Needle in a haystack
22 Jun 2021Iridium Nova
Chasing empty leads across the galaxy isn't exactly fun, but it's a good way to see new sights and meet new people. On the way, there's been plenty of work and opportunities to get ahold of some bits and pieces I can use to tinker with my equipment. Rebuilding the mystery file has basically been a success. Some of it is still corrupted but I've got enough now to piece together the story.So, here's the rundown:
Omega Company has been working with various groups in Imperial space to get to the bottom of what appears to be a bioweapons development project. But this is no ordinary doomsday plot. The bioweapons in this case are clones. Imperial clones. Exactly who is hatching this plot is unknown as yet, but the Omega boys are investigating. Now, the question is how I managed to come into this confidential information. Well, apparently some of the individuals involved with this program are experiencing ethical complications. Several of them conspired to release a batch of incriminating evidence in an illegal Galnet burst from multiple locations (yeah, the same one that KO'd my ship), intending to distribute the information as widely as possible, thereby making it impossible to cover up. That kind of burst is not something just anyone can do. It makes me wonder how they got their hands on the equipment and access levels to do it, but this is beside the point for now. This would have been a complete success had the upload gone undetected, but counter-intel agents spotted it and tried to shut it down by turning it into a network disruption and attaching a virus to the upload which would delete the evidence. That explains the Hunter virus. However, it does not explain the Interloper virus.
This is the next step. Interloper was clearly developed to eliminate Hunter. Why? Probably some kind of counter-counter-intel operation. Perhaps the whistleblowers expected to be foiled, and created a contingency. But, I dunno, something about that seems a little too "clean". There's dirt all over this and not the fun kind. Nothing I've managed to uncover so far suggests the the whistleblowers were experienced or professional enough with this kind of thing to have thought that far ahead, or even know how to set it up. I think there may be a third party involved, one who wanted this information to get out, but most likely not for the reasons the whistleblowers would have wanted. Also, I need to figure out what, if anything, this has to do with Project Hypnos. There doesn't seem to be an obvious or logical connection yet, but Interloper clearly originated from that Project Hypnos server on Ariel. Too bad it was wiped when I got to it. A couple of logbook entries from a server admin who speaks in riddles don't answer many questions.
More digging will be necessary. Perhaps if I can find another person who was hit with these viruses, they might have other bits of evidence that might complete the picture. Or maybe something else. It's a big bubble, and an even bigger galaxy. I guess I have something to keep me busy for a while. It also makes me wonder if every time CobraOS or Galnet crash, if it's actually the result of some intrigue and we'll never know it? Considering how much backstabbing and skullduggery there is in this galaxy, I wouldn't be surprised. Fun to think about though.