INRA Base - Hollis Gateway
31 Jan 2018Robert Phillips
I had 2 potential leads of INRA base locations from the logs I retrieved from Stuart Retreat:- A research facility at Hermitage 4 A
- A weapons-testing site at Alnath A 2 A A.
I had set my course for Hermitage 4 A, and upon arrival at the system performed a system-wide scan. Nothing unusual came up on my scanners at this range, so I proceeded toward Hermitage 4 A.
I performed a close scan of the planet's surface, and detected a signal on the dark side of the planet at coords -53.7548, 157.5843. I headed down to that location to investigate further.
On the edge of a ravine, I found what appeared to be an abandoned base: Hollis Gateway.
There were numerous habitation modules, hangars, barrack buildings, and large storage tanks for...something. There were stains on the ground around the storage tanks.
I proceeded with caution.
Around the base were 4 Comms Log Uplinks which I was able to scan and retrieve some personal logs of the Chief Researcher - Bexley Prince:
TECHNOLOGY TESTING 1/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
Personal Log: Bexley Prince, Chief Researcher
We received a very exciting delivery today: pieces of recovered Thargoid technology, even fragments of spacecraft. Most of the samples are damaged, but we should still be able to put them to good use.
Thargoid technology is, in many respects, far more advanced than our own. Understanding it could open up all kinds of possibilities and rapidly accelerate our own development. Space travel, energy, weapons, even medicine – the applications are potentially limitless.
I suspect there’s a key discovery to be made, one that will open up the aliens’ technology to us. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll be the one to make it.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s lots of work to be done before we can start popping champagne corks. I’ve given the research teams their assignments. Let’s see what they can find out.
TECHNOLOGY TESTING 2/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
Personal Log: Bexley Prince, Chief Researcher
Progress is slow and much of what we knew about the Thargoids – or thought we knew – has had to be revised. But I suppose that’s to be expected.
We now have twelve active research projects, focusing on a number of different areas. I find myself growing impatient with some of my colleagues, but that’s the problem with being a perfectionist. I set high standards for myself, and I expect others to do the same.
TECHNOLOGY TESTING 3/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
Personal Log: Bexley Prince, Chief Researcher
Phase three has been a failure. I sincerely believed we were making progress, but just because something works in theory does not mean it will work in practice.
There have also been issues with the junior researchers. Some of them think they’re being monitored, and one… one actually believes she’s being held here against her will. Of course, those who have worked in this sector before, know this is not the case.
Naturally our employers keep an eye on us – the work we’re doing is extremely sensitive. We’re researching alien technology, after all. It’s a question of security.
Some people can find a conspiracy in anything.
TECHNOLOGY TESTING 4/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
Personal Log: Bexley Prince, Chief Researcher
Our employers have become preoccupied with one of the research projects, although I’ve repeatedly told them it’s a dead end. It isn’t even an official project – it’s just something that one of the junior researchers cooked up in his spare time.
He’s a specialist in agricultural science, trying to wipe out famine or something, Apparently he’s created a biological agent that incapacitates the alien technology. Here we are, devoting millions of credits and countless hours to understanding this technology, and he’s trying to destroy it. If it were up to me I’d cut him from the project entirely, but our employers seem to think his work has merit.
This researcher seemed to be connected to the researcher whose logs I retrieved at Stuart Retreat. Unfortunately, these logs did not lead anywhere else, so I had no choice but to pursue my other lead on Alnath A 2 A A.