IDENTIFICATION OF NEW categories of Flood components and forms will be distributed upon confirmation.

Tentative conclusions: the Flood is mutating to form Graveminds of unprecedented size and complexity, incorporating many species. Entire planetary ecosystems have apparently undergone conversion to what are being referred to as Key Minds.

Evidence of the extraordinary strategic planning abilities of these Key Minds is rapidly increasing. They appear to be more than a match for any metarch-level ancilla, capable of assuming complete control of besieged sectors, and sending converted battle fleets through unprecedented number of slipspace portals utilizing unfamiliar technology.

This technology also appears to be capable of blocking delivery of our forces to battle fronts. Vessels showing signs of extreme reconciliation failure have been witnessed at the arrival points of major Forerunner portals.

Perhaps most alarming, reports arrive each hour of reawakened Precursor artifacts, including orbital ribbons, star roads, planetary fortresses, and citadels. Combined defense forces are inadequate to investigate and confirm all instances of these reactivations.

They appear to be galaxy-wide.

String 19

STRING 19

BATTLE BRIEFING: KAN PAKKO

WE’VE ENTERED ORBIT around an unexploited gas giant and are using it as a shield. All feasible orbital solutions for leaving this system are blockaded.…

“We are surrounded by over a thousand Forerunner vessels of all classes.

“More alarming, we cannot open slipspace portals; three of our ships have ‘echoed’ from attempted transits and show powerful causality mutations. Some clearly were caught between our continuum and incomplete, inefficient universes. Status of their crews and ancillas is unknown, but communication has ceased.

“This system was once a prime site for Precursor artifacts. They are no longer dormant. Suppression fields of enormous power appear to be magnified by local star roads, which are taking on new and startling configurations.

“Our weapons are no longer usable.

“Hundreds of infected ships have attempted to blast or cut into our own. With protective fields suppressed, we may not be able to withstand them much longer.

“We have no means of returning to Forerunner lines. Unless we can formulate a viable escape, we will, within a few hours, sacrifice ourselves in dubious battle against overwhelming forces.

“We will reduce their strength and numbers as best we can.”

String 20

STRING 20

REPORT FROM JURIDICAL NETWORK (UNSIGNED)

FORERUNNER DEFENSES CONTINUE to collapse.

Burns now cover two thirds of Forerunner territory, and the Flood has assumed complete control of well over half a million stellar systems.

Juridicals have been evacuated from most of these regions. Where they have been captured, evidence of intrusion into the Juridical network is now clear, and so the network has been temporarily shut down.

Forerunner legal proceedings are now on hold.

Forerunner civilization is now on hold.

[TT: End of this series of anomalous strings.]

String 21

STRING 21

TESTIMONY OF FABER, THE MASTER BUILDER

FABER: If I am guilty of any crime, why would I rescue my greatest enemy and bring him back to tell his story?

MASTER JURIDICAL: Our inquiry has not yet begun. You are answering questions not posed.