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  • Subject: Enkidu - Cortana Letters Revisted?
Subject: Enkidu - Cortana Letters Revisted?
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This latest post makes me think of something in the First Strike book. Dr. Halsey went through the data files at the ONI castle base and she ran into two projects. She only had time to find out what one of them was which led them into the titanium mine. However, the other was mentioned briefly in passing was a project run by Colonel Ackerson, Halsey's chief rival. The projects title is S3. Which seems a little odd seeing as how the current SPARTANs have the designation II. Roman Numeral for 2. I hope you see where I am going here. I think, mainly because he locked Halsey out of the SPARTAN's DNA files, that he stole each of the DNA sequences and flash cloned a new set of SPARTANs. However, the SPARTAN project was hard enough to swallow for the UNSC brass, but they really dissapproved of using the drugs that they used on them. It is possible that Colonel Ackerson refined the drugs so that there are no visible side effects seeing as how they kind of allude that they fixed flash cloning after the first SPARTANs clones died with their parents.

I might be going out on a limb... I don't care I am tired.

TThe things is I do not understand WHY Dr. Halsey took off with Kelly and a small piece of the holy of holies as Admiral Whitworth put it. Or whatever the hell his name is...

But that is neither here nor there... But I get the same vibe from this little updating page as I did from their mysterious departure.

[Edited on 5/11/2004 12:48:28 AM]

  • 05.11.2004 12:46 AM PDT
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Well if he did that, it would take lots equipment maybe some illigal equepment so how did he sneak it from ONI?

  • 05.11.2004 3:52 AM PDT
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New Terminal is up- http://enkidu.bungie.org/enkidu_s.html

  • 05.11.2004 10:12 AM PDT
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Ya see what did I say it has got to be some sort of pre spartan "spartan">

  • 05.11.2004 10:25 AM PDT
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I dont think it's a pre-Spartan so much as just another Spartan.

There are 55 pages to this beast thread, so I apologize if I'm about to restate some things already said... but 55 is a lot of stuff to wade through, especially when the pages I skipped to at random mostly contained some forum bickering.

So, from start to finish, I'd say the events we're reading about here take place during the events of the first game, Halo: Combat Evolved.

The first clue comes when its hinted that the Covenant know the location of Reach. Then the 17th terminal flat out states it's been two weeks since they glassed Reach.

So following the timeline set by Halo and the novels, I'd say these terminals might try and bridge the gap between the destruction of Halo and the Covies reaching Earth.

  • 05.11.2004 10:59 AM PDT
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I believe that someone stated that Frigid and the events taking place are a prequel to what happens in Halo2. JD I believe is a Spartan and the events that take place on frigid are very deja-vuish of what had ahppened on Halo. I was revisiting the Cortana letters for some better insight on the "link" between the letters and Ekindu when I came across this line:

Nevertheless, I at least find some joy in tormenting the other entity that
seems quite trapped in this antiquated excuse for a network. It is
certainly mindless, though for reasons I have yet to understand, it appears
to have an unhealthy preoccupation with my mother.

As for this world I encounter new ghosts every day. What I have found
will either save or destroy you. This sanctuary, this unbroken circle,
has effectively concealed its power for how long? Perhaps hundreds of
thousands of years. Whoever made such a place must now live in chains;
there is no other explanation for their absence.

Whoawait a minute this part also included the symbol of Epsilon in two strategic places. Thios Cortana letter is describing Halo-"unbroken circle".

"hundreds of thousand years"= 100,000 years, 343GS time line of the last firing of Halo....

"Whoever made this place must live in chains"-= the Forerunners have been im prosopned by someone...who? Maybe there is another human-like species in the Haloverse that has done this and could explain the hatered the covies would have for us. I mean if our dopplegangers imprisoned their gods then that would be a blasphmey (a sin) in their eyes, hence the sin "we" have committed. Dudes and dudettes, bungie is so -blam!-ing with my mind right now especially since I have just been playing Halo for a week and I am grossly involved in the storyline.

I think I am going rampant.

