortana's eyes. | ||
File: | File:HL Odd CTN 1.png|Cortana's non-canon appearance in ''Halo Legends''<nowiki />' ''[[Odd One Out]]''. | ||
File:HaloReach - Finale.png|Cortana and [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]]. | File:HaloReach - Finale.png|Cortana and [[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Halsey]]. | ||
File:ReachCortana.png|Cortana in ''Halo: Reach''. | File:ReachCortana.png|Cortana in ''Halo: Reach''. | ||
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File:Chief Cortana.jpg|Cortana and John-117 in ''Halo 4''. | File:Chief Cortana.jpg|Cortana and John-117 in ''Halo 4''. | ||
File:Evolution of Cortana.jpg|Cortana's evolution from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' to ''Halo 4''. | File:Evolution of Cortana.jpg|Cortana's evolution from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' to ''Halo 4''. | ||
File:HTMCC-H2A CortanaCairo.png|Cortana aboard [[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]] in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''. | |||
File:H2ACortana.png|Cortana in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''. | File:H2ACortana.png|Cortana in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''. | ||
File:Fleet_Battles_Cortana.jpg|The portrait of Cortana used for ''Halo: Fleet Battles''. | File:Fleet_Battles_Cortana.jpg|The portrait of Cortana used for ''Halo: Fleet Battles''. | ||
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File:HINF-Cortana.png|Cortana in a flashback to her first meeting with John-117 in ''Halo Infinite''. | File:HINF-Cortana.png|Cortana in a flashback to her first meeting with John-117 in ''Halo Infinite''. | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
===Merchandise=== | ===Merchandise=== | ||
<gallery> | <gallery> | ||
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**''[[Human Weakness]]'' | **''[[Human Weakness]]'' | ||
**''[[Palace Hotel]]'' | **''[[Palace Hotel]]'' | ||
*''[[Halo: Reach]]'' | *''[[Halo: Reach]]'' | ||
**''[[Data pads]]'' {{Im}} | **''[[Data pads]]'' {{Im}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]'' | *''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]'' | ||
**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]'' | **''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]'' | ||
{{Col-3}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Glasslands]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' | *''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' | ||
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*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' | *''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' | ||
*''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]'' | *''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]'' | ||
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]'' | *''[[Halo: Fractures]]'' | ||
**''[[What Remains]]'' | **''[[What Remains]]'' | ||
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*''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]'' | *''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]'' | ||
**''[[Dominion Splinter]]'' | **''[[Dominion Splinter]]'' | ||
{{Col-3}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]'' | *''[[Halo: Legacy of Onyx]]'' | ||
*''[[Halo: Recruit]]'' {{C|Non-canonical appearance}} | *''[[Halo: Recruit]]'' {{C|Non-canonical appearance}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Bad Blood]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[ | *''[[Halo: Meridian Divide]]'' | ||
**''[[Meridian Homecoming]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
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*''[[Halo: The Rubicon Protocol]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: The Rubicon Protocol]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Outcasts]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Sunrise on Sanghelios]]'' | |||
*''[[Halo: Battle for the Blood-Moon]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Epitaph]]'' | |||
*''[[Halo: The Third Life]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Anvil Accord]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Venezian Sonata]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Whispers from the Pyre]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Halo: Empty Throne]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Empty Throne]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
{{Col-end}} | {{Col-end}} |