Catherine Halsey: Difference between revisions

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===Early life and career===
===Early life and career===
[[File:Halsey_self_portrait.jpg|thumb|left|150px|A self portrait of Halsey, aged eighteen.]]
[[File:Halsey_self_portrait.jpg|thumb|left|150px|A self portrait of Halsey, aged eighteen.]]
Catherine Elizabeth Halsey was born on the colony world [[Endymion]], in the city of [[Port Vernon]], on [[2492|March 19th, 2492]].<ref name="haba"/> What little is known about her early life gives a glimpse of what would be a promising career. In her own words, she was ''"...smarter than her parents, always reading, talking, learning, and eager to share her knowledge with anyone who would listen."''<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 235''</ref> By [[2507]], at the age of 15, Dr. Halsey was already writing her second Doctoral Thesis paper, in which she discussed archaic line commands.<ref name="FS">'''Halo: First Strike''', page 128</ref> She was [[Vice Admiral]] [[Ysionris Jeromi]]'s star pupil as well.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 57''</ref>
Catherine Elizabeth Halsey was born on the colony world [[Endymion]], in the city of [[Port Vernon]], on [[2492|March 19, 2492]].<ref name="haba"/> What little is known about her early life gives a glimpse of what would be a promising career. In her own words, she was ''"...smarter than her parents, always reading, talking, learning, and eager to share her knowledge with anyone who would listen."''<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 235''</ref> Halsey was sent to the elite academy known as [[Endymion Gifted]] at a young age. Continuing to defy educatory standards, Halsey caught the attention of the Dean of Biological Science at [[Koletre-Browning University]], who funded her a trip to [[Circumstance]] and continued to fund her education until [[2507]]. By that year, at the age of 15, Dr. Halsey completed her second Doctoral Thesis paper,<ref name="wp halsey">[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/characters/catherine-elizabeth-halsey '''Halo Waypoint''' - ''Doctor Catherine Halsey'']</ref> in which she discussed archaic line commands.<ref name="FS">'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 128''</ref> She ws [[Vice Admiral]] [[Ysionris Jeromi]]'s star pupil as well.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 57''</ref>


In 2507, Halsey met [[Elias Carver|Dr. Elias Carver]] at an academic social mixer, during which Carver was discussing "the matrix mechanics of the socio-and politico-economic vectors of human expansion". Halsey saw Carver's ideas as genius but his algorithm implementation as obsolete. Carver had used only [[seven]] dimensional parameters in his calculations; Halsey thought he needed sixteen and attempted to correct him. Carver did not appreciate being challenged by a young upstart. Halsey later noted that had she known that Carver would commit suicide two years later, she would have been more charitable. However, the future [[Vice Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]], then a [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]], took note of Halsey. This was the start of Stanforth's continuous aiding of Dr. Halsey with her projects as her military counterpart and protecting her and her projects from those that wanted to see them disbanded in the coming decades.<ref name="journal">Dr. Halsey's personal journal</ref>
In 2507, Halsey met [[Elias Carver|Dr. Elias Carver]] at an academic social mixer, during which Carver was discussing "the matrix mechanics of the socio-and politico-economic vectors of human expansion". Halsey saw Carver's ideas as genius but his algorithm implementation as obsolete. Carver had used only [[seven]] dimensional parameters in his calculations; Halsey thought he needed sixteen and attempted to correct him. Carver did not appreciate being challenged by a young upstart. Halsey later noted that had she known that Carver would commit suicide two years later, she would have been more charitable. However, the future [[Vice Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]], then a [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]], took note of Halsey. This was the start of Stanforth's continuous aiding of Dr. Halsey with her projects as her military counterpart and protecting her and her projects from those that wanted to see them disbanded in the coming decades.<ref name="journal">Dr. Halsey's personal journal</ref>
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Despite ONI's intentions to continue with the SPARTAN-II program, Dr. Halsey began having difficulty finding a suitably large number of candidates that fit her genetic and age profiles. Additionally, most of her budget was now being used to maintain the MJOLNIR armor in service. Eventually, ONI discontinued the SPARTAN-II program, reassigned most of its personnel to other projects (such as the [[SPARTAN-III program]], held secret from Halsey), and buried Halsey in [[CASTLE Base]], cutting off her access to classified material. However, following the onset of the [[Human-Covenant War]], her SPARTANs would prove themselves to be the most effective weapon the UNSC had against the [[Covenant]]. ONI's reticence vanished, her budget mushroomed overnight, and she was offered a corner office in [[Olympic Tower]] in [[New Alexandria]]. However, Halsey decided to remain in CASTLE as a means of revenge against ONI, which would now have to spend half the day going through security checks.<ref name="tfor castle">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', '''2010''', ''pages 261-262''</ref> Halsey was stationed primarily on the planet [[Reach]] throughout her decades of work for ONI. By [[2551]], she lived in the community of [[Csongrád]], near her primary workplace at CASTLE Base.<ref name="haba"/>
Despite ONI's intentions to continue with the SPARTAN-II program, Dr. Halsey began having difficulty finding a suitably large number of candidates that fit her genetic and age profiles. Additionally, most of her budget was now being used to maintain the MJOLNIR armor in service. Eventually, ONI discontinued the SPARTAN-II program, reassigned most of its personnel to other projects (such as the [[SPARTAN-III program]], held secret from Halsey), and buried Halsey in [[CASTLE Base]], cutting off her access to classified material. However, following the onset of the [[Human-Covenant War]], her SPARTANs would prove themselves to be the most effective weapon the UNSC had against the [[Covenant]]. ONI's reticence vanished, her budget mushroomed overnight, and she was offered a corner office in [[Olympic Tower]] in [[New Alexandria]]. However, Halsey decided to remain in CASTLE as a means of revenge against ONI, which would now have to spend half the day going through security checks.<ref name="tfor castle">'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', '''2010''', ''pages 261-262''</ref> Halsey was stationed primarily on the planet [[Reach]] throughout her decades of work for ONI. By [[2551]], she lived in the community of [[Csongrád]], near her primary workplace at CASTLE Base.<ref name="haba"/>


