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Talk:Flood: Difference between revisions
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:Now that we're 2 books into the series, it's become more obvious that the "cure" was nothing more than a stalemate, or a genetic "nuclear deterrent"; Biological MAD or Mutually Assured Destruction... "Sure you can wipe out my species, but I'll take all of you bastards with me", except that the Flood had such a numerical superiority that it really wasn't a viable option, given that it didn't stop infection so much as it killed the infecting organism as the host was itself consumed. The problem with this approach is that there would still be plenty of Flood left over after Humanity had sacrificed itself to the last being. Instead, we can now see that the Flood in fact STOPPED attacking Humans after they had demonstrated the capability to effectively fight back on a cellular level and the willingness to sacrifice themselves to do it. Could the Flood adapt to the countermeasure? Quite possibly, yeah, but that wasn't the point. The Flood (and by extension, the Precursors) were looking for some sign that Humans were the worthy successors that they'd created them to be. To say that the Flood could adapt to the "cure" is to look at the issue from a strictly biological standpoint, and it's obvious from everything we know that the Flood is intelligent and capable of directing its actions. It would probably be more constructinve to look at the issue from a sociological or even religious perspective. | :Now that we're 2 books into the series, it's become more obvious that the "cure" was nothing more than a stalemate, or a genetic "nuclear deterrent"; Biological MAD or Mutually Assured Destruction... "Sure you can wipe out my species, but I'll take all of you bastards with me", except that the Flood had such a numerical superiority that it really wasn't a viable option, given that it didn't stop infection so much as it killed the infecting organism as the host was itself consumed. The problem with this approach is that there would still be plenty of Flood left over after Humanity had sacrificed itself to the last being. Instead, we can now see that the Flood in fact STOPPED attacking Humans after they had demonstrated the capability to effectively fight back on a cellular level and the willingness to sacrifice themselves to do it. Could the Flood adapt to the countermeasure? Quite possibly, yeah, but that wasn't the point. The Flood (and by extension, the Precursors) were looking for some sign that Humans were the worthy successors that they'd created them to be. To say that the Flood could adapt to the "cure" is to look at the issue from a strictly biological standpoint, and it's obvious from everything we know that the Flood is intelligent and capable of directing its actions. It would probably be more constructinve to look at the issue from a sociological or even religious perspective. | ||
Think about it: Humans saw themselves as the Precursors' true inheritors. One day they find the very thing that they venerated, hibernating at the edge of the galaxy, and they bring it to their capital, and learn to comunicate with it. Then they begin to get ravaged by this terrible "disease", losing planet after planet to it. Desperate, they consult with their "deity" who informs them that it is, in fact, their creators, who have returned to judge them... Immediately after learning of this revelation, millions of Humans commited suicide, unable to face the knowledge that their gods had come back to destroy them. The remaining Humans had developed a way of combatting the Flood on its own playing field: at the cellular level. In desperation, they innoculated a third of their population and placed them in harm's way. Of course, the Flood died after consuming them, but then something altogether unexpected happened as well: The Flood withdrew from Human space, making it seem as if their "cure" was exactly that, when in fact it was something altogether different... The Precorsors/Flood had been looking for some sort of sign that the Humans were the worthy successors that they had long been seeking to take over the Mantle. Having learned the harsh lessons from their ill-fated war with the Forerunners, the few Precursors that remained used their vast knowledge of the biological sciences to ensure both their own survival and the means to carry out their plan via the Flood. When the Humans developed their "cure" and sacrificed 1/3 of their population to implement it, the Precursors apparently saw this as the sign they had been waiting for: Their heirs had risen to their challenge and had shown willingness to sacrifice themselves prevent the spread of the Flood. I'm guessing that the Forerunners hadn't been as selfless when they were tested, millions of years earlier. [[ | :Think about it: Humans saw themselves as the Precursors' true inheritors. One day they find the very thing that they venerated, hibernating at the edge of the galaxy, and they bring it to their capital, and learn to comunicate with it. Then they begin to get ravaged by this terrible "disease", losing planet after planet to it. Desperate, they consult with their "deity" who informs them that it is, in fact, their creators, who have returned to judge them... Immediately after learning of this revelation, millions of Humans commited suicide, unable to face the knowledge that their gods had come back to destroy them. The remaining Humans had developed a way of combatting the Flood on its own playing field: at the cellular level. In desperation, they innoculated a third of their population and placed them in harm's way. Of course, the Flood died after consuming them, but then something altogether unexpected happened as well: The Flood withdrew from Human space, making it seem as if their "cure" was exactly that, when in fact it was something altogether different... The Precorsors/Flood had been looking for some sort of sign that the Humans were the worthy successors that they had long been seeking to take over the Mantle. Having learned the harsh lessons from their ill-fated war with the Forerunners, the few Precursors that remained used their vast knowledge of the biological sciences to ensure both their own survival and the means to carry out their plan via the Flood. When the Humans developed their "cure" and sacrificed 1/3 of their population to implement it, the Precursors apparently saw this as the sign they had been waiting for: Their heirs had risen to their challenge and had shown willingness to sacrifice themselves prevent the spread of the Flood. I'm guessing that the Forerunners hadn't been as selfless when they were tested, millions of years earlier. (Forgot to log in before signing...durr!) [[User talk:DJenser|DJenser]] 13:31, 24 May 2012 (EDT) | ||
== Flood forms in legends == | == Flood forms in legends == | ||