Trails of the Past - Preparation
12 Mar 2024Kasumi Goto
March 3, 3310
Near the remains of Titan Taranis
I couldn't stay away. From... whatever this was.
I looked at the strange 'anomaly' that was left behind, still glowing very brightly, at the center of the caustic death cloud of Taranis. A quite literal death cloud - all early reports were telling of it being so intense that even a ship with six or seven caustic sinks could barely make it to the central areas of the cloud before getting destroyed. Hopefully, without occupants. My own experience of the briefest exposure mirrored this.
Something was... still in there. Drawing me here, on top of... my own desire. But I couldn't tell what, or in what state... or if I even wanted to find out at all. Something about this just felt... wrong, on an entirely different level than what the Titan had been forced to endure in the days before its supposed destruction.
Maybe a barely functional core was still left behind, but not so much 'alive' as just functioning on basic parameters. The Thargoids hadn't yet abandoned the system, contrary to claims of the Pilot's Federation, nor did the anti-Guardian field cease to function... at least, yet. It oddly remained active within the system, unless directly next to the Titan. Or whatever was left of it now.
And it made me wonder if there really was something left to be found, beyond scattered pieces of debris of the hull and internal mechanisms that were only worth salvaging. But I also dreaded whatever it was that awaited at the center, once it was safe for humans to explore. A part of me wanted to be there, now...
I tried to approach again, but was immediately discouraged by the corrosive cloud spinning around the Titan at an obscene speed, which likely further slowed down its dissipation, and backed off once more. Looking at the core another time... I still wondered what those strange white particles it emitted were. Maybe it was... something, energy, radiating off of it while it cooled, but that didn't seem right. Certainly not for it to be visible. Suddenly... something about the appearance of this cloud changed. It was almost as if... a corridor inside it had opened, which I could take the ship through. But I hesitated. Was I really ready for this yet? Or was this just an illusion created by my brain?
"EDI... how hot, is it... in there?" I pointed at the glow to accompany that question.
"It remains at an unsafe temperature to explore, for the time being. I cannot recommend attempting an approach due to the heat, even if you managed to carry a ship through this cloud.", the AI replied.
"... still?"
"Yes. As we have the examples of stellar cores in which nuclear fusion has ceased to go by, it is likely the remnants of the fusion core of the Titan will remain dangerously hot for another few weeks, at least. Being surrounded by the caustic cloud may have some effect on how slowly it cools as well, unless it is actively transferring the heat away, rather than acting as an insulator."
I sighed. "Okay."
The tunnel was gone. Whether a figment of my imagination or real, it was an opportunity that had passed. And I was just not mentally prepared, or in the right spot, to even think about heading in there yet. Even if it would always be a monument to human destructive nature to me, and nothing but, my emotions still ran too high for it to have any value to see whatever it was that remained.
A part of me suspected no one would like it. Not even those who were not horribly appalled by a Titan's destruction.
I turned my ship away and selected a nearby Thargoid-controlled system. Those fleets hadn't gone anywhere yet, and currently the hivemind 'read' as if they were still planning to stay.
"Where are we going, Kira?", EDI inquired.
"Away. Out of the Bubble. I need... time, somewhere that is not near here. But I want to... check something, first."
My destination was Trianguli Sector BA-A d85. A known location of a Thargoid spire site - they'd held it for a few days now, and I wanted to check if it was yet active again, or anything had changed following the Titan's destruction. But... there was nothing different about it. The site still remained eerily inert, unused. I sighed, and just headed away, with a course set for my carrier's location. Itself bound for Meene.
Fifteen minutes later ...
I landed at the outpost known as 'Weber Dock' in the system, knowing that act to be what triggered an automated system to send over the necessary decryption algorithm to obtain the Guardian data logs. Except what I actually saw in my inbox, when a message arrived, was an invitation.
I see you've finally arrived. Good!
I've transmitted the decryption algorithm for the Guardian codex - it lasts a month, so it is not extremely time critical for you to head out there - to your ship already, but I'd like to go over some of the details with you personally, perhaps at the request of our 'contact'.
Come meet me at Phoenix Base. I'll be ready for you when you get there. And don't keep me waiting for too long.
Ram Tah
That was... odd. Maybe Seo had told him about it - I assumed that was who he meant by the 'contact', anyway. But I had no reason to assume or think there was any bad intent behind this offer, so I took off and flew over there, heading into the core of the base - still remaining somewhat wary. Because this was the person behind the torpedoes responsible for the latest round of madness in the conflict between humans and Thargoids.
What surprised me was not the stares of the people around - those were expected - but that I didn't actually have to wait... and occupy two seats... for any time, instead getting called right to the office. The - seemingly - middle-aged, yet rather enthusiastic, man, who was also the leading Guardian researcher, very clearly awaited me.
