IRAXON LANE
24 Jul 2023Jav Marlo
IRAXON LANE27 JAN 3309, System DG Canum Venaticorum.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra on a quest to discover who was Salvation, self-proclaimed saviour of humanity that utterly might have caused its demise.
Jav Marlo flying the Electra
The Proteus Wave, the superweapon that Salvation activated months ago on HIP22460 with the intention of wiping out the Thargoids from the Galaxy had the opposite effect and triggered a full scale Thargoid invasion of the human systems that has already caused thousands of millions of death and is threating our very existence.
The Alliance, the Federation and the Empire believed in Salvation as if he was a new messiah and supported him on his crazy experiments with Guardian technology. But not everybody fell under his spell. Professor Alba Tesreau, one of the leaders of the dismantled Aegis initiative, denounced Salvation and pled independent commanders to look for clues about his true identity in an abandoned base on the system I am now. Following the coordinates professor Tesreau provided I have located an abandoned base by the name Iraxon Lane.
I am landing now. I really hope that I can find some information, anything, that might help us win this war.
The Electra landed at Iraxon Lane
INRA... it is an INRA base... that is the Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm, the paramilitary organisation created by the Federation and the Empire during the First Thargoid War. They are accounted for having ended the Thargoid invasion by using biological weapons to destroy the Thargoids. This is... promising. Let’s see if I can extract any information from its databases... its one hundred and fifty years old databases.
Jav Marlo driving his scarab into Iraxon Lane
....
With great effort, I have managed to extract some log fragments from a data link:
Azimuth Contract 1/5
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
This is Caleb Wycherley, vice—president of research at Azimuth Biochemicals. l have been assigned oversight of our work with INRA over the next few months.
While the financial aspects of the contract are considerable, there is much to be gained from this new partnership. INRA possesses a number of remarkable talents with whom a positive working relationship will benefit Azimuth‘s continued growth. The opportunities of such a network will help establish a market lead over Pharmasapien. Perhaps, in time, that second-rate company will learn its place in the broader picture. One can hope, at least.
Azimuth’s role in the anti-Thargoid initiative is encouraging. But this ongoing war is tiresome. The resources spent on proving that humanity is the dominant species in the galaxy would be better served elsewhere. I find the Thargoid’s persistent aggression towards us offensive. lNRA’s work may be the best chance we have to end the conflict.
On that note, Azimuth will help with the development of a biological weapon. We have several potential compounds which show some promise. Our expertise in biochemical research will no doubt prove valuable to the initiative.
I’m eager to see what the future holds.
That’s it. Just as professor Tesreau said. Caleb Wycherley, known today as Salvation, already was directing Azimuth Biochemicals one hundred and fifty years ago and was planning to manipulate INRA to achieve his goals, being those surpassing his competitors of Pharmasapien and stopping the Thargoids.
Jav Marlo extracting a log at Iraxon Lane
But there is more:
Azimuth Contract 2/5
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
A fortuitous development has occurred. Lady Luck smiles upon us.
Our biological weapons research has shown limited success up to now. However, a research assistant of INRA has stumbled upon the incredible potential of a fungus, of all things. An agricultural experiment involving Thargoid technology revealed the fungus’s highly damaging properties.
I understand the researcher had to bypass his superior to bring this discovery to light. A weaker-willed individual would have disregarded the results as instructed. Fortunate for us this man is made of sterner stuff. I expect the researcher will receive little official recognition. however.
It’s amusing, really. This man may have uncovered the means of ending the war, yet the nature of lNRA’s work will ensure that humanity never knows his name.
The subsequent meeting about this fungus’s potential for weaponisation was enlightening. From the very specific wording used by lead INRA figures, I suspect that information is being withheld from sub-contractors such as myself. Understandable, of course. Still. I have a strong suspicion that INRA possesses at least one live Thargoid specimen. I’m keen to witness a live test on Thargoid physiology.
l’ll spend the evening with my peers. It shouldn’t be too difficult to persuade them that my presence would be beneficial for such a test.
A fungus. The famous biological weapon was a fungus, discovered by chance by a research assistant. Unbelievable.
Azimuth Contract 3/5
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
The live Thargoid test was fascinating, to say the least. The new scar across my face is evidence of that.
