They were obviously there for a while before we got there what with the whole quarantine and gravemind.
And that got me thinking they could have only been released two ways.
1.poor maintenance
2.outside interference
i think it was the aliens from the cea terminal that released it perhaps they were some sort of proxy race the precursors were using to release there real “test”
Anyone agree?
What aliens are you talking about? I’m sure the answer is much more obvious. Most likely Penitent Tangent went rampant, got lonely, and a conversation with the Gravemind got out of hand. I mean, not even Mendicant Bias could withstand the Flood, and he was a matarch-level ancilla.
Penitent Tangent was falling into rampancy and began to neglect his containment duties. When Bungie released the Halo 3 map Cold Storage, they gave us these chilling (pun very much intended) messages in the BWU explaining why the Flood had breached containment.
> “REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE
> LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] has experienced catastrophic specimen containment failure. All apertures into facility will be locked until further notice. Atmosphere evacuation and [reduction of ambient temperature] protocols have already been enacted. Request maintenance and security detail [at earliest opportunity]. [8 minutes] elapsed since initial containment failure.
>
> REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE
> Waiting for maintenance and security detail. [32 minutes, 9 seconds] elapsed since request.
>
> REPORT: CONTAINMENT FAILURE
> Still waiting for maintenance and security detail. [24 hours] elapsed since request.
>
> REPORT: SECURITY BREACH
>
> LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] has experienced a security breach via emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits. Emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits have been placed in recursive mode to contain unauthorized hostile life forms. Request emergency security detail. Still waiting for primary maintenance and security detail. [2512332 hours, 14 minutes, 6 seconds] elapsed since initial request.
>
> REPORT: DERELICTION OF DUTY
> 2401 Penitent Tangent has been lax in the areas of maintenance and security.”
>
> *
>
> LOG: QUERIED ADJACENT FACILITIES
> LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility [alpha, beta, gamma, epsilon, zeta, and kappa sites] have all replied [systems normal] within expected constraints. This would tend to signify that the containment failure was purely mechanical in nature; perhaps a manufacturing flaw. As no [outside agent] has accessed [delta site] in the past [874068942 hours, 4 minutes, 46 seconds]—[allowing for a 61360 hour, 54 minute, 2 second margin of error]—sabotage would seem unlikely.
>
> LOG: REQUEST UNANSWERED
> LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] is currently being held at [.01 atm] / [184K]. Local maintenance and security hubs have failed to reply within expected constraints. [Bumping maintenance and security request up] to [quadrant oversight].
>
> LOG: REQUEST UNANSWERED
> LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] is currently being held at [1 atm] / [278K] as atmospheric seals were showing signs of stress. [Quadrant oversight] has failed to reply within expected constraints. [Bumping maintenance and security request all the way up] to 2401 [PENITENT TANGENT].
>
> LOG: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO FACILITIES
> LF.Xx.3273 research and containment facility; [delta site] emergency [slip stream space] transportation conduits have been accessed by unauthorized parties.
>
> LOG: FILED COMPLAINT TO INSTALLATION 00
> 2401 [PENITENT TANGENT], monitor of Installation 05, has been lax in the areas of maintenance and security. Requests for aid in said areas have gone unanswered by both 2401 and [subservient] systems well beyond expected constraints.