June 10, 2008

Floodgate

> — Cocopjojo @ 6:23 pm

“The Flood. It’s spreading all over the city.”

“How do we contain it?”

“Find the crashed Flood ship. Overload its engine core. We either destroy this city, or risk losing the entire planet.”

“Do it.”

“Chief, make your way to the crash site.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

The Flood have arrived on Earth. They may have come to prevent Truth from activating the rings, or they may simply have discovered Earth’s location and could not pass up the opportunity to take hold of a billion new hosts. Either way, Miranda knows that they spread quickly, and their devastation is total. Lord Hood, trusting Miranda’s experience and judgment with the Flood, accepts her proposition and the Chief is ordered to overload the crashed ship’s engine core. This will cause a massive explosion which will incinerate everything for miles around - similar to detonating of the Pillar of Autumn’s engine back on the first Halo ring - and, more recently, similar to what Cortana said she would do back on Installation 05, should Tartarus manage to activate it.

Moving toward the city, you can find one of the game’s more elusive skulls. As you approach the buildings, a lone Flood combat form runs across the roof of the building to your right. He holds the Fog skull. You’ll need to headshot him in order to get him to drop it; he runs away fairly quickly.

“All squads, report!”

“Multiple contacts, unknown hostiles.”

“There! Over there! We’re surrounded, Sergeant!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

As you make your way into the city, you can hear Marine chatter on your radio. The line, “we’re surrounded, Sargeant!” was actually spoken by Captain Keyes during the UNSC’s first encounter with the Flood on Installation 04, during the level “343 Guilty Spark.” Just like the Marines back on Installation 04, things don’t seem to be going well for the troops here. The Chief has an advantage against the Flood that the Marines do not: referred to as a “class two combat skin,” by the Monitor of Installation 04, the Chief’s Mjolnir armor, complete with an energy shield, allows him some protection from the Flood. The Marines do not have this protection, and have, in the past, fared poorly when engaging the Flood in combat. This is the nature of the crisis that the Earth now faces: Humans, on their own, cannot survive against the Flood.

Directly in front of you, before you make the left turn, you can see two Marines fighting an unseen enemy.

Bodies, both Covenant and Human, litter the ground as you draw closer to the Marines. These were likely killed in the battle leading up to the anti-air gun, or perhaps by the crash-landing of the Flood ship. The fact that they are not infected means that they probably weren’t killed by the Flood.

Right as you catch a glimpse of some Marines standing ahead, a guttural roar breaks the relative silence - it’s followed by the bloodcurdling cry of a Marine. If you look through the wire fence to your right, you can see the two Marines from a moment ago. The scream that you heard came from one of them; they are both quickly overtaken by the combat forms attacking them.

“Fall back, fall back!”

“Sergeant, come on!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

Unfortunately, falling back wouldn’t have worked either; a horde of Flood drop down from the building above and fall upon a small group of Marines huddled at the bottom of a loading ramp. Saving them is nearly impossible, since the Flood attack by swarming over them. After just a moment, the Flood’s cries can be heard from every direction, as more combat forms drop down on the Chief, the Arbiter and the remaining Marines. The Arbiter, having experienced the Flood before, knows the best way to handle them.

“Quickly! Let us find their ship. Make short work of this abomination!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

Due to the close-natured combat of the Flood, you may also notice another one of the Arbiter’s new tricks: sometimes, he’ll drop kick enemies. This is particularly awesome when fighting the Flood because they’ll literally fall apart when kicked by him.

Upon entering the buildings, you’ll find a Marine being overtaken by infection forms. It is possible to save him, albeit difficult. If the Flood manage to latch onto him, you’ll see him transform, right in front of you, into a combat form. The Flood can, and will, do this throughout the rest of the game. Any Marine, any Covenant, any corpse is fair game for infection forms. The only way to be safe while fighting the Flood is to dismember any fallen corpse by shooting it apart. Otherwise, a single infection form can transform it into a fully functional combat form.

Inside the warehouse, the Flood are running rampant, their numbers easily overtaking the scattered and terrified Marines. You may have noticed, by this point, an almost indiscernible voice that seems to emanate from the Flood while you’re fighting them: “The armored casket!” or “I will break you,” in addition to many other lines. This would be the Gravemind, speaking through his minions (if you can call them that), and usually directed towards you or the Arbiter.

The Flood have evolved a little since Halo 1. The infection forms that inhabit host bodies are now exposed in the hosts’ facial area; this causes them to be susceptible to headshots, which allows you to bring them down much easier than in the previous games.  Melees also do more damage.  And in addition to the Gravemind communicating through them, they also have a wide variety of sounds that they’ll make while attacking. It’s hard to describe these noises; you can almost hear the decaying flesh sliding down the inside of their throats as they push out their guttural, sickly cries. And they’re made even more terrifying by the fact that they bear some resemblance to the body that they’ve overtaken. With the Human combat forms, you can see the original head pushed up and to the back, sitting as a protrusion on the upper part of the Flood’s back - with the Human face contorted as though the host’s final act was that of a terrified scream. The Brute forms are the same way, except that the Brute’s lower jaw remains below the “face.”

Moving through the warehouse, the Flood attack much as we’ve come to expect - wave after wave rush you, but with a shotgun and a BR, they’re pretty easily overcome. Just don’t get surrounded.

“Cursed parasite! Rise up and I will kill you! Again and again!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

The Arbiter makes note of the fact that downed Flood will reanimate and attack, unless dismembered.

About halfway through the warehouse, you get the chance to place your hands on one of Halo 3’s new weapons - the Flamethrower. This thing is begging to be used against the Flood. Too bad it’s placed right at the end of a battle, and you’ve got some significant walking to do before you get to your next encounter - and, being a support weapon, you move slower while carrying it. At least you look awesome while holding it.

A moment of respite: the next few rooms are clear. Cortana takes this time to speak to you:

“Chief… I can’t tell you everything… it’s not safe. The Gravemind… it knows I’m in the syst…” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

She speaks directly to the Chief this time. It’s clear that she has some sort of message for him, but she’s currently unable to convey it. For many fans, it was known leading up to Halo 3 that Cortana was being held by the Gravemind; but this is the first in-game confirmation that we get regarding that fact. It’s accompanied by images of her apparently in pain or anguish over something.

“I didn’t have a choice! The LT, the Sergeant, they were all infected! I could see it crawling, sliding around beneath their skin! And… and then they got up… started to talk! Oh God! Their voices! Oh, God! No, make them stop! I did them a favor. Y-yeah that’s it; I helped them. Maybe… maybe I need to help myself…” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

A single Marine sits alone in the next room, waving a pistol around. He’s apparently the only surviving member of his squad, and being forced to watch his friends not simply killed, but infected and reanimated by the Flood, has pushed him over the edge. This is obviously a throwback to the Marine you encounter in the first Halo game - the first survivor of the UNSC’s initial encounter with the Flood. Like the Marine in Floodgate, he was driven insane by the experience, as well.

Moving outside, the area that you had previously done battle in is almost unrecognizable now, save for the crane. The air is thick with ash, and the enormous portal still looms overhead. The music that begins to play is an altered version of a theme first heard during Halo 2, entitled “Ghosts of Reach,” which can be heard during the third part of Outskirts, “A Day at the Beach.”

“Hail, Humans, and take heed. This is the carrier Shadow of Intent. Clear this sector while we deal with the Flood.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

A vignette, as they’ve been termed, occurs here and Ship Master Rtas ‘Vadum, or Half-Jaw, as he’s come to be called, makes a transmission to the UNSC forces on the ground. ‘Vadum is known as Half-Jaw because of an injury he sustained while doing battle with a Flood-infected comrade, Sub-Commander Kusovai, in orbit above the first Halo ring. ‘Vadum, previously known as ‘Vadumee, presumably changed his name when he ascended to his current role as Ship Master, after the Sangheili’s separation from the Covenant. It is unknown if this change was due to the Elites’ splitting from the Covenant, or if this title change occurs when an Elite assumes the role of Ship Master. In Halo 2, he was the Spec-Ops Commander that the Arbiter was paired with for his first mission - the assassination of the Heretic on Threshold. He also accompanied the Arbiter for various portions of the rest of the game.

Shadow of Intent disengages six drop pods’ worth of Elites to assist you in disposing of the Flood. As you move closer, and if they manage to defeat the Flood that they are fighting, the Arbiter will rush ahead and begin talking with one of the Elites.

“My brothers, I fear you bring bad news.”

“High Charity has fallen, become a dreaded hive!

“And the fleet? Has quarantine been broken?”

“A single ship broke through our line, and we gave chase.”

“But we had a fleet of hundreds!”

“Alas brother… the Flood - it has evolved!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

What the Elite speaks of here is the Flood’s newfound ability to coordinate and push toward a single objective. Under the Gravemind’s leadership, the Flood located on Delta Halo had begun an all-out assault to escape the confines of the ringworld and move into the safety of deep space. While the Arbiter was busy on the surface of Delta Halo, attempting to stop Tartarus from activating the Array, the Flood were hard at work making a push to capture High Charity. Near the end of Halo 2, they successfully captured the UNSC In Amber Clad, and crash-landed it into High Charity. It was at this point that an Elite Ship Master by the name of Voro ‘Mantakree used the Prophets’ broadcast channel to issue a plea to all vessels in orbit around High Charity - both Brute and Elite:

“This is Ship Master Voro ‘Mantakree of the Incorruptible to all loyal vessels in the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity.

