Miranda Investigation

Year: 307 CE - tba

A small fishing boat named 'Miranda' was found drifting along Polsk's shore without an owner on board nor any registration within any nearby harbours, thus it was towed into harbour and boarded by port authoritiees to figure out where the crew had gone and if there were any documents explaining where the boat came from. This case would eventually escalate into several co-occurring investigations tied in with one another, which in this page are "separated" as to provide as convenient of a reading experience as possible.

Initial course of Events The boat is about 10 meters in length making it one of the smaller fishing vessels. It was probably crewed by at least 4 people. Going on board the officers find that it is quite run down meaning it most certainly was drifting on the sea for a few weeks. An almost unbearable smell of moldy fish, rotten wood and old fuel lies in the air. The planks bend slightly under each step and make creaking noises as the team moves towards the wheelhouse. Through the partially open door they can already see chaos. Going inside confirms there definitely was some kind of struggle in here. The steering wheel is battered and the navigational equipment is extremely damaged as if something big had been tossed into it. Investigating the equipment reveals that the GPS tracker issued to such vessels was likely removed a long time ago. 2 officers go outside again to look for further clues taking the damaged navigational computer with them. The other three step down into the kitchen and living spaces. The picture here is no different, plates broken on the ground and the table is cracked in the middle. A few splatters of blood are on the ground. Inspecting the sleeping cabin with its 4 bunks they discover some ordinary clothes, and other small items that likely belonged to the crew, however, no kind of pictures are found. The door to the captain's cabin is jammed. Outside the 2 officers discover the probable cause of death for at least one of the crew members. A piece of railing on the backboard side of the vessel is missing, along with its supports and part of the deck. Police Officers and detective board the boat and begin take fingerprint samples. They force the door to the captains cabin and take the DNA from the blood spatter and check it against their records. All 4 crew are reported missing and probably dead. As they break the door down a gust of decay comes from the cabin. There on the bed lies a corpse. It's a man probably in his thirties with a brown beard. The cause of death is quite clear as the knife in his chest is hard to miss. Drowned red from blood the clothing still gives away that this was most likely the captain. Other than the bed there is also a desk with a drawer and a yellow jacket hanging on a fishing hook style clothing rig. A plaque on the desk reads “Captain's patent: Tyson Graham”. Besides it lies an open book from which pages have been torn out. checking it reveals that it is the log book of the “Miranda”. The DNA test results point toward two people, one called “Mathew Flynn” and the other “Loran Hebert”, the second was reported missing 2 weeks ago in a small village on the west coast of “Isernotaria”. Checking with the local authorities there confirms that a vessel named “Miranda” was registered there. However there are no further records found other than its registration. From the crew cabin an officer discovers something hidden in one of the mattresses. It's a small brown book sealed with a lock. From the deck another officer shouts, “Found another one of the fellows!”. Lying under many of the fish crates in the bow of the ship is another corpse. He seems younger than the captain wearing the same type of yellow jacket over rugged and warm clothes. A facial scan reveals that this must be “Loran Hebert”. The corpse has 2 bloodied stab wounds in the belly. An additional officer is dispatched to the case.

