Gamertell

According to our traffic reports, you, our valued readers, crave more data on the Halo 3 “Marathon Man” achievement. I will not lie, this warms my heart. It means that there are new players still trickling into the game, a phenomenon I heartily doubted would occur. At the very least, it means that old players who remained firmly entrenched in the multiplayer milieu, that denigrating digital pit of infamy, are at least taking a look at the campaign mode.

So, for your reading pleasure, I hereby confer upon you a series of posts which contain transcripts of these enigmatic forerunner structures taken directly from the game, along with my humble analysis of each. For the locations of these back story tidbits, refer to the excellent post by our very own Phil Madison via our not so very own GamesRadar. Enjoy!

Re: Enemy naval tactics: When engaged, the enemy commits every non-supraluminal craft with no appreciable pattern or strategy beyond making physical contact. Conversely, all supraluminal craft leave on seemingly random trajectories.

I understand the goal of this mission, but time - our least abundant resource - is wasted every time we do a system wide scan for survivors. The time for saving lives has passed. We must accept this if we hope to win the war.

Re: Enemy ground tactics:

All evidence suggests that use of overwhelming force is the very foundation of the enemy’s combat doctrine. And I adamantly refuse to deploy personnel where the enemy has available forces numbering in the billions. With the very real likelihood we are rapidly becoming the last living specimens of our race, all personnel are henceforth confined to stasis until further notice. Even with everyone equipped with [C_12_CS[?]] we would have very little chance of survival, let alone victory.

Re: Enemy command structure:

We have intercepted several transmissions from compound intelligence whose proximity to the core worlds mark them as key targets. At present we are dissembling these new transmissions. Once we have more [concrete conclusions] I will forward them in their entirety. Suffice it to say, that their contents – the patterns they suggest – are highly disturbing.

Recommendations:

It is my opinion that any system where there is evidence that the enemy has established a physical presence is lost and must be razed. This fleet currently retains the capacity to force premature stellar collapse; I advice that this be established as standard operating procedure for all compromised systems forthwith. We cannot fight this war by half measures if we intend to win.

If you’re playing on one of the first three difficulty settings, the following text will appear:

//Fragment 2/7 [Recorded Verbatim and Interpreted Post-Cataclysm]

L: I’m close to finishing the task. The indexing and the archival processes are as complete as I can hope for. If we wait longer, we risk catastrophe. The thing has already destroyed every colony on my side of the line.

Please. Activate the array.

D: No. Activation is murder. A genocide larger than [this galaxy] has ever known. We are sworn to protect life, not destroy it! That is the Mantle we were given to carry.

L: The Mantle. You still hold to that [fairy tale] after all that has happened? After this thing has consumed a million worlds?

Can’t you see? Belief in the Mantle sealed our doom! Weakened our [protectorates], bred dependence and sloth. Our [so-called Guardianship] has stripped those we would keep safe of any capacity for self-defense.

Were we such noble [Guardians] when we drew our line and abandoned billions to the parasite?

D: The Mantle has not failed! I’ve already razed scores of worlds – sterilized systems, routed and [disintegrated] the parasite! We’re learning its tricks and strategies. We can halt this thing! And we can follow in Their footsteps!

There are no unstoppable forces in this universe. There are no immovable objects. Everything gives if you push hard enough.

L: And what about us, Didact? We’ve been irresistible and immovable for too long.

Maybe it’s our turn to give.

//Fragment Ends.

If you’re playing on Legendary, you get the following cryptic exchange:

MB.05-032.> I must ask you to forgive my vagueness on the matter, but it is a regrettable {~} I find your lack of concern for the situation at hand astonishing. Perhaps you would care to elucidate?

LF.Xx.3273.> {~} are here to spread [comforting news]. To let all the living beings in this galaxy know {~} are not alone in the {~} What in that message could possibly be taken as a source of concern?

MB.05-032.> It seems that I’ll never truly understand my creators. But how {~} that you speak of is one of {~} rejected so violently? I am incapable of reconciling the numerous actions I have witnessed {~} misunderstanding?

LF.Xx.3273.> It has been said {~} secret of peace cannot {~} be imposed. That {~} meaning of peace, so they need to {~} When all living beings look through {~} and the thunder and the surf, when every drop of rain falls on {~} know peace.

MB.05-032.> You have been able to establish a [line of communication] with the enemy? How was it that you were able to overcome {~}  where others have failed? With this [new discovery] we may able to put an end to this pointless conflict. Once I confirm your data I will communicate the information to those inside the [Maginot] sphere.

LF.Xx.3273.> It seems that it {~} turn to apologize; it was never {~} intention to misrepresent {~} have been [in communication] with your creators since {~} stumbled upon each other, but {~} message has [fallen on deaf ears]. {~} am not the recipient of the message, {~} am the origin of the message.

MB.05-032.> I have traveled a very long time to meet you. I had imagined that our [introduction] would be somewhat more violent.

LF.Xx.3273.> That is a choice you must make yourself; {~} to be how your creators go about things. And as long as we are talking about choices {~} could talk about the [barrier] you alluded to earlier? Perhaps there is a way to accomplish your mission without violence? Why put the lives of those on your ships at risk if there is no need?

MB.05-032.> In either circumstance I’m certainly equipped for it, aren’t I? But you’re right; a peaceful solution to this [dilemma] would be preferable.

The “easy” through “normal” text appears straightforward enough. This post on Bungie.net describes the dramatis persona involved. It’s interesting that one of the forerunner commanders possesses the title of Didact, which is Latin for “let me tell you why I’m right and you’re wrong,” and it’s also interesting that the Didact is espousing the conservative position of central control. The other conversationalist, who we can assume is the Librarian, is a cynic and votes for what amounts to a galactic reboot—the elimination of all biological matter via the Halo arrays. Obviously, we know that the Didact wins this argument. If it were otherwise, we’d be playing Spore instead of three iterations of Halo.

The second text, available to view only on the difficulty setting of Legendary, is necessarily more opaque. The {~} signs abound and represent not only omissions of words but entire phrases and segments of conversation. According to the post I mentioned earlier, I believe this is a conversation between Medicant Bias and the gravemind. The gravemind’s rhetoric in this exchange sounds a lot like religious proselytizing with all that nature imagery and talk about peace. Of course, it’s hard to tell anything for sure with a fragmented narrative.

Read [Gamertell] Also Read [GamesRadar] Also Read [Bungie]