Databank (Subnautica): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:16, 7 February 2025

This article is about Databanks in Subnautica. [[{{#explode:Databank (Subnautica)|(}} (Below Zero)|Click here]] for information on this subject in Below Zero.

This article is about the Databank. You may be looking for Dialogue or Data Boxes.

Read at own risk
This article contains unmarked spoilers. Players new to the game would want to avoid or be cautious toward this article.

The Databank is the encyclopedia of entries that are visible on the PDA.

Note: If you wish to look for a specific databank entry here, it is highly recommended you hit Ctrl + F and type in the exact name of the entry or its contents for easy finding. Also, be aware that these logs are copied verbatim (this includes any grammar and spelling errors).

Advanced Theories

Alien Eggs

<poem>Evidence suggests that a substantial number, if not all of the local species reproduce through egg-laying. Eggs can be found resting on the seafloor, buried beneath detritus, or even wedged into cracks in the rock.

Different species likely favor different biomes as their nesting grounds. Eggs discovered in the wild are in some form of natural stasis, likely awaiting ideal conditions in which to hatch, or the delivery of some vital enzyme which will kick start the process.

It is impossible to calculate the species of the egg from the exterior, however it may be possible to stimulate a hatching response if an egg is relocated to a suitable alien containment unit.</poem>

Source: Pick up Alien Egg

Bacterial Infection Report

<poem>You have been infected with a previously unknown, waterborne bacterium. It is currently multiplying in your bloodstream. Estimated incubation time: 2 weeks.

Your immune system is currently combating the infection at low efficacy. You may already be experiencing flu-like symptoms and skin irritation. These will likely be exacerbated as the bacterium takes hold.

Your immediate priority should be abatement and eradication of the infection.

Recommended steps:
- Salvage further alien research data on a possible vaccine
- Investigate the mechanisms which have enabled the indigenous ecosystem to inhibit the symptoms of the infection</poem>

Source: Enter the Disease Research Facility, obtain the Kharaa Contagion Profile and perform a Self-scan

Enzyme Host Peeper

<poem>A peeper specimen was observed emitting a faint, fluorescent enzyme trail, and engaging in unusual behavioral patterns.

- Peeper is actively approaching other creatures, including predators
- The specimen is host to a bacterial infection, however the infection is currently dormant
- Peeper's stomach cavity contains an unknown enzyme of foreign origin

Chemical Analysis of Enzyme:
- Bears some superficial similarity to the stomach enzymes of larger predators
- Contact with the enzyme appears to inhibit the symptoms of the bacterial infection
- Complex structure renders synthesis impossible

Assessment: Recommend further research into enzyme origin</poem>

Source: Scan Peeper carrying Enzyme 42

Hatching Enzymes

<poem>The emperor specimen's eggs are attached to some form of incubator.

In a normal life cycle it seems likely that sea emperors would have buried their eggs in shallower waters, where different organic materials in the soil would have triggered a hatching response. The incubator suggests the aliens had resorted to developing artificial hatching enzymes which would simulate the eggs' natural hatching environment, but were unable to discover the formula.

With extensive information on the sea emperors themselves it may still be possible to fabricate an artificial hatching enzyme using indigenous ingredients, however the only surviving source of that information may be the sea emperor itself.</poem>

Source: Scan Incubator Device in the Primary Containment Facility's Aquarium

Enzyme Host Peepers Leaving the Containment Facility

<poem>The outflow pipes are filled with peepers traveling back towards the surface.

- Specimens show no symptoms of infection - All specimens scanned are carrying Enzyme 42, which data suggests inhibits the bacterium - Specimens' stomach cavities are otherwise empty, suggesting they may have purged the contents before entering the pipes

Assessment: If peepers have evolved to distribute the enzyme via the pipe network this may explain part of the mechanism by which life on 4546B has survived since the bacterial outbreak.</poem>

Source: Scan Outflow Pipe in Primary Containment Facility


Peepers Entering the Containment Facility
<poem>The pipes drawing water into the containment facility are filled with peepers arriving from the surface. - The fish show no signs of distress - The specimens scanned have all consumed high quantities of seeds and organic matter from the surface - Some specimens are beginning to show signs of infection</poem>
Source: Scan Inflow Pipe in Primary Containment Facility

Peepers Inside the Containment Facility

<poem>While all other creatures encountered within the facility are isolated within it, peepers appear to be coming and going of their own accord via the alien pipe network.

- On arrival, peepers are approaching the sea emperor
- Peepers exhibit a natural affinity for the stomach enzymes being expelled by the emperor
- Peepers which have come into contact with the enzyme are returning to the pipe network

Analysis:
- This behavior must be the source of Enzyme 42 on 4546B, or the area thereof which supports life
- It is likely also responsible for the survival of the emperor and the other lifeforms contained within the facility</poem>

Source: Scan Peeper inside the Primary Containment Facility's Aquarium

Ray Species on 4546B

<poem>Different species of ray indigenous to 4546B, each adapted to different environments. The specimens are 99.99% genetically identical to those encountered on the planet today, suggesting that rays in particular have undergone little evolutionary mutation in the past millenium.

Ghostrays, jellyrays, crimson rays and rabbit rays likely all share a common evolutionary ancestor. The 'alpha ray' would have evolved deep in the ocean trenches, quickly growing in line with available food supplies. It would have most resembled the ghostray in size and appearance, with translucent skin for camouflage and forward-mounted eyes for hunting. A fast and fearsome stalker of small creatures in the dark.

While some rays have stayed within the limits of the cave systems where they first evolved, others are relatively more recent adaptations to new environments, likely the results of overpopulation.

All of the rays on 4546B have given up predation in favor of herbivorous scavenging, and use poisonous flesh to protect themselves.</poem>

Source: Scan Ray Species in the Disease Research Facility


Sea Dragon Egg
<poem>This large egg is held in a hermetically sealed environment, and has been chemically sterilized. Without the means at the facility to house a fully grown sea dragon specimen, it is possible the aliens sought to study instead the egg-laying and incubation process. To what end is unclear.</poem>
Source: Scan Sea Dragon Egg in Disease Research Facility

Sea Emperor Egg Casing

<poem>Shell Composition:

The shell casing is formed from thick layers of carbon-composite, suggesting an extensive gestation period. This leviathan species may give birth just once per century, perhaps just once in their lifetimes.

Shell Casing Incisions:
Precise incisions suggest a laser-based tool was used to cut open the egg casing and forcibly remove the fetus inside, prior to full gestation.

Analysis:
- Time-pressure to develop a bacterial vaccine may have driven the alien researchers to cut open this egg and remove the fetus for study
- It is also possible that, removed from its parent and natural habitat, some vital condition for the infant to hatch naturally was not met</poem>

Source: Scan Preserved Egg Casing in Primary Containment Facility

Sea Emperor Fetus

<poem>Found preserved in a display case, it was likely a child of the adult specimen contained within the facility.

Physiology:
- Superficial damage to the specimen indicates it was artificially removed from its egg-casing
- Stunted tissue development suggests the organism expired during the removal process
- Tissue samples have been taken from the digestive tract

Analysis:
- It appears the aliens were attempting to formulate a cure for the bacterium from enzymes produced in this specimen's digestive system
- Without a young, healthy specimen these efforts were in vain</poem>

Source: Scan Preserved Fetus in Primary Containment Facility

Specimen with Symptoms of Infection Inhibited

<poem>Scans indicate this infected organism has recently come into contact with a unique enzyme which has counteracted the most debilitating symptoms of its infection.

- Skin blistering has rapidly receded and been replaced with healthy tissue
- Altered genetic material has been replaced with original DNA from remaining healthy cells
- Behavior normal
- The bacteria is still present in the bloodstream, but is currently dormant

Assessment: Investigate enzyme origin</poem>

Source: Scan Cured Fauna (Recently cured by a Enzyme Host Peeper)

Specimen with Symptoms of Infection

<poem>This organism is displaying signs of a bacterial infection.

- Bright green blisters are forming networks around the infection sites
- Pathology suggests a waterborne bacterium capable of penetrating the body through the skin and respiratory system
- Underlying indications of genetic mutation and aggressive behavior
- The bacterium itself is unlike any so far recorded in human exploration

WARNING: May be contagious. Avoid. Do not under any circumstances consume the flesh.</poem>

Source: Scan Infected Fauna

The Sea Emperor's Eggs

<poem>1. (Shell)

Uncommonly strong shell lining. Organic growth on the exterior suggests these eggs may be hundreds or thousands of years old.

2. (Alien Tubes)
Alien devices penetrate the outer shell layer. Likely designed to supply them with nutrients, and to isolate them from the surrounding environment.

3. (Amniotic Sack)
Like many eggs on 4546B, these do not contain a nutrient supply which is slowly exhausted by the embryo. Instead they exist in a form of natural stasis, awaiting appropriate hatching conditions.

4. (Fetal Organism)
There is a high genetic match between these organisms and the leviathan in the vicinity. They appear to be stable and healthy.

It is likely that ideal hatching conditions for the eggs vary considerably from ideal survival conditions for the parent.</poem>

Source: Scan Sea Emperor Eggs in the Primary Containment Facility's Aquarium

The Sea Emperor's Lifecycle

<poem>Available biological data has been used to synthesize the effects of the alien bacterium on the sea emperor's natural lifecycle.

