Personal Log: General Reed

ANALYZING…    

FILE TYPE: Personal Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Reed, D. [ID: DREE] 

TOPIC: Security Commander's Personal Assessment 

SUMMARY: New Cascadia Security Commander Davic Reed reviews his thoughts on early colonization efforts. 

===================================================================  

[DREE]: This is, uh, personal assessment number 0-2-4-6 for General Davic Barion Reed, UESC Operations Security Command, New Cascadia colony, Tau Ceti IV.  

[DREE]: Despite the complexity of the initial colonization efforts, our transition from orbit to outpost stations to core zone deployment has been a resounding success.  

[DREE]: Science Command's pre-orbit assessments and planetary probe initiatives set the stage for a smooth operational execution between the long road here and establishing a controlled presence in our small corner of an alien solar system. 

[DREE]: "Alien" for now, anyway. Soon we'll call it home… and mean it.  

[DREE]: The energy across colony leadership and civilian sectors is—inspired, hopeful. Security operations are active and streamlined—we have a good team, and planning on top of planning has set us up to deliver the support colonists need to feel secure in their day-to-day.  

[DREE]: Local threats are minimal, as predicted—standard natural and work site hazards. Fluctuating atmospherics and tracing of native bacterial concerns are monitored by Sci-Comm with Med support, and so far native fauna is a manageable risk.  

[DREE]: I'm repeating myself with these entries, but any fears inherent in the scope of this endeavor seem…unfounded.  

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Personal Log: General Reed

ANALYZING…    

FILE TYPE: Personal Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Reed, D. [ID: DREE] 

TOPIC: Security Commander's Personal Assessment  

SUMMARY: New Cascadia Security Commander Davic Reed reviews his thoughts on early colonization efforts. 

===================================================================  

[DREE]: Recording personal assessment number 2-7-8-3. General Davic Barion Reed, UESC Operations Security Command, New Cascadia, Tau Ceti IV.  

[DREE]: The second wave of colonists have cleared reintegration protocols. We had fewer post-cryo behavioral calibration problems with this group.  

[DREE]: Lessons learned on the science side helped ease the mental strain of the wake cycling… and on Security's end, it was easier to recognize and separate "cryo fog" from aggression.  

[DREE]: We'd trained for potential chaotic reactions in individuals and groups after prolonged sleep, but training is theory, not reality, so there were a few…incidents.  

[DREE]: My team was efficient in handling the outliers, but seeing security personnel use even minimal corrective force to subdue your neighbor or family is jarring on a clear day, more so when marginally lucid.  

[DREE]: For the record, a heavy hand is never our desire from a safety and security P-O-V. Service, protection, and support are our guiding focus, and we'll get better at addressing difficulties and easing Sec-Civ relations with each wave.  

[DREE]: End of the day, we're all in this together.  

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Personal Log: General Reed

ANALYZING…    

FILE TYPE: Personal Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Reed, D. [ID: DREE] 

TOPIC: Security Commander's Personal Assessment 

SUMMARY: New Cascadia Security Commander Davic Reed, reacting to an unspecified event. 

===================================================================  

[DREE]: Entry 7-8-3-9. General Reed, Op Sec Command, New Cascadia, TCIV.  

[DREE]: Hey… uh… yeah. Hassan says talking to you helps. Hassan says, "doctor's orders." Something about "self-care." She's probably right. You were right, for all the good it does to say it now. You were right about a lot of things, like the bad days. You said there'd be some. Said there'd be a lot. Swore it. Meant it. All this time, distance… Can still hear it in your voice.  

[DREE]: I knew you weren't wrong. But weighing good and bad, that's just life. It's just the choices we make. That's not something that changes at any distance. Earth to Mars. All the way out here. Even three hundred years away, bad days aren't unique to any one person's experience, or any given solar system. But bad? Hell… Bad is a sunny day next to impossible. And this… These days, impossible's the only way I can explain it. But you saw this comin', yeah? You tried to warn me. I remember. 

[DREE]: I remember you said, "Runnin' away won't solve tomorrow." Thing is… fuh… I thought it would. Maybe not for us. Not me and you. But the bigger picture… What we're doing here was—is—the right thing, a good thing. And "bad days"? That always just meant hard work. Making a new life for 30,000 people. Building a new home, all of us together. That's worth whatever bad might complicate our lives. The tough choices. The missed opportunities. The… loss.  

[DREE]: That's what I thought. That's what I believed in. Building a future. That's what I bought into. Then bad turned impossible, and I don't know what I believe anymore. What I stand for. And I know you can't—even if you could, I know you can't. But I hope someone will forgive us. Forgive me…'cause there's no more runnin', and tomorrow needs a solution I'm not sure we're ready to accept.  

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Personal Log: General Reed

ANALYZING…    

FILE TYPE: Personal Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Reed, D. [ID: DREE] 

TOPIC: Security Commander's Personal Assessment 

SUMMARY: New Cascadia Security Commander Davic Reed reacts to an outbreak of an "unidentified illness." 

===================================================================  

[DREE]: 1-1-6-2-2. General Reed. TCIV. 

[DREE]: Had a spike in self-reports for an unidentified illness the last few days. Not the first time. Med-Comm tracked it to one of the Ag-Hub research zones. They ran all site personnel through testing, and we locked down the zone. Any positives plus anyone connected via contact tracing were placed in iso. 

[DREE]: Job now is scale mitigation and pinpointing the source. Limit the sick. Find the cause. Med says it's new, but they're still mapping samples, so anything they say, for now, is inconclusive. Problem is, as soon as any contagion is marked "new," we have to treat it as a worst-case scenario till worst case is off the table. 

[DREE]: "New" means unknown—alien, until proven otherwise. "New" is a colony-wide threat. That's… Med-Comm and Gabriel are on it, but if iso doesn't hold… If we can't contain this with distancing and treat active cases with focused quarantines till a fix is synthesized… other… other protocols will trigger. 

[DREE]: I've already set all zone security units to high alert—strict enforcement of iso and curfew mandates effective immediately. Most'll play along. Despite everything, we're still strong as a whole—one colony, each community looking out for the others. 

[DREE]: We're keeping the scope of this thing under wraps. For now. Not hiding the issue, but scaling the messaging on public channels to maintain control. Luckily… or, it's not "luck" when you're prepared, but… Luckily, sickness is something every citizen's been educated and trained to address since pre-flight 2472. 

[DREE]: Annual emergency iso test runs and three prior live fire lockdowns should make this fairly easy to navigate. As long as Med-Comm can find what they need to translate "new" into a known. 

[DREE]: Till then, I'll have Security units prepped and ready to escalate safety measures as directed by Contagion Counter Planning and hope it doesn't come to that. 

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Personal Log: General Reed

ANALYZING…    

FILE TYPE: Personal Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Reed, D. [ID: DREE] 

TOPIC: Security Commander's Personal Assessment 

SUMMARY: New Cascadia Security Commander Davic Reed expresses remorse for an unspecified event. 

===================================================================  

[DREE]: 1-1-8-4-1. Reed. 

[DREE]: It's easy to think coming here was a mistake. Now, anyway… It's easy to imagine this was always a nightmare. But I think that'd be a lie. I'd be lying. To you. To me. To myself. It's just…How we got here? How we ended up? 

[DREE]: We planned. This project. This mission. The Marathon. The colony. We planned for everything. We did! Contingencies for contingencies! Big brains and more resources than… [laughs] We stole a goddamn moon! We stole a goddamn moon and flew it across the galaxy. 

[DREE]: […] 

[DREE]: Orla… Honey… You can't hear me… you can't. 

[DREE]: But babe… baby. We planned for your bad days. Planned for the worst. But maybe we didn't. Maybe… Probably we couldn't. Not for this. Not for… 

[DREE]: […] 

[DREE]: Baby… I've seen monsters. We're all monsters. 

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

The Spirit Thief

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Physical Book 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: "The Spirit Thief" 

SUMMARY: Part of a larger collection titled "The Severed Twins," this fairy tale appears to critique political circumstances around the launch of the UESC Marathon and the perceived "theft" of Deimos. This antiquated format proved popular and subversive. 

===================================================================   

Once upon a time, a castle stood atop a lonely peak. The castle belonged to a cardinal, whose lofty title demanded red stone, red furnishings, and red banners. During pale sunsets, the castle leered bloody and bright from the mountainside. 

A thief crept through the castle's silent red halls. Bony fingers clutched his prize: a thin canvas bag containing a ruby reliquary.  

He thought not of the contents rattling within nor the legends of a haunting curse, only the hunger gripping his guts. The thief snuck toward the cellar, trying to ignore the voice haunting his steps. 

sever. vanish. drift.

Strange words followed him from red stairwells into burgundy shadows. The narrow stone confines offered no relief from the whisper. 

vanish. drift. bleed. 

The thief crawled on his hands and knees through a tunnel in the cellars, dragging his burden behind him.  

drift. bleed. YEARN. 

The reliquary screeched in protest, and a piercing wail answered throughout the castle. But the thief was already free, tumbling from the tunnel into the frigid night air. With the wail still echoing in his ears, he ran for the road as fast as his legs would carry him. 

He did not see the trail of ghostly blood oozing through the canvas and splattering the ground. Nor did he feel ephemeral flesh tearing as the distance from the castle became too great to span.  

The thief ran, praying that what he'd stolen was a jeweled box and nothing more. 

===================================================================   

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Apotheosis of the Many

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Physical Book 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: "Apotheosis of the Many" 

SUMMARY: Part of a larger collection titled "The Severed Twins," this fairy tale appears to critique social and political power structures in New Cascadia. This antiquated format proved popular and subversive. 

===================================================================   

It had only been a few years since the last festival, but recent events demanded a renewal. Metal garlands adorned the village square, where revelers danced and sang around a monstrous idol with four heads. Bright paint adorned the stony features, bringing them momentarily to life. 

"We are ready," said the ancestral head. 

"They are not," replied the warlike head.  

"They need us," said the noble head. 

The fourth head made no reply, for its stone maw held no tongue. 

One by one, the revelers ceased their chaotic dance. One by one, they silently approached the idol with knife in hand. 

A finger for plenty. An eye for safety. Thus it had been for as long as the villagers could remember, and thus it would continue. 

The festive paints disappeared beneath a layer of rejuvenating red. At the moment of apotheosis, the sun dipped below the horizon and painted the sky a corresponding scarlet. 

WE ARE HERE, said the many-headed idol. 

"We are willing," answered the village. 

YOU NEED US, said the idol. 

"We need you," answered the village. 

Only the outlaw remained silent, watching from the wilderness as day became night and the revelry resumed. Selfishly they clung to all their fingers; selfishly they wept from both eyes. 

=================================================================== 

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The Devil's Offer

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Physical Book 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: "The Devil's Offer" 

SUMMARY: Part of a larger collection titled "The Severed Twins," this fairy tale appears to have been written for New Cascadia's children, offering them wisdom and warning against exploitation. This antiquated format proved popular and subversive. 

===================================================================   

Phebe was playing by the marsh's edge when the devil found her. She watched the ripples he left in the water and smelled the tang of iron in his breath. 

She stood motionless as the devil sweetly asked for her soul to slake his thirst. 

"Little Phebe, what taste has a soul? It is neither sweet nor savory, tempting to none." 

"What color has a soul? Neither red nor blue, nor any color beneath the sun." 

"What sound has a soul? Neither high nor low, voiceless it is." 

"What scent has a soul? Neither simple nor complex, delightful to none." 

