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*Halo Spoiler* The trap.
Posted By: Rick BlaineDate: 5/14/02 5:59 p.m.

What is a trap? A trap is a situation or location that is simple to get into, but impossible to escape from. A trap must also be sneaky. It must not reveal its true nature until after the victim is inside it. A trap that is easily seen is also easily avoided, making it no kind of trap at all. The Halo Artifact meets all these criteria.

The Halo trap is simple to get into. You only need two things, an FTL spacecraft, and the address of any Halo ring. The trap is impossible to get out of. Once you release the flood, (and you _will_ release the Flood, if you're standing on the ring and are the sort of being that likes to stick various appendages in places where they really don't belong), then you only have two possible choices. The first is to let the Flood escape the ring, resulting in the destruction of all intelligent species alive within the galaxy at that time. The second choice is to pull the trigger of the Halo pulse generator. Doing so will eliminate the Flood threat by killing all intelligent species alive within the galaxy at that time. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The classic 'no-win' scenario. We have defined the nature of the trap.

And, yet, Cortana and John 117 escaped the trap. They beat the 'no-win' scenario. Because we can show that the the trap has an easily determined means of escape, it is not a trap at all, it's a test. An I.Q. test. And it's more. It's an active agent of evolutionary advancement.

Think about what dies as a result of activating the Halo. It's not all life in the galaxy. It's all intelligent life. The story beats us over the head with the idea that neither the Flood or the pulse have any effect on anything other than intelligent life. No housecats need apply. Not today, but perhaps in a few million years, after they evolve an opposable thumb, along with the desire to go to the stars. The Halo serves evolution by attracting the smart and curious, and by killing them, and every other intelligent species alive within the galaxy at that time, if they're too stupid to escape the trap. This makes room for a new group of players to evolve. Perhaps they'll be smarter next time? And we can take this one step further. There's more than one Halo around, so it's possible that several species could be playing this game at the same time. We passed the test, but the builders of Halo make no assurances that any given species will pass their nasty little test.

We have met two swords so far in the Bungie games, but there's a famous sword we haven't encountered yet. Or have we?

The Sword of Damocles.

Come on now folks, tear this idea apart. All worshipers at the temple of the Goddess Evolution are required to leave a blood sacrifice on Her altar before exiting.

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Replies:

*Halo Spoiler* The trap.Rick Blaine 5/14/02 5:59 p.m.
     Re: *Halo Spoiler* The trap.Claude Errera 5/14/02 6:39 p.m.
     Re: *Halo Spoiler* The trap.archon 5/14/02 11:14 p.m.
           Re: *Halo Spoiler* The trap.archon 5/14/02 11:20 p.m.
                 Re: *Halo Spoiler* The trap.Dan Johnson 5/15/02 10:01 p.m.
     not intelligent life...Napalm Boy 5/17/02 11:52 a.m.
           Re: not intelligent life...archon 5/17/02 12:32 p.m.
           *Halo Spoiler* Re: not intelligent life...Rick Blaine 5/17/02 1:04 p.m.
                 *Halo Spoiler* Re: not intelligent life...Napalm Boy 5/17/02 2:41 p.m.
                       Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: not intelligent life...PfhorSlayer 5/24/02 8:17 p.m.
                             Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: not intelligent life...Mark Levin 5/24/02 9:41 p.m.
                                   Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: not intelligent life...John Denton 5/25/02 5:57 p.m.
                             a terrifying possibiltyJohn Denton 5/25/02 12:18 a.m.
                                   Re: a terrifying possibiltyTru7h 5/25/02 6:06 a.m.
                                         Re: a terrifying possibiltyzudo 5/25/02 7:39 a.m.
                                               Re: a terrifying possibiltyTru7h 5/25/02 10:07 a.m.
                                                     Re: a terrifying possibiltyBoomer 5/25/02 10:47 a.m.
                                                           You must read the Dirk Gently books.John Denton 5/25/02 5:55 p.m.
                                                     Physics >> BiologyCow Mutilator 5/26/02 11:29 a.m.
                                                           Re: Physics >> BiologyTru7h 5/26/02 8:05 p.m.
                                                                 Watch outJohn Denton 5/27/02 8:06 p.m.
                                                                       Re: Watch outTynskel 5/31/02 4:59 p.m.
                                                                             Re: Watch outTru7h 6/1/02 5:43 a.m.
                                                           Re: Physics >> BiologyJohn Denton 5/27/02 7:57 p.m.
                                                                 but we know how to do those calculationsTru7h 5/28/02 2:13 p.m.
                                         well...John Denton 5/25/02 5:50 p.m.
                                               Re: well...Tru7h 5/25/02 7:07 p.m.
                                                     Re: well...Boomer 5/25/02 8:34 p.m.
                                                           They are pretty zombieesque. *NM*John Denton 5/25/02 10:03 p.m.
                                                           Re: well...Tru7h 5/26/02 6:44 a.m.
                                                                 Re: well...Boomer 5/26/02 7:25 a.m.
                                                                       You Mean Armor *NM*REB 5/26/02 8:07 a.m.
                                                                 Re: well...Elite Spartan II 5/26/02 8:57 a.m.
                                                                       Re: well...Djof 5/26/02 4:55 p.m.
                                                                             Re: well...Elite Spartan II 5/26/02 5:44 p.m.
                                                                       they cant if ther Dead!!! *NM*Tru7h 5/26/02 8:06 p.m.
                                                           Re: well...Elite Spartan II 5/26/02 8:46 a.m.
                                                                 Re: well...Tru7h 5/26/02 8:08 p.m.
                                                                       Re: well...Tynskel 5/31/02 5:07 p.m.
                                                     Re: well...Tynskel 5/31/02 5:02 p.m.
                                                           Re: well...Tru7h 6/1/02 5:45 a.m.
                 Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: not intelligent life...Hydroconcil87 6/28/02 1:49 a.m.
                       Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: not intelligent life...Hydroconcil87 6/28/02 2:11 a.m.
     Nice.MakeMineRed 5/17/02 1:40 p.m.
           *Halo Spoiler* Re: Nice.Rick Blaine 5/17/02 3:11 p.m.
                 Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: Nice.archon 5/17/02 6:01 p.m.
                 Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: Nice.PesTiLenCe 5/21/02 1:46 p.m.
                       Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: Nice.archon 5/21/02 6:47 p.m.
                             Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: Nice.archon 5/21/02 6:50 p.m.
                 Re: *Halo Spoiler* Re: Nice.•M 5/26/02 5:30 a.m.
     Re: *Halo Spoiler* The trap.John Denton 5/23/02 4:57 p.m.
           Um, Correct Me If I'm Wrong...ATMantis 5/26/02 6:40 a.m.
                 Re: Um, Correct Me If I'm Wrong...ATMantis 5/27/02 7:51 p.m.
                       Re: Um, Correct Me If I'm Wrong...John Denton 5/27/02 8:25 p.m.
                             Re: Um, Correct Me If I'm Wrong...ATMantis 6/1/02 1:03 a.m.
                 Re: Um, Correct Me If I'm Wrong...John Denton 5/27/02 8:19 p.m.



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