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Not so long ago, in a forum fairly close at hand, Simpsons Rule inquired as to the meaning of a particular passage from The Fall of Reach. Among the responses, Wado SG checked in with some rather simple, though revealing mathematics and hypotheses connecting the stones of Sigma Octanus, back-scattered matter, and Halo's previous firing. His summarized submission is as follows:
The pulse-laser is mentioned (in Halo: The Fall of Reach on page 234) by Cortana who says that an extremely powerful†pulse-laser struck the accretion disk of the black hole causing matter to backscatter at near the speed of light. The signal was trapped in the event horizon of the black hole where it was found by UNSC scientists. The signal matched what was found at the 60,000 year old meteor impact site on Sigma Octanus Four, so I conclude that the rocks at the meteor site were from the black hole [or a related incident or location]. The black hole is 40,000 light years from the Sigma Octanus system†which means that†the rocks traveled a†little more than 40,000 years to reach there.
60,000 + 40,000 = 100,000 years.
In Halo: The Flood page 242 it is stated that with no food the Flood lay dormant for more than 100,000 years on Halo.†We know from 343 Guilty Spark that the Flood specimens were placed on Halo after the last catastrophic outbreak.†If Halo was used to end the Flood threat during the last catastrophic outbreak, then that means Halo's superweapon was fired sometime just more than 100,000 years ago. About the same time that the pulse-laser struck the black hole.
Halo's pulse-laser is fired at a black hole, striking the event horizon and the result is a massive release of lethal radiation. I'm speculating that it would be Unruh Radiation and possibly with the radiation a thermal wave would strike the planets, boiling†surface life and burning atmosphere much like the effect of glassing a planet with plasma.
Of course there's no guarantee that Halo's superweapon is a pulse-laser, but the timing of the pulse-laser and of the last firing of Halo did appear to happen at approximately the same time. What more do we need to know? Pulse generators on Halo amplify the signal. Need I say more?
In light of this, it would seem that 343 Guilty Spark's 101 217 local years of isolation and the over one hundred thousand years of Flood dormancy (mentioned on page 241 of The Flood) are somewhat equivalent; a "local year" may be very similar to the standard terrestrial. Has the ambiguity been solved? If this riddle has been laid bare, is Brannon out of secrets? Out of a job? Time will tell... ;)
Another cause of furrowing brows could be the method of delivery for the rocks found at Sigma Octanus, If an asteroid turned meteorite travelling near the speed of light were to collide with a planet... well, it would make the results of a more common, extinction level impact look quite tame. A ship then? Is there another possible chain of events? There is definitely more to dig up and put in order here. Join the forum post or let us know :)
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-Finn