This creature likely lived and moved in small herds around the planet's ocean trenches, coming to the surface to feed off the huge volumes of microorganisms in the shallower waters. Family size would be strictly limited by available food supply. Offspring would likely split off at a young age to form their own herds elsewhere.

Given their sparse population, mating and egg-laying were likely infrequent, perhaps a once in a lifetime event. The species likely had a preferred environment for egg-laying - in fact, successful hatching may depend on such conditions. Given the rarity of this event, it is impossible to calculate those conditions precisely.

There is no evidence to support the assumption that all members of the species were immune from the alien bacterium. Even if this is so, there is evidence that introduction of the bacterium decimated life on the planet, and this would have had catastrophic effects on the emperors' food supply and survival rate.

The symbiotic relationship between this specimen and other lifeforms likely developed as a direct result of the bacterial infection. Those lifeforms which learned to keep the emperor alive survived with its help. This may explain the vast tracts of lifeless ocean in a rough perimeter around the emperor's location.</poem>

Source: Unlocked after the Sea Emperor Leviathan has delivered its speech.

Blueprints

Equipment


Air Pumps
<poem>Air pumps can be used to pipe breathable air to a remote location. - The base-attached airpump can be built at a compatible habitat, and will source oxygen directly from the habitat's oxygen generator - The floating airpump must have access to breathable air, and be floating on the water's surface - Pumps must be connected to a pipe chain to function</poem>
Source: Unlocked by default


Creature Decoy
<poem>This advanced deployable is a catch-all solution for mimicking the behavior of a living creature, for purposes of scientific research or predator evasion. - Vibrates, cycles air and water, and sends out randomized, high-frequency sound waves to emulate a living organism - May be hand-placed, or launched from compatible Cyclops submarines - Short on-board battery provides limited lifespan - Attracts predators of all kinds</poem>
Source: Unlock Creature Decoy Blueprint

Handheld Scanner

<poem>The essential science and survival tool, the scanner can be used to add new blueprints to memory, and analyze unknown entities.

It emits electromagnetic radiation in the specified direction, which is reflected by the environment and then analyzed to determine the physical make-up of the targeted object. It has four primary functions.

Blueprint Adquisition:
Record the physical parameters of scanned technologies to add their blueprints to the PDA databank. These blueprints may then be constructed at the appropriate fabricator. The scanner is also equipped to break down damaged and otherwise useless devices into their base metals for salvage purposes.

Organism Analysis:
The scanner will attempt to match scanned organisms against the onboard database. If no match is found then the species will be assigned an easy-to-remember name, and a new databank entry will be created. Your PDA's AI will also attempt to synthesize theories on behavioral tendencies and evolutionary origins where possible, as well as deliver assessments on how best to approach them.

Medical Analysis:
Scanning any living organism will display basic information on their state of health on the scanner's HUD. This information will be limited without access to a network database.

Self-Scan:
The user may run a self-scan to determine their own physical well-being. The scanner will search for foreign bacteria and other signs of ill-health, and compare with available data to provide a diagnosis.

"The Alterra Spectroscope Scanner: Understanding the world so you don't have to."</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default


Laser Cutter
<poem>The ultra high frequency laser cutter is tuned specifically to cut through titanium and plasteel based materials at a thickness of up to 10cm. This makes it an essential tool for construction, salvage and rescue operations, but ineffective on natural obstacles. "The Alterra Laser Cutter: Who called the locksmith?"</poem>
Source: Scan Laser Cutter


Light Stick
<poem>A mobile, battery-powered LED light, which provides low-level lighting in a 360 degree area, and can be attached to most surfaces.</poem>
Source: Scan Light Stick Fragments

Propulsion Cannon

<poem>The propulsion cannon allows technicians to manipulate gravitational forces at ranges of up to 20m. It is commonly used in construction and mining to move materials.

Operating Instructions:
- Pull the trigger once to lock onto and attract a single targeted object weighing less than 25kg
- The object can now safely be retrieved from the gravitational beam
- Alternatively, pull the trigger a second time to propel the object at speed away from the device
- Not recommended for use on organic subjects

"The Prop Cannon: Some species are telekinetic. For everyone else, there's Alterra."</poem>

Source: Scan Propulsion Cannon Fragments

Radiation Suit

<poem>This suit fully protects against the effects of radiation during land, sea and space exploration.

- Safety rated up to 400 Sv/hr
- Cross-compatible with all AEP suit functionality
- Sleek

"The Radiation Suit: A necessary precaution in a post-MAD world."</poem>

Source: Unlock Radiation Suit Blueprint

Reinforced Dive Suit

<poem>This suit is reinforced with synthetic fibers to reduce incoming physical and thermal damage.

- Shock absorption reduces physical impact velocity by approximately 50%
- Rated for temperatures up to 70 degrees
- Disclaimer: You are not invulnerable when wearing this suit

"The Reinforced Dive Suit: Why take chances, when you can take Alterra?"</poem>

Source: Unlock Reinforced Dive Suit Blueprint

Repair Tool

<poem>The repair tool can be targeted at any common device - control panels, habitat modules, radios etc. - to stitch wires and seams back together at the atomic level. All good technicians keep one of these under their pillow.

Most people don't care why it works, just that it saved their life that one time - but in case you're curious, it combines scanner and fabricator technologies to determine the proper specifications for the targeted object, and then rearranges the available physical material to match the original specs.

"The Alterra Repair Tool: Get your fix."</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

Repulsion Cannon

<poem>The repulsion cannon is a modification of the base propulsion cannon which enhances its propulsion effect at the cost of the ability to draw objects closer. It can be fabricated using a modification station, and is commonly employed in self-defense, and as a less-than-lethal firearm.</poem>

Source: Unlock Repulsion Cannon Blueprint

Stasis Rifle

<poem>The stasis rifle uses patented technology to slow time around an entity to as near to a full stop as the laws of physics will permit, essentially anchoring the target in place without affecting its internal workings. It is designed to facilitate scientific and engineering operations by expanding the window of opportunity for action in time-sensitive scenarios.

The stasis rifle features an independent, replaceable power cell, and the trigger may be held down to increase the area of effect and duration.

Common applications include:
- Slowing fast-moving mechanisms, such as fan belts, to facilitate maintenance operations
- Temporarily incapacitating organisms for research purposes
- Navigating perilous spaces by freezing potential threats

NB May not function correctly on larger lifeforms.

"The Alterra Stasis Rifle: Life's fast. Why not put it on pause?"</poem>

Source: Scan Stasis Rifle Fragments

Stillsuit

<poem>The industry standard stillsuit is designed to minimize water loss while exploring hostile environments, by filtering and recycling bodily fluids.

- Reclaimed water is stored in containers for later consumption, normal production rate is 2 bottles per day
- Filters contaminants from no less than 4 different bodily excretions
- Blood and sweat may be effectively processed, upgrade to Mk.II to make the most of tears
- Onboard flavor neutralizer can be activated at startup (flavor neutralizer not included on all models)

"The Stillsuit: Because drinking reclaimed urine is better than death by dehydration."</poem>

Source: Unlock Water Filtration Suit Blueprint

Time Capsule

<poem>These sturdy containers are designed to store written and photographic evidence for later retrieval, in addition to a number of small items. Time capsules are often fabricated by marooned survivors seeking either to aid those who find themselves in the same predicament in the future, or to leave evidence of their plight which may be found long after their bodies have disintegrated.

Most emergency escape vehicles are equipped with a time capsule by default, usually found in the cockpit, and be jettisoned on take off. Alterra requests time capsules be stocked with tools and resources which will aid those who may discover them in the future.</poem>

Source: Scan Time Capsule

Habitat Installations

Alien Containment

<poem>Despite huge, Alterra-led advancements in stellar technology, exploring new worlds still has its challenges, and alien lifeforms are one of them. That's why we built the alien containment unit. The unit is designed primarily to breed larger or more dangerous species.

Technical Provisions:
- Units must be installed in multipurpose room modules
- Units may be connected between rooms stacked in a column
- A hatch must be installed in order to access the unit
- The base of the unit is a planter, allowing sea flora to be grown from seed

Breeding Tips:
- Provided sufficient time and living space, organisms of the same species should mate and reproduce
- Eggs inside the unit will hatch over time
- Organisms raised from birth in captivity often exhibit unusually passive behavior

Warnings:
- Environmental controls may fail if the unit is overpopulated
- Infections may be transmitted faster between specimens in artificial environments
- Never tap the glass: you don't know what will tap back, or how hard</poem>

Source: Unlock Blueprint or Scan Alien Containment

Aquarium

<poem>The aquarium is designed to hold and sustain up to eight small aquatic organisms, and fits inside a regular multipurpose habitat room.

Aquatic creatures make up 70% of all known species, making the aquarium a commonly deployed tool in many exploratory operations. It is just as often used to house livestock for later consumption as it is to hold specimens for xeno research. An automated environment regulation system means there's no need to feed or care for your subjects.