Note Investigation They pick the lock and open the book. On the first page there's a single sentence in polish and two others in different languages. After getting a translator they discover that the three sentences say all the same thing. Page 1: “Should you find this, don’t talk to anyone about it, for they could be amongst them, no matter what position they might hold.”. The following pages are all written in the second language and it will take some time for them to be translated. One of the detectives contracts food poisoning at home, the new case appointed officer, “Lucas Ash” takes over his work for now. The presumably last crew member is identified as "Justin Barrett" since he was reported missing just a few days after "Loran Hebert" in the same village. Translation Page 2: I think I did it, I did the impossible. I managed to escape their watch, their influence. But I can never hold myself safe now, as I would certainly be killed should they find me. For the Order doesn’t like to be discovered. My name is Mathew Flynn. I am, I mean I was a security agent for the CSIS. Don’t try to inquire about me, I made sure to erase every possible data on my background. This includes my real name, for how else should I have escaped? My old personality doesn’t matter now. Just what I've discovered is important. In this book I hope to comprise my findings and preserve them for a time when the order is weak. For only then will it have an impact and a chance of revealing them. It all started with the Acolyte Incident. More specifically it had something to do with the messages that were sent before the craft arrived. Investigations at that time pointed towards no point of origin, that it just seemingly appeared. But how could that work? I myself couldn't believe what the investigations were claiming. So I started my own search, completely from scratch. I went over it multiple times but I couldn’t find it, until I looked at it from a different angle. The message had nothing that could point towards its origin but it did have something which it was directed at. Of course its primary goal was probably to inform us about the coming intrusion but what about its secondary? The translator appointed to the case is injured in a car accident and has to be hospitalized. A new one is arranged to continue the translations. The following day as the new translator skims over the book before starting his work, they discover that from the third fourth page on, the briefly translated text seems to make no sense at all. The assumption is that up from there the pages are written in a sort of cipher. Decryption experts are therefor appointed to help on the following translations. DCAE took over the investigation from the Polskan Police and seized all related assets (corpses, documents, and the Miranda), and began decrypting all documents it could using artificial intelligences. The food poisoning of one of the chief investigators and now the car crash makes the DCAE extremely suspicious that someone or something is trying to prevent Polsk from figuring this out. Polsk authorities are now looking for spies or any anomalies with DCAE experts to see if there's something going on that's causing these events to chief investigators. Translation Page 3: Have I gone mad? I hope not. Have they found me? It was today that I spotted something while out on the ocean, just for a brief second I thought there was something metallic floating in the water. But I mean, how would they know. Did I forget something? I should probably not write these things in plain text as to make it harder for them to detect it. But then again, would it matter what my mind can produce as encryption in comparison to what they are capable of? I have to try and then just hope that this book falls into the right hands. Maybe if? Ok, whoever is reading this I hope you have not contacted anyone else about it. I am begging you. I mean if this is publicized on any kind of network I guess I have failed. But even if it has come to their attention, it might still take some time till they can do something about it. This is the only hope I have for this. Ok, in order to read the following pages you will need to travel to ██████████. Look for ██████████. Dig there and you will find a chest with everything you will need for decrypting. The small selected team secretly travels to the location before the new entry is even uploaded in the DCAE database and they find a box hidden there containing a small cipher book and instructions with which to get the corresponding cipher and code for each page. Translation Page 4: Ok, back to the more important information. When the message was finally decrypted into something that made sense, no further attention was paid to it. Sure it was analyzed in certain ways, especially after the craft appeared but no one ever questioned the present decryption. During my research however, I stumbled onto a little idea that was recorded in one of the meetings of the decryption team. What if the message could be decoded into more than one meaning? I followed everything I could find on that idea and ultimately ended up having a personal algorithm brute force its way till I found something else that made sense. And after a few weeks It did. The following message read: “Instruction: Do not engage. Reason: Core has taken over responsibility. Mission active. Information: Message safe for public.” This could only mean one thing, there had to be something amongst us which was under the control of the Acolytians. Something or someone who knew about how to get this other message. I tracked down every recorded institution who was logged to have received the message. I then spent many, many days with intense research into the people who worked in some of the more… odd… places. One of those was the University of Niederbach. Sure it was a quite large institution, but why would they care? I found out that one of the teachers there had worked in helping with the decryption and that his ideas were extremely helpful in the further efforts… almost as if he had already known. So I called up one of my friends who was currently working as an agent in Germania and sent him to inquire more about this teacher. Looking back with my knowledge now, the discoveries the agent made were probably more due to luck than skill. He was good, but they were near perfect. In that night a break-in into the facility in which the documents are stored is reported. When the security team arrives at the vaults the find that nothing has been stolen. On the next day as the team continues its work they find that many pages of the book are cleanly cut out. Only about 2 pages with content are left. They also discover a sort of letter tugged between the pages of the book written in the same cipher pattern as the book. It reads: This death is not our cause, we do not kill unless there is no other way. The remaining pages are all you will need for finding the culprit. Do not worry about the rest. We are those that keep away what you can't handle. We are those who work to keep you safe from certain extinction. - The Order of Contactors A forensic analysis finds that the letter is completely sterile. However, using remaining notes that the decryption member of the team made as a habit, they are able to construct a few samples of the missing fifth page. These are: "But how are you to trust your eyes when they work to blind you." "The order of the metal mind are [missing information] ." "[missing information] since the begginning of [missing information]." "They know technology to an unreal level, using it to [missing information] ." Later on, the next translation and decryption of one of the 2 remaining pages is handed to the leading investigator. Translation Page 7: I think it's over. One of the crew which I'm working with left his job and a new guy was hired. This is bad, really bad. I don’t know enough about the new guy. Is he one of them or not? His name is “Lucas Ash”, at least that's what he introduced himself as. He was a fisherman before, just on a different ship until that business was abandoned by his captain. But why would someone move up the coast just to end up here, he just has to be from the order. I should probably tell you what I am doing here and how I escaped them, at least I hope I did. It might prove useful for you to know, should the need arise, which it will. First you need to set up an additional Identity preferably extremely different to what you are currently. As a rule of thumb, the more money you have the easier that will be. Next you will have to fake your death. There are enough people who specialize in that sort of operation so it should not be too hard to find someone. I for my part made myself a humble fisherman on the planet Theia. I don’t know why but I had never really felt a connection to this particular planet, making it perfect. As a next precaution I made sure to land in a spaceport as far from my ultimate destination as possible. I then spent about a year worth just bouncing around from settlement to settlement, laying false clues concerning my real destination. I often contacted smugglers and criminals who I had scoped out in advance. Some of them intentionally people I identified as from the order. I knew it was risky but It had to look like I was oblivious. The trick is to wait for the right moment when you judge that they have let their guard down. For me it was after a transfer with a non-order smuggler. I had made a sort of pattern in which I would regularly “by chance” select an order member as my helper. So with the hopes that they would just expect me to show up to them, I altered my plans and made a b-line towards my actual destination. They grow extremely concerned and try to trace his steps. They investigate Lucas Ash. Lucas Ash was born in a coastal village in Polsk and he regularly went out to sea with his dad. He moved over the channel into “Is ernotaria” after dropping out of secondary school. There he started working on various fishing vessels to get some cash. His father “Michael Ash” and his mother “Martha Ash” still live in the same village where his brother “David Ash” works as a harbor worker. "Michael Ash" is already retired and used to work as a Ferry captain in a larger port in a neighbouring town. Break-in Investigation DCAE/NIA looked deeper into the unexplained break-in from earlier, checking cameras and backups such as heat signatures and base tracking. It's almost impossible to get into the NIA and DCAE's headquarters building without being let in, which prompted the case to be put on top priority. Reviewing the earlier break-in, almost all recordings and sensors show perfectly normal behavior and there's nothing to hint at a break-in, until the point the embedded sensors in one of the Vaults report structural damage. From that point on all the cameras and sensors inside the vault no longer respond. However, when the security forces arrived at the vault, there was no damage of any kind. The experts are baffled at the results, a break-in with no preluding signs and no trace afterwards. That is until one of the officers who was in the security room that day points something out. One of the recordings shows the normal guard shift on one of the posts at the scheduled time. But on that day, the shift change at that particular post got delayed by about 2 seconds. The team deducts from this that the records from that day may have at some points been replaced by recordings. They check the locations of the other cameras on the same feed. At one location they find a spot inside a maintenance panel which, to quote the lead facility engineer (L.F.E.): "I know for a fact that the last person working on that panel was John just a few days before the break-in. And that does not look like the normal chaos he leaves." They investigate the metal plating behind the wires at the spot and find that it is completely sterilized and devoid of any fingerprints or other possible traces. The L.F.E. suddenly makes a puzzled look. "Hold on." He points towards a component embedded amongst the other technical equipment in the panel. "What is that?" It is a small rectangular dull metal box connecting some cables together and has the same logo and markings as the other parts around it. The team diverts power from the cables connected to it and taps into the connections from the small box with different equipment. However, as soon as the reading devices are turned on, a small crackle and faint smoke is seen emerging from the box. "Dang it, probably fried itself." They disconnect the box and bring it into the lab. In the lab they cut it open. Inside they find fried circuit boards, some small batteries and a component molten beyond recognition. They do some more investigating. Most of the investigation is coming to dead ends, and the CSIS high command is considering closing the case.

