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Key mind: Difference between revisions

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(where should this go assuming it is relevant canon?)
(Undo revision 1431464 by Slaugth324 (talk) This really should be sourced and properly formatted. Additionally, half the info here is factually incorrect (see the sources on the page))
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==Overview==
==Overview==
Key minds act as coordinators for nearby Flood forms, leveraging wisdom harvested from the parasites' hosts to expand, outwit, overwhelm, and consume other life.<ref name="Keyminds">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Keyminds''</ref> There are various types of key minds, from the relatively simple [[Proto-Gravemind]] agglomerations, to the apex [[Gravemind]] forms through which the parasite’s true intelligence can manifest. Specialized key minds are also assembled if the Flood is allowed to spread out of control, including mobile command forms and specialized meta-networks that harness the neurosystems of entire planetary population for the purpose of controlling Flood activities at an interstellar scale.
Key minds act as coordinators for nearby Flood forms, leveraging wisdom harvested from the parasites' hosts to expand, outwit, overwhelm, and consume other life.<ref name="Keyminds">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Keyminds''</ref> There are various types of key minds, from the relatively simple [[Proto-Gravemind]] agglomerations, to the apex [[Gravemind]] forms through which the parasite’s true intelligence can manifest. Specialized key minds are also assembled if the Flood is allowed to spread out of control, including mobile command forms and specialized meta-networks that harness the neurosystems of entire planetary population for the purpose of controlling Flood activities at an interstellar scale.
The Key Mind is an advanced form of Flood Gravemind.
Description
Key Minds are formed by the complete assimilation of planetary ecosystems by the Flood. They are larger and hold more intelligence than a regular Gravemind. They are capable of extraordinary strategic planning, such as controlling entire battle fleets, and are more than a match for metarch-class ancillas. The Key Mind basically a living planet composed of Flood biomass. Key Minds are distinguishable by their green and brown colors, as well as immense tentacles that flail around the creature. The atmosphere surrounding the Key Mind is composed almost entirely of Flood spores, and is extremely toxic.
Formation
When the Flood infects and assimilates every living thing on a planet, the individual forms merge together and form a sort of web over the entire surface of the planet. The Flood then proceeds to "digest" the planet, consuming the whole world and multiplying on a massive scale. This generates immense quantities of heat, causing the planet to literally "boil". The surface bubbles and rolls, while the atmosphere is superheated to temperatures high enough to melt any un-shielded vessel. The planet's local Gravemind then makes it's way to the core of the planet, where it assumes control of the whole mass. The newly formed Key Mind then sprouts immense tentacles all across it's surface. These tentacles are for absorbing solar radiation to provide energy to the Key Mind, as well as transmitting signals to other Flood minds. The tentacles can also serve as self defense.
Neurology
Key Minds by themselves have immense processing power, but when they begin to link up, they share their computational power, allowing the Flood to easily coordinate efforts across the Galaxy (or potentially many galaxies) in real-time. No species has ever been able to match the processing power of a Key Mind network.
Combat Strategy
The only known way to kill a fully grown Key Mind is to infuse the local star with iron, causing it to go supernova, vaporizing everything in the system. This was how Forerunners combated them.


The [[abomination]], an evolved form of the [[Flood Juggernaut|juggernaut]] command form, is a type of key mind war-form.<ref name="Abomination">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Abomination''</ref> The creation of key minds causes an infestation to transition from feral aggression to coordinated conversion. As the Flood grow in number, key minds combine and expand into larger, exponentially more intelligent networks. The appearance of these vile collectives typically indicates most local sentient hosts have been infected or consumed. Once a critical mass of key minds have been combined, the Flood's centralized intelligence can begin to emerge in their seething mass of corrupted flesh: a [[Proto-Gravemind]] that sifts through and feeds on the memories of every Flood-infected victim.{{Ref/Reuse|Keyminds}}
The [[abomination]], an evolved form of the [[Flood Juggernaut|juggernaut]] command form, is a type of key mind war-form.<ref name="Abomination">'''Halo Wars 2''', ''[[Phoenix Logs]] — Abomination''</ref> The creation of key minds causes an infestation to transition from feral aggression to coordinated conversion. As the Flood grow in number, key minds combine and expand into larger, exponentially more intelligent networks. The appearance of these vile collectives typically indicates most local sentient hosts have been infected or consumed. Once a critical mass of key minds have been combined, the Flood's centralized intelligence can begin to emerge in their seething mass of corrupted flesh: a [[Proto-Gravemind]] that sifts through and feeds on the memories of every Flood-infected victim.{{Ref/Reuse|Keyminds}}

Revision as of 13:39, May 26, 2021

The Gravemind with a captured John-117.
As the compound minds created by the Flood expand and grow, a Gravemind can consciously exert control over a wider area or divide its attention among many more intricate plots.

