Forerunner computational power 3

My systems are shutting down. The humans I carry within me are dying ... I can feel them fading by the millions. Old friends in my solitude. So many discourses and debates on human nature and history!

Gone.

They were brave spirits and deserved more than ever I could give them.

END STREAM

TENTATIVE CONFIRMATION: PARTIAL MEMORY STORE of Forerunner AI “Monitor” 343 GUILTY SPARK

DEVICE STATUS INACTIVE—NONRECOVERABLE.

DEVICE ORDERED JETTISONED BY ONI COMMANDER.

REQUEST FOR STANDARD BURIAL CEREMONY DENIED BY SAME.

END DATA LOG.

RESUME DATA LOG (ibid ref.)

SCIENCE TEAM LEADER: “What’s up with the tech team?”

ONI COMMANDER: “They’re running around on C deck like a bunch of scared marmots, carrying AI cores. Won’t let anybody in.”

SCIENCE TEAM LEADER: “Cores? They need to flush and replace ship’s AI?”

ONI COMMANDER: “Don’t know!”

STRATEGY TEAM LEADER: “Look at this. . . . Ship’s veering from main task force. We’re moving away from all the action! Who in hell ordered that?”

SCIENCE TEAM SECOND OFFICER: “Environment is cooling. Oxygen is dropping.”

ONI COMMANDER: “We can’t get to the bridge or to any other deck. Hatches are in battle damage lockdown.”

SCIENCE TEAM LEADER: “But we’re not in battle!”

ONI COMMANDER: “I’m not at all sure of that. The damned 343 dupe—”

STRATEGY TEAM LEADER: “It’s out in space with the other garbage.”

ONI COMMANDER: “But its data stream is still with us!”

STRATEGY TEAM EXEC OFFICER: “Three of us climbed down through the maintenance shell. Other decks appear to be conking out one by one. We can’t raise anyone on E and F, and the engine room is a madhouse. Whole ship is—”

TECH CHIEF: “Listen to what just came through bridge comm! The skipper’s talking to something in the AI root system.

STRATEGY TEAM LEADER: “Something that’s not the ship’s AI?”

TECH CHIEF: “Just listen!”

(playback)

(Voice ID’d as 343 Guilty Spark): “Your ship’s AI is defective.”

CAPTAIN: “In what way?”

(Voice): “Compound Information Corruption. Ship will experience complete systems collapse and drive implosion within five minutes. But there is a cure for that ailment.”

CAPTAIN: “What kind of cure?”

(Voice): “Much worse than the disease, you might think. I shall have to replace all original AI functions with my own. I’ve long wanted a chance to resume my quest. Your ship is an excellent vehicle for that purpose. Apologies, Captain.”

(end playback)

ONI COMMANDER: “We invited that thing right into our living room, plumped up the cushions, brought it a pipe and slippers! We should have known better! We should have—”

SHIP’S AI: All ship functions are now under control of 343 Guilty Spark. Root and System AI signing off.

STRATEGY TEAM LEADER: “Damn thing hacked the entire ship! We are so screwed.”

ONI COMMANDER: “Four or five minutes of oxygen . . .”

GUILTY SPARK: “You will not die. You will sleep for a time. I have need of all of you.”
(Halo:Primordium; Ch.42)