NB Due to its size the regular aquarium is not rated for breeding applications, and creatures are highly unlikely to mate. Construct a full size alien containment unit for this purpose.</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

Bulkhead Door

<poem>The bulkhead door is designed to separate compartments while reinforcing structural integrity with its solid titanium frame. The door can be opened and closed to seal off compartments in the event of fire or flooding, or simply for privacy.</poem>

Source: Scan Bulkhead


Exterior Growbed
<poem>Advanced synthetic soils allow this growbed to support a huge variety and quantity of alien plant life, and it can be installed anywhere on land or underwater where there is space.</poem>
Source: Scan Exterior Growbed

Fabricator

<poem>Fabrication technology is the power to rearrange matter at the atomic level. It was the catalyst behind the great expansion, and remains the backbone of the modern world.

Fabricators come in all shapes and sizes, but the most common are small enough to be wall-mounted, and are used for everything from constructing everyday implements to cooking dinner. It is common today for households to keep a store of generic base materials on hand for any eventuality.</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default


Floodlight
<poem>The standard issue floodlight is designed to focus a bright beam of light in a single direction, useful in all kinds of industrial and emergency operations. Functions in all known environments.</poem>
Source: Scan Floodlight

Habitat Builder

<poem>The Alterra handheld habitat builder has been an essential tool of xenoscientists, colonists and emergency relief crews across 11 different trans-govs for more than 50 years.

- Habitat modules are hermetically sealed from the outside environment
- Build on land, underwater, or in a vacuum
- Habitats can be enhanced to become long-term homes, remote research stations, defensive outposts and more

Quick Start Guide:
1. Select the I Compartment from the builder menu and place it somewhere opportune
2. Add a hatch to access the compartment
3. Build a solar panel to power the habitat's oxygen generator
4. Construct useful interior modules like radios, rechargers and storage solutions

Primary habitat systems like oxygen generation and flood control, as well as modules like the fabricator draw power and will not function without it. Additional compartments reduce overall hull integrity, depending on the external pressure.

"Quick-Build Habitats: A home far, far away from home."</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default


Interior Growbed
<poem>Designed for use exclusively inside regulated habitat modules, the interior growbed is more compact than the outdoor version, and features a hydroponic nutrient delivery system.</poem>
Source: Scan Interior Growbed


Modification Station
<poem>Where the standard fabricator atomically rearranges raw materials to form complex devices, the mod station is able to combine complex devices to enhance their function. Most industrial vessels are fitted with a complement of equipment modification stations, which enable engineers to adapt their tools on the fly. To conserve hard drive space the modification station is excluded by default from most personal emergency blueprint libraries; however extreme environments such as ocean and desert class planets may necessitate the adaptation of basic survival tools for unanticipated applications. For this reason access to a mod station is always recommended.</poem>
Source: Scan Modification Station Fragments

Moonpool

<poem>The moonpool is an essential module for long-term exploration. Its primary function is as a dry dock for small vehicles such as the Seamoth and Prawn suit.

The large central chamber contains a pressurized pool which provides ready access to the surrounding waters, and comes as standard with equipment for raising and recharging a vehicle.

When outfitted with a vehicle modification station the moonpool can be used to build and equip vehicle upgrades.

Ratings: - Dimensions: 16m x 10m x 5m
- Connection points: 6
- Habitat hull strength liability at sea level: -5 (equivalent 4 rooms)
- Capacity: 1 Seamoth / Prawn suit
- High power consumption</poem>

Source: Scan Moonpool Fragments

Planter & Pots

<poem>Interior planters come in a variety of configurations, and allow for most plant species to be grown in small numbers. For decorative or botanical use.</poem>

Source: Scan Plant Pots


Scanner Room
<poem>This advanced habitat module can transform a small outpost into a burgeoning science and exploration station. - A 3D display in the center of the room stores local topographical data - System can scan for and pinpoint particular materials - Remotely controlled drones scan the area up to 500m in range - Wall-mounted camera feeds allow for live control of scouting drones - Upgrade console may be used to enhance the module's functions </poem>
Source: Scan Scanner Room Fragments

Spotlight

<poem>A permanent lighting solution developed for installation on existing habitats and facilities.

- Automatically rotates on a 180 degree arch
- Motion-sensitive: will track nearby moving objects
- Draws electricity from main power</poem>

Source: Scan Spotlight


Water Filtration Machine
<poem>The filtration system draws water unfit for human consumption from an external source, atomically splits it into its constituent parts, and outputs consumable liquid water and salts, while disposing of any harmful by-product. It can be built in any compatible habitat module, but has substantial power requirements. "The Alterra Water Filtration System: Any liquid into pure, refreshing, pH-balanced water? Yes sir, ANY liquid!"</poem>
Source: Scan Water Filtration Machine

Power

Bioreactor

<poem>On planets where organic matter is plentiful but sunlight is not, a reliable bioreactor will frequently prove the most efficient power solution.

- May be installed in any multipurpose habitat room
- Chemically composts organic materials, converting them into energy over time
- Accepts all plant matter, from seeds and spores to moldy fruits and vegetables
- Can also process animal matter (fat, muscle, eggs etc) and some organic waste products
- Energy production is proportionate to the calories in the organic matter

"The Bioreactor: Totally organic."</poem>

Source: Scan Bioreactor Fragments

Nuclear Reactor

<poem>Renewable energy sources will usually be sufficient for maintaining a small outpost. For everything else there's nuclear power.

- Powered by up to four replaceable uranium reactor rods
- Do not attempt to replace reactor rods without a full radiation suit
- Do not attempt to overclock the reactor

Nuclear is ideal for energy-intensive operations such as:
- Self-sufficient colonies supporting more than 20 people
- Industrial outposts operating multiple docks and heavy machinery
- Research stations housing live specimens</poem>

Source: Scan Nuclear Reactor Fragments


Solar Panel
<poem>Solar power is the most prevalent power source in the galaxy, and so it is no accident that the standard solar panel is the default means of powering a habitat. A power source is a requirement of habitat oxygen generators and other onboard modules. - Provides limited power for small outposts and survival habitats - May be mounted on or near the habitat itself, or placed remotely and connected via power transmitters - Power rate relative to sunlight exposure</poem>
Source: Unlocked by default

Thermal Plant

<poem>The first rule of survival in hostile environments is to work with the resources available. If it's 800 degrees outside and you're in danger of burning to death at any moment you may as well get some cheap, reliable energy out of it.

- Converts heat energy into electricity
- Always take thermometer readings before attempting installation
- Core mechanisms are housed in a heat-resistant chassis, but are not impervious to extreme temperatures

"The Thermal Power Plant: It's hot."</poem>

Source: Scan Thermal Plant Fragments

Vehicles

Cyclops

<poem>The cyclops is the most popular and reliable deep-sea submersible in the galaxy. By comparison to the competition it can be crewed by just one pilot, hence the name.

It features:
- Three-speed manual piloting controls and forward observation deck for precision maneuvering
- Dry dock for transportation, maintenance and recharging of scouting vehicles
- Extensive storage solutions in the keel hold section
- Internal and external video feeds
- Onboard AI for threat detection
- Extensive customization options

Advice for Captains:
- Higher speeds generate additional noise, which may attract undesired attention
- Power consumption: Engine Off (0%); Slow (25%); Standard (50%); Flank (100%)
- Silent running mode may be activated in conjunction with any speed setting to reduce noise close to zero, at a substantial additional power cost
- Cyclops upgrades may be fabricated at the terminal in the engine room, and installed at the neighboring panel

Ratings:
- Top Speed: 8m/s
- Acceleration: 3m/s/s
- Power: Replaceable power cells
- Dimensions: 54m x 14m x 12m
- Persons: 1-6

NB The cyclops does NOT feature:
- Habitation quarters: It is recommended the captain draw up a rota to decide who gets to sleep in the corridor each night
- Automatic fire suppression: hull damage and high speeds increase fire risk
- Emergency ballast: In the event of full system failure this vehicle WILL sink</poem>

Source: Scan Cyclops Fragments


Mobile Vehicle Bay
<poem>The mobile vehicle bay is a deployable station equipped with fabrication drones, designed to construct small research and exploration vehicles from raw materials. It is a common tool in almost all industrial, scientific and colonization operations.</poem>
Source: Scan Mobile Vehicle Bay Fragments

Neptune Escape Rocket

<poem>This blueprint set was developed at Alterra headquarters specifically to get you off 4546B and back to the nearest phasegate. It takes into account local gravity, astronomical data and available resources, and is piloted by AI. It may be adapted to employ whatever power source is available - but it will require a lot of it.

It consists of five independently constructible elements:

- Launch Platform: Floating platform provides a solid base from which to launch the rocket
- Gantry: Provides structural support
- Stage 1: Primary thrusters for reaching atmosphere escape velocity
- Stage 2: Fuel reserve
- Stage 3: Cockpit

Features:
- One-person life support
- Short-range communications
- Adaptable power supply
- Orbital shielding
- Onboard time capsule

Warning: Onboard AI will not launch if local threats are detected.

Warning: The use of alien materials to power the craft may increase its range in unpredictable ways.</poem>

Source: Unlock Neptune Escape Rocket Blueprint

Prawn Suit (Mk.III)

<poem>The Pressure Re-Active Waterproof Nano Suit is a range of mechs designed to protect the pilot from extreme environments. The Mk.III is the latest iteration, and has so far only been rolled out by Alterra for their own high-value, phasegate-related operations.