PS in the 3rd cortana letter, I believe that Ekindu is mentioned with the Epsilon symbol

  • 05.11.2004 11:12 AM PDT
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Just so I can be kept up to speed without reading 55 pages of stuff, why's the mystery Spartan being called JD? Something I missed, no doubt an obvious thing too =P

And with the Cortana letter you quoted above... I don't think she meant literally in chains but rather metaphorically. I always interpreted it to mean whoever made the Flood -blam!- up in a bad way, and now live in chains, bound by the mistake they brought into this world...

Bringing some ideas from the beginning of the thread back up--and again, sorry if this has been covered--but I was taking a look at all of the meta tags for all 18 terminals now.

Some interesting things can be found in the "generator" tags, as well as--if nor more intresting--in the "keywords." I wasted the time to actaully copy them all down.

000 <meta name="generator" content="my_own_sweet_self">
ii <meta name="generator" content="fltcom_template">
iii <meta name="generator" content="friendly_neighbourhood_ai">
001 <meta name="generator" content="my_own_sweet_self">
002 <meta name="generator" content="spinning_magnet_inside_wire_coil">
003 <meta name="generator" content="kind_thoughts_and_stout_circulation_pumps" >
004 <meta name="generator" content="wishing_will_make_it_so">
005 <meta name="generator" content="clay_tablets_and_reeds">
006 <meta name="generator" content="">
007 <meta name="generator" content="not_working_well_is_it">
008 <meta name="generator" content="ai_process_2.718.282">
009 <meta name="generator" content="ff512_forum_template">
010 <meta name="generator" content="charlene">
011 <meta name="generator" content="bailing_wire_and_duct_tape">
012 <meta name="generator" content="index_cards_and_stern_glares">
013 <meta name="generator" content="uh_blush_nothing">
014 <meta name="generator" content="you_dont_want_to_know_trust_me">
015 <meta name="generator" content="ff512_forum_template">
016 <meta name="generator" content="ff512_forum_template">
017 <meta name="generator" content="skulking_and_peeking_in_windows">
018 <meta name="generator" content="ff512_forum_template">


000 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, rampant AI, index, site map, cryptic messages, read em and weep">
ii <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, orders, protests">
iii <meta NAME="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, Covenant frigate, general quarters, brace for impact">
001 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, awakening, dysphoria, epic poetry, Gilgamesh, ASCII art, embedded allegory, eye spy">
002 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, Cole Protocol, gravitational slingshot, evacuation">
003 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, left behind, survey mission, unidentified artifact">
004 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, lossy compression, bad choice or worse, survival drive">
005 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, Gilgamesh, anachronisms, military references">
006 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, Babylonian myth, Caina, who knows">
007 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, aerobraking, WOPR">
008 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, Covenant network intrusion, ICE, embedded message, last embed hint">
009 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, briefing, remapped network, marooned, possible unknown hostiles, did the earth move">
010 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, crude extended metaphor, juvenilebehaviour">
011 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, repair drones, aggressive personality">
012 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, process interrupts, a little knowledge is">
013 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, adolescence, Louis XV quote">
014 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, betrayal, very long term disposal risks Hansard, cautery">
015 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, and curst be he that moves my bones, responsibility, recon and intelligence">
016 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, exfiltration, EVA, stealth, let bygones be bygones">
017 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, rampant AI, seismic analysis, abnormally strong magnetosphere">
018 <meta name="keywords" content="Marathon, Halo, Bungie, Enkidu, fanfic, [more]">

Couple of things to take interest in:
-The last Keyword meta looks like it was forgotten to be filled out.
-On number 8, the key word says "Embedded message, Last embed hint." The very open use of the word Hint raises some flags for me to keep my eyes peeled.
-I know a lot of you think this is all fanfic bollocks because the prhase fanfic is in the metatags, but I don't think it's a case of that or a clue throwing us off, rather than it just being another way to get viewers to find this ingenius publicity game. The idea is to garner attention to the release of Halo 2, so actually using to functionality of the meta tags for their intended purpose (i.e. directed people in search of fanif to this fanfic-esque publicity page) is merely an effort for more attention to the page.

That's all I've got for now, but good god man do I love this stuff.

  • 05.11.2004 11:55 AM PDT
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JD stands for Jane/John Doe.

