Offensive Bias, the Forerunner Ancilla that fought and beat Mendicant Bias after the activation of the Halo Array, has seemingly disappeared from canonical relevance in the past few years. I believe Greg Bear has brilliantly set up to reveal something major about this Monitor.
Chakas, the devolved human that we came to know through the first two novels of the Forerunner Saga, has been through quite a bit, by anyone’s standard. He had the geas of Forthencho, the Lord of Admirals imprinted in his brain, witnessed death and destruction on a massive scale by both the Flood and a Halo, and was turned into a Forerunner Monitor by the Didact after his physical body began to give way. As a Monitor, fragments of this digital being were used to create 343 Guilty Spark, and likely the Monitors of the other Installations. But what about the Chakas Monitor?
Through Halo: Primordium, we see that this specific Monitor has vast knowledge of the Forerunner Empire, well beyond the standard Monitor’s compartmentalization. How did it achieve this? I believe the Chakas Monitor was selected to be upgraded. To become a Metrarch Level Ancilla at the end of days when the Forerunners knew the Array was going to be the only solution. I believe this upgraded form was known as Offensive Bias. All records of the Forerunners would belong to Offensive Bias in the final battle of the Forerunner-Flood War.
It was always said that Offensive Bias was better. But why? I now come to the conclusion that Offensive Bias was the best Ancilla ever made, because it included the most strategic mind of the Forerunner’s most feared enemy, ancient humanity. With Forthencho inside of Offensive Bias’ hardware, and the compassion for humanity that Chakas held also present, the capability and desire to succeed against Mendicant Bias is ever present.
Offensive Bias was also presented as overwhelmingly methodical and almost emotionless. I believe this is because of all the death and destruction that Chakas experienced, and the now settled fact of Forthencho’s death. If this theory is correct however, it is ironic that Offensive Bias is the most ‘human’ monitor created.
Do not forget that this digital presence is still around. After hijacking the UNSC Rubicon, I believe we will see Offensive Bias/Chakas Monitor again very soon in Spartan Ops, Episode 5. From the trailer:
"H: I ask again, who are you?
\: That is … difficult"
This would explain why it is hard to identify who or what it is. Chakas and Forthencho, united by Forerunner technology became quite possibly the greatest Forerunner Ancilla ever spawned, Offensive Bias.
