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  • Subject: Enkidu - Cortana Letters Revisted?
Subject: Enkidu - Cortana Letters Revisted?
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I read Somewhere that someone said the this Enkidu may of merdged with a newer/improved AI mabey of forunner tech. But could this mean that Enkidu now has a split personality. Switching from 1st AI to the 2nd?

This could be way Enkidu signs of with the name 'Enkidu' and sometimes 'E'.

What do u think?

  • 05.01.2004 6:16 AM PDT
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and we have yet another terminal this time a new proluge
Re: Amendment Request OPORD SENTRYWALK

  • 05.01.2004 6:29 AM PDT
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This one is interesting. Even though it's dated the 25th, the original letter was sent on the 1st. Just before everything went straight to hell (preferbly in a handbasket). Sound to me like the Oni was planning an operation called SENTRYWALK. My guess is it's simply a patrol system to watch out for Reach, especially since it seems eveyone is away of there fate. "I think the rush on this is more than the usual Intelligence spookage crap." They force the Lenanon to go solo since they can't get another vessel before they start. Akkad sounds to me like it's the AI of the other ship. And E is angry at us from look at other people's mail. The Cold Day is hell puzzles me. Except it sounds like it could be hallucinations, or possibly UNSC survivors, or even the flood (Yes, it's definetly a possibility. From the sound of it, the "neightbors" don't sound too friendly. And this: "Heck of a lightshow up there last night," may be a reference to a firefight.) Or maybe it's even another race. We'll see. All I can say is, even if this isn't real (but I honestly do think it is), it's still really cool to go through and try and figure it out.



Wait, waith, wait! I forgot to mention. Whne E refers to, ask me if Im, Igigi, or Anunnaki, it means, "Ask me if I'm [god of the underworld] or [god of the heavens]. So he was asking if he was hero or destroyer, but on a much greater power scale. Shamat is from the Epic of Gilgamesh. (She teaches Enkidu manners. I'll look into that later.) ANd that's all for now. More later...I hope.

[Edited on 5/1/2004 8:12:04 AM]

  • 05.01.2004 6:55 AM PDT
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Zk315, Shamat did indeed teach Enkidu how to be civilized, but that was after she slept with him. (Shamat was a harlot)

  • 05.01.2004 7:32 AM PDT
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Akkad was a city near where the Epic of Gilgamesh was set...

  • 05.01.2004 8:00 AM PDT
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I know that Marathon universe != Halo universe, but like someone said, it's still worthwhile to note the references and similarities. So here is one, along with some other interesting tidbits:

"Wishing will make it so", found in the source code for "Whether Forecast", is similar to a Marathon 2 level called "Sorry doesn't make it so." In this level, Durandal is under heavy attack by Tycho, and in order to escape dissection, Durandal instructs you to destroy his core logic centers.

An RF network is, I think, what they use to connect cellular phones, but that's a guess. I do know that RF tags are starting to be used in warehouses to keep track of pallets of material. For example, you could apply an RF tag to a pallet of gum base or flavoring and this tag would hold information such as what it is, how much of it there is, the date that it was placed in storage and any other relevant information. It's very handy for that sort of thing.

Lots of good thinking going on here, guys. Keep it up!

  • 05.01.2004 8:21 AM PDT
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Semi SPOILER for a part of First Strike Novel.

Okay, an M class star is a Red Dwarf star. They have the coolest temps of all other classifications of stars and also are the dimmest as far as luminousity goes. I would guess the "light show" referred to would be some kind of firefight. Or perhaps even a solar flare or something considering the Lebannon is making a slingshot pass around the star. The more E talks to this JD character, the more I get the feeling it has to be a Spartan, whether a II or III I couldn't even guess but I would say probably a II. Now...

"This place was built to last, I'll give it that. Roomy too."--This definitely seems like a description fitting for a Forerunner installation.

"Might be a vermin problem, though. The previous owners didn't clean out their cupboards very well. (Maybe they left in a hurry.) That's not a problem for me, but I don't recommend you drop in until I've had a chance to sweep up."--More and more referrences that seem to give you the impression that this is probably another Halo ring...perhaps it IS caked in ice and debris that has accumulated over the millenia (saw that somewhere, good idea). The Flood definitely wouldn't bother a construct, but would love to infect some more organic life forms...hence the warning E gives to JD.

"Of course you came through all right. You always do. That's what makes you so useful. And so dangerous. No wonder you keep making such interesting friends. Perhaps I should arrange another play-date with them? I've heard that it stimulates the intellect."--Got to be referring to a Spartan. But what about the others? A play-date with Covenant? Or Flood? Maybe the light show was some Flood, having repaired a Pelican or two, trying to reach the Lebannon?