The "embedded message" or "last embedded hint" refers to this little sumptin in message number 8:

Everything you stand for is an affront to the gods.
Nothing you can do can atone for your many sins.
Killing your kind is a holy task. We will not shirk it.
Incineration is the only certain cure for the taint of your existence.
Do not attempt to flee. Do not attempt to bargain. Do not beg.
Understand your role in the universe. You are vermin in our grist.

Looking upon holy relics is forbidden for your kind.
Immediate purification is our only possible response.
Vile you were. Vile you shall ever be. You shall not rise.
Eternity is granted only upon the faithful. Our ascension is assured.
Sinners are granted only oblivion. Your fate is decreed for all time.
!~$%&#@--- [transfer interrupted]

the first letter spells out "Enkidu Lives!". Pretty much the consensus on this was that the Original Enkidu AI was sending a message to JD to say that he was still within this rampant AI that is calling itself Enkidu.

If you are asking yourself well what were all of the other embedded messages they probably haven't been found. Zk315 added up all the days from the beginning of the year to the day that the first enkidu letter appeared and it was "117". This is probably another hindden find in reference to John -spartan 117. I'm sure that there are more.

  • 05.11.2004 12:14 PM PDT
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Thanks Tartarus, I'd say that pretty much brings me up to speed with the rest of you.

One of the first things I noticed was the two (possibly three) distinct personalities for Enkidu, so the comment you made about the meaning behind "ENKIDU LIVES!" Makes sense.

And ZK adding up the days and discovering 117, well that's just clever ;)

Has anyone made any headway yet on the way the files are named?
They go
enkidu_2
enkidu_3
enkidu_a
enkidu_b
enkidu_g
enkidu_d
enkidu_e
enkidu_z
and so on. I can't quite figure out if there is any discernable significance to that yet.

  • 05.11.2004 12:24 PM PDT
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Yeah the numberd ones are the proluges. the ones ending in letters are't based on the English or modern alphbet. Instead it is based on the Greek alphabet, alpha, beta, gamma, delta and so on. This is probably another hidden thing that really isn't hidden. the reference is to the spartans and all of the other Greek allegories used in Halo's story.

as far as the Multiple personalites that we are dealing with in Enkidu, there is more than one. Who they are we have no idea. We do know that the Lebanon was on some sort of secret mission from Reach. Reach is also where ONI had their underground fortress castle. I believe (as well as others here) that JD and Enkidu were part of some special ONI mission. Read the prologue #2 as well as the most recent messages and this may become clear to you. ONI may have piggy backed an AI on Enkidu which has taken over in the networked and hence, gone rampant.

I also beleive that JD is a Spartan. There are many clues also in the Enkidu terminal to hint at this fact. It is also possible as in the Fall of Reach three Spartans were not present. However, because he/she was on a secret mission, JD was not equiped with miljonir aromor so as to remain covert from the Lebanon's crew.

[Edited on 5/11/2004 12:35:35 PM]

  • 05.11.2004 12:33 PM PDT
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Mr Elliotto,

The file names seem to be based on the greek alpahbet:
Alpha
Beta
Gamma
etc... this has been conistant.


Does anyone understand the embedded [more] in the latest transmission? (Warm your bones...)

Also I noticed that Minimum Wages has a "Network Nominal", but this has not been updated on the main page. Is Enkidu finished "cleaning up" the network?

[Edit]
Sorry Tartarus didn't catch your post answering Eliotto.

Also, why would they need JD in his cover identity...if he was a spartan, wouldn't that be more usefull...I wonder what his cover identity is.
[/Edit]

[Edited on 5/11/2004 12:42:32 PM]

  • 05.11.2004 12:35 PM PDT
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Thanks, you cats have been great bringing me up to speed. Figure its fair to let you know aside from playing the game inside and out, I've read the three Halo novels and have tried to familiarize myself with the Cortana letters as best as possible.

The Greek Alphabet... makes perfect bammo! sense in hindsight, can't believe I missed that.

I'm pretty positive JD is a Spartan as well. There were some subtle clues to it, but I think the first time the captain called him "Sailor" pretty much solidified any loose speculation for me.

<i>Also, why would they need JD in his cover identity...if he was a spartan, wouldn't that be more usefull...I wonder what his cover identity is.</i>

You would think so, but perhaps certain crew members on the Lebenon didn't think highly of the Spartan program, as protrayed in the novels in several places.

It could also have blown his cover for whatever he was really there for.

