THE INRA BASES
01 Aug 2023Jav Marlo
THE INRA BASES30 JAN 3309, system HIP 15329.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra. The war with the Thargoids continues and we lose dozens of systems every day. New experimental weapons and scanners are being developed to try to hold the Thargoids advances, but we are still a long way to have a significant tactical advantage... or any chance at all to stop the extermination the Thargoids are performing on us. GalNet says that Admiral Tanner, one of the first high rank officials that confronted Salvation and fought him in the T Tauri system has withdrawn from the Federal Navy. Well, I do not blame him.
The Electra
Salvation (scoffs), that is why I am here, far from the front (sighs), looking for clues about how Salvation, formerly known as the Witch, managed to defeat the Thargoids during the war that took place more than one hundred and fifty years ago. (Deep breath) That was even before the times of the Alliance, when it was still the GalCop. And... somehow... we... mankind... we have forgotten about that war... about the Thargoids... Damn!, Thargoids were just a legend until we found them again six years ago in the Pleiades. It is like if some power, some factions, somehow managed to keep their existence in secret. I guess they were not counting on the arrival of FSD technology. That changed everything. At the end, it was unavoidable that we clash with the Thargoids again.
I have scanned the system and found an abandoned settlement on the third planet. That must be it. The INRA base I’m looking for: Stuart Retreat.
...
Jav Marlo entering into Stuart Retreat
The place looks abandoned, as expected. It is pitch black out there. I better be careful. Let’s see if I can extract any information from those old datalinks.
Here, there is an old comms terminal. I am trying to power it up. There seems to be a message hidden in the emergency data cache that wasn’t purged.
Jav Marlo extracting information from Stuart Retreat
WHISTLEBLOWER 1/4
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I don’t have long. Once they realise I’m gone and the data has been copied, they’ll send their attack dogs after me, I know they will. But someone needs to show the galaxy what the INRA really is – what it’s doing, what it’s hiding.
It goes on.
WHISTLEBLOWER 2/4
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I’m sorry for the part I’ve played in this. Truly.
I was a researcher at a facility in the Hermitage 4 A system exploring agricultural applications of Thargoid-derived technology. The lab was owned by the INRA.
Publicly, the INRA likes to emphasise the whole altruistic and cooperative thing, but in recent years it’s become much more focused on weapons testing and manufacture. Believe me, it’s a military contractor in all but name.
This must have been the research assistant that Salvation mentioned on the Iraxon Lane logs. The one that accidentally discovered the fungus that was used to create the mycoid weapon. They must have created it here. Those tanks close to the cargo bay. They probably stored it in there. Ready to be transported to other facilities.
Jav Marlo observing the tanks at Stuart Retreat
WHISTLEBLOWER 3/4
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The nature of my field was the study of disease-resistant crops and mycoproteins, that sort of thing. I was getting good results, even if my superiors took no notice. Then everything changed.
I was running a bunch of control experiments, just trying a few things out really. It was an afterthought – it wasn’t even related to the main body of my work.
The results were interesting and I didn’t think they were particularly significant, but something made me take it directly to one of the INRA guys. I didn’t want to go to Dr Prince, she’d always been pretty dismissive of my work.
I would give anything to be able to undo that decision. Anything.
WHISTLEBLOWER 4/4
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All my equipment and samples were whisked off to some remote facility. Later, I found out they’d been taken to a weapons-testing site in the Alnath A 2 A A system.
My research was used as the basis of a new super weapon designed to destroy the Thargoids. I heard they experimented on live captives. I doubt any of it was strictly legal. It certainly wasn’t ethical.
To the public, the INRA is a symbol of all that is possible when superpowers set aside their differences and work together. Well, it might have started off like that, but it’s something very different now. Progress at any cost, might makes right – all our worst impulses channelled into an unaccountable organisation focused solely on making bigger and more powerful weapons. Bigger and more powerful weapons. God.
If you find this… if someone finds this, make sure it gets out. Please. It’s time people knew the truth.
The poor bastard! (Sigh) His message never got out. And, even if some people knew about this, somehow, somebody, managed to bury the truth.
I wonder, how many people knows or knew about this? Azimuth, professor Tesreau, professor Palin, Ram Tah the engineer, the late John Jameson? There are more, of course, who know the truth. I visited an INRA base years ago, Almeida Landing. My ‘friends’ from Serebrov Terminal took me there during the time of the terror campaign of the League of Reparation. Indeed, they gave me the coordinates of all the INRA bases, proving that there are individuals or factions out there that know the truth.