"I know that you're wondering about me. I wish I could believe it was concern for my health, but of course it's your own hide that worries you. Never mind. I'll be fine. I haven't felt like this since the week Shamhat and I... but that would be gossiping, too."--This definitely sounds like a little bit of confirmation that Enkidu might have merged with the Foreunner technology there. I don't say he merged with another AI simply because I believe that a Forerunner AI would have completely consumed Enkidu and left nothing behind. However, Enkidu might have been compromised by the information contained by the Forerunner technology and is suffering for it. Possibly losing his grip on the mission he should be performing and is instead becoming much more of the personality he is molded after. In First Strike Cortana starts acting a little loopy simply because she has to ditch some of her secondary functions just to contain all of the information from Halo. It would make sense that an "dumb" AI would possibly go insane after encountering so much information. Enkidu might have bit off more than he could chew and is losing his primary directives because of it.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now.

  • 05.01.2004 9:31 AM PDT
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Ok so i was referring to the new creature that will be in halo 2. And all of the secret stuff that Enginerring is working on. I just found it a little wierd that less than a week before Franky says something about a secret dude, this all start to come out.

  • 05.01.2004 10:37 AM PDT
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I found that one of the latest entries, A Blast From the Past is quite interesting. It retells the epic of Gilgamesh from Enkidu's (the AI) point of view but it reads completely oposite of the original epic from ancient Babylon. Is Enkidu trying to slant the truth of the situation unfolding in its favor?

In the original epic it is Enkidu that convinces Gilgamesh to go through with the slaughter of Humbaba. A couple of times Gilgamesh questions what they are doing and gets scared, but Enkidu always pushes him forward. In this take on the story, retold by the AI Enkidu (whoever they are now since they have changed it seems), they have made it like Gilgamesh is the bad guy that insist on killing the Cedar forest Gaurdian, Humbaba. Why has the Enkidu AI done this? Motive?

In this new rendition of the story, Gilgamesh also says to Enkidu, "You are shaped by Aruru from humble clay." This is not true. there is nothing humble about the clay that made Enkidu. The mythology is that Aruru created Enkidu from clay that was mixed with the blood of the gods. Is this a hit that the Human AI Enkidu is symbolic of the clay and that it has mixed with the forerunner tech which is the blood of the gods? (by the way, didn't Sargent Johnson also mix with the flood where his DNA is now part flood? Mmmm?)

I also found this line interesting as Enkidu is describing Humbaba: "His voice is the Deluge! His speech is fire! He is cherished by Anu!". His voice is the Deluge? Could Humbaba be the Halo? Its Notice that Deluge is capitalized like it is a person or thing. A deluge is also a flood. Could this be the Flood in halo? If we can conclude this, then Halo's voice is the flood and its speech is that of being set off with the index. Also Anu is the God of the sky and is the god of all gods. Anu could be symbolic of 343GS, who does cherish the halo and watches over it.

The next line reads as Enkidu continues speaking about Humbaba, "Should we defeat him, He would be weakened. Dread Nergal could go free." If Humbaba is the Halo or part of multiple Halos, it was defeated by the cheif, possibly weakening the coverage of multiple Halos and allowing this Dread Nergal to go free somehow.

Who though is the Dred Nergal in Halo? The Dred Nergal entity could be the identity in the riddle let me introduce myself , where there is some hints that the identity will be free once more, "Wild shall I be once again". Well, this is a very scary thought and I think the destruction of the halo is much larger and danderous than we can understand, Dred Nergal in babylonian myth is the god of War and Plague! What has now been unleshed upon humanity and the Halo universe?!

This stanza describes the covenant and should be obvious:
"There are others, of far forests, who would stop us in this trespass.
"Their anger is terrible. Their wrath is implacable. They adore the gods.
"They share his speech. They use it often. They would burn Uruk-the-sheepfold!
"They would bake our land to brick. Turn back, and reach that farther shore."

They would bake our land to brick? Sometimes when bricks are cooked in a kilm the suface of the brick turns to glass. Don't the covenant "glass" planets with humans on them? Wasn't there also a reference back it the Cortana Letters that the covenant would not stop until something like "the last human brick atop the other had been torn down"? looking at the last line, how do we turn back and what do we turn back for? Turn back time? Is "reach" a referrence to the panet Reach? Is the farther shore that of the covenant home world? I don't know.

Finally, and close to the end of the entry, Gilgamesh responds to Enkidu's plee to not venture forth, " We already tread the Path of the Sun. We will walk it to reach the Forest." Isn't the Lebanon treading the path of the Sun as it slingshots around Frigid's sun? Someone already pointed out that this: "Thought you would like some light reading while sunbathing." hints at where the ship Lebanon is in space.. This next bit of speculation though does not go along with my theory that Humbaba was the halo ring. Instead, that Frigid is the cedar forest and it contains Humaba. We can then conclude that the JD is the halo equal to Gilgamesh. The new Enkidu AI is trying to (in a symbolic way) warn the JD character from coming to Frigid.