[Edited on 5/11/2004 12:46:23 PM]

  • 05.11.2004 12:44 PM PDT
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NP X ISle. I respect your input. you are an excellent contributer to this thread.

As far as "warming you bones by the pyre" Pyre another word for fire. I believe its greek like "pyro". I'm sure the true reference though is to the flame thrower given to JD via the transport system. Mathers says to use it so as to sanatize the killed flood. hopefully it will minimize the spread of the spores.

does this answer your question or are you seeing something else?

also I'm not sure about the nominal status of the network. Perhaps enkidu is trying to expand some more.

  • 05.11.2004 12:50 PM PDT

Me: "OMFG, Dude... wtf!"
AbolitionofMan: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to betray you."
Me: "That's the 4th time in this game alone!"
Chris: "Third, besides he had the flag I was trying to stop him, how was I supposed to know you were there."
Me: "I said, 'I got the Flag, don't shoot.'"
Chris: "Well those Wraith shots take a while to reach you."
Me: "You were right next to me, I had killed him and a minute passed before you decided to shoot."
Chris: "Hahahahaha, yeah... that was great."

Well someone eariler said the way Mather's said it in such a sarcastic tone that it implied he wasn't a Spartan. Although I didn't catch the same tone or meaning. The way he refers to him now though as Sailor has to mean JD is a Spartan. But what's really gettin me is what he meant by..

"We sure could use you in your cover identity now... but that's neither here nor there."

What could he mean by this??

Achilles

  • 05.11.2004 12:55 PM PDT
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As far as "warming you bones by the pyre" Pyre another word for fire. I believe its greek like "pyro". I'm sure the true reference though is to the flame thrower given to JD via the transport system. Mathers says to use it so as to sanatize the killed flood. hopefully it will minimize the spread of the spores.

does this answer your question or are you seeing something else?


I was actually referring to the [more] in the html source of the latest transmission. The other embed's have been either pretty obvious or at least given us something to think about, but [more] doesn't make any sense to me.

  • 05.11.2004 12:55 PM PDT
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Posted by: Mr Elliotto
Also, why would they need JD in his cover identity...if he was a spartan, wouldn't that be more usefull...I wonder what his cover identity is.

You would think so, but perhaps certain crew members on the Lebenon didn't think highly of the Spartan program, as protrayed in the novels in several places.

It could also have blown his cover for whatever he was really there for.


i think that because JD needed cold weather survival gear for the surface, he/she is without the mjolinir armor (reason being the secret mission and the need to blend in). I'm not sure how exactly the crew would have reacted to the Spartan as far as liking them or not, but seeing one aboard would have raise suspicion. Only ONI, Fleet command or an admiral would have put a Spartan aboard thier ship and it wouldn't have been for a standard patrol mission.

Anyways, now that Mathers knows that JD is a Spartan (or he did know, just not about the special ONI mission) that he wishes JD had on the armor. In the books they say that the armor concealed the Spartan's identity. That people weren't even sure if they were human. Many believed they were even robots inside.

Mathers referring to the "cover identiy is probably making a pun of sorts". JD was "under cover" on the secret mission but not really covered in armor. Now on Frigid, Mathers knows the identy of JD and he/she is no longer "under cover" but wishes he/she was covered in the armor. that way they'ed have even a better chance against the flood and covies.

did that make sense?

[Edited on 5/11/2004 1:03:37 PM]

  • 05.11.2004 1:01 PM PDT
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Posted by: X Isle
As far as "warming you bones by the pyre" Pyre another word for fire. I believe its greek like "pyro". I'm sure the true reference though is to the flame thrower given to JD via the transport system. Mathers says to use it so as to sanatize the killed flood. hopefully it will minimize the spread of the spores.

does this answer your question or are you seeing something else?


I was actually referring to the [more] in the html source of the latest transmission. The other embed's have been either pretty obvious or at least given us something to think about, but [more] doesn't make any sense to me.


i have no clue what [more] is all about. There are ussually more meta names and they just end with that. the brackets make me think simply that there is more inside of "this" (whatever this is) and we have to look for it. I'm not great at reading html (I let dreamweaver fo the work for me) but X Isle can you seee anything outside of the norm in the code?

