1.) Once ancient humanity was defeated, our initial punishment was extinction. However, with the knowledge of the Flood, the Librarian argued for our survival in an effort to obtain the cure humanity had supposedly found against the Flood. Ultimately, we were punished with devolution by the Didact. 2.) Arguably. 3.) Looking at the games from a complete experience standpoint, it's a tie between Halo CE and Halo 3: ODST. 4.) Yes. In 2553, teams arrived to survey the planet for terraforming and colonization.