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"In another time, I would have called him friend."
Posted By: Dervish	Date: 12/5/12 3:00 p.m.
In Response To: "She said that to me once..." *SP* (Urban Reflex) Obviously that line isn't canon, because it only plays when the Chief dies in Halo 3. But I still wonder how the Arbiter fits into this. While Cortana was away on High Charity, the Arbiter became a replacement BFF of sorts. The Arbiter clearly ended up with a great deal of respect for the Master Chief, which arguably went beyond recognizing a fellow warrior good at getting shit done and into the realm of a legitimate friendship. Enough of a friendship for the Arbiter to join the Chief in High Charity while the rest of the Elites took off (pansies), and to apparently mourn the Chief's death after Hood's eulogy. What is less obvious is how much this bond was reciprocated by the Chief. After being talked down from jamming a gun down the Arbiter's throat, Chief hardly acknowledges his partner's presence at all for the rest of the campaign. I don't think he ever speaks directly to the Arbiter; the most he ever does is that subtle nod after he kills Truth. Still, the Master Chief arguably shares more common ground with the Arbiter than he does with most humans. As mentioned in the OP, the Chief's experiences on the assorted Forerunner worlds are well beyond those of the other spartans, but the Arbiter was right there alongside him for much of his journey. They've seen and experienced things together that virtually no other living being in the galaxy could imagine. Despite the awkward circumstances, the Arbiter is a kindred spirit for the Chief in a way that approaches his relationship with Cortana. The Chief never expresses this directly, but then, why would he admit to a bromance with the enemy he has spent most of his life fighting? I think the closest the Chief comes to validating the Arbiter's existence comes at the beginning of the mission Halo, when he says, "We'll head for the portal, and we'll all go home. That "all" is important, because it recognizes the Arbiter as part of the posse, as somebody who he can share the idea of home with. : The Master Chief is alone. Who can he really relate to? He isn't the last : remaining Spartan-II, and Halsey is still around, but these people cannot : truly understand what he has been through anymore. : Even though he was once part of a tight knit unit, he hasn't seen or spoken : to his peers in almost five years. Separated by the duty that has befallen : them, but more-so by the experiences they have been through. The Halos. : The Ark. Requiem. Though stuck in a Dyson sphere for a few months, I don't : think it compares to what John went through. : And of course, there is Cortana. As the only Spartan-II to be paired with an : AI, that bond isn't something Fred, Kelly, Linda, etc could ever possibly : understand. Having someone watching your back is one thing, but having : someone inside your skin, inside your mind , is something totally : different. Unique. : But the bond is deeper than that, on both John's part, and Cortana's. As part : of the augmentation procedures, his sex drive was repressed, and I : wouldn't exactly call it love - I don't believe Spartans can feel that : emotion, but it's as close as I can ever imagine one coming to it. : Ultimately though, Cortana is a computer. An AI. A tool. Equipment. Why does : he feel so strongly for her? Perhaps it is because he is so alone that : these feelings develop. He has no one else to talk to for long periods of : time, and she is the only one who has been through the things he has. : Maybe too, this is partly because of John's early life experiences. Taken : away from his family, treated like a machine by the UNSC from an early : age, never given ample time to be social with others. John has never been : allowed to grow up, to develop socially. As a result, he is mentally : immature. : He doesn't know how to act in certain situations. He struggles with social : protocol, with his emotions. He can't accept that Cortana is already gone, : that there is nothing he can do about it. She is right there in hard light : form, and he's closer to her than he ever has been, yet she will soon : disappear and this is something he has no control over. So, as a result he : can barely look at her. : It's easier for the Master Chief when he is on autopilot. He's been trained : to fight, kill, and to win. He does these things so easily and : effortlessly because it's all he's ever known. Without having any proper : mental development he can be detached from his actions, it must almost be : like he's viewing events through a glass window and it isn't really : happening to him . : Unquestionably he wouldn't be able to do the things he does without this : barrier. But at the same time, it is also what causes him to be so alone. : So yes, to answer your question, I do believe the Master Chief succeeded : because he is, at his core, broken.

Message Index

"She said that to me once..." *SP*	Urban Reflex	12/4/12 5:53 p.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	uberfoop	12/4/12 6:07 p.m.
SO VERY well said!	Mid7night	12/4/12 6:09 p.m.
Say what you will about the campaign	padraig08	12/4/12 6:42 p.m.
Re: Say what you will about the campaign	Archilen	12/4/12 11:57 p.m.
Re: Say what you will about the campaign	mc_leprechaun	12/5/12 6:20 a.m.
Re: Say what you will about the campaign	Leisandir	12/5/12 8:44 a.m.
Re: Say what you will about the campaign	Peter Dolan	12/5/12 11:42 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	SIX min WHISTLE	12/4/12 10:19 p.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	Archilen	12/4/12 11:53 p.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	SIX min WHISTLE	12/5/12 12:51 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	Quirel	12/5/12 1:20 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	Hawki	12/5/12 4:10 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	Archilen	12/5/12 5:34 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	Hawki	12/5/12 5:42 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	Quirel	12/5/12 6:07 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	SonofMacPhisto	12/5/12 8:02 a.m.
Re: "She said that to me once..." *SP*	Quirel	12/5/12 5:44 a.m.
"In another time, I would have called him friend."	Dervish	12/5/12 3:00 p.m.
Re: "In another time, I would have called him frie	Metalingus627	12/5/12 4:18 p.m.
Re: "In another time, I would have called him frie	Urban Reflex	12/5/12 5:06 p.m.
Re: "In another time, I would have called him frie	Metalingus627	12/5/12 7:11 p.m.
Re: "In another time, I would have called him frie	Dervish	12/5/12 9:55 p.m.
Re: "In another time, I would have called him frie	Urban Reflex	12/5/12 5:20 p.m.
Re: "In another time, I would have called him frie	Leisandir	12/5/12 5:36 p.m.