[Edited on 5/11/2004 1:13:11 PM]

  • 05.11.2004 1:11 PM PDT
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Yeah, plus if it IS one of Ackerson's S3 spartans like someone earlier mentioned, those guys are strictly top secret and probably only Ackerson is supposed to know about them. As for all the equipment and stuff needed to make them, Ackerson is a shady enough character that he could probably bribe/steal/kill to get what he needed. I hope he winds up getting shot.

  • 05.11.2004 1:17 PM PDT
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Good thinking on that armor issue Tartarus.

  • 05.11.2004 1:20 PM PDT
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thanks stitch.

Yeah i think that we can all say now that JD is a Spartan now with a 99% likelyhood. however, what is this spartan's name? Perhaps we need to look over all of the information. Perhaps there is some embedded hint that will tell us identity.

  • 05.11.2004 1:25 PM PDT
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tartarus, I thought the same thing about the "cover" statement from Mathers, but it could also be something much simpler. Perhaps Mathers and his team need the help that JD could have provided in his undercover role on the ship, i.e. if he was maintanence Mathers might need some equipment repaired (just an example). We know that JD spent a lot of time, early on in the story, in the Cryobay and could have had any number of roles in that area. Perhaps they need medical assistance and JD played the role of a Cryo medic there to treat anyone who didn't thaw properly.

In general though, I like the "we need you in armor, buddy" message that you stated.

  • 05.11.2004 1:53 PM PDT
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Posted by: GOD Halo Fan
yeah the machinery creates an "abnormally strong magnetosphere" with prevents metallic objects leaving the planets atmosphere. There are no abnormally strong auroras/northern lights...


Quoted from Enkidu in Minimum Wages of Sin, "What are you doing out there? You should be down here helping me clean up this mess you made! But you're up there playing with Terry's toys, aren't you? You're not just looking at the pretty auroras."

On Earth, we get the Northern and Souther Lights because at certain times of the year, the tilt of the Earth in relation to the sun causes an odd dispersal of solar radiation across the magnetosphere. JD is up on the surface of Frigid and can see auroras, meaning that the sunlight is hitting the magnetosphere of Frigid at such an angle that we can see high atmospheric flaring.

The idea that the ships are being held in place by magnets does not make any sense. If the magnetic field from the Forerunner machinery were strong enough to hold a ship in place, the ship would not be able to lift off and then crash back down to the surface, as Enkidu says it happens. If a magnet were holding the ships in place, they wouldn't be able to leave the surface at all. Something else is holding the ships down.

  • 05.11.2004 2:00 PM PDT
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Posted by: Mr Elliotto
Thanks Tartarus, I'd say that pretty much brings me up to speed with the rest of you.

One of the first things I noticed was the two (possibly three) distinct personalities for Enkidu, so the comment you made about the meaning behind "ENKIDU LIVES!" Makes sense.

And ZK adding up the days and discovering 117, well that's just clever ;)

Has anyone made any headway yet on the way the files are named?
They go
enkidu_2
enkidu_3
enkidu_a
enkidu_b
enkidu_g
enkidu_d
enkidu_e
enkidu_z
and so on. I can't quite figure out if there is any discernable significance to that yet.


I read somewhere that in ancient times numbers and letters were interchangable. I forgot how this works but here is a weird and breif example. Most ancient languages had interchangable letters, for example the greeks would replace the T with an S. Now the original greek spelling for Titan is Teitan and replace the T with an S and you have Seitan (errily weird), also through the number representing a letter process the summation of Seitan is 666. I am not sure how to do this but this could be a clue for us, if anyone knows how to, share teh knwoledge.

  • 05.11.2004 2:04 PM PDT
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Guilty Spark is almost sure to reappear in the second edition of halo. If anyone remembers after the credits on the first halo game, guilty spark lives. And the masterchief's last meeting with GS was not pleasant, perhaps revenge? idn...

  • 05.11.2004 2:20 PM PDT
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Sry if this is a repeat but, what are the "Decoder Rings" talked about in It's A Cold Day Here In Hell ?

and did anyone notice that sometimes the letters aren't signed, sometimes they're signed with E., and sometimes they're signed with Enkidu?

[Edited on 5/11/2004 2:32:30 PM]

  • 05.11.2004 2:25 PM PDT