“Welcome! Welcome. I trust your journey wasn’t a difficult one?”
I shook my head, after walking in with… almost a certain grace to the movement. “No one… bothered me.”
“Good. Some of us do have our enemies, and I imagine your unique case has made you quite a few just by existing.”
I shrugged, while he studied me from top to bottom extensively, gaze only lingering on those parts for a split second. “They… can try. I won’t make it easy.”
“I would expect nothing less. But let’s get to the task at hand, shall we? I was told you were looking to investigate what can be found on the Guardians’ history.”
I nodded as response, but also felt a little uneasy. As if there was… a certain tension, in the room. The grin that occasionally adorned the engineer's face after his statements not helping.
“Very good. I’m always eager to support a fellow curious mind. As I told you in my message, the necessary means to obtain the data are already uploaded to your ship’s computer. I assume you are aware of the way the Guardian machinery operates for data access?”
I titled my head to the right, thinking. “… I know that I need those… items, to get the data. But maybe not why it works this way.”
“Ah. Well, I suppose that will suffice, as I don’t want to bore you with the technical details. You should be able to find everything, except the required Thargoid items to unlock those entries, at the Guardian structures which hold them. Unless you already have them?”
An inquiring look came my way. I shook my head.
“No. But I will gather them there, when I arrive. And ask a friend for those… things, from the Thargoids. Someone that I know won’t mind to do it.”
“It appears you have this covered quite well, then. Good. I would suggest following the records of what you can find at which structure to make your work easier. Unless you’d like to do it the hard way, of course.”
“I… was not planning to. And have already looked at those records. Will keep them handy, for if I need it.”
“Very well.” The man’s demeanor shifted slightly, to something more… wary? “A word of advice, depending on what you choose to investigate - be careful when interacting with the Guardian technology directly. As you might already know, it does not respond well to Thargoid biotechnology, and as it is present throughout your body, the results of it may not be positive. I would urge particular caution in regards to the crystals we refer to as ‘Relics’ - the functionality of the nanites I discovered recently could prove particularly fatal. While I am curious, in the purely scientific way, of what the results of this exposure would be… I don’t believe Aegis would particularly approve of your demise in those circumstances.”
I knew they would come up as a subject, eventually. It was difficult for them not to, given what I was, and the fact that this man was the - effective - creator of the nanite torpedoes now used to destroy Titans. And if he’d had even brief contact with Seo, she’d probably told him I didn’t approve of those, or that action, much.
“I, think… I am going to leave, now.”, I stated, not quite able to hide my discomfort any longer. Maybe he was also a little too energetic for me.
“Yes, yes, I understand. Time is of the essence in any scientific endeavor, especially with the Guardians. So much to find, so little time to discover it in our human lifespans."
I raised an eyebrow.
"My apologies. I tend to be quite enthusiastic about my research."
"Ok. But ..." I pointed behind me with my right thumb. "I should... probably go."
"Of course. Don't let me keep you - the algorithm I provided will also let me keep track of your progress. I'm looking forward to seeing it."
I just shrugged to that, and turned around. Kind of, wanted to leave this base already. Maybe there was also still a stockpile of Guardian technology somewhere around it that made the uneasy feeling worse than it should've been. Hard to tell which of the two it was, or how much they played into each other, just that it disappeared when I was far enough from the place. Figuring out what which sensation in my body, as the result of the Thargoid tech's presence, meant, wasn't always easy.
I hadn't mentioned already having a Thargoid sensor, for whatever reason, and I knew where to find the item called the 'link'. I gave the carrier the order to jump to HIP 18368 after determining it to be the closest location with a site where I'd find one of those, then began to type up a message to one of the two friends which I'd recently made. Or just found again.
To: Jana
Hey,
I need help with something... Thargoid items. Tissue samples of all but a Hydra, and a probe. Could you get those for me, please?
Kasumi
The reply didn't wait long for itself.
Sure. Where do you want me to give them to you? -J
Meene, above the base of that guy Ram Tah. I'll give the crew of this carrier - I had it from before, apparently, so might as well use it - the instruction to take those items from you. But I'm going to take it out of the Bubble for an hour to get something else. Then I'll have it back where I said.
Sounds good. I need some time to grab the stuff anyway, and make my way over. Since the Thargoids around Taranis haven't left yet, I'll just... 'borrow' everything from them.
I saw no further need to reply from there, and instead gave the order for my general operations Krait Phantom to be made ready, with a corrosion-resistant cargo rack in place, and shuffling of internals to still carry an FSD booster. Then... it was waiting time.
I'd really have to give the ship a name. If my brain would cooperate on finding one for it.
