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Forerunner-Flood war: Difference between revisions
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|prev=[[Human-Forerunner wars]] | |prev=[[Human-Forerunner wars]] | ||
|conc= | |conc= | ||
|next=[[ | |next=*[[War of Wills]] | ||
|image=[[File: | *[[Clan Battles of Sanghelios]] | ||
|image=[[File:Old HW EarlyEfforts.jpg|300px]] | |||
|conflict= | |conflict= | ||
|date= | |date=[[97,764 BCE]] - [[97,445 BCE]]{{Ref/Book|Id=enc22pg9|Enc22|Page=9}} | ||
|place=[[Milky Way]] | |place=[[Milky Way]] | ||
|result='''Pyrrhic Forerunner | |result='''Pyrrhic Forerunner victory''' | ||
*[[Halo Array]] [[Great Purification|sterilizes the galaxy]] | *[[Halo Array]] [[Great Purification|sterilizes the galaxy]] | ||
* | *Near extinction of the Forerunners and end of the Forerunner [[ecumene]] | ||
|side1={{Icon|Forerunner}} [[Ecumene|Forerunner ecumene]] | |||
|side2={{Icon|Flood}} [[Flood]] | |||
|side1=[[Ecumene|Forerunner ecumene]] | |||
|side2=[[Flood]] | |||
|commanders1= | |commanders1= | ||
*[[Ur-Didact]] | *[[Ur-Didact]] | ||
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*Trillions of [[Warrior-Servant]]s<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-uncharted-waters '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Uncharted Waters'']</ref> | *Trillions of [[Warrior-Servant]]s<ref>[https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-uncharted-waters '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Canon Fodder - Uncharted Waters'']</ref> | ||
*[[Builder Security]] | *[[Builder Security]] | ||
*[[Forerunner fleet]] | *[[Forerunner fleet]] | ||
*3 million+ Forerunner planets | *3 million+ Forerunner planets | ||
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{{Quote|A hundred thousand years ago, a [[Ecumene|great civilization]] existed in this universe. Like all great civilizations, they faced a sudden and dire turn of events. A threat to their primacy from ''outside''. Something they never expected, never prepared for... a deeply alien threat they called simply the [[Flood]].|[[Cortana]]<ref name="origins">'''[[Halo Legends]]''' - ''[[Origins]]''</ref>}} | {{Quote|A hundred thousand years ago, a [[Ecumene|great civilization]] existed in this universe. Like all great civilizations, they faced a sudden and dire turn of events. A threat to their primacy from ''outside''. Something they never expected, never prepared for... a deeply alien threat they called simply the [[Flood]].|[[Cortana]]<ref name="origins">'''[[Halo Legends]]''' - ''[[Origins]]''</ref>}} | ||
The '''Forerunner-Flood war''' was a pivotal galactic conflict that occurred between the [[Forerunner]]s and the [[Flood]] parasite. It was started on [[Seaward|G617 g1]] around [[97,745 BCE]] and lasted approximately three centuries. The Forerunners concluded the war in [[97,445 BCE]] with the creation and activation of the [[Halo Array]], seven superweapons that [[Great Purification|purged the galaxy]] of all [[Sentience|sentient]] life in order to stop the Flood. The conflict ended the Forerunners' eons-long rule in the galaxy; most of their [[ecumene]] having fallen to the Flood, the few remaining members of the species went into exile after completing the [[Reintroduction|repopulation]] of the galaxy's sentient species from specimens [[Conservation Measure|preserved]] at [[Installation 00|the Ark]]. | The '''Forerunner-Flood war''', known as the '''Flood war''',{{Ref/Reuse|Id=enc22pg9}}{{Ref/Book|Id=enc22pg282|Enc22|Page=282-283}} was a pivotal galactic conflict that occurred between the [[Forerunner]]s and the [[Flood]] parasite. It was started on [[Seaward|G617 g1]] around [[97,745 BCE]] and lasted approximately three centuries. The Forerunners concluded the war in [[97,445 BCE]] with the creation and activation of the [[Halo Array]], seven superweapons that [[Great Purification|purged the galaxy]] of all [[Sentience|sentient]] life in order to stop the Flood. The conflict ended the Forerunners' eons-long rule in the galaxy; most of their [[ecumene]] having fallen to the Flood, the few remaining members of the species went into exile after completing the [[Reintroduction|repopulation]] of the galaxy's sentient species from specimens [[Conservation Measure|preserved]] at [[Installation 00|the Ark]]. | ||
== | ==Background== | ||