Aside from her continued work on the SPARTAN-II and MJOLNIR projects, Halsey made huge contributions to many other ONI Section III projects, including the creation and deployment of AI constructs. She supervised the creation of the template for third-generation [[smart AI]]s,<ref name="FS"/> the first ones of which became operational in [[2521]].<ref name="journal"/> For these AIs, she created a new series of intrusion routines known as the [[Illegal Entry Protocols]] and [[Counter-Illegal Entry Protocols]], later nicknamed, (much to Halsey's chagrin), "PIEs" and "C-PIEs", respectively, after misspellings of their acronyms. These protocols were created in response to the UNSC's standardization of their computer systems which had left them vulnerable to attack by the conversely diverse insurgent software. As an unplanned side effect, the protocols also enabled the AIs to defend UNSC operating systems from attack. Later, during the Human-Covenant War, the protocols were used to reverse-engineer Covenant technology, namely the [[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet|Jackal shield gauntlet]]. These all proved to be important developments for the UNSC, and to the continued survival of mankind. During her career, she often clashed with [[Forester|Dr. Forester]] in regard to her theories on [[Slipstream space]] and AIs.<ref name="journal"/>
In [[2515]] Halsey became a scientific advisor within ONI, becoming the youngest individual in ONI's history to hold the rank. After seven years spent as a scientific advisor, Halsey was made ONI's chief scientist in [[2522]].<ref name="wp halsey"/> Aside from her continued work on the SPARTAN-II and MJOLNIR projects, Halsey made huge contributions to many other ONI Section III projects, including the creation and deployment of AI constructs. She supervised the creation of the template for third-generation [[smart AI]]s,<ref name="FS"/> the first ones of which became operational in [[2521]].<ref name="journal"/> For these AIs, she created a new series of intrusion routines known as the [[Illegal Entry Protocols]] and [[Counter-Illegal Entry Protocols]], later nicknamed, (much to Halsey's chagrin), "PIEs" and "C-PIEs", respectively, after misspellings of their acronyms. These protocols were created in response to the UNSC's standardization of their computer systems which had left them vulnerable to attack by the conversely diverse insurgent software. As an unplanned side effect, the protocols also enabled the AIs to defend UNSC operating systems from attack. Later, during the Human-Covenant War, the protocols were used to reverse-engineer Covenant technology, namely the [[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet|Jackal shield gauntlet]]. These all proved to be important developments for the UNSC, and to the continued survival of mankind. During her career, she often clashed with [[Forester|Dr. Forester]] in regard to her theories on [[Slipstream space]] and AIs.<ref name="journal"/>