Jav Marlo observin Stuart Retreat from above
(Sighs) The truth... the Thargoids... the mycoid virus... the motherships... Salvation...
I must continue unveiling the mystery. The log mentions a research facility in the Hermitage system. Maybe I should go there.
Jav Marlo signing out
02 FEB 3309, system Hermitage.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra. The Thargoids continue expanding over the human systems. Now it is the turn of the California Nebula, where only the Kumo Crew is managing to present a proper defence.
I have followed the coordinates that I got from Stuart Retreat and found another abandoned INRA base called Hollis Gateway.
The Electra landed at Hollis Gateway
This place is bigger. I am takin the Scarab. I can see habitation modules, hangars, barracks and large tanks with corrosion leaking marks similar to the ones I saw at Stuart Retreat. It looks like a proper research base.
Hollis Gateway
I will try to give power to the one of the comms arrays.
TECHNOLOGY TESTING 1/4
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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.
Could this Bexley Prince be the Dr. Prince that the scientist from Stuart Retreat mentions on his logs? They were researching Thargoid tech, trying to find a technological edge, not necessary military.
Jav Marlo activating a comms array at Hollis Gateway
TECHNOLOGY TESTING 2/4
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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
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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.
Jav Marlo exploring Hollis Gateway
How could you think you were not being monitored? You were dealing with Thargoid tech. This Dr. Prince must have been truly naive.
TECHNOLOGY TESTING 4/4
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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.
Jav Marlo observing one of the tanks at Hollis Gateway
And there it is... the confirmation that the biological weapon that wiped out the Thargoids more than one hundred and fifty years ago was found just by a stroke of luck. Unbelievable! The scientist that found the fungus was just trying to improve crops, and was just a junior researcher that was almost cut from the project... it’s quite ironic... I wonder if we will ever get that lucky again. We could use some of it right now.
I better keep going. There are more bases to visit.
Jav Marlo signing out
13 FEB 3309, system Alnath.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra. Today Galnet brought some good news. A tiny light of hope. The Superpowers have come back to their senses and commissioned Aegis again to counterattack the Thargoids. Professor Alba Tesreau, who denounced Salvation, will serve as head of the organisation.
And it is because of professor Tesreau plea to uncover Salvation’s identity that I am now on the Alnath system, approaching a settlement called Klatt Enterprises. From above I can see four huge silos and what seems to be a pit with a huge crane over it. This is more than a research facility.
The Electra approaching Klatt Enterprises
...
I have found the main comms hub of the settlement. I am downloading some logs.
HISTORY WILL DECIDE 1/5
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Finally, we have a breakthrough. A researcher at the facility in the Hermitage 4 A system has found something – stumbled onto something, by all accounts and it’s pushed our research forward dramatically.
Essentially, it’s a kind of fungus – one that appears to have a significant effect on Thargoid technology. We knew their tech was partly biological, but until now we couldn’t find a way to use that fact to our advantage.
The theory is that if we could somehow get the fungus into their starships – specifically their hyperdrives – we could shut them down. They’d be unable to leave their system.
We could end the war in a single stroke.
Jav Marlo extracting data from a comms hub at Klatt Enterprises
HISTORY WILL DECIDE 2/5
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We have built a dedicated new laboratory so we can properly test the effects of the mycoid. We also have access to an intact Thargoid ship and a living specimen. I plan to test the mycoid on both. Some of my colleagues have expressed reservations about experimenting on a living creature, but I have no such qualms. We must know what the mycoid can do.
Of course, there had to be a test place. Here is where they weaponized the fungus and tested it. They had a Thargoid ship, a living specimen and few morals. They say they just wanted to shut down the Thargoids hyperdrives. But they also tested the fungus on the living Thargoid. I can understand the need in times of war, but I can also understand why the Thargoids are trying to exterminate us now. I want to know what were they doing on that pit.
Jav Marlo observing Klatt Enterprises from above
HISTORY WILL DECIDE 3/5
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Excellent news: we have received a second specimen. We can now accelerate the pace of our testing.
So far, our experiments indicate that the fungus affects not only the Thargoids’ technology but also their physiology, as evidenced by the degeneration of our specimen. These results are highly encouraging. If the mycoid can hurt them – truly hurt them – we may have found the means to win this war.
Several of my colleagues have left the project in protest over our treatment of the creature. If it were up to me, I would have them executed as traitors.
