1748 Hours, August 14, 2520 / Dr. Halsey's Office, Reach Military Complex, Planet Reach / Document Review
Dr. Catherine Halsey rarely read proposals with any enthusiasm—especially not when they came from children.
Even Spartans.
Especially Spartans. But this one… was different.
She sat alone in her office, ambient lights low, her hand wrapped around a lukewarm cup of synth-tea she'd already forgotten twice. Her terminal hummed softly as the holographic document hovered in front of her.
Its title was unorthodox. Bold. Almost ridiculous.
"Application Potential of Legacy Pop Culture Technologies in Modern UNSC Strategic Frameworks: A Viability Study"
Submitted by: Leonidas-151
Clearance Level: BETA-GRAY, In Review
Status: Preliminary Research Request
Halsey raised an eyebrow. She sipped her tea. Then she began to read.
Abstract:
In the pursuit of battlefield superiority, current UNSC strategy and technological advancement often disregard non-military conceptual innovations—especially those originating from legacy entertainment and cultural media. This proposal explores the hypothetical application, modernization, and integration of technological concepts from late 20th to early 21st century speculative fiction (namely 2000–2025 popular Western media) into current tactical doctrine.
While considered "science fiction" in their original contexts, many of these concepts—such as pilot-Titan neural integration (Titanfall), non-Newtonian reactive body armor (The Incredibles), Orbital Strike Beacons for ordinance and resupply(Helldivers 2), and adaptive battlefield orbital support (G.I. Joe)—present practical, feasible paths forward when reverse-engineered through a military R&D lens.
This document proposes a phased research structure to assess viability and cost-to-benefit projections for strategic implementation under Section 7 of ONI Strategic Warfare Advancement Directive 02-F ("Experimental Warfare Systems with Theoretical Frameworks").
Objective:
This research aims to evaluate five core technologies drawn from early 21st-century speculative fiction and propose UNSC-compatible adaptations, with eventual recommendations for field testing under controlled Spartan-II operations.
Target Technologies & Media Origins (Initial Set):
Graphene-Titanium Weave Armor – Inspired by fictional materials used in The Incredibles (2004), this composite structure is designed to maintain flexibility while distributing kinetic force across a non-Newtonian sub-layer. Early lab-tested applications suggest a 37% reduction in ballistic trauma.
Symbiotic Neural Interfaces – Referenced most directly in Titanfall (2014–2016), this concept involves direct synchronization between human operators and mechanized assets via neural link, enabling real-time command relay and reflex translation. Potential for UNSC vehicle and drone integration is high. The value of such could be a game changer against the insurrectionist movement. The neural linked pilot jumpkits would provide a new way of combat perception. 3D combat studied through pilot combat could provide insights into 3D space combat, where we still use artillery tactics.
Strategic Satellite-Orbital Fire Support (StratSat) – Inspired by kinetic bombardment and satellite-linked fire missions from G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) and Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013). Could supplement traditional MAC platforms and allow for instant-target micro strikes with low orbital debris signature.
Lightweight Urban Cloak Field (Stealth Shroud) – A tactical adaptation of Predator-class optical camouflage, seen in various franchises. Not viable for full-spectrum stealth but ideal for quick-strike Spartan infiltration in dense environments.
Kinesis module and advanced engineering gear; modular armor for military and civilian engineers by using tech innovated by Dead Space (2008). The relevance of planetary vs asteroid mining and the equipment, people, and AI used in such endeavors. Improved asteroid mining will also prevent the destruction of Planet surfaces, requiring less UNSC terraforming measures on existing human occupied planets. There has been proposed correlation between perceived exploitation and uprisings, such as the insurrection, the political and economic ramifications could provide benefits with public UNSC support in this research.
Stratagem Beacons (Helldivers 2); pinpoint accurate ordnance and resupply from orbit for use by UNSC Army, Marines, and ONI. By utilizing satellites or dedicated supply ships it allows for support over ground troops in the event that UNSC warships are otherwise occupied by combat.
Halsey leaned back in her chair. The document was crisp. Thought-out. Tactically sound.
She'd expected fan fiction with equations taped on. Instead, she found preliminary modeling projections, theoretical frameworks backed with real materials research, and reference points linked to UNSC prototyping failures that Leonidas had clearly studied.
He'd built an argument around what had already failed—then mapped those failures to fictional solutions.
Bold. Structured. Dangerous.
Halsey leaned forward again, cup of synth-tea long forgotten on the desk beside her. The holographic document scrolled at her silent gesture, revealing the next phase of Leonidas' proposal.
Phase Structure & Research Implementation Plan
Submitted by Leonidas-151
Phase I – Viability & Conceptual Deconstruction (3 Weeks)
Partner with Dejá for historical extrapolation and archival model testing.
Begin simulation-based deconstruction of legacy tech concepts using UNSC-compatible parameters (energy draw, materials availability, combat relevance, risk assessment).
Objective: Determine which technologies exceed or fall within the current bounds of UNSC R&D capability, and eliminate unviable concepts (e.g., time manipulation, teleportation, or "magic" perpetual power sources).