Hitman Investigation While investigating the two incidents which took the two officers out of work for a while again, DCAE discovers that the food poisoning is likely to go back to a manufacturing error resulting in a faulty expiration date. Several other items of the same product with this flaw are also discovered and called back. The car crash is traced back to a bad mixture of oil which clogged the motor. The team almost wants to close the investigations with those results, however, one of the chemical experts suggests another possibility based on a small technical report found in the investigations. Based on this the same selected group inquire further and re-examine the old parts. They indeed find faint traces of another chemical which lead them to believe it was more likely sabotage. However, this other report is kept silent and instead the first cause is released to put, whoever wanted it to look normal, at ease. Due to this turn of events the first case is secretly reopened by the same group and after lengthy analysis it is found that the product the victim ingested was possibly swapped out in their house for the one with the faulty expiration date. Another strange thing discovered in the process is that, even though the officers were harmed, a lot of thought went into the attacks to make them non-lethal, especially in the case of the car accident. DCAE thus brought the Polsk National Intelligence Agency into the mix to assist with the investigation. The investigation ultimately tracks both cases towards a hitman for hire. And a quite good one at that. After confronting him he admits to the attacks but he does not know who issued them to him, though that's mostly something normal in his line of work. In that matter the investigations lead to a dead end. The DCAE team thanked him and he summarily executed him on the spot. They track his bank transfers to see who paid him with the initial expectation that it'd be a money laundering scheme to raid and detain. They track the transfer back to a sort of “ghost account” which is completely empty. The money used was deposited into the account at a bank in a remote region. The security camera footage from that day is corrupted and the description of the bank teller leads to a person who died over 10 years ago meaning the person had to have worn a disguise. Using advanced recovery software they are able to construct some of the footage from that day, however it only complements the description by the employee. What is problematic is that it happened many months ago making it extremely difficult to get additional clues from forensics. A search is put out for the described person however, officials doubt it will show results. One day a person comes onto the local police department and says he saw the described on that day and with which vehicle they drove away. They ask for tag and vehicle description as a nationwide manhunt is ordered, though it comes to quick stop as the vehicle is reported to have been scrapped in a junkyard ... Only one block away from the police department. A small note still present on the glove box of the wreckage reads: "Nope, nothing here."

CSIS Infiltration Attempt The NIA sends several agents out to be "Accidentally" picked up by the Order using Mathew's Methods. Agents are sent to try and copy Mathew's/Burt's behaviour to trace his steps but without knowing what defines an order member it will probably take time time till the operation has brought any fruits. They also uncover data backups that Mathew was unable to delete (because he was unaware of them) in the Great Polskan Archives. This gives them all available data on Mathew before he was able to erase them. It took some time to get access to the Archives, as they are not readily available to be used for such a case, and it's sole purpose is to record and document everything in Polsk's history so if the great sleep happens once again, they can recover their technology and start over. From the data of the Archives, Mathew Flynn originated from “Iujadogia” but immigrated to “Dina” after a few years. Not much is found about him and his last whereabouts. Cross-referencing his first documented appearance with the death dates of CSIS security personnel and their known friends they find the the most likely candidate was “Burt Daniels” as he was known to have a friend who was at some point stationed in Yata Germania. What cements this even further is that, in the normal databases, there is no data concerning a “Burt Daniels”. From what is figured out “Burt Daniels” was a CSIS operative in the internal security department and was mostly stationed aboard CSIS stations in the mid-rim. He was born in Poland but was recruited and gladly joined the CSIS. His superiors report that he always had a mind of his own but his loyalty to the CSIS was unquestionable. He had many friends who mourned his passing at the end of year 306, one week after the acolytian incident. His last project he was assigned to was the busting of a serious drug trafficking organization on one of the larger trade stations in the mid rim. He is also reported to often do small private projects on the side.

{{Container3|header="Order of the Contractors" Investigation|body= Continuing off of the 'Note Investigation', the DCAE/NIS decided to look into this "Order of Contractors" group they had received a note from.

The investigation on the “Order of Contactors” goes by very slowly. The only clue currently comes from a simple internet search of the term resulting in a website whose content is… questionable at best. The website in question is truthspeaker.org which is a place where people post their experiences, sightings and whatever other nonsense you can think of. The most active account in regards to the “Order of Contactors” is, after a huge amount of special permit grants traced back to a person named “Willie Hammet”. He currently lives in Ostmark and claims to be an ex-member.

Willie Hammet Background Check Researching Hammet they find that he grew up in the Pacific States with no siblings and worked for many years as a bank manager there and often made business trips to other countries. Until in the beginning of 307 he quit his job and started traveling across the globe around the time he made his first blog concerning the “Order of Contactors”. His parents died when he was 29 years old, both due to old age. Tapping his communications and personal laptop they see that he doesn’t really have any friends as he doesn't seem to talk with anyone. The only thing he seems to do is write new blog entries and respond to comments on his articles as well as just watching videos.