Audio Player
And that is how you move from shutting down the Thargoid ships to hurting them. The big silos were probably used to contain the living Thargoids, and they used the pit to test the mycoid weapon. I want to go down there.
Jav Marlo approaching the pit at Klatt Enterprises
HISTORY WILL DECIDE 4/5
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Our latest tests were extremely successful. The mycoid can paralyse a Thargoid system – either physical or technological – in a matter of seconds. It is extremely effective.
I confess: the knowledge that the mycoid causes the Thargoids physical pain brings me some measure of satisfaction. But when one has seen, first hand, the effect of their weapons – seen the destruction, the chaos, the bodies – can one be blamed for wanting them to suffer, as we have?
And here is where we become sadists. (Sigh) We might be fighting for our survival, but we are not better than then... (Deep breath) There are still rotten parts of Thargoid vessels on the pit.
Jav Marlo at the bottom of the pit of Klatt Enterprises
HISTORY WILL DECIDE 5/5
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The haulers have departed for the HIP 59382 1 B system with the samples, ready to start mass production. We know the mycoid works. Now it falls to other members of the project to determine how it can be effectively deployed.
I know there are some who will condemn me for my part in this project. Let them. I harbour no remorse.
The Thargoids understand only one thing: destruction. They will not stop until every last one of us has been reduced to dust. We have created a weapon that can prevent such a catastrophe. We have a moral obligation to use it.
The mycoid weapon had been tested. Now they had to find a way to deploy it.
I am leaving this place. It makes me feel sick.
Jav Marlo signing out.
Jav Marlo over the pit at Klatt Enterprises
23 FEB 3309, system HIP 59382.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra. The resistance, once again coordinated by Aegis, has managed to liberate 61 systems from Thargoid control, but another 634 have been overrun. The aliens advance continues being overwhelming, despise Aegis best efforts.
The logs I retrieved from Klatt Enterprises mentioned about haulers departing to HIP 59382 where the mycoid virus was to be mass produced. And I think I have found the place: Mayes Chemical Plant.
The Electra landed at Mayes Chemical Plant
It’s pitch black out there. I am taking the SRV to help me find the comms link with its lights. But I’m sure this is the right place. There are two huge tanks towering over the buildings. I can see agricultural tents, habitation modules, a hangar and several silos.
Jav Marlo observing a huge tank at Mayes Chemical Plant
There is a comms link. I will try to patch it up and supply some power. It worked before.
PROJECT MYCOID 1/4
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To: Trystan Law, Corporate Liaison
I understand that this is lucrative contract, but I really think we need to take a second look at the production schedule. We have neither the facilities nor the workforce to deliver what’s been promised. Furthermore, the facility should be subjected to a complete decontamination before we start. That could take weeks.
Essentially, we can’t produce the chemicals in the quantity requested within the given timeframe. It just can’t be done.
I’d also like to renew my request for more information on the purpose of the chemical.
Jarah Cook
Site Manager
(Scoffs) They did not even knew what they were mass producing.
Jav Marlo observing one of the tanks at Mayes Chemical Plant
PROJECT MYCOID 2/4
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To: Elgii Sung, Site Manager
Welcome to the position of Site Manager. We are looking forward to working with you on the mycoid project.
I understand that you have raised questions regarding the reassignment of your predecessor. It was decided that her experience and expertise could be put to better use in another part of our organisation.
As discussed, it is of the utmost importance that the chemical be in production within three weeks.
We have every faith in you.
Trystan Law
Corporate Liaison
(Sighs) They removed the Site Manage for asking questions. I wonder what better use they found for her; I don’t think that INRA tolerates loose ends.
I might get a better view of the whole site from the top of that tank. 0.1 G, I think I can reach it.
Jav Marlo using his jetpack to climb a tank at Mayes Chemical Plant
PROJECT MYCOID 3/4
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To: Elgii Sung, Site Manager
Our analysis has confirmed that the latest batch was contaminated, and is therefore useless. I’m sure we hardly need remind you how essential it is that this project proceeds without complication. The cause of the contamination must be determined immediately.
We cannot afford any more mistakes.
Trystan Law
Corporate Liaison
PROJECT MYCOID 4/4
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To: Trystan Law, Corporate Liaison
The issue with the previous batch arose because your unrealistic deadlines forced us to take shortcuts. If we were given more time, mistakes of this kind would not occur.