[[File:Crowd of Forerunner.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Forerunners gathered in an assembly.]] | [[File:Crowd of Forerunner.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Forerunners gathered in an assembly.]] | ||
The [[Forerunner]]s were an ancient race who thrived as the dominant civilization in the [[Milky Way]] galaxy, organizing their [[ecumene]] over millions of terrestrial planets. They derived their authority from the [[Mantle]], their pledge to watch over and preserve all life in the galaxy. The Forerunners' society was based on caste-like strata known as [[rate]]s, with a [[Warrior-Servant|dedicated military class]] which included both naval elements and ground forces. Their technological capacity was without equal, in areas such as the understanding of [[Slipstream space|slipspace]], energy manipulation, [[artificial intelligence]] and [[astroengineering]]. They measured technological advancement in a [[Technological Achievement Tiers|succession of Tiers]].<ref name="bestiarum">'''[[Bestiarum]]'''</ref> | The [[Forerunner]]s were an ancient race who thrived as the dominant civilization in the [[Milky Way]] galaxy, organizing their [[ecumene]] over millions of terrestrial planets. They derived their authority from the [[Mantle]], their pledge to watch over and preserve all life in the galaxy. The Forerunners' society was based on caste-like strata known as [[rate]]s, with a [[Warrior-Servant|dedicated military class]] which included both naval elements and ground forces. Their technological capacity was without equal, in areas such as the understanding of [[Slipstream space|slipspace]], energy manipulation, [[artificial intelligence]] and [[astroengineering]]. They measured technological advancement in a [[Technological Achievement Tiers|succession of Tiers]].<ref name="bestiarum">'''[[Bestiarum]]'''</ref> | ||
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After over nine thousand years, the Flood returned, contesting the Forerunners for control of the entire galaxy. While the Flood sought to assimilate all sentient life, the Forerunners attempted to defend against the Flood threat using several measures to both directly combat them as well as carry out research in regards to the parasite's capabilities.{{Ref/Reuse|origins}} | After over nine thousand years, the Flood returned, contesting the Forerunners for control of the entire galaxy. While the Flood sought to assimilate all sentient life, the Forerunners attempted to defend against the Flood threat using several measures to both directly combat them as well as carry out research in regards to the parasite's capabilities.{{Ref/Reuse|origins}} | ||
== | ==War== | ||
===Beginning=== | ===Beginning=== | ||
{{Quote|It devoured everything it touched. At first, their technology, their courage seemed like it might prevail. But they waited too long to see the threat, to join the fight. The Flood had spread too far and too wide.|Cortana on the Forerunner-Flood war.}} | {{Quote|It devoured everything it touched. At first, their technology, their courage seemed like it might prevail. But they waited too long to see the threat, to join the fight. The Flood had spread too far and too wide.|Cortana on the Forerunner-Flood war.}} | ||
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{{Quote|I kill you all and I enjoy it. I destroy you in your indolent billions—in your gluttony, in your self-righteousness, in your arrogance. I pound your cities into dust; turn back the clock on your civilization's progress. What has taken you millennia to achieve I erase in seconds. Welcome back to the [Stone Age], vermin. Welcome home.|An excerpt of Mendicant Bias' hate-fueled diatribe against the Forerunners after the AI's defection to the Flood.{{Ref/Reuse|h3terminals}}}} | {{Quote|I kill you all and I enjoy it. I destroy you in your indolent billions—in your gluttony, in your self-righteousness, in your arrogance. I pound your cities into dust; turn back the clock on your civilization's progress. What has taken you millennia to achieve I erase in seconds. Welcome back to the [Stone Age], vermin. Welcome home.|An excerpt of Mendicant Bias' hate-fueled diatribe against the Forerunners after the AI's defection to the Flood.{{Ref/Reuse|h3terminals}}}} | ||
[[File:Mendicant.jpg|thumb|300px|A now rampant [[Mendicant Bias]] defects to the Flood.]] | [[File:Mendicant.jpg|thumb|300px|A now rampant [[Mendicant Bias]] defects to the Flood.]] | ||
