[quote][quote]We don't know how large either side truly is. But their is a quote that says the Cabal have more worlds then humanity knows, which would give them billions. However I feel this is more then likely hyperbole given how it is said.[/quote]True, we don't truly know the scale of either empire, although it's strongly believed that the Covenant span the majority of the galaxy. And while we don't know the size of the Cabal Empire, we've gotten glimpses at the size and strength of their navy, which looks considerably weak compared to the Covenant. ----------- They have shown able to move worlds, so they are certainly in a similar level I would say. ----------- [quote]I would say Keyminds and Star rods are far more important but I can see where you are coming from, although can't Hive infect people as well?[/quote]To the extent of my knowledge, no: the Hive cannot infect people. At least not like the Flood can. The Hive are only capable of physically killing you and then consuming your light if you possess any. However, it's hinted that you can become insane or go mad if you learn too much about the Hive. I guess that could count as a type of 'consuming', although it's more accurately comparable to the indoctrination effect by reapers from mass effect. ----------- Ok thank you. ----------- [quote]The Halos killed plants as well as trees that had learned to communicate through insects, only things like moss survived. So I would imagine that Vex would be susceptible. Also The Forerunners are not extremely mysterious anymore thanks to the Forerunner novels, and given their described abilities in the books, such as having the industrial capacity to pump out the death stars every five minutes as a low-budget project, allowing civilians to use planet destroying equipment for their basic activities, and possessing the ability to manipulate time and space to the point where they can tilt the axis of the galaxy. I would give it to them. (Here's a feat thread to show most of their abilities) https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/forerunner-feat-thread.236388/ [/quote]I did a bit of reading and apparently, [i]"AIs, microbes, fungi, algae, mosses, and traditional plants are unaffected" - [halopedia][/i]. The organic matter located within the Vex is comparable to a microbe, so I'm keeping with my theory that they'd be unaffected by the halo array. And yes, the majority of me would believe that the Forerunners would beat the Vex. Also thanks for the link. ----------- Not exactly. Halo Cryptum; ch. 12. The Didact requested scans of the planet’s present biota along with lists of the flora and fauna that had survived the battles nine thousand years before. In the records of the survey conducted by the Lifeworkers, likely after the end of hostilities, I saw hundreds of species of larger animals ranging in size from a meter to a hundred meters—some clearly aquatic, others huge land carnivores or sedate prairie-grazers. This list was compared with what the sensors could now locate. One by one, the larger species dropped out. “No animals larger than a meter,” the ship’s ancilla reported in a precise, clipped voice. Next came a range of historic species less than a meter in size—tree-hoppers, burrowers, small carnivores, seed-eaters, flying creatures, arthropods, clonal sibling societies … the Pheru. One by one, they dropped off the current list. None to be found. Next came flora, including dense arboreal forests. Many of the original trees had acquired a kind of long-term intelligence, communicating with each other over centuries using insects, viruses, bacteria, and fungi as carriers of genetic and hormonal signals, analogous to neurons.… That list also quickly emptied. There were remnants—dead forests and jungles covered with a false green carpet of primitive plants and symbiotic species. All that remained, apparently, were mosses, fungi, algae, and their combined forms. “Nothing with a central nervous system or even a notochord,” the ship’s ancilla reported. “No fauna above a millimeter in scale.” Any fauna over a millimeter was wiped out. Your welcome :) ----------- [quote]The Insurrection, or one of the fringe species of the Covenant?[/quote]I thought about those, but if you think about it, the insurrection is not far off from the strength of the UNSC, being nearly as expansive as them and some groups having access to Covenant tech as seen with the residents of the Rubble. And even though a Covenant fringe species is fairly week, the Reef Awoken occupy only the asteroid belt, which almost seems borderline pathetic and petty in terms of true strength and prowess. ----------- The Insurrection was not nearly as powerful as the UNSC but before the war was growing fast and could have led to a civil war, so they could have potentially rivaled the UNSC. ----------- [quote]They have no beings who are beyond reality though, so they have no counter to Precursors.[/quote]True, although I've heard some argue that the precursors are not transcendent, and that the remaining precursors instead turned themselves into the galactic dust that would ultimately become the Flood. ----------- They existed before the stars/universe, and can survive physical death. It is true that some became the flood. ----------- [quote]The Halo arrays effect alternate universes as well, the only way to survive is to hide deep within fractals slipspace dimensions.[/quote]Or a combat cryptum. Or a regular shield world, which could house millions each. The primary reason that the shield worlds didn't work was because mendicant bias revealed their locations to the Flood after defecting, thus meaning they were invaded and compromised. Beyond that however, the protective technology should still work. ----------- For the Forerunners yes, but the Vex would have to be able to access a fractal dimension like slipspace in order to survive. ----------- [quote]Destiny has no cosmic entity's, so they have no real counter.[/quote]True as far as we know, but I can certainly imagine a race such as the Vex having some sort of transcendent cosmic entity. Their grimoire suggests that the Vex may even be trying to become a fundamental irremovable part of the universe itself, though a lot of this seems far fetched.[/quote] ----------- I think they have actually done this in alternate universes, but I'm not sure, but that isn't actually transcendent as they are still linked to time and space. Never the less, in the main Destiny universe they don't have this capability. -----------