With that said, we have rectified the issue and extended working hours so we can replace the tainted batch without deviating from schedule. The next shipment will arrive in HIP 7158 A 2 D within 72 hours.
Elgii Sung
Site Manager
(Scoffs) They found problems with the production. I guess it is always difficult to meet the deadlines, even when you are producing a mass destruction weapon without knowing it.
The land around the tanks is still stained with the same marks I’ve seen in the other bases. It seems that the mycoid weapon leakages were common.
Jav Marlo observing Mayes Chemical Plant from above
They had a big industrial operation here. Far from curious eyes. I better find out where they were sending those shipments.
Jav Marlo signing out.
2 MAR 3309, system HIP 7158.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra. There are news about Aegis having developed a Caustic Sink Launcher that can help ships to reach the inner regions of the Maelstroms. (Sighs) I have been there. As long as we do not find a way to counteract the massive energy surge weapon it will be pointless.
I just have landed on a small base called Hogan Depot, on the HIP 7158 system. It is a small site with two towering tanks with the mycoid symbol on them and some containers and habitation modules. It was probably just a transfer facility.
The Electra landed at Hogan Depot
All the tanks have big corrosion marks. That mycoid agent must have been very difficult to handle. I will try to get some information from the comms links.
PESTICIDES? 1/3
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Every day the haulers come, dropping off more of the stuff. Others come to pick it up. We’ve been told not to ask questions. See, there’s rumours it’s some kind of pesticide, right. But with the amount we’ve got in storage, they must be expecting one hell of an outbreak.
INRA definitely had a dark sense of humour; (scoffs) they told the staff here that they were handling pesticides.
Jav Marlo observing Hogan Depot from above
PESTICIDES? 2/3
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Some of the top brass from INRA’s visiting. The boss said he was here to talk about investment, but this guy had a military smell all over him. I know the public thinks that INRA is this great cooperative enterprise, but I don’t buy it. I think there’s more to them than meets the eye. One thing’s for sure – they’re running the show here.
PESTICIDES? 3/3
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So, the inbound haulers have stopped coming, but the collection ships are still flying in. The place finally is being emptied.
I was talking to one of the hauler pilots down the docks today. According to her, this is all part of some kind of top-secret anti-Thargoid weapon thing. Apparently they’re flying the stuff to a med-research facility in LP 389-95 7, wherever that is. She reckons, this has been going on for months, at sites all over the galaxy.
So it’s not pesticide then – well, at least not in the conventional sense.
Jav Marlo inspecting the tanks at Hogan Depot
(Sighs) No, there were no pesticides, at least not conventional pesticides. Pesticides do not leave this corrosion marks.
The log says the mycoid weapon was taken to another med facility. There is nothing less for me here. I shall visit that place.
Jav Marlo signing out.
9 MAR 3309, system LP 389-95.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra over Velasquez Medical Research Centre... All I see is a tiny base on a frozen wasteland. I wonder why would they bring the mycoid weapon here?
The Electra flying over Velasquez Medical Research Centre
I have landed and I am going to explore the site. I can see the familiar towering tanks and several habitation modules plus two hangars. Not a big operation indeed. Let’s see what I can find out on this place.
The Electra landed at Velasquez Medical Research Centre
VACCINE 1/5
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Personal Log: Kiona Li, Senior Medical Officer
I don’t know who they were, exactly. Some corporate bigwigs. But they definitely convinced the board.
I can’t say I’m surprised. They offered a lot of money for access to our labs apparently. The board probably didn’ t even ask what they wanted them for.
At least I got the bosses to promise the lab wouldn’t be used to make biological weapons. This is a medical facility, after all. I will not be bullied into participating in this so-called war just because some corporation gave us their money.
I managed to access the logs of one of the medical senior officers. As usual, she does not know what she is doing and she only suspects it might be related to biological weapons.
Jav Marlo on his SRV venturing into Velasquez Medical Research Centre
VACCINE 2/5
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Personal Log: Kiona Li, Senior Medical Officer
It turns out they want us to make some kind of vaccine, an antidote for an unnamed biological weapon.
They’ve given us samples and data, but whenever we press for more information our requests are met with silence. We re working in the dark. With our hands tied behind our backs.
In practical terms we’ve got everything we could need, but I have no idea where half of it comes from. They’ve given us material the weapon has been tested on, both organic and inorganic, human and nonhuman.
I’m starting to wonder if the weapon is even designed to target humans.
A vaccine! They tried to develop a vaccine for the mycoid weapon. I wonder if they were successful.
