: IIRC, at the time of the original line's writing, the idea was for humans
: (Reclaimers) and Forerunners to be essentially the same species. I figured
: a Forerunner had asked the question, and over the years, or perhaps as a
: result of Guilty Spark's inherent mindset, Forerunner and Reclaimer had
: blended together and he confused the Chief with whoever asked it before -
: or perhaps he was using a general "you" and referring to
: Forerunners/Reclaimers as a whole.

The truth was, the difference is not really as great as it first seems.

Circa the Halo 3 terminals, the Forerunners knew at best that they were descended (?) from humans; humans themselves were clearly a separate (sub?)-species.

In the Forerunner saga, it's mentioned that the Forerunners and humans are alike and may have a common origin.