“Brothers, we must cast out our confusion, and cease falling upon one another. The holy relic is tainted. We must burn the corruption before it takes us all.” [Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, pg. 196]

At this point, a temporary agreement was made between the Jiralhanae and the Sangheili and a quarantine was established in orbit around High Charity and Installation 05. With the combined efforts of the vessels of the once-Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity, the Flood were pushed back and contained. At some point, however, a single Flood-infested ship escaped, and ‘Vadum’s carrier, Shadow of Intent, pursued it through slipspace and to Earth.

Since the Arbiter has been out of contact with the Sangheili fleet for so long, this is all news to him.

At the base of the remaining crane, you’ll find a Sword, which works wonders against the combat forms. However, your Elite allies are also very skilled at disposing of the Parasite; their plasma weapons are much better suited for doing battle with the Flood.

This is the first time during the game that you fight alongside the Sangheili. They “chatter,” during the battle, much like your Marines do, but they have an entirely different style of speech. “You reprobate… argh!” “Die, Parasite!” They also comment on your actions, like the Marines sometimes do: “Good work!” “Now that is a deed to remember!” “Hahah! Another kill for you!” It’s probably a combination of the voice acting, what’s being said, and the way they take cover and attack, but fighting alongside the Elites is an awesome experience, and it’s an unexpected and welcome change from what we’ve had in the game up to this point.

The Flood make their entrances in Halo 3 the same way they always have - they leap in from somewhere, either from a pit below or from structures above. This creates a very different experience than the one that you have when you’re fighting against the Covenant. Typically, with the Covenant, they will already be waiting as you move into an area, or they’ll come in on a Phantom, which can be seen and heard usually long before it arrives. The Flood, however, are able to enter quickly, and in great numbers. They can also instantly surround you. It really does become a matter of survival as opposed to tactically attacking.

After you enter the next warehouse and defeat more Flood, Miranda, and then Johnson, come in over the radio:

“Chief, the Elites are looking for something. We didn’t believe them when they told us.”

“It’s Cortana, Chief! She’s on that ship! Find her! Get her out!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

It is unknown why the Elites are after Cortana.  It is likely that, while engaging in quarantine procedures above High Charity, they discovered that Cortana was in the city’s network, and in communication with the Gravemind.  They likely assumed that she had at least some information regarding the Gravemind’s plans.

Once outside, you can finally see the tangled wreckage of the crashed ship. Around here, you’ll begin to run into three new Flood forms. They are actually all considered to be variations of a single form - the Flood Pure form. The larger attackers are known as Tank forms, the ranged attackers that fire projectiles are called ranged forms, and there is a slight variation of the ranged form known as the Stalker form, which are very nimble and can move around quickly, climbing on walls and ceilings. Many of these are moving about as you make your way closer to the wreckage.

The ranged forms are tough. They will rest on walls and ceilings, too far away for short- to mid-range weapons, and if fired upon by a long-range weapon, they will assume a defensive position that shields them from most fire. A grenade can bring them down, but it’s often difficult to get close enough to them to make an accurate throw. Typically, you’ll need to take out the ground forces first, and then slowly whittle down the ranged forms with a long-range weapon. It is ideal, of course, to stick them with a grenade, since this will bring them down much faster.

It should also be noted here that you’re slowly being introduced to a variety of new equipment. By this point you may have picked up a Regenerator, which can actually be very useful against the ranged forms, allowing you to stay out in the open and hit them with your Battle Rifle (that is, until they curl up and you have to wait). In addition to the Regen, the Deployable Cover can also be found here. Don’t forget that bullet-based weapons can be fired through this shield, so it can help a lot with bringing down enemies.

“Hurry, demon! We seek the same prize! But our Ship Master will sacrifice all to stop the Flood!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

A couple of interesting things here: obviously, the Elites are still referring to the Master Chief in the same way that they always have - by addressing him as “Demon.” The Chief’s relationship with the Arbiter may be evolving, but to the Elites, he is still the “Demon.”  Also, they specifically state that they are, indeed, looking for Cortana inside the crashed Flood ship. Lastly, a warning - at this point, it’s not entirely known what they mean by “sacrifice all,” but it certainly doesn’t sound good.

As you reach the base of the wreckage…

“We’ll hold here. I will let nothing pass.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

As badly as the Elites may want to locate Cortana, they know that it is the Chief’s place to find her.

Dropping down into the hole and watching the environment change from metal and steel to tissue and slime really gives you the feeling that you’re descending into something foreign. It’s almost hard to believe that you are still on Earth; the environment is so strikingly Flood.

The Gravemind speaks:

“Do not be afraid. I am peace. I am salvation.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

His voice emanates from all around you, and he speaks in the same fashion that Cortana has been communicating with you - you move slower, and your vision is hindered. With the Gravemind, however, an unsettling visual effect accompanies this dialogue. It almost appears to be a digital recreation of a dolly zoom.

I find it very interesting, the first things that the Gravemind chooses to say to the Chief. Rather than threats or warnings, he begins by offering words of reassurance: he is not the enemy that he has been made out to be. I encourage everyone to read Voc’s The Thunder and the Surf. The Gravemind has a history spanning hundreds of thousands of years, and the tide was turned in his battle against the Forerunners by the same type of dialogue that he is attempting to open with the Chief. He once won an incalculably important war not with overwhelming physical force - but with words.

I want to point out something slightly less interesting, but still noteworthy: bodies of Elites rest here in these tunnels and the armor type the Elites are wearing appears to be random with each playthrough. What’s interesting is that they sometimes load with a helmet that cannot be found anywhere else in the game; one which can best be described as a cross between the Combat and Assault helmets.  From the look of it, it may be a glitch with how the game loads, rather than a new helmet.

Also, any infection forms that come into contact with these corpses will infect and reanimate them.

I really can’t say enough about the environment here. While I first dismissed it as bland and uninteresting, I’ve come to really appreciate it. The mix between the Covenant and Flood environments is really interesting, and the pulsing Flood sacs on the wall are telling - not only do the Flood infect living organisms, but they also infect whatever areas they come into contact with, mutating environments to suit their needs.

“I am a timeless chorus; join your voice with mine, and sing victory everlasting.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

The Gravemind continues his one-sided conversation with the Chief.

Finally, you come to a device, and your HUD reads: “Hold RB to retrieve Cortana.”

“Chief!”

“Cortana?”

“High Charity, the Prophets’ holy city, is on its way…”

“Cortana!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

Cortana’s hologram fades, and something approaches from above…

“Reclaimer!”

“We must act quickly before your construct suffers any further trauma!”

“Wait. Leave her alone.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

It is 343 Guilty Spark, the Monitor of the now destroyed Installation 04.  It seems likely that he arrived with the Shadow of Intent.  It’s also possible that he was the one who informed the Elites of Cortana’s position with the Gravemind, and that she may hold important information.

A Flood combat form approaches and the Monitor displays a new talent, blasting out a bright red beam and knocking back the attacker.

“If we do not take this device to a safe location, somewhere I can make repairs…”

“On Halo, you tried to kill Cortana. You tried to kill me.”

“Protocol dictated my response! She had the Activation Index, and you were going to destroy my installation. You did destroy my installation. Now, I only have one function: to help you, Reclaimer, as I always should have done.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

The Chief acquiesces to the Monitor’s attempts to take hold of the storage device containing Cortana, and the two are lifted up into a Phantom waiting overhead.

The shot changes and the Phantom can been seen flying away from the wreckage of the Flood ship. However, the wreckage is the only structure that can be seen - Ship Master ‘Vadum’s fleet has begun glassing the region - “glassing” being the slang term to indicate that the landmass below is being seared to such extreme temperatures that glass is all that remains. What was once the city of Voi, now appears to us only as smoke and mist. A mountain range rises above the mist in the distance. It is likely that the ships will glass that area, soon, as well.

The Phantom then heads toward a massive Covenant cruiser holding position near the portal. The area at the base of the portal is covered in mist, as well, indicating that it has already been taken care of by the Covenant fleet.

Half-Jaw inquires of the status of Cortana:

“Will it live, Oracle? Can it be saved?”

“Uncertain. This storage device has suffered considerable trauma. Its matrices are highly unstable.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

Lord Hood offers an idea:

“Perhaps one of our technicians…”

“That will not be necessary.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

The Ship Master does not want to waste time considering the idea that a Human technician might be able to make repairs on a Covenant device. Probably a wise decision.

The message begins to replay:

“Chief!”

“Success!”

“High Charity, the Prophets’ holy city, is on its way to Earth, with an army of Flood. I can’t tell you everything. It’s not safe. The Gravemind - it knows I’m in the system.”

“It’s just a message.”

“Let it play.”

“But it doesn’t know about the portal, where it leads. On the other side, there’s a solution - a way to stop the Flood, without firing the remaining Halo rings.”

“Hurry, Chief! The Ark… there isn’t much time.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

The first glimmer of hope, the first sight of a possible solution. And at the same time, doubt: the Flood-infested city of High Charity is headed to Earth. And what is the Ark? What is Cortana’s solution?

“I’m sorry…”

“No matter, Oracle. We’ve heard enough. Our fight is through the portal, with the Brutes and the bastard Truth!”

“Fine. We’ll remain here, hold out as long as we can.”

“Did you not hear? Your world is doomed. A Flood army, a Gravemind, has you in its sights! You have barely survived a small contamination.”

“And you, Ship Master, just glassed half a continent! Maybe the Flood isn’t all I should be worried about.”