Jav Marlo observing the corrosion marks on the tanks at Velasquez Medical Research Centre
VACCINE 3/5
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Personal Log: Kiona Li, Senior Medical Officer
We’ve finally been given access to a sample of the weapon, and it’s opened up all kinds of avenues.
I still worry about the ease with which our benefactors acquired the samples, but I’m probably just being paranoid. They obviously have deep pockets. Having access to unlimited funds must open all kinds of doors.
VACCINE 4/5
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Personal Log: Kiona Li, Senior Medical Officer
After months of research the solution ended up being pretty simple. Once you break it down it’s a fairly straightforward organic compound – little more than a fungus, really.
We tested the vaccine on some of the older samples, and while it doesn’t undo any existing damage, it does prevent the weapon from doing any further harm.
Our sponsors certainly seem happy.
Incredible! They had a vaccine for the mycoid virus. I guess that you do not create a weapon that can wipe out an entire species without a safeguard. If only I could get a sample.
Jav Marlo observing Velasquez Medical Research Centre from above
VACCINE 5/5
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Personal Log: Kiona Li, Senior Medical Officer
The lab is being dismantled. Seems our sponsors want to move us to a new location. Their representatives appeared a few days ago, demanded that all data be transferred to their servers and all samples be put into storage, ready to be moved.
Why are they doing this? The lab more than meets our needs – they made sure of it. I tried to talk to them, but I just got stonewalled. Apparently all information is on a need-to-know basis. And I don’t need to know.
I must find the base where they tested the weapon. But I cannot find any clue on these logs about where they took the weapon, nor the vaccine.
I think I’ll pay another visit to Almeida Landing. There could be some clues there that I might have skipped years ago.
Jav Marlo signing out.
16 MAR 3309, system Conn.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra. Aegis has proposed to abandon the defence of the systems already invaded by the Thargoids and to focus on dissuading their forces to enter new systems by attacking the Orthrus class vessels. That’s it. We are officially retreating and abandoning the thousand systems already taken by the Thargoids.
In the meantime, I have arrived to the Conn system to revisit Almeida Landing, a dark INRA base that I visited three years ago guided by my friends at Serebrov Terminal. They told me that they found the base thanks to an unregistered comms beacon on the Teegarden’s Star system. I wonder how much they know about INRA activities. And how many commanders have visited this place before me.
The Electra landed at Almeida Landing
If I recall correctly, this place was a research facility where they were trying to reverse engineer Thargoid drive technology. Let’s see what is in the logs.
REVERSE-ENGINEERED 1/6
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Personal Log: Effie Ratling, Engineer
They told me not to ask where it came from, just to reverse-engineer whatever I can. Weapons, shields, power management – anything I can figure out. It’ s… it’s like giving a rocket to a Neanderthal and expecting them to fix it. I mean, where do I even start?
At least they’ re paying me well. That’s something.
REVERSE-ENGINEERED 2/6
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Personal Log: Effie Ratling, Engineer
I haven’t slept for days. I always did find it hard to switch off, you know, even when I wasn’t trying to reverse-engineer an alien starship.
I’ve made a small amount of progress, but it’s always two steps forward, three steps back. The guys in charge are getting impatient, but what did they expect? It’s not like this thing came with a manual.
It seems that they had a Thargoid starship. And they were trying to reverse engineer its technology. I wonder how they got it. And how they dealt with the corrosion. There are stains from the leakage of the mycoid agent all over the base.
Jav Marlo observing a stain at Almeida Landing
REVERSE-ENGINEERED 3/6
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Personal Log: Effie Ratling, Engineer
I’ve finally made some progress with the drive technology, which is just as well, since I was running out of options.
Thargoid drive tech differs radically from our own. Rather than shift space around the ship, it appears to create this stable wormhole for the ship to travel through. It sounds crazy, but the maths don’t lie. And if my calculations are right, I might even be able to replicate it.
I want to get a prototype up and running as soon as possible. Something tells me the bigwigs are about to step in. I’ ve seen this all before – you get hired by a big company, and once you’ve gone and done the hard work they swoop in and take all the glory. Well, I’m not going to let that happen, I want to be credited with creating the first hybrid drive.
REVERSE-ENGINEERED 4/6
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Personal Log: Effie Ratling, Engineer
I knew it. The minute I handed in my report, the company took over. They’ve retained me as a ‘consultant’ whatever that means – but they’re basically ignoring everything I say.
