0: Escape from the Sky

Welcome to Istoria. I am General Declan Sullivan, and I command all UESC forces stationed planet-side and onboard our orbiting defense warship, the UESC Tripoli. You are likely experiencing significant disorientation due to your release from stasis. I promise that your faculties will return before long. Unfortunately, there isn't time to give you a full briefing, so I will keep this as short as possible. We must act quickly.

You are on board a dropship that just touched down near the outskirts of an ancient alien outpost. Less than twenty minutes ago, the Pfhor launched a surprise attack on the UESC Tripoli and our planet-side personnel. Their ambush was swift and effective enough to cripple the Tripoli, all subspace communication arrays, and most of our surface defenses. I have ordered you here to assist in repelling the attack. I cannot understate humanity's dire consequences if the Pfhor take Istoria.

You may have already picked up the two laser packs in this room. These weapons have been derived and adapted from highly advanced technology left behind by the aliens that once inhabited Istoria. Our scientists have had remarkable success using the Biobus Chip framework as a basis for augmenting your suit to utilize these weapons. To be clear, your suit is a prototype. The only functioning one, at that. Right now, you are our best hope for survival. While the laser is a fairly conventional (if precise) piece of equipment, there are other new weapons you will come across that appear to bend the laws of physics when used. Their offensive and defensive capabilities far exceed that of conventional military munitions. Because of their seemingly magical powers, they have come to be known controversially as "spells" among some of the personnel here.

Next, your suit has been modified to utilize energy canisters that can be picked up and used at any time. A finite supply of energy cans is available, so try to use them only when absolutely needed. Toggle your automap for instructions on how to utilize energy cans and spells. Information regarding each new spell will display here as you acquire them. I suggest familiarizing yourself with these changes before engaging the Pfhor at large.

Now that you're up to speed, go to the ship's fore, where the armory is located. You must find a crewman with blue keycard clearance to grant you access. Or, if they're already dead, you will need to loot the keycard off their remains. That's all I can tell you right now. The Tripoli is getting battered, and I don't know how much longer we can hold out up here. Find a terminal to access once you're outside the ship. If I'm still alive, I will have further instructions for you.

The Tripoli has been destroyed. I evacuated as many remaining crew as possible before the final volley of thermonuclear warheads hit. Our dropship managed to escape but was damaged in the ensuing explosion, barely surviving atmospheric entry. We crash-landed several hundred kilometers from your location. So far, the Pfhor appear unaware that we survived. Let's hope it stays that way, because I managed to transport a significant number of weapons, ammunition, and spells from the Tripoli onto my dropship before we escaped. Our generators are just operable enough to periodically resupply you in your counterattack.

I am still attempting to ascertain the exact condition of our planet-side forces, who primarily occupied the ancient outpost and the nearby underground labs. So far, it appears that comm lines are down in most areas, as are numerous key systems controlling critical infrastructure. I have yet to establish communication with the underground labs, which greatly concerns me. Those labs house the most sensitive technology on Istoria. I need a better picture of what's going on.

You will explore more of the outpost to assist in my efforts. Unfortunately, I do not place enough faith in the current condition of these jump pads to warrant transporting organic matter, meaning you'll have to hoof it the whole way. A passage on the other side of the river is currently inaccessible due to a sealed door. You'll need an uplink chip to engage the door's manual override. One is available in the tower overlooking the landing zone you just touched down in. Once you open the door, proceed upstream toward several nearby structures.

/-/ FETCHING REQUESTED FILE(S) /-/ FILE: Planetary Findings [Follow-Up] [UPLOADED: 10:00:59 | 30/04/2832] [ACCESSED: 13:04:20 | 11/07/2837] The archaeology team has spent the last several months studying the buildings and infrastructure that comprised the Istoria outpost, built by a species that we now know called themselves the Mrrak. The team's focus has centered on similarities between S'pht architecture from Lh'owon and Mrrak architecture found here on Istoria. However, it should be noted that no evidence of Istoria or the Mrrak appears to exist in any S'pht records previously provided to us.

Additionally, we have discovered the existence of multiple subterranean structures of unknown origin below the surface. Access to those structures is currently impossible due to some sort of still-functional dampening field that prevents transportation. We will likely need to wait until the Tripoli arrives later this year from Earth with additional resources and personnel following the UESC's decision to green-light Project [REDACTED]. /-/ CONNECTION INTERRUPTED /-/