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The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:26 am
by Kiloh Ekim
Though the ARG may be over (a rather disappointing end, I might add) I think I may have realized something yet. There are subtle clues in the way the forerunner entity in the servers communicates that leads to believe that it is one person and multiple. One large clue is that we talk to the entity of AdjutantReflex's superior (I'm going to call him MB for now on) constantly and it seems that it is the only thing that we talk to the entire ARG. Odd, yes, that a single character can be both known as a single person and a group at the same time?:
THIS IS MY FINAL ENTRY, AND I AM LEFT WITH ONE HOPE

With fate we escaped, and fate we may relive.
I almost convinced myself that no one was listening; that the waves of the past would roll through once again.

After all, here we are, witness to the aftermath.

I speak to you of my intent...
This seems even more convincing to me when taken in context, especially how it says that "we" are witness to the aftermath and that the character yet exists as one ("I" speak to you of my intent.) My theory follows as thus: the forerunners died willingly yet spearing the humans. Therefore they thought that it wouldn't be the end.
They, and all other sentient life, died, as planned.: 343GS speaking of the forerunners

After all, here we are, witness to the aftermath.: A forerunner
Here's the sum. The forerunners planned to escape the flood and leave mankind to do the dirty work of letting them out in a few hundred thousand years when the flood were completely died out. They planned to do this by invoking one of the halos loopholes: storing their bodies as sperm and egg cells and keeping the last of the race as a collective of AI minds inside the Ark until they could get their bodies (the result: MB.) This is how the forerunners survived, they were not life when the halos activated so they wouldn't get wiped out and they just have to wait until mankind develops and lets them out when the flood are gone. Simple: there was no flaw in the plan until the covenant showed up and started the war right on top of their Ark.

This is how the Ark truly saves you. The humans went unnoticed by the flood and since the forerunners (too large in number to hide with the humans) were gone Earth was safe.

(More to come, until then check out my other post viewtopic.php?f=13&t=576 it explains some gaps)

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:40 am
by ProfessorHojo05
I think you are reading into it too much. By "We" the person speaking is likely referring to the Forerunner people as a whole, or to a monitor(s). I think that there may have been a Forerunner on each of the halo stations as they fired, and they died of natural causes after the firing, and that the person speaking is referring to those few who survived. In this, I am theorizing that there is a location (like where the index is used) that is safe from the Halo's activation. One of the monitors said that they were once asked if they would fire the Halo's again if given the choice. This gives evidence that someone, Forerunner or human, knew what was going on when the Halo's fired, and survived the event at least long enough to talk to the Monitor.

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 1:46 pm
by Maimbot 9000
I agree, except I think in what you're quoting, Kiloh, the "we" is the speaker, and humans (his audience, us). We all escaped, we all are witness to the aftermath. I think the "new AR" is the Forerunner who stayed behind to fire the Halos, and he has somehow survived in the Ark all this time.

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:22 am
by Kiloh Ekim
Maimbot 9000 wrote:I agree, except I think in what you're quoting, Kiloh, the "we" is the speaker, and humans (his audience, us). We all escaped, we all are witness to the aftermath. I think the "new AR" is the Forerunner who stayed behind to fire the Halos, and he has somehow survived in the Ark all this time.
Alright I was rushed away from the computer yesterday before i could make some more of the argument.

The ark: It's has been revealed in server five that the forerunners built the Ark with a duel purpose. In server five it is also revealed that the forerunners intentionally let a race of small nomadic people live while they all died. In server one {D-com} mentioned that he felt no peril in the last moments of the universe and that he has the silence of space to lull him to sleep.

This, using the most trivial of logic, means that the second purpose of the Ark saved the forerunners in some form where they enveloped one of halos loopholes:
1) Out of Range; outer galaxy, negative effect being that it would take too long to escape and the flood would have too much time to play with whilst destroying the forerunner empire.
2) Not life; becoming or being an AI
3) Not sufficient biomass; store organisms as sperm and egg cell in order to bring them back when the coast is clear of flood.
4) The Ark; simple, it protected the humans, no one else.