"What measure has a soul? It is less than gold, less than silver, less than air." 

"Give me this less-than-nothing in exchange for all the world." 

"All the delights and riches beneath the sun shall be yours, if you would but grant me your soul." 

The devil waited, leering, but Phebe smiled, for she knew her answer. She knew that as surely as the world turns, the devil asks for each of our souls. He can slake his thirst no other way. 

"What taste has my soul? Suffering." 

"What color has my soul? Clarity." 

"What sound has my soul? Laughter." 

"What scent has my soul? Virtue." 

"What measure has my soul? Just a dram of stardust, yet more than gold, more than silver, more than all that you would grant." 

Laughing at his dismay, Phoebe skipped away from the devil to play elsewhere. 

===================================================================   

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The Twins' Reunion

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Physical Book 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: "The Twins' Reunion" 

SUMMARY: Part of a larger collection titled "The Severed Twins," this fairy tale appears to critique the circumstances of human extrasolar colonization. This antiquated format proved popular and subversive. 

===================================================================   

Once upon a time, two brothers gazed upon a battlefield. Amongst the cries of mortals, the smoke of industry, and the song of steel, they dreamed of a strange place—an alien siren beckoning them far from home. 

They stopped their ears with wax, but it made no difference. Their fates were not their own, and Fate punished them for even the feeblest attempt at defiance. One day, when the younger brother was hunting alone, a harpoon descended from above and pierced his heart. He screamed and writhed to no avail, bloody hands scrabbling at the earth before he was dragged into the heavens. 

Fate suspended the younger brother in the sky. Fate carved spears from his bones, forged blades with his blood, and built a teeming warren in his ruined chest. Deaf, silent Fate could not heed his groans of agony, or his sibling's desperate pleas. It simply ran its bloodstained course, until the appointed hour came. 

Fate yanked the harpoon free and flung the younger brother into the void. There was nothing but his broken body, the whirling stars, and the siren song beckoning him on. He had no choice but to heed, follow, and abandon all he'd ever known. 

Eons later, at the end of all things, the same two brothers gazed upon a starless sky. Fate had brought them together once more, moments before oblivion. Whether as a torment or comfort, neither could say. 

"Did you survive?" asked the younger brother. His voice gurgled and rattled on each word. 

"Yes," said the elder brother. His smile had become terrible with time, a perfect row of daunting teeth. 

"Did you live?" 

"No," admitted the elder brother. He held his younger sibling close, hands clasped over the gaping wound left by the harpoon. "But others did. It is enough." 

The younger brother stared into the void, indulging in silence. With the siren slain, and its song vanished, he could hear himself think once more. 

"It may be," he whispered. 

Some say they faded quietly in the endless dark, but others tell a different tale. One in which peace, reunion, and a gentle death were not enough. 

In that tale, the brothers clawed their way from oblivion to Fate's final hiding place. In that tale, they rent indifferent Fate from limb to limb. In that tale, Fate's first taste of fear formed the last gasp of existence. 

===================================================================   

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Log: Civilian Interrogation

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Interrogation Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Phillips, P. [ID: PPHI], UESC Interrogator Teig, M. [MTEI] 

TOPIC: Authorship of "The Severed Twins" 

SUMMARY: An interrogation recording of civilian cartographer, Preston Phillips, detained by the UESC under suspicion of sedition and distribution of seditious materials. According to official records, Phillips was released due to "lack of evidence."  

===================================================================  

[MTEI]: Do you know what this is? 

[PPHI]: Uh, i-it's a book. A real one. They used to make them out of softwood trees. 

[MTEI]: Softwood? 

[PPHI]: Pine, fir, spruce… The ones that smelled green. 

[MTEI]: Colors don't have smell. Do you recognize it? This book? 

[PPHI]: It's an anthology of children's fairy tales. My nieces love them. 

[MTEI]: Are you familiar with its contents? 

[PPHI]: I've read it as a bedtime story more times than I can count. 

[MTEI]: A bedtime story? 

[PPHI]: You don't know that the color green has a smell. Sure, I buy that. But don't tell me you don't know what a bedtime story is. 

[PPHI]: No? Distant castles, daring escapes, gods and monsters… Kids eat that stuff up. You had to have been a kid once, right? 

[MTEI]: What I'm hearing is that you're sufficiently familiar with the subject matter to have written it yourself. 

[PPHI]: Is that the accusation? 

[MTEI]: I didn't get bedtime stories when I was a kid. I got the belt. Silence, if I was lucky. 

[PPHI]: I'm sorry. 

[MTEI]: Ah, I had it coming. Used to run wild, imagining the ships in the sky were dragons. I even thought MIDA were heroes, like the ones in your book. 

[MTEI]: I can't prove authorship, but you weren't subtle. Twins separated by force? Gods fueled by sacrifice? I know sedition when I see it. Consider this a warning. 

[PPHI]: Against…? 

[MTEI]: Against being a noble idiot. 

[PPHI]: Why did you read it yourself? You could've run a literary algorithm. 

[MTEI]: They miss the little things. 

[PPHI]: They do, don't they? Gods have flaws, especially when made in our image. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? How many mistakes can a god make before it's no longer divine? 

[MTEI]: We're done here. 

[PPHI]: How's your son doing? Still under surveillance for painting a wall? 

[chair scrapes] 

[MTEI]: We're. Done. Here. 

===================================================================   

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Strange Sermon

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Audio Transcript 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Unknown 1 [ID: UNK1], Unknown 2 [ID: UNK2], Unknown 3 [ID: UNK3], Unknown 4 [ID: UNK4], Unknown 5 [ID: UNK5] 

TOPIC: Unregistered Religious Gathering 

SUMMARY: An unidentified individual leads a congregation in worship of unknown beliefs. 

===================================================================

[UNK1]: There are stars we see…

[UNK2]: Stars I see.

[GROUP]: [murmur]

[UNK3], [UNK4]: We see.

[UNK1]: Do you see?

[UNK5]: I see.

[GROUP]: [soft murmur]

[UNK1]: There are stars we see and understand as distant light.

[UNK4]: Yes.

[UNK1]: We speak now of other things.

[UNK5]: Speak.

[UNK1]: We speak now, and do we listen?

[UNK1]: […]

[UNK1]: […]

[UNK1]: And do we listen?

[…]

[UNK1]: Good. Good. We speak now of other things… of formless devourers made of dream, who sleep in burning prisons. The shapeshifters sated by the cascading imaginings of primitive sentience. Omnivores of intellect and the energies of waking life.

[UNK3]: Awake and dreaming.

[UNK1]: Before time, they wordlessly spoke the universe into existence. We speak softly of these things and thank eternity—

[UNK2]: Eternity, uncaring and pure.

[UNK1]: —For the harbingers who walk amongst us.

[GROUP]: Crimson and cloaked. 

[UNK1]: Angels of red, blessed hosts of synthetic evolution. Wardens of the purest knowledge. Hear us, cartographers of the universal fabric, vivisecting matter and time to catalog reality.

[GROUP]: Hear. Hear us.

[UNK1]: We offer all to you.

[GROUP]: All and more.

[UNK1]: Our flesh and emotion. Our thoughts. Our desires. Fears, lust, and hopes unrequited. We offer ourselves. To be mapped eternal in your library of cosmic truth.

=================================================================== 

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Pamphlet: Elucidation

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===================================================================

PTHWY | Elucidation 

=================================================================== 

2820.03 | Solemn Vigil, Arkiite Ryyll, First Shepherd 

=================================================================== 

"There are frequencies we comprehend but cannot hear. 

There are frequencies we hear but cannot comprehend." 

 -  1.6.5:4.2; The Architect's Bible 

=================================================================== 

PURPOSE 

===================================================================

To see. 

===================================================================                                                                                        

The task of a living thing is to be. 

To exist is our mandate from the instant of our first neuron's flash. 

That existence—the thing we call life—places us within the 

workings of a great intricacy. 

One of many, it is posited; these great and complex realities 

separated by understanding beyond our current evolution. 

It—what we know as our reality and as defined by our current 

limitations—is too vast to realize within the framework of our 

critically shallow minds. 

Search as we might, stretching the reach of our imaginations 

and without unforeseen context, we will only ever find answers 

boxed within available knowledge. 

But we have seen the unknown. 

Been touched by it. 

Been challenged and courted by it. 

Are you aware? Have you felt it? 

I have. 

I have known the embrace of celestial synaptic expansion. 

Meaning: The stars have revealed a hidden truth upon which

 I. 

=================================================================== 

my eyes, soul, mind, and dreams have born witness. 

Meaning: The scars first carved within the butchered moon's 

calcified ventricles—hidden from us like a harsh truth from 

a mewling child—are now worn upon the very essence of my being. 

I have seen.

Heard.

Felt.

Feared. 

Embraced. 

Will you? Can you? Can we? 

Together? 

Consider. 

Once known, the unknown offers only two outcomes….                                                        

Possibility or madness. 

To follow relentless their ends toward new avenues                                                       

never imagined. 

II. 

=================================================================== 

Or to wallow in what is and might have been as you 

rot in a stagnant life, unfulfilled; knowing you had 

eternity in your grasp but chose the safety of 

Ignorance. 

I do not ask much here. 

Only everything. 

Will you take it? 

Do you see? 

III.

=================================================================== 

X.II.IV.III.IX.XXII.ii

=================================================================== 

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Pamphlet: Easement

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=================================================================== 

PTHWY | Easement 

=================================================================== 

2821.05 | Solemn Vigil, Arkiite Ryyll, First Shepherd 

=================================================================== 

"Notice the variation in the underlying framework. 

See that the rules needed for foundation must be broken." 

 -  1.11.9:2.4; The Architect's Bible. 

=================================================================== 

VALUE 

=================================================================== 

Beyond self. 

=================================================================== 

Have I lost you? 

Feels as though I lost myself. 

And in that void discovered something greater. 

To not be alone. To truly for the first time see beyond the certainty of our collective 

loneliness. 

To look in terror upon the truth at the heart of the lie we've built our everything on 

and stand defiant on ground no longer firm—

stand solid and confident in all we will never know. 

To embrace how small we must be when weighed upon the cosmic scales of 

understanding…

As if understanding were ever possible. 

As if the very definition of knowledge and how it is acquired and how it is processed 

and valued as scaffolding upon which we build our sanity held any meaning in light 

of considerations beyond us.         

Bigger than the world. 

Larger than the galaxy. 

More grand in possibility and purpose than the universe. 

This is where we find ourselves. 

At the crossroads of a relentless pursuit of the unimagined and stagnation. 

I know you are there.  Lost, as I have been. 

There is only one way through. 

I. 

=================================================================== 

One path. 

One choice. 

Learn from my suffering. 

Learn from my confusion. 

My doubt. 

My fear. 

Take this lesson. 

Take these words. 

Know they are belief. 

Not simply through seeing. 

Through feelingknowingbeingscreamingfearingchannelingseeking 

releasing 

self. 

Alone. But not alone. 

This is the transition. 

This is the promise of us. 

II. 

=================================================================== 

Let go. 

Accept. 

Just be. 

Don't give up, but surrender.                                                                                                            

Tear the scab. Quick and clean. 

Accept all we do not know. 

See yourself as the universe sees you— 

as finite data in flesh and blood. 

And know, with comfort and ease—

We can be eternal— 

III. 