“One single Flood spore can destroy a species. Were it not for the Arbiter’s counsel, I would have glassed your entire planet!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

Lord Hood, concerned for the safety of Earth, and obviously demoralized and exhausted, attempts to make an argument for holding out here, while the Elites follow after Truth, and Cortana’s solution. The Ship Master has had experience with the Flood, though; he knows that there will be no “holding out.” All resources must be devoted to stopping Truth and finding Cortana’s solution, or all will be lost.

It should also be pointed out here that the Arbiter convinced ‘Vadum not to destroy more of Earth than was necessary.  And while it is possible that a Sangheili meeting has taken place, and that they have decided to attempt to make allies of Humanity, we have nothing to support that theory.  All of the information that we have points to the Sangheili still considering Humans to be enemies.

In fact, it’s interesting that Lord Hood is even aboard the Shadow of Intent. It has only recently emerged from slipspace, and already Lord Hood and Miranda are aboard, taking counsel with Ship Master ‘Vadum.  Ship Master ‘Vadum obviously respects the Arbiter a great deal to allow himself to be convinced that Humans are worthy allies.

Miranda attempts to reason with Lord Hood:

“Sir, with respect, Cortana has a solution.”

“Cortana? Did you see her condition? How damaged she is? She could be corrupted, for all we know. Her solution could be a Flood trap.”

“We should go through the Portal, find out for sure.”

“What we should do Commander, is understand, clearly, that this is Humanity’s final stand - here, at Earth. We go, we risk everything: every last man, woman, and child. If we stand our ground, we might just have a chance.”

“No! If your construct is wrong, then the Flood has already won.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

The Arbiter offers his advice at the end. I really feel like the dialogue here is speaking more to us, the audience, than it is to the characters in the game. A lot of people had problems with how quickly the plot moved away from Earth in Halo 2. I’ve always seen Lord Hood as arguing on our behalf, here.

The Chief speaks:

“I’ll find Cortana’s solution. And I’ll bring it back.”

“Earth… is all we have left. You trust Cortana that much?”

“Sir. Yes sir!”

“This is either the best decision you’ve ever made or the worst. Hell, if it is, Chief, I doubt I’ll live long enough to find out which.” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

Lord Hood gives up and walks away. The glassing of Voi, the destruction of most of Earth; these things have obviously taken a toll on him. He probably also realizes his lack of knowledge and experience in the issues currently being discussed - this must be terribly demoralizing, to be the leader of Earth’s armed forces, and to realize that you’re not wise or experienced enough to make decisions about the fate of Earth. He ultimately makes the right decision, though, and leaves matters in the hands of those who know best.

This shot is really worth paying attention to. What you’re looking at here is a UNSC frigate resting inside of the Shadow of Intent. This shot really helped me to start to get a grasp on how big these Covenant cruisers really are.

These next scenes are also really great for other reasons: Warthogs move alongside Phantoms. Elites sit, waiting, near a group of Marines. Johnson carries Covenant weaponry, and the Sangheili nearby stand as he passes - they are likely apprehensive about their new “ally.” The Arbiter carries Human weaponry, and the Marines stand, as well. The two pass each other, as they move back toward their respective groups. While the troops of each species are still having a hard time approaching each other, which is understandable, their leaders take the first steps toward bridging this gap.

The next shot is gorgeous:

Miranda and the Chief wait nearby, as Lord Hood boards a Pelican. It seems as if the two are having a hard time believing that their leader is out of place here. Perhaps they’re saddened by what things have come to. Or perhaps they’re disappointed that Lord Hood has not offered to accompany them through the portal. Regardless, it is obvious that Lord Hood’s sentiments for Earth are clouding his ability to see the bigger picture. At least he has the sense to recognize that, and defer to those who can make the decisions.

And while his Pelican flies away as the Sangheili cruisers move into the portal, we can be sure that all are thinking the same thing: let Cortana’s solution be real - this war has gone on long enough.

69 Comments »

  1. in this web-magazine, called 360zine, there was a quiz sort of thing which said that the last part of an elite’s name is connected to his rank. so vadum”ee” (most likely) changed his name because of that.

    wait… on re-reading that para, you pretty much said the same thing :P

    Comment by Addy — June 11, 2008 @ 4:41 am

  2. It’s also worth noting that the corpses that are immediately in front of the Suicidal Marine are not infected with the flood. This could probably suggest that the marine simply killed them himself in a possible fit of insanity. I mean, who wouldn’t crack if you saw something like the flood take over the bodies of your allies?

    Comment by Chris000 — June 11, 2008 @ 7:41 am

  3. chris has a point

    Comment by deathless — June 11, 2008 @ 8:18 am

  4. Its interesting to note that you don’t acutally find Cortana’s solution. It seems unlikely that she planted her message to lure the Gravemind and all the flood to the Ark, knowing that the reconstructed halo would be there and she could detonate it.

    Given that even 343 Guilty Spark did not have this information, it seems unlikely that Cortana would, or that she would be able to predict the Gravemind’s actions well enough to plan that far ahead.

    It is more likely that in the years of automated testing that followed in the array installations that another solution was found by the Forerunner, albet to late to save them. Perhaps an immunity to infection was developed? There have been hints of such in some of the ARG material, such as the claims that alligator DNA shows resistance to infection, and Sgt. Johnson’s immunity. This information may still exsist in the Library, or Cortana may have deduced it from information gleaned from the Gravemind itself.

    Comment by The brain — June 11, 2008 @ 9:29 am

  5. I have two problems here, one with a comment, and one with some of your analysis-basically, I felt that the end portion of the final cutscene, where the Marines and Elites stand up, was not at all a showing of respect. From the start I saw the Elites as standing up in anger when seeing Johnson carrying their beloved weaponry, with the Marines responding in kind until they all see the Arbiter also carrying human weaponry, thus pacifying both. However, it’s kind of up to interpretation.

    The other problem I have is with The Brain’s assumption that Cortana could not have known the Gravemind sought the Ark. I think it would have been more than obvious if she had been able to learn more about his plans-the Parasite would obviously be interested in destroying first and foremost the only thing that could stand in it’s (his?) way, and if she had realized the Ark doubled as a refinery for Halo rings she would have seen the possibilities immediately. She didn’t lure the Gravemind to the Ark, he already knew all about it and it’s location on Earth. After all, he had 2401’s knowledge, not to mention his memories of fighting to reach it before.

    Comment by Raymond — June 11, 2008 @ 10:18 am

  6. Does anyone find it odd how the Flood Infected High Charity went directly to the Ark? It would’ve had to have found Earth first to get at that Portal, surely the Flood would have at least dropped a few pods off to infect Earth, with its defenses gone, don’t you think?

    Comment by Colin — June 11, 2008 @ 11:20 am

  7. This level, like the Storm, seems to be another of those ‘red-herring’ levels. You start off the level with the intent to overload the engine core of the flood-infested ship.. only to not do that. I guess the Elites took care of that by glassing, or blew it up ‘off screen’, but it seems a little unsatisfying to be given a mission and not see the results.

    Comment by Herr Zrbo — June 11, 2008 @ 12:27 pm

  8. Upon reading more into the terminal views, it can be seen that there were other portals on other planets easier to occupy by the flood–plus, a key ship like the Covanant Dreadnaught (check spelling of those two words) would be needed to activate the portal. It is possible that the Gravemind deduced the location of the Ark from High Charity, or something else.

    Either way, High Charity had the abiltiy to jump to hyperspace in times of need, but my question is how was it able to if the Dreadnaught was what powered High Charity? Also, what about the fleet of Brute and Elite ships that joined up to quarantine High Charity and Delta Halo? How did High Charity escape those ships?

    Comment by Mark — June 11, 2008 @ 12:55 pm

  9. When The Flood hive is in danger, it brings all its resources close to protect it. See: Terminals.

    I’m also curious about the solution. In both cases, destroying the ship’s engines, and finding Cortana’s solution, neither is accomplished, unless her solution is indeed the new Installation 04. It does seem logical that Cortana could glean some information from the Gravemind while it probed her as well, though.

    Comment by Chickenlittle — June 11, 2008 @ 12:57 pm

  10. The elite drop kicks flood, I have never seen that but what I have seen is a Marine do a knee drop to a grunt. He grabs the grunt by the methane tank and slam him down on his knee like a common (fake) wrestling move to ?break the back? The legs look like this with one knee on the ground “_|” and one leg bent with the foot on the ground “-|” to make “_|-|”

    Comment by Dan — June 11, 2008 @ 1:02 pm

  11. To The brain:

    I believe it was stated in the graphic novel that the whole “Johnson is immune to the flood” was a cover up. the files on his disease were planted by ONI (I’m fairly certain of this). I’m pretty sure Staten mentioned something about not liking the idea of Johnson being immune because it took away from his badassedness (not a word, I know), so they made it so that Halsey wasn’t wrong, just misinformed.

    This is all based on what I REMEMBER hearing, so I could be way off on this :)

    Comment by Don — June 11, 2008 @ 1:40 pm

  12. I think Cortana knew about the refinery from her time in Installation 04’s core. She was interfaced with almost every function of the station, therefore she would have access to the automated programs that monitored everything from 343 Guilty Spark’s performance to the levels of nitrogen in the atmosphere. There are (as seen in the last two Bungie Updates) programs that report to the Ark, or Installation 00. She probably either knew about it, or knew enough about it to make an informed guess.

