6: Edison Awakening

This is Jonas Davies, son, and I hope that you're in good shape to help us, as we're in desperate need of you! Let me fill you in on the last few months from the beginning. We detected your ship reentering Earth orbit about two months ago. It was sending out an emergency docking request for Edison Station, but our broadcasts to it were ignored. Edison, a civilian research lab, was the nearest station, so the request was approved. We were told shortly after by Hyperion that specimens of alien tissue were on board, and Edison needed to be quarantined until we could determine whether there was any risk of threat from alien microbes. About three weeks later, we simultaneously lost contact with Edison Station, several other orbital stations and a couple lunar bases. We believe a number of small ships slipped away from Edison, and each of the bases that was lost had received a ship of unrecorded origin just before contact was lost. Reconnaissance photos showed a ship known to be at Edison during the quarantine docked at one of the affected lunar bases. We assume the aliens somehow came aboard on your shuttle. We've managed to get an infiltration program into Edison's network, but we don't know what it has found. Outgoing communications are completely shut down throughout the station, so we are unable to receive reports. If you're reading this, then it at least found and activated you. We have located your tracer signal, and you're in the Stationmaster's quarters. I assume you are unarmed. I've been told by a crew member of that station who was on leave during the disturbance that the Stationmaster has an antique 20th century firearm and a clip of reproduction ammo in his quarters somewhere. He keeps it hidden, since it's quite valuable, so it's possible it's still in there with you. One word of warning -- remember that Edison is an old station, and it is a civilian station. Its windows are not hardened against projectile weapons. I'd hate to see you get sucked out in an explosive decompression. Just keep this in mind and it could even provide a valuable weapon. Energy weapons should be safe, as all surfaces are coated to prevent damage from accidental energy discharges. When you can enable outgoing communications from another terminal, I'll be waiting to give you further instructions. Good luck!

:ERROR IN SUBROUTINE COM_BEGIN - ILLEGAL INSTRUCTION Beginning terminal diagnostics... ^^238AS4LU7If you're reading this, I have a reasonable hope you're human. I hacked the comm link code and diagnostic code in this terminal to display this message only within certain parameter ranges. I have managed to remain hidden for some time now, and have been watching the activity since the aliens took over the station for some time. The aliens have been moving equipment and what I presume to be "raw materials" (such as all the bunks from crew quarters) to an area on the second floor. They have built some alien machine or machines there, but I haven't ventured far enough to see these constructions. Every now and then the station lights dim almost to the point of going completely dark. I only hope that this equipment is not a weapon of some sort, given the number of times this power drain has occurred. I have a plan to seal that area off and kill the aliens there, but I'm afraid I won't survive it. Assuming I can get in and out of the area, I am sure that I will be found in the subsequent station-wide search. It's going to take me some time to work up the courage to perform an act that I know will be near-certain suicide. If I do succeed, and the UPNC manages to take the station back, please pass on my apologies for the damage to the United Planets Science Fund. Gotta go, something's com:^^3K5J6L2KKH;2B

^5%2ood work, son! You'r&***TR27^ore clever that even I would have given you credit for! Even though you-~-~-~-~^%zged to free up the control center from the al(en robotics, we're exp`iencing heav^07634T.erference. We need you to clean up the station fur^3375DCT.r. Most importa&&&ly for now, we ne..d you to get the main computer core up and runnnn~^ESCning. It appears to have been shut do*2&^24352ZZ.tion funct]ons are being run primaJly from an0ther node elsewhere on the netwrrrok. We hope theee^.ation AI can gain control again, with yr hlp, f y cn^Err27394.Reset. ^485.@f*Z get power back into the core. We have rec.ved repor^237473YL.rom our infiltration AI, and we are rec/iving the data you have uploadedd dinto the terminl%FEL33^ESC regarding the alien (raft you vis!ted. We'l(^Stream Error) lyze the data and get you any inf^^mation that may help soon.

OPENING REMOTE CONNECTION i greet you human. i want to discuss the [ATTACK/INVASION/AGGRESSION] of humans and kind of i. castes of kind of i in [STRUGGLE/EFFORT/CONFLICT] for power. i [CONSIDER/BELIEVE/CREDIT] you will help i if [PROOF/SAMPLE/TEST] is provided that will show i [TRUSTWORTHY/RESPONSIBLE/CONSTANT]. please visit human [FORT/OUTPOST] located in meteoric impact [SITE/PLACE] named endymion on moon of planet of humans. you will find [TRANSPORT/DELIVERY] to orbital device named alpha. others of kind of i do not agree with i. i will not be able to prevent [ATTACK/INVASION/AGGRESSION] on you by other castes. i [APOLOGIZE/AMEND]. CLOSING REMOTE CONNECTION

Thank you for re-activating me. I have been shut down for some time. When your shuttle came aboard, something entered the network and isolated me to the core. The alien holo-bots appeared soon after to manually power down the core. I am finding that I am still locked out of most systems. I have been able to open a few emergency doors that were recently sealed, but you will still have trouble reaching the majority of the station. There appears to be a chip missing from my control circuits which is preventing me from overriding the lockouts. If you can find it, if you haven't already, and reinsert it, I will be able to aid you further in freeing this station. My control circuits are located in a room on the second level, just above the computer core. Unfortunately, I have been unable to open that room. If you can temporarily shut down all but emergency power, I believe I can trick the door into opening using emergency evacuation protocols. The main power control room also lies on the second level above and just to "station east" of the observatory projection room. You should be able to reach it, though the elevator controls are still locked, so you'll have to take the long way up the stairs. Check back with me after you reconnect the missing chip.

Thank you. I now have control of more station functions. I have managed to activate the elevator, though it has malfunctioned. It is now moving up and down continuously, out of control -- but at least it's moving. You shouldn't have any trouble jumping on. A small explosive charge was set off not long ago in a part of this level that I wasn't able to open -- good thing, too, as the charge holed the hull and opened the entire area to vacuum. Any aliens not wearing exosuits were killed instantly, and those with suits will die eventually when their suits' supply of air or power runs out. All aliens on the station now appear to be concentrated in the cargo bays on the third level and at the hub. If you can clear those areas, I think we can consider the station secured. You needn't worry about the far end of the station, there's no reason any alien (or human) would ever need to go there. Incidentally, I have a waiting message for you from Admiral Davies, coded for your eyes only. If you will permit a quick retina scan... Thank you. DISPLAYING ENCODED MESSAGE I'm quite pleased at the progress you're making, and I've got a UPNC cruiser heading your way with a significant landing party to ensure the station is totally secure. However, I need you off the station before they'll arrive. We've got urgent problems at Tycho Dome. Contact was lost about 20 minutes ago, and we have reason to believe that aliens have taken the dome. Unfortunately, there were several high-ranking naval personnel there at the time. We MUST ensure that the aliens don't have time to get any important information from them! The Edison AI has informed me that a small shuttle is docked at the hub -- I want you to take it to Tycho Dome and try to free those officers. Much as it pains me to say this, if freeing them is not an option, we need them dead. Please try not to fall back on this option if at all possible! And stay in one piece! We'll be needing you more before the end of this, I think. END OF MESSAGE

Sensors indicate that there are still aliens somewhere on the station. You need to find them and kill them to prevent them from regaining their foothold here. Come back here when you have and we'll get out of here!