Revisiting the Past - A Tribute to the Kingfisher [and Taranis]
29 Nov 2024Kasumi Goto
Document state : Publicly readable
Date published : November 29, 3310
The Kingfisher.
Humanity's only known attempt at establishing any kind of direct contact with the Thargoids, as informal and, perhaps, deludedly hopeful it was. It was destroyed by Taranis, or the Thargoids accompanying it, just over two years ago, on November 24 of 3308. No response to its communication methods was received by the Thargoids, or not one that could be determined as being peaceful in nature. In particular not with the evidence available. And a few days later, on this same day that you will likely be reading this, the invasion of the Bubble started off in full force, leaving no doubt to the intent of what had only been known as anomalies of likely Thargoid origin, up until that point.
Could the Kingfisher's mission have succeeded? I cannot say. We might never know. Its destruction said more than words could ever have, and maybe it was simply just too late, after years of escalating hostilities, and then the Proteus Wave, not to mention the first war nearly two centuries ago. It was certainly an attempt, but as the logs of the now derelict ship indicate, there might not ever have been any hope of it actually getting anywhere near its intended goal. Even before the arrival of the then-called Maelstroms in the Bubble, the fact they were surrounded by hostile Thargoids suggested their purpose was not envoys for peace. And how would they have been, after yet another attempt at indiscriminate large-scale extermination? Actions speak louder than words, and perhaps they had simply chosen to speak humanity's. Ours.
Yet, in the moments before its demise, a signal was received. One that there was no time to analyze... no records of this signal seem to have survived the damage, unlike a few audio recordings, or if they did the details of any investigation were never shared to the public. It could simply have been a warning to stay out of the Titan's path or about its intent, but it was likely just a signal for the ship to be attacked. A very clear, and violent, reminder, that war was on the horizon. And effectively a defeating blow to any movement for peace.
Did the Thargoids ever receive their signals? It is unclear. I have found some recordings which seem to suggest that the 'anomaly' visible when the Titan was moving appeared to be comparatively slow for maybe about an hour after the events. It never fully stopped, and whatever it slowed down for, was likely not related in any significant way to the Kingfisher. Or maybe it was, but not for any positive reason. I'll likely never know.
And as if the chances of success for the mission were not low enough already, the discovery of Thargoid sensors and probes onboard the ship had been made not long after it was reduced to wreckage floating in space. Even now, some remain, as if the cargo bays that retain a small amount of power were never fully emptied by anybody, Thargoids or scavengers.
A Thargoid sensor from one of the Kingfisher's cargo bays, near its bow
Did their presence make any difference to the mission's fate? I have to assume it did not, but it is still disappointing to know that even with all the signs pointing to war, some people are so adamant on preventing any possibility of even slightly meaningful interaction with the Thargoids, they would smuggle cargo known to prompt a hostile response onto the only ship to attempt any form of contact. Or maybe someone well-meaning but unaware of how Thargoids perceived the presence of their cargo onboard human ships smuggled it onto it... but that seems much less likely. Perhaps the Titan's signal was directed at these pieces of Thargoid technology, rather than any human sensors capable of noticing it.
Despite all of the memories that I have lost, I can still vaguely remember that I helped in the creation of this initiative, even being aware, somewhere deep inside, that it likely was doomed to failure. Even if it was just to say that we tried, maybe, and regardless of the then-likely chance that there was no real hope to prevent an escalation of the conflict. And now, here we are, two years later ...
Taranis. First of the Titans to arrive in the Bubble... and the first to be destroyed. A hallmark for both sides involved in this conflict, and one of the many results of two years of large-scale war. A destruction that was celebrated by many and across many newsfeeds, but I am not sure if there is any positive aspects to it. What are we to gain by being involved in perpetual war with a much older alien species?
I sometimes wonder if you regretted coming to our space in pursuit of whatever goal it is the Thargoids have, and getting destroyed for it. If you were even alive, or had thoughts of your own, before the destruction. Perhaps you did... perhaps not. Another thing I might never know, as strange as it might be to have those types of thoughts toward an alien hive ship which killed millions, drove out many more, and abducted however many people it has been, all to a goal entirely unknown. Had it been to exterminate humanity, we would already have known it shortly after your arrival. But you do not end conflicts by constantly harboring resentment and never looking past it to end a past of mutual bloodshed.
