| Project Seraph was a secret Thargoid technology research program that was overseen by Azimuth Biochemicals. It operated primarily in the HIP 26176 and HIP 22460 systems, and was last known to be active in 3303. The covert military unit Black Flight provided security for Project Seraph, and in order to keep it a secret and suppress knowledge of the existence of the Thargoids, it actively hunted down anyone who discovered Thargoid sites or became aware of the project's activities. The existence of Project Seraph remained concealed until August 3307, when its facilities were found using a decrypted message obtained from Hyford's Cache. Project Seraph was preceded years of preparatory research into Thargoid technology in pursuit of the means to master it for human use. Its first phase, based at Oaken Point in HIP 26176, focused on developing a method for humans to safely interface with and pilot Thargoid craft. This produced breakthrough neural implants that met with limited success in a series of live trials. In the second phase, Project Seraph attempted to procure intact Thargoid ships for it to experiment with, as the only one it had in its possession at Oaken Point, likely a Thargoid Scout, had been rendered inert after the experiments. For this phase, HIP 22460 was permit-locked for the project's exclusive use after the system was found to contain two ancient Thargoid Surface Sites, designated Research Site Amber and Research Site Bronze, and the research facility Fort Asch was built there. The Fort Asch team attempted to provoke the Thargoid Surface Sites to attract Thargoids, but failed to capture a ship. When the first encounters with living Thargoids were publicised in 3303, and Thargoid activity in HIP 22460 intensified to a dangerous level, it became impossible to continue cover-up operations or avoid hostilities with the Thargoids themselves. Project Seraph then evacuated its main facilities and shut down on the orders of an individual referred to as "the Witch". The project might never have been exposed if not for the actions of Commander Hyford, a pilot hired to transport test subjects to Oaken Point. When Hyford witnessed Project Seraph's experiments on humans at Oaken Point, he fled to Colonia to escape Black Flight and left behind Hyford's Cache, a timed message that decrypted on August 26, 3307 and revealed Oaken Point's location. From there, independent pilots followed a series of Listening Posts to HIP 22460 and found both Fort Asch and Overlook. |
