- "Project Freelancer is a state of the art scientific endeavor, with one goal in mind: to ensure the security of humanity in a harsh and violent galaxy."
- —F.I.L.S.S. describing Project Freelancer in Perusing the Archive
Project Freelancer was a research program set up to study skilled agents with experimental A.I. and is central to the Red vs. Blue universe.
Overview
Project Freelancer is a Special Operations program created to study soldiers with A.I. implants[1] during the war with the aliens.[2] The main mission of Project Freelancer, as said by F.I.L.S.S., is to ensure the survival of humanity in a hostile galaxy. While the Red and Blue armies are fighting each other, in what is a massive experimental simulation, Freelancers are competent enough for actual conflict with the aliens. Their designation as Freelancer would appear to be only a ploy to further fool the Red and Blue soldiers, as every Freelancer to appear in Red vs. Blue either still abides by the objective of, or still takes orders from a superior of, subsidiary of, or directly from those who trained them, with the exception of Agent Maine (The Meta) and to an extent Agent Wyoming, a bounty hunter. It is unknown if the Meta is acting on its own volition or if its actions are driven by its numerous implants. As a result of the Meta's actions, the program was shut down after the events of Reconstruction.
Personnel
Head Staff
Other Members
Freelancer Agents
Based on all given Freelancers to date, all members of the program share one similar trait; they are codenamed after the 50 states of the United States of America.
- Agent/REAL NAME (Status) - Assigned A.I. - Assigned Armor Enhancement
Most Known
Other
Simulation Troopers
- Main article: Simulation Troopers
Red Army
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Blue Army
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Program History
A Project Freelancer soldier
Freelancers are set apart from their Red and Blue counterparts by their armor enhancements, artificial intelligence programs (for those who have them), and their proficiency in actual combat. As far as members of the Red and Blue armies are concerned, Freelancers are merely guns for the highest bidder - as described by Tucker.
In the seemingly unnecessary war between the Reds and Blues, Freelancers were allowed the use of only one artificial construct, the "smart" A.I. Alpha. However, to gain more information on how AIs work with the soldiers they were implanted in, Alpha was split several times, resulting in the creation of the other Freelancer A.I., such as Gamma, Delta, Sigma, Theta, Epsilon and Omega. The copies seem to have become obsessed with Alpha; Washington comments that they could spend entire debriefings talking about Alpha, while other Freelancers attempted to break into its storage facility and steal the Alpha. After these attempts the Alpha is hidden further to protect it.
Freelancer Command soldiers
In Reconstruction: Chapter 16, it is revealed that Blue Team leader Church is not a ghost, but the Original Alpha A.I., explaining why he agrees with Delta (his logic), why he didn't feel different when Omega (his rage) entered his head, and why he can jump from person to person and control their actions. Furthermore, the other A.I. were forcibly split from Alpha by repeated torture from the Director. Each time the Director tortured it, Alpha would forcibly eject an aspect of its persona to save itself. Then the Director would use an imprisoned alien (known as a huragok in the main series) to "fix" the broken persona creating a new A.I. Epsilon was created when the Director lied to Alpha, implying that Alpha's failure to complete a certain task quickly lead to the 'deaths' of Agent Washington and, more painfully to Alpha, Agent Texas. Thus, Alpha ejected its memory in response to the overpowering mental strain, thereby creating Epsilon.
Following an investigation by the UNSC, Project Freelancer was forcibly shut down and its Director was presumably arrested for unethical conduct (his torture of Alpha). However, it is revealed at the end of Reconstruction, that the Alpha is copied off the mind of the Director, whose real name is Leonard Church.
Various Freelancers in Temple's lair.
In The Mother of Destruction, it is revealed that all remaining Freelancer agents have gone missing around the same time as a group of imposters impersonating the Reds and Blues began committing crimes.
In Battlescars, it is revealed that Temple of the Blues and Reds has been going around capturing Freelancer agents by tracking their recovery beacons and leaving them to die in his basement trapped in armor lock. Agents Alaska, Arizona, Illinois, and Maryland, along with six more agents were killed by Temple in this manner.
Freelancer Leaderboard
The Freelancer Leaderboard is a ranking system table that displays the stats of the top eight (previously six) ranking Freelancers. It plays a major role in Seasons 9 and 10 of Red vs. Blue, having a lasting effect on the Freelancers and their views towards the Project and the Director.
Leaderboard Rankings
The Twins
Realignment
Planning the Heist
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Whole Lot of Shaking
The New Kid
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Known A.I.
- Alpha: Never assigned to an agent, later implanted into Pvt. Jimmy as a host body to disguise Alpha as a simulation trooper.
- Attribute: None (Fully Sentient A.I.)
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Beta: Secretly implanted into a robotic shell to act as Freelancer Texas before being salvaged by the Meta.
- Attribute: Alpha's Failure (memory of Allison Church)
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Gamma: Assigned to Freelancer Wyoming before being captured by Texas, and later salvaged by the Meta.
- Attribute: Alpha's Deceit
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Delta: Assigned to Freelancer York but later acquired by Freelancer South Dakota, then Caboose, and finally captured by the Meta.