    The hereditary knowledge of the Flood must have simply confirmed what she already knew. And from what I’ve seen so far, Cortana is smarter than any of the monitors. The monitors seem to focus on only one thing at a time, ie Spark helping the Chief or retrieving the index from the library, they can’t do everything as well as a Smart A.I. In all honesty, I think that Cortana is closer to Mendicant Bias in terms of “thinking” power. Obviously she’s not that advanced, but she’s still up there.

    As for the lack of explosions, it is somewhat annoying to be denied the chance to blow shit up, but no matter how cool it would have looked, it would have been The Maw all over again. Get in, blow up a crashed ships engine core, get the hell out of dodge. I’m somewhat glad that Bungie didn’t have us do it. And as for not seeing the ship explode, the Sangheili ships are burning the ground with Plasma hot enough to turn anything into glass, it would simply melt, not burn.

    As for how High Charity broke through the lines, I don’t think that the reconstituted fleet lasted very long after Shadow of Intent left. If you pay attention to the terminals, the only thing that really allowed Offensive Bias to beat Mendicant Bias was the Halo array. All the Flood has to do to disable a ship is ram it with an already infected one and continue the infection. I don’t think that the Covenant forces would destroy High Charity, instead I think they would attempt to remove the infestation by directly boarding the station, which would explain the presence of uncorrupted corpses with weapons in it during the level Cortant.

    One last thing, one of the Elites in the crashed ship has R’tas Vadum’s head.

    Comment by Chips Dubbo — June 11, 2008 @ 2:43 pm

  13. I’d like to add on to the comments here and bring something to light. Understanding that the Halo Rings are to kill food for the flood, the flood must have started to ration it’s food and big chunks of it started to die out. But on the rings visited thus far the flood still flurished. I believe it was the intent of each installation’s caretaker (oracles) to study and find a solution to the flood. Dissect it, make a vaccine to prevent infection, and take it’s attributes and try to implement them into other things like regeneration of body limbs or extended lifespans.

    Besides that, if we look at it in that perspective, we can see that there should be flood on each ring. Since a gravemind existed on delta halo, but only infections on installation 04, then it’s good to assume that flood are on every ring. Now since the gravemind and it’s army were defeated on the Ark, there is still flood in the galaxy.

    I foresee a ship or two that the gravemind sent to release it’s brethren from the other rings. It would only make since that it would.

    Also that The rings locations were downloaded from the delta halo so Sangheli and Humans/forerunner descendants know where to find them.

    My wondermeant in all this is…you have 6 remaining death rings with flood on them still…what do you do? Blow them up and watch them fall into the respected gas giants they normally orbit?

    Comment by BIlly Vandergaw — June 11, 2008 @ 3:12 pm

  14. to Don:

    just read your post, that’s incorrect. in the novels Halsey gave the information to John 117 (Master Chief) to let him decide, give the info to ONI to dissect Johnson and his plasma nade-radiactive immunity…or keep it to himself and let johnson live his life to what years he has left.

    I don’t know what staten said about bad-ass-ness, but it’s still bad ass to be immune cause you have radiation poisoning from tossing too many grenades cause your a bad ass… =P

    Comment by BIlly Vandergaw — June 11, 2008 @ 3:20 pm

  15. The biggest question I have about this level is what exactly Cortana’s “Solution” is. The simplest answer is that she somehow knew about the halo being constructed by the ark and also knew that the Gravemind would be rushing to stop Truth from activating the rings. The question is, if that’s true how did Cortana know about the replacement halo? The best solution I can come up with is that in Halo 2 Cortana mentions the presence of another AI in High Charity’s systems. This AI has since been revealed to most likely have been Mendicant Bias, who was currently within the Forerunner Keyship. Is it possible that Cortana might have gotten information from Mendicant Bias regarding the Ark? Or possibly from the Gravemind itself? We know that the Gravemind had extensive knowledge of both Halo and its operation, IE, it knew the location of the control room and had full control over Halo’s translocation systems. Could it have also known about the Arks function in replacing destroyed Halos?

    Comment by Jacklu — June 11, 2008 @ 3:34 pm

  16. I think that this actually shows how great of a leader Lord Hood really is rather than inexperienced. He asks those he knows have the knowledge to give him a straight answer. He makes sure that every thing is consdiered from all angles. And he has a right to ahve his vision clouded by concerns for Earth. Its the last holdout for Humanity the thing they’ve been fighting to save for nearly thirty years, and he is put in charge of its defense.

    Comment by Tru7h — June 11, 2008 @ 4:47 pm

  17. If the Halo array kills sentient life (i.e. flood food), then how does the firing of Installation 01 at the Ark “finish the fight”? The Flood know where Earth is, and numerous other Covenant worlds are. Why don’t they return? Even if it takes them thousands of years (they are outside the galaxy) they could just plot a course and go dormant for another 100,000 years (as they did on the Halo’s). The only way I think this might not happen is if the Gravemind is killed with all other nearby sentient species, leaving the flood to babble for eternity.
    [/speculation]

    Comment by Seanroc2 — June 11, 2008 @ 8:33 pm

  18. don- it was because of his being a member of project ORION, aka the SPARTAN I’s. At least, that’s what I thought.

    Comment by Will — June 11, 2008 @ 9:09 pm

  19. To post #17. What exactly the Halos destroy is not explained in any great depth. We have pretty much the one sentence “it destroys their food.” Well look at the combat forms. You have the infection form inside a human (or brute/elite) body. And since that is its food, it seems entirely possible that the halo rings can annihilate the floods ability to do anything. If the flood only had infection forms left and no hosts, what would it do? It would be infinitely harder to pilot starships. Depending on the individual intelligence of the infection forms it might be impossible for the flood to do anything that is at all complicated.

    Comment by philliplynx — June 11, 2008 @ 9:40 pm

  20. In response to comment 17, the Halos kill ALL sentient life, including those that have become infected by the Flood. It was revealed in the terminals.

    Comment by Sam — June 11, 2008 @ 11:09 pm

  21. Actually in the end it looks more like the Elites were somewhat… Peeved by Johnsons decision to “steal” their hardware rather then respectful. The same would apply to the marines watching the Arbiter carrying out human weapons.

    Comment by Gnome — June 11, 2008 @ 11:26 pm

  22. BIlly Vandergaw had it mostly right, Johnson gained his ‘immunity’ through the SPARTAN I program. It’s in the books somewhere I just can’t remember where.

    Comment by Sed — June 12, 2008 @ 12:19 am

  23. In response to 8; it’s to my understanding, that the brutes and elites started destroying each other’s ships again, shortly after teaming up.

    Comment by Dave-Mastor — June 12, 2008 @ 12:51 am

  24. Regarding Flood not dropping on Earth, or sending ships to other Halos:

    The Flood doesn’t work like that. Gravemind always does things in an all or nothing strategy, he’s too arrogant to think that far ahead…to think that he would need a back-up plan if he fails at The Ark.

    His strategy is much like how The Flood fights the Master Chief on a face to face level: they all just rush you and start shooting as soon as they see you.

    All the Flood that were loose, were on the Ark when the Halo tried to fire, and instead just exploded it and a lot of the Ark. That is why the Fight is Finished, cause the Covenant is destroyed, a lot of the races losing almost all of their military population, and The Flood that is left, is trapped on Halos.

    Comment by UNSCleric — June 12, 2008 @ 1:00 am

  25. I have alot to say mostly about the other comments, but please bear with me.

    The Gravemind:
    The Gravemind would certainly have learned of the portal on earth, as the Covenant knew it was there, they just didn’t know what it was exactly, as they seem to have believed it was the Ark, or a map to the Ark. The Gravemind would have recognised the significance of the portal and known to follow. Remember that the gravemind has all the knowledge of its predecessor and it gained a great deal of info from Mendicant Bias. It follows that the flood would immediately seek out the Ark and seek to disable it and the Halo Rings for self preservation.

    Cortana’s Solution:
    Cortana was almost certainly able to extract information from the Gravemind since she was able to use it’s telepathy to send messages to the chief throughout the game. How she was able to deduce it was a portal is uncertain, but I like the theory that Mendicant told her. This might even be the reason she “gave in” to the Gravemind and answered its questions, to buy herself some time.

    The Halo Effect:
    I think it is also logical to assume that the Halo effect would work on flood. The flood can feed on anything “with sufficient biomass and cognitive capability” that includes various animal lifeforms (as evidenced in the Halo Graphic Novel).
    ‘Sentience’ is being self-aware, ’sapience’ is the advanced minds shared by Humanity, the Covenant etc. Only things like bacteria would be inedible, even things as small as mice would provide sustenance even if they couldnt be converted into combat or carrier forms. So activating a working halo ring would have wiped out the flood at the ark. Cortana probably just assumed or hoped the ring was complete. Even if she didn’t know she would be rescued, she may have believed the data she gained on the first Halo would allow them to activate it without the Index. She was afraid 343 Guilty Spark would do just that which is why she had chief disable the phase-pulse-generators in Halo:CE. There is also the possibility that she though they would have longer to work it out and could use Delta Halos Index to activate the ring.

    Sangheili fleet and High Charity:
    It was never specifically stated that ‘Vadum brought the entire containment fleet to Earth. He said that one ship managed to break through their lines, and he persued it. A much larger force may have remained behind to try and eradicate the Flood on Delta Halo and High Charity. It may have taken time for the Flood to repurpose sytems and link the In Amber Clad’s generator to help power High Charity, but once done this would allow High Charity to travel to earth despite the lack of the Dreadnaught’sengines.
    High Charity crashed into the Ark, it didn’t land or send out pods and dropships, so maybe it was heavily damaged already by the Quarantine fleet and was unable to do anything else.
    As for dropping off flood on earth, who said the gravemind ever exited Slipspace around Earth? With the covenants advanced slipspace technology it might have detected the portal while in slipspace and traveled directly to the Ark without pause.