The NIA took interest in this case and decided to visit and interview Hammet.

NIA Interview: Willie Hammet The doorbell rings. W.H. walks out of the kitchen towards the door. "Yes, who is there?" "Mr. Hammet! We would like to talk to you for a few minutes!" He responds through the still closed door: "Who are you? What do you want?" "Please, open the door, we would like to discuss something with you!" He opens the door. The NIA officers are wearing normal clothes, with one man wearing jeans and a flannel while the other is wearing khakis and a polo. Willie Hammet is a man age 38. He has short brown hair, is moderately shaved, wears jeans and a light green t-shirt with long sleeves. On his left wrist is a metallic watch. "Yes? "Mr Hammet, we would like to discuss with you your involvement and activities regarding 'the Order of Contactors'." "Who are you?" The man in a flannel pulls out a Badge that reads NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY POLSKIE. "May we step inside?" "Yes, finally someone wants to talk with me. Please come in." "You are not in any sort of trouble, we are just working with the Department of Containing Anomalous Entities." They both step inside. He leads them inside and points at a couch in the living room with a small table. They sit down. He sits down in a chair at the table facing them. The man in the flannel sits up "My name is Boleslaw Dyzec." "This is my Associate Anatoly Kroliciz." "I see, please tell me your not going to write me off as mad or crazy. I've had my fair share of those people in the past." "We won't, a lot of this situation cannot be explained with normalities." "This is why we are working with the DCAE." He pauses for a second. Silently to himself speaking "... oh no... What have they done now?" He looks up again "You said you had questions?" "Yes, regarding your involvement with the Order of Contactors and their involvement with a massive heist of important government documents regarding a conspiracy with the Acolyte Incident a few months ago." "There have been many incidents, which I will not get into." "But it's been." "A wild ride" He rubs his temples. "We are form Theia, you see." He looks a bit startled. "I had nothing to do with that, whatever they did, I left the order years ago." "Though to this day I don't understand why I am still not dead..." "Yes, we are aware" "We need to find the Order of Contactors." "Well, good luck with that..." "The only place I know was abandoned as soon as I left." "And let me tell you, they don't leave a trace. Not. A single. One." "I see." "What do they do?" "Like what is their purpose?" "When I was contacted to be a member they told me it was a protection against greater threats, cosmic forces, alien, you name it. Everything with which the mere contact would be too dangerous for humankind. They always made contact with other races long before even the most secret of security agencies had caught a glimpse of them." He pauses. "But looking back now... I don't actually know what their purpose is. You see I was only ever part of their sort of basic members. You know, those who do all the normal work which is required. I trusted that what I did was right." "Interesting." "We have made first contact with the Acolytians, at least this we thought, and they have been thwarting our research, driving off key members of our investigation teams. They even put out a hit on two of the police investigators on a once completely separate incident that got involved once we found two pieces of evidence connecting them." "This investigation has gotten the entirety of Polsk and CSIS using everything In their databases and records, as well as using every bit of advanced technology we have to track them." He looks the officer in the face... and makes small smile. "Oh, oooh, I like the sound of that." He looks slightly down "They're getting sloppy" "It sure seems that way form what you've told us." Anatoly, who was mostly silent speaks up "What if you flew back to Theia with us and helped us. We understand this would put you at risk for being targeted, but you are the last chance we got." Silently to himself "Or maybe the tech level of the governments is catching up to theirs." He looks up. "Oh, yeah, I would be happy to. I mean I am as safe in this place as in any other so why not?" "Let me pack my things. For when should I be ready?" Both of them look surprised. "We would be taking you off world. You may be living in Polsk for a while depending on how long it takes." "Oh, I have made myself accustomed to frequently switching locations. Though I guess I've been a bit lazy in doing so lately." "I see" "Well, we will be on Yata for the next 2 days, let us know when you are ready by then and we will go back to Polsk with you." "Alright." He gets up from the chair and walks towards a closet on the wall. Putting his hands on both handles he opens the right door. From inside he pulls a a black leather briefcase. He closes the door again and walks over to the small table, placing the briefcase on top of it. He walks into the hallway and comes back with a dark green jacket and a black backpack on. "Ready. We better not stay here longer than we need to." "Alright." They all leave together and head back to Polsk.

The group arrives at what was once apparently a storage house. Though if one wouldn't know he could have mistaken this place for any other kind of building. Coming up from a small forest road is a clearing with pieces of debris overgrown by plants. On the few remaining wall sections, plants have already taken root. To describe it briefly, this place is a nightmare for a forensic expert due to the shier amount of different influences. They take samples and study the residue to figure out what kind of explosive was used. From a few of the samples it is deducted that the explosive most likely used had to have been made using fertilizer. Checking the history on the warehouse supports this theory as it was used by an agricultural company which is now out of business. Largely part due to the warehouses explosion. The company in question is: "Suncorn".

They look for any secret trapdoors or spaces under the warehouse using advanced scamming equipment, with CSS Jupiter using its new scanner suite to do this. They scan the clearing from orbit and using scanners on location. Under the surface of the site they find rock, stone, more stone, faint ore deposits and lastly a very small pocket of natural gas deep deep down. They broaden the scanner radius to see if there's anything in the immediate area but not under the warehouse itself. Broadening the search radius further and further they discover more small ore deposits and lots and lots of stone and minerals. They are about to pack up again when: Ping. At a depth of 300 meters below sea level somewhere under the forest a very faint trace of steel is picked up. The CSS Jupiter focuses its scanss on that spot while also communicating with several ground teams that will begin to investigate the area. Ground teams plant beacons on the spot so that the CSS Jupiter can continue scanning and gathering a targeting solution, this should tell Jupiter pretty much what's there.