Throughout the decades, Halsey conducted significant research into new ways to extend the life of smart AI and expand their processing capabilities. She privately experimented on a smart AI "triumvirate", a set of three AI constructs arranged in parallel, which could divide their algorithms and decide matters by majority vote. In [[2547]], after thoroughly researching the subject, she stole the decommissioned [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|Slipspace drive]] of the {{UNSCShip|Tripping Light}}, and conducted an experiment on building an abstract fractal in the eleven-dimensional spacetime of slipspace, in an attempt to create a virtually infinite processing matrix for AIs to inhabit. Though the test was ultimately a failure, the AI collective known as the [[Assembly]] saw the potential in the concept of residing permanently in the alternate space-time.<ref name="journal"/><ref>'''Halo: Reach''', ''[[Data pads|Data pad 17]]''</ref>
Throughout the decades, Halsey conducted significant research into new ways to extend the life of smart AI and expand their processing capabilities. She privately experimented on a smart AI "triumvirate", a set of three AI constructs arranged in parallel, which could divide their algorithms and decide matters by majority vote. In [[2547]], after thoroughly researching the subject, she stole the decommissioned [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|Slipspace drive]] of the {{UNSCShip|Tripping Light}}, and conducted an experiment on building an abstract fractal in the eleven-dimensional spacetime of slipspace, in an attempt to create a virtually infinite processing matrix for AIs to inhabit. Though the test was ultimately a failure, the AI collective known as the [[Assembly]] saw the potential in the concept of residing permanently in the alternate space-time.<ref name="journal"/><ref>'''Halo: Reach''', ''[[Data pads|Data pad 17]]''</ref>
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During her survey travels for the SPARTAN-II candidates, Halsey was required to be supervised by a military official, an order she resented. She ended up choosing then-[[Lieutenant, Junior Grade]] [[Jacob Keyes]]. Halsey had examined his files and found he had refused to testify against one of his instructors despite the teacher's error causing the deaths of 14 students. From this Halsey deduced that Keyes could be trusted to keep a secret, a useful trait in her unethical mission. The two were initially aloof to each other aboard the ''Han'', especially since Keyes did not initially know the purpose of their mission. He eventually realized it, though, and discussed with Halsey about the implications of her project and her decision to tell the child [[Soren-066|Soren]] the truth.<ref group="note">In ''[[Pariah]]'', Keyes knew the reason behind Dr. Halsey's observation mission. However, ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' and Halsey's journal clearly indicate that Keyes was unaware of the mission's true nature, though it is implied that he later found out as he told an adult John-117 that they had met before.</ref> By the time they parted after two months working together, Keyes and Halsey were on much more amicable terms, to the point that Halsey began sketching him frequently in her journal and even referred to him as "my lieutenant". For his safety and in thanks, Keyes was reassigned but given a full [[Lieutenant (UNSC)|lieutenant]] commission, at Halsey's request.
During her survey travels for the SPARTAN-II candidates, Halsey was required to be supervised by a military official, an order she resented. She ended up choosing then-[[Lieutenant, Junior Grade]] [[Jacob Keyes]]. Halsey had examined his files and found he had refused to testify against one of his instructors despite the teacher's error causing the deaths of 14 students. From this Halsey deduced that Keyes could be trusted to keep a secret, a useful trait in her unethical mission. The two were initially aloof to each other aboard the ''Han'', especially since Keyes did not initially know the purpose of their mission. He eventually realized it, though, and discussed with Halsey about the implications of her project and her decision to tell the child [[Soren-066|Soren]] the truth.<ref group="note">In ''[[Pariah]]'', Keyes knew the reason behind Dr. Halsey's observation mission. However, ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' and Halsey's journal clearly indicate that Keyes was unaware of the mission's true nature, though it is implied that he later found out as he told an adult John-117 that they had met before.</ref> By the time they parted after two months working together, Keyes and Halsey were on much more amicable terms, to the point that Halsey began sketching him frequently in her journal and even referred to him as "my lieutenant". For his safety and in thanks, Keyes was reassigned but given a full [[Lieutenant (UNSC)|lieutenant]] commission, at Halsey's request.


In November [[2524]] the two were reunited while attending a conference at the [[University of Calippus]], and the two conceived a child. Halsey's work impeded her from being able to care for Miranda, and Jacob ended up raising her instead. The two didn't see each other again until August 12, 2552, a moment that Halsey had both hoped for but dreaded. Keyes still remained a gentleman to her, and they spoke at length on the topics of Miranda, the Spartans, and his "[[Keyes Loop]]", and his assigning to [[Operation: RED FLAG|RED FLAG]], also at Halsey's request. It was the last time the two saw each other before Keyes's death at [[Installation 04]].
In November [[2524]] the two were reunited while attending a conference at the [[University of Calippus]], and the two conceived a child, Miranda. While she initially raised her daughter on Reach for several years, Halsey's work impeded her from being able to care for Miranda, and Jacob ended up raising her instead. The two did not see each other again until August 12, 2552, a moment that Halsey had both hoped for but dreaded. Keyes still remained a gentleman to her, and they spoke at length on the topics of Miranda, the Spartans, and his "[[Keyes Loop]]", and his assigning to [[Operation: RED FLAG|RED FLAG]], also at Halsey's request. It was the last time the two saw each other before Keyes's death at [[Installation 04]].
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