unforum

[Buzzkill247]

[daboking]

sorry for getting off topic here, but I just want to suggest that we should please calm back down. I mean no disrespect at all, buzzkill247, but you obviously seem offended that others did not like your use of the term jihad? All semantics aside on who is right or not, why let the fact that the use of the word is troublesome cause you to come back with statements like:

[Phaedra]

Cultural misunderstandings, etc.

[Buzzkill247]

In response I can say nothing other than - DOH!! Though the camel phrase was meant in silliness to the full extent allowable by law - it was my (apparently ill) attempt to leave things on a lighter side.... my bad... ( I did start writing while in a foul frame of mind from other things not related - note to all: avoid that pitfall!) I am tempted to remove both posts completely - but there is a part of me that wants to leave it as an example of what not to do in forum......

And Phaedra, your insights proved my theory about you correct. I am not worthy! You made very valid points and sounded them home rather eloquently. I offer my apologies - and hopefully clarification. It was the (as I percieved it) "touchiness" and implusiveness of response and immediate taking of offense that I read as un-enlightened intolerence. But yet in my own way I responded with the same in an attempt to villify the intolerent. Let me be the first to say - POOR CHOICE ON MY PART! Oh - and if allowed - I will second the above motion to avoid any other linguistic misunderstandings.

Ok - now where the heck were we anyway - aw hell - just close this topic and lock it up and throw away the key - no SP-type escapes either! LOL

NEXT!!!

[THe_Smakus]

Might i suggest the term: Xenocide? It may not have any religious underpinnings, but it suits the situation in my opinion. Rather than the complete extermination of an entire terrestrial (Earth-originated) race or peoples (such as genocide), xenocide is the purposeful destruction of an alien race or peoples. The latter term has also been coined to describe genocide on a galactic/universal scale.

Judging from the sources of Covenant rhetoric that have been presented, it would seem that they wouldn't stop short of extinguishing every human life. That they reclaim forerunner artifacts from the "unclean hands of the infidels" is a mere justification -a bonus, if you will- to their wholesale slaughter.

Edit: Hmm. I've just read the whole of Phaedra's prior post. I know that the term Genocide has some definitive and powerful memories and past associations in peoples' minds. I by no means intended to compare the fictional reality in the Halo verse to the actual plight of actual persons in any way. My apologies at any possible offence, none was intended.

[Buzzkill247]

I like the application! - you and Phaedra can duke this one out LOL

Who will be the Lord of the Coining? We'll sell you the whole seat but you'll only need the EEDDGGEEEE!!! See it SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY! (followed by a monster truck rally)

[Vilnius]

[THe_Smakus]

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY... and possibly Monday

Come one and all to the term-coining showdown!
Phaedra, Master of the intellectual argument!
Justin, Understudy at the art of fleeing!

Who's Dictionary will rule supreme? It'll be a REVENGANCEFUL showdown!

[Buzzkill247]

[THe_Smakus]

It's from this site.

Revenge... Vengance... Vengefull...
REVENGANCEFUL!

Daboking will probably appreciate the joke at least.
For the rest of you, wait until after the animation's over, and then click on Strongbad's forehead jewel.

[Buzzkill247]

[AngriBuddhist]

Ahem...the Artifact? Oni? Does anyone remember the title and topic of this thread?

What if it is a homing beacon? A Forerunner one. The communications black out could have been caused by the first pulse. It was activated and then notified someone or something that it had come in contact with sentient life.

The decaying pulses could be a countdown to an "arrival".

[THe_Smakus]

My apologies, i was simply trying to speed the hostilities along to a lighter grain.

Concerning the artifact: where was it ascertained that this McGuffin had a decaying signal pulse? I'm not clear on that.

Assuming that there is a countdown, much of the spec presented thus far is quite valid.

My thoughts are that it may be a countdown timer for the functional life of said artifact. The covenant would no doubt try to secure and use said artifact before it lost its power. This being the case, then they would no doubt attack (to secure the artifact) before the countdown ended.

Another possibility is that the true purpose of collecting the artifacts is that together, they're more powerful than alone. It was theorized in the third Halo book (First Strike) that the time-bending properties of the crystal shard they found on Reach weren't determined by the will of those in possession of the crystal, but rather by the fate with which the crystal was intertwined. By possessing the crystal, the master chief and his crew became involved in that fate. Because of this, time was distorted in such a way as to allow them to be where they needed to be in order to fulfill the crystal's fate.
Perhaps the forerunners created their artifacts in such a way that (one way or another) they would be fated to be brought together again at a certain time in the future. Perhaps this is the fated moment that the countdown ends at. One way or another, the possessors of the crystals will be reunited then?

This theory would also involve Melissa and the crew of the Apocalypso. The crystal might have shunted them into the past in order to let other parties in the future (IE: Durga) know about the artifact(s) at Chawla base.
With this knowledge, perhaps Durga/Melissa and Jersey can fulfill the crystal's fate? Or perhaps it is us who will give fate that final push down its inexorable path. Even this late in the story, i'm sure there will be some sort of plot-twist that will render even the most insightful [spec] as pale in comparison.

[Phaedra]

[Gram]

I have a hunch... just a tiny one but significant enough to post.

I bet the artefacts timer is counting down to the whole "Time Warp" thing.

Yep ONI's little trump card is hoping that when it goes they could warn the people of the past or even send people back in order to save the human race from destruction!

Because really once the Covenant get Earth where is there to go?

Back to the Past!

And rest your hopes on the fact we could change the world and prevent such things from occurring. Maybe somehow our AI friends got zapped back as well. How I'm not to sure, but with each day the collective knowledge grows.

My logic says timer = Something to do with time

And what kind of time stuff have we been dealing with?