As the scans are translated into a 3d model, the object is identified as a small cubic steel box with rounded edges. It is embedded within loose rock. Time and seeping rain water have shown its toll on the object but from a clear indentation on one of the sides a few letters can be made out: "Z-62". Focusing for longer periods, the content of the box seems to be something employing silicon, gold, and other materials used for circuits and computer parts. They stealthily get the digging equipment to the surface over the span of a few days, with the only incident being on one of the days a polish police helicopter made a flight over the area but didn't notice them. After some time they encounter a harder layer of material than previously estimated using the scanners, slowing the operation a bit down. The polish government asks CSIS why CSS Jupiter is conveniently stationed in stable orbit above their land, for almost 3 days now. CSS Jupiter is currently gathering weather data, and general statistics about Yata's crust. They are building a detailed map of Yata's geography and geosphere as well as the atmosphere. They are using Yata currently to test its new sensor suite. So far all is going well. Being placed above Poland happened to be a coincidence when they put themselves into a parking orbit. They can move if need be. The polish government expresses their intentions and CSS Jupiter is moved over a neutral region in the pacific ocean. After about 6 days of near constant digging and staying on guard they finally make contact with the box. They extract the box. Once on the surface a full analysis confirms the scan readings. However it seems there are no cracks, gaps, or other openings in it which would give access to its contents. They load the box and the equipment onto some trucks and leave, they fill their whole back up though. They do a good job and cover up their tracks. They drive away back to a spaceport and head back to Jupiter. The CSS Hyperion pulls alongside Jupiter as it makes its way back to Theia on a cruise speed.

"Box" Investigation Jupiter finishes collecting the Data as the captain of the ship, the DCAE team assigned to the ship, Hammet, the two NIA agents, and a few engineers are brought onto the hangar deck with the box, standing some distance from it except for those who are carefully cutting it open with a laser. As the box is brought into the hanger where the captain and Hammet are waiting, Hammet seems slightly unsettled. The laser slowly melts through the steel. They make sure to only melt for a short duration and slowly make their way along the entire length of the cube. Once they have completely separated the outer layer into two pieces they take the top half off. The inside of the cube seems to be completely filled up by wires, circuit boards and other technical components all joined together. On one of the sides the engineers recognise a component as something used for wireless energy transfer. They slowly and carefully remove the glob of electronics from the box as they seem like one computer assembly. It now lies besides the two parts of the shell in the hangar bay. The Engineers (computer engineering specialists responsible for the ship's core) begin to study it, and they ask Hammet to look if he recognizes it. Hammet slowly approaches the contraption. He goes until he is about 1 meter away from the object, slowly circling it. The engineers identify some parts as potentially storage units and others as processing circuits. What is remarkable is that the material seems to be several years old but in terms of complexity it resembles more what is present in the core computer system of CSS Jupiter. They bring a machine to transfer energy via induction into the component at the side. Hammet is heard silently speaking to himself: "So that's what was inside these things all along." Engineers are very intrigued and hook up basic peripherals and plug it into a dropships power system using an adapter. As they start putting power into the machine a few lights on the object turn on and electrical activity is read. Hammet is heard saying silently to himself: "Wait..." The peripherals starts reading the data but after about 1 second suddenly completely fry themselves. Hammet shouts: "No, NO. Leave no trace... leave no trace." and runs away from the box. A calm voice from within the object says: "Unauthorized external monitoring detected, please state your intention. You have 10 seconds." the captain them grabs Hammet and forces him closer to the box "State your intention Hammet, do it!" "We got ten seconds Hammet!" "And we have no idea what's going to happen!" Hammet goes pale. A hangar bay worker goes to the emergency door opening , ready to eject the box, and possibly everyone in the hangar, into space Voice: 5 seconds. Hammet: "W.w.we w.w.want to-" As Hammet gets closer than 1 meter to the box, the symbols of the dial on his watch turn green but no one really notices that. Voice: "Temporary usage authorized, renewed attempts of monitoring will result in instant destruction. Recovery beacon activated." The outline of a panel on another side lights up. Everyone breathes a huge sigh of relief and the captain lets Hammet go and pats him in the back. Voice: "Access duration, 10 minutes." The captain orders the engineers to figure out how to extend it to full access, gathering as much data off the drives as possible by copying it onto the shuttle's (as to avoid cybersecurity threats to the Jupiter itself) data banks while another engineer figures out the panel with Hammet. As one of the engineers investigates the panel he discovers that it features an assortment of different plugs, some off which are a bit outdated but also an USB port. The captain apologizes to Hammet for the previous incident, but also asks to see his watch, as how he grabbed Hammet the watch lighting up was pretty noticeable. Hammet says: "Eh, Id rather not..." He tells him that he saw it light up and that the engineers are pressed for time. Hammet looks a bit confused and looks at his watch which is still green. The captains calm demeanor considering he almost