: I mean, sure, they might want to test us, but they kinda saved us, their
: chosen Inheritors of The Mantle, from extinction at the hands of the race
: that called themselves the Forerunners.

: Tests can be scary, but they're still part of an agenda that has our
: potential reclaiming of The Mantle in mind.

: Don't forget that the Precursors are not wholly represented by The Captive.
: Their identity as a race is not represented by who/what he was/is.

No, but maybe that's what they have become. It seems the remnants of the Precursors aren't too fond of anyone. Having one's race obliterated does tend to make one a wee bit sour.

from Silentium, page 175, the Primordial/Gravemind sez:

All that is created will suffer.
All will be born in suffering, endless grayness shall be their lot.
All creation will tailor to failure and pain, that never again shall the offspring of the eternal Fount rise up against their creators.

Is the Mantle ("the blessing of rule and protection of life and change that thinks") even relevant to 26th century Humanity? While it seems like a worthwhile goal, it's yet another ideology being imposed with force and violence by the jackass(s) who believe in it. I'm still in awe of the Forerunners, but they were just as mortal as we, prone to hubris and violence.

I don't feel like the Mantle is a plausible goal for humanity or any species.