unforum

[Bobeo]

[SPEC] Why the Artifact isnt Covenant

[chaotic_mind]

Well, you're assuming that the Apocalypso artifact is the only artifact on Earth.

Even though Cortana independently figured it out, it seems that Ackerson also was able to translate some of the coordinates from the Sigma Octanus IV artifact. Whereas Cortana went to Halo, the coordinates Ackerson were using lead to Reach.

Ackerson never brought the Reach artifact back to Earth (probably because he never got access to it) but Ackerson may not be the only spook working on this.

Who knows how many artifacts Earth may be playing host to right now.

Further, since humans, at least the SPARTAN-II's, seem to have some odd connection to the Forerunner, could our homeplanet have been playing host to artifacts long before humanity ever learned of the Forerunner?

Further, isn't the artifact in Chawla base? Is that in Africa, and I missed where they said Chawla was?

**edit - Nova, and a look over the transcription of the .wavs at thebruce.ca shows that the artifact is still in Boston. If the Covenant were looking for the artifact they would attack Boston first, not New Mombassa or Zanzibar.

I do think the artifact is Forerunner, simply because this sort of thing seems to be beyond the abilities of the Covenant.

But, we don't really have any legitimate evidence one way or the other.

Luke P.

[Nova]

Chawla base is in Boston.

[AngriBuddhist]

In the novels all of the Forerunner Artifacts and/or architecture are described
as having the same kinds of symbols as the Chawla "Artifact".

[Bobeo]

OK the way I see it, the only way this theory of mine is false is if there is another artifact on Earth which I hadnt even thought about.
Because if this artifact we found was the only one on Earth and it wasnt a furerunner object, then there would be no Halo2. They wouldve glassed the planet and be rid of humanity.

[Ceantari]

I'm assuming that there's a disclosed Forerunner architecture in New Mombassa, Africa. Only the ONI know about it, and kept it hush-hush. And Herzog, knowing so much, banished his Lieutenant to New Mombassa to further his studies and protect him from Admiral Standish.

Who knows? There's probably another artifact on Earth in the Forerunner architecture in New Mombassa that has coordinates leading to another Halo ring. And most likely this tire-of-an-artifact leads to another Halo installation as well.

Something's on Earth or else they would've already glassed it by now and there'd be no Halo 2 game set on Earth. The only reasons the Covenant won't glass a planet is the fact that there's a Forerunner artifact residing. And they know Earth has one.

[Fenwicked]

Maybe Herzog got his hands on the artifact and plans to transport it with his Lieutenant to New Mombasa without the Lieutenant's knowledge. That would explain the sudden transfer and Herzog's secrecy about it.

And what if the artifact is a Forerunner weapon, similar to Halo? The only description we have of it is that it's tire-shaped and has strange markings around it. Apart from the difference in size, that would seem to describe Halo as well. We know Halo was designed to destroy all life within a massive area (25 thousand light years, if I remember right. Someone correct me on that), but maybe this is a similar device with a much smaller range, but the same purpose?

[Bobeo]

Actually, that sounds like it could be a possibility. I cant think of what else a tire shaped object with markings on the outside could. Maybe a map......?

[Triese]

My thinking is this [spec]: I think that there is a forerunner artifact in New Mombasa. An artifact that the Covies know is there. I think that is part of the reason they were planning to attack earth. However, I think that the artifact that Herzog and Rani are talking about, which is at Chawla base in Boston, is covenant. I think it is like a low frequency beacon that the covies are using to coordinate a massive attack.

[Astald]

But is a timer powerful enough to knock out an entire planet's chatter signals just by turning on?

[Triese]

First off, I thought that the chatters were back up, and that they went down as a consequence from the apocalypso crashing out of slipspace in earth's sub orbit. IF that is not so, thats fine.

However, Alstad, I think what you said could be could be possible. If the artifact sent out a signal on or around the same frequency that the chatters use. If I remember from my physics, you would want a high frequency to ensure that the signal would be able to make it into deep space. By this time in the future, the assumption would be that we as humans would be using as high a frequency as we could for our communications. Its been a long time since physics though so don't quote me on that.

[gains]

"Sixty-four million years ago, a large extra-terrestrial object struck the Earth in what would later be called the Yucatan Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico. The dust and rock thrown up by the resulting explosion caused enormous climactic changes in the ensuing years, and many of the Earth's species became extinct during the long winter that followed.

The object itself was buried thousands of feet below ground, its nearly two kilometer length remarkably intact. It remained there, motionless, for thousands of years before it finally began to stir-- and to dream. It was a member of a race whose history began when the Milky Way was still a formless collection of dust and gas-- a powerful race of immortals which had quickly grown bored of their tiny universe and nearly exterminated themselves in war"

From the instruction manual to "Pathways Into Darkness" Bungie's first FPS.

Connections between Halo and Marathon have been seen all over, and Marathon isn't that far from PiD.

I'd be curious to see if there's any South American action in Halo2.

[Smoke]

Interesting, gains.....really interesting.

As for the invasion starting at Mombassa, there are a number of reasons. Africa is the largest uninterrupted tract of equitorial land on Earth. From a starship physics standpoint, that's the most logical location to start a ground invasion. It's also possible that the Covies are invading multiple points on Earth simultaneously, and Mombassa is merely the closest insertion point for the Chief and crew.

I do lean toward the idea that there is something of significance to New Mombassa. We've still got two weeks. Maybe Herzog had some sort of forewarding order in place to ship any important "packages" to his ex-aide? Or maybe Rani will (somehow) gain access to the artifact, and retreat to one of the few people she knows she can trust? I mean, if you can't trust someone who was trusted by Herzog, who can you trust?

[Wainamoinen]

No one has mentioned the posobility of the artifact being a "timemachine" (of somesort). It would explain how Melissa got to our time...

Also someone mentioned that the covies are probably comeing for something(s) other then the artifact (and pos. not even the artifact). My guess is what if there are other artifacts identical to the one Melissa's ship found) one's that Herzog was not aware of, Standish knows though.

Just throwing stuff out in the open...

[Tregis]

[SPEC] Why the Artifact isnt Covenant