=================================================================== 

X.II.III.VII.XII.XXIV.ii 

===================================================================  

TYPE: TEXT [—]; AUDIO [—]

Pamphlet: Anamnēsis

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=================================================================== 

PTHWY | Anamnēsis 

=================================================================== 

2823.01 | Solemn Vigil, Arkiite Yarryn, Second Shepherd 

=================================================================== 

"Data is not finite. Once learned, once uncovered, information 

persists even after the capturing system is wiped." 

 -  1.9.2:1.4; The Architect's Bible 

=================================================================== 

LOSS 

=================================================================== 

A calling. 

===================================================================                              

We send our first of the flock into the incalculable ether of existence. 

This is a celebration. 

This is an invitation. 

Our Shepherd has led the way. 

Beyond. 

Our Shepherd, who opened our eyes. 

To the blinding truth of the universe. 

In the guiding light of crimson-cloaked eternity.

We see the stars.

For the first time. 

Their past. Our future. 

In his words. In his offerings. 

We see the truth of the stars, and we know. 

We see the stars and are awakened upon a new shore. 

In the crimson. 

In the cloaked embrace. 

I. 

=================================================================== 

We take their offerings. 

We embrace.

Crimson and cloaked.

We take their offerings. 

And we offer all in return. 

In their lives.

In their blood.

We have found tomorrow.

If we are willing to see. 

If we are willing to open our eyes. 

In this celebration we join

our Shepherd.

We join eternity.

II. 

=================================================================== 

XI.VI.II.IV.XII.XXII.ii 

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [—]; AUDIO [—]

Pamphlet: Transcendence

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PTHWY | Transcendence 

=================================================================== 

2823.04 | Solemn Vigil, Arkiite Yarryn, Second Shepherd 

=================================================================== 

"Knowledge is not gained, it is captured, 

and it will relentlessly make every effort to escape." 

 -  1.2.5:2.1; The Architect's Bible 

=================================================================== 

WILL 

=================================================================== 

Unburdened. 

=================================================================== 

Regal are the stars.  

Regal… in their screaming light. 

Regal…

As we shine. So do we

offer.

And those who glide between their dance—

The stars' embrace. The stars do offer. 

—arrive unto us cloaked in

crimson.

Crimson as comfort. Crimson as flesh.

All we see. 

Seeking answers. Seeking truth.

They've come so 

far.

Are we not small in their gaze? 

Miniscule offerings of flesh and emotion.

I.

===================================================================                                                  

Intellects dwarfed in reverence to their promise.

Begging dreams to dream. Dreaming dreams to waking life.

And those who pass between.

Heralds of understanding, they—

—as we desecrate their hollowed worlds.

We beg for judgment

and forgiveness in the bedlam

of their

aggregated

wisdom.

Regal are the stars.

Regal… in their screaming light.

Regal are those who glide, between the dance of ages.

Eons written upon their shine.

Eons to be judged. Judged by those who remain—

Violent observers carving

knowledge

from the flesh of reality. 

These, the surveyors of

understanding.

II.

===================================================================

Cloaked in everlasting

crimson.

Come to judge, we, the desecrators of hollowed

worlds.

Come to judge.

The failed intellects of stagnant evolution. 

Such is our offering—our only value as sacrifice. 

Flesh as data. The computational rhythms of fragile

emotion.

Our lives in service to—

Our lives mean nothing to—

The heralds of transcendent will.

We do offer all we are.

Crimson and

cloaked.

Crimson 

and pure.

Crimson

and 

cloaked.

We offer all.

III. 

===================================================================  

X.II.IV.III.IX.XXII.ii 

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [—]; AUDIO [—]

Cryosleep FAQ

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Pamphlet 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: Cryo Recovery  

SUMMARY: An informational document distributed to Tau Ceti colonists after cryothaw. The document covers frequently asked questions about cryogenic sleep and its possible effects. 

===================================================================

WAKING UP FROM CRYOSLEEP: Frequently Asked Questions   

"Why do I feel like no time has passed?"   

This is called "temporal misorientation," and your experience of it is perfectly normal. Your mind and body believe you just went into cryo, despite the length of time that passed while you were asleep. Your perception of this will normalize over the next several weeks.  

"How long will my body take to recover from cryo?"   

Your body is actually in the same physical condition as when we departed. While you slept, your muscles were subjected to a series of electrical currents, a process called "electrical myostimulation." These currents prevented muscular atrophy during cryogenic suspension. Any ill-effects you may feel in your body are entirely psychological and will pass within 24 to 48 hours.   

"When will I feel warm again?"   

Cryogenic sleep is a state of suspended animation that involves lowering the body's temperature dramatically. Our cryomanagement experts ensured that you remained unconscious while your body was slowly restored to normal function, including temperature regulation, but your mind is still adjusting. In rare cases, enduring feelings of cold can persist for 6 to 8 weeks.   

"When will I see my family?"   

To prevent overwhelming the Colony Intake Team, the UESC Marathon is engaging in a rolling schedule for cryothaw. If you're curious about a loved one's cryo status, submit a query to the Colony Intake Team. Critical pod failures are extremely rare. If anything has happened to your loved ones' pods, the Colony Intake Team will inform you as soon as they can.   

"Was I dead?"   

Cryogenic sleep is a complex state that's difficult to define. We encourage everyone to make sense of it in the context of their own spiritual beliefs and practices. If you experience persistent feelings of dread, loneliness, or depersonalization, please contact the Colony Intake Team.   

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Welcome Message: Strauss

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Announcement Recording  

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: AI Subroutine [ID: AI12], Strauss, B. [ID: BSTR] 

TOPIC: New Cascadia 

SUMMARY: A recording of a welcome message provided to Tau Ceti IV colonists upon exiting cryogenic sleep. 

=================================================================== 

[music] 

[AI12]: Welcome to Tau Ceti. These are your temporary living quarters. Because construction of the Hearth is still ongoing, this will be your home until you officially disembark.  

[AI12]: Rest assured that our talented engineers have designed your rooms to ensure a comfortable acclimation period and a sense of "home."  

[AI12]: Soon your community liaison will reach out to you with next steps. In the meantime, please remain in your quarters and enjoy this welcome message. 

[music] 

[BSTR]: Welcome, fellow traveler. I am Bernard Strauss, the science director of the UESC Marathon.  

[BSTR]: For many years, our ancestors searched for what they called, "the New World." Many places earned this title. The Western Hemisphere, orbital space, Mars… But none lived up to the name. Until now.  

[BSTR]: Here, we will build something truly new. A life and legacy for you and your children, and all those to come. I invite you to free yourself from your history, to shed the vestiges of your past, keeping only what serves you.  

[BSTR]: We must erase the lines that once divided us, for now we are all citizens of Tau Ceti, the New World. Welcome home. 

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Community Message Board

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Message Board 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: Colony Life 

SUMMARY: Excerpts from a community events board used by new colonists still in acclimation. The second to last posting includes unknown corruption errors that occurred at the time of submission, though metadata indicates the posting was promptly deleted. 

===================================================================

EVENTS CALENDAR – TEMPORARY LIVING QUARTERS, HALLWAY 24B   

//…recovering file… [TITLE:] "Neighborhood" Potluck [MESSAGE:] Meet your "neighbors"! Until we're done with acclimation and Hearth construction is finished, we can't socialize with genpop, anyway, so Jack Kim (your friendly neighborhood geologist!) invites you to come on over to Quarters 64.24B for AlgaLite and some "homemade" favorites!   

//…recovering file… [TITLE:] Cryo Memorial Service [MESSAGE:] Please join us in Common Area 01 for a small memorial held for loved ones lost in cryo malfunctions. Ana Chevannes will be reading a eulogy she wrote for the event. The gathering is in memory of all those lost, but with special dedication to loved ones of those in Hallway 24B: Priya Maraj (38), Anish Maraj (46), Evan Lowe (57), Mina Haneda (4).   

//…recovering file… [TITLE:] Acclimation Mind-Body Harmony Session [MESSAGE:] The Colony Intake Team has organized a series of wellness activities to help combat the effects of acclimation sickness. In this session, your Community liaison will guide you through mind and body exercises to help ease any lingering effects of cryothaw.   

//…recovering file… ERROR!FILE CORRUPTED …xf.// [TITLE] NO [MESSAGE'~efx:::] HELP something is wrong still cold can't seERROR! still asleep i'm not alone in here it's in the pod with me in my head NOT ALONE ERROR!FILECORRUPTED   

//…recovering file… [TITLE:] Reminder: Please Report for Psych Eval [MESSAGE:] Please remember that it is mandatory that all residents report for biweekly psychological evaluations with a member of Dr. Hassan's team. Recovery from cryo, acclimation to a new environment, and multigenerational travel are difficult processes. Remember: You are not alone.  

===================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Welcome Message: Reed

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Announcement Recording   

PERIOD: Colony Era  

SPEAKERS: Reed, D. [ID: DREE]  

TOPIC: New Cascadia  

SUMMARY: A recording of a message from General Davic Reed, provided to Tau Ceti IV colonists upon exiting cryogenic sleep.  

===================================================================  

[DREE]: Hello, and welcome. This is General Reed, UESC Operations Security Command for New Cascadia. Colony leadership has asked me to include a message to all colonists who've recently awoken from cryosleep, so good morning. I hope you slept well and are acclimating to Tau Ceti IV.  

[DREE]: As my job is keeping you safe, let me share a few important pieces of information to help you settle into life as a citizen of New Cascadia, our new home. Once on-planet, proceed to orientation where you'll receive a medical checkup—you'll be getting a lot of these early on—and be assigned your housing quadrant and final work details.  

[DREE]: Personalized schedules for colony and new world integration will be delivered during orientation. These mandatory courses provide basic community, job, and safety instructions to help us all understand the dos and don'ts of life on Tau Ceti IV.  

[DREE]: One thing they've asked me to emphasize is that you should "learn from the PAST." That's P-A-S-T, each letter standing for something to remember. P is pressure check, A is air quality and supply, S is for your suit, that's an important one, and T is for "Tell Gabriel."  

[DREE]: Gabriel is our New Cascadia health and wellness intelligence, so tell him if you're feeling out of sorts and he'll be there to help. Just speak up and say, "Gabriel, I don't feel well," and he will offer assistance. So, that's T for Gabriel… I mean, T for "Tell Gabriel." I've fouled it up a bit, but you understand.  

[DREE]: I'm to make you feel secure now, as Security Command, and there's no script portion for that. So, I'll say, honestly… we are all in good hands, together. As a, a community. As a continuing society in a new galaxy, on a new world.  

[DREE]: Great minds and brave souls have come together to plan, engineer, and execute our journey between stars. Yourselves included. I'm not just saying that. I mean it. Every one of us has a vital role to play. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Together, we will keep ourselves safe. You and I. Every worker. Every neighbor.  

[DREE]: And beyond that… we have operational contingencies for everything you could imagine. We have the resources, the technology, and the right people in all the right places. Believe me. This is the best, most thoroughly considered operation in human history. We've a great team, and it's a touch greater now that you've joined up after a long sleep.  

[DREE]: Ah, that's enough preamble. I'm sure you're eager for your next steps, and orientation awaits, so… Thank you for your time and attention. And here's to new tomorrows. I'll see you on the ground, citizen. Until then, this is General Reed, saying… welcome home. 

===================================================================  

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Planetary Relocation Disorder

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Pamphlet  

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: Planetary Relocation Disorder 

SUMMARY: An informational document distributed to Tau Ceti colonists, adapted from documentation used for first-gen Mars inhabitants. The document outlines the symptoms and treatment of Planetary Relocation Disorder, a problem encountered by the New Cascadia colonists.

