A Survivor's Fate Revealed
22 Dec 2023Kasumi Goto
November 24, 3309An abandoned ship has been discovered beyond the outer reaches of the Omumba system on November 23, in the early evening.
Local authorities picked up the distress beacon, broadcasting at non-FTL speed on dedicated channels, roughly eight hours after it was triggered. At first, it was assumed an anti-xeno vessel sent out into nearby Thargoid-controlled space had been intercepted and destroyed by Thargoids during its jump. However, this turned out incorrect, as the patrol sent out to investigate the signal, thirty-thousand light seconds from the star, discovered an undamaged vessel in deep space, not responding to hails and operating in low-power mode.
A boarding party then entered to find it abandoned, with no sign of the pilot, though there appeared to be signs of tampering with the cargo hatch of the vessel. It was decided to return it to the local surface station, Zamyatin Horizons, under Imperial jurisdiction, for further investigation of any clues in onboard logs, in a safer environment.
There, analysis of the black box recorder revealed parts of an audio log, recorded during the last moments of the pilot prior to loss of consciousness, and possible subsequent death. The recording proved difficult to listen to, as the pilot was clearly aware of her impending fate as the recording progressed, but it also revealed a crucial piece of information - it was the ship of the Titan survivor, Kira Goto, who had gone missing after going rogue from Aegis on behalf of the Thargoids, on October 25th, 3309.
At that point, further investigation of the ship's onboard logs was handed off to Aegis by the Imperial authority. The log, as per above, details the last moments of Kira, who herself appeared to believe her life was about to end. Its audio contents were authorized to be published along with a transcript, and it was likely recorded following a brief, but intense, struggle to regain control of herself.
"I ..." breath "I did it. I fought it... fought them off." brief pause in speech "But it was too much. My brain is failing. I can feel it. I... tried."
breathing, slow, heavy
"I'm... sorry for what I did. What I let them do with me. What I let them do to me. I was not strong enough. I was ..."
10:08 - Recording interrupted, duration ~1 minute
10:09 - Recording resumed, heavy breathing mixes in with voice, which has become unsteady
"The distress beacon is active. I'm... stopping... the ship, now."
footsteps, strained breathing
FSD drop, ship slowing down
10:11 - Recording interrupted
10:13 - Recording resumed
"It's too late for me. Humanity can't save me any longer. But they can. I can still hear... their whispers. Will they hear me?"
long pause in speech, slow, heavy, breathing
"I can... feel it. Something is coming... it's nearly time. I feel... ready." isolated, heavy breath "I wonder if this is what death feels like?"
short pause, interrupted by a series of loud clicking sounds
wondrous tone
"There's a light outside. It's so pretty. I could fall asleep to it. I wonder how much I'll remember when I wake up?"
System warning: User vital sign failure imminent!
"Ina... Seo... Alba... I'm sorry. I failed you all. I'm so... so..." extended pause in speech "I'm so sorry."
breathing becomes slower and quieter over time, ceases entirely
A statement was received by Professor Alba Tesreau after this discovery, detailing further findings from the ship's logs:
"The logs found in Kira's ship, aside from her final recording, confirm what I feared all along. The Thargoids coerced her into committing acts that she normally would not have, conditioning her through sensations of pain if she attempted to resist. It seemed like that process of turning her obedient to their will was nearly complete at the time of her making her final log, but that's what ended up allowing her to defy them long enough to throw it off."
"I only wish we could have found her before this. Analysis of a particular sound in the final recording, in comparison to recordings of known Thargoid sounds, revealed a perfect match to a Thargoid Scythe. Sensors logs from prior to shutdown mirror this, as there are telltale signs of electromagnetic interference in their readings, matching in time for when the audio log was recorded, and the cargo hatch showed signs of tampering as well. Given the proximity to Titan Hadad, it is very likely that the Thargoids took her there after receiving a sign of distress through her cortical implant."
"It may not be my place to make such requests, especially in light of the danger - but please, if any pilots near this Titan are able, try to look for her there, and return her to the nearest rescue ship if you do find her. Medical teams will see to her upon recovery, and take appropriate safety measures. Kira is stilll not a traitor, and would not wish to see herself turned on humanity. If left there, that is almost certainly the fate awaiting her. Yet I cannot believe she actually desires this fate, despite what her final recording might indicate."
"She is likely already onboard the Titan and held within a pod, ensuring her condition does not degrade further, perhaps even allowing recovery. The pulse-wave xeno scanner should be capable of pinpointing the area where her pod is located on the Thargoid ship, as her life signs will differ from those of an unaltered human. However, the distance to this particular Titan will make the task even more perilous, and given the value that the Thargoids likely place on her, their resistance may be more fierce than usual. Do not commit to this task unprepared or on your own, if you choose to."
An inquiry on whether Aegis are planning a rescue operation of their own has not yet been met with a response. Any pilot attempting recovery remains advised to take greater care than on standard Titan rescue operations, and bring an escort.
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In related news, a statement has been received regarding the claim from Azimuth Biotech that Kira interfered with a legal asset recovery operation, on behalf of the Thargoids, roughly two months ago. According to the information provided by Professor Tesreau, who was personally told by her, Kira was not acting under the influence of the Thargoids at any point, instead seeking to rescue a close friend from the leader of the supposed mercenary company, Marcus Diaz, who appeared to be acting on vengeful motives related to his illegal slavery operation, kidnapping Sharpe and sedating Kira to avoid her opposition, after she prevented a prior attempt at abduction on Earth. This first attempt allegedly included illegal assault with the goal to kill Kira.
This mirrors some of the information provided in an official AXDF statement, which followed shortly after Azimuth published their claims. As of yet, Aegis personnel are still combing the data for any further relevant information to establish clarity regarding this incident. No files have been made accessible to the public thus far.
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OOC - the story continues here : Stars in the Storm, 1: Nemesis Calling