HIP 18368
En route to body 2 H
Scanning the system had yielded the presence of a lone Thargoid signal on a moon around the system's second gas giant, which I just... 'knew' to be the right one. It likely was an old memory, but it seemed to manifest more intuitively, through knowing that systems as marked with a 'Thargoid' allegiance had one of these... things, in them. They were marked as 'Thargoid Surface Site', as the one I could see in my nav panel now, but there were oddly no Thargoids around. I'd certainly have known if they were in the system - the 'noise' of their song would be a lot more apparent, if only audible to me. And scanners would of course have located their signals, too, but there was nothing out of the 'ordinary' human spectrum here.
These 'sites' didn't really seem to give off... much of anything. Even focusing on the 'thing down below' yielded little. As if it was inactive, or barely showing any activity. So I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, or if there'd be anything potentially dangerous. Linked to Thargoids or not, they'd shown a... certain lack of inclination to avoid firing at my ship, in some circumstances. Around the war theater, generally, which had made it even more surprising to find they weren't immediately hostile upon going to HIP 22460. Or perhaps the distinction there was that we had no feasible way of doing anything significant to the local Thargoid force, and so I was 'tolerated'.
The old site came into view from... maybe a hundred kilometers away. And it more resembled a wreck or ruined structure than anything, especially once the ship finished its glide sequence and it was fully in view. I toggled night vision on at first, due to this location currently being on the night side of the planet, but quickly turned it off again. I wanted to see exactly what this was without the annoying, ugly green filter over everything.
If there was a place to describe 'eerie', this was it. An odd light, and fog, seemed to encompass the site, leaving its details clearly visible despite the surrounding, pitch black darkness. It was a roughly circular collection of various organic-looking structures, likely biomechanical in nature, like the all the rest of Thargoid construction, in various states of... disrepair?
I couldn't tell. I surveyed some of it from the air, feeling a strong sense of unease, but not the kind caused by being uncomfortable near a person, or something the implant reacted negatively to. This was more... my own, from the brain itself. Some of these 'structures' just looked otherworldly, even for something built by Thargoids.
A bright glowing spot caught my attention. It was almost like... 'markings', etched into the material. And strange little drones, for lack of a better word, were buzzing around this spot, either near or looking at it directly, whatever they were doing.
Scavengers.
They weren't hostile... at least, not without provocation, unlike their bigger brothers in the war zone. Even if I hadn't recognized and remembered them, I could tell just from their presence. They seemed almost... tame, and just obeyed their basic programming. For which I couldn't tell what it was, beyond having something to do with this old structure.
I had to go in there, but didn't feel like landing my ship near the core in that central... 'depression' in the ground, at all. Instead, I flew out to the edges, over two kilometers away from the center, and landing there... presented me with a rather eerie view, as if I didn't feel nervous enough already. But at least I'd only need to be here for... a short while. Just in case, before standing up, I left everything on standby rather than a full shutdown. Thrusters and shield especially. Then I headed down to the vehicle bay.
"Stay here with the ship, EDI. I am going to drive there from here.", I told her.
I shoved myself through the narrow interior of the Scorpion and hit 'Deploy' once I was comfortably settled into the seat, of course only remembering now I hadn't remembered to bring the Thargoid sensor necessary to enter this ruin. This prompted me to sigh and, kind of, facepalm.
"Is something wrong, Kira?", EDI inquired, seeing that... reaction.
"No, I... just forgot the stupid sensor. I need it to go inside. But I don't feel like going back."
"Perhaps you may not. It is possible the structure will recognize the implant's signature and allow you inside."
"Oh. I guess... I could try."
That idea... hadn't really occurred to me. I drove forward, keeping a close eye on my surroundings, but despite the unsettling nature of whatever this wrecked thing was... it seemed safe. As safe as it would get for a human, or... that strange hybrid being which I'd been made into.
I drove around until I found an opening, unwilling to go directly across the strange, organic surfaces. And what I saw...
"That looks ..."
"... like a Titan. Yes.", EDI complemented.
"But a lot smaller."
It had to be one of the old Thargoid ships from the first war. One of the ones that got destroyed by mycoid.
Another example of our destructive nature., Kira bitterly remarked in my head.
I could only agree, but 'said' nothing, and instead carried on, minding the Scavenger-machines and the strange spikes protruding out of the ground. In a way, they reminded me of what was around the spire sites back in the Bubble, near the 'mega barnacles', just... not as big.
Moving closer to the core of this... crashed ship, I assumed, the Scorpion's systems flickered briefly. I stopped it, when the passage didn't open, and got out of it. Approaching the strangely segmented door, I placed my hand on it, and... quickly recoiled when its different segments began to separate and reveal the opening behind it.
'Okay, that... works ...'
Not wanting to question it further, I went back to the vehicle and drove inside. A few Scavengers were around the interior as well, but... I was more drawn toward the appearance. Long, curved, tunnel-like corridors with a flat bottom, what appeared like power cables running along the walls, and an odd fog over the ground... almost exactly like those corridors which frequently appeared in my nightmares, just those were significantly larger. And I was 'exposed' in them, not safely in a vehicle... but I still felt a shudder run through my body.