    The Other Halo’s:
    As for the surviving rings complements of flood, dont forget that quarantine was maintained until the arival of interstellar craft. Even on Delta Halo the flood were effectively trapped by the Sentinel wall. So long as noone is stupid enough to release them, there they will stay.
    Even if the flood had escaped delta halo in more than one craft, why would they free the flood on other installations? They would only be infection forms and the sentinels would destroy many of the invading flood as they would have no replacement hosts. It just isn’t a sensible use of resources.

    Sgt. Johnson:
    As for Johnson being immune to flood infection, I think that is canon. It was his ‘badassness’ however, that allowed him to survive the flood. They would certainly have tried to kill him even though - or perhaps especially because - he was immune. Just like the Lekgolo.

    Comment by Rictus — June 12, 2008 @ 1:39 am

  26. Wow. Brilliant piece, dude. I read it before this went live and I just read it again this morning.

    Nice work Cocop! Can’t wait to see your take on the remaining four levels.

    Comment by vociferous — June 12, 2008 @ 6:53 am

  27. I, LOVED, the end cutscene for this level. It just thrust apon you the epicness of what you’re doing. Just amazing.

    Comment by Jace — June 12, 2008 @ 7:34 am

  28. Sgt. Johnson had a brain disease that made his neural pathways erratic, due to this the flood could not control him and lower his immune system thus allowing the flood to infect.. he had flood spores within his blood stream, its been a while since i read the book “first strike” within this book Sgt. Johnson’s immunity is explained.

    His brain disease was caused due to radiation and his bodies chemical make-up that caused him to react that way.

    however due to the amount of differing explanations could it be possible that the books are not in collaboration of similar facts? or are we all biased…

    and as for the comment by an elite “Hurry, demon! We seek the same prize! But our Ship Master will sacrifice all to stop the Flood!” [Floodgate, Halo 3]

    the sacrifice is meant to represent the half-jaw elite’s will to destroy the flood through any and all means despite the consequences… this is shown through his willingness to glass the entire planet, if it were not for the arbiter’s consul.

    do note that some of my information may or may not be accurate as this is all based on memory, hopefully this has helped to answer a couple of questions

    Comment by Bill Long — June 12, 2008 @ 11:12 am

  29. It is said in the terminals that when the Gravemind is in danger he will bring all of his assets in to try and survive. When the portal was opened and Truth landed on the Ark, the Gravemind was in serious dookie. If the rings were activated he would most certainly die. Therefor he sent all the flood at his disposal to the Ark ASAP. He didn’t have the time nor the will to “drop of a few pods at Earth”.

    For all the Gravemind’s knowledge and wisdom, he is still Flood, and he still thinks like Flood. He has to completely overwhelm the enemy. He did this by crashing High Charity into Installation 00 and within minutes he had “Flood scaling the [Ark's control] citadel’s far wall.” Stopping Truth was paramount.

    The last thing the Gravemind was thinking about was the surviving Marines and Covie separatists regrouping after the double scarab battle just on the other side of the valley. He even allied with the Chief and Arbiter, Easy prey and a good meal, just to stop Truth. As with Earth, as with the last of the Forerunners, he didn’t have the time or will to eat stuff while his hive was endangered.

    Only after the Halos were stopped did he begin to start spreading the Flood again.

    “Now the gate has been unlatched, headstones pushed aside. Corpses shift and offer room, a fate you must abide.”

    What he is talking about is that now that he is out of harms way, he can begin to feed. Making room in his biomass (I assume) for all the sentient life on the Ark.

    Comment by Nox Vulpes — June 12, 2008 @ 11:17 am

  30. I had the idea that, maybe, Cortana used a portion of herself to take control of the Covenant ship and direct it toward Earth to tell the Chief and other leaders of her “solution.” She may have hoped that the Flood that escaped her ship onto Earth’s surface would be stopped, maybe even by baiting a Covenant ship into following her to ensure that something has the power to stop them.

    Comment by Super Colossal — June 12, 2008 @ 11:49 am

  31. Johnson is immune to the flood because of his SPARTAN I status, as well as a disorder called Boren’s Syndrome give him a partial immunity, he is infected from his first encounter (the flood cells regenerate his tissue) but he isn’t taken over because of the scrambled neural connections from his disorder.

    Comment by Aiglos Y — June 12, 2008 @ 11:51 am

  32. 1: I would have to assume that Cortanas Solution is Mendicant Bias and/or Halo 04v2. “Cortanas Plan” is even the name of the song that plays as the Halo is revealed, iirc. ‘Bias was created as a solution to the flood, after all… and having a “man on the inside” on the Ark would make it that much more enticing for the Gravemind.

    She obviously couldn’t go out and say that, so she used very vague wording. Obviously the first thing I thought of was like, an anti-flood vaccine… so she tricked the Gravemind AND the player.

    2: As for High Charities Power source, I’d assume that the gravemind used the power generated by his newly infected citizens brains to power the engines. Y’know, like the Matrix… there were 23 million prophets alone living in the city, that has to generate quite alot of power.

    3: The fleet could’ve been drawn off by diversionary tactics. Send out flood infected ships on random vectors and weaken the quarantines hold on the ship as they all run out to stop the infestation. Another theory would have the ship going so fast on a one-way course to the ark that the Elites just couldn’t keep up. That’d put a great strain on the engine, hence why one blows up of its own accord when you first enter the room.

    Comment by Bob — June 12, 2008 @ 12:48 pm

  33. I have to disagree with the the first comment, I think Vadum’s name change had more to do with his split from the Covenant than his promotion. Shipmaster Voro ‘Mantakree and even the Imperial Admiral both had the “ee” so I doubt it has to do with rank, it is most likely an indicator of service in the Covenant. N’tho and Usze lack the “ee” despite their lower rank, so it seems that at least the Separatists we know of have deliberately removed it from their names.

    I also have to disagree with the other commentors who interpret the Marines and Elites standing while Johnson and the Arbiter pass as a show of anger. If you watch closely, you’ll notice Johnson glares at the Major as he grabs the beam rifle, almost as if to remind the Sangheili who holds the higher rank. The Major then stands and the two lock eyes for a moment as Johnson passes. It may not entirely be respect, but at the very least it seems to be a show of deference to Johnson’s rank. Or at least that’s how I interpreted it, given that both the Elites and Marines remain standing as their leaders walk by.

    Also telling is the fact that the Arbiter is taking human weapons for the Sangheili to use; considering that in the past most would rather die than use a human weapon, this is yet another subtle sign of a much larger shift in their beliefs.

    Comment by K — June 12, 2008 @ 1:45 pm

  34. I just wanted to through something in to let folks know that:

    Flood can only infect and transform large body masses. Humans and larger animals. Jackals, Grunts, Fish, Rats etc. are too small of a mass to infect and digest, so that is why they leave them be.

    I’m sure when then Halo’s fire what happens is it doesn’t kill all live, like nuking planets and glassing them. I’m sure it’s more like shooting a pulsar out that causes cellular destabalization. Meaning that the bonds of cells in creatures to fall apart, like turning into goo. This would render infection impossible, since many organisms would continue to live…the building blocks of life so to say, but larger masses of cells would be gone, starving the flood.

    Environments as well would be effected. Like trees would have goo’d up, but bacteria or spores would be left alone and alive.

    the flood could munch on that stuff for a while, but with nothing to reproduce wildly no new food would come into existence. Without large masses of food no way to survive or traverse the galaxy.

    The reason I think this is how it works is because if the Halo’s shot out death rays that obliterated life and planets…then how would forerunner artifacts and the Portal on Earth still be around? even the structures on other planets like Reach or Onyx would have been trashed.

    Comment by BIlly Vandergaw — June 12, 2008 @ 7:18 pm

  35. In response to post 34…

    The Flood can’t infect grunts and stuff and turn them into combat forms, but I’m sure they can use them in other ways. Like the Prophets, they don’t get used as labor, but Truth was still being turned into food as the Arbiter killed him.

    … and I think the Halos do none of the above. They don’t goo-ify nonflood life, and they don’t send out death-star like pulses.

    Offensive Biases terminal entry implies that the Sentient Flood (Up to and including: Graveminds, Pure Forms, Combat Forms, and generally anything that can pilot a ship) was killed along with the noninfected Forerunner in OBs fleet. The spores and any other nonsentient life like trees and bacteria are probably still around, though.

    Comment by Bob — June 12, 2008 @ 9:35 pm

  36. In response to #32 about the power source.
    I really don’t think that’s a possibility. I think that the Covenant would most likely have thought that if the Drednaught detatched from High Charity (Which it did) They would need a source of backup power. They did. In the level Cortana, High Charity has backup power generators that act as a fallback plan if the drednaught detatched. True, in comparison though, it would only generate an iota of power compared to what the Drednaught gave.

    PS: When the Drednaught took off from High Charity in H2, didn’t it destroy part or all of the city? Because I would have sworn that in Halo: Contact Harvest, Mendicant Bias tried to take the ship right out of there and would have destroyed the place.