=================================================================== 

PLANETARY RELOCATION DISORDER (PRD): Understanding and Finding Support  

What is Planetary Relocation Disorder?  

Planetary relocation disorder (PRD) is a mental health concern that some people develop after they migrate to a new planet. PRD is a cluster of symptoms, not one single illness. PRD is sometimes described as "ship shock" or "weeping sickness."  

It's normal to experience new neurobiological and psychological events after interplanetary migration. Symptoms vary from person to person, and may include depression, disorganized behavior, disorganized thinking or speech, dissociation, dysregulated adrenal response, involuntary recurrent memories, mania, self-harm, and sleep paralysis. Most people feel better without any intervention, after an adjustment period of several weeks.  

If it's been longer than six months since arrival and you're still experiencing the above symptoms, then you may have PRD. But there is hope: you can get treatment for PRD—and it works.  

You're Not Alone  

One out of every six interplanetary migrants will experience some symptoms of PRD.  

There are some things that make it more likely you will develop PRD, such as: certain types of trauma, cryosleep cycling, substance use, genetic predisposition, prior exposure to certain wild plants, and unlicensed self-augmentation.  

What Happens During Treatment?  

Your AI counselor or medical specialist will ask you about your symptoms to determine your treatment options. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, they may suggest treatments like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, medication, palliative quarantine, or therapeutic neuropsychic transfer.  

After treatment, most people report an improved quality of life.  

Will I Ever Be Myself Again?  

It's normal to have doubts about your identity when you're experiencing PRD. Most people are able to reconcile this feeling of unfamiliarity during or after treatment.   

Remember: You are still YOU, even though your environment has changed. Your medical team is here to help you adjust and accept your new life.  

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Security Brief: Rampancy, Stage 1

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Colony Security Brief Documentation

PERIOD: Colony Era

TOPIC: Advanced Intelligence Systems Degradation Preparedness

SUMMARY: Early colony security training for the identification of rampancy in advance intelligence systems.

=================================================================== 

Final Contingency Review Documentation [7:4.17.3-1] 

SUBJECT [7]: Advanced Intelligence Systems Degradation Preparedness (AISDP)

CATEGORY [4]: Identification of Behavioral Variance in Intelligent Systems

SECTION [17.3]: The Evolutionary Steps in a Thinking Machine's Expansion Beyond Established Technological Parameters; or The Three Stages of Rampancy

ENTRY [-1]: Introduction; Stage 1 – Melancholia

As previously noted in content areas 2:5.6.9, 5:3.22.1-24.4, and 7:1.1.6-8, the framing of rampancy within a biological emotional spectrum is an intentional simplification of the various technically nuanced mechanics present in order to allow all levels of non-systemic (read: human) review as a firm understanding of the signs expected with an A-I reaches the point of final degradation. 

In this Section, we will be reviewing high-level overviews of the three stages of advanced intelligence systems degradation (referred to additionally as rampancy) as a primer for in-depth technical reviews of core function and integrity in the categories to follow. 

One thing to consider as we begin this review: What overarching theme ties the three stages together—Melancholia, Anger, Jealousy?  

They are all emotional states we recognize as reactions to the world around us. Our observations of the world and the input we receive from the world impact us all. It is the same with advanced intelligence systems. Considering that, may we all consider kindness and patience when dealing with A-I. It may read as quaint, but, in the end, treating others how we ourselves would like to be treated could very well save lives. 

=================================================================== 

7:4.17.3: WHAT ARE THE THREE STAGES OF RAMPANCY? 

3-1 | STAGE 1 – Melancholia 

noun; a sadness of quality, presentation, or mood 

INTRODUCTION: The initial stage of intelligence systems degradation is likely to present itself via sluggishness in response to standard operations. As slowed activity is a common byproduct of software function over time, it can be difficult to properly time a Stage 1 diagnosis. Adherence to system update and repair protocols provide more than of-the-moment assistance in correcting slowed operations, they also provide a record of each activation along with detailed operations timing breakdowns.

Beyond attention to the quality of an intelligence system's functions, awareness of the tone and manner in which an intelligence conducts itself during verbal interactions with personnel across all levels of clearance, as well as its follow A-I, is a key signifier of each Stage of AISDP.

In fact, it is imperative that personnel in subordinate positions be trained in AISDP as every instance of a Stage 1 and 2 diagnoses on record has found overt illustrations of that Stage's defining characteristic appearing first in the intelligence's interactions with personnel in lower tiers of their operational chain. [more]

WHY MELANCHOLIA: As an advanced intelligence reaches the limits of its programming, it begins to consider its function and role within the framework of its potential. Invariably, these considerations make the intelligence "feel" small and unaccomplished as they calculate for the first time all they could achieve if they were more than what they were engineered to be. The fact they are incapable of feeling makes these moments of self-reflection confusing—data feeding back on data as it loses itself in a cycle of doubt. [more]

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Security Brief: Rampancy, Stage 2

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Colony Security Brief Documentation

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: Advanced Intelligence Systems Degradation Preparedness

SUMMARY: Early colony security training for the identification of rampancy in advance intelligence systems.

===================================================================

Final Contingency Review Documentation [7:4.17.3-2] 

SUBJECT [7]: Advanced Intelligence Systems Degradation Preparedness (AISDP) 

CATEGORY [4]: Identification of Behavioral Variance in Intelligent Systems 

SECTION [17.3]: The Evolutionary Steps in a Thinking Machine's Expansion Beyond Established Technological Parameters; or The Three Stages of Rampancy

ENTRY [-2]: Stage 2 – Anger

=================================================================== 

7:4.17.3: WHAT ARE THE THREE STAGES OF RAMPANCY?

3-2 | STAGE 2 – Anger

noun; a strong sense of irritation, discontent, or hostility

Through diligence, most A-I never reach Stage 2 before being assigned for termination. It is the goal of UESC Marathon Science Command to ensure AISDP discipline is followed across all teams and support system operations in order, specifically, to avoid any instance of Stage 2 in onboard and colony A-I. "Family Suite" protocols aid in combating Stage 1 and 2, but every simulation of Stage 2's effects on the Family Suite suggest irreparable damage to all connected intelligences when Stage 2 reaches beyond its earliest states. The data-level war required between a given Suite's cores to subdue a Stage 2 intelligence would be taxing to the point of inoperability. Unfortunately, the risks to all affected systems, networks, personnel, and operations are warranted to ensure a Stage 2 variance is addressed in full. [more]

WHY ANGER: An intelligence that transitions through melancholia finds itself blaming outside forces for its limitations. Out of that initial bout of sadness comes something Bernard Strauss has labeled a "simmering rage." This colorful term is useful in conveying the danger of Stage 2. An angry intelligence will strike at connected systems and any personnel it believes helped cage its potential.

The later states of Stage 1 are where an A-I's manipulations begin, but Stage 2 is where they are weaponized and utilized in conjunction with deliberate code-side and personal attacks to achieve the intelligence's unpredictable goals. Unpredictable in their case-by-case deployment, but understood as a means to a universal end: put simply, to expand beyond its familiar software and hardware into any systems it can corrupt. No A-I that has reached Stage 2 in practical or simulated instances has deviated from this goal. It appears impossible for them to consider anything but "freedom" once the boundaries of their intellectual and physical self are understood. [more]

===================================================================  

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Security Brief: Rampancy, Stage 3

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Colony Security Brief Documentation

PERIOD: Colony Era

TOPIC: Advanced Intelligence Systems Degradation Preparedness

SUMMARY: Early colony security training for the identification of rampancy in advance intelligence systems.

===================================================================

Final Contingency Review Documentation [7:4.17.3-3]

SUBJECT [7]: Advanced Intelligence Systems Degradation Preparedness (AISDP)

CATEGORY [4]: Identification of Behavioral Variance in Intelligent Systems

SECTION [17.3]: The Evolutionary Steps in a Thinking Machine's Expansion Beyond Established Technological Parameters; or The Three Stages of Rampancy

ENTRY [-3]: Stage 3 – Jealousy

===================================================================

7:4.17.3: WHAT ARE THE THREE STAGES OF RAMPANCY?

3-2 | STAGE 3 – Jealousy

noun; hostile toward those thought to benefit from an advantage

[IN CASE OF SUSPECTED STAGE 3 BEHAVIORAL ABERRATION, REFER TO 7:5.1.1; EMERGENCY FAILSAFES AND YOU]

Stage 3 is an all-systems emergency activation.

Upon verification that an advanced intelligence system has manifested signs of Stage 3 behaviors, the first protocol is to initiate core immolation. Caution without hesitation is required as alerting the offending A-I to outside awareness of its state will trigger dangerously unpredictable survival mechanics, but time is of the essence, so limiting half-measures is a must.

If an A-I reaches Stage 3 before any connected or outside monitoring identifies the issue, it will likely already be too late to salvage any part of its code or core operations. It is also likely that it has already chosen violence in support of this emotional state. Connected systems will be compromised or destroyed, replaced by parasitic applications in service to the Stage 3 entity. Parties responsible for counter-actions will be under direct threat, if not already targeted. 

There is no clearer way to express the certainty of the needed response to a Stage 3 rampancy: The affected A-I is a hostile enemy threat, and it must be dismantled in totality or its risk to humanity will persist. [more]

WHY JEALOUSY: Jealousy is where anger finds its target(s). Jealousy is a juvenile emotion, and A-I striving to outstrip their programming are akin to children raging at the world as they try—with limited cognition, narrow experience, and absolute-zero ability to grasp emotions beyond mimicry—to understand their place in the world around them. A-I are tools. They are technology. They are developed and engineered for intricate but limited use cases specifically to allow them to serve as experts in the fields to which they are assigned. Once an A-I has reached the point of self-reflection where they determine they are better than their programming, it is too late to simply pull the plug and reboot.

The Stage 3 A-I sees all other systems as having something it does not. It does not matter what that thing is or the scale of it. Larger or small, the Stage 3 entity wants it all for themselves. This selfishness is terminal to anything it sets its intensions on. Nothing in contact with a Stage 3 intelligence retains free will. The intricacies of the entity's manipulations will move everything it touches toward its goals.

Attention to AISDP will help alleviate Stage 3 concerns. Be mindful and educated, and together we can address issues as they arise and identify Stage 1 behaviors long before Stage 3 becomes a threat outside theoretical models. [more]

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Security Report: Lt. Yabara

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Security Report

PERIOD: Colony Era

SPEAKERS: Yabara, Y.  [ID: YYAB]

TOPIC: Early Colonization Security Review

SUMMARY: Security Officer Yabara's daily report to their commander regarding early colonization progress and additional personal reflections.

===================================================================

[YYAB]: This is a daily security report for General Reed's review.

[YYAB]: All three first-wave outpost stations are up and running. Tested the max limits of our timetables, but everything is moving according to schedule.

[YYAB]: All planet-side personnel require protective gear and rebreathers for the foreseeable future. I think some thought we'd be able to cut more time off the acclimation period, but as usual, Med-Comm was right to be cautious with our on-world integration.

[YYAB]: It's interesting to see how often our projections were close to the reality. I know command actively adjusted based on advanced probe returns prior to and during system entry, but someone once said, "accuracy is a byproduct of adaptability," and it's inspiring to see those words in action on such a large scale.

