- Cortland_Brewer
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- Fabled Member
There is a certain point of tolerance that should never be reached.
I've had a hunch for a while now, and I've wanted to flesh it out, but never really had proof. I still do not, but I may well receive the evidence this year.
I don't know where to begin exactly, this is really a cloud of ideas that seem to fit together somehow. I'll just spill into it.
I think Major Antonio Silva had something major to do with the Spartan IV program.
I just recently finished reading The Flood for the fourth of fifth time when it really started coming together. Here are a few things that lead me to believe that Silva not only had something to do with it, but actually knew of a large amount of existing S4s during the battle of Installation 04.
I think that Margret Parangosky recruited Silva to the Spartan IV project because of his ambitions for the ODSTs. The Spartan IVs, for those who don't know, are made of the remaining Spartan IIIs, and special forces soldiers who undergo an some form of augmentation that allows them to use Mjolnir, or some similar form of powered armor. Special forces, like ODSTs.
The motivations behind each side is clear. The Spartan II and III programs where the single most effective reason that humanity won the Human-Covenant war, and survived as a species. With the war over, and the galaxy in it's chaotic state, the UNSC needed Spartans now more than ever. More importantly, Most of the Spartan IIs and IIIs were gone, killed by years of war against an unstoppable enemy. There was no time to raise children for war, and the ethical ramifications were starting to take a toll. The UNSC needed Spartans, but needed them to already be grown, and highly trained. Enter the ODSTs.
The ODSTs were as loyal as it gets. All volunteer, they were all dedicated to the job. They were also the best soldiers the UNSC has ever produced (aside from the Spartan IIs and IIIs). They were the perfect choice. Major Antonio Silva, with his huge ambition for the ODSTs, was the perfect choice to sign on to this project.
Here are some things that suggest was involved, and was the best choice for the job.
Silva was pro ODST:
Silva wanted nothing more than the advancement of the ODSTs. He despised the Spartan II program, going so far as to dismiss them all as "Freaks" and "A failed experiment". To him, the best were not chosen, but earned it. Every last ODST had worked hard to earn their spot, and stand among the best of the best.
Silva knew about the Spartan II program:
In Halo: The Flood, Silva explains in detail the origins of the Spartan II program. yet, in the book Halo: Glasslands, ODSTs and a civilian are shocked when they themselves are told the origins. While some people may claim this is retcon at it's finest, if you pay close attention, Silva's knowledge seems a curious singularity. In Halo: The Fall of Reach, Corporal Harland asks John how he could become a Spartan, to which John replies "You don't volunteer, you are selected." This clearly demonstrates that the marine did not now, and thus, early canon did not claim a lot of people knew about the Spartan II program.
So the question is... why would an ODST officer know about the Spartan II program? I think Silva knew because he studied the SIIs in for the benefit of the Spartan IV Program.
Silva claims the ODSTs will replace the Spartans:
During a confrontation with the Master Chief, Silva claims the Spartan II program is finished, and that the ODSTs will replace them. While this could easily be a display of his biased stance towards the ODSTs, one may also see this as a slight slip of a hidden secret. If the Spartan IVs are made up of mostly ODSTs (which they almost certainly are), that would mean not only would the Spartan II program be permanently ended (as opposed to being "On Hold"), but ODSTs would in fact be replacing the Spartan IIs as the Spartan IVs. Silva practically confessed to John.
I am going to close this theory with a few more speculations. I don't think it is a coincidence that Silva was placed on the Pillar of Autumn. The original mission would have been an invaluable chance to observe and learn from the Spartan IIs. Silva himself was a very competent commander, so it may well have been that he was there for that reason, and not his ONI project. The ship, and the mission itself was of the utmost importance. In First Strike, it is confirmed that there was an ONI presence aboard the Pillar of Autumn, though it is never explained why. I believe that Silva was a part of the ONI team placed aboard the Autumn, and that his presence had something to do with the Spartan IV program.
Silva, and this team, died during the final moments of the battle of Installation 04. His death slowed down the final phase of the project, and because of this delay, The Spartan IVs were never deployed during the Human-Covenant war.