- Lord Snakie
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“To say more would spoil be it’s overall its a game that needs to be played.” - Aristotle
Posted by: thefatbuddha
1) Does the Flood evolve itself based on needs, or is all that it is capable of because of the Precursor's organic programming. For example, do you believe that pure forms fit into an infestation because the flood needs acting soldiers or defences based on needs, or is it based on Precursor DNA programming?
I think it would be both. The Flood would've (potentially) absorbed and cataloged the species originally based upon what the Precursor originally programmed, but their use of the Pure Forms--bringing the species back to fight for them--would've been a choice on the part of the Gravemind only based upon the calcium levels of the infection.
2) You had also made mention of the Flood in regard to its needs. The flesh probably for preexisting energy needs much in the way we have dietary needs, calcium for the ability to for biomass, but what exactly is the reason for the constant need to absorb sentient species? I may be answering my own question here, but is the Flood merely a heavily rampant form of your theory of an archival system?
I think it's still in that highly rampant archival system state myself, yes, but I think it's coming out of that rampancy--slowly!--and is startng to find its "place" in the galaxy. But there's a question of what that "place" is and how they can get to there from being entity-absorbing galaxy-destroying monsters.
It's also possible that they're "forced" to absorb memories and understanding by some Precursor failsafe as I mentioned in the OP, but that's just a casual consideration; I don't actually believe that's likely.
3) How come when a new gravemind is formed, it seems to have the intents of consuming the galaxy? Based on your degredation and decaying theory, at some point is it possible for a gravemind to form its preprogrammed form, and for standard operating procedure to take place again? In such manner, I am suggesting if over millenias of time, that in such time, the gravemind's memory simply vanishes, causes are left astray, and in a sense, devolves back into your theory as a central archiving unit for the deceased?
It is... possible... but I don't think so. In my ideal understanding, that wouldn't happen because of the persistence of the Flood/the Flood spores (which I believe act like neurons). The hive mind, when the Gravemind gains control of it again, has at least some cursory memories of the past, and the Gravemind is able to use them to break through its conditioning immediately, or even "come back" as a near-perfect representation of the last Gravemind, which has already broken through its conditioning. That, or the Flood altered their own DNA a long, long time ago so those blocks aren't present. One way or another, I personally think that it would never reach that stage again.
But, as I said, it is... possible that the Gravemind could reach a neutral state within the bounds of this theory and actually be provoked to aggression by the Sentinels or some sort of Forerunner defensive measure that doesn't take the Flood idling as an acceptable condition to leave them be.
4) Since we are at the point of suggesting the Gravemind losing sentience, let us say that a controlled infestation is purposely carried out for whatever reason, and the experiment is to annihalate the proto-gravemind/ gravemind before it reaches sentience. ( I understand comprehending one species' sentience is difficult, but let us merely assume) Now if this accomplished, do you believe that the flood will go rampant because of the loss of a central controller, or that this infestation is another preprogrammed measure of the Precursors to ensure the survival of their central archiving unit?
If a Gravemind was being formed and then went offline, well, we know what happens then, don't we? The Proto-Gravemind on Truth and Reconciliation was destroyed by the Chief; the Flood on Halo were not overly coordinated to begin with, but they still possessed intellect of an acceptable level to shoot at the Chief and follow him with the intent to kill. They weren't thrown into craziness, they were just forced back to relying on manipulation of their host's own inherent memories.
5) What is your favorite kind of snack pack, m'lord?
Lemon is pretty awesome.