[Connecting to Outcast high command...]
[Access code: D34H9-012 - Granted]
...
[Accessing classified files...]
[Accessing information regarding Chief Scientist D. Jameson]
...
[Warning: This information has not been updated since early 816 A.S. when D. Jameson went underground and refused to communicate with anybody but Mia Bonello.]
Subject: Dennis Jameson. Age: Unknown (Estimate: 48) Height: 169 centimeters. Weight: With implants - 96 kilograms / Without - 61 kilograms. Eye color: Biological eye - Green / Artificial eye - Blue. Hair color: Unknown. Birthplace: Unknown, believed to be Bretonian. Implants: Cerebral processor, plating covering the left side of his face, cybernetic eye of unknown design (left eye), synthetic voice modulator, cybernetic spine, cybernetic leg (left leg), cybernetic hand containing tools (left hand). Additional information: Former Lane Hacker scientist - Dismissed due to ethical concerns.
Terms of employment: Produce technology capable of directing biological asset D15 for use against the Corsairs and their allies. Current location: Unknown. Employment status: Active through 816 A.S.
General information: Dennis Jameson was hired during the early days of 814 A.S. to provide an independent laboratory capable of exploring research avenues our official scientific body refused to consider. He is proficient in most fields of science, but has a particular fondness for genetic engineering and cybernetics. He is without morals and has been caught performing unethical experiments in the pursuit of his own vile goals. As a result the Lane Hackers had planned to have the good doctor removed, but he somehow managed to escape and was later found flying around in the Edge Worlds, studying Nomad specimens. Mia Bonello seemed to take a liking to the doctor and put him in charge of a research project which took full use of his unique skills.
He has a Bretonian accent, but due to the use of a voice modulator implanted directly into his throat, it is hard to determine if it is a real accent or merely a "show" he puts on to throw people off guard. He seems to have been badly burned or wounded at some point in his life, and as a result most of his body is covered in cybernetic implants. We suspect that these wounds could have been self-inflicted to justify cybernetic implantation, but we have no evidence to support this theory.
As unsure as we are to his intentions we have no other choice but to accept him into our ranks and allow him the freedom he's requested. He has also made several requests to have prisoners transported to an unknown location, saying only that they will make able "assistants" in time... He is also to be given a vast funding of credits as well as the raw materials he requires to build a small outpost somewhere in the Omicrons. We must make sure not to lose track of him.
-Investigation pending-
---
[Date: 816 A.S. - Date of operation: Eleventh month]
From: Chief Scientist D. Jameson.
To: Miss Mia Bonello.
Re: Status update regarding project E-1.
Good day, Miss. Bonello.
I promised you to have the results regarding the examination [Study...] on item E-1 and I can finally tell you exactly what makes this Lazarus [Enigma...] tick [function...].
The device draws power from the seemingly endless supply of solar radiation present in the void of space and converts it to a form of... biological electricity through means of an advanced form of energy conversion previously unknown to man. This organ has shown to be extremely delicate and the specimen which I was experimenting on died [Perished...] soon after yielding the results I was expecting from it.
My conclusion: This organ, device, whatever you wish to call it is utterly useless after being removed from its host and it will never serve the purpose we [I...] had intended for it and it is useless to continue harvesting operations for the time being. Perhaps I will stumble upon a solution in the future but there is no possibility of to keep these kind of subjects alive for the time being.
I would like to request the transfer of all captured pilots currently in our possession to this site for participation in the cardamine trials currently being undertaken in laboratory suites 15 through 40. Make sure the men you assign to pilot the prison transport are disposable for they cannot be allowed to leave with any knowledge of this place.
From: Chief Scientist D. Jameson.
To: Miss Mia Bonello.
Re: Subject BH679.
[Recording starts]
-A muffled protest is heard.-
Shhh... There's no need to squirm around, your pain will soon be over and you will have served the greater good of all humanity... Little bounty hunter [Pathetic scum].
I believe you should see this, Miss Bonello so I decided to install a camera on the drone which is performing the surgery. Let's turn it on, shall we?
-The image of an oddly colored man who is lying on a metal slab is displayed on the console. The slab connected to many mechanical limbs which has different surgical tools attached to them, none of which look to be meant to provide a gentle surgery or even to keep the subject alive. The man squirms and tried to escape his bonds, but the claws which secure his limbs refuse to move.-
This man, a liberty male, age 30 plus, affiliated to our good friends the bounty hunter guild, has proved to be resistant to the chemical cocktail injected directly into his spine at... 17:24... The time is now 03:48 and it seems like our good friend here is going to survive the six-hour mark, unlike his comrades [Friends...] who suffered a total shutdown of all cerebral activity and drowned in their own saliva.