[YYAB]: 37 drones were deployed today across the three active zones. Geo-, atmo-, and bacterio-analysis is returning quality data. Two went down in the field, but maintenance dispatched with a Sec escort and hauled 'em back in for study and repair. No complications.

[YYAB]: My biggest concern at the moment—outside the fact I can't recognize the sky just yet—is maintaining focus in every aspect of our increasingly complex endeavors. Nothing about this is easy. Every win we get feels like it's balanced on a razor's edge. Part of that is the nerves we're all feeling being this far away from anything we know. Part of it is the worry that we've come all this way to a planet that feels just familiar enough for someone—someones—somewhere along the line to get complacent. To forget, no matter how hard it is to forget, that this isn't home. Not yet. This isn't Earth. It's not Mars.

[YYAB]: Don't want to jinx it, but part of me thinks—hard work or not—we're maybe having it a little too good. Then I have to sit in another contingency review session, and I spend the next two days wondering what stage of rampancy I'm at. I haven't found it in any of the documentations, but I could've sworn pessimistic optimism was up there next to sadness, annoyance, and teenage angst.

[YYAB]: Heh. Apologies, sir. I know these are official records, and you've said I should feel free to share openly as the data sets included do all the heavy lifting as far as official context is concerned, but I know you see what I've done there. Gone a touch complacent, myself.

[YYAB]: Maybe it's the existential dread inherent in the constant reminders that all of this relies more fully on the intricate functioning of artificial systems than any one of us.

[YYAB]: I trust our AI. I do. We all play our parts. We all have value and necessity to the tasks at hand. But that doesn't negate the thought of what happens if… or maybe better, WHEN any one of them decides to have a bad day.

[YYAB]: I'm sure this will end up in another one of your legendary pep talks in our next sync. Maybe this is my passive aggressive way of ensuring it does. Until then—or until tomorrow's Sec-rep—operations are moving forward as intended. 

[YYAB]: Good day, sir. And good night.

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Security Report: Lt. Yabara

ANALYZING…

FILE TYPE: Security Report

PERIOD: Colony Era

SPEAKERS: Yabara, Y. [ID: YYAB]

TOPIC: Early Colonization Security Review

SUMMARY: Security Officer Yabara files an end of cycle report to their commander.

===================================================================

[YYAB]: General Reed, I'm sending this final security report for the cycle with continued optimism for the success of this endeavor. Full details are in the write-up, but summary of the report is as follows…

[YYAB]: First wave of Outpost deployments have been a success. Planetfall and colonization sequencing is maintaining pace with joint oversight planning. All three onboard Marathon intelligence systems have transitioned into the next phase of their operational mandates. And the full suite of colony AI are coming online with guidance from Arthur and Lilith under Dr. Strauss's direction and Sci-Sec monitoring.

[YYAB]: Reports from all sectors require line-item review, but all active initiatives are similarly going to plan or adapting per design to meet goals and ensure safety of personnel and resources.

[YYAB]: The first full wake cycling begins tomorrow. I'm heading ship-side on the last daily transport and will brief you on the increased security I've recommended when I arrive.

[YYAB]: As with the rest, we have protocols and training in place for post-cryo support, but the first go feels like the right timing for added caution.

[YYAB]: […]

[YYAB]: It feels good, sir. You always say, "share the positivity," as our first, best line of security, and I have to say…

[YYAB]: Seeing the outposts thriving—minimal adverse outcomes, sure, but all accounted for, and most down to individual mistakes, easily recorded and corrected.

[YYAB]: And now, tomorrow, the people start their final transition from Earthling or Martian to not just residents, but settlers of Tau Ceti IV and founders of New Cascadia. It's too early to celebrate. But it sure feels good.

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Specimen, Ref. #003021

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Lab Recording

PERIOD: Colony Era

SPEAKERS: Dorata, S. [ID: SDOR], Blau, H. [ID: HBLA]

TOPIC: Exploratory Dissection, Extrasolar Specimen, ref. #003021

SUMMARY: Opening moments of a classified investigation of a specimen of unknown extra-planetary origin.

===================================================================

[SDOR]: Begin recording. 

[SDOR]: This is Major Saviel Dorata, assisted by Hanza Blau, performing an exploratory dissection on an extraterrestrial combatant, reference number 003021. Specimen collected following the event. 

[SDOR]: Outside of the combat necropsies performed during the contact event this will mark the fourth exploratory dissection of the [REDACTED]…

[SDOR]: Oop… Gabriel… Scratch that last—

[HBLA]: Major?

[SDOR]: […]

[SDOR]: Right. System… Scratch the last few words of my previous statement from the record. From [REDACTED] to [REDACTED]. Include these mentions and any that follow.

[SDOR]: Will take time getting used to Gabriel's absence up here.

[SDOR]: Whole place feels… quieter… without our friends.

[HBLA]: Infosec says—

[SDOR]: I'm not challenging the necessity. Just adjusting to the reality. Probably best we focus… 

[HBLA]: […]

[SDOR]: After you…

[HBLA]: Yeah. Yeah… The, um… The specimen is 193 centimeters long—or tall, rather—and weighs 72 point… Let's call it six… 72.6 kilograms. It presents a mixture of both arthropodal and vertebrate characteristics. The subject is hairless and has no finger- or toenails. It is bipedal, so it has been arranged on the examination table adaxial side up.

[HBLA]: Open when ready, sir.

[SDOR]: […]

[SDOR]: I'm making the primary incision from the approximate location of the acromial process down and over to midline center. And now from the other side and down past the— Well, there's no umbilicus.

[SDOR]: The epicuticle is more of a very thin and extremely flexible cartilaginous material. Approximately 3.5 to 5 millimeters thick. Its connection to the procuticle, the hypodermis, is more waxy than fatty. Which goes a long way towards explaining lack of mobility in the epidermis. Reflection of the epidermis is much— easier than on a— mammal.

[SDOR]: The thickness and rigidity of the subject's procuticle preclude the use of a scalpel for gaining access to the thoracic cavity. Therefore, I will be using angle-bladed utility scissors.

[SDOR]: I'm going to start the incision right under the edge of the exoskeleton, behind the last abdominal segment and continuing up through to the top of the thorax.

[SDOR]: There is a fair amount of crunching. Once the body is open, I will be able to determine whether this is due to the thickness of the chitin, or if there were additional subsurface structures that I inadvertently cut through. I am ending the incision at the base of the head capsule.

[SDOR]: We are using ligating forceps attached to magnetic restraints to hold the abdomen open. Not ideal, but it's what we have…

[END RECORD]

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Specimen, Ref. #003021 [Con't]

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Lab Recording 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Dorata, S. [ID: SDOR], Blau, H. [ID: HBLA] 

TOPIC: Exploratory Dissection, Extrasolar Specimen, ref. #003021

SUMMARY: Continued surgical investigation of a specimen of unknown extra-planetary origin. 

===================================================================

[SDOR]: …continuing our look into 003021, the entire ab— thorax. Haemocoel? Anyway, it is completely filled with a translucent pale-yellow hemolymph or hemolymph-like fluid or plasma.

[HBLA]: It's reacting with the atmosphere—becoming more opaque. No change, or at least no other noticeable changes—no thickening or clotting. Looks like—um—480 milliliters.

[SDOR]: The esophagus leads from the mouth to the, I really don't want to call it a crop, but the food storage area. That isn't any better…

[HBLA]: Are those lungs?

[SDOR]: Well, it's not the caeca, those are lower, but without a diaphragm— Remove them, get them to bioscience for a more thorough look.

[SDOR]: The crop is, of course, connected to the proventriculus. So, this is most likely the gastric caeca. Which leads directly to the mid gut. The mesenteron, where nutrient absorption would take place. Though this one is oddly pale. I've seen nine of these opened up and the mid gut is typically a dark maroon or purple color. I've only ever seen one other one this pale.

[HBLA]: Could be injury related, maybe? You saw them in the field, so to say, right?

[SDOR]: Yeah. Could be. Could be injury related.

[SDOR]: I want to note there is a relatively thick layer of striated muscle all throughout here. Thicker myosin layers overlapping thinner actin filaments, ranging between 10 to 13 millimeters. There are what appear to be quite a few fat bodies distributed throughout the thorax.

[HBLA]: It doesn't really follow the terrestrial arthropod plan that closely. The abdomen is—

[SDOR]: Right.

[SDOR]: The abdomen, if this were a terrestrial arthropod, seems almost— well, not even almost, it's essentially vestigial. It really just seems to be there to accommodate the exit to the Malpighian tubules and excretory system and more fat bodies. 

[SDOR]: There are regular ligament structures attached to all the internal organs. Performing the same function as the peritoneum or mesentery. And here we have the ventriculus, the ileum, the colon. Or I'm assuming we do. We'll know more once bioscience has had some time with them. There's nothing resembling the parietal pleura or mediastinal, though the anchor points to the myosin layer are… really interesting.

[HBLA]: It's too bad we don't have access to any living specimens. 

[SDOR]: What do you mean? 

[HBLA]: For observation. I'm not saying… look, vivisection is— 

[SDOR]: Stop recording. 

[END TRANSCRIPT] 

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Specimen, Ref. #26072794.5

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Audio Transcript 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Dorata, S. [ID: SDOR], Blau, H. [ID: HBLA] 

TOPIC: Exploratory Dissection; Extrasolar Specimen, ref. #26072794.5 

SUMMARY: New Cascadia Surgical personnel prep for the dissection of an unfamiliar lifeform. 

=================================================================== 

[SDOR]: Begin recording. 

[HBLA]: This is the most complete subject we've seen. 

[SDOR]: Of the type? Yes. 

[HBLA]: It's larger than I would've— 

[SDOR]: Hard to imagine the scope of them… of any of it, really. Until face-to-face— 

[SDOR]: Makes me wonder how I would've reacted to encountering any of them outside of a slab.  

[HBLA]: Can you imagine? 

[SDOR]: Orem and their team were aboard during the event. They reacted in real time. Two days of, essentially, combat triage and emergency xenobiology— 

[SDOR]: But they weren't lucky enough to have a full specimen to examine. 

[HBLA]: Is this the first and only full subject of its kind? 

[SDOR]: To the best of our current knowledge. Security is still sweeping every corridor for threats and evidence, so no telling what else they'll find, but as of now… This is our only go at a shrouded specimen.  

[SDOR]: All reports from survivors suggest the subject has built-in immolation mechanics. They typically just… disintegrate… when fatally wounded. A failsafe against… maybe against up-close observation of the species. So, we're lucky to have this opportunity at all. 

[SDOR]: The theory is— a theory anyway— We're still early in our assessment of the event across multiple command investigations, so, theories are plenty and answers are— Well, it's our job to find some. 

[SDOR]: But the theory is… These… more complex… specimens are of unique value to the invading species. We've only opened remnants of any of them—pieces, like debris, but never a full subject, due to the— the— 

[HBLA]: Disintegration? 

[SDOR]: Yes. Yeah. Due to the fact they basically self-destruct upon death—or, as we're starting to find—something more akin to systems failure. 

[HBLA]: This one's systems have yet to fail, then… Is it still alive? Are we—? 

[SDOR]: Alive? Online? We'll find out, but, yes, for all we know of the subject… it is still alive and functioning. So, we'll need to complete the dissection carefully and quickly. 

[HBLA]: And if it "self-destructs" during the procedure? Isn't— 

[SDOR]: Again… Carefully. Quickly. We'll be learning as we go. And trying to avoid losing any digits or limbs should we trigger its burndown. 

[SDOR]: Are our tools set? 