I arrived shortly before the test was scheduled to take place. As the fungal compound. now termed mycoid, was prepared, the Thargoid specimen broke out of its holding cell, the last in a series of escape attempts. There were multiple fatalities, and I am fortunate not to be counted among them. Medical treatment was a success, though my left eye will need further surgical attention.
The creature was savage and difficult to subdue. One wonders how these mindless things developed the impressive technology they use.
I was ready to return for the introduction of the mycoid compound. The results were exactly as hoped, resulting in the Thargoid‘s demise.
Some INRA personnel have requested transfers away from the project, citing the ethical concerns of living test subjects. These people clearly lack the will to protect humanity by any means necessary.
The mycoid compound has been approved for mass production at several INRA facilities. Azimuth’s contribution to the manufacturing process has been noted. It now falls to my team to propose methods of delivering the compound to Thargoid targets. A missile seems the logical solution, though questions of mycoid containment and virulence upon impact must first be answered.
A THARGOID. I mean, a Thargoid in... in the flesh... not a ship. They tested their mycoid weapon on a living Thargoid. How did they...? And it escaped, killing several of them and injuring Salva... I mean Dr. Wycherley himself. But the mycoid... it worked... the poor bastards.
Jav Marlo observing Iraxon Lane from the top
There is also mentioning of other INRA bases and coordinates. Dr. Wycherley, now being called the Witch after getting a scar on his face by the escaped Thargoid, also mentions a Thargoid mothership that attacked a place called Carmichael Point. I wonder if those motherships are what is lurking inside the Maelstroms. I should visit that base.
Azimuth Contract 4/5
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
The meeting with leading INRA figures has concluded. Final preparations of the mycoid weapon are underway at Taylor Keep.
The plan is to send a long vessel towards the Thargoid mothership that recently attacked Carmichael Point. Not many pilots possess the courage or the skill to complete such a mission. I suspect that a member of the Pilots’ Federation will be required, given the challenges of this assignment. A list of potential candidates is being drawn up.
I’ve reviewed the classified documentation related to the mycoid weapon’s payload. For such a highly secretive organisation, INRA’s network security protocols took only a few hours to bypass. It seems INRA leaders anticipate the mycoid virus will inflict significant damage to not only the mothership but also its occupants. The payload has been specifically designed to do so.
While I approve of the decision to eradicate the many Thargoids on board, communication records reveal a convoluted discussion to reach agreement on this tactic. I wonder why the decision to strike a decisive blow against our enemy was such a difficult one.
Earlier today I secured a regular supply of progenitor cells. My recent brush with death served as a reminder of my own mortality, and there is far too much work to do in a typical human lifespan. The operation to fully restore my sight was a success, but has left my eye completely white.
This appears to have prompted a new nickname among my staff, some of whom are now referring to me as ‘The Witch’. The wordplay is amusing, I suppose. But perhaps such a pseudonym will have its uses.
Jav Marlo over Iraxon Lane
Here it ends. I cannot extract anything else.
Azimuth Contract 5/5
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
The mycoid weapon has been successfully delivered by a CMDR John Jameson. The brave pilot did not return home. A shame; I would have liked to shake the hand of a man who has contributed so profoundly to the end of the Thargoid war.
Reports suggest that the remaining Thargoid forces are in full retreat from human space. Some INRA personnel are convinced this is a decisive victory from which the Thargoids will not recover, but I disagree. It is likely they will resurface in time, too impudent to accept human dominance.
We must prepare for that eventuality. INRA has served its purpose, but the cross-superpower nature of the organisation leaves it vulnerable to corruption and politics. Azimuth is well suited to take up the mantle of protecting humanity against any Thargoid retaliation.
Our rivals such as Pharmasapian cannot be trusted with this task. They lack the patience and the stomach for what is required. Only Azimuth, under my direction, will be capable of the necessary action to wipe the Thargoid race out forever.
If I must be humanity’s salvation, then so be it.
The crazy bastard. He knew. He knew it all the time. Even after John Jameson successfully delivered the mycoid weapon to the mothership and ended the war killing himself in the process, even after that... he knew that the Thargoids would come back... and he waited... he waited for a century and half... conspiring and secretly readying Azimuth for the conflict ahead. This war. And now we are suffering the consequences of his crazy plan.
Jav Marlo departing Iraxon Lane
There is nothing else I can do here. But the information I got is invaluable. It seems that I have a long trip ahead me... and many bases to visit.
Jav Marlo signing out