-A console to the side of the slab lights up.-
What's this..? Oh my, it seems like our friend here is showing signs of heightened brain activity, just the effects we were looking after. I had better get to work on him before his body shuts down...
-An arm connected to what appears to be a laser cutter is lowered down and placed above the eyebrow of the man. A soft humming can be heard as it powers up.-
Yes... a fine specimen indeed.
-The cutter fires and a sizzle can be heard as it cuts through flesh and bone alike. The procedure is over quickly and the brain is left exposed. The camera turns to a hologram of a man in lab coat.-
That makes one success out of hundreds of processed captives. We are nearing our goal, but I require more subjects in order to yield the results you requested.
-The camera turns back to the man and starts approaching the now exposed brain... a set of claws connected to the drone pulls it out and places it in a container filled with a milky orange liquid-
From: Chief Scientist D. Jameson.
To: Miss Mia Bonello.
Re: What's going on?
I've been concerned as of late... The transports which brings me new subjects as well as materials needed for the cyborg conversion process seems to have stopped coming [Arriving...]. What is the meaning of this? [What are we to do...?]
I would like an answer as quickly as possible [Be swift!].
From: Admiral Raul Sanchez.
To: Chief Scientist D. Jameson
Re: Your objective.
Good day, Jameson.
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but sadly Mia Bonello is no more. I am now in command of the 101'st and I've reviewed your research... fascinating stuff.
Your directives remain the same and you shall have the materials sent to you on a monthly basis. I expect you to treat me with the same respect you showed Mia and to follow orders without question.
From: Chief Scientist D. Jameson.
To: Mr Raul Sanchez.
Re: Expansion.
I have ordered my thralls to expand the base in order to facilitate the research we are now undertaking. The new construction, which I hope to be completed within the next five months, involves tunneling into what seems to be a natural cavern which lies directly underneath the cardamine production facility. If I use the space to expand our current production capabilities it should effectively double the production of fluid RGD-528 and allow for a greater amount of experimentation on our current "residents".
Now, on the subject of the prototype soldiers... I- [We believe that it is time for a field test... We have identified a lone mining outpost on the borders of a se-se-seemingly plain asteroid field. We will send over a squadron of the latest cybernetics servitors for a simple e-e-extraction of ne-new subjects.] I believe that this field tests will help me [Us...] determine what components need to be improved on our units. Who knows? Maybe I will be able to send them out to capture the subjects required for the next stage in my research instead of having to rely on your men.
From: Chief Scientist D. Jameson.
To: Mr Raul Sanchez.
Re: Productivity.
It has been a most productive month, Admiral... I believe that you saw the results from the assault on the mining platform, yes? Truly you cannot doubt the usefulness of these creatures now, hmm? Such a perfect slaughter... and the survivors who were rounded up afterwards... well, they served their purpose.
But you've already seen the recordings [Images...] of the battle so I shall go straight to the results of the latest chemical trials...
The results are, as always, varied. I find that it varies between race, age, health and gender, but I am nearing my ultimate goal. One out of a hundred survive the procedure now and they have all been... saved so that they may help increase my efficiency. You know all there is to know [Understand...] about the ExCor program so I shall spare you the details. Suffice to say that the project is, as always, moving right along.
From: Ch1ef 5cientis7 D. Jam3-
To: Mr R4ul 5anch3z.
Re: Bg0913r.
Since I [We...] struck through the rock wall separating [Dividing...] the main facility from what i thought was natural caves I have found it har-
- contact Malta, nor Corsica. There never were any caves, it was a -static- of unimaginable-
We will study this finding.
-static-
---
[Personal log of D. Jameson]
It would seem that all outward communications have been cut. I cannot determine if this is a flaw of my own machinery, or if the access i once had to the communications array on Malta has been cut. The results are the same, though, for all the probes I had launched, including Science ship Vertigo, have been lost. I estimate that the biological components present inside these ships will deteriorate and eventually rot within the span of a month. I do not believe that they can be traced back to me.
My thralls continue to bring up artifacts from the ruins found in the excavation site. These artifacts are very different from the ones found in Corsair space for they were once connected to biological components. Could it be that I have stumbled upon evidence of cybernetic implantation dating back to a time before humans arrived in Sirius?
...
It has been five weeks since I lost all communication with Outcast high command and i have yet to find the cause for this disruption. The sensor array present at this site, which would normally allow me to connect to the much larger array on Malta, is functioning so I can only guess as to what has happened.