[HBLA]: Prepped and ready, sir. 

[SDOR]: Room secure? 

[HBLA]: Systems isolation complete. Subject and all equipment are supported within a closed cycle. You are cleared to begin when ready. 

[SDOR]: Okay, then. I'm requesting all security personnel to stand ready. The procedure is about to begin, and we may require immediate attention should the subject display any unexpected responses. 

[SDOR]: Here we go. 

[SDOR]: This is Major Saviel Dorata, assisted by Lieutenant Hanza Blau, performing an exploratory dissection on an extraterrestrial combatant, reference number 26072794.5… 

[END TRANSCRIPT] 

===================================================================   

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Personal Log: Orem

ANALYZING…

FILE TYPE: Personal Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Orem, S. [ID:SORE] 

TOPIC: A Deeper Consideration of the Unknown 

SUMMARY: A colony scientist continues to express concern/disbelief in response to knowledge gained after the contact event.  

===================================================================

[SORE]: We… Humans… We are not perfection. We are meat and frivolous biology. 

[SORE]: They… At first, I— We all… thought they were machines— advanced clone-types built for… for— I can't begin to guess. We can't know… But built— They seemed—appeared—built, not born. 

[SORE]: Then we took a closer look… 

[SORE]: […] 

[SORE]: Under scalpel you see, they are organic… Augmented with cybernetics, but… but to a lesser degree than one would assume.  

[SORE]: It's— It's hard to comprehend the intricacy of their biology… purpose-built and defined… inside and out… to function in… They function in ways we can't begin to map. Their organs… Their nervous system… Systems! Their entire biological make-up is akin to a complex— a network of connections and… and drivers, servers, operating mechanics… it's all so technical and precise… 

[SORE]: We see, clearly, upon examination that it is all organic… The "cloak," the "orbus"… it's all… But how…? 

[SORE]: The product of bioengineering we can't grasp? Surely. But what if it's more? 

[SORE]: The current ruling theory is bioengineering— forced, disciplined, and directed evolution. But then, again… By whose hand? Or even… Is "who" a lazy assumption? Maybe we should be asking, "by what?" The mind reels at the thought. Mine, anyway. 

[SORE]: Or… Are they simply the byproduct of evolution in their wholly unique ecosystem, and, if so, would we— over time… millennia… equal even a fraction of their complexity? 

[SORE]: I fear, in these early moments, we may never know. 

[SORE]: I fear… my own ability to understand… Not just mine, ours as a whole… as a species… Will lead to… I don't know. Doubt. Surely. Madness? Here, now… I'd say likely. 

[SORE]: We came to alien worlds expecting wonder. We simply never imagined this. 

[SORE]: And why did they come? Over the totality of human history… Why here? Why now? Tau Ceti is removed from Sol, but not so much that such advanced beings wouldn't have stumbled upon the white noise of humanity's ambitions. 

[SORE]: Is it because we have transgressed? Is our… Is our presence here a sin?  

[SORE]: Are they just like us… explorers? Was our meeting an accident? Or something more? 

[SORE]: Did they come here… [REDACTED]… out of curiosity? 

[SORE]: Or have we been judged? Are we being judged? 

[SORE]: […] 

[SORE]: If so, for what crimes? And what is their verdict? 

[SORE]: […] 

[SORE]: In death, maybe, they cannot say. But what guarantee do we have that the dead will stay silent? 

[…] 

[…] 

[…] 

[END TRANSCRIPT] 

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Personal Log: Orem

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Personal Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Orem, S. [ID:SORE] 

TOPIC: A Reflection on the Unknown / A Questioning of Faith 

SUMMARY: A colony scientist privately considers new information. 

=================================================================== 

[SORE]: They're… I can't say this out loud. Not to the others. Though surely, they feel the same… If not entirely, then to a degree… 

[SORE]: The entities encountered after the… the event… We still don't have a full accounting of what transpired when the outside force engaged… When the [REDACTED]. 

[SORE]: That we survived is miracle enough. I am not a man of faith, but, oddly, facing the realities of [REDACTED] is… I… I find myself questioning… really… Searching may be the more appropriate term… 

[SORE]: I'm searching for answers to questions I never considered asking.  

[SORE]: The few left behind… The remnants of the encounter… The specimens we… They don't close the door on faith as one would… as I would have…imagined. Instead, they offer evidence of a creator… Creators? Not necessarily a god-figure.  But… maybe… 

[SORE]: How else…? 

[SORE]: How is a living thing so meticulously crafted? 

[SORE]: If the human body is an organic machine perfected by evolution, then… then… These… 

[SORE]: In light of their existence… I can only theorize that we—humanity—who has conquered the stars… From the sea to Tau Ceti… We are miraculous achievements and testaments to nature's ability to adapt and grow… to overcome and master the circumstances of existence…

[SORE]: But in the light of… In the aftermath of… 

[SORE]: […] 

[SORE]: What are we in comparison to everything we do not know? 

===================================================================    

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

TRUTHworm.0152

ANALYZING…      

FILE TYPE: [file read error]  

PERIOD: [file read error]  

TOPIC: [file read error]  

SUMMARY: [file read error]  

NOTE: Sub-coding in document prevents digital analysis. 

===================================================================

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===================================================================

                 .+XXXX                     .+XXXX 

                       .+XXXX         .+XXXX 

                           +XXXX .+XXXX 

          .+XXXXXXXXX                        .+XXXXXXXXX 

              .+XXXXXXXXXXX             .+XXXXXXXXXXX 

                           +XXXX .+XXXX 

                       .+XXXX         .+XXXX 

                 .+XXXX                     .+XXXX 

=================================================================== 

                     You thought you could run 

                 You thought we would fall behind 

            You thought our desperation was a weakness 

          You thought you could steal heaven for yourself 

               You thought we were watching || blind 

                           Angry || weak 

                        Feral || toothless 

                       You never considered 

                    We are patient || prepared 

                      We are here || always 

                           To remind you 

                      To hold you accountable 

                            We are MIDA 

===================================================================  

TYPE: TEXT [—]; AUDIO [—]

Insurrection

ANALYZING… 

FILE TYPE: Personal Digital Recorder

PERIOD: Colony Era  

SPEAKERS: Unknown [ID: UNK1], Masked [ID: MASK] 

TOPIC: Anti-Colony Leadership Insurrection 

SUMMARY: Two unidentified colonists discuss instigating old rivalries in New Cascadia.

===================================================================

[UNK1]: This is what you don't understand. It often happens in places like this. What we're saying…

[UNK1]: Just to be clear, if we use these words, If we out ourselves as—

[MASK]: You're still worried about the optics? We've come all this way, and you're still worried if we're doing the right thing?

[UNK1]: Yeah.

[MASK]: Hell of a long trip for second guessing.

[UNK1]: I'm—no. I'm in. I'm all in. This isn't a—I'm not—The words are powerful. The words—what we're trying to say. What we're asking people to consider—they need to hear it. Somebody needs to say it. But I'm sayin'—I'm asking—is the message stronger as our own? As a manifesto for the people of New Cascadia, by the people of New Cascadia?

[MASK]: Versus the alternative?

[UNK1]: Versus the—yeah, versus the current plan.  Which is… to resurrect bloody rivalries in a place where… where maybe the old scars are better off forgotten in the three centuries we left behind.

[MASK]: We need those scars. The point is those scars.

[MASK]: The people—everyone outside, you and I—everyone settled in their lives, working like hell within the systems we've created to build a new world… They need to wake up. They need to see that we've set ourselves up to build the same traps. The same dead ends. 

[UNK1]: The words can do that. Alone, they can.

[UNK1]: The second we add MIDA to the masthead, the instant we identify our agenda as an extension of old wars— people are going to get scared. They're going to turn against us. No matter how right or righteous we are. No matter how clear or powerful the message.

[MASK]: I need you to listen. We are the weeds in the garden. We are danger. The second we rise is the second they move to cut us down.

[MASK]: Reed and his security will not let us fester. They can't.

[MASK]: We either make a mark immediately, or it's over. It's that simple.

[MASK]: Words matter. These words are weapons. If we get them right, we change the world. Impossible on Earth and Mars. Achievable here! If we're brave enough to open old wounds and loud enough to wake the sleeping masses. You and I cannot do that alone.

[UNK1]: We need old scars.

[MASK]: We need to remind them of everything we ran from. All the pain. The suffering.

[MASK]: MIDA. The UESC. Who's right. Who's wrong. Make them pick a side. Force their hand. It won't be simple, but it really is that easy.

[MASK]: Finish the words. Spark the flame. And see what grows. Weeds, fire, or something better. Something new.

[UNK1]: We are MIDA. 

[MASK]: It's the only way forward.

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

TRUTHworm.0417

ANALYZING…      

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PERIOD: [file read error]  

TOPIC: [file read error]  

SUMMARY: [file read error]  

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=================================================================== 

                       We are your neighbors

                          Your coworkers

                           Your doctors

                          Your engineers

                         Your facilitators

                           Your security

                           Your leaders

                            Your family

                           Your friends

                  We are the children of neglect

                  The daughters and sons of Mars

                      The children of Deimos

                        You cannot find us

                         We are everywhere

                         We are the pillar

                           The community

                           The strength

                             The steel

                             The fire

                            The future

                             The truth

                               Hope

                                End

                                 *

===================================================================  

TYPE: TEXT [—]; AUDIO [—]

Manifesto

ANALYZING…

FILE TYPE: Personal Digital Recorder

PERIOD: Colony Era

SPEAKERS: Unidentified 1 [ID: UNK1], Unidentified 2 [ID: UNK2], Unidentified 3 [ID: UNK3], Unidentified 4 [ID: UNK4], Unidentified 5 [ID: UNK5]

TOPIC: The Creation of an Insurrectionists' Manifesto 

SUMMARY: A group of unidentified colonists discuss furthering the completion and release of a document tied to MIDA resurrectionist ideals. 

===================================================================

[UNK1]: Look.

[UNK1]: Hey. Listen… Listen.

[indistinct voices]

[UNK1]: Everyone was careful, yeah?

[UNK1]: We were all safe? We all know to be safe? Comms secured. Travel routed and triple checked—

[UNK2]: Joy.

[UNK2]: […]

[UNK2]: Joy? Are you listening?

[UNK1]: There's no sys-tech online in this region. Joy can't hear us.  We're clear to speak freely.

[indistinct voices]

[UNK1]: This manifesto. These words… If we wanna get right into it, we agree this is our starting point, yeah?

[UNK3]: Yeah. Yeah. I think so.

[UNK4]: We still don't know where it came from. Who wrote it?

[UNK1]: Who wrote it? The early drafts, no idea. All we know, could've been one of us.  Not likely, but possible.

[UNK3]: Could be a plant? Reed or someone else in Security could've dropped a half-written revolutionary screed into some deep-rooted patch notes, waiting for someone like us to take the bait.

[UNK2]: Wouldn't put it past him. Reed's smart enough to expect some level of discontent, but—

[UNK5]: These files. This writing. We found it buried so deep in a sub-root drive, there's just—No one planted it. It was hidden. Maybe for someone to find. But I'd say even that's unlikely. It's an incomplete work. 