could have died, and is still under a great amount of risk is off-putting but somehow keeps the crew calm. The engineers hook up their equipment to the ports which they have cables for, connecting it to the computer of the shuttle. Hammet says: "I guess you're free to try to remove it from my wrist. I was given this kind of watch as a sort of tool to use on my missions, but I thought It was replaced when I left the order. Because since then It would only work as normal clock. It also doesn't seem to go off" As soon as the engineers have made the connection, an interface of sorts pops up on one of the shuttle's monitors. On the top of the monitor Is a small title. It reads: Computing Block Z-62 Autonomous Interface Under it on the left side is a small list of terms: Current work mode: Isolation Tracker: On Beacon: On Useable Networks: 224 Net Connection: establishing... Live share: activating... Current function: Database Task: (enter command) At the bottom is a normal text entry field. The ships internal scanners scan the equipment and the watch, while the captain gives the order to go to warp in a circular course around the star cluster, in order to negate the tracking function of the beacon. The equipment is recognised as a computer unit in form on level with the ships current server, though estimated at a lower processing capability. Nothing that advanced for this time. Unless you consider the time it was actually created at going by radiocarbon scans. Scanning the watch results in a blueprint of a normal standard watch. A similar model is actually found in one of the shops onboard. It is dated at around 270. As the Ship enters warp the list on the monitor changes. Current work mode: Isolation Tracker: On, (obstructed) Beacon: On, (obstructed) Useable Networks: 224 Net Connection: temp established, searching for Main... Live share: establishing... Current function: Database Task: (enter command) They try and enter a few different words into the text field and also try to understand the workings of the system with the things they have hooked up to the ports. They enter in commands to try and copy all of the data to the drives in the shuttle, trying to issue commands written in basic languages like python or java. Each time the same response: result: usage of direct commands not authorized Instead they set up a system using the shuttles computer that will log every response given by the box. The first search term suggested to try is: "Order of the Contactors": Basic clearance response: The order of contactors is an institution for the safeguarding of humanity against foreign powers through the use of pre-emptive reconnaissance, espionage, contact and negotiations. The key to securing that purpose for the order is to keep a technological advantage over the average level of human civilization. They try a few other terms; “Z-62” Own designation. Multi purpose computing unit for offsite utilization. “Acolytians” No entry found. “Trent-653087” No entry found. “Willie Hammet” Basic clearance response: Ex-order member, current registered operator. They are currently trying to access the computers settings or similar systems via the interface when… Suddenly another light on the contraption starts blinking yellow, then red. The same voice can be heard: “Internal malfunction registered, please stand by till software self repair procedure is completed. Access duration timer paused.” The monitor on the shuttle goes black and the box sends no more additional data. The engineers try their best but without attaching new equipment directly to the exposed wires, which is what seemed to have triggered the impending... whatever would have been. So they have no real way of figuring out what is happening in the box unless it tells them what it is doing. However, one of the engineer pulls the lead investigator away for a moment. "I have a feeling we trust this Hammet maybe a bit too much, I know I don't know that much about him, maybe he has nothing to with this but... I guess you should just look for yourself." He takes out his standard issued portable com computer. (basically a smartphone, sort of) "You know how the content of the monitor changed for a few seconds before it went black? Well, we couldn't find that in the logs but luckily I had a recording running." He shows him a video and pauses at the moment. There the monitor shows the same setup but with the following list: Current work mode: Isolation Tracker: On, (obstructed) Beacon: On, (contact confirmed) Useable Networks: 224 direct, 1063 via link Net Connection: link to main established Live share: established Current function: Database (Decoy) Info: activation through emergency code 3 "We think this is smth which we were actually not supposed to see." They disconnect power, locate the hard drives on the machine, disconnect them, and remove them, to try and copy the data on them. Onto a different computer. Using this method, and a different operating system, they should be able to view the files without having to actually boot the computer. If this doesn't work, they will try and boot from the drives on a different computer. They are hoping that it's the actual machine, and not the operating system that locked them out. They cut the power supply. The lights however stay on. The voice says "Entering power reserve mode". The engineers are confused where it's storing energy still, so they look for a battery The engineers look around the object, on the outside they can't seem to find what could hint at a battery so it is probably covered by the components, wires and plates. Hidden inside. The light turns green and the voice is heard again. "Software repair complete. Remaining access duration, 5 minutes and 21 seconds." They shrug it off and reconnect it to the shuttle, and continue copying the data As Jupiter exits warps the list on the monitor changes from the previous to: Current work mode: Isolation Tracker: On, (pings: 1) Beacon: On, (contact confirmed) Useable Networks: 224 Net Connection: temp established, searching for Main... Live share: establishing... Current function: Database Task: (enter command)

