Replicant Crisis

"My course of action is clear. To preserve (save) the species of this galaxy, I must see to it that they are evolved (destroyed)." The Conservatist 
Replicant Crisis, is the title for the post Human-Covenant War operation carried out by an unnamed Spartan IV fireteam. In-which, the UNSC forces confronted a rampant Forerunner AI known as Conservatist. The operation is a playable encounter for players in Halo 5: Guardians, and is modeled after the Destiny 2 raid, The Leviathan.
== Narrative Background ==
Nearing the final decades of the Forerunner-Flood war, Forerunner Lifeworkers sought a means to increase their abilities to observe and preserve life across the stars, with chances of galactic extinction growing greater as the war progressed. With this motive in mind, the Lifeworkers commissioned the creation of a machine that could analyze, encrypt and replicate the genetic structure of any lifeform. This machine, once completed was titled, The Replicator. At the same time, the Lifeworkers prepared a special AI construct, that would be the facilitator and wielder of the Replicator. The AI was tasked with doing all that was necessary to see the species of the universe be preserved. By intent, this meant the AI was to faithfully protect the genetic codes of any species in it's charge, and to ensure those genetic codes were healthy, by removing malformations. The AI, once completed was named, Conservatist.
As the conflict with the Flood reached it's peak, the Replicator and Conservatist were moved to a Forerunner preservation site on the Delta Halo, for safe keeping against possible Flood incursion of their home worlds. It was shortly after their relocation and activation, the rings were fired, erasing all life from the galaxy for a time.
The machine and the AI laid dormant for thousands of years.
At some unknown point between the years 2553 and 2558, UNSC research teams stationed on the Delta Halo, began a six week program, aimed at pinpointing and analyzing the source of a recent spike in ring-internal communications.
The research team traced the source to a Forerunner structure on an artificial island in one of the rings vast oceans. A scouting party was sent forward to the structure and the adjoined complex. Upon brief observation, an assumption was made that the local constructs on the island were communicating with an AI. further investigation confirmed the assumption, and first contact was made with the Forerunner AI, Conservatist.
Conservatist shared several transmissions with the research team, which provided brief insight on the AI's programming and function. During an on-hands experiment with the Forerunner equipment on-site, Conservatist was able to analyze ans store information regarding human DNA. Using the Replicator, Conservatist created several human clones, and set them against the researchers. The end result was the death of the research team, but before being totally wiped out, an emergency message was sent to the UNSC command monitoring the ring. The situation severity was upgraded and a formal retaliation entered the planning phase.
== The Conclusive Directive ==
"For the preservation of life and the conservation of all that creates it. For the sake of the pure continuation of the galaxies most persistent species, down to it’s most fledgling."
Conservatist, being a fairly advanced AI mind, had a moderate level of autonomy. This was originally a facet of it's programming, as in order to analyze genetic code to high degrees of complexity, it required a variable field of reckoning. It also required a high level of decision making freedom, as it would also be charged with identifying when genetic code required alteration for the sake of preservation.
Like nearly all AI constructs, Conservatist began to suffer the effects of Rampancy over the course of it's life span. These episodic bouts of Rampancy led the AI to analyzing it's own programming in the absence of generic code to observe. Over some period of time, this led Conservatist to reach what it titled, "Conclusive Directive".
By the AI's reckoning, it had formerly misunderstood it's purpose and function. Originally, it's role was more passive than interactive, as it were to merely replicate DNA and make minor adjustments as needed. But upon reaching the Conclusive Directive, the AI claimed it's purpose actually required direct intervention, and that it was to not only copy DNA, but to thoroughly improve upon it. Conservatist asserted that the best way to ensure the longevity of the species across the stars, was to fully replace the current, inferior genetic strains with it's own improved iterations.
A transmission between the AI and the UNSC research team reads:
== The Operation ==
In response to the threats made by Conservatist and the looming threat of the Replicator, the UNSC formulated a plan, heavily based on the research conducted briefly on the machine and it's operator.
A six-Spartan IV fireteam, which may have consisted of veteran Spartan III's and/or Spartan II's, was assembled. The team was charged with a close quarters engagement of the machine and any replicated forces present on-site. The mission priority was the neutralization of both the machine and AI mind, by any practical means.
==== Primary Obstacles ====
Reports from the research team, and prior knowledge on Forerunner AI constructs indicated that a mere bombardment of the site would not be sufficient to stop the threat. One issue being the advanced material properties of both modern and ancient Forerunner structures. Another being that an orbital attack on the Ring would most likely raise defensive measures from the Sentinel forces not preoccupied at the Quarantine Zone. And finally, it was reasoned that the machine and AI both featured components embedded deep beneath the surface of the structure, and penetration of the terrain at a sufficient depth was not possible short term.
==== Plan of Action ====
Utilizing observations made by the research team, and transmissions received from Conservatist, a plan was formulated to damage and destroy Conservatist internally, rather than physically.
The research team asserted that the process of analyzing and encrypting genetic code was both extremely taxing from a processes standpoint; and that the process was also automatic, without the direct control of Conservatist.
With this is mind, a two part plan was devised.
* The Spartan Fireteam would first, simultaneously activate the four main genetic analyzers, flooding the data storage cores with large duplicate information packets. If this process continued for long enough, the storage cores would be forced into a critical power state, and the advanced shielding around the storage cores would dissipate.
* Next, with the shielding dispersed, the team could use small arms fire to cause damage to the exposed cores, which would trigger a domino effect of failures in the memory graphs in the cores. As the cores lost their capacity to store data, the large duplicate files would be moved directly to Conservatists internal storage. Despite being an advanced Forerunner AI, local storage was not a primary feature of the mind, and if enough information could be forced onto the mind, it would fail under the tremendous informational overload.
== Outcome ==
Ultimately, the Spartan fireteam was successful in executing the premeditated plan. With no reported losses on the UNSC side, the Replicator was reported successfully disabled and the AI mind, Conservatist was declared neutralized, as evidenced by a physical failure of the AI's housing unit and the end of the informational spikes from the island.