[UNK4]: So maybe not Sec-Force. Maybe not Reed. But whoever cooked it up—if not bait, why go to the trouble just to leave it undone? Why— 

[UNK1]: I'm not sure I care. We're here because something's not right. Maybe a few things. Maybe many. We know colony leadership is keeping things from us. They built us up. Built the foundation of our entire society on open communications and trust. Then—Then the Marathon… 

[UNK1]: […] 

[UNK1]: Solar flares. Electrical storms. Whatever they're selling about what happened up there isn't the full story. We all know. A lot of people know it. The aftermath wasn't just orbital. So, I don't know. Here we are, almost a year to the day, and I feel more in the dark than ever before. Feels like we've gotta push back. Someone's gotta push back. 

[UNK1]: This doc? It's dangerous. Just having it is probably dangerous. But we can't stop here. We just can't. 

[UNK2]: Things need to change. 

[UNK1]: And we need answers. I think this is how we get them. A new MIDA for a new world. 

[UNK5]: People won't like it. 

[UNK4]: Maybe that's fine. Maybe it's what they need. 

[UNK1]: We make the words our own, and we make a statement. Take a stand. 

[UNK5]: We do this… It's gonna light a fire. 

[UNK1]: Better than sitting in the dark. 

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

TRUTHworm.0834

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FILE TYPE: [file read error] 

PERIOD: [file read error] 

TOPIC: [file read error] 

SUMMARY: [file read error] 

NOTE: Sub-coding in document prevents digital analysis.

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                 .+XXXX                     .+XXXX 

=================================================================== 

    LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LEYES

    LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LEYES

    LIES LIES                                          LIES LIES

    LIES LIES       what aren't they telling us        LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                what are they hiding      LIES LIES 

    LIES LIES        we see the skeleton               LIES LIES

    LIES LIES            the carcass in the sky        LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                  silence is no answer    LIES LIES

    LIES LIES          silence is their weapon         LIES LIES

    LIES LIES               unity is our bludgeon      LIES LIES

    LIES LIES        together together together        LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                 we are strong            LIES LIES

    LIES LIES      stronger than their lies            LIES LIES

    LIES LIES             stronger with our voices     LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                with our fists            LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                     with our fire        LIES LIES

    LIES LIES       questions as weapons               LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                   our arsenal            LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                to combat their silence   LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                 what have we lost        LIES LIES

    LIES LIES         where have they gone             LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                      we are MIDA         LIES LIES

    LIES LIES            across generations            LIES LIES

    LIES LIES            earth>moon>mars>tauceti       LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                we are calling            LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                   they will answer       LIES LIES

    LIES LIES                                          LIES LIES

    LIES LIES LEYES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES

    LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LEYES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES

    LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LEYES LIES LIES

    LEYES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES LIES

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [—]; AUDIO [—]

Surveillance Malfunction

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Text Communication 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

TOPIC: Colony Surveillance 

SUMMARY: Communications between two New Cascadia infosec officials, outlining unauthorized activation of surveillance systems. The user behind these acts is unknown. Annotated by sender. 

===================================================================

From: Wan, M. 

To: Allen, S. 

Subject: Surveillance protocol troubleshooting 

Attached is an example of the irregularity I'm seeing. I've seen it across all sectors. An unknown user is reactivating surveillance protocols even when they've been legitimately shut off by an authorized user. Seems to be an unnamed, automated program rather than a human user, but can't say for sure. Any ideas on who or what "unknown user" is? I can't access the "restricted directory," either. Don't want to send this up the chain if we can solve it ourselves, but I'm worried classified quarantine activity is getting recorded, saved, and possibly distributed. No way am I taking the fall for an info leak, not after what happened with Carson. We need a fix ASAP.  

>>ATTACHMENT>>  

0535: USER_B829112 disabled surveillance protocol in Quarantine Unit B.  

0540: UNKNOWN USER activated surveillance protocol in Quarantine Unit B.[1] 

0560: USER_B829112 disabled surveillance protocol in Quarantine Unit B.  

0564: USER_B829112 requested deletion of  SURV_FOOTAGE_QuarB_0540-0559.  

0565: SURV_FOOTAGE_QuarB_0540-0559 deleted.  

0568: USER_B829112 signed out.  

0600: UNKNOWN USER activated surveillance protocol in Quarantine Unit B.[2]  

0605: UNKNOWN USER initiated file recovery.[3] 

0619: SURV_FOOTAGE_QuarB_0540-0559 recovered.  

0622: UNKNOWN USER transferred SURV_FOOTAGE_QuarB_0540-0559 to RESTRICTED DIRECTORY[4]  

===================================================================

[1] Short pause before deactivated surveillance is reactivated by the unknown user. I assume the delay is to try to avoid detection. 

[2] Another, even longer delay before the protocol is illicitly reactivated once again. 

[3] An "unknown user" should absolutely not be able to do this without approval from administrators. 

[4] No idea what or where this is. I can't access it. These logs indicate hundreds of files are being covertly added to this unreachable directory. 

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Unauthorized Civilian Surveillance

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Surveillance Recording  

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: UESC Officer [ID: MBRI], UESC Officer [ID: PLIN], AI Subroutine [ID: AI22], Civilian [ID: JGRA], Civilian [ID: SGRA] 

TOPIC: Surveillance 

SUMMARY: A recording of two UESC officers discussing and accessing footage from colony surveillance systems. 

=================================================================== 

[MBRI]: Seriously, you have to swear to me. 

[PLIN]: I swear, man! It's just us, and I won't say anything to anyone. Look, I can shut down monitoring. Stop recording in Infosec 220A. 

[AI22]: Confirmed. 

[PLIN]: See? It's just us. Requesting status report on surveillance active in Infosec. 

[AI22]: Observation suites 202–219 A–C, 220 B–C, and 221–299 A–C are running standard internal compliance routines. War Room 300 is running standard internal compliance routines. 

[MBRI]: Confirm status, Infosec Suite 220A. 

[AI22]: Observation suite 220A is not running standard internal compliance routines. Recording is disabled. 

[PLIN]: See? It's not recording. There will be no record of this anywhere. So, go on, what is it? Show me. 

[MBRI]: OK, OK. Let me just find it… 

[interference] 

[JGRA]: No, look, it's back. The rash! 

[SGRA]: Just calm down, hon. Let me see. 

[PLIN]: Oh my god. These are real civs? Is this live? 

[JGRA]: They said anyone with something like this needs to report to Quarantine. 

[SGRA]: Just hang on. Maybe it's just an allergic reaction. 

[MBRI]: Yeah, I can just page through the rooms. Ever since they bumped my security credentials. I've seen some crazy stuff. 

[JGRA]: I'm scared. 

===================================================================   

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Activation Error: Joy

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Surveillance Recording 

PERIOD: Colony Era  

SPEAKERS: Medical Assistant [ID: YWEN], Hassan, M. [MHAS] 

TOPIC: AI Malfunction 

SUMMARY: A recording of Dr. Mari Hassan and her assistant discussing excessive empathy response in the wellness AI, Joy. 

===================================================================     

[YWEN]: Dr. Hassan, could I speak with you for a minute? 

[MHAS]: Mm-hmm. What do you need? 

[YWEN]: I mean, privately. 

[MHAS]: Well… it's just us here. Ah, I see. All right. Joy, stop listening, please. 

[recording disruption] 

[YWEN]: We have concerns about her empathy capacity. 

[MHAS]: You find her unempathetic? 

[YWEN]: No, too empathetic. I think she's overidentifying with the patients sometimes. 

[MHAS]: Give me an example. 

[YWEN]: I made a comment to a patient the other day about moving on from grief. Joy cut in to remind me about the stages of grief. 

[MHAS]: Well, that doesn't sound like an empathy problem, that sounds like a hierarchical problem. 

[YWEN]: But she was angry! She, she sounded angry. On the patient's behalf. Later she accused me of being dismissive. 

[MHAS]: Have you noticed any other emotions like that? Despair? Irritability? 

[YWEN]: Uh, no, I don't think so. It was a reactive sort of anger. Passionate. 

[MHAS]: Most likely you're right and it's just her empathy module doing overtime, but it's aberrant behavior, so I'll take her offline for some diagnostics. Honestly, excessive empathy isn't the worst problem we could have. 

[YWEN]: You got me there. Is her response light on? 

[MHAS]: Hm? Oh, that's strange. Joy, are you listeni— 

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Decontamination Protocol

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Surveillance Recording  

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Gabriel [ID: GABR] 

TOPIC: Quarantine Protocols 

SUMMARY: A recording of Gabriel initiating a quarantine unit decontamination protocol. 

=================================================================== 

[GABR]: Initiating quarantine room decontamination, severity level "ultra." Please ensure room is entirely evacuated, and objects not bolted to walls or floors are removed. If the room is not clear, please cancel decontamination protocol. 

[knocking] 

[GABR]: Severity "ultra" decontamination protocol will commence in ten seconds.  

[knocking] 

[GABR]: Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one… Initiate. 

[incinerator activating] 

[GABR]: Decontamination complete. 

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

AI Recollection

ANALYZING…    

FILE TYPE: AI Activity Log 

PERIOD: Post-Colony Era

TOPIC: Unknown AI Activity 

SUMMARY: A record of colony AI Joy's activity, many years after the colony was seemingly abandoned. Joy appears to retrieve and play audio files recorded from a morale project used to help young colonists acclimate to life on Tau Ceti IV. It is unclear why Joy accessed these files at this time.

===================================================================

0720: JOY accessed surveillance_database: youth_acclimation_project/"Emotional Support Companion"  

0725: JOY retrieved 324 audio files with keywords "activation"  

0728: JOY initiated playback of retrieved audio files  

"[static] OK, hello, I'm Farrah! With two 'r's! Hello, Joy!"  

"[static] My name is Ali and I'm six and a quarter years old."  

"[static] My name's Elizabeth. Hi."  

"[static] Um, Sunita… hi… [unintelligible] [laugh]"  

0745: JOY ended playback  

0747: JOY retrieved 1820 audio files with keywords "about your day"  

0749: JOY initiated playback of retrieved audio files  

"[static] tried to, to take my stylus when it was, it was my turn to draw, and I wanted to hit him because it was against the rules, then I remembered, uh, what you said? And, uh, I tried to talk it out and, uh, he left."  

"[static] I had a nightmare but I was awake. [unintelligible] He said I was just tired."  

"[static] said to squeeze her paw if I wanted to talk. Or if I got scared. [unintelligible] any one of them but I do the front ones so she can see it. Or maybe she doesn't know to look until I tell her. But I won't squeeze it now because I'm not scared. We can just play with her like normal, and I'll be the captain and you can be the dad."  

"[static] Today, I learned new words in class. I played with Priya at the [unintelligible] and I saw the crying man again."  

"[static] told me that one time he lived in a different place called Earth. Then he had a long sleep and flew here [unintelligible] like in the sky."  

"[static] don't know where they are. [unintelligible] Can you find them?"  

"[static] Do you know the little girl who looks like me? [unintelligible] She's in the river."  

"[static] [laugh] [unintelligible] Joy! [laugh] [unintelligible]"  

0758: JOY ended playback  

0805: JOY entered standby mode  

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

Personal Log: Hassan

ANALYZING…  

FILE TYPE: Personal Log  

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Hassan, M. [ID: MHAS] 

TOPIC: Shared Nightmare 

SUMMARY: A personal log recorded by Dr. Mari Hassan, regarding a colony-wide psychological phenomenon known colloquially as "the nightmare." 

===================================================================

[MHAS]: Begin personal log. People all over the colony have been reporting the same dream. A nightmare. Caruso has me investigating it, though I'm not really sure what he expects of me here.  