  • 05.01.2004 10:52 AM PDT
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I read the first book, and it sounds to me like this is another AI in a different spartain. I remember reading something about how some AI's go bad, thats what i think is happening. Cortana is going to go bad in H2 look for the wimpering in her lip.

Also, why does it (garble)? That sounds like what the Elites do. Maybe the covenant have discovered the humans AI technology and utilized it.

[Edited on 5/1/2004 11:03:53 AM]

  • 05.01.2004 10:57 AM PDT
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Posted by: Quez
I read the first book, and it sounds to me like this is another AI in a different spartain. I remember reading something about how some AI's go bad, thats what i think is happening. Cortana is going to go bad in H2 look for the wimpering in her lip.


Cortana Going Bad Would definaly be a twist to the tale. Bungie said they are going to be a few twists could Cortana Going Bad been one of those twists?

  • 05.01.2004 11:02 AM PDT
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I Wouldent Be That Suprised Now That I Think About It...

  • 05.01.2004 11:06 AM PDT
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I also agree that terminal 6 is an encrypted message from Enkido. I also think that the planet Frigid serves a purpose similar to that of Halo. It would seem wise for the Forerunner to make other Halo-like installations that are shaped differently. And "left in a hurry" suggests that maybe there was a breakout of Flood.

  • 05.01.2004 11:10 AM PDT
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Ok so this last letter does not seem to have much info but a couple of things did jump out at me. So here is my guess

1. "Heck of a lightshow up there last night. M stars are like that, you know, kicking up a fuss every now and then." Sounds like solar flares to me. That could be very dangerous as they sling shot aroud it.

2. "No wonder you keep making such interesting friends. Perhaps I should arrange another play-date with them? I've heard that it stimulates the intellect." Sounds like E. is speaking of the covie battle that just took place.

3. "You're the one with the secret decoder rings. Why don't you go find out, hmm? I've got some scrubbing to do." Secret decoder rings remind me of Intellagence. I think that JD has something to do with Intellagence for the UNSC.

Oh and did you notice that this last letter was opened on 8-27-2552 and the main screen is 8-28-2552 sounds like we are getting very close to the end of this.

Keep up the good work everyone. Oh and let me know if my ideas are too far fetched.

  • 05.01.2004 11:11 AM PDT
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I dont know if anyone mentioned this already but Shamhat was a sacred temple girl that brought Enkido to civilization by having an affair with him.

  • 05.01.2004 11:15 AM PDT
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Tartarus, you are on the same line of thinking as me. But what do you think of the fact that Gilgamesh sits down at the throne. That would mean he was some type of leader am i right. Let me know.

  • 05.01.2004 11:22 AM PDT
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Oh i just found something else that had not seen. In this letter from Hell E. says to JD The place was built to last, I'll give it that. Roomy, too. Might be a vermin problem, though. The previous owners didn't clean out their cupboards very well. (Maybe they left in a hurry.) That's not a problem for me, but I don't recommend you drop in until I've had a chance to sweep up. Not that you'll listen. You never do. So why would he be worried about JD fighting the enemy if JD was a spartan I dont think he would.

  • 05.01.2004 11:28 AM PDT
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TarTarus, in respect to your question to who the Dread Nergal could be...

If we remember from the Cortana letters, it's said that whoever made the Halo (forerunners) were chained up somewhere, as it was the only explanation for how they disappeared. I'm not exactly sure how it could all tie in, but perhaps with a Halo destroyed and now with Enkidu going about his business, the ForeRunner could be freed from wherever it was they were trapped? And as you say, the Dread Nergal was the God of War and Plague. Plague = Flood.

And if you think about what we know of the ForeRunners, they wouldn't seem like a very peace loving race. Building weapons to destroy all sentient life and all. Not exactly evidence to say they're a God of war, but it's all i can really think of.

  • 05.01.2004 11:32 AM PDT
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Actually, Hoju, the Forerunner dont build weapons to specifically destroy sentient life, they build them to destroy lifeforms with sufficient biomass (flood food). Having known this, I think the Forerunners are a somewhat peaceful race because sarving out the Flood would be in the best interest for the galaxy. Or they just wouldnt want themselves to be exterminated by Flood.

  • 05.01.2004 11:39 AM PDT
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I still wouldn't see destroying all sentient life as being a particularily non-violent way to solve that. But then again, there would most likely have been no other choice in the matter. In conclusion, I don't think there's really much evidence to make it go either way.

