args.bungie.org

Alright, this is going to sound ridiculous, but take a look at this interview with Joseph Staten:
http://halosm.bungie.org/story/staten083106.html

HSP: Could you tell us a bit about the origin and history of the Flood? There was a quote from Jason that the Covenant had a previous history with the Flood; perhaps you'd shed some light on what happened, where it might have been, and when this "previous history" happened?
JS: McLees assures me that, in this case, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words:



And the picture is the weird octopus thing – now I have always just looked at that and been confused thinking I missed the joke, but just now I thought, hmm I wonder why he bothered making that picture…
Then I instantly thought it looked a little like Gravemind – it kind of makes sense, he has tentacles etc.

Anyway the fact Joseph Staten posted that picture referring to a incidence the covenant had with the flood intrigues me, perhaps they have already met Gravemind, perhaps he’s who taught the prophets (secretly) about forerunner tech?

Or then again perhaps hes what happens when a flood spore merges with a covie species we haven’t met yet, either way if that picture represents Gravemind, then he’s had some past history with the flood!

Still not sure what the picture means, but the covie's previous history with the flood was apparently told in the Voyage of the Infinite Succour.

Sir Topham Hat wrote:Still not sure what the picture means, but the covie's previous history with the flood was apparently told in the Voyage of the Infinite Succour.

if that was in the halo 2 special edition i unfortunatly missed it, even still that interview was after halo 2 was out

No no, it was in the Halo Graphic Novel which came out after this interview.

As Gravemind was found on Halo, if the Covenant had met him before they would also have found Halo, meaning they start the Great Journey.

Halo speculation, not ARG speculation so moving to META

As far as we know the Covenant didn't know about Halo until the events of Halo 1.

Menelven wrote:As Gravemind was found on Halo, if the Covenant had met him before they would also have found Halo, meaning they start the Great Journey.

hmm good point, perhaps they found him on another forerunner construct, and after that he moved to the ring? - its a very far fetched idea to begin with

Sir Topham Hat - can you run me threw what happens in the Voyage of the Infinite Succour - never got the halo graphic novel unfortunatly

I never got it either XD. All I know is that Half-Jaw was on a ship that went to investigate something, and they found the flood. Don't ask me about details and don't quote me on it though, that's just my basic understanding.

Here

I have, it's a good book.

Menelven wrote:Here

I have, it's a good book.

Hmm the contact with the flood shown in that story seems to be based literally at the same time that chief finds em - i reckon the thing Straten was talking about happend before even this