Something I am not sure is possible now. Not after another escalation of violence that led to this. Thargoids still patrol the wreckage to this day, not responding to human presence unless directly attacked or if in the possession of any cargo that the Scythes find of interest.
A Thargoid Basilisk roaming the Taranis debris, in the distance, responding only to being fired upon.
What is their purpose here? I cannot say, and the link doesn't provide me with any answers. It does not appear to be to salvage the remains or interfere with humans doing the same, as the lone Interceptor never stops to pick up any of the various intact materials scattered around the debris, and will only act hostile to defend itself against local anti-xeno pilots presumably sent to shield rescue vessels from any Scythes.
But even after two years, things can still be found in these remains. Pieces of crystallized caustic gas, meta-alloys, various remains of Thargoid vessel tissues, including those of the Titan itself... among many others, as if slowly being released from the wreck as it degrades over time. If it even is... the appearance of the remaining sections has changed little in the last eight months. Almost nine now.
I still remember witnessing this 'event' like it was yesterday. How all the human ships in the vicinity were pushed away prior to the detonation, more powerful than... anything anybody likely ever witnessed, yet. And what I found when the debris finally became accessible, how most of the center of the structure was just missing. It is even surprising anything remains at all after an explosion of that intensity... yet physics ensured that there was, causing most of the force to take a specific direction out.
The center of the Taranis debris field, where the explosion originated. Most of the central portion of the Titan was simply vaporized.
It is still hard to believe it even now, the energy that must have been involved in this... the scale of even what is just a wreck is hard to grasp, particularly when viewed from afar where everything comes into view.
The full scale of the Taranis debris field, viewed from a certain distance.
It is even more surprising that anything which remained in the interior of the Titan was able to survive it being torn apart. In addition to the salvage which I already mentioned... some pods containing human captives can still periodically be found floating at various points throughout the wreckage, and appear to remain functional, keeping their occupant alive.
A Thargoid life support pod containing a human, found in the Taranis debris. Looking closely, a Scythe, roaming for those pods, may be visible in the background in front of a larger section of wreckage, near the bottom center.
Of course... I could not just leave them there. We still do not know what the Thargoids intended these captives for, but the last thing that needs to happen is for them to survive the destruction of a Titan, only to be captured yet again. If the act prevents them from going through the things which I have... it is for the better. Anybody that I found, I returned to the closest rescue ship after I'd moved on.
Some internal sections of the wreck also seem to have survived the blast, which I found back when I first saw this wreck site, too. And is where Aegis have seemingly been hoping to find ways to improve our own technology... something I personally do not approve of, but is just the reality of this, or perhaps any, war.
A partially intact section of an internal mechanism of Titan Taranis, attached to an exterior section of hull.
I am not particularly squeamish, but these are still somewhat unpleasant to look at. Like the internal organs of a creature... which, I suppose, if the theories of the Titans being alive in some way, as all Thargoid ships, are accurate... might be fitting. And maybe I can see why they would be called 'hearts' by us due to their appearance. The readings I get from these are that they have been heavily damaged both by heat and the explosion itself... but not enough to be useless scrap. Should I be upset at this attempted salvaging of the remains to create more technology we should not have at our level of advancement?
... maybe. I don't know. This war has done a lot more than just damage my own view of humanity even further, or the state of my friendships, for that matter. I do not know what all of the effects which it will end up having, are. It might be nobody does, on our side. But I remain uncertain that it will be anything positive for humans, despite the prospect of new highly advanced technology on the horizon.
Before I left, I came across the remains of a Cyclops Interceptor, again. I had already found one of these when I first explored this wreck site, but their presence still concerns me, knowing what Azimuth has done in the past, with Project Seraph. And might have an interest in trying again, as much as they publicly deny running such research projects.
Observing a derelict Thargoid Cyclops in the debris field, with a single of its hearts missing.
The scans suggest that these are likely damaged beyond any use, the internal mechanisms completely burnt out, but I am not sure. Both about their use, and if Azimuth have any plans to attempt recovering these husks. By legal salvage rights, nothing is preventing them from doing so, but I suppose the fact that these are well-known and monitored for Thargoid activity routinely also means recovering one of the wrecks is unlikely to go by unnoticed. And there would be significant scrutiny applied as a result of Azimuth's past... so maybe I don't need to be worried. Yet I still can't help to be.