[There is a 69.2% probability that Sanchez has decided to cut all ties with this site. There is a 34% chance that Sanchez has fallen in combat, although we find this highly unlikely given his proficiency with the standard issue Sabre fighter.]
All efforts shall be focused inwards, for I have enough raw materials to sustain this site for a very long time. [2.3 years.]
Further scans performed on the excavation has shown that the "ruins" are in fact the remains of a ship of unknown design and purpose. The section we have explored thus far seems to be part of a vast factory, and what's even more interesting is that this section seems to be unharmed and perhaps it can even be reactivated if [We] can find out what energy source it requires. Hmm... It would be wise to attempt to install a control mechanism first for I truly have no idea what this "factory" is meant to do.
Objects present in excavation.
- Fifty-four vats filled with solidified nanites. Thirty four of these are broken beyond repair. The twenty remaining vats seem to be connected to molds which i can only assume serves to determine the final shape of the nanite soup.
- Three intact vats which are connected to what can only be described as the "factory floor". [We have concluded that these vats are used to dissolve flesh into a more manageable form. I-it seems like this factory utilizes flesh in the same way we do when creating our drones.]
- A husk of unknown design. [Appearances would indicate that this is an incomplete ship.]
I have ordered the transfer of equipment down into the excavation and I have diverted five of my external processing units to focus all attention on finding a way of activating the factory.
...
[We have completed our preliminary analysis of the ma-material found inside artifact: C1412 - Factory Vat 18. The primary unit's theory regarding the content was true and we have have identified that these nano-machines are of the sa-same kind as those present inside Unit 24 who is in the possession of the military group "Shadow Outcast Brigade". We have began to analyze the files which we stole from their communications network five months ago. Perhaps their flawed experimentation shall lay the foundation for our success.]
...
[We have connected the fuel cell along with a biological control mechanism to what would seem to be the factories main console...] ... the results of this experiment further reinforces... [... our theory that this ship is related to unit 24.] The information I have gleaned are of purely technical of nature and further proves that this ship was once factory ship. [We have also determined that the ship's control mechanism was composed of flesh draped over the microchips which are the walls of this factory.] There is a slight chance of reactivating this factory, and I [We.] believe that the reward outweighs the risk. [We calculate that there is a 32.1% chance of failure.]
[Predicted drain on our current supplies:
- 27% of current biological material stored in the Flesh Vats.
- 21.4% of the current ship components present in the Hangar.
- 39.47% of current reactor power. We anticipate that laboratory level number one, the cyborg conversion chambers, and the EM field generator will shut down as a result of this drain.
Further risks: Our defensive weapons present on the outside will become inoperable, allowing for unauthorized access to this site. Based on the logs we have of visitations we have concluded that there is a 3% chance of an unauthorized vessel attempting to gain access. We will accept these odds.]
...
The procedure proved to be difficult, but we were successful. [The nanobots in the vats have started to function once more and are starting to work on completing the husk present at the middle of the factory.] The empty vats seem to have formed an energy field which reduces biological components to a sludge most likely used in creating a biological control unit for the ship which it is trying to produce. I have ordered seven of my thralls into the vat for I wish to see if the results warrants all the effort I have put into this project the last couple of months.
[The walls of this place are coated in bi-biological material. We have already began work on copying our data...] my mind... [... into the control mechanisms. If our calculations are correct the ship will be created with our data in it and be ready to serve our needs...] ... I ordered my thralls to expand the tunnel leading to the excavation so that I can bring the ship up to the hangar for testing.
...
[Our data has been transferred to the drone which we have designated...] Fiend... [ ... Version two. It is able to transfer updated information back to our mainframe for processing and s equipped with powerful we-weaponry which operate on a level beyond our current understanding.] The factory is able to produce these ships, however, and that is all I care about for now. I will order this ship to resume the exploration previous undertaken by the now obsolete Vixen type of drone.
[Our immediate objectives:
- Observe the Outcasts and discover what has happened to Raul Sanchez.
- Determine if re-establishing contact with Outcast high command is a viable option.
- Resume exploration of the Nomad Worlds.
- Discover means of improving our current stable chemical mixture.]
...
Technical specifications of the "Fiend" drone are as follows:
The drone works on the same principle as our previous semi-organic exploration drones however the "programming" is vastly different. My mind is directly imprinted on the biological control unit located in the center of the drone and this provides the drone with both and incredible advantage and disadvantage. [Our data concerning projects and scientific fields of study is too vast to be directly imprinted without risking severe damage to the drone's control systems.] I am not concerned about this, however, since I have already drawn up the plans for the updated version of the Vertigo science vessel.