The Forerunners had created a powerful [[Contender-class artificial intelligence|''Contender''-class artificial intelligence]] known as [[Mendicant Bias]], and tasked it with leading all of their defensive efforts. Mendicant had deployed major fragments of itself on numerous warships as well as all of the twelve installations of the original Halo Array. Around [[97,495 BCE]], Mendicant Bias was charged with the first test-firing of a Halo, [[Installation 07]], near the former [[Precursor]] world of [[Charum Hakkor]]. As a result of this small-scale activation, an ancient entity imprisoned on Charum Hakkor, known as the [[Primordial]], was released and subsequently transported to | The Forerunners had created a powerful [[Contender-class artificial intelligence|''Contender''-class artificial intelligence]] known as [[Mendicant Bias]], and tasked it with leading all of their defensive efforts. Mendicant had deployed major fragments of itself on numerous warships as well as all of the twelve installations of the original Halo Array. Around [[97,495 BCE]], Mendicant Bias was charged with the first test-firing of a Halo, [[Installation 07|Gyre 11]], near the former [[Precursor]] world of [[Charum Hakkor]]. As a result of this small-scale activation, an ancient entity imprisoned on Charum Hakkor, known as the [[Primordial]], was released and subsequently transported to Gyre 11 for study. [[Master Builder]] [[Faber]] tasked Mendicant Bias with interrogating the Primordial before having Gyre 11 moved to a hidden locale to conduct his own unsanctioned experiments in secret.{{Ref/Novel|Cry|39}} During its 43-year long discourse with the Primordial, Mendicant Bias was convinced by the entity, actually a [[Gravemind]], to turn against its Forerunner masters.<ref name="p272">'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 272''</ref> | ||
Around the same time, Faber used | Around the same time, Faber used a Halo ring to suppress a [[San'Shyuum]] [[Battle of Janjur Qom|insurrection]], practically wiping out the species aside from samples indexed by the Librarian. The [[Ecumene Council]] deemed this a severe violation against the [[Mantle]]. The remaining Halo rings were to be brought to the [[Capital]] and were slated to be decommissioned, as they were deemed too destructive. This turned out to be a miscalculation on the Forerunners' part, as the rampant Mendicant Bias would arrive aboard Installation 07 and take control of many of the Halo rings over the capital.{{Ref/Novel|Cry|37}} Despite heavy resistance from the Forerunner fleets, Mendicant Bias successfully fired Gyre 11 in the Capital system, delivering a catastrophic blow to the Forerunner leadership for a time.{{Ref/Reuse|p272}} | ||
While the Forerunner government had downplayed the Flood threat up until this point,{{Ref/Reuse|c235}} they were now forced to take more drastic measures in order to survive. The Ecumene Council remained in disarray after Mendicant Bias' attack. The [[Ur-Didact]] had only recently returned from a millennium of exile, but the Master Builder, before being removed from power, had managed to capture the Didact and abandon him in a Flood-infested region of the galaxy. However, the Didact had duplicated his essence to another body, creating a secondary incarnation of himself, known as the [[IsoDidact]]. This copy assumed the role of the original Didact and reassumed command of the Forerunner military. Hoping to defeat the Flood via conventional strategy, the IsoDidact reactivated his [[shield world]]s and the defense plan he had engineered thousands of years earlier.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 250''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 341''</ref> The Forerunners scored a temporary victory as the IsoDidact's forces reclaimed | While the Forerunner government had downplayed the Flood threat up until this point,{{Ref/Reuse|c235}} they were now forced to take more drastic measures in order to survive. The Ecumene Council remained in disarray after Mendicant Bias' attack. The [[Ur-Didact]] had only recently returned from a millennium of exile, but the Master Builder, before being removed from power, had managed to capture the Didact and abandon him in a Flood-infested region of the galaxy. However, the Didact had duplicated his essence to another body, creating a secondary incarnation of himself, known as the [[IsoDidact]]. This copy assumed the role of the original Didact and reassumed command of the Forerunner military. Hoping to defeat the Flood via conventional strategy, the IsoDidact reactivated his [[shield world]]s and the defense plan he had engineered thousands of years earlier.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 250''</ref><ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 341''</ref> The Forerunners scored a temporary victory as the IsoDidact's forces [[Battle for Gyre 11|reclaimed]] Gyre 11 and captured the rampant Mendicant Bias. The Ecumene Council, which had been crippled by Mendicant Bias' attack, was reinstated shortly afterward as the "New Council".<ref>'''Halo: Primordium''', ''page 374-375''</ref> | ||