And also, I wanted to make a comment on the whole "JD being part of ONI." I agree entirely, for two main reasons. 1) Seeing as Operation SENTRYWALK is an ONI operation, they would have to have someone aboard with ONI to oversee the whole thing. And 2) During the Re: Amendment Request OPORD SENTRYWALK terminal, Enkidu interrupts and stops JD from reading the Captain's mail. Would anyone as part of the military (especially a Spartan) be willing to do that? No, I don't think anyone with military discipline would be willing to do something like that. But would someone from ONI be willing to do something underhanded? Of course, it's what they do; gather intelligence.

  • 05.01.2004 11:46 AM PDT
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Plus who would be the most worried about an AI falling into the wrong hands but the ONI. Remember that E. told JD. I know that you're wondering about me. I wish I could believe it was concern for my health, but of course it's your own hide that worries you. Never mind. I'll be fine. I haven't felt like this since the week Shamhat and I... but that would be gossiping, too. What do you think?

  • 05.01.2004 11:51 AM PDT
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Tartarus, that is very good work. After that terminal came up, I looked up the original poem and Enkidu does in fact say Flood instead of Deluge. Also in response to the altering of the story, in "Shore Left", Enkidu says that he was against landing on Frigid, but that he would probably be outvoted. Maybe his version of the story indicates that Enkidu was actually in favour of landing on Frigid while the others were not.

  • 05.01.2004 11:52 AM PDT
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yo Jackass,

Good analysis.

1. It sounds like the same thing to me.
2. Yeah its the covies. In the old cortana letters the covies were sarcasticly referred to as "friends".
3. The decoder rings are symbolic for finding a cryptic answer to a cryptic question. This question is probably the most important thing of this terminal entry/ letter, please read below:


"I know that you're wondering about me. I wish I could believe it was concern for my health, but of course it's your own hide that worries you... Besides, you're asking the wrong question. You should be asking, "Igigi, or Anunnaki?" I'm not sure I could answer. But I don't need to."

Igigi or Anunnaki? We have already known of the connection to ancient babylonia with the epic of Gilgamesh. Well, Igigi translated are the major babylonian gods that are in heaven. The lesser gods are the Anunnaki that have been translated as "coming down from heaven to earth". (Sometimes Anunnaki has been translated as "giants", but this is kind of looked at as a bad translation.)

So what is enkidu trying to ask here? If JD is worried about his/her own hide, the question is, Is this new Enkidu AI friend or foe?

The Decoder Ring is the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Ingigi were the gods of the heaven beyond earth that were against him. They were upset for him killing the Humbaba. The Anunnki on the other hand were Gilgameshes friends. How have i concluded this? Enkidu was made of clay mixed with the blood of the gods, making him a person that came down from the heavens where the gods where. This makes him an Anunnaki.

so how do we conclude that this new Enkidu is a friend or foe? We have to determine if the old human Enkidu AI mixed with a new forerunner AI making it an Anunnaki, or if the forerunner AI took over comletely making it an Ingigi.

so what do you guys think? Friend or Foe? Ingigi or Anunnaki?


[Edited on 5/1/2004 12:20:15 PM]

  • 05.01.2004 11:55 AM PDT
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there is some side debate going on here about wether or not the forerunners are friendly or not. I think that they are more friendly to the flood than they are to humans or any other sentient life. why would they preserve some flood on the halo and yet make it kill everything else. Remember, the halo(s) have been set off before (hinted at by 343GS).

If the forerunners ( who knows what form they take and are either gone now or hidding) are powerful and beyond us, who are we to them but ants. simple little ants that carry on our ways and are meaningless if destoyed. the Flood, however, were quite special to them. they saved and preserved them, studied them. Perhaps the Flood were god-like to the forerunners.

  • 05.01.2004 12:08 PM PDT
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Posted by: mthan
Tartarus, that is very good work. After that terminal came up, I looked up the original poem and Enkidu does in fact say Flood instead of Deluge. Also in response to the altering of the story, in "Shore Left", Enkidu says that he was against landing on Frigid, but that he would probably be outvoted. Maybe his version of the story indicates that Enkidu was actually in favour of landing on Frigid while the others were not.


Thanks for the props. i think that in "shore left" that Enkidu was telling the truth. It was acting in the same manner that the Enkidu of the Epic acted. This new Enkidu however has been mixed with something else that is forerunner. Its not the same Enkidu anymore and thus that is why it is taking a different stance on the true story of Gilgamesh. It has some kind of motive now to keep JD away from Figid. Remember, the old AI wanted to wanted JD to make it to the Pelicans.

  • 05.01.2004 12:15 PM PDT