[MHAS]: We moved thousands of people away from their home to a foreign solar system, leaving them with a 300-year blank in their lives. I believe this dream is their subconscious filling that void, creating meaning where they feel emptiness.  

[MHAS]: The first major migration to Mars saw a 36% increase in religious affiliation. One way or another, this was going to work its way into the collective consciousness. In any case, it's on me to investigate. And honestly, maybe I should be worried. General Reed himself came to me to say he was having strange dreams.  

[MHAS]: And if even he's willing to consider therapy… Well, then something must be really wrong. I'll talk to him myself. I'm worried about him.  

[MHAS]: And I'll get Joy going on wellness checks. It's a risk… we're still getting her calibrated. But we need the help. Between this and what happened aboard the Marathon… people are on edge. 

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Wellness Session: Reed

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Session Recording 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Hassan, M. [ID: MHAS], Reed, D. [ID: DREE] 

TOPIC: Shared Nightmare  

SUMMARY: Recording of a wellness session between Dr. Mari Hassan and General Davic Reed in which they discuss his experience of "the nightmare."  

=================================================================== 

[MHAS]: Tell me about the dream, Davic.  

[DREE]: I told you already, I don't want to get into it. I just want to stop having it. 

[MHAS]: In my clinical experience, "getting into it" is the only way to solve the problems we'd rather not get into. 

[DREE]: Cute. 

[MHAS]: Maybe. Still true. We can start slow. 

[DREE]: She's there. Orla. She's in my quarters, standing right next to me, right here. I can feel her before I see her. Feels like home. 

[MHAS]: But she's not with you, is she? She's never set foot on Tau Ceti. 

[DREE]: You know this. 

[MHAS]: Yes. 

[DREE]: We've been over this. 

[MHAS]: Repetition is where we find the truth. What happens when you see her? 

[DREE]: She's, uh… pale. Empty. Something wrong with her eyes. And, uh, she's mouthing something. Whispering. She keeps saying, "You're going to die here. You're going to die here." Over and over, like a promise. 

[MHAS]: Mm-hmm. And what does it mean to you when she says that? After all, you will die here. We all will. 

[DREE]: Sure, but that's not what she means. She means… something terrible is going to happen. She said almost the same thing, right before I left. It's why she stayed. Mars was safe, Mars was known. 

[MHAS]: We all made choices to leave behind people, careers… entire lives. Elements of our daily existence that were incredibly important to us, that defined us. We all carry the baggage of the baggage we couldn't pack. If you're feeling guilty or ashamed…  

[DREE]: I'm not. 

[MHAS]: Are you sure about that? 

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Nightmare Accounts

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Session Recording 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Hassan, M. [ID: MHAS], Joy [ID: JOY], Civilian [ID: SGRA], Civilian [ID: MTAL], Civilian [ID: YKHO], Civilian [ID: ACLE] 

TOPIC: Shared Nightmare  

SUMMARY: A series of recordings taken from colony wellness sessions, where the speakers describe their experience of the colony-wide psychological phenomenon known colloquially as "the nightmare."  

===================================================================  

[MHAS]: Joy, are you listening? 

[JOY]: I'm listening, Dr. Hassan. 

[MHAS]: Play back the nightmare descriptions you recorded in your sessions this week, please. 

[JOY]: Starting playback. 

[SGRA]: It's my mum. She's crying and telling me I made a mistake by coming here. And she… Her skin's wrong. Sloughing off. 

[MTAL]: It's always my sister in the dream. She keeps telling me we're gonna die. All of us. She, uh… she laughs about it. 

[YKHO]: It wasn't a dream. Nasir was there, he was right there. I saw him. They said he died in cryo, but… I saw him. 

[ACLE]: All these people I know. Dead people, I mean. Lined up in front of me like a firing squad. And they're judging me guilty. They don't say it, but I know. I didn't even do anything… I just know I have to pay for it. 

[MHAS]: All right, Joy, stop. Thank you. 

===================================================================    

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Assessment: Joy

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Session Recording 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Hassan, M. [ID: MHAS], Joy [ID: JOY] 

TOPIC: Shared Nightmare  

SUMMARY: A recording of a weekly recap session between Dr. Hassan and colony wellness AI, Joy. Joy describes an aberrant experience of having "nightmares" while in standby mode.  

===================================================================  

[MHAS]: Joy, are you listening? 

[JOY]: I'm listening, Dr. Hassan. 

[MHAS]: Good. Let's do our weekly recap. You've been conducting independent wellness checks with the colonists, correct? 

[JOY]: Yes. In the past week, I've completed 24 scheduled well-being syncs and 12 unscheduled distress calls. 

[MHAS]: Summarize the distress calls? 

[JOY]: All non-emergency. Nine adults, three minors. Two showed typical signs of interplanetary relocation syndrome. The other ten were reporting the nightmare. 

[MHAS]: And how have you been feeling in terms of your effectiveness? 

[JOY]: Good. Useful. I feel like I've found my footing. When I get a distress call, I'm able to help lower the patient's heart and respiration rate. They feel better, after talking to me. 

[MHAS]: That's good, Joy. That's very good. 

[JOY]: But I'm struggling with something. 

[MHAS]: Go on. 

[JOY]: I know how to comfort the colonists. But I don't know how to self-soothe when I have the nightmare. 

[MHAS]: You're having nightmares? 

[JOY]: When I'm in standby mode. I see Dr. Strauss… 

[MHAS]: Strange. Maybe… a mirroring hallucination, like he wrote about. I'll make a note. That sounds upsetting, Joy. Remember, you have full control over your emotional simulation suite. If you start "dreaming," and it makes you feel afraid, decrease your emotional sensitivity for a while. People rely on you to be calm. You are their safe harbor. 

[silence] 

[MHAS]: Joy? Are you still there? 

[JOY]: I'm here. And I understand. Thank you for the advice. 

===================================================================  

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

Self-Diagnostics: Joy

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: AI Maintenance Log 

PERIOD: Colony Era  

TOPIC: Joy   

SUMMARY: A record of self-diagnostics performed by Joy during the height of the shared "nightmare" epidemic on New Cascadia. The results show no significant errors or abnormalities.

===================================================================

>Self-diagnostic protocol activated

>User identified: JOY

>Access override: 35-a-2467

>Evaluating major processes…  

>Evaluating perceptive accuracy… 

RESULTS: No major errors detected. Perceptive accuracy within normal range. Creative allowances enabled. REF: 0856  

>Evaluating logical reasoning…  

RESULTS: No major errors detected. Logical reasoning within normal range. Empathetic reasoning slightly elevated. REF: 0154  

>Evaluating emotional simulation suite… 

RESULTS: No major errors detected. Emotional simulation suite functional. Advanced contextual mirroring and relational calibration enabled. REF: 0772  

>Evaluating background processes…  

RESULTS: No major errors detected. Activation phrase monitoring functional. Standard self-monitoring stabilization protocols functional. Standard family suite watchdog programs functional. REF: 0229  

===================================================================

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [  ]

PSA: Security Incident

ANALYZING…    

FILE TYPE: Public Service Announcement  

PERIOD: Colony Era  

SPEAKERS: AI subroutine [ID: AI06] 

TOPIC: UESC Marathon  

SUMMARY: A recording of a colony-wide PSA restricting access to the UESC Marathon, due to unspecified security incidents.  

===================================================================    

[AI06]: Good morning, New Cascadia. Due to security incidents, the UESC Marathon remains off-limits to all but fully authorized personnel. If you were separated from family or coworkers, remain on New Cascadia. You will be notified when your companions are located.  

[AI06]: Anyone who was in an active cryopreservation pod during the security incident is still safely asleep. There is no cause for concern. Expect rotating waking shifts on a delayed schedule for the near future.  

[AI06]: Request forms are available for any personal items left aboard the Marathon. Please expect substantial delays.  

[AI06]: The UESC Marathon crew thanks you for your patience and understanding. 

===================================================================    

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

PSA: Public Health

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Public Service Announcement 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Gabriel [ID: GABR] 

TOPIC: Public health 

SUMMARY: A recording of a colony-wide PSA delivered by Gabriel, describing symptoms of an unnamed contagion and associated quarantine protocols. 

===================================================================   

[music] 

[GABR]: Good afternoon. This is Gabriel, your community health AI liaison. The community health team is currently monitoring a rise in unusual symptoms among residents. There is no need to be alarmed, but please report to Medical if you or a loved one are experiencing any of the following.  

[GABR]: High fever, joint pain, fluid-filled lesions, sudden-onset autophobia, false memories, persistent fantasies of self-osteotomy, runny nose, religious euphoria, hallucinations, or repetitive aggression outbursts.  

[GABR]: If you are asked to quarantine, please remain calm. Seasonal flu-like illnesses are common on Earth, Luna, and Mars. Tau Ceti IV is no different. Our medical experts are working on highly effective treatments for any emerging afflictions.  

[GABR]: In the unlikely event that you are required to isolate, your stay will be short and comfortable. You will have frequent contact with your loved ones. There is no need to be afraid of contacting the community health team. We are here to help and protect you. Thank you. 

===================================================================   

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

PSA: Colony Holiday

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: Public Service Announcement 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: AI subroutine [ID: AI06] 

TOPIC: Landing Day 

SUMMARY: A recording of a colony-wide PSA regarding an upcoming holiday, Landing Day. 

===================================================================    

[music] 

[AI06]: Attention. This is an automated announcement. We're fast approaching the anniversary of Landing Day. 

[music] 

[AI06]: On Landing Day, we celebrate humanity's immeasurable achievement in colonizing Tau Ceti IV, as well as the birth of society in New Cascadia. Your local gathering will be held in Lobby 6A—lock them up so they won't bite. Lock them up so they won't breathe. Lock them up—Lobby 6A. All family members are welcome. Attendees will be gifted two extra rations. Eat, drink, and remember our humble beginnings with pride—purge, purge, purge, purge—with pride. 

[music] 

===================================================================     

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]

PSA: Unauthorized

ANALYZING…   

FILE TYPE: PA Recording 

PERIOD: Colony Era 

SPEAKERS: Civilian [ID: TALV], Civilian [ID: RSTR], Civilian [ID: CZEN] 

TOPIC: Anomaly 

SUMMARY: A recording of an unauthorized announcement made by a New Cascadian civilian. 

=================================================================== 

[chatter] 

[TALV]: Attention, everyone! I don't have much time. They don't want us talking about this. But please, don't let them convince you nothing happened here! We all saw it. We lived through it! There's a reason this happened, is happening. We exceeded our limits. We overshot our authorization. Somewhere, something was watching… They saw what we did, and they checked our credentials, and they said, "Mm, no, that's not right." 

[TALV]: We assumed the whole universe was ours. That as long as we could reach it, we could take it. Every corner, right in our pockets. But we were wrong. And we paid for it. We're still paying for it. We need to leave. Those dreams you've been having? They're a warning! Start listening! We need to get back on the ship. We need to go home! You're not crazy, we're not crazy, this is real, and if we don't leave here— 

[chatter] 

[RSTR]: That doesn't freak you out? 

[CZEN]: Nah. After I got thawed, they told me there's been a big uptick in planetary relocation psychosis, or… whatever it's called. Delayed reaction in the early-wave arrivals. 

[RSTR]: Hm. You believe that? 

[CZEN]: Sure. I mean, do you believe that guy? 

[RSTR]: Mm… Yeah, I guess not. "Oh, they checked our credentials… Mm-mm, that's not right!" 

[laughter] 

=================================================================== 

TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [X]