They’ve made some modifications to my prototype, but it was a bit of a rush job. Must be in a hell of a hurry to get to the test-flight stage. I told them it was too soon, that we needed more tests, but once again, I got stonewalled.
Granted, the wormhole is stable, but we have no idea what will happen when you send a human being through it.
This Effie Ratling engineer managed to create a hybrid drive capable of creating a stable wormhole for a ship to travel through. I wonder how much of her research is on Sirius Corporation Frame Shift Drive. They seem to work in a similar way. But this logs are more than one hundred and fifty years old. That’s even before the Alliance. Could it be that all current Frame Shift Drive technology is Thargoid based?
Jav Marlo exploring Almeida Landing
REVERSE-ENGINEERED 5/6
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Personal Log: Effie Ratling, Engineer
So, they decided to push ahead with the test flight, despite my warnings. Some hotshot young pilot, full of spit and vinegar, as my old man would say. And not a single brain cell between his ears.
The wormhole was stable, but that was never a concern. The question is what will happen to the pilot.
REVERSE-ENGINEERED 6/6
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Personal Log: Effie Ratling, Engineer
The ship didn’t reappear for almost an hour. When it did, it just drifted lifelessly. The pilot didn’t respond to our hails.
We recovered the vessel and pulled open the cockpit. What I saw in there will stay with me for the rest of my life. The pilot looked like he’d been turned inside out. That cocky young kid who thought he ruled the sky.
I have to say, my sympathy didn’t last long when I found out they’re going to pin it on me. They’ve cancelled the project and launched an investigation, but that’s just window dressing. There’s no doubt in my mind they’ll carry on testing in secret. Meanwhile, I’m the one who’s going to take the fall.
There is a chance I might be able to make it out of this. Apparently they’ve developed some kind of Thargoid-killing super weapon, and they don’t want so much as a whisper In the public domain. So this is the choice I’m going to give them: Let me walk, and I say nothing. Set me up, and everyone discovers that the INRA is in the genocide business.
It’s a risky move, but what other choice do I have?
(Sighs) Oh! Effie. That was not a sound plan. You managed to reverse engineer a technology that has change the shape of the galaxy. You took the tech from the aliens that we thought we have exterminated and that same tech made us find the aliens again decades after. And, when they took your project away, you threaten an organisation that you knew was planning a species genocide with uncovering their business. I don’t know how did you ended your days, but I know that Sirius Corporation is not giving you any credit for the invention of the Frame Shift Drive.
Jav Marlo observing Almeida Landing from above
It seems that there is much more into the development of the Frame Shift Drive Technology than the Sirius Corporation is telling us. But this trip was a dead end. I have lost track of the development of the mycoid weapon. I might need to resort to the intel and coordinates my friends from Serebrov Terminal gave me. I must find where did INRA took the weaponized mycoid virus.
Jav Marlo signing out.
19 MAR 3309, system HIP 12099.
This is commander Jav Marlo, flying the Electra. I have just landed in an INRA base called Stack. I got its coordinates some years ago from mysterious commander Zedakiah Massacre. From above, this base reminds me of Klatt Enterprises. The most prominent structure is a pit with a crane close to four silos that I presume held Thargoid ships. Let’s see if I can extract something useful from its comms links.
The Electra landed at Stack
Living Specimen 1/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Personal log 1/4…
Complex molecular chains detected
Bonds weakened by corrosive agent
Unable to identify agent
Structural analysis complete
Organic material analysed
Possible contaminant identified
Composition scan complete
Always the same results. I keep telling them: there’s only so much we can do with the samples we’ve been given. We need a living specimen.
This confirms that Stack was another test facility for biological weapons. In Klatt enterprises they were testing the raw mycoid virus. Here it seems they wanted to test its fully weaponized version. And they needed a ‘living specimen’ to do so.
Jav Marlo observing the tanks with the mycoid virus at Stack
Living Specimen 2/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Personal log 2/4…
Apparently they listened to me. We’ve been asked to build some testing apparatus and a secure enclosure. I drew up a preliminary specification but was told that the enclosure needed to be more robust.
These creatures must be tremendously strong.
I think I am standing right now over the ‘testing apparatus’. Indeed it looks robust to me.
Jav Marlo standing over the pit at Stack
Living Specimen 3/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Personal log 3/4…
The specimen arrived today. The security reports indicate that it made several escape attempts, the most recent of which results in a number of deaths. We must take every precaution.