    Comment by Chris000 — June 13, 2008 @ 7:40 am

  37. After that “close call,” Truth and the other two prophets probably had tons of back-up systems installed and activated, in case Mendicant Bias ever managed to succeed in escaping. When Truth left High Charity he probably didn’t have time to de-activate those systems or destroy them. As we see the flood had only just missed him (right before you jump onto the Dreadnaught). Either that or the Gravemind gained a hold so quickly that he made sure those systems stayed active (he did, after all, have the knowledge of High Charity provided by Regret and Mercy themselves.

    Comment by Metalingus627 — June 13, 2008 @ 1:17 pm

  38. Post 28:
    Your information is 100% correct. Johnson did have a syndrome similar to the one you describe. As to the the numerous mentions to the Spartan I project and Johnsons immunity to it, I do not believe that this holds water. Even though Spartan IIs do have a advanced Armor System, in First Strike the Chief barely avoids being infected after having an Infection form’s Probe penetrating his Suit. Only Cortana stopped this from happening. If IIs were vulnerable, how did Johnsons I status immunify him?

    Comment by Desert Rat 852 — June 13, 2008 @ 4:18 pm

  39. Jhonson had a disease. I forget what it is called but oyu get it from to much radiation from the plasma nades. it makes you immune

    Comment by IRULE003 — June 13, 2008 @ 10:26 pm

  40. something that you didnt put in the final scene was the fact that miranda, johnson and chief would never see lord hood againwhen they went through the portal and none of them ever went back to earth as well

    Comment by cj firefox — June 14, 2008 @ 4:30 am

  41. Exelent job. Great analysis. I really enjoy these articles and I just can’t wait for the others. Thanks for spending the time to do this guys, It is definentaly worth it.

    Comment by Joel — June 14, 2008 @ 10:44 pm

  42. Made some minor edits, thanks to you guys’ comments, to the part about the Elites/Marines standing as their leaders pass. Thanks guys.

    Comment by Cocopjojo — June 16, 2008 @ 1:31 pm

  43. The one Elite Major, the one who has his beam rifle taken looked mad that Johnson”borrowed” his rifle. Of course, this just be my interpretation of the Elite’s movemenets.

    Comment by Spartan-039 — June 16, 2008 @ 8:33 pm

  44. Cortana solution is not to fight but to retreat, the entirety of humanity to the ark. Remember what Halsey says in Ghosts. About how winning is not always about defeating the enemy.

    Comment by Loservegetable — June 17, 2008 @ 9:07 am

  45. I would like to point out that the Forward Unto Dawn is on an Assault Carrier not a Cruiser.

    Comment by Minomusho — June 18, 2008 @ 9:37 am

  46. To # 34

    Trees and environments couldn’t have been destroyed because when populations are returned to their planets (conservation measure) they would consume all of the breathable air very rapidly and well before trees and plants would have the chance to revolve.

    Comment by tcfan — June 19, 2008 @ 7:52 am

  47. Response to post 44.

    This is another theory into what Cortana’s plan could be. She was formed from the same brain as Dr. Halsey, and obviously thinks the same way. Therefore this could be another “solution.”

    Comment by Col Burke — June 20, 2008 @ 3:25 pm

  48. Response to post 34:

    i was just thinking that the “halo effect” is always described as destroying all sentient life in the galaxy; considering how we know that the flood use a form of telepathy to communicate between their disparate parts, and that both cortana and mendicant bias was able to communicate with the gravemind (which suggests the ability for machines to interface with said form of telepathy), is it possible the halos are some sort of psyonic weapon? its probably been suggested before and kinda sounds stupid when i put it like that, but its not that far a stretch of the imagination to think that the halos might create a pulse that destroys consciousness in any thinking being, and theoretically leaves beings incapable of higher thought alone. also, you could argue that because all flood seemed to be connected telepathically somehow, this might cause the destruction of even the lowlier forms of flood running around (save for the ones in stasis aboard the halos; they could be spared because they arent actively linked or watever).

    for some reason, the science fiction of halo just doesnt seem to mix well with the concept of telepathy, but the flood do use it, so it could be a definite possibility. to me it makes more sense then the idea that the halos’ pulse somehow knows when to vaporize sentient beings but can leave the trees unscathed ;)

    Comment by roswellian — June 24, 2008 @ 1:52 am

  49. I believe this level has shown how the human can adapt just as well as the other “races”. The Covenant and The Flood act completely opposite on many occasions. The Flood choose basic survival and quick swarming maneuvers to overwhelm their opponents. The Covenant use its military strength to its highest potential. They plan out every little step in order to exterminate their enemy. They show that they will take no little mishaps. every planet must be glassed entirely, and not for the fastest extermination but one that guaranties no survival.
    In The midst of the floodgate’s ash the Humans show all their skills. I find it hard to argue that the Humans are seen to have the best abilities of the Flood and the brains of the Covenant. They have great knowledge when planning an attack, but are able to stand their ground and think on their own when called to do so. They achieve what the others could not do*. upon able to break off from the whole in order to benefit the whole. Shown many times by the trust of Miranda and Lord Hood to trust just one Spartans decisions which in effect could save humanity.

    *The separating of the elites from the Covenant has forced me to to believe that the Arbiter is starting to admit their are better ways than what they have known.

    Comment by Uroborian — June 24, 2008 @ 12:58 pm

  50. I noticed an error in this articles, albeit a small one.

    The line, “About halfway through the warehouse, you get the chance to place your hands on one of Halo 3’s new weapons - the Flamethrower.” is innacurate. Halo: Combat Evolved for PC and Mac had a flmaethrower in it.

    Comment by GellyX24 — June 27, 2008 @ 3:33 pm

  51. The Elite with the weird head armour looked famliliar to me. In one of the cutsceens, Im not sure which one or the level, I the The Elite Shipmaster had the same look. So this new “Helmet” could be the elites Shipmaster variant. It would be neat if this could be like a giveaway like Recon is for the Spartan class.

    Comment by Angus xL — June 28, 2008 @ 6:37 pm

  52. In response to post 50:

    Yes the Flamethrower is in Halo:CE for PC and Mac, but it was only in Multiplayer. This is the first time it has been used in the campaign, and it is new to consoles, as neither Halo:CE or Halo 2 for consoles had a flamer.

    Correcting my post earlier, it was in “The Flood”
    (the novel that took place in Halo:CE) that the Chief was almost infected during his return to the Autumn.
    Again, how is Johnson immune frome his Spartan I status if the Chief was almost infected when he had been a Spartan II for 30 years?

    Comment by Desert Rat — June 30, 2008 @ 10:20 am

  53. The ‘ee’ part of an Elites name signifies being a warrior of the Covenant.

    Comment by mike — July 1, 2008 @ 5:08 pm

  54. To comment on #25–Cortana’s Solution:

    This is a little late in coming, and somebody may have beat me to it, but I have only read back here recently.

    Cortana couldn’t have answered the Gravemind’s questions through a means of buying time because Medicant Bias left on the keyship that went back to Earth. How else could he have gotten to the Ark? Besides, I believe that it actually says that he was on the keyship, but I can’t recall where.

    Also, if she had communicated with Medicant Bias, Cortana’s quick-thinking skills used in the novels, Especially Halo: The Flood, would have caused her to have a solution closer to the end of Halo 2 than the beginning of Halo 3. If she was stalling for time, it was probably so she could learn the telepathy power the Gravemind posessed.

    Comment by Mark — July 8, 2008 @ 5:08 pm

  55. I also want to point out one other thing:

    At the end of Cortana’s message in the final cutscene in this level, she mentioned that the Gravemind was coming to Earth with an army of flood. So, why didn’t he come? He could have gotten a bunch of new hosts for the other flood, and then led an all out assault on the Ark. My only guess as to why he didn’t is because he remembered the Ark, and decided to go straight there. Any comments???

    Comment by Mark — July 9, 2008 @ 10:01 am

  56. I always thought it was interesting, that of all the people at the meeting who could have said something, it was the Arbiter who said ” No, If we don’t go the Flood have already won”. It was not Master Chief, but the Arbiter.

    Comment by Delta Charlie — July 21, 2008 @ 4:40 pm

  57. I personally think it makes sense for Cortana to know that a replacement ring was probably being manufactured based on what we know about the Forerunner at that point:

    1. The Forerunner viewed Humanity as their heirs. Hence the honorific “Reclaimer”.

    2. The Forerunner viewed the Flood as a threat that had to be stopped. The sacrifices they were willing to make to see the Flood stopped were total and ultimate. Even their creations share this mentality. The Sentinels erected an enormous Quarantine around Installation 05’s Library when the outbreak occurred.

    And on this further point:

    3. The Halos were designed to last.

    Evidence to point three:
    a. The Halos are not destroyed when fired.
    b. The Halos are overseen by Monitors. Why bother to design an AI to maintain the ring if you only intended to use it once?
    c. The primary weapon of the Halo Array can only be fired by a Reclaimer or, one assumes, a Forerunner. Why allow another race to pull the trigger unless you foresee the need for another firing?

    Throw in some rudimentary knowledge of the Flood:

    4. The Flood can reproduce from a single spore. As long as just one spore survives, the Flood are alive.

    And we can make this conjecture:

    5. The Forerunner would have anticipated the Flood eventually becoming a threat once more.

    The Forerunner foresaw the return of the enemy they had sacrificed everything to stop. They designed the Array so that it could be used by their heirs to stop the Flood once again. The Forerunner consistently display evidence of long term planning, as in the long lasting nature of the Installations. In a plan this carefully thought out, does it make sense for them not to anticipate the possibility of an Installation’s destruction? Space is a cluttered place; an asteroid could smash into a ring, a comet strike it. A gravitational anomaly could tear the ring apart. Too many things could go wrong, and the only way they could go right is if the Array survived. The Array must remain complete to be of any use. The Flood must be contained or destroyed.