What will happen next in this war? I don't know... not exactly. That is not the kind of insight I have into the hivemind. Both Taranis and the Kingfisher now mark the escalation in their own unique, yet similar way, serving as vestiges of a conflict spiralled hopelessly out of control - memorials to what could have been, but was just not meant to be. Instead reduced to wreckage silently floating in space, devoid of life or purpose, in pursuit of their respective goal.
What is this goal for the Thargoids? And is peace even at all still possible? Questions that will go unanswered for a long time still, I feel.
And now Cocijo is heading toward the core of the Bubble, likely not with a mission of peace in mind, but to carve a war path. A bloody one. This was to be expected, of course, when it was the one Aegis chose against the Titans. A more religiously-minded person would likely say, "We have attracted the wrath of the gods. Now we must pay for our sins"... not that I am one. And self-defense against an invader can hardly be called a sin.
I still can't help but wonder if we are not simply missing something due to our human nature. The Thargoids are too old and have survived for too long, for this to be a simple act of retaliation for the Proteus Wave. There has to be some other purpose for which they came here, why they have killed and abducted millions, and which the Titan is now heading to the core regions of our space for. Even though reports of some isolated Thargoid vessels have been made in Sol, they did not choose to immediately invade the system, as if they are... observing. Studying. Looking for things. Not like Shinrarta. But that makes me feel even less good about what will happen once the Titan reaches its new destination, and launches a series of devastating strikes.
We chose war, and I am afraid, now we have to live with the consequences of it. I will most likely stay out of this conflict unless it comes to the absolute worst, but maybe I might look around to see if I can sense anything from the local Thargoids, before the Titan arrives and brings its invasion forces with it. If Aegis will allow it... but then, I could just leave if I wanted to anyway, and bear being told off for taking the risk when I return. Because the Thargoids must have some ulterior motive for all this, and I want to find out what it is. Should Aegis ever decide to fulfil its vocation as a research agency and not just a blunt instrument of war, I'd gladly help them with that.
Until then... I think I'll just observe and keep away from any fighting as much as I can, unless it is to get innocents out of it. People may have thought this war is over, but if the warnings from Seo, Aegis and me were not enough, then they will have to learn differently once Cocijo arrives.
Is the Titan going to end up destroyed as part of its coming to the core regions? Possibly. Most likely, even. But I suspect that is something the Thargoids are very aware of and have already fully accounted for, and they would not stop even if it is removed from the playing field. Because, evidently, that sacrifice is one they are perfectly willing to make in pursuit of their goals... if the seven destroyed Titans that never seemed to achieve anything significant at the edges of the Bubble are not proof enough already.
But I don't think anyone is actually ready for what is coming. Not after the Thargoids spent months conserving their resources in preparation of... whatever this will end up being. And humans will suffer the worst of it, caught up in between the greater picture while they believe themselves to be the center of it. Could there have been a better way of handling it? Possibly, but this is the path we and the Thargoids have committed to. I certainly doubt the Titan will be stopping where it first arrives. Mobility is now its greatest weapon, and it seems the Thargoids finally have the tools to use it.
The war is about to change its face, and not for the better.
Sol is only the beginning.
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Author's note - So, this was/is my little special for the two year anniversary of the Thargoid War, or more specifically the Titan incursion component of it. Originally, this was just going to be the parts relating to the Kingfisher and Taranis as the majority of the text, with a brief reference to the so-called 'next phase of the war' as Frontier have been referring to it as, in it at the end. But as we all know, plans tend to change when reality interferes with it, and they decided to make Cocijo start roving instead of just waiting to remain a sitting duck and get roasted... somehow, I don't think roasted Titan would actually be very tasty. It would probably also start melting your stomach and then the rest of you if you're not a Thargoid. Or other ammonia-based creature.
Hence, you get the extended version with a few extra lore ponderings. Of course, I don't know if Cocijo will actually end up paying oh, I don't know, Achenar and/or Alioth a visit as well after Sol or they want it to be reduced to rubble there, but a part of me thinks that's where it should go to make this stage extra interesting and worthwhile of this introduced ability/movement of the Titan, instead of the usual brief, one-off interruptions that were caused by things like the Shinrarta invasion, and over it being a static invasion source. And it's not like there's any Thargoids elsewhere in the Bubble while they are sightseeing Sol before wrecking it and the Titan is taking a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. Probably giving a lot of people frights along the way, too.