- The suit is fully insulated from the outside environment
- Powerful hydraulic limbs allow for manipulation of objects and powered traversal of the environment
- Rear-mounted thrusters provide maneuverability in low-gravity environments
- A range of modifications are available to facilitate resource extraction and enhanced exploration

"The Prawn Suit: It's got you covered."</poem>

Source: Scan Prawn Suit Fragments

Seaglide

<poem>The seaglide is a personal transportation device designed for use in oceanic environments.

- Capable of speeds of up to 36km/h in standing water
- Displays basic topographical data for aid in charting cave systems
- Replaceable battery
- Keep fingers clear of propeller

"The Seaglide: Anything that moves faster underwater is probably trying to eat you."</poem>

Source: Scan Seaglide Fragments

Seamoth

<poem>The seamoth is a one-person vehicle with an independent, replaceable power cell fitted in the rear and a fully customizable design. Low power, multi-directional thrusters enable it to function equally well in sea or space environments.

Most long-range vessels carry at least two vehicles of this class to facilitate the exploration and exploitation of small astronomical bodies, however they can also be fabricated at a standard mobile vehicle bay.

Ratings:
- Top Speed: 13m/s
- Acceleration: 5m/s/s
- Distance per power cell: 10km
- Crush depth: 200m below sea level
- Upgrade module slots: 4
- Dimensions: 3m x 1.5m x 1m
- Persons: 1

Seamoths may be modified by installing upgrade modules to the access point mounted on the wing. These include:
- Increased cargo storage
- Superior power
- Pressure and collision compensation
- Enhanced sonar
- Defensive capabilities

NB These modules may only be manufactured at a moonpool outfitted with a vehicle modification station.

"The Seamoth: It goes anywhere but land."</poem>

Source: Scan Seamoth Fragments


Vehicle Upgrade Console
<poem>This terminal allows vehicles to be customized with different naming and color schemes, and upgrade modules. - Must be installed in a compatible moonpool module - Upgrades may be constructed at the dedicated fabricator - Upgrades include additional defensive capabilities, scanning equipment and storage </poem>
Source: Unlock Vehicle Upgrade Console Blueprint

Data Downloads

Alien Data

Artifacts


Alien Building Block
<poem>This rock-like object features organic as well as mechanical parts, and there is some genetic and technological crossover with the design of the self-warping constructs encountered elsewhere. It appears to serve no purpose in its current state, and is awaiting some kind of activation sequence. Materials such as this may have been a fundamental building block of the aliens' technology, or even of the aliens themselves.</poem>
Source: Scan Alien Object in Primary Containment Facility

Alien Carving

<poem>This carving is hundreds of thousands of years old, and made from an unrecognized natural fiber, grown on an unknown planet. It bears striking resemblance to the old earth yin-yang symbol. Two competing theories may explain this similarity:

1. Aliens visited earth prior to the 4th century BC and influenced the development of ancient Chinese philosophy.

2. The concept of yin and yang is universal. Since yin and yang describes the fundamental interdependency of seemingly opposite forces, it may be a necessary existential understanding, in some form, in all sufficiently developed civilizations. The tapering of two circles (union) into opposed and infinitesimally small points (the finite) is one logical way to represent this understanding, and may have been developed independently by species other than humans.</poem>

Source: Scan Strange Carving in Primary Containment Facility


Alien Rifle
<poem>Strong resemblance to human weaponry in form, this device must have been designed with a humanoid user in mind. Whether the aliens that built this structure were themselves humanoid, or otherwise employed the use of humanoids is unclear. What is clear is that they considered defending this facility a necessary precaution. There is no obvious way to remove the rifle from the case.</poem>
Source: Scan Alien Rifle in Quarantine Enforcement Platform


Alien Statue
<poem>This artifact is unpowered, suggesting it served a ceremonial, rather than practical purpose. The pyramid resembles vines, spiraling upwards toward the warm blue stone mounted above it. It may represent a plant found on the aliens' home world, a building of religious import, or even the gravitational pull of their home solar system.</poem>
Source: Scan Alien Statue in Primary Containment Facility


Ancient Earth Blade
<poem>An ancient Earth blade, dating back to the 13th century. Blood samples on the blade match the DNA of seven separate heads of state from the period. This evidence supports the theory that the aliens are an ancient, space-borne civilization engaged in the surreptitious study of less developed species.</poem>
Source: Scan Ancient Blade in Primary Containment Facility


Doomsday Device
<poem>Scans indicate this device contains enough potential energy to destroy the entire planet, along with most of the solar system. Fortunately, it has malfunctioned.</poem>
Source: Scan Doomsday Device in Quarantine Enforcement Platform


Holographic Projector
<poem>This device contains network apparatus and a holographic projection unit. It was likely used as a communications relay, capturing and projecting the image of the user to a remote location. There do not appear to be any other devices in range.</poem>
Source: Scan Circular Object in Primary Containment Facility

Nanobots

<poem>Scans show some form of advanced nanobot inside this seemingly empty case. These bots are substantially smaller than any developed within the federation, and it is not possible to ascertain their exact function. It would, however, be unwise to release them.</poem>

Source: Scan Empty Case in Primary Containment Facility


Organic Matter Particulator
<poem>This device contains a highly unstable radioactive isotope, likely to destroy all organisms exposed to it, while leaving physical structures intact. Although it would function perfectly well as a weapon, it was more likely used to sterilize spaces for later inhabitation. Without instructions it would be unwise to interact with it.</poem>
Source: Scan Unusual Box in Primary Containment Facility


Rudimentary Tablet
<poem>This device shares many similarities with the tablets used to access the alien facilities, although its structure is rather less complex. It may have served a similar purpose, granting security access and storing relevant data, and was thus kept here as a form of legacy support.</poem>
Source: Scan Rudimentary Tablet in Primary Containment Facility


Tracking Implant
<poem>This construct is emitting a high-bandwidth signal consistent with alien transmissions intercepted elsewhere. DNA on the exterior indicates it was once implanted inside one of the lifeforms indigenous to 4546B, its size suggesting the subject was a leviathan class organism. Beyond tracking and broadcasting its location, the implant may also have recorded biological data on the subject, however this data cannot be retrieved.</poem>
Source: Scan Crescent Artifact in Primary Containment Facility

Translation Device

<poem>This device stores linguistic data from over 1,000 different languages. The core of the device may allow alien texts to be read and translated.

Analysis of the onboard data reveals a number of ancient Earth languages, and the term 'CHBCLive' appears many times in the device's data. Its import is unclear.

The device seems to be configured to translate into the designer's language - it will not work the other way around.</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Technology in Primary Containment Facility

Scan Data

Alien Arch

<poem>This structure's intended purpose is unclear.

Theories on Function:
- Ceremonial or religious role
- Industrial applications
- Advanced transportation network

Assessment: Further research required.</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Arch

Alien Flora Research

<poem>Local plants being held in stasis. The aliens evidently sought an extensive knowledge of the planet's ecosystem, which would have been necessary to support any live specimen research.</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Flora Specimen Case in Lost River Laboratory Cache

Alien Robot

<poem>This device is of alien origin, although its design is relatively simple.

1. Purpose:
Its low threat level is at odds with the advanced technology apparently available to its designers, suggesting it was intended more to patrol alien facilities and repair damaged infrastructure than to deter invaders.

2. Design:
Despite its simple design, this construction is quite elegant in its minimalism. Four electro-magnetic legs allow it to traverse floors, walls and ceilings with reasonable speed, and appear to be replaceable. Internally there are few moving parts, rendering this construct energy efficient, and resistant to wear over time. A rechargeable, ion-based power reserve ensures it continues to operate.

Assessment: Immobilize and return to Alterra for mutual profit</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Robot

Alien Thermal Plant

<poem>This system is directly converting local thermal energy into electric current at 90% efficiency. Most of this energy is being stored in the battery-like devices within the plant itself, each of which holds enough to power a small city for a year. Some of it, however, is being drained off, presumably as it is distributed to other facilities on the planet.

The power plant appears to be fully automated and - given current understanding of the mechanisms involved - uninterruptible.</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Thermal Plant (The thermal plant, NOT the facility itself)

Alien Vent

<poem>These vents connect to an ancient piping network that extends beyond maximum scannable depth. The pumping system is still functional.

