#numarathon

Checking to see if your homie isn't bleeding out after a firefight and you almost smooch me thinks? Ha ha jk unless

Something something, is it too early to start shipping shells together,, nahhhh [full under cut]

I am absolutely frothing at the MOUTH for the lore drops from Marathon. I may be sad that the gameplay genre is not one that I enjoy, but I will NEVER ever doubt that Bungie is a master at this type of lore building.

I want to analyze some of Durandal's new lines from the terminals. One brief aside -- I think the voice in the new cinematics coming out of the Cryo Archive unlocking ARG (check the Marathon Youtube page) is that of one Dr. Bernhard Strauss. His name is listed in the video description. I can't believe we're getting to hear these characters voiced, and I also can't believe how quickly I flipped off the screen when I realized who was speaking :D!

Alright, on to our favorite smug intellectual.

Perimeter Terminals

So two of these are fairly esoteric and broad, not really speaking "to" us, but "at" us, if that makes sense. He asserts that we are dreaming "timid dreams", and calls us "curious, violent things". Intrigued but not invested, perhaps lol.

Dire Marsh Terminals

Durandal is pushing us here, accusing and encouraging both. "You stand where you do not belong" and "Take the next steps/Board the Marathon." A bit more active, less passive. I also feel we get just a tiiiny bit of 'snark' with his "That's rhetorical." comment. He also refers to the Marathon as being home "once".

Outpost Terminals

Alright here's where things get interesting. Going to quote these ones fully.

I saw a memory once. In the summer heat, a child let an insect crawl slowly across her fingers. She would place her hands in sequence, a perpetual path, and the bug blithely set one little green foot after the other. She led it to a fire at the end. It curled, burned black on the hot coals. Come little Runner. Let me lead you.

First of all, yikes. Second of all, there's some of his grandeur, equating himself with the human girl and us with little bugs. One interesting thing here is how he recalls this as "I saw a memory once". I'm very curious as to what this means and whether it is a clue towards what Durandal's true nature in this story is.

Are you certain you want to go where I have been? I have visited a lake of flesh, breathing, pink and raw. It was so peaceful, so quiet. Even when it started to bleed.

First of all, YIKES! Second of all, this implies that the Durandal who is speaking to us has either previously left the Marathon, or the Marathon with Durandal on it has visited this place. Or he is lying about having physically visited this freaky-ass lake.

You think you can follow my path into the stars? And that I will greet you there? I may, in fact. You’re all I have now, you hollow, echo of a thing. It fills me with disgust.

Alright, so this is probably the most important one. "You're all I have now." I think this points to two possibilities for Durandal's past in this game. I know that the question of which timeline we are in, given the events of Infinity, is a critical question, and one that we cannot really answer right now. But Durandal's language here points to, I think, two general options, the latter of which I both like more and think is more plausible.

1) This is a Durandal who has gone through the events of Marathon 2 and Infinity, and has, for some reason, returned to Tau Ceti IV and the Marathon. "You're all I have now" thus bodes VERY POORLY for the fate of the freed S'pht and our dear Security Officer.

2) In this universe, when Durandal moved himself over to the Sfiera the Narhl'Lar the Boomer (god I love this guy), he left a copy of himself behind on the Marathon. With the S'pht and the Security Officer leaving for Lh'owon, Tycho and Leela having been taken, and everyone else on board dead, this copy of Durandal, presumably still in the Rage state, is completely alone.