The specimen appears to be in poor physical health, but it’s undoubtedly alive, and it will certainly serve our purposes.
Could it be the same specimen that took the Witch’s eye. I wonder if the Thargoid remains around me belong to that same specimen. I think we really crossed many moral boundaries here.
Jav Marlo standing on the pit at Stack
Living Specimen 4/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Personal log 4/4…
The specimen is highly resilient and seems to be able to withstand severe physical trauma, even to the point of losing limbs. I am reminded of pulling the legs off spiders as a child. Fortunately, testing on a nonhuman means no legal red tape to slow things down.
Tomorrow we will begin experimenting with chemical and biological weapons. These creatures may be tough, but we will find their weakness.
(Scoffs) It is clear that the person who recorded these logs was already a psycho as a child. It seems that the Thargoids can withstand several trauma and even lose limbs. (Sighs) Well, I think we will find soon enough if that is true. I am quite sure that, at some point, we will finally meet the Thargoids on the ground... at the battlefield.
Jav Marlo observing Stack
I’ll better fly to the next coordinates I received from Zedakiah, see if I can find out how did they deployed the virus.
Jav Marlo signing out.
25 MAR 3309, system 12 Trianguli.
This is commander Jav Marlo on the Electra. Following the coordinates I got from my friends at Serebrov Terminal, I have found a base in the 12 Trianguli sector called Taylor Keep and, even in the dark, I can tell that this one is different from all the other INRA bases I visited.
The Electra landed at Taylor Keep
As expected, the site contains habitation modules and hangars, but it is also surrounded by defence turrets. I have visited many INRA bases, they all operated in secret, but this is the first time I see such a strong defence system. This place must be special. Let’s try to find some information about it.
Jav Marlo observing a defence turret at Taylor Keep
All Our Hopes 1/3
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Communications record 1/3…
I’ll admit I had my reservations about this Commander Jameson. I looked into his background and apparently he climbed the ranks of the Pilots Federation with unprecedented speed. He’s revered by other pilots. But that doesn’t mean he’s suited to the task.
But then it struck me – all we need is someone who can get the payload where it needs to go. The hard work – the development of the mycoid – has already been done. All Jameson has to do is push a button.
The important thing is to play up the whole ‘saving humanity’ angle. Make him feel like a hero. That should stop him asking too many questions.
And if everything goes wrong, we can just pin the blame on him.
(Deep breath) This is the place. This is the base from where Commander Jameson started his mission that wiped out the Thargoids from human space for more than a century. Commander John Jameson, the big damn hero! Unbelievable. I can see the landing pad and the control tower.
Jav Marlo observing the landing pad at Taylor Keep
All Our Hopes 2/3
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Communications record 2/3…
Having received the payload from the Alnath system we’ve prepared a number of medium-range missiles loaded with the weaponised version of the mycoid.
Jameson will be here in three days to prep for the mission, which should give us more than enough time to fit his vessel. Apparently he insisted on using his own ship. I’ve also ordered that some special modifications be made to his craft.
He’ll have to get close to launch the missiles, so it’s unlikely he’ll be coming back. But if he does survive, there are contingencies in place.
(Sighs) The mycoid virus was weaponised at Klatt Enterpises, in the Alnath system, and brought here where it was loaded on missiles. Commander Jameson must have left his ship here for the preparations. Jameson’s mission was to deliver the missiles to the Thargoid Hive ship. It was a suicide mission; Jameson mush had known that and, it looks that the dark operative recording this log knew it too. They never expected him to make it back. But the log mentions a special modification to Jameson’s craft... a contingency. What sort of contingency? I wonder to what point Commander Jameson knew the details of his mission. They seem to have kept him apart. I cannot believe that I am standing right now on the same place where Jameson’s craft was.
Jav Marlo standing on Taylor Keep landing pad
All Our Hopes 3/3
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Communications record 3/3…
To: Commander Jameson
From: Amaro Hem, Programme Coordinator
Welcome, Commander Jameson. Your reputation precedes you. We are extremely grateful you chose to accept this mission.
I understand that the purpose of the assignment has been explained to you, but allow me to reiterate: this mission, if executed successfully, could mean the end of our war with the Thargoids. Its importance cannot be overstated.
The consignment has been loaded onto your ship. We have made some minor modification to your vessel, but it should not affect the performance or functionality in any way.
This is an extremely dangerous mission, Commander. You will be heading deep into enemy territory. If anything goes wrong, you’re on your own.