- The inflow vent is drawing water from the surrounding area, and pumping it to an unknown location below the surface
- Warm, de-oxygenated water is being expelled into the atmosphere
- Most creatures are avoiding the vents
- Peepers can be observed entering and exiting the pipe network without signs of distress

Assessment: Further research required</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Vent

Aquarium Arch

<poem>Scans indicate this arch was left inactive when the facility was abandoned. It likely served as an access point to the surface of the planet. It is much too small for the emperor to pass through, but would accommodate smaller lifeforms.</poem>

Source: Scan Aquarium Arch inside the Primary Containment Facility's Aquarium

Aquarium Pipe Access Point

<poem>An access point to the alien piping system transporting water to and from the containment facility. Peepers are using the pipe network to travel to and from the surface.</poem>

Source: Scan Aquarium Pipe Access Point inside the Primary Containment Facility's Aquarium


Blue Tablet
<poem>Smooth and cold, with a blue light which illuminates an alien symbol resembling an upper case 'H'. While it is likely these devices served in part as security clearance for whoever constructed them, their size suggests some additional purpose, such as personal computers. Whatever the case, the technology is far beyond humanity's own.</poem>
Source: Scan Blue Tablet

Damaged Anchor Cable

<poem>These thick cables were designed to anchor the nearby facility to the surrounding cave walls. Damage to some of the cabling has resulted in the facility collapsing to the floor. Calculations suggest such damage would require an external percussive force in excess of 300 tons.</poem>

Source: Scan Damaged Cable at Disease Research Facility

Energy Core

<poem>This device houses energy equivalent to a 100MT nuclear detonation, which can be channeled through the facility and directed at vessels overhead, or bent around the planet's gravitational pull to strike targets in orbit. Power is routed via the attached terminal, allowing for the device to be deactivated if necessary. It is currently operating without parameters, suggesting it will target any ship within range.</poem>

Source: Scan Energy Core in Quarantine Enforcement Platform

Forcefield Control Terminal

<poem>This device matches no known technologies, and is likely alien in nature. Power is being routed via the terminal to the nearby forcefield. The technology is far beyond anything encountered before by the federation. Nonetheless there is a good chance it functions like a regular lock, and only requires the correct kind of key.</poem>

Source: Scan Forcefield Control

Ion Cube

<poem>This green mineral substance has no entry on the periodic table, and an unprecedented ability to store huge amounts of ionic energy within it.

- Likely grown artificially
- Cubic appearance suggests it has been cut from a larger deposit
- Each cube contains the equivalent ionic energy of 5 kilotons of TNT
- Under the right conditions the energy could be released in a controlled manner
- Likely used as batteries, but would require a substantial power source to be recharged

Assessment: Valuable energy source</poem>

Source: Scan Ion Cube

Ion Cube Fabricator

<poem>This device appears to be the origin of the raw mineral that forms the base of the ion cubes which power smaller alien systems. Likely drawing power itself from the main thermal plant, this device may represent an almost limitless source of energy.</poem>

Source: Scan Ion Cube Fabricator


Orange Tablet
<poem>This device hums slightly, and displays an orange-lit symbol resembling an 'n'. It may offer a way to interact with compatible technologies.</poem>
Source: Scan Orange Tablet

Production Line

<poem>A production line of warper parts.</poem>

Source: Scan Conveyor System in the Disease Research Facility


Purple Tablet
<poem>This carbon-based device is lighter than it looks, and features a symbol which resembles a 'U', lit up in purple. Despite the onboard power still functioning, algae growth on the exterior indicates it was abandoned hundreds, perhaps thousands of years ago. While the technology is far beyond federation levels, and there is no obvious way to interface with it, it should nonetheless be possible to fabricate a precise physical copy of the device, if necessary.</poem>
Source: Scan Purple Tablet or Purple Tablet Fragment

Research Equipment

<poem>The large laboratory table and accompanying scanners incorporate technologies far beyond our current level of understanding.

Hypotheses:
- Equipment maintenance
- Staff maintenance
- Specimen analysis
- Specimen gene manipulation</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Research Equipment in Lost River Laboratory Cache

Research Probes

<poem>The prominence and facing of these alien devices suggests they are some kind of probe or sensor. Their subject would seem to be the vast skeleton in the center of the cavern. The attached cable network may lead to a remote power station or data hub.</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Sensor in Lost River Laboratory Cache

Self-Warping Quarantine Enforcer Unit

<poem>This lifeform shows signs of heavy genetic modification, and extensive mechanical grafting.

Its digestive and pulmonary systems have been replaced by an onboard battery receiving energy directly from this facility and distributing it around the body.

Miniaturized phase technology has been implanted beneath the skin and is triggered by the central nervous system, allowing the construct to teleport at will.

The brain and central nervous system have been digitally augmented with advanced processing power and remote communications.

Assessment: Programmable Hunter/Killer - Avoid</poem>

Source: Scan Warper in the Disease Research Facility

Sonic Deterrent

<poem>These small alien structures are emitting high wavelength soundwaves which seem to be designed to deter indigenous lifeforms from approaching the larger facility.</poem>

Source: Scan Sonic Deterrent near Primary Containment Facility

Warper Parts

<poem>The organic parts on display contain DNA from dozens of different organisms, largely originating offworld. They are in varying states of augmentation with advanced technologies. This production line setup suggests these self-warping constructs were built, maintained and deployed by the aliens that designed this facility.</poem>

Source: Scan Biological Matter in the Disease Research Facility

Terminal Data

Alien Biological History

<poem>This terminal contains data mapping the complete biological history of a member of the alien species.

The dataset is hugely complex, but some basic facts can be reconstructed.

Was grown from seed 1,708 earth years ago
Separated from broodlings early for special training
Inducted into temple of research as the youngest ever initiate, age 96
Downloaded a corrupted dataset and was stored for 3 years for refactoring
Relocated to the outer galaxy cluster to support disease research endeavors
Relocated to 4546B for high priority disease research
Contracted kharaa bacterium
Stored in Sanctuary 3, corporeal body safely disposed</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Dunes Sanctuary

Alien Data Terminal

<poem>Discovered inside an alien facility, it was not possible to translate any useful information, however scans have returned some information on the device itself.

It is likely a solid-state computer, although there is no clear way to interface with it. On approach it began producing a low-frequency radio wave containing complex but recognizable data patterns.

It is likely the alien species which designed this technology evolved, or genetically selected, sensory apparatus to 'hear' and understand the information being broadcast by the device, and to communicate back. The mental processing power required to perform this kind of telepathy would imply the designers were considerably more psychologically developed than the common human.

Assessment: Further research required</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in Quarantine Enforcement Platform's Upper Section

Alien Sanctuary Alpha

<poem>Architectural information has been downloading regarding this antechamber.

Ceiling Fixtures:
The structures mounted to the ceiling of the cavern cast a low green light over the data hubs below, but they are also regulating the pH level of the surrounding water, and emitting a low-frequency sound wave. It is possible the intent was to ensure ideal conditions for a practical end, but their purpose may also have been ceremonial, or even recreational in nature.

Aesthetics:
Ornate in design. The cubes mounted on the pedestals are not being drained of power, suggesting they served some more symbolic purpose. Similarities to old earth religious iconography may be coincidental, but they may also indicate some shared and ancient cultural history.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Deep Sparse Reef Sanctuary

Alien Sanctuary Beta

<poem>This antechamber consists of a series of data hubs, each adorned with an ion cube. These are networked up to the main terminal in parallel, presumably to ensure data integrity over time.

- Unprecedented data complexity
- Stored data was scanned into the system at the local terminal
- Original data source was organic in nature

Evidence suggests that this antechamber served as a sanctuary of last resort for the aliens that built it. In the event of catastrophe, they could retreat here and somehow transfer themselves to the data hubs for preservation.

It is unclear whether other members of the alien species ever returned here, or how many souls are backed up on the hubs, but the data stored is far too complex to reconstitute with the little information available.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Northern Blood Kelp Zone Sanctuary

Damage Report

<poem>Leviathan detected at facility perimeter, closing at high speed.

Exterior anchor cable impacted with massive force.
Exterior anchor system buckling, facility sinking.
Collision with sea floor.
Breaches detected in containment unit 7 (leviathan eggs).
Immediate specimen destruction protocol initiated.
314 specimens destroyed. 1 specimen unaccounted for.
Evacuating staff to off-site sanctuaries.
Planetary quarantine protocol initiated.

WARNING: Infected individuals may not leave the planet.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Disease Research Facility

Enforcement Platform Schematic

<poem>This data set appears to be a multidimensional schematic of some kind. By mapping the pattern to three-dimensional space it is possible to gather a basic understanding of this facility's internal workings.

Construction Material:
The facility's unknown construction material is identified as an ultra-hard, non-reactive metal amalgam, synthesized from offworld materials. There is no indication that it can be damaged or destroyed by available means.

Power:
The schematic indicates the facility was to be powered by a separate, self-sustaining power plant, located elsewhere on the planet. The location is not listed, but there is evidence the designers intended to harness the planet's natural thermal energy.

Layout:
The facility consists of the upper engineering section, where this schematic was found, and the control room, which is accessed via a security-sealed elevator shaft, or a separate underwater moonpool.

Control:
The control room in the lower section houses the only known way to interface with the facility, however the schematic does not detail the operation procedure or installed security measures.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in Quarantine Enforcement Platform's Upper Section

Enzyme 42 Project Data

<poem>According to translated data logs, an indigenous leviathan species was found to produce a unique substance referred to as 'Enzyme 42', which inhibited the symptoms of the kharaa bacterial infection in other indigenous organisms. The specimen was captured and contained in a purpose-built habitat for further study.

The alien researchers went to great lengths to provide for the lifeform's environmental needs, including the import of interdependent flora and fauna via an onsite warpgate, however its health quickly deteriorated.