===Final years=== | ===Final years=== | ||
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{{Main|Great Purification}} | {{Main|Great Purification}} | ||
{{Quote|Something is wrong...at night I can see it--flitting shadows--black against the stars. Thousands of ships! Not spiraling outward, but heading for the line! This is the tipping point, Didact. It's no longer feeding. It's coming for you.|The Librarian to the IsoDidact.{{Ref/Reuse|h3terminals}}}} | {{Quote|Something is wrong...at night I can see it--flitting shadows--black against the stars. Thousands of ships! Not spiraling outward, but heading for the line! This is the tipping point, Didact. It's no longer feeding. It's coming for you.|The Librarian to the IsoDidact.{{Ref/Reuse|h3terminals}}}} | ||
[[File:HaloFiring.png|thumb | [[File:HaloFiring.png|thumb|300px|The firing of the [[Halo Array]], leading to the end of the war.]] | ||
The IsoDidact (rescued from the destruction of Omega Halo by [[343 Guilty Spark|Monitor Chakas]]), Offensive Bias, and the remaining Forerunners headed to the [[Installation 00|lesser Ark]], along with the surviving biological specimens from the greater Ark. This formerly secret installation contained the Forerunners' final weapon: the newer [[Halo Array]], which would purge the galaxy of sentient life, depriving the Flood of all biomass that they could consume, thus halting them. The seven rings were deployed in their designated locations across the galaxy, and while the firing preparations were being conducted, Mendicant Bias and the Flood prepared to assault the Ark. In order to give the IsoDidact time to fire the rings, the Librarian journeyed to Earth, broadcasting a feint message to draw the Flood there. Ignoring the IsoDidact's pleas to return to the Ark, the Librarian calmly embraced her inevitable demise in the savanna near [[Mount Kilimanjaro]], overlooking the construction of the [[Portal at Voi|Portal to the Ark]].{{Ref/Reuse|h3terminals}} | The IsoDidact (rescued from the destruction of Omega Halo by [[343 Guilty Spark|Monitor Chakas]]), Offensive Bias, and the remaining Forerunners headed to the [[Installation 00|lesser Ark]], along with the surviving biological specimens from the greater Ark. This formerly secret installation contained the Forerunners' final weapon: the newer [[Halo Array]], which would purge the galaxy of sentient life, depriving the Flood of all biomass that they could consume, thus halting them. The seven rings were deployed in their designated locations across the galaxy, and while the firing preparations were being conducted, Mendicant Bias and the Flood prepared to assault the Ark. In order to give the IsoDidact time to fire the rings, the Librarian journeyed to Earth, broadcasting a feint message to draw the Flood there. Ignoring the IsoDidact's pleas to return to the Ark, the Librarian calmly embraced her inevitable demise in the savanna near [[Mount Kilimanjaro]], overlooking the construction of the [[Portal at Voi|Portal to the Ark]].{{Ref/Reuse|h3terminals}} | ||
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*''[[Halo: Last Light]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Last Light]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo Mythos]]'' | *''[[Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo]]'' | ||
*''[[Halo: Fractures]]'' | *''[[Halo: Fractures]]'' | ||
**''[[Promises to Keep]]'' {{Mo}} | **''[[Promises to Keep]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
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*''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo: Point of Light]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}} | *''[[Halo Infinite]]'' {{Mo}} | ||
*''[[Halo: Epitaph]]'' | |||
==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||