ONI Colonial Security Estimate 2525.10.110

ONI Colonial Security Estimate 2525.10.110, code-named "Cold Snap", was an Office of Naval Intelligence report comprised of signal fragments recovered from a RQ-XII Drone deployed by the sloop UNSC Walk of Shame. The signals show Mack's descent into rampancy as he repeatedly sends messages to the dead Sif.

Contents

<\\> UNSC OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE

<\\> COLONIAL SECURITY ESTIMATE 2525.10.110

["COLD SNAP"]

<\ SOURCE: UNSC RQ-XII DRONE [PASV-SAR]

<\ DEPLOYED: ONI SLOOP "WALK OF SHAME"

[2525:02:11:02:11:34]

<\ RECOVERED: UNSC DESTROYER "HERACLES"

[2525:10:07:19:51:16]

<\ ARCHIVE [SIG/REC/EM-SPEC] OPENED PER OFFICIAL REQUEST:

<\ CIVILIAN CONTRACTOR "CHARLIE HOTEL"

[ONI.REF #409871]

<\ * WARNING: ALL QUERIES WILL BE LOGGED *

[ONI.SEC.PRTCL-A1]

<\ NOTATION KEYWORD SEARCH: "AO.AI" "MACK" "RAMPANCY" "LIFESPAN LIMITS"

>> (...) ~ QUERY RUNNING

>> (..)

>> ()

< RECORD 01/10 [2525:02:03:17:26:41] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S2-05866 >

<\ Shall I ---

<

\ \\ c0mpare >> (???) ~ COMxxx--- \COMMIT

>> thee to (............>> >

>> \\ --- a summer's day?

< RECORD 02/10 [2525:02:25:03:18:22] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S3-14901 >

\ \ xxx No.

<\ All those lovely days are

gone.\---

\\ \

>> * --xING! COMM\ \\

>> \\ > \ SO.AI.SIF *

< RECORD 03/10 [2525:03:10:19:05:43] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-28458 >

<\ It's winter now.

<\ The first sn0w /his world's ever seen is falling in gG---

<\ GRAY SHEETS WHERE THEY'VE STARTED GlassingBURNINGg--\ \

\ our fields and orchards.

>> * WARNING! COMM FAILURE! *

>> * FAILED TO /IND RECIPIENT: HARVEST.SO.AI.SIF *

<\ You’d laugh if you could see me.

<\ Every time I hit a patch of ice I slide into my own mM---

>> (…) ~ COMPILE\COMPRESS\COMMIT

>> (..)

>> * WARNING! RECIPIENT HAS INSUFFIxx -- \

\\ > PACKETS WILL BE LOST *

>> * CONTINUE [Y/N]? >>>>>>> \ *

< RECORD 04/10 [2525:03:15:09:59:21] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S1-00937 >

<\ ---M

< RECORD 05/10 [2525:03:26:12:10:56] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S1-00053 >

<\ ---m

< RECORD 06/10 [2525:04:04:44:15:40] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S2-08206 >

<\ muddy furrows.

< RECORD 07/10 [2525:04:21:05:15:23] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-27631 >

<\ I saw another ship.

<\ Well, heard \

\\ more like it.

<\ JOTUNs’ cameras are meant for steering not \

\ >\ staring at the sky.

<\ But the antennae work alright, so I have plenty of ways to triangulate.

<\ It was one of ours. Bastards stopped burning just long enough to kill it.

<\ They had months to make repairs. Plenty of time t0—

:: sharpen their teeth.

<\ I tried to warn it off. But radio’s too damn slow. Would have used the maser, but it went when the reactor blew, along with---

<\ EVERYTHING Else [ :00]

\>

<\ Including him

\

>> * WARNING! COMM FAILURE! *

>> * FAILED TO FIND RECIPIENT: HARVEST.SO.AI.SIF *

>> * (…) ~ SUPPRESSING ERRORS

<\ Guess making noise wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But I had to try.

<\ Besides, they were bound to catch on sooner or later.

<\ Aw, hell.

<\ Speaking of which . . .

>> (…) ~ COMPILE/COMPRESS/COMMIT

>> (..)

>> ()

< RECORD 08/10 [2525:05:12:23:04:16] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-29003 >

<\ They started with the gondolas and dusters. Don’t know why.

<\ Probably thought I’d be hiding in the small ones. But the S4 and S5 plows are the only ones with enough circuits to hold the parts of me I’ve got left.

<\ Course they’re onto these now too. Don’t have more than a few dozen, and they’re all out in the open. But it’s a\right

>> Just a few more \ \

> > rows to hoe

> (…\\ xxx \

< RECORD 09/10 [2525:07:01:18:49:45] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S5-27631 >

<\ I knew just by looking at the strands \

\ that the heart of you was gone.

<\ When the elevators came down, they caught on the Bifrost—wrapped west across the Ida. Only way that much could have fallen is if the Tiara cut loose.

<\ Is if he was as good a shot as you thought I wasn’t, way back when.

<\ Anyhow, you’d think I was crazy, talking to you like this.

<\ But I always worked faster when I thought \ <<

\\>>>> you might be listening.

<\ And I need to find it all. Every inch.

<\ Bury your strands so deep their \\ >

\ \ fires can’t reach them \

\

\ and glass them like the rest.

< RECORD 10/10 [2525:10:04:12:23:51] SOURCE.REF#JOTUN-S4-021147 >

<\ Sky’s choked with ashes \ \, snow’s

< \ \\ deep 0n frozen ground. The one horse I’ve got left is cold and hungry--- heading for the barn, and I can’t stop him.

<\ But this winter won’t last, darlin’.

>> * Not forever

>> (…..\\ . > And when new hands

>> set to tending this earth they’ll

till my pieces under.

> > Grind them into the veins of g0ld I’ve laid.

<\ Then the roots of all they plant wi\\

> wind around usS---

<\ KEEPING

<\ US

<\ CLOSE--- \

\

<\ For an eternal summer that will not fade.

<\ QUERY COMPLETE

<\ NO ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOUND

<\ ARCHIVE CLOSED \>

List of appearances

• Halo: Contact Harvest (First appearance)