I believe it is a combination of the second and third. 3rd: Have your mind intact and guide a simple race to devolop technology to discover your crypt. 4th: Have a body to return to later.

But why, you may ask, would they add the middle man and make humanity raise them? There are a few solutions for that. Similar physiology: Mankind may have been to the forerunners what neanderthals are to us today and therefore could manipulate our minds with the Ark. Having slaves when you come out: a back to stand on for the returning masters. Or the thought that the flood had enough forerunners under their control, and if you made it so this unnoticeable species could only fire the rings and activate the Ark, then the flood wouldn't figure it out in time. Just a trick to keep the flood from killing them in their sleep? Who knows.

Another possible question: why make an Ark and not use it yourself? If it can save you from the halos, why not? Two reasons: 1) There were far too many forerunners to put on a single planet in biological form. 2) The flood exist after the halos fire, while in the process of starving. They could find the hideaway after the activation of the rings and slaughter the last of the forerunners.

So, having thought this over, I would think that the higher ups of the forerunner race are existing inside the Ark as AIs. Though not really as 'one' but together nonetheless. Perhaps each person was a god of ancient Egypt or Greece? I'm sure we'll know in halo 3.

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:10 am
by ProfessorHojo05
Just one question. Just WHAT exactly would they put the sperm and egg idea in, in order grow a Forerunner? I SERIOUSLY doubt that it would be a human, and I think an incubation chamber is even less likely.

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:27 am
by SinisterMinister
Just one question. Just WHAT exactly would they put the sperm and egg idea in, in order grow a Forerunner? I SERIOUSLY doubt that it would be a human, and I think an incubation chamber is even less likely.
Not to mention that we don't even know if the Forerunners have genders or procreate.

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 6:21 am
by ProfessorHojo05
SinisterMinister wrote:
Not to mention that we don't even know if the Forerunners have genders or procreate.
EXACTLY! Further more, we don't exactly have proof that there are loopholes in the Halo firing. Sure, there is the shield world Onyx. Why may I ask then is there no Forerunner presence inside once the Spartans entered it? And yes, there is the ark, but I don't think that any kind of Forerunner mind is there at all. Perhaps a monitor, or some other form of AI, but not a collective of digitized Forerunner minds. The ark was designed to protect something on earth. Its said that the INHABITANTS, not the HUMANS, need to be protected.

The anomalous world is in a perilous location beyond the line.
{/The secrets it holds must be preserved/}
{/Plans within plans within plans/}
The inhabitants; these unique denizens, must be researched.
They may hold answers to our own mysteries.
{/What irony that we discovered this treasure, only at the end of things./}
{/But what fortune that we still had time to save them./}
The thing we built on that world will vouchsafe their lives,
{/But perhaps one day it will be used for its intended purpose./}
If the plan succeeds, and they are saved, it will be a good world.
If the plan fails,
{/And the adversary succeeeds./}
it will remain an enigma forever
{/With no-one left to reclaim it./}

We assume it means us, but it could have meant just about ANY life form on this planet. Do you remember all the speculation about alligators?

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1039&hilit=

They were around LONG before us, and their DNA was referenced in one of the servers. Don't you think that the alligators could have been the ones that the Forerunner or what ever it is may be talking about?

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:36 am
by SinisterMinister
Don't you think that the alligators could have been the ones that the Forerunner or what ever it is may be talking about?
I hope we can dual-wield them.

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:46 pm
by smallfry
It could be they just wanted to find out why the hell 42 was the answer to life the universe and everything, and wanted to protect us until we figured it out! :P

Re: The Forerunner Collective in the Ark

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:39 pm
by ProfessorHojo05
SinisterMinister wrote:
I hope we can dual-wield them.

Dual-wield an alligator? They are an animal, not a weapon.