    Some last points of evidence and conjecture:

    6. The Forerunner were no strangers to autonomous mass-production facilities, the Sentinel Factories of Installation 05 being a case in point.

    7. Cortana is aware of the existence of the Ark, a central control unit for the Array. The Ark is, in all likelihood, as far away from the Flood as possible, and possibly outside of the range of the Halos.

    8. Halos are ^&#$*%^ huge. They probably take some time to manufacture.

    9. Delta Halo was capable of sending data at superliminal speeds to the other pieces of the Array (the standby signal).

    Compromise of the Array is unacceptable. If a ring were to be destroyed, it would have to be replaced. I don’t know about you, but if I were building a superweapon, I’d build it as far from possible enemy territory as possible. Seeing as the Ark is probably located far from the other pieces of the Array, it would make an ideal location for the secret manufacture of doomsday devices. Since the Halos are capable of communicating with the Ark, it is reasonable to assume that the Ark knew when Alpha Halo kicked the bucket, and began constructing a replacement. Unless the Ark is absolutely enormous, it would take more time than elapsed between Halo CE and Halo 3 to finish construction.

    Following the above points, couldn’t one assume that there was an incomplete Halo ring located at the Ark?
    *****
    Just my opinion, that’s all. I, personally, think it makes sense, but that might just be me. Apologies if the above argument is confusing or hard to follow.

    Comment by Rhetorical Bias — July 30, 2008 @ 10:48 am

  58. Response to 32, point 2:

    Are you being sarcastic? Using their brains? The Covenant are a highly-advanced collective group of intelligent species who do NOT have a backup plan if the Dreadnought suddenly decided to get the hell out of High Charity?

    If anything, because of the ships mammoth production of energy, far more than enough to power High Charity, the excess energy was placed in generators so that if the Dreadnought ever left, High Charity could at least keep running normally for a while. It just wouldn’t make any sense not to have a plan ‘B’ if the worst should happen.

    Comment by Gary — August 13, 2008 @ 4:15 pm

  59. Going along with the line of thought about Gravemind dropping flood pods on Earth - would he even need to?

    When the captured flood ship exits slipspace within Earth’s atmosphere, it appears to be trailing some kind of smoke/gas. I don’t find it too difficult to believe that some of this smoke would contain tiny flood spores. Now, depending on how high up the ship was when it first exited slipspace, it seems likely that the wind would carry some of these spores far away from Voi and the Elites’ means (glassing) of containing the infection.

    And as Vadum says - “One single Flood spore can destroy a species.” The Forerunner were unable to stop the flood once it made contact with one of their worlds. It’s difficult to believe that the act of simply glassing Voi and the surrounding area saved Earth from the parasite.

    Comment by Omega 2401 — August 14, 2008 @ 2:26 am

  60. I hate to nitpick, but you continually refer to Covenant Assault Carriers as Cruisers. This is technically incorrect. The Assault Carrier is the massive, 3-mile long ship with the distinctive hooked prow that can hold a UNSC frigate in its hangar bay.

    The Cruisers on the other hand, are CCS-Class BattleCruisers, the more common 1-mile long ships. The Truth and Reconciliation is a popular example of a CCS-Class BattleCruiser.

    Comment by Demolition Pants — August 15, 2008 @ 5:04 am

  61. you know the area where you first meet the stalker form crawling on the crates?

    If you look across near the hole you go into to finish the level, you will notice Elite Ultras (white armor) engaging the flood as they move towards the ships “entrance”. I suppose they would be the dead elites you find. Flood do pop out of the whole as you make away. I assume they overpowered the elites.

    Comment by Indo — August 15, 2008 @ 7:31 pm

  62. Just a few thoughts about other comments people have had.

    1. Johnson is immune to possession by flood due to a case of Boron’s Syndrome, which is simply put a
    distortion in the nervous system.

    “It has been shown that prolonged exposure to the radiation emitted by plasma grenades, without proper protection, can cause a deviation in the neural electric pathways of the user–a disorder called Boren’s Syndrome.” -From Halowiki.net

    Dr. Halsey speaking to Chief about Johnson in First Strike (by Eric Nylund. pgs 244-246)(I only put in conversation text. There is more description about their environment and actions in the story that is not here.)

    Halsey: “He was diagnosed with Boren’s Syndrome.”

    Chief: “I haven’t heard of it.”

    H: “I’m not suprised. It’s caused by exposure to high-yield plasma. Like the burst released by a Covenant plasma grenade. We don’t see many cases- people usually die from the direct effects of those weapons long before these secondary symptoms manifest. Apparently the Sergeant captured a crate of plasma grenades from the Covenant during the Seige of Paris IV. He used them all- received a commendation for bravery… and a twelve-hundred-rad cumulative dose of radiation as an unanticipated bonus.”

    C: “I don’t see the connection between the Sergeant’s sickness and his surviving the Flood.”

    H: “Boren’s Syndrome is characterized by migranes, amnesia, and brain tumors… and without treatment, death. It disrupts the electrical signals in a person’s nervous system.”

    C: “Is it treatable?”

    H: “Yes, but it requires thirty weeks of intensive chemotherapy. Which brings me to this.” She hit the NEXT PAGE key and official “Refusal of Treatment” document appeared on the screen. “The Sergeant did not wait thirty weeks to get back and fight.”

    C: “How did this disruption of his nervous system save him?”

    H: “I’ve deconvoluted the biosigns of the soldiers overtaken the Flood. The parasite interfaces with a host by forcing a resonant frequency match to each host’s nervous system.”

    C: “And the Sergeant’s nervous system is so jumbled that the Flood couldn’t force a match.?”

    H: “Correct. Further blood tests show his system bearing traces of Flood DNA- very much dead and noninfectious, but some gene fragments are intact. I believe this is proof of a failed attempt to possess him. It also appears to have imparted him with some curious regenerative abilities, although I cannot yet fully confirm this side effect.”

    C: “I think I see.”

    H: “No, You don’t.”

    C: “Doctor?”

    H: “Discovering how he survived is not what I want to talk about. It’s what happens next to Sergeant Avery Johnson. I’ve prepared two separate reports on this for ONI Section Three. The first has all the relevant data on my analysis and the possible technology to counter an initial Flood infestation. The second includes the source material: Private Jenkin’s and Sergeant Johnson’s mission logs and the Sergeant’s medical files. I leave it up to you which to deliver to Lieutenant Haverson.”

    C: “Why would I withhold any data, Doctor?”

    H: “For a long time I had thought that we had to sacrifice a few for the good of the entire human race. I have killed and maimed and caused a great deal of suffering to many people- all in the name of self-preservation. But now I’m not sure that philosophy worked out too well. I should have been trying to save every human life- no matter what the cost. If you give ONI the first report, they may be able to find a countermeasure for the Flood. Maybe. They would have a slightly better chance, however if you gave them the second report.”

    C: “Then I’ll give them the second report.”

    H: “Which will murder Sergeant Johnson. ONI will not be satisfied to take a sample of blood. They will dissect him to find out he resisted the Flood. It would be a billion-to-one shot that they’ll ever replicate his unique medical conditions- but they’ll do it anyway. They will kill him because the trade-off is worth it to them. Is it worth it to you John?”

    C: “Why do you want me to make this choice?

    H: “One last lesson. I’m trying to teach you something it’s taken me all my life to realize. I’m giving you the chance to make the decision that I thought I couldn’t make. I’m sorry. Linda is almost ready for surgery, and I have several things I must accomplish before then. You should go.”

    C: “Doctor, don’t let her die again.”

    END CONVERSATION (First Strike by Eric Nylund. pgs 244-246)

    2. The rings destroy all of the Flood’s food which is any sentient life or life with enough biomass to support them.

    Level: Two Betrayals (Halo: Combat Evolved)

    {Opening cinematic—Long shot of the Control Room. Master Chief and 343 Guilty Spark teleport in, obviously in the middle of a conversation}

    343 Guilty Spark: “…Which means that any organism of sufficient mass and cognitive capability is a potential vector.”

    (Master Chief pauses)

    343 Guilty Spark: “Is something wrong?”

    Master Chief: “No, nothing.”

    343 Guilty Spark: “Splendid. Shall we?”

    {Master Chief and 343 Guilty Spark move up to the main panel.}

    343 Guilty Spark: “Unfortunately, my usefulness to this particular endeavor has come to an end. Protocol does not allow units with my classification to…perform a task as important as the reunification of The Index with The Core. That final step is reserved for you, Reclaimer.”

    {Master Chief takes the Index, and puts it into a slot on the console. Lights and holograms appear, but then fade.}

    343 Guilty Spark: “Odd, that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

    {Cortana suddenly appears over the console.}

    Cortana: “Oh, really?!”

    {There is a flash of light, and 343 Guilty Spark is thrown back, and down to the ground.}

    Master Chief: “Cortana?”

    Cortana: “I’ve spent the last 12 hours cooped up in here, watching you toady about, helping that thing get set to slit our throats!”

    Master Chief: “Hold on now, he’s a friend.”

    Cortana: (Mockingly) “Oh? I didn’t realize. He’s your pal, is he? Your chum? (Angrily) Do you have any idea what that bastard almost made you do?!”

    Master Chief: “Yes… Activate Halo’s defenses, and destroy the Flood, which is why we brought the Index to the Control Center.”

