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Reality/Control
Posted By: kerrhalla<pmm0024@unt.edu>
Date: 16 July 2005, 5:04 pm
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The Heirarchs could have never build something more beautiful. Everything the Covenant built, produced, and aquired was for the gods. The Book of Favor was the Covenant's map to appease their holy ancestors.
Taardran read slowly, skipping around. He looks over at a flickering Cortana. "I don't suppose there's anything in this book you don't already know. That ship you invaded some time ago told you everything, didn't it."
"The Book of Favor? Haven't picked that one up. Wanted to. But I'd already checked out my limit." She seemed strange, like someone growing old far too quickly, yet diagnostics were still stable. "To tell you the truth, I only read what's relevant to my mission.. anything else.. probably writes in accidentally."
"Do you understand what it's like to listen to the enemy.. to actually listen? It makes this book.. everything we do seem so relative." Taardran studdered and spoke. "Are there books like this for earth?"
"Oh.. yes. Many. The Torrah, the Bible.. but those are all beliefs. Just like your Great Journey.. just like who you beleive the Forunner to be," she explained. "But what there is to respect about your great journey is the majority of your home world is united in one cause, one sweep of action. One government. Earth is at feud with itself always. Granted, we've united the world economy, but there are separatists, terrorists.. It's sad really, but the Parasitic Flood we left down below puts Earth's idea of a Union to shame."
Taardran let out a low growl. "No need to compliment the Flood in any way. They are but a disease. We need only find a cure."
"They aren't so far different than you, you know?" Cortana Questioned.
"They're mindless! Minions of a doomed idea. Nothing good, or intelligent has ever come from the beasts." Taardran recalled battles against flood, commanding rescue and reconosance missions on the Holy Ring. They Elites shook so violently while they turned. Then they took more with them.
"Are they.. Do you really beleive your own words?" Cortana raised her tone. "Put down your Elite legacy for a moment and think. The Flood was your mistake. You released it. No.. The Covenant created it!"
"I don't understand.. what you speak of is impossible. The Flood was created in the time of the Forunner." Taardran defended himself, confused and bewildered.
Cortana paused. "Was it? Or did your clumsy, easily purgible, gullible, low level AI do a shit job of archiving that information? The Flood was the Covenant's doing. How? A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..ha ha.. You were slaves.. hard working, laboring slaves.. to your Masters, The 'Holy' never-do-wrong Forunner. But you revolted. They were caught off guard when you turned all thier systems against them. You eradicated nearly all of them save a few stragglers who fled to other solar systems."
Taardran was totally perplexed. "But what of the flood?.."
"Let me finish.." She was rolling and couldn't be stopped.
"The Sangheili tried to set up their own society, government. But lo-and-behold.. They failed. They were unable to support themselves without the skill and know-how of the Forunner. And hey.. I don't even understand this one.. But you tried to bring them back. Your scientists dug through medical DNA banks for clonable strands.. but for the longest time the geniuses that be couldn't figure it out.
So you got help. You called upon a very intelligent race, formeraly at war with sections of the Sangheili, The Prophets. They came close.. very close.. but created what you see, 'mindlessy' ambling about on the Halos.. The Flood."
Taardran sat down. "How is that even possible? It would have to be tens of thousands of years to change the perception of those events."
"Bingo.. this was seventy-seven thousand years ago, give or take a hundred years, 10 months, 12 days, 2 hours, 27 minutes and 13, 14, 15 seconds." Cortana was anything but breathless. The room grew brighter and brighter as she flexed her knowledge.
"And how did we get to what we beleive now?" Taardran soflty asked.
"Well.. the Covenant simply fled.. Unwilling to engage the old forunner defense systems, which they.. by the way created as a failsafe for epidemic bacterial infection. The Oracles were created by the Forunner to protect these facilities. They were then reprogrammed to suit your needs. They were aware enough.. however, to not be wholely loyal to the ones who overthrew thier creators, Longing for a reclaimer to come and let loose the intergalactic bug-bomb that is the Halo System."
Taardran murmured,"Your... Master Cheif?"
"I'm not really sure about that part.. we'll come back to it another day. But.. when your ancestors fled, they felt broken.. and over generations, events became lore, lore became religion.. you know how it goes. Yet somewhere along the lines. You began to think that the Forunner were gods.. Instead of the Race that enslaved you.. that you destroyed.. that you tried to bring back.. then you created a Hive-mind parasite, and then began to devote your lives toward pleasing these unworthy dieties." She laughed.. "Weird huh!"
There was a bad taste in Taardrans mouth. His throat tensed up, confusion and revelation attack him at all angles. She'd already told him of the plotting of the Covenant, the unraveling past.. but not to this extent. It was breathtaking.. shocking and unreal.
"But you know what's even more weird.. those stragglers.. the ones you missed seventy-seven some-odd thousand years ago.. they landed on the planet that they had.. thousands of years before that, created a Galactic Ark on."
"Earth?" Taardran was numb. "They fled to earth? The Forunner are the Humans?"
"Did I not make that clear enough. It's like some big.. screwed up, dysfunctional family you know.. kinda sweet. Kinda Sour. Happy, Sad.. I can see some real sitcom possibilities here. Must-See-TV." She was joking as if he understood.
Taardran squinted, the air in the room ever heavier. "Whatever you mean by that. So the Forunner.. the Humans simply lost track of their origins as well?"
"It's strange what happened to the Humans. Instead of moving forward, becoming more advanced.. The Forunner set up an earth-salting system in the atmosphere that delivered the proper Materials for rapid evolution. After Humans were created with sufficient enough intelligence, Nature took over and started the knowlege cycle again. The forunner died with age.. or maybe when it was okay to let the systems work on their own." Cortana was extremely happy to get all that out.. it had been brimming since she was on Delta.
"Enough talk for today," Taardran pleaded. "You've filled my head with enough confusion. I'll return in the morning."
"Big day tomorrow!" Cortana said with zeal. "Got a LOT to explain."
Taardan left the Containment room and walked to his quarters. He lay down.. looking up at the intricacies of the ship. It really was a miracle, a genius bit of engineering and creation. But who did he really owe his gratitude for these advances?
The Commander was right, the humans would not welcome them with open arms, they'd fire before they heard a word. Up until today, Taardran would do the same to them. Nothing but smoke and fog for thousands of years. Misunderstanding, misread history. Everything changed for Taardrand in an instant.
Tomorrow was going to rock the ears and hearts of the remaining Covenant.
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