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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: The Haunted Apiary (Let Op!) » The Haunted Apiary (Let Op!): General/Updates
[WILD SPEC]Flea/Melissa/SPDR? Kinda Long
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Drakenul
Greenhorn


Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 8
Location: Wayne, MI

 		[WILD SPEC]Flea/Melissa/SPDR? Kinda Long
Ok, here's my speculation on the whole purpose of the Pious Flea. Keep in mind that most of probably falls pretty far into the Wild category. Keep in mind some of this is OOG, but I tried to keep it as much in game as possible. The primary OOG assumption is the source of the Flea as explained first thing below.

The Pious Flea, as we call it at least, is a spy AI program designed using a combination of Covenant adapted Forerunner technology and reverse-engineered UNSC AI programs recovered from destroyed ships. Specifically designed to small and quick loading, the Flea begins by sitting inside a Covenant transmission conveniently picked up by a human ship, where it successfully infects Melissa. It deliberately makes small changes over time to try and hack Melissa not for the location of Earth but for the locations of other planets that could be used as a reference to making a conversion of how the Covenant plots the locations of the same planet. Before this could happen fully though, we end up with some disaster sending the infected Melissa to where we are now, ILB.

Before I get further, I'd like to say that considering finding the center of the galaxy/universe is practically impossible given the behavior of human civilation, so for the purposes of tradition and stability, most humans would conceivably use Earth to represent (0,0,0), the origin point of the human reckoning of spacial location (as in Star Trek's universe, a much more immediately peaceful one, used only for demonstrative purposes here). Thus, discovering the coordinates humans use for multiple planets other than Earth, such as Troy and Reach, would be more beneficial to the Covenant war plans, as then they could engineer a conversion equation to locate Earth without needing to follow humans there.

Now, with Melissa here, stranded and heavily damaged (whether this damage is in the physical media she is stored on or in the software itself is a mystery this speculative theory doesn't dare to guess about), a built in protocol, SPDR, has begun to attempt a reconstructive process, using the Cole protocol as a general rule on how the recovery should be handled, deleting memory that deals with personnel and locations that could be recovered by the Covenant to find Earth. The Flea, however, needs that data to stay intact, and improvises a way to out smart and out speed the SPDR as a distraction, keeping it away from what it needs.

Now, I believe that the Flea's properties allow it to be easily copied with Melissa's structure, ensuring that even if it is destroyed somehow, it would continue to grab what it needs. It so far has yet to recover location data, but has grabbed some memory entries based on personnel, which is what we've seen so far. When it figured out that it was dealing with a less intelligent protocol, it attempted to use mimicry as an evasion, followed by initiating the destruction of SPDR in its mimicry set.

Now, by replacing its true intent with the word truth, it's guiding Melissa to recover her entire memory core, so it can search through it, gather what it needs, and get away from Melissa with the data in tow.

Thus Seek is find the data, Evade is avoid detection by security protocols, Reveal is return the data to Covenant Intelligence, and Escape is obviously getting the heck outta dodge before anyone figures out what has just happened. Assuming that Melissa is here and the Flea is unable to get to the Covenant even if it succeeds, the Halo timeline must have multiple ocassions of similar hacks with one or more Fleas. As a corollary to this theory, maybe all the Flea programs are identified in the same way that ships are. Pious certainly sounds like something that the Covenant, with their heavy emphasis on their religion, would use as an identifier for a program like this, a pious paladin seeking the truth of the enemy's home.

Tell me if I seem way off base here, but I questioned myself for two days over the reasons behind a lot of things, and this is all I could come up to put in the answer column. Not much evidence I know, but I think it follows good logic from the initial assumption. I hope. Note that I'm posting this theory as it's own topic because the only topic I saw about the subject that fit was that one with the poll.

PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 2:08 pm
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princeofthesword
Boot

Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 67

 		Sounds good to me, though at this point we're still just spec-ing away. Many of the points you have made have been brought up before, but they're good ideas, no question there. The Flea's mimicry ability in regards to the SPDR program is a topic we're having a hard time wrapping our brain around. Everything else you said is really not that much wildly speced, but rather accepted as "Probably The Way It Is." tm

Melissa, though somewhat understandably, quickly comes to the conclusion that Dana is trying to kill her. However, despite how much Melissa hates the Widow, SPDR was trying to put her back together; yet when the Widow died, no one really cared. Poor SPDR. Crappy job maybe, but still. Why the quickness to accept the Flea as "New friend?" I know Op hated the SPDR, but still. Narrow-minded loyalty, but loyalty nonetheless. Geez, why couldn't the Queen be this open-minded about us and Dana?