    Cortana: “You mean this?”

    {Index hologram appears in Cortana’s hand.}

    343 Guilty Spark: “A construct?! In the core?! That is absolutely unacceptable!”

    Cortana: “Sod off!”

    343 Guilty Spark: “What impertinence! I shall purge you at once!”

    Cortana: “You sure that’s a good idea?”

    {Cortana’s avatar absorbs the Index.}

    343 Guilty Spark: “How… How dare you! I’ll-”

    Cortana: “Do what? I have the Index! You can just float and sputter!”

    Master Chief: “Enough! {The Chief brings both hands up in the middle of them as if to stop a fight then turns back round to Cortana} The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo’s defenses, we can wipe them out.”

    Cortana: “You have no idea how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners built it? Halo doesn’t kill Flood, it kills their food. Humans, Covenant, whatever. We’re all equally edible. The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death. And that’s exactly what Halo is designed to do; wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. You don’t believe me? Ask him. (Points at Spark)”

    {Master Chief hesitates, and then turns to 343 Guilty Spark}

    Master Chief: “Is it true?”

    343 Guilty Spark: (pauses) “Of course. Technically, this installation’s pulse has a maximum effective radius of twenty-five thousand light years. But, once the others follow suit, this galaxy will be quite devoid of life, or at least any life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood.” (pause) “But you already knew that… I mean, how couldn’t you?”

    Cortana: “Left out that little detail, did he?”

    343 Guilty Spark: “We have followed outbreak containment procedure to the letter. You were with me each step of the way, as we managed this crisis.”

    Cortana: (Alarmed) “Chief, I’m picking up movement!”

    343 Guilty Spark: “Why would you hesitate to do what you have already done?”

    Cortana: “We need to go, right now.”

    {Sentinels float up behind 343 Guilty Spark}

    343 Guilty Spark: “Last time, you asked me, if it was my choice, would I do it? Having had considerable time to ponder your query, my answer has not changed.”

    {Master Chief looks around at the Sentinels, and backs towards the panel. He takes Cortana’s disk out of the console, and inserts it into his head.}

    343 Guilty Spark: “There is no choice. We must activate the ring.”

    Cortana: (whispers in Master Chief’s head) “Get. Us. Out. Of. Here.”

    343 Guilty Spark: “If you are unwilling to help, I will simply find another. Still, I must have the Index. Give your construct to me, or I will be forced to take her from you.”

    Master Chief: “That’s not going to happen.”

    343 Guilty Spark: “So be it. Save his head. Dispose of the rest.”

    {343 Guilty Spark teleports away, and his Sentinels attack}

    {Cutscene ends}

    In this conversation, Cortana states that the rings destroy all sentient life.

    Definitions of sentient:

    1) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentient

    Main Entry:
    sen·tient Listen to the pronunciation of sentient
    Pronunciation:
    \ˈsen(t)-sh(ē-)ənt, ˈsen-tē-ənt\
    Function:
    adjective
    Etymology:
    Latin sentient-, sentiens, present participle of sentire to perceive, feel
    Date:
    1632

    1 : responsive to or conscious of sense impressions
    2 : aware
    3 : finely sensitive in perception or feeling
    — sen·tient·ly adverb

    2) http://www.yourdictionary.com/sentient

    Definition
    sen·tient (-s̸hənt, -s̸hē ənt)(adjective)

    of, having, or capable of feeling or perception; conscious

    Etymology: L sentiens, prp. of sentire, to perceive by the senses: see sense

    sentient Related Forms:
    sen′·tiently (adverb)

    sentient Synonyms:

    conscious, aware, alert, perceptive; see observant 1, sensitive 3.

    These definitions state that the anything that can perceive itself or things around it is sentient. (I don’t have proof from a dictionary from this one but I have also been told that the term sentient means is able to feel pain and then react accordingly.)

    343 Guilt Spark states that the rings eliminate the Flood’s food source, which seems to be anything about the size of an average human or larger from the biological taxonomy system in the Animalia kingdom. This means that all life smaller than the average human and all life in the Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and Monera kingdoms is safe from the effects of the discharge of the Halo installations when they are fired. (info on the biological taxonomy systems can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_(biology))

    These are just some of my thoughts about what people have said in their own comments. I hope that my evidence supports what I tried to clarify for you guys. Also to the guys doing these posts I throughly enjoy them and commend you on your more than excellent work.

    Comment by Fattybob — August 21, 2008 @ 3:06 am

  63. This is my first time visiting your site and i must say i like it very much.
    Your post was an educationa read.
    I will definetly come back here more often!

    hooka

    Comment by hooka — August 26, 2008 @ 8:21 pm

  64. response to a couple things:
    # 57: you refer to humanity and forerunner as two seperate species, when in fact, they are not (despite the two-thumbed hands on the switches in h2, which I assume are to accomodate left and right hands). guilty spark says it himself “you are the child of my makers … you are forerunner” plus in contact harvest it turns out that the eradication of humanity is a cover-up (unless truth was totally blinded by his religion even then, which I have to admit, is a real possibility) for the fact that humanity are forerunners.

    secondly, so many of you refer to the incredible amounts of power outputted by the forerunner ship. I know I am missing something, as I had never heard anything about the SPARTAN-I program, but I do know that the covenant had only unlocked about 20% of the dreadnought’s engine power. that may stll be an incredible amount of power, but it doesn’t seem that way to me. this is speculation, but I think that they were barely able to get enough power out of the ship to operate high charity, and it certainly seems reasonable that they had an auxilliary power source (especially since you blow it up in h3).

    Comment by gauntletrunner — September 22, 2008 @ 4:48 am

  65. Gauntlet, the Terminals actually tell the story of how the Forerunners first encountered humanity; it makes it very clear that they are two separate species, and that humanity was chosen to inherit the Forerunners’ technology. I encourage you to read voc’s articles on the Terminals - they shed a lot of light on the history of the Forerunners:

    http://blog.ascendantjustice.com/halo-3/the-terminals/

    Also, we know that the Dreadnought outputs enormous amounts of energy because it had been powering the entire city of High Charity (at partial-power) for some time, as revealed to us by Cortana in the level “Gravemind,” in Halo 2.

    Comment by Cocopjojo — September 22, 2008 @ 3:20 pm

  66. Actually, the ‘ee’ part of the name is added when an elite joins the Covenant military and since the elites are no longer part of the Covenant, the ‘ee’ part is removed.

    Comment by Uasp Erbomee — November 1, 2008 @ 11:07 pm

  67. I agree with many of the above statements. Cortana likely knew of the Ark from her time spent in the Installation 04 core. Possibly even learning of the foundry on the Ark to produce more rings in the event of the destruction of one.

    Also, as an interesting aside, in playing through this level with a friend one time, I made reference to Guilty Spark’s ‘duplicitous’ dialogue and actions throughout the remainder of the game. I feel that this word fits him perfectly due to the nature of his behavior in ‘helping’ the Chief and the Arbiter.

    Comment by Gribbleshnibit8 — November 15, 2008 @ 5:24 pm

  68. Just thought I’d point out, you did a fairly good job describing this cut-scene at the end, but there is a little bit off with your description. What you have to see to recognize the true beauty of that moment, where Johnson and the Arbiter pass, isn’t that they’re just going forward to meet one another; this is still a much too early stage for that. When the scene with those two starts, the elites and humans are on their respective sides, with their respective weapons and equipment, just kind of staring the other down. When Johnson walks in (grabbing a beam rifle resting against a ghost), the elites stand, in a rather obviously aggressive stance: the humans, right then (not when Arby walks up) also jump up, more than ready to defend their Sargent should things get messy. However, Johnson doesn’t really seem bothered (at least outwardly, a true sign of how good he is at this: even if the rumors about him being an S-I are true, he’s nothing against these 8-9 foot tall elites), and, before the situation can get any more serious, THEN the Arbiter comes along, carrying some human gear (spankr and flamer, if I’m not mistaken [boy I'd like to dual-wield those]). In an incredible defusing of the situation, they calmly walk past one another, moving the weapons they’re carrying slightly out of the others way. That is the true awesomeness of that cut-scene.

    Comment by mic — November 18, 2008 @ 1:24 pm

  69. Many of you hit the right ideas, but when you back them up, I’ve noticed the most common response is “I can’t seem to remember.”

    Johnson was a Spartan-I, project Orion. The Spartan-I’s were only given the Chemical Augmentations, to see if it was survivable. Once they were given the augmentations they were free to live out there lives normally, but carefully watched. The spooks at ONI had to make sure there was no long term effects. One of the chemicals enhances the nerve conduction velocity, promoting faster reflexes. Sarge was diagnosed with the syndrome, and was expected to die if not treated, and when he survived without treatment, it was due to his nerves being augmented. It was only with the combined effects of the Orion project and the plasma radiation, was he able to survive the Infection.

    The Ark is massive, the rebuilt installation 04 was in the center of the Ark. The Ark pulls massive ammounts of raw material from surrounding systems to construct a Halo, much like the Star Forge from SW:KOTOR.

    Cortana Knew about the Ark from the Gravemind, who learned of it from Regret and Mercy, who learned it from Mendicant Bias.

    I own all the books, and read them frequnetly, but at this moment I do not have the time to reference the exact pages, and or sources, but this information is correct. I research everything I enjoy, and Halo is a series I enjoy, both palying, and reading. Time to go to work.

    Comment by LokiShinigami — November 25, 2008 @ 1:45 am

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