Dorothea

Dorothea was a UNSC “smart” AI, created in 2545 and programmed with a ghost interface which allowed her to masquerade as a less sophisticated AI in certain situations; she served as General Byron Hoffmier's personal AI, which he used to spy on certain personnel, namely Colonel James Ackerson. By 2549, she had been “loaned” to Colonel Urban Holland, one of Hoffmier's favorites whom he wished to put into a position that would rival Ackerson's authority; the fact that Holland commanded Spartans that had practically been stolen out from under Ackerson's nose was testament to this. Dorothea, acting in the guise of “Auntie Dot,” would serve as Spartan unit Noble Team's AI contact until the unit's demise during the Fall of Reach.

Dot's duties were immense, ranging from the continual regulation of comm traffic and electronic files to more difficult tasks such as outwitting Ackerson's AI, Araqiel, and maintaining her own dual nature. It was she who selected Spartan-B312 as a potential replacement for Thom-A293, effectively forcing an ONI rival, Admiral Vincent Shepard, to give up his personal grim reaper. Her impact on the events of the war was subtle, but had far-reaching effects; while she lacked the capabilities of an AI like Cortana, she had an unnerving knack for spotting important personnel or items and enabling them to be moved where they would be most effective. Colonel Holland would not be aware of his AI's true nature until after Reach fell, when she destroyed his records of Noble Team in an effort to protect him from Ackerson, who had learned of his Spartans being repurposed and launched a furious investigation. She was confiscated by ONI, but lost during the battle for Earth, presumably destroyed when the ONI building in New Mombasa went down.

Dorothea possessed two avatars: one an English governess, the other a diagonal arrangement of glowing blue-white lines on a dark blue background. Her governess self would only see use when working with the ONI elite, such as Vice Admiral Parangosky; she showed it to Urban Holland once, shortly before confiscation. It is strongly suspected that Dr. Catherine Halsey knew of Dot's true nature, but never spoke of it openly or left any indication of such.