I followed the corridor, carefully avoiding collisions with the somewhat oblivious Scavengers, until it branched off into a lower area. That was where I wanted to go. Some Thargoid materials lay on the ground, but not being useful to me... I left them. Instead, I turned my attention to the 'item' which was lowered on odd wire-like 'arms' holding it in place. Some Thargoid tech-thing which I didn't even have the slightest clue of. But... at least the remnants of the ship appeared to remain functional, even though its 'voice' appeared to be completely silent. Or I just wasn't able to notice it myself, due to the somewhat imperfect connection.
I still didn't want to just shoot it loose. Luckily... it turned out I didn't have to. The 'link' simply dropped on the ground, the weird retaining arms letting it loose in the low gravity. That was all I needed here, and I no longer wanted to stay.
I got distracted momentarily by a door to my left sliding open, revealing... some kind of central chamber, lower to the ground. A strange device hung above its top, with, possibly, a thermal venting core above it, just like on a Titan. A part of me wanted to investigate a little, but the other, having a corrosive item in the hold and just wanting to leave, won over the curiosity, and drove out of the structure. That was when EDI came in with a helpful piece of advice.
"Kira, you may wish to return to the ship with a meta-alloy. Given your nature, it may be possible to repair any damage to biomechanical structures that the implant cannot overcome by itself using small sections of it."
"Hm... that... might be a good idea.", I replied. "Can I find one here?"
"There is usually at least one of these semi-organic spikes which produces a meta-alloy. You may be able to locate it using the data link scanner."
There was one right where I'd exited. I scanned it with the aforementioned scanner. And 'Contents analyzed. Meta-Alloy detected' popped up on the info panel.
"Well... that was, easy. How do I get it?"
"Destroying the spike should allow collection."
'Great. More violence ...'
I sighed, but proceeded to do it anyway, and picked up the strange alloy. Then, I drove back out to where the ship still waited, not minding the corrosion damage on the way too much. One of those wouldn't be too much to really interfere.
I had both the alloy and the Thargoid link transferred to the ship's corrosion-resistant hold once onboard, and wasted no time in taking off. This no longer was a place for any living being - neither Thargoid, nor human. Or me, whatever I could qualify as when occupying this weird middle ground between both... biologically, at least. I set up the carrier to jump back to Meene and wrote a message to Jana once I was docked.
Carrier is coming back to Meene now. Won't stay there for long, though.
- K
She clearly wasn't busy with anything at the moment, as I received an answer pretty quickly.
Oh. I thought we could meet for a moment. I've got everything already, so I'm just waiting for you to arrive.
- J
Sorry, but I... need to be out of this place for a few days. Maybe, after that, would be better.
Alright, fine. I can guess why, anyway. I'll deliver those things you want, then hop off. Not planning to be out of the Bubble for the moment. But let's see each other again when you come back and feel ready, yeah?
Ok. Sure.
I checked if I'd given the instruction for the four relevant Thargoid items to be received yet, but found I hadn't. So I set that up, then just... waited again. I had nothing to do until the carrier jump initiated, but was getting sleepy. And I managed to doze off while passing this boring period.
A bleep from the ship abruptly pulled me out of the nap, showing a new message from Jana. Of course. I opened it.
Everything delivered as you asked, and I only got a few new holes in the hull for it. Going to head back over to near Titan Oya after visiting this engineer guy for some stuff. Be safe out there, yeah? - J
I checked if the ship was still docked, but the message was already a few minutes old, and there was no one except my own currently onboard. I sighed, kind of thinking I would've liked to see her here, now, anyway.
I will be. And I think it would be good to meet when I come back. Maybe... I don't know. We can decide where, when I come back.
- K
Sounds good. I'll see you then.
I buried my head in my hands for a moment. I was just tired of it, the constant noise in my head, fighting, between humans and Thargoids, with neither side looking willing to back down even after the - presumed - near-total destruction of a Titan. And being out there, near the Guardian sites, would be... far enough, for a start, even if I didn't immediately begin my search of the ruins.
I opened up carrier navigation and selected the first waypoint, which was Synuefe GT-H b43-1, as the destination, to go through while I slept. Luckily, it seemed I had a system map available already, allowing me to target the planet which - presumably - had a ruin on it. That data just refused to display without being there directly, but the number of carriers in orbit was a good enough indicator of its own.
Once I had confirmation of the travel plan, I got out of the pilot's seat and headed into my personal cabin. I needed sleep, badly, for one reason or another. And I was ready to give in to that desire, both for the rest and to stop my thoughts from constantly spinning around the Titans.
I passed out into the darkness' embrace even before the announcement of the jump came through.