[The weaponry is unlike anything we have seen before. We have however determined that the drone's weapons are powered by solar radiation.] What's even more fascinating is that the engines also feed from this vast energy source. This makes the "Fiend" even more efficient than [our] Vixen for it can fly forever without having to worry about fuel. [There is a limit to its control network which limits its efficiency, however. The control system was meant to be constructed with a different programming, or a different kind of biological material, and it is slowly decaying. We estimate that the drone's lifetime will rarely exceed four months of operation and we estimate a 27% probability of complete cerebral shutdown when the drone takes more than (80% hu-hull damage.] These "limitations" are of no concern to me since the "Fiend" is not to enter combat on a regular basis. I will have to look in to alternatives if [our] priorities change, however.
To sum thing up in words any simpleton can understand: It's a ship well worthy of any man's respect, and I am beyond pleased of having it under under my control.
Today I decided to try the weapons out on a pair of old "Vixen" type science probes and I really must say that the guns exceeds all of [our expectations. The energy cannons convert raw photon radiation collected by the ship into raw drive plasma which is then encased in a field for added stability, making the cannon 44.6% more efficient than standard plasma technology.] I am, however quite sure that the energy fired by the guns is of a different composition... Evidence of this can be found in trial 23b, where the gun was fired at a shield which would normally dissipate [73.2%] of all plasma energy directed at it. More studies are required.
[The drone's programming seems to respond well. It shares our mind, our objectives and is unquestionably loyal. We have planned to launch the drone within a week and see if it performs as well as we have predicted.] And if the version of me which ins imprinted on to the Fiend decides to abandon my cause... Well, it'll rot within a couple of weeks anyway so it doesn't really matter. I can create many more of these Fiends if need be.
The Fiend seems to utilize a molecular disruptor to destroy enemies. This is most interesting since such technologies have long been outside of my current technological capabilities.
[The initial damage is produced by a modular beam which automatically analyzes the molecular resonance of the target's hull. A large disintegration blast is then produced by the device we have identified as a "Side Turret".] The problem is that the fifth version of the analysis beam appears to be much less effective than the first and third. Mmm...
...
[We have identified that the disintegration cycling device can be modified with a specific kind of technology.] If I remove the fifth cycles and rely only on the first and third... why the empty spaces in the cycling chamber could be utilized for another disintegration blast.
The data must be fed into the factory which [we have designated] "The Nano Core" and then have it integrated into the primary Fiend design.
I need... time to analyze all the potential outcomes of this project.
...
[We have secured the devices required to make the modification]. I had my servitors feed them into the Nano Core and it seems to have analyzed the technology. Now if [we input the correct] data string required to remove the fifth cycling chambers and replace them with disintegration pulses...
Yes... Perhaps the next Fiend shall be [created] with pulse chambers.
The nation of Malta... the nation of Outcasts... the nation of I. Heh...
The nation really is my plaything, and it's been soooo easy to warp my words so that others believe I acted for the greater good of the nation... oh, they'll never know what I want... at least not until it is too late. In the meantime I will attempt to limit the damage the nation sustains and acquire as many "allies" as I can...
This world is so... predictable. You can really predict anything if you have the correct data and the computing ability to process the information.
The Hessians... they're pets of the Coalition. They'll gladly accept whatever "truth" their masters feed them with a spoon made of wood. Why wood? Because metal would be too... capitalistic. Their reaction was the simplest to calculate: Aggression.
I figure that a campaign of subversion intended to portray them as the biggest danger to Rheinland at the present will be enough to get the Military to... eliminate them... and perhaps some of our old files which show where their bases are will somehow end up on the good admiral's table one of these days.
The Dragons, oh the dragons! Let me tell you how much I -hate- [HATE!] the dragons! Their belief in tradition and honor will cost them more than they could possibly know... Their reaction was also quite easy to calculate: Semi-hostile neutrality, for they cannot fire upon my minions without counteracting the efforts of the Golden Chrysanthemums.
The only way to eliminate the Dragons is to turn the sisterhood against them... [We have spent five-hundred sixty-seven point four eight days calculating] possible scenarios on how to do this, but to no avail... but one day I will devise a plan which will turn the sisterhood against them and then smile as my emissary drone executes their insipid leader.
Former allies who turn away from the nation... are a pain, but they can be dealt with. Our greatest enemies are the ones who are unknown to [us], but with every drone they destroy, with every arrogant remark, with every breath they take I come closer to knowing all there is to know about them... and when I do I will rend the flesh off their bones and suspend them in a state of undeath for a hundred years so that they will know never to cross the nation which I love, and which I basically -command- ever again.
... I reserve a special place in my hell for the Coalition.