Phase II – Prototype Modeling & AI Integration (6–8 Weeks)
Build low-scale digital and physical mock-ups of selected priority technologies (candidate list includes: Symbiotic Neural Interface and Graphene-Titanium Weave).
Utilize Dejá and potential auxiliary sandboxed AI to simulate operator feedback, energy demands, system latency, and integration with current MJOLNIR framework.
Construct holographic modular interface to allow R&D teams to visualize systems in real-time.
Phase III – Field Trials & Spartan Integration Simulation (TBD, Pending Approval)
If initial mock-ups meet 85% function criteria under simulated combat stress:
Apply scaled-down models to Spartan training environments for live assessment (non-combat).
Measure performance, reliability, maintenance stress, and psychological compatibility.
Include contingency clause for ONI observation and black-budget routing.
Requested Personnel & AI Resources
Primary AI Liaison: Dejá (already approved and familiar with subject's interests, ethical patterns, and data processing habits).
Secondary AIs (suggested sandboxed constructs)
UNSC Materials Testing Division access (specifically composite alloys lab at CASTLE Base).
Clearance request submitted for UNSC R&D archive entries: Classified Project "SILVER STRIKE," "HYDRASUIT," and "HORIZON FLEETLING."
Operational Security & Risk Management Notes;
All prototype development will occur under Beta-Gray clearance unless elevated by ONI or Section Three initiative lead.
No offworld transfer or digital migration of data. Prototypes will be air-gapped within Reach secure zone under Dejá's supervision.
Spartan candidates involved in testing will operate under Tier 2 Voluntary Consent (mandated for non-lethal, non-invasive enhancement trials).
Emergency protocols will follow ONI Directive D-49D: if technologies are found replicable by enemy factions or Insurrectionist analogs, immediate blacklisting and data-wipe protocols will be triggered by automated AI failsafe.
Halsey gave a low, thoughtful hum. There it was again—that contradiction. A child's sense of imagination, wrapped in military-grade protocol, wrapped again in ethical foresight. Leonidas hadn't just thought about what to build.
He'd thought about what could go wrong. He was predicting internal blowback, external theft, misuse by future Spartan generations—things even some ONI senior engineers never bothered to include in pre-research documentation.
Most researchers wanted to succeed. Leonidas wanted to succeed responsibly.
She scrolled to the final section: the proposal's conclusion and his personal note. And her office lights dimmed just a bit as the building's security systems flickered for a heartbeat—something that usually meant trouble outside the walls.
The final page appeared in silence. No AI formatting. No modular data. Just text. Typed with care.
It wasn't cold or clinical like the sections before it. It was still professional—but it had something most ONI paperwork lacked.
A voice.
Closing Statement – Leonidas-151
Doctor Halsey,
I understand this proposal is highly irregular. I also understand that I am still, by regulation and by developmental metrics, a child. But respectfully—so was Newton when he asked why apples fell. So was Da Vinci when he sketched machines no one could understand. Age is a metric, not a disqualifier.
What separates Spartans from others isn't our strength or our speed. It's our ability to adapt. We take broken things—ourselves, mostly—and turn them into tools. That's all I'm trying to do.
These ideas aren't just fiction. They're blueprints for what people once imagined humans could become. And Spartans are what happen when imagination meets necessity.
Give me permission to explore that space. I promise I'll bring something back.
Respectfully,
Leonidas-151
Halsey sat back.
Fingers steepled. Eyes locked on the signature.
It was a ridiculous proposal, in the strictest sense. Full of romanticism and nostalgia for a past long burned away. Drawing from worlds that never existed, written by people who would've wet themselves at the sight of a Mjolnir prototype.
And yet...
It was also brilliant.
Too brilliant.
Leonidas wasn't just smart. He was dangerous. Not in the way ONI feared rogue Spartans. No, this was subtler. His intelligence wasn't just analytical—it was visionary. He wasn't trying to bend the system.
He was trying to improve it.
That kind of thinking could rebuild the UNSC.
Or burn it to the ground.
She now knew that Leonidas-151 needed a guiding hand.
Perhaps. A protege. Someone of her own caliber to assist in research.
Before she could make a notation, her desk console flared red.
SPARTAN COMPOUND: SECURITY ALERT
CODE: RED IRIS – AUTH LEVEL ALPHA REQUIRED
> INCIDENT IN SECTOR D-3 (BARRACKS PERIMETER)
She frowned and pressed a key.
The room's ambient hum cut out, replaced by the terse voice of a duty officer.
"Dr. Halsey, we have two marines down outside the Spartan barracks. One confirmed KIA, one unresponsive. Witnesses are reporting Leonidas-151 was involved."
For the first time in months, Halsey blinked.
Once.
Then her hand moved.
She tapped her earpiece. "Dejá. Alert Mendez. And prep surgical review footage from the barracks perimeter camera grid."
"Already doing so," Dejá replied.
Halsey stood, smooth and slow, eyes still on the signature floating before her.
Respectfully,
Leonidas-151
She stared at the name like it was a prophecy.
Then she whispered, more to herself than anyone else—
"…and the first Spartan steps beyond the wall."