A Dance With Destiny: Premonitions
19 Oct 2024Haraldsen
Log Entry: 17th October 3310 - 02:37 From: Charlie Hendrickson. There is One audio message attached: Unidentified probe recording.I met her. It was unreal - the StarStormer, the same Viper MkIV that Tsu Annabelle Singh once flew and that I remember from the events surrounding Salomé as if it were yesterday, now in the hands of this enigmatic woman. The ship's condition and markings left no doubt about its authenticity. How she acquired it remains a mystery, and I didn't feel like asking.
Our rendezvous was brief and clandestine. Reminded me of the simpler times... But not for long. I was ready for anything but this. When she stepped out of the shadows, her presence was almost oppressive. Her eyes, dark and piercing, seemed to harbor galaxies of secrets. They fixed me in place, pinned me down, so intensely it was impossible for me to look away. It was as if she was trying to communicate something to me that was beyond words, a depth of knowledge and burden that far exceeded my comprehension.
She handed me a data orb with a complex, almost impenetrable encryption. Other than that, she didn’t reveal much - but her words were loaded with gravity. “You don’t know the full story, Charlie. Only few do. They never intended for things to unfold this way, with the Thargoids right on our doorstep. Yet, they were willing to take any risk to accelerate the technological development of mankind. They obtained the Martian artifact and aggressively pursued Guardian research, fully aware powering up Guardian tech might attract the Thargoids, like moths to a flame, toward their ancient foe. And why? Because the Thargoids have bioengineered themselves to react against anything Guardian. Even after an eternity has passed, the memory of their foe still haunts them. This message will start revealing the truth. The rest... you’ll have to uncover on your own. I’ve sacrificed too much already in pursuit of this truth. I’m done.”
I wanted to ask more about who 'they' are, about the data orbs content, its origin and about her involvement in this, but she denied any further interaction and withdrew. Just like that. No explanations, not even a single hint, she just walked away, leaving me with more questions than I had before. I was left standing alone, with the message burning a hole in my pocket. Remembering her words used when she sent her invitation ‘Let me be your Annabelle by any other name’, I still wonder if this woman was Tsu Annabelle herself or related to her.
Back home and with the wizardry of my trusted friend Zacariah from the Nemo Cyber Party Base, I finally cracked the encryption. The data orb revealed a distorted voice message - nothing more. It seems to be a recording from deep space probes that intercepted a signal unlike anything I’ve ever encountered.
The message does not contain much info besides a few repeating and seemingly meaningless words, but there’s something deeply unsettling about it - an undercurrent of uneasiness and danger. And it’s definitely linked to Hothis. The encryption is using an older ABEL standard, rooted in even older INRA code, which was used to secure data in Hyford’s Cache, taking us right back to the days of Project Seraph. So the code is old, but is the message of the same age? It doesn't seem like but I can't rely on my assumptions alone. And if not, then why use that code? Riddles upon riddles.
It's strange, it's almost like moving around in a spider's web that's been woven for decades at least if not centuries. And no matter where you start, the Thargoids, INRA, Project Seraph, Azimuth Biochemicals, you always end up assuming there is some still unknown power in the middle of all of this that orchestrates it all. Everything looks interconnected... Too tightly interconnected. Single details point at something else, lightyears, and years, away, and nothing was done just for the sake of it. It feels like... I pull a tiny blade of grass and there are acres of roots underneath.
The message's origin remains a mystery. My analysis hasn't shed any light on its content either. It could be an unprecedented discovery, but it simply appears to be junk. But if it’s junk, why bother encrypting it? Why bother giving it to me in such a secretive way? I need help from someone I trust, someone who might know more about Azimuth and ABEL and their history than I do. It might also be crucial to identify who - or even what, considering the words don't always sound human - the speaker is, if that’s possible.
I have to tread carefully. This looks bigger than any of us, and it's no longer about me making a name for myself, becoming famous with an exposure story on GalNet. It's about uncovering sinister machinations that threaten all mankind and costed billions of lives already. One wrong step, and I feel like one day I may vanish without a trace. 'This message will start revealing the truth,' the woman said to me. Now something tells me I need to be ready for that truth... And I need other pieces to understand it.
I'll hide my log with a copy of the message on the Anti-Club network, I don't trust Inara anymore. Inara and the GalNet network surely has been compromised by agents of the Club. They're watching us there, I can feel it.
End of log.
Charlie Hendrickson
Thanks to Meowers for proof reading and little additions.