The message (spoilers)

[Qhartb]

Okay, the message that the citadel sent out at the end of episode 1 is obviously hugely important. Most likely, it will be a major plot device in the coming episodes. What do people think this message is that makes it so important that the Combine were willing to sacrifice what was left of the Citadel?

My guess is that it's something that we really can't predict yet, but I also have a theory that makes a lot of sense.

It's technology to do intra-dimentional teleportation. In Black Mesa East, Mossman says that the Combine still haven't mastered the technology, and at the end of Half-Life 2, Breen says "thanks to [Mossman] we have everything we need [to get a local teleport to work]." So the Combine don't have the technology, it would be useful to them for conquering world, and by the end of HL2 they had it but then top of the Citadel blew up and things became very unstable. The Citadel is inevitably going to fall apart, and the Combine can either let it fall apart and lose the teleportation technology or they can blow it up themselves to send the technology to the Combine in the other Universe. Seems to make sense to send the message.

Anyone else have any theories?

 

[charybdis]

I think the message was the Combine ordering out for a large pepperoni and cheese pizza with, I might add, anchovies.

 

[Blakeb155]

The second theory is definately much more plausable...

 

[Black Op]

I believe the Meltdown Transmission included a great number of things. These would feature infomation such as how to completely obliviate all life on Earth along with the blueprints to terraform the Hell out of that planet, what would be required for these tasks, Resistance strength assessments, the current status of Anticitizen One, and possibly the plans for intra-dimensional teleportation. However that teleportation issue probably would not be a major plot point as it would take years from the Meltdown Transmission to reach the old Nihilanth's mastery level of strategic teleportation. The current level of teleportation can only teleport a few objects at a time at best.

There's only one way that intra-dimensional travel could be used in time to make any difference in the world. The Universial Union in the 20 years since the Black Mesa Incident would have to be working in conjunction with disenfranchised Xen Controllers back on the Borderworld (which has been practically abandoned by the humans and Vortigaunts of Earth, so anything could be happening there) to achieve this ability. For all we know, a new series of Nihilanth-like creatures are soon to become the newest surprise weapon in the arsenal of the Combine armies.

 

[SlimyMarmot]

It's got to be more important than teleportation - why would the Combine chase Alyx and Gordon so fiercely for something the humans (almost) already master? Perhaps the destruction of the dark fusion reactor/meltdown of the Citadel core showed the Combine something they couldn't imagine?

 

[TaoFan]

LOL @ Charybdis!

 

[Qhartb]

My other theory is that the messages consists of only two words: "Mostly harmless."