In Response To: Primordium Musings *SP* long (Mid7night)
: First off; HOLY CRAPP. Much of Primordium is exposition, only to finally come
: to a head in literally the last 15 pages, but WHAT a build and story! I
: KNOW some will not like it for that exact reason, but I enjoyed it
: thoroughly. :)
: Having just finished Primordium, I wish to build on and revise an idea I
: previously postulated here. : Imagine that the Precursors were actually a
: more advanced, "balanced" version of the Flood all along, and
: the Flood (as we know it) is really just the basest form of Precursor
: possible. They would wield all the power the Flood has to assimilate
: organisms and machines alike, telepathic communication, etc; but the
: one-minded, homogeneous steamroller would be balanced by a higher
: individualistic reasoning, and enhanced by an even greater power to create
: anything, not just soldier-organisms to perpetuate the cycle.
: And the Mantle.... Instead of just being a galactic form of
: species-husbandry, the preservation of the Mantle would actually be the
: daily act of balancing oneself as a Precursor; wielding and balancing the
: power to both create and destroy life itself.
: I can imagine then, that if the Precursors created a species as powerful as
: the Forerunner, one that they could pass the Mantle on to, that that
: creation might be powerful enough to give them a run for their money. What
: if the Forerunner-Precursor War didn't "kill" the Precursors,
: but beat the them down into their basest form, removing the balanced
: Mantle from them and reducing them to the Flood?
: First, a few presumptions now made fact by Primordium: 1. Precursors created
: the Forerunners
: 2. Precursors created the Humans
: 3. The Precursors would periodically "erase" civilization(s) from
: the galaxy (universe?) when they deemed it necessary; and when the
: Forerunner saw this eventuality approaching, they fought the Precursors
: (their creators) and (presumably) won.
: Now, look at this exchange between the Captive and the Didact;
: "Those who created you were defied and hunted," the Captive said.
: "Most were extinguished. A few fled beyond your reach. Creation
: continued."
: "Defied! You were monsters set upon destroying all who would assume the
: Mantle."
: "It was long ago decided. Forerunners will never Bear the Mantle."
: "Decided how?"
: "Through long study. The decision is final. Humans will replace you.
: Humans will be tested next."
: The Didact replies, confused: "But most humans are immune," the
: Didact said. Then he seemed to understand ... "Can the Flood choose
: to infect, or not to infect?"
: The Captive confirms: "No immunity. Judgement. Timing."
: Skipping down a bit further, the Didact rages: "How can you control any
: of this? You're STUCK here - the last of your kind!"
: The Captive clarifies: "The last of THIS kind."
: The Captive continues clarification: "We are the Flood. There is no
: difference. ... In a hundred and one thousand centuries...unity again, and
: wisdom."
: Conclusions: To revise my previous conjecture; the Precursor is not an
: "advanced Flood", rather; the Flood is but one manifestation of
: the Precursors, perhaps even just the latest one, given that the Captive
: is "the last of THIS kind".
: It also stands to reason that the Flood is perhaps the means by which the
: Precursors erased civilizations whenever they chose.
: Given the revelation that 343GS is/was/contains Chakas, and the Captive's
: statement that 'humans will replace Forerunners', 343GS's statement to the
: Chief "you ARE Forerunner" makes a little more sense to me.
: I'm honestly still unclear as to what exactly "the Mantle" is, or
: how it is defined, but it seems to me that it is not something
: "passed on" per-se, but rather "bestowed" and then
: borne by those chosen by the Precursor for a time, also chosen by the
: Precursor.
: The REALLY confusing part comes with the conversations between the different
: team-leaders, ONI commanders and such, because there are NO DATES given!
: Is this a glimpse into a secret communication going on in the 25th/26th
: centuries? One could say that it happens prior to the end of Halo3, since
: that's when the Master Chief destroys 343GS...but if it's possible that
: the conversation is happening with a fragment of GS, then I suppose any
: time period is possible.
: Or even MORE ominous ... What if these conversations were going on with the
: recovered remains of 343GS, not totally destroyed as we might assume by
: the end of Halo3? O_O
: It is entirely possible, given the deteriorating state mentioned repeatedly
: by the different team-members, and the fact that GS eventually takes over
: an entire SHIP, that this is all happening AFTER Halo3.
: OMG... "I know where to find her." ... on one certain
: Forerunner construct/world? Certainly would make sense why the last three
: games are collectively called the Reclaimer Trilogy.
: You all need to know that I did not start out this post with that last
: thought in mind. Isn't it amazing where imagination can take you? I think
: that's what I love about this particular fiction. :-)
: Of course, there is still one more whole book left to turn everything we
: think we know completely upside-down and inside-out...AGAIN. :D
I need to re-read it again as well as cryptum now, but I had a though after reading your post.
What if, the flood itself is the "test" he refers to.
"The last of THIS kind" fits well into what we know about the flood so far; like this captive could be just one of many/infinite manifestations of the flood.
It was established that the ancient Humans figured out a way to defeat the flood, but 'defeat' does not necessarily infer 'destroy'. Maybe that's how the Forerunners failed the 'test', they could find no other option but to destroy everything in the face of a seemingly unstoppable foe.... a scorched earth policy, or "if we can't have it no one can" sort of conclusion.
Maybe the test was to see if they could find a solution that didn't end in such a result. Find a way to banish the threat rather than destroy it.
Idk, just my random thoughts.
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