SILENTIUM SPOILERS AHEAD
I’m confused about the Flood research stations on the Halos. In Silentium, the Forerunners find out that there IS no cure for the flood; but the six NEW Halos were created AFTER this discovery (At least I’m pretty sure), so why would they contain research stations designed to find a cure? I suppose it could be that this information simply wasn’t communicated to everyone before the rings were built, but even then it seems that the Forerunners would destroy those Flood specimens after realizing they were of no use. Wanted to know if I missed something, or if this is just a small hiccup in the story.
Only the IsoDidact ever “knew” that there was no cure, due to his conversation with the Primodrial. Even with that, it’s doubtful that the Forerunners would suddenly give up on a cure. The Halos were a last resort, and though the IsoDidact eventually activated them, he held off doing to until there was no other option.
And just to note: the 6 new Halos and Lesser Ark were created sometime before the Flood reappeared in the Milky Way around 100,300 BCE.
Well, there it is lol. Thanks 
And hey, maybe he’s just trying to find something new. A new way…
I think the IsoDidact wanted to preserve them for future generations to enjoy…
How to cure them, how to better fight them, exploitable weaknesses…there were all sorts of reasons to keep Flood specimens around.
Few reasons not to have a proper lockdown protocol to prevent the specimens escaping though. Super-advanced alien race, trying to wipe out most virulent parasite in the universe, and there’s little to stop the Flood escaping other than locked doors and a couple of floating robots.
> How to cure them, how to better fight them, exploitable weaknesses…there were all sorts of reasons to keep Flood specimens around.
>
> Few reasons not to have a proper lockdown protocol to prevent the specimens escaping though. Super-advanced alien race, trying to wipe out most virulent parasite in the universe, and there’s little to stop the Flood escaping other than locked doors and a couple of floating robots.
This about sums it up quite nicely.
> Only the IsoDidact ever “knew” that there was no cure, due to his conversation with the Primodrial. Even with that, it’s doubtful that the Forerunners would suddenly give up on a cure. The Halos were a last resort, and though the IsoDidact eventually activated them, he held off doing to until there was no other option.
>
> And just to note: the 6 new Halos and Lesser Ark were created sometime before the Flood reappeared in the Milky Way around 100,300 BCE.
Do you have a quote on that? Silentium seemed like the lesser ark and the 6 new halos (plus modded 7) were produced in secret during the conflict.
Omega Halo at the great ark was named such because it was the supposedly “last” halo.