When quarantine was imposed all warp gates and forcefields were sealed. All attempts to develop the enzyme into a vaccine had been unsuccessful.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in Primary Containment Facility's Antechamber

Fauna Reproductive Data

<poem>Extensive alien research data on the local fauna, with a special focus on their reproductive methods. Core conclusions have been synthesized:

- The aliens discovered the lifeforms on the planet have just one sex
- They observed local organisms engaging in asexual reproduction
- All healthy individuals tested were capable of egg-laying
- Eggs usually required genetic material from another of the species
- In rare case only one parent was required, with evolutionary mutation introduced by the effects of the environment itself

Research appears to have been focused around hatching conditions and genetic variations between parent and child.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Lost River Laboratory Cache

Fossil Data

<poem>Fossil data recorded from the volcanic rock that was excavated to construct the alien power facility. It has been possible to extrapolate a number of key trends.

Genetic Divergence:
The aliens recorded data on indigenous organic remains originating between 10,000 and 1,000 years ago. The lifeforms on record feature an unusually low overlap with those encountered so far on 4546B.

Extinction Event:
Soil samples from 1,000 years ago contain 300% higher concentrations of organic remains than the soil average. Data supports a mass extinction event killing off a majority of species and forcing rapid adaptation amongst many of the survivors.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Alien Thermal Plant

Ion Power Data

<poem>It has been possible to extract useful information regarding alien ion power.

Ion cubes are grown artificially from a mineral substance, and are treated to remain in a stable state despite the huge ionic energy contained within. By installing an ion cube in an appropriate device this energy can be released as electrical power.

Using this knowledge it has been possible to synthesize new battery and power cell blueprints which leverage advanced ionic energy to last considerably longer.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Alien Thermal Plant

Kharaa Contagion Profile

<poem>This terminal contains extensive data regarding the bacterial contagion identified as 'Kharaa'.

Discovery: First encountered during routine network expansion on outer worlds.

Pandemic Development: Network error resulted in routine quarantine procedure failure. Contagion was uploaded to, and spread quickly through, the core worlds. Confirmed deaths: 143 billion individuals.

Bacterial Mechanisms: Attaches to healthy living cells and mutates the basic genetic structure.

Symptoms: Stage 1: Gradual immune system failure. Stage 2: Green skin lesions and flu-like symptoms. Stage 3: Unpredictable alterations to biological structure. Stage 4: Complete shutdown of executive function.

Emergency Steps Taken: Core worlds quarantined. Bacterial samples distributed to isolated disease research facilities for vaccine development.

Treatment procedure: Unknown.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Disease Research Facility

Sea Emperor Leviathan Research Data

<poem>SPECIMEN SIZE CATEGORIES HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED UPWARD TO ACCOMMODATE THIS SPECIES

1. Feeding & Digestion
Alien research data indicates that despite its size this species feeds entirely on microorganisms it filters from the water, which themselves depend on a complicated ecosystem of plant and animal life.

2. Reproduction
Large, ovary-like organs are carried in the creature's middle section, suggesting that like other species on this planet it produces eggs, however internal scar tissue indicates probable infertility.

3. Enzyme 42
The emperor manufactures Enzyme 42 within its stomach cavity to break down its food, and will occasionally expel it into the surrounding waters. This substance was found to neutralize the effects of the bacterium, and its presence in the ecosystem today would explain how life on the planet survived the outbreak. It would remain to be explained by what mechanism the enzyme is being delivered.

4. Health
Comparative analysis of size and metabolic rates indicates the specimen captured by the researchers was approximately 1,600 years old. Extensive internal and external scar tissue suggest it had lived well in excess of the peak lifespan for its species.

Assessment: While a healthy emperor specimen may have held some potential as a cure, it is unlikely any research subjects survived quarantine procedures.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Primary Containment Facility's Egg Laboratory

Specimen Research Data

<poem>A catalog of information on the organisms previously contained within the alien facility. A number of entries have been translated.

Small Herbivore Gamma:
This entry seems to reference the common peeper. Shows no immunity to infection - death commonly occurs within 4 days. Shows symptom remission on exposure to Enzyme 42, but symptoms quickly recur. Shows advanced learning behaviors. Shows some capacity to transmit enzymes to other specimens.

Leviathan Embryos:
Adult specimen too large to study in containment. Egg specimens acquired from nesting site. Embryos show no signs of immunity - death commonly occurs within 3 weeks. Small sample of eggs has been retained for continued, high priority research on leviathan hatching mechanisms.

Large Carnivore Theta:
Off-site lab established to study remains. Shows some potential for immunity to infection, but physical remains so far proved insufficient for full reconstruction.

Unidentified Leviathan:
This leviathan species has been assigned designator 'Sea Emperor'. Bone samples from emperor specimens indicate some potential for kharaa immunity. Single specimen captured for study at purpose-built containment facility, constructed in volcanic region at depth 1.4km.

Assessment: While it is unlikely that the emperor specimen is still contained within the facility described, it may be possible to acquire further data there on the aliens' attempts to develop a vaccine.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Disease Research Facility

Ventilation Control

<poem>Water flowing to and from the primary containment facility is being automatically controlled, independently of other safeguards. Data on the water composition has been recorded:

Inflow:
Water is being drawn from different biomes around the surface of the planet. The water temperature is considerably lower than the volcanic environment outside the facility, while micro-organism and nutrient counts are substantially higher.

Outflow:
Oxygen-deprived water is being flooded from the system and recycled back to the surface.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Primary Containment Facility's Pipe Room

Aurora Survivors

Aurora Engineering Drone - Log

<poem>[Exiting sleep mode. Loading voice recognition. Engineer Berkeley and Chief Technology Officer Yu identified.]

BERKELEY: Drone, get me a propulsion cannon.

[Repulsion cannon retrieved]

CTO YU: Hey, Berkeley! Install that circuit box with that repulsion cannon and you'll punch a hole in the cargo bay.

BERKELEY: Damnit, drone, I said PRO-pulsion, not RE-pulsion. Recalibrate sensors!

[Sensors recalibrated]

CTO YU: Sensors aren't the problem. I tweaked the program. It's like you now, it doesn't like being told what to do.

BERKELEY: Drone, I know-

CTO YU: His name's Albert now.

BERKELEY: Albert. I know it's not your fault, but it would really help me do my job if you'd bring me what I asked for. Thanks for your time.

[Propulsion cannon retrieved]

BERKELEY: Thank you. Now go away.

[Entering hibernation mode]

BERKELEY: Boss, this hobby of yours isn't making my job any easier. Or safer.

CTO YU: Maybe so, but it's all that's stopping me from being so bored I take a spacewalk in my skivvies.

File:Aurora Cargo PDA1.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Aurora Scanner Room Voice Log

<poem>OFFICER KEEN: The way I see it no one's to blame here.

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 1: He gave me the wrong co-ordinates!

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 2: She didn't give me clear instruction!

OFFICER KEEN: Okay, I'll rephrase: you've been equally incompetent. Now, we've lost time, but we're closer to the planet, so if the Degasi's out there the scan should pick it up.

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 1: Why are we even helping the Mongolians? They're the competition.

OFFICER KEEN: Enjoy your shore leave on Sanjei Station? Like having fuel in the tanks? Thank the Mongolians. We run the scans, we show them we didn't find anything, and we say thanks for the free dinner. Clear?

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 2: Sir, there's something odd on the surface scan here.

OFFICER KEEN: Turn that recorder off!

File:InnerBiomeWreckLore7.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Northwestern Mushroom Forest Wreck

Captain's Log

<poem>Loading program: CraigMcGillSimulator.vrat

Size: 1 player (Cap'n 'Hot Dog' Hollister)
Map: Boreal 9
Resources: Normal

Your are exploring a quiet alien backwater when the ship you arived here in implodes. It must be the aracnid kidney-poachers! Quick, what will you do?
[Search the crash site]
->[Farm alien plants]
{Use the tectonic de-imploder (unavailable)}

That's just what Craig McGill would do. After foraging for some hours you have collected a number of potentially farmable foodstuffs. Which will you sustain yourself with?
[Stankroot]
[Tree-roaches]
->[Starwal eggs]

While the starwal eggs are nutritious, the lifecycle of these vast, space-fering creatures is much too slow to sustain a farm, and besides, their mother is extremely angry with you.
[Fight the starwal]
[Apologize to the starwal]
->[Accept your fate]

Craig McGill knows that there is no reasoning with a mother scorned. You are not so much torn apart as swallowed whole and disintegrated. The atoms you thought were YOU are gradually redistributed in service of the starwal's continued survival.

Would you like to continue?
[Yes]
->[No]</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Lifepod 12 Medical Officer Danby's Crew Log

<poem>I'm not really a doctor. I know that's what my ID says, but I never have been. Cheated the medical exams. What does a doctor these days need to know about manually resetting bones? When was the last time a top surgeon actually cut someone open? That's what the robots are for!

Doctors these days read diagnoses off of computer readouts. For that, I'm perfectly qualified.

But what good is it when I'm not connected to the main network? I'm bleeding. I've got glowing green pustules growing on my hands. I run a self-scan and it tells me I've got skin irritation. The only thing I studied in medical school was how to lie convincingly. What the hell do I know how to treat an alien disease?