"Entire planetary ecosystems have apparently undergone conversion to what are being referred to as Key Minds."
— String 18, one of thirty-nine such abstracted pieces of sourced from a Catalog unit and damaged monitor associated with a single fossilized Juridical.[1]

Key minds are specialized Flood coordinating bodies created through the fusing of captured sentient entities with pure Flood cells.[2]

Overview

Key minds act as coordinators for nearby Flood forms, leveraging wisdom harvested from the parasites' hosts to expand, outwit, overwhelm, and consume other life.[3] There are various types of key minds, from the relatively simple Proto-Gravemind agglomerations, to the apex Gravemind forms through which the parasite’s true intelligence can manifest. Specialized key minds are also assembled if the Flood is allowed to spread out of control, including mobile command forms and specialized meta-networks that harness the neurosystems of entire planetary population for the purpose of controlling Flood activities at an interstellar scale.

The abomination, an evolved form of the juggernaut command form, is a type of key mind war-form.[4] The creation of key minds causes an infestation to transition from feral aggression to coordinated conversion. As the Flood grow in number, key minds combine and expand into larger, exponentially more intelligent networks. The appearance of these vile collectives typically indicates most local sentient hosts have been infected or consumed. Once a critical mass of key minds have been combined, the Flood's centralized intelligence can begin to emerge in their seething mass of corrupted flesh: a Proto-Gravemind that sifts through and feeds on the memories of every Flood-infected victim.[3]

History

Near the end of the Forerunners' struggle against the Flood, entire planetary ecosystems underwent conversion to the Flood.[5] The monicker "Key Mind" was first used by Forerunners to refer to the Flood controlling these ecosystems. These Key Minds displayed extraordinary strategic planning abilities and appeared to be more than a match for even any metarch-class ancilla. They were capable of seizing complete control of besieged sectors and sending converted battle fleets through unprecedented numbers of slipspace portals through the use of Precursor neural physics.[5]

Many thousands of years after the war, in 2531, a Proto-Gravemind was encountered by the UNSC Spirit of Fire on the Forerunner shield world Etran Harborage where it attempted to trick the human crew. The crew managed to kill the Proto-Gravemind[6] and later destroyed the planet itself.[7] Similarly, in 2552, a Proto-Gravemind was encountered by Spartan II John-117 during the Battle of Installation 04 on board the Truth and Reconciliation where it was attempting to use the knowledge of the assimilated Captain Jacob Keyes to fly the ship to Earth.[8] It was destroyed by Covenant special ops teams before the ship was captured by human forces.[9] Another Proto-Gravemind formed aboard the Infinite Succor during the same battle, but was destroyed by Covenant forces led by Rtas 'Vadum along with the ship.[10]

Later that year, a Gravemind that had established itself on Installation 05 boarded the Covenant capital, High Charity, and overtook it.[11][12] It used the mobile station to pursue United Nations Space Command and Covenant forces to Installation 00,[13] where it was dealt a devastating blow by the firing of the incomplete Installation 08 which destroyed the Gravemind and ended the Flood outbreak on the installation.[14] In the years to follow, humans studying records from the Forerunner-Flood War realized that the complexity witnessed to give rise to the Key Minds wasn't exclusive to a new stage, but rather was pervasive at every stage of progression, especially leading to the formation of Proto-Graveminds.

In 2559, key minds were encountered again on Installation 00 in the form of abominations and a Proto-Gravemind when the Banished forces occupying the installation accidentally released what remained of the Flood from High Charity's crash site where it had previously been confined. The Proto-Gravemind was destroyed by Banished forces before it could become a Gravemind and the installation's Sentinels were able to once more contain the Flood.[15]

Gallery

  • A Proto-Gravemind.

    A Proto-Gravemind.

  • A Proto-Gravemind.

    A Proto-Gravemind.

  • H2A-GravemindWithCaptives.jpg

    A Gravemind.

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ Halo: Silentium, ONIRF Trevelyan Top Secret
  2. ^ Halo Waypoint - Deluge Delights
  3. ^ a b Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs — Keyminds
  4. ^ Halo Wars 2, Phoenix Logs — Abomination
  5. ^ a b Halo: Silentium, String 18
  6. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level The Flood
  7. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Escape
  8. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level Keyes
  9. ^ Halo: The Flood
  10. ^ The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor
  11. ^ Halo 2, campaign level Gravemind
  12. ^ Halo 3, campaign level High Charity
  13. ^ Halo 3, campaign level The Ark
  14. ^ Halo 3, campaign level Halo
  15. ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level Manifestation

v • d • e
 
Known Flood forms
Regular Spore • Pod • Seeder • Tadpole • Dispersal pod
Growths Stalk • Blister
Other Flood Super Cell (FSC)
Infected
Structures
Hives Hive • Den • Nest • Colony • Spore Mound • Cocooned base • Blightlands
Defensive Launcher • Root
Other Porta • Vent
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