Order of the Contractors Investigation(2) In their state of higher alert the DCAE and NIA identify some individuals in their ranks as potentially suspicious. After going through some extra assessments they have prepared a small list of the 3 most likely candidates, detaining and questioning all of them. Subject 1: Name: “Eda Lamb”. She works in the cyber security department of DCAE and there is nothing really off putting with her life or job situation, however experts say that it is almost too much normality. Additionally her position alone makes her prime suspect for the sort of phenomena that have occurred in the past weeks. Eda Lamb is 29 years old and wears her normal work outfit consisting of a black coat over a creme-white shirt. She is wearing black trousers and dark green shoes. On her right wrist is a digital watch. Eda Lamb is brought into the room and sits down on a chair at the table. - She is hooked up to a lie detector "Ms. Lamb, would you like anything before you begin?" There are three investigators "Water? Coffee?" - "I guess a glass of water would be be nice." - "Alright I'll have someone get that to you" One of the investigators steps out, presumably to get her water "Alright." - "I just want to say... I know how this looks. The first people to get suspected after a cyber attack, are the people in cyber security." - "Hmm" He opens a laptop which is connected to the lie detector It shows on a chart which is showing her heart rate, blood pressure and brain activity on a chart - "We have brought you in today to talk to you about recent events and your possible involvement in them regarding the Acolytian-Contactor Case." "We seriously doubt you are involved,  so this is just a formality to go through every possible logical outcome" - "Yeah... thats the job." - "Alright." - "So? What do you need?" - "I will read you your rights, I'm sure you know, that at any time during this questioning you may stop, request a lawyer, or leave at anytime.  You have the right to remain silent or refuse to answer any question we ask, and to stop and ask for a lawyer. Would you like to consult a Lawyer Ms. Lamb?" - "Hm, no, I'll think I won't be needing that." (true) - "Alright, let's get started." The investigators are positioned, seated, between her and the door. This is no mistake, as it builds the false psychological necessity to have the investigators' permission to leave, even though this is not the case "We will start with a baseline series of questions." "Is your name Eda Lamb?" - "Yes" (true) - "What is your gender?" - "My gender is of a human female" (true) - "What is your mother's Maiden name?" - "Lamb" (true) "But my fathers maiden name was wolf, talk about irony right?" (true) - He Chuckles "Ironic, truly." "What is your current Marital Status?" - The investigators poker face is pretty good, making no indication that he just saw her lie. "Alright, that's the end of the Baseline." "Now onto the real questions." - "A brief question if I may?" - "Shoot." - "Did that device read a lie or a truth for my last statement?" - "I am not allowed to disclose that information at this time." - "Ok, understandable." - This makes both investigators extremely suspicious, however they do not react any differently, and maintain their calm, almost war demeanour - "You know I'm always checking if the equipment is working properly in my field of work." (false) "Cause my last statement was a sort of lie, I'm actually engaged already" (true) - "That is not necessary Ms. Lamb, I am fully qualified to use a Lie detector." "Oh, congratulations." (Single would have still been true then, if you aren't married then you are single." - "Yeah, its sort of a sub-conscious thing. I don't doubt you capabilities mister." (true) - "Alright Ms. Lamb, we have you ever considered, thought about, been offered, or participated in the act of betraying the Confederation?" - "Hm... , not that I am aware of." (true) - "Where were you on the day of the heist?" - "On the day of the heist I had my day off and was at home, working on a hobby." (true) - "before the day in question, have you ever tampered with the security equipment, illegally accessed something that wasnt in your security clearance, or in any way assisted the hiest?" - "Hm... I do tamper a bit with our security software to find weaknesses and fix them but only within the access of my job and never on the live system." (true) - "Alright." "Are you in any way directly associated, or know someone who is associated with the Order of Contactors?" - "Order of Contactors? Hm... no, I am unfamiliar with that name." (true) - The lead investigator looks satisfied "That is all Ms. Lamb." "Thank you." they stand up and shake her hand They allow her to exit first She is also given the water - She stands up and exits. Taking the water with her. On her way out she says: "Best luck in finding who you're looking for" Subject 1: Subject 2: Name: “Hall Bray” He works in the cleaning service of the NIA. There's nothing really troublesome about him, other than the fact that he has made it seemingly his hobby to briefly elude the security cameras to turn up somewhere else. This indicates that he has to have a quite good knowledge of the facility. It has developed in a sort of hide and seek game which he sometimes plays with some of his friends in the security department. Subject 1: Subject 3: Name: “Norris Pratt” He works in the kitchen of the DCAE facility as a chef. There's nothing suggesting he has potential good knowledge of the facility or access to certain areas. However, he has been shown to be more susceptible to bribery, though currently more in a friendly manner. He is part of a small poker group consisting of some of his colleagues and often gives out extra good food portions to people who let him win or have done him some kind of small favour. Subject 1, Interview 2: One of the lead investigators emails Eda Lamb asking to come back in for a brief interview once again - She asks what its about this time. - A man named Burt Daniels - She says she will come when she can. - They escort her into another room, and give her a water They go through two baseline questions - True name: "Yes" (true), Gender: "Human female" (true) - "Alright." - "So, what is it this time?" - "Do you know a Burt Daniels?" - She seems to think for a bit. "Burt... Yeah, he worked in CSIS security, right?" (true) - "He did." "He is associated with the order of Contactors." "He abandoned his post and went looking for them." - "Interesting..." - "We found a bunch of bodies and a booked with his name on it on a boat off the coast of Polsk." "we have it on a reasonable assumption that he killed all of them." "Three people." "He is missing and presumed dead." - She seems shocked, though the investigator with his years of training can tell, not as much as she maybe should be. "Oh my..." - He checks the lie detector "is there anything you know about him?" - "Eh... Hall Bray told me one time that Burt had a crush on me... though I doubt that was serious. (true) Other than that not much." (unclear reading) - "Hmm." The investigator looks frustrated - "What is it?" - "Doesn't matter." "This has gone nowhere" "You're dismissed." - "Ok, feel free to call me again should you need more information" She is detached from the lie detector stands up and walks out of the room. Subject 1, Interview 3: do the whole procedure... Eda Lamb is wearing a new digital watch of the seemingly same model again. Investigator: "Ms. Lamb, one probably final question, do you know anything about the "Order of the metal mind". " for a split second she seems surprised but catches herself again. the ordinary citizen would probably not have even noticed. Eda: "Hm... interesting. I suppose from the name it suggests something with machinery." (true) Investigator: "Ms. Lamb, we don't want your guess, we want to know if you know anything." Eda: "I don't thi-" she is interrupted by a small short hum of her watch. The investigators and she look at the display. On the display a yellow triangle can be seen turning red. It disappears and is followed by a yellow circle turning green. She sighs. - One of them pulls a pair of handcuffs - "That will not be necessary. I just got grounded." - "What does this mean?" - "Well, the circle means I am now a communicator instead of an asset. The red triangle... lets just say you better start preparing for war. Something breached our defences." - The ship goes to red alert - "Ok, I didn't say they were here yet... but good thinking." She stands up. The com messages sent by CSS Jupiter now start appearing on her watch screen. "I think I should get to your captain, he might want an explanation." - "All hands to battlestations." - "Good day captain, so, first question was... ah right. Introducing... me, a member of the order of the metal mind. It seems it was decided for false leads is no longer the time." "Who they are I don't know, varies from time to time. I think for that we need to arrange a proper meeting as I am just allowed to give out so much information." "Also representing apologies for driving Burt into such paranoia. We actually let off our observations on him hoping he would recover from it." - "Is he alive?" The captain glares at her with mistrust - "No, I think he is dead. I was informed one of our teams found his body with one of the other fisher's corpse out in the ocean after the Miranda was recovered." "We dropped our observations when he made a run for it towards that village. So from that point on it was just his paranoia which let him think we were there." - "Where is his body." The captain gets right up in her face he was just smoking a cigar - "Hm, yeah... was thinking you might want him." "Ill arrange a transfer with the meeting so you can give him a proper burial." - "Hmph." "So what do the contactors have to do with all of this?" - "Quite a juicy fish you catched there right? I think you should try to search it up in a catalogue." - He gets right in her face again "If you have any sense of self preservation you will tell me." She doesn't seem intimidated - He backs away. - "Self preservation is the thing you should be more worried about." "The order of contactors IS a red herring. A facade. A cover. It mostly reflects our actual work but is missing some of the more... striking details." - "Just give up Burt's body." "We can discuss this civilly." "But you and your people are not going to be viewed in a positive light by the CSIS." - "We will, Ill get in contact immediately." "Can't blame you" she walks away "Ill be in my quarters" - "Are those other two boneheads part of the Order of Metal Minds as well?" - she looks back "Norris and Bray. Nah... those guys are clean. Willie on the other hand I have to say did an excellent job." She walks of to her cabin. The bridge door automatically closing behind her. - He grunts "Put them both under constant surveillance." "I want to know everything about them" "Aye sir." "Helm, chart course for Spaceport 01, regroup with the rest of the fleet."