I think I'm actually going to die down here.

File:Lifepod2 PDA.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 12

Lifepod 13 Emissary's Voicelog

<poem>[Lifepod systems online.]

[Passenger 07 'Emissary Jochi Khasar' has boarded the lifepod.]
[Lifepod launch sequence initiated.]

KHASAR: My creators, the cherishers and sustainers of worlds, give me this day my daily pleasures, as I give to those who seek pleasures from me.

[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK.]
[Entering planetary atmosphere.]
[External temperature approaching critical levels.]

KHASAR: Show me the path, in Life, Truth, and Love. For mine is the power, I am the one. On and off and on again.

[Exterior hull damage sustained.]
[Life support systems failed.]
[Impact imminent.]

KHASAR: Life is a game, which the universe plays with itself. I am done playing as this bundle of flesh. Return me.

File:Lifepod4 PDA.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 13

Lifepod 17 Crew Log

<poem>Ozzy's log. It's the day of the crash. I don't know what the heck is happening. I'm scared and I'm not going outside. There are shadows in the water under the hatch but I can't tell if they're rocks, or aliens, and there's weird looking caves nearby.

The Aurora was carrying everything needed to build the phasegate: mobile vehicle bays, bioreactors, propulsion cannons... It had a cinema. There-there was a zero-G gym. My cafe. I don't understand how we're here now. I don't know why no one's coming for me.

File:LifepodSeaglide.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 17

Lifepod 19 Second Officer Keen's Crew Log

<poem>To all crew - If you are reading this then you have followed the automatic distress signal broadcast by this lifepod's onboard computer, contrary to my orders. I have been forced to evacuate. Your orders are to disregard my safety and attempt to reach the designated rendezvous co-ordinates at the nearest landmass. I hope to see you there.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 19

Lifepod 19 Second Officer Keen's Voicelog

<poem>CAPTAIN: Keen! This is Aurora, come in!

KEEN: This is Keen, lifepod detached okay, planetfall in 30 seconds!

CAPTAIN: The computer has identified a landmass at the attached coordinates! I want you to regroup the crew there!

KEEN: Understood, but-

CAPTAIN: They're your responsibility now, don't let them down!

KEEN: Captain, you need to evacuate!

CAPTAIN: Negative, you'll need the ship in one piece if you're going to contact HQ on the long-range. I'm attempting a controlled descent.

*Explosion aboard the Aurora*

KEEN: Captain?!

*Static*

File:LifepodKeenDialog.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 19

Lifepod 2 Chief Technical Officer Yu's Voicelog (T+2min)

<poem>CTO YU: Flotation devices failed!

*Sound of flooding*

BERKELEY: We're flooding, evacuate!

CTO YU: Wait, I can reconfigure the O₂ system to act as a bilge pump!

BERKELEY: It's working!

*Crash*

CTO YU: OK, good news: we're alive, and we've stopped sinking.

BERKELEY: Bad?

CTO YU: The O₂'s going to run out in 30 minutes and we're 500 meters down.

BERKELEY: What do we do?

CTO YU: We'll have to use the remaining juice to send a distress call and build whatever gear we can, then we find a way to the surface.

File:Lifepod1 PDA.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 2

Lifepod 3 Crew Log

<poem>UNIDENTIFIED CREW 1: You really think it'll carry two of us?

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 2: Your regular seaglide tows a mass of 80kg at over 30km/h. The power cell I rigged to this one should double that.

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 1: You think there's something out there faster?

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 2: Oh, sure. And that's assuming it doesn't overload three meters from the lifepod.

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 1: You're calm about this.

UNIDENTIFIED CREW 2: I'm seeing the engineering problem. If I stop seeing the maths I'll be terrified.

File:Lifepod3 PDA.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 3

Lifepod 4 Crew Log

<poem>To any Alterra crew. Landed in area of significant alien activity. Encountered predators in the leviathan class, highly aggressive. Spectroscope scanner assigned species designator 'Reaper'. One specimen attempted to swallow the lifepod, doing extensive damage in the process. Only viable option is to make for the safety of the Aurora crash site.

I have retrieved a databox with the creature decoy, and enough resources to fabricate a couple of them. The swim's longer than the decoy lifetime, but it should just be enough to keep them busy. If you don't find me onboard the ship, presume I miscalculated.

File:LifepodDecoy.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 4

Lifepod 6 Crew Log #1

<poem>CREW: Ma'am, I need you to stay calm. We're not in immediate danger.

PASSENGER: Where are the rescue teams?!

CREW: The Aurora didn't make it.

PASSENGER: So where are the rescue teams?!

CREW: They're dead, ma'am. We have rendezvous coordinates, but the route's irradiated.

PASSENGER: So what are you going to do?!

CREW: I'm head of human resources, ma'am. This is not my expertise. But the PDA says if we can find some lead we can make radiation suits.

PASSENGER: Out there? I am not setting foot outside this lifepod without the proper protection.

CREW: Don't worry. I'll go.

File:LifepodCrashZone1.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 6

Lifepod 6 Crew Log #2

<poem>CREW: What are you doing?!

PASSENGER: You were gone so long, I thought you'd drowned.

CREW: Put the flare down!

PASSENGER: I was going to try and attract someone's attention.

CREW: That's not a distress flare! Stop waving it around like that, you'll catch the fuel line!

*Explosion*

File:LifepodCrashZone2.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 6

Lifepod 7 Crew Log

<poem>I've tried everything. The analysis circuits on the fabricator are fried. I can barely manufacture the most basic of materials. Want a battery? Here, have a children's toy! Need deep sea diving equipment? Have some lab tech! Hungry? I'll turn that fruit into dust for you.

I'm going forward with trial and error. I hit every button here, it's got to make something useful eventually.

File:LifepodRandom.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Lifepod 7

Profitability Projections

<poem>Two choices: A) Carry on working long-haul missions on the outer reaches of space; B) Come up with a profitable business, sell out to Alterra, live happily ever after.

I choose B. Ideas:

- A robot that builds other robots
- A water filtration system that has infinite power (solar power? body heat? do suns last forever? check this)
- A phasegate that can be built by self-repairing robots instead of poor lonely humans on an 18 month mission (what happens when something goes wrong?)
- A VR program that precisely simulates real life down to the finest detail (how do I know I didn't already invent it and I'm inside it right now? don't want an intellectual property challenge...)
- A gun that shoots other, smaller guns (can't see any real objections to this one, except the legality)</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Dunes Wreck

Rendezvous Voicelog

<poem>CTO YU: We have to board the Aurora, repair the long range comms, make contact with the other survivors. We can't be the only two that made it.

OFFICER KEEN: Those are not the orders the captain gave me, and they are not the orders I'm giving you.

CTO YU: This isn't chain of command, it's survival.

OFFICER KEEN: My obligations as acting commander don't turn on their convenience. Get out of the water.

CTO YU: If I get into trouble, I'll send you my coordinates.

OFFICER KEEN: I can't let you go alone.

CTO YU: Then come with me.

OFFICER KEEN: You don't leave me much choice.

[Received emergency transmission from Second Officer Keen, two hours after last activity]

OFFICER KEEN: Rendezvous was a failure. Intercepted a transmission from Alterra HQ, seems they sent a data package to the Aurora. We were intercepted by a leviathan class predator before we could reach the ship. Consider the CTO and I lost at sea. Be safe. Keen... out.

File:RendezvousFloatingIsland.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA on Floating Island

Surveillance Log, Leisure Deck B

<poem>[Suspicious key word 'religious' detected. Beginning automated recording.]

KHASAR: I find a tendency amongst Alterrans to think not only that you have it best, but that yours is the only way to have it at all. In the Mongolian States we have the freedom to work for ourselves.

CREWMEMBER: Hey, most of us are contractors! Jo owns her own company!

KHASAR: Whose ship are you living on right now? Yours, or Alterra's?

CREWMEMBER: You'd do well to remember whose ship YOU'RE on, Mongolian.

KHASAR: According to my religious beliefs, this ship belongs to us all. We're all part of the same system, the only difference between us is where we choose to draw lines.

CREWMEMBER: Wise words for someone from a cowboy corporation fighting over rocks in the far reaches of space.

File:OuterBiomeWreckLore9.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Grand Reef Wreck

Codes & Clues

Alien Facility Locations

<poem>Intercepted background data regarding further alien facilities elsewhere on the planet.

