Half-Life theory. The Combine. [A post by SamuelK Vivendi forums.] The resonance cascade incident at Black Mesa caused dimensional portals to the Xen world to open up all over the world, causing widespread damage and chaos as Xen aliens streamed onto the planet. People fled to major cities for safety. Then the Combine appeared, and tried to take over. The humans resisted -- for all of seven hours (there's a newspaper clipping on a wall in Eli's lab that mentions the "Seven Hours War"). Dr. Breen, the Black Mesa Administrator, seized power in the middle of all of the chaos, and, in his newly acquired position of authority, surrenders Earth to the Combine. This isn't hard to imagine, given that everything started at Black Mesa. I can see Breen using his knowledge of the events as a way to get close to government operations, eventually working his way into a more powerful position (like, way, advisor to the President of the United States). Breen eventually worked out a deal to become their consul, and was placed in charge of City 17. City 17, and the other location like it, serve as "holding pens" for humans. People are relocated to such cities via train. Oddly enough, there are many trains that enter City 17, but no one ever leaves (explained by the guy in the train station pacing back and forth in front of the Arrival/Departure board in the beginning of the game), or so they think. What's happening to all of the people? It turns out that people do leave City 17, but for only one location: Nova Prospekt. At Nova Prospekt, humans are ... altered; their organs are removed, their hands and feet are severed, and they are turned into Stalkers. Hobbled and emaciated, these no-longer-human slaves are sent to work in the Citadel. Not all humans become Stalkers, though. Some, seeing no other way out, join the Combine as police -- the Metro Cops -- and help to inforce the "peace" in places like City 17. As Half-Life 2 opens, Gordon Freeman meets up with some old allies who are helping to lead a human resistance against the Combine. The Combine are aware of the resistance, and combat the uprising through various methods, one of which is to launch "headcrab missiles" into resistance territory. Perhaps the Combine enslaved the Xen races, and when the portals to Earth were opened, they saw Earth as a threat to their power (seeing as how Gordon Freeman managed to kill the Nihilanth -- which was itself a slave to the Combine, but controlled the other aliens like the Vortigaunts). The threat that the humans posed to the Combine could be seen in the Vortigaunts -- who now work to help the humans. Links. Half-Life history. Notes on the Combine. Back to first page How to use the console.