Good luck, Commander. The future of the human race is in your hands. All our hopes and prayers go with you.
It looks like they kept him the dark. How could they...? They rigged his ship. And he... Commander Jameson... he just let them add modifications to his ship and launched for one of the most crucial missions in mankind history. And... against all odds... he was successful... he saved human race... but... as expected... he perished by doing so.
Jav Marlo observing Taylor Keep´s landing pad
Years ago, when I first visited Shinrarta Dezhra, I contacted the engineer Lori Jameson, the great granddaughter of Commander John Jameson, and sent her the data I got from my mission to Almeida Landing. I requested her help, thinking that she could use her contacts within the Pilots Federation to find out the truth about my father’s disappearance in Merope. Lori Jameson answered to my message and offered her help, but in exchange she requested that I retrieve for her more info from the INRA bases. I was planning for that quest when a Hydra obliterated my ship, the Phobos, on Merope. I was half dead for months. When I was able to fly again, more pressing matters delayed that quest... until now.
I wonder if the intel I already collected from the INRA bases is what Lori Jameson is looking for.
Anyhow, I have still one last set of coordinates to visit.
Jav Marlo signing out.
Jav Marlo at Taylor Keep
30 MAR 3309, system 12 HIP 16824.
This is commander Jav Marlo on the Electra. Seo Jin-ae, who suffered gruesome experiments by Salvation in an attempt to create a human-Thargoid hybrid, has been rescued by the Far God cultists when her ship was ambushed by unidentified enemies. She claims that Salvation survived the attack on the Bright Sentinel by relocating his mind using an unknown procedure named the Nemesis Failsafe. (Deep breath)
In the meantime I have a found a base in the HIP 16824 system called Carmichael Point. I am landing now.
The Electra landed at Carmichael Point
This place is on ruins. I mean, more than the other bases. It is not just old... it looks like if it was... attacked. I might get a better sight from above... I was right... this place was bombarded... from above.
Jav Marlo flying over Carmichael Point
I have found the comms station. Patching in now.
Watching The Sky 1/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Site records found…
Everything is in place.
If the thargoids take the bait, this facility should come under attack very soon. And when it does, we’ll find out if our new weapons are worth a damn.
It’s taken a lot of time and effort to make this place look like an important military site. I just hope they fall for it. It’s about time we started fighting back.
Watching The Sky 2/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Site records found…
Everyone’s on edge. It’s like seeing an approaching storm and waiting for it to break. The air is heavy with the threat of violence.
Maybe they didn’t take the bait? Maybe we hid it too well? Or maybe we didn’t hide it well enough. What if they realise this is a trap?
I suppose it’s too late to worry about that now. All we can do is watch the sky, and wait.
A bait. This facility was a bait. They were trying to lure the Thargoids here. To test new weapons. Did they succeed? This place was attacked, that is for sure.
Jav Marlo downloading the logs of Carmichael Point
Watching The Sky 3/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Site records found…
Contact confirmed! Thargoids 1,000 light seconds from the site and closing. Ready all weapon systems and prepare to fire on my order. We’ve only got one shot at this and I don’t want to miss.
Wait… wait. What is that? That’s not a regular Thargoid ship. It’s huge.
Will someone scan that thing! And tell command we’ve got a mothership here. Get them the data as soon as possible.
All right, all right, that’s close enough. Fire all batteries!
That’s it. The mothership. They lured a mothership. That might have been the mothership commander Jameson attacked. Could it be that INRA sacrificed the staff here to lure the mothership? The bastards! I bet that one of those motherships is what is lurking inside the maelstroms. WHY I CANNOT FIND A DAMN VIDEO RECORD?
Jav Marlo at Carmichael Point
Watching The Sky 4/4
…Bypassing security protocols…
…Secure connection established…
…Site records found…
Test unsuccessful…targets suffered minimal damage…site lost…all operatives…lost…
There you are... slaughtered... sacrificed... to lure the Thargoid mothership and commit the genocide of a full race. I wonder if the Thargoids can be as cruel among themselves as we are.
This was a dead end. I do not know the location of any other INRA bases. I got intel that might be interested for Lori Jameson, but not many clues about how to defeat the Thargoids.
I better go back to the front and re-join the fight. I wonder how Ayumi is doing.
As soon as I am back on the ship, I will forward all the data I collected to Lori Jameson and professor Alba Tesreau.
I am afraid this war is still far from ending.
Jav Marlo signing out.
Jav Marlo observing Carmichael Point from above