Disease Research Facility
- Depth: 800m
- Location: Cave system with extensive fossil record, south-west of enforcement platform
- Function: Live specimen study
- Objective: Synthesis of antidote for highly infectious bacterium designated 'Kharaa'

Thermal Power Facility
- Depth: 1200m
- Location: Inside an extensive natural rock formation, in an area of intense volcanic activity
- Function: Generate energy for all local facilities

Sanctuary A - DATA CORRUPTED
Sanctuary B - DATA CORRUPTED
Offsite Laboratory - DATA CORRUPTED
Primary Containment Facility - DATA CORRUPTED

In the event of an outbreak, quarantine procedures will be automatically enforced with immediate effect. The quarantine enforcement platform will target all incoming and outgoing craft, to prevent the spread of infection offworld.</poem>

Source: Obtained by trying to deactivate the Quarantine Enforcement Platform while infected

High Security Terminal - Captain's Quarters

<poem>Before they lost communications, Alterra HQ uploaded a set of blueprints to the Aurora's main computer. There is a high security terminal inside the captain's quarters, located behind the Prawn bay, from which the blueprints should be accessible. The code is 2679.</poem>

Source: Receive message from Radio


Lifepod 4 Transmission Origin
<poem>A distress signal has been received from lifepod 4, but the attached co-ordinates were corrupted. Last available photographic data has been downloaded and analyzed. - Flotation devices active, lifepod located at sea level - Pod is in close proximity to radioactive fallout from the Aurora - Transmission origin approximately 150m north-west of the Aurora's port midsection</poem>
Source: Receive message from Radio


Lifepod 6 Transmission Origin
<poem>A distress signal has been received from lifepod 6, but the attached co-ordinates were corrupted. Last available photographic data has been downloaded and analyzed. - Crew requested assistance navigating radiation - Sunk to approximately 100m - Located in an area dense with red grass, near a number of natural arches and rock stacks - Transmission origin approximately 400m west-northwest of lifepod 4's last known location</poem>
Source: Receive message from Radio


Lifepod 7 Transmission Origin
<poem>A distress signal has been received from lifepod 7, but the attached co-ordinates were corrupted. Last available photographic data has been downloaded and analyzed. - Crew reported problems with their onboard fabricator - Sunk to 200m in an area of low ecological activity - Transmission origin approximately 1km southwest of the Aurora's stern section</poem>
Source: Receive message from Radio

Lab Access

<poem>If you need to tweak your equipment please use the mod station in the forward section, or retrieve preconfigured equipment from the lab next door to the data coil. The door code is 6483.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Notes to self

<poem>So here we are, finally, in open space. We crossed the galaxy to install a phasegate, to send ships to mine resources, to build more expensive ships, to install fancier phasegates... Are we trying to exhaust the galaxy or just ourselves?

18.06 - Yu's birthday
40 - Weeks before we get home
400 - Weeks it feels like before we get home
Not enough - Credits Alterra's paying me
1454 - Cargo bay code</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Primary Containment Facility

<poem>A power router in the thermal plant is distributing energy collected onsite to other facilities on the planet.

Primary Containment Facility Location Updated:
- Constructed within a natural chasm
- Connected to this cave network
- South south-east
- Area of volcanic activity
- Depth 1.4km

Power Distribution:
- Self-Warping Quarantine Enforcement Units - 5%
- Arch Network - 10%
- Sanctuaries (Alpha, Beta, Cappa) - 10%
- Quarantine Enforcement Platform - 35%
- Disease Research Facility - OFFLINE
- Primary Containment Facility - 20%
- Reserve - 20%

There is no clear way to interrupt the power flow.</poem>

Source: Download from Alien Data Terminal in the Alien Thermal Plant

Sweet Offer

<poem>From: Huggins

To: Wilson

You're telling me you've been on this rig more than a year and you never took a ride on the outside? Well now, you've only gone and gotten yourself a friend with the keys to a GIANT FRICKING ROBOT SUIT. We've plain got nothing to do 'til we get starside to work on the gate. You want to taste the stars you've only got to say - my spare Prawn suit's got your name on it. You don't know what power feels like 'til you've crushed an asteroid with your bare, heavily mechanically-augmented hands. Wanna play catch with a passing meteor? Come by Cabin no.1. Code's 1869.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Operation Logs

Alterra HQ - Last Recorded Transmissions

<poem>Average long-range transmission delay: 8 hours

Opening last recorded transmissions...

AURORA CAPTAIN [T-6mins]: This is an emergency distress call. Aurora is on collision course with planet 4546B. Sending all available environmental data. Please respond with rescue solution. Out.

ALTERRA HQ [T+8hrs]: This is Alterra HQ. Attached to this message you should find the blueprints for an escape ship we calculate will be capable of breaking orbit and getting you back to the nearest phasegate. Now it's designed to use materials you can find in situ, but it's going to need one hell of a power source. Now, we'll be sure to- *Static*

[T+8hrs]: Long-range communications relay OFFLINE

File:Aurora RingRoom Terminal3.ogg</poem>

Source: Download from Data Terminal in the Aurora

Aurora Black Box Data

<poem>- Initiated slingshot maneuver around planet 4546B

- High velocity energy pulse detected on planet surface
- Emergency distress signal sent to Alterra listening buoy via long-range comm relay
- Impact detected: Lifepod bays on starboard side compromised; outgoing communications compromised
- Emergency evacuation initiated
- Manual piloting transferred to Captain Hollister
- Lifepods 01-25 launched successfully
- Entering planetary atmosphere
- Massive impact registered, drive core shield compromised
- Emergency bouncebacks received from 8 lifepods on planet surface
- Human lifesigns detected over long range at T+8hrs: 1
- Personnel unaccounted for: Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief Ryley Robinson
- Alterra HQ rescue solution received at T+8hrs to [High priority terminal in Captain's Quarters]
- Monitoring equipment failed at T+13hrs</poem>

Source: Download from Data Terminal in the Aurora

Drive Core Shielding Breach

<poem>The Aurora's drive core is shielded by a thick metal shell, which breached in multiple locations shortly after the crash. Once breached it will continue to leak radiation into the surrounding environment until the breaches are sealed. After that point the radiation in the environment will dissipate over time. This procedure should only be attempted with appropriate radiation protection and a fully charged repair tool.</poem>

Source: Scan Breach

VR Suite Log

<poem>Loading program: DesertIslandDrama.vrat

Size: 3 players
Resources: Normal

Spawning players on beach.

Player 1 has been washed away by an unusually high tide.
Player 2 has traded a coconut with Player 3 for 10 credits.
Player 3 has planted a coconut.
Players are getting hungry.
Player 3 has grown a coconut tree.
Player 3 has eaten a coconut. Player 3 is no longer hungry.
Player 3 has traded a coconut with Player 2 for 30 credits.
Player 2 has eaten a coconut but is still hungry.
Player 3 has traded a coconut with Player 2 in exchange for building a tent.
Player 3 is sleeping inside their tent.
Player 2 is cold.
Night falls.
A passing ship is offering trading.
Player 2 has traded 30 credits for a musket.
Player 3 has been shot twice in the head while sleeping.
Player 2 wins.
Player 2 has died from cold and starvation.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Degasi Survivors

Alterra Search & Rescue Mission

Aurora Auxiliary Mission Orders

<poem>- Mission: Search & Rescue

- Target: Crew of the Mongolian vessel 'Degasi'
- Last known position: Vicinity of planet 4546B, Ariadne Arm
- Contact: Mongolian Emissary Jochi Khasar, Aurora Passenger Quarters

Mission brief:
A Mongolian vessel, the 'Degasi', disappeared almost a decade ago, carrying with it a high ranking Mongolian chief. Corporate insurance has purchased passage aboard the Aurora for Emissary Khasar, and your orders are to make every reasonable effort to locate and retrieve the Degasi crewmembers, without compromising the primary mission. Confirming the fate of the crew will aid Alterra's diplomatic efforts with the Mongolian councils.

Mission Details:
- Aurora is due to perform a slingshot maneuver around 4546B (category 3 ocean planet) approximately 13 months post-launch
- This will bring the ship within range of the Degasi's last known position
- Additional aquatic and all-terrain vehicles have been included in the Aurora's cargo package for this mission
- Degasi crew manifesto has been distributed to senior employees in a separate message</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Degasi Crew Manifest: Bart Torgal

<poem>Auxiliary Search & Rescue Mission: Bart Torgal

Position: Vice President of Torgal Corp.
Status: Lost in space near planet 4546B
Age at time of disappearance: 19

- The only legitimate child of Paul Torgal
- Beneficiary of enhanced learning techniques and cerebral implants
- Digi-trained in advanced biochemistry and stellar economics
- Emissary Khasar reports Bart was accompanying his father to a newly-constructed, deep-spacestation where he was to serve a five year term as Chief Operating Officer</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Kelp Forest Wreck

Degasi Crew Manifest: Marguerit Maida

<poem>Auxiliary Search & Rescue Mission: Marguerit Maida

Position: Freelance Security Personnel
Status: Lost in space near planet 4546B
Age at time of disappearance: 42

- Mercenary, born in the Mongolian States
- Experienced in ship-to-ship and close quarters combat techniques
- Tours of duty with the Mongolian Defense Force and the Trans-System Federation
- Dishonorably discharged from the TSF 15 years ago for going off mission (details classified)
- Emissary Khasar reports Maida was hired to accompany Paul Torgal onboard the Degasi into uncharted space, and defend the ship in case of assault by pirates or rival corporations</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Grassy Plateaus Wreck

Degasi Crew Manifest: Paul Torgal

<poem>Auxiliary Search & Rescue Mission: Paul Torgal

Position: Chief of Torgal Corp, Captain of the 'Degasi'
Status: Lost in space near planet 4546B
Age at time of disappearance: 79

Paul Torgal and his crew fell out of contact with Mongolian authorities close to a decade ago. The Torgals were a resourceful and powerful clan, and the ship was well-equipped, so