J
jdog5000
Guest
Arguments for the Vortigaunts being the Gman's employers in HL1 & 2
Various people have put forth this idea (most notably I've seen Samon bring it up several times), or pieces of it, around the forums, but I couldn't find a thread devoted to it or a more thorough expositions, so here goes:
The Gman gives no indications his 'employers', and therefore Freeman's, have changed from HL1 to 2. The Vortigaunts are the only group that have been revealed that directly benefit from Freeman's actions in both games. The Combine get access to Earth and probably Xen through Freeman's actions in the Resonance cascade, but Freeman is definitely not working towards their aims in HL2. Same can be said for Dr. Breen. On the other side, no human group is served by the events of HL1. The Vortigaunts, however, are freed from Nihilianth in HL1, and are clearly also fighting the Combine in HL2.
At the end of HL1, the Gman says that Xen is under the control of his employers. Many people have taken this to indicate the Combine are the Gman's employers. However, the Combine do not make an appearance in HL1 and there is no direct evidence at the end of HL1 that Xen has fallen into new hands. With the fall of the Nihilianth, the Vortigaunts would be the next logical controllers of Xen as I see it. The fate of Xen after HL1 is unknown, but given the power of the Combine I believe they conquered it, similar to their conquest of Earth. When HL2 starts, the Vortigaunts helping the human rebels would then be fighting for their own survival and freedom as well.
When the Vortigaunts sense that the timing is right for the fall of the Combine on Earth, they would request Freeman's services again. Since Kleiner and Eli are working with Vortigaunts now, they would know of Freeman's status and perhaps of this plan. This would explain many of the lines and actions currently used to argue that the human rebels have purchased Freeman's contract, like Kleiner's ?I expected more warning.?
At the end of HL2, the Gman says he's been getting a lot of interesting offers for your services ... a new plot element and sign of a change in his direction. The Vortigaunts may no longer have enough to offer the Gman to keep your services, but they surely would not take this betrayal lightly. Instead of letting the Gman hire you out, the Vortigaunts 'liberate' you from the Gman's grasp. It remains to be seen whether the EP2 trailer clip with the Gman leaning over Alyx is a real plot element or just a hype/excitement generator, but if it's real it could be the Gman's blow back for the Vortigaunts taking you.
This theory also ties in well with many of Breen's lines when you're face to face with him in the Citadel. I believe he and the Gman together orchestrated the opening of the Resonance Cascade in HL1, so they initially were working together. Breen might therefore know about Freeman, or could have found out about Freeman from the Combine or the Vortigaunts he was torturing in Nova Prospekt. Regardless, Breen's switch over to working with the Combine would make the Gman all to happy to help bring him down. Breen's obvious disdain for Gordon's mercenary employer would be a logical result of their falling out as well.
Open questions:
- What's in it for the Gman initially? If he really is just an inter-dimensional mercenary, then there must be some money or power changing hands. Perhaps the Vortigaunts gave the Gman expanded access to teleportation, or knowledge from the Vortessence (knowledge is power). As slaves at the beginning of HL1, I don't know what else they could offer, so this isn't as strong as it could be.
- If human scientists could get to Xen, why open the full Resonance Cascade portal? The Nihilianth et al are on the run from the Combine and doubtless have a substantial army. In the chaos of the resonance cascade, the Gman might figure the Xen defenses would be more susceptible to attack. The Nihilianth would probably move to invade Earth to get further from the Combine, so a counterattack could be more potent. The Gman definitely seems to be singling out agents (Freeman, Shepard) to run individual missions, slipping through the chaos of the inter-dimensional war. Given that the Gman was overseeing the training of the HECU in OP4, perhaps he was intending this force to strike at the Nihilianth. But I think there's more evidence that he was training a new agent (Freeman), as that's sort of the plot of HL1 and it's not clear what of OP4 was thought out before HL1.
Various people have put forth this idea (most notably I've seen Samon bring it up several times), or pieces of it, around the forums, but I couldn't find a thread devoted to it or a more thorough expositions, so here goes:
The Gman gives no indications his 'employers', and therefore Freeman's, have changed from HL1 to 2. The Vortigaunts are the only group that have been revealed that directly benefit from Freeman's actions in both games. The Combine get access to Earth and probably Xen through Freeman's actions in the Resonance cascade, but Freeman is definitely not working towards their aims in HL2. Same can be said for Dr. Breen. On the other side, no human group is served by the events of HL1. The Vortigaunts, however, are freed from Nihilianth in HL1, and are clearly also fighting the Combine in HL2.
At the end of HL1, the Gman says that Xen is under the control of his employers. Many people have taken this to indicate the Combine are the Gman's employers. However, the Combine do not make an appearance in HL1 and there is no direct evidence at the end of HL1 that Xen has fallen into new hands. With the fall of the Nihilianth, the Vortigaunts would be the next logical controllers of Xen as I see it. The fate of Xen after HL1 is unknown, but given the power of the Combine I believe they conquered it, similar to their conquest of Earth. When HL2 starts, the Vortigaunts helping the human rebels would then be fighting for their own survival and freedom as well.
When the Vortigaunts sense that the timing is right for the fall of the Combine on Earth, they would request Freeman's services again. Since Kleiner and Eli are working with Vortigaunts now, they would know of Freeman's status and perhaps of this plan. This would explain many of the lines and actions currently used to argue that the human rebels have purchased Freeman's contract, like Kleiner's ?I expected more warning.?
At the end of HL2, the Gman says he's been getting a lot of interesting offers for your services ... a new plot element and sign of a change in his direction. The Vortigaunts may no longer have enough to offer the Gman to keep your services, but they surely would not take this betrayal lightly. Instead of letting the Gman hire you out, the Vortigaunts 'liberate' you from the Gman's grasp. It remains to be seen whether the EP2 trailer clip with the Gman leaning over Alyx is a real plot element or just a hype/excitement generator, but if it's real it could be the Gman's blow back for the Vortigaunts taking you.
This theory also ties in well with many of Breen's lines when you're face to face with him in the Citadel. I believe he and the Gman together orchestrated the opening of the Resonance Cascade in HL1, so they initially were working together. Breen might therefore know about Freeman, or could have found out about Freeman from the Combine or the Vortigaunts he was torturing in Nova Prospekt. Regardless, Breen's switch over to working with the Combine would make the Gman all to happy to help bring him down. Breen's obvious disdain for Gordon's mercenary employer would be a logical result of their falling out as well.
Open questions:
- What's in it for the Gman initially? If he really is just an inter-dimensional mercenary, then there must be some money or power changing hands. Perhaps the Vortigaunts gave the Gman expanded access to teleportation, or knowledge from the Vortessence (knowledge is power). As slaves at the beginning of HL1, I don't know what else they could offer, so this isn't as strong as it could be.
- If human scientists could get to Xen, why open the full Resonance Cascade portal? The Nihilianth et al are on the run from the Combine and doubtless have a substantial army. In the chaos of the resonance cascade, the Gman might figure the Xen defenses would be more susceptible to attack. The Nihilianth would probably move to invade Earth to get further from the Combine, so a counterattack could be more potent. The Gman definitely seems to be singling out agents (Freeman, Shepard) to run individual missions, slipping through the chaos of the inter-dimensional war. Given that the Gman was overseeing the training of the HECU in OP4, perhaps he was intending this force to strike at the Nihilianth. But I think there's more evidence that he was training a new agent (Freeman), as that's sort of the plot of HL1 and it's not clear what of OP4 was thought out before HL1.
