Having played Halo 2 to its conclusion and getting the gist of the story thus far, I have drawn the following conclusions, most of which will be bourne out in Halo 3;

1. EARTH IS THE ARK
It seemed to me that at the point when Regret met his much deserved end at the hands of the MC, the Covenent decided to destroy his temple. Ignoring speculation that the fleet was sent to destroy Regret anyway (a patent misconception, as we witnessed the public humiliation, torture, and defrocking of the commander of the defeated Covenant forces), it would be too good a political plum for the heirarchy of prophets to pass up...scapegoating one of their own in the midst of a civil war. An old story really. Regret was called on the air for jumping the gun on the Earth attack, but lets examine where that preemptive strike more closely. It occurred near a site where the first documented oldest proof (thus far) of early human existence--the appriximate area of the Nile source in the continent of Africa. Covenant forces seemed to be rerouted to earth despite being turned back by UNSC forces in the city, and fled like a bat out of hell after the MC turned the Scarab into shrapnel, and making the C eat their own bomb at the end of Cairo. The Chief in promising Cortana, indicated to the Admiral that he intended to finish the fight there (paraphrasing the MC).

2. GRAVEMIND
The obvious agenda for sending MC and the Arbiter on their respective missions is self-preservation. Turn the key and its mutually assured destruction of everything (refer to Cortana, 343, and the monitor of installation 5 as well--penitent tangent).

What G has in mind is a version of the old American "Manifest Destiny", but in this case, he wants to turn all the sentient species into Flood. Multiple genocides, rather than flood as a ruling class. We hae seen that the flood have operated UNSC ships as well as weapons, and they were attempting to repair the Pillar of Autumn in the first Halo.

3. Wither the Covenant???
Unlike my first two conclusions, this third is a bit more hazy, but i'm putting it into print, so I can be one of the first I-told-you-so'ers when Halo 3 hits the bricks and leaves the labs.

A. TRUTH OUT...ARBITER IN
When the MC and human company make mincemeat of the Covenant fleet (again!!!), and the flood is all dried up, Truth will meet with a little "accident" as a result of his betrayal of his people, and the subject species at the hands of the Arbiter. Method of execution will be similar to the MC's dispatching of Regret--Mr. A's gonna jump on that prophetcycle of Truth's and bash Truth's brains in. As Mr. T, as Clubber Lang (or the flood in Halo 2) would say in reference to the first Rocky III fight, I predict "Pain!!!"

The duped Covenant rank and file will at least reinstate Arbiter and at most will make him the head of a NEW Covenant council of Elites.

4. THE TRILOGY ENDS
When the battle for earth is decisively won by MC and co., it will be while the prophet regime is held together by Truth and his brutes/bugs/jackals. This loss will be comparable to the Communist takeover of Russia during WW I in 1917. The prevalent force then (the Reds) were too weak to continue waging world war, and sued for peace...at a great territorial loss. The loss of Covenent forces fighting their own icons (humans) will hit home and further propel the Elite junta to stop the madness, namely the alliance between the only two leading organic sentients on both sides with any integrity or
sense of honor, balance, and duty--in spite of taking orders from the scatterbrained, disloyal, and flighty leadership of others (namely the MC and Arbiter). MC might just retire and train other spartans...j/k.

5. After Halo 3???
Spinoffs, of course. Look at all the action/ad cop movies that followed up Dirty Harry. Barbies spun off Cabbage Patch dolls, care bears, those goofy mood watches sold by burger king, well you get the idea. Superman preceded Batman, Dick Tracy, and Spiderman. Bingie might get a wild hair and do a Halo 4 as a Reach prequel...lol

Some things to think about...
fredcapt@ yahoo.com