- Attribute: Alpha's Logic
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Epsilon: Assigned to Freelancer Washington however it was never used by the same. Later used by Freelancer Carolina and later Tucker before its destruction.
- Attribute: Alpha's Memory
- Status: Self-terminated in order to allow the Reds and Blues to survive Charon's assault.
- Theta: Assigned to Freelancer North Dakota, but later salvaged by the Meta.
- Attribute: Alpha's Trust
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Eta: Originally assigned for either Freelancers Washington or South Dakota, but later given to Freelancer Carolina, and finally salvaged by the Meta.
- Attribute: Alpha's Fear
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Iota: Originally assigned for either Freelancers Washington or South Dakota, but later given to Freelancer Carolina, and finally salvaged by the Meta.
- Attribute: Alpha's Happiness
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Sigma: Originally assigned to Freelancer Carolina, soon given to Freelancer Maine to assist his speaking after his vocal cords were damaged.
- Attribute: Alpha's Ambition and Creativity
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
- Omega: Assigned to Freelancer Texas. Possessed everyone at Blood Gulch except Tucker and Sister, then returned to Tex. After crash landing in Valhalla, salvaged by the Meta.
- Attribute: Alpha's Rage
- Status: Destroyed by the EMP set off by Agent Washington.
Trivia
- It is implied that Project Freelancer is similar to the Spartan II Program seen in the Halo franchise, novels and Halo Legends, given that all Freelancers and Spartans were stripped of their real names and given codenames; although the Spartans' first names were retained and given service tags along with them. (e.g. John-117)
- Another point that Project Freelancer is similar to the Spartan II Program is that both Freelancers and Spartans are given special abilities. While the Freelancers received armor enhancements (e.g. York's Healing Unit and North's Domed Energy Shield) and A.I.s, the Spartans received Augmentation enhancements/Procedures and the MJOLNIR Armor to improve their reflexes, speed, strength, durability and agility.
- It is revealed in the episode Restraining Orders that Freelancers don't get paid overtime, as Doc reveals that he does, much to Washington's surprise.
- According to Wash in Reconstruction: Chapter 19, Project Freelancer had great healthcare coverage.
- On the Freelancer Leaderboard, next to each agent's name, is a symbol that corresponds with their specialty. For example, York's symbol is a lock because he is an infiltration specialist; Tex, North, and South's symbol is for stealth; Wyoming's is a crosshair as he is the sniper, Washington's is a battle rifle hence his signature weapon, Maine's symbol is a fist, due to his raw power and Carolina's is a rank insignia due to her role as team leader.
- Not including Epsilon-doubles, Project Freelancer has the second highest (known) member count out of all the RvB factions, with a total of nineteen, coming in behind of Charon Industries' twenty-five and just ahead of the Reds and Blues' eighteen.
- Project Freelancer contains references to the United States of America, such as:
- All of the agents' codenames are based on the states of the country (as mentioned before).
- The colors used for the symbols & factions (red, blue, white) also relate to the colors of the American flag.
- The Director's title (Dr. Church) make the initials D.C., which relates to the capital of the United States: Washington D.C. This, ironically, also references his position as head of the project. Alternatively, the Director and Counselor's initials also make D.C.
- 'Freelancer' means a person or group who are under self-employment of a company and are not committed to a long-term career in it. Fittingly, every known agent eventually betrays or leaves Project Freelancer at some point.
- The Blues seem to have a more positive relationship with the Freelancers they encounter than the Reds, as Florida was their commanding officer, Washington eventually joins the team, Tex has (for the most part) worked with the Blue team, and Carolina appears to have slightly more respect towards the Blues than the Reds.
- It's revealed that groups of individuals have stolen several of Project Freelancer's equipment after it was shut down, even though the remaining equipment was given to the UNSC and Chairman. It's also revealed that some of the armor enhancements from the faction have become accessible throughout the galaxy.
- High-ranking Freelancers seem to have a celebrity-like status with the other soldiers of Project Freelancer. In the season 10 episode Party Crasher, the two grunts that assist Wyoming are very enthusiastic to work with him, saying that it's "awesome!" The season 14 episode The Triplets also displays this as low-ranking agents Iowa, Idaho, and Ohio are star-struck among speaking with agents Georgia, South Dakota, Connecticut, and Washington.
- The song "On Your Knees" from the Season 9 OST implies that Agents Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware are all women. The Red vs. Blue: The Ultimate Fan Guide confirms this for Agent Delaware.
- Furthermore, the song also implies that the 50th agent of Project Freelancer could either be D.C. or Puerto Rico rather than a second Carolina.
- The trifoil that is the Freelancer logo is one of the emblems featured in the Halo 2, 3, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer, called "Triplicate".
- 10 bodies of deceased Freelancers are stored and displayed in the "trophy room" of the Blues and Reds' base. Of these, the identities of 4 are known: Illinois, Arizona, Alaska, and Maryland. This means that there are at least 6 other Freelancers killed by the Blues and Reds, and possibly more, if there were victims whose bodies were not recoverable.
See also
- Main article: Recovery
- Main article: Artificial Intelligence