3: Trimmed and Burning

/-/ SECURITY OVERRIDE APPROVED // FETCHING REQUESTED FILE(S) /-/ /-/ S'PHT TRANSLATOR STATUS: Inactive [auto-detect] /-/ FILE: Wartime Retrospective / UESC Information & Records [UPLOADED: 09:38:32 | 20/10/2833] OVERVIEW: At the time of this report, twenty years have passed since Sol became aware of the Pfhor threat following the return of the Tau Ceti survivors. The news they brought of the colony's total destruction, the loss of the UESC Marathon, and the looming Pfhor threat to humanity, was a watershed moment in uniting the various planetary governments within the Sol system behind the United Earth Space Council. The S'pht liberation also bought humanity precious time it otherwise wouldn't have had. It took the Pfhor over nine years to recover from the revolts. By then, humanity had already begun implementing FTL drive in its newest warships like the UESC Tripoli and the UESC Rotterdam, using technology reverse-engineered from Robert Blake's captured Pfhor ship. An alliance was formed between humanity and the S'pht, providing Sol with additional defenses.

It wasn't until 2825 that UESC forces would first engage the Pfhor, near the Gliese 832 star system, ~16 lightyears from Sol. By that time, humanity had twelve years to prepare for the moment. The complete and total annihilation of UESC forces in that battle, followed by the subsequent enslavement of the entire colony on Gliese 832-C, set a grim tone for the beginning of the war, and made it clear that humanity was still woefully underprepared for an all-out confrontation with the Pfhor. -------------- ***FURTHER ACCESS RESTRICTED*** ***DISSEMINATION GRANTED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY CONTRACTING OFFICER*** ***SECURITY CLEARANCE: DENIED*** --------------

/-/ SECURITY OVERRIDE APPROVED // FETCHING REQUESTED FILE(S) /-/ /-/ S'PHT TRANSLATOR STATUS: Inactive [auto-detect] /-/ FILE: Istoria Planetary Findings: Atmospheric Degradation [UPLOADED: 14:38:02 | 07/10/2832] [MARKING: CLASSIFIED-TSI-L6] OVERVIEW: Our research thus far indicates Istoria is essentially a dying planet. While a breathable atmosphere still exists today, it is slowly being stripped away by the star's harsh solar winds. Eventually, the atmosphere will largely dissipate into space, leaving the remaining water to evaporate. Istoria will be a barren rock in several million years, not unlike Mars in the Sol system. While water flows on present-day Istoria, evidence indicates that indigenous life has recently become limited to only small pockets of underwater flora and microbial bacteria. Fossil records do indicate the existence of a once-rich biosphere teeming with life, including mammalian species (similar to the F'lickta found on Lh'owon), which likely went extinct relatively rapidly due to compounding effects on the ecosystem related to the loss of Istoria's atmosphere. It is unknown if the Mrrak perished during this supposed extinction event.

--------------CONNECTION INTERRUPTED ***FURTHER ACCESS RESTRICTED*** ***DISSEMINATION GRANTED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY CONTRACTING OFFICER*** ***SECURITY CLEARANCE: DENIED*** -------------- . . . . . ***SECURITY CLEARANCE: DENIED*** . . . . . . . . . . . /-/ SECURITY OVERRIDE APPROVED // FETCHING REQUESTED FILE(S) /-/ /-/ S'PHT TRANSLATOR STATUS: Inactive [auto-detect] /-/ --------------NEW CONNECTION ESTABLISHED [4226:05]|occupation has unfortunately had the effect of damaging and permanently altering the ancient structures here on Istoria. Still, UESC leadership appears more interested in a long-term human presence on the planet than preserving any of the remains. They recently completed a series of paved paths throughout the denser areas of the outpost for ease of navigation. Morale is terrible among most of the lower infantrymen and operational crew stationed on the surface, who are kept here in perpetual deployment until the success of our mission - whenever that is — and are left in the dark regarding the classified nature of Project Cygnus. I can understand their frustration, considering the disappearance of |--------------CONNECTION INTERRUPTED

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**ISTORIA OUTPOST - OFFICER LOG ENTRY** Local Time: 13:17; 11/07/2837 Entry By: Lieutenant Ryan Morrison -------------- BEGIN LOG ENTRY: The attack started about 45 minutes ago from the time of this entry. I heard several deafening explosions in quick succession, so big that they shook the ground below me. A couple minutes passed before the Pfhor started transporting in nearby. There was screaming and gunshots, but it didn't last too long. Now all I hear are the sounds of Pfhor troops patrolling above me. I'm pretty sure they want to search this room, but I think they're too scared to walk along the cliff to get here, at least for now. They'll probably just send a drone in before long.

I don't even know why I'm doing this. It's not like anyone will ever read this after the Pfhor nuke the planet to dust. Maybe they're after these spells that Command orders us to experiment with. Maybe they want to learn about Project Cygnus. Maybe the Pfhor will walk around outside all day measuring fluctuations in each spell's energy output, like Sullivan makes us do. Whatever the hell that's for. Hold on. I think they're getting closer... ***INAUDIBLE***

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Given the compromised state of our cyber security, I don't want to say too much here, but just understand that this is a very, very bad idea. A bad idea with even worse consequences. Despite what little we ultimately know of Istoria - the disappearance of the Mrrak, the planet's mysterious moons, the outpost's original purpose — we do know that it still appears to serve that purpose, fully autonomously, all these years later. And with a reactor core as powerful as the one down here, creating low-level gravitational waves and sending them off to nearby moons and planets, we assert that it's a much greater risk to disturb the balance of power in this star system. Any number of unintended consequences will likely await us if this outpost ceases to function.