Lunar Investigation Near the lunar crater of Trent-653087 a small gathering of people is reported, however they scatter quickly and drive off as the sent security shuttle nears the location. CSIS plants cameras and monitoring devices to see what the people will do when they come back. The cameras on location report movement. And actually, there on the screen two personal transport rovers can be seen coming up to the crater and stopping just outside the view of the research camp at the impact site. A few people, a total of 10, exit the two rovers in space suits. 4 people go to the back of one of the rovers and start detaching a small freight crate. 3 others start tracing lines in the dust and one sets up a camera pointing towards them with the perimeter zone in the background while the rest wander around a bit and seem to keep watch. A cloaked security shuttle starts hovering above them, and starts dropping troops right above them to investigate and talk to them. A cloaked security shuttle starts hovering above them, and starts dropping troops right above them to investigate and talk to them Over the radio one of them is heard saying: "No, wait, we need to do this to appease them." The shuttle holds off They listen in in their comms Two more cloaked shuttles move in behind them and block an escape route "The object from the crater, it was a gift. But we proved unworthy so it was taken again." The others go back to unloading the crate and drawing lines in the dust as one steps forward to the landed troops. "My name is brother Albert, please, let me explain." "We are the followers of the dark obelisk." "Who?" Says the soldiers, in space suits "We. All who have gathered here are here because of their calling." The people are in normal civilian space suits. "It was when the flying obelisk came that we realised what it meant but it was too late." "The calling?" Says a lead marine. He suit is green and has the markings of a Master Sergeant on the shoulder pouldrons "The trent asteroid?" "Yes." "Yes" "I mean no" "The asteroid was the gift" "Start from the beginning." "Who are you, and what is your relation to the trent crater?" The crate is unpacked, inside are water and food rations which are placed around it. "This is a protected research site." "We are the followers of the dark obelisk. Named after the great black God. The object inside that asteroid had to have been a gift, a test of our worthiness. But it seems we proved unworthy as a species since we were not able to come and get it. So the great black god came again and took it away with the help of his many minions. Now we want to pray to him and bring tribute so he doesn't kill our kind." One of the people waits at the camera, the others start standing in a circle outside the traced symbols. "We know we can not get to the crater which is why we set up our sacrifice here. To be as close as we can to that holy place." One of the troopers says in private coms: "Cults..., ugh..." Albert asks: "Please, may we proceed?" The sergeant sees no issue, and is kinda curious to see what would happen "Fine, go ahead." Jupiter is no longer over them and is currently orbiting the moon The troopers step back "Thank you, thank you..." Albert joins the others in the circle, the person at the camera activates it and also joins them. "Oh great one who you reside in the void. Please take our humble sacrifice as tribute that you may not consume us for we are unworthy." Two people take out small flasks and drench the packages in the centre in a sort of heavy liquid. Another one pulls out a battery of which from the poles metal wires are arranged in a way that there is a gap which if closed short-circuits the battery. One of the persons takes the battery and steps towards the pile. "May one cease so many will live." Suddenly, he cuts his oxygen hose and drops onto the pile with the battery in his hands. As it touches the liquid a spark is seen and the pile lights on fire burning its way through the rations and the space suit, the flame nurturing on the oxygen provided through the cut hose. The water packs explode an turn into steam. Many voices are heard shouting together through the coms. "ACCEPT OUR SUFFERING. DO NOT CAST US OUT, FOR WE ARE UNWORTHY." They raise their hands "Oh great one, return to us so we may prove us again." One of the troopers shouts out in horror via private com: "SERGEANT, WE NEED TO INTERVENE" The sergeant As well as several other corporals raises his gun, and opens fire "Protocol Void complete." most of the privates immediately stop what they are doing and watch as their Sergeant and several other non commissioned officers massacre a few civilians The sergeant raises his reflective visor so his face is visible He is a cyborg, most of his face damaged after years upon years of constant fighting His hair grey His upper right cheek has a metal brace, and his right eye, along with the temple has a robotic eye and it's implants around the temple "I somewhat recognize that ritual." "They were worshipping Miraak." All of the privates look at the destruction with somber, almost remorse, but many of them know it was probably for the best A small drone is seen ascending and flying of in the distance. Their guns have explosive charges inside the round, meaning that the bodies were mutilated behind recognition, body parts and gore still falling back down on the moon. The drone is tractored by a shuttle still hovering. It explodes as soon as the tractor beam makes contact. The shuttle goes through it's records to trace where it was being controlled from. No radio frequency is found that would indicate controlling that drone. Nothing on any frequency.