Back to your post, we're still workin' mentally on the seek evade reveal escape, and the variations thereof. I like the thoughts you bring up, but don't get into a mold too quickly (been trying to break out of my molds, thanks to everyone here. Open-mindedness is our best friend in this story, next to Dana and the Search option). Great organization, and way to think things through before you post. Keep up the good work! Farewell.

PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 7:22 pm
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Xyzzy
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 		This is good spec. I'm inclined to believe it. The last piece of the puzzle is the Princess, though - is she a part of Melissa that is still, in fact, Melissa and not "The Queen" because she was "sealed off"?

In re the Widow: Remember how it all went down? The Flea woke up Melissa after evading the Widow and told her that it was in essence a new version of the SPDR. Melissa then said "Very well. Delete the older version." The Flea then deconstructed the Widow. Obviously Melissa didn't like the SPDR - you wouldn't be terribly thrilled if the only doctor capable of keeping you alive did so at the cost of your memories. No one likes amnesia, *especially* not computers, because that is an admission of inferiority and imperfection. If the Flea basically told Melissa it was SPDR 2.0 (or 1.5.85 or whatever it told her) and that it was going to keep her alive without losing her memories, the choice would be clear. What the Flea plans to do with those intact memories, though, is another question.

In re the Killer: It's a catastrophic misunderstanding. Dana made the mistake of trying to wipe the website. That's like... swatting a wounded bee that's wandered into your house. All Melissa wanted was to get out, get back to the hive or whatever, and she got the equivilent of an e-Newspaper swung at her. Of course she was pissed.

PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 2:01 pm
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DianaLesky
Boot


Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Posts: 10
Location: 1926

 		Ok, under developed and wild speculation but...


"but one of us. Hacker? Traitor? Fifth columnist (no that's ridiculous).
Just in over her head?
No. The Spider warning's been deployed. She had every warning that a classified medium was under repair. She just kept"

Could SPDR be the (unknowing?) double agent?
Or
Is the flea just telling the queen that she's a traitor?

The queen seems to be debating the issue wih herself

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:05 pm
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Shad0
I Have No Life


Joined: 20 Jun 2004
Posts: 2180
Location: Southern California, USA

 		Re: [WILD SPEC]Flea/Melissa/SPDR? Kinda Long
DianaLesky wrote:
"but one of us. Hacker? Traitor? Fifth columnist (no that's ridiculous).
Just in over her head?
No. The Spider warning's been deployed. She had every warning that a classified medium was under repair. She just kept"

Could SPDR be the (unknowing?) double agent?
Or
Is the flea just telling the queen that she's a traitor?

The queen seems to be debating the issue wih herself

Current belief is that Melissa (a.k.a. the Queen) is referring to Dana here. She has just taken webcam pictures of whoever has been trying to delete her from the ILB web site. She sees a female human -- "one of us" -- who is young and not wearing a uniform.

Melissa speculates as to why Dana would try to overwrite her: Is she trying to hack into Melissa? Is she a traitor to Earth, deliberately trying to destroy Melissa? Is she a "Fifth Columnist" -- one of a group of secret sympathizers with the enemy? Or is she just doing it without realizing the consequences of her acts?

Ultimately, Melissa rejects the last explanation -- athough it happens to be the correct one -- because SPDR posted that big black warning box announcing that she (SPDR) was repairing a classified medium (Melissa). If Dana chose to ignore it, figures Melissa, then that's her problem.
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These were the puzzles that would take a day, these were puzzles that would take a week, and these puzzles they'd probably never figure out until we broke down and gave them the answers. ... The Cloudmakers solved all of these puzzles on the first day.

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:30 pm
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yanka
Fickle


Joined: 06 Oct 2003
Posts: 1214
Location: undesirable

 		Re: [WILD SPEC]Flea/Melissa/SPDR? Kinda Long
This doesn't have anything to do with your spec, but this isn't the first time I'm seeing this, and I wanted to comment:
Drakenul wrote:
Before I get further, I'd like to say that considering finding the center of the galaxy/universe is practically impossible given the behavior of human civilation, so for the purposes of tradition and stability, most humans would conceivably use Earth to represent (0,0,0), the origin point of the human reckoning of spacial location

Human behavior has little to do with human inability to derive the center of the Universe. There is no center of the Universe (at least according to everything we know/believe about the Cosmos today) - the Cosmological principle forbids it. In light of that, indicating the Earth as the point of origin is the most logical thing to do - for anyone on Earth Smile

That's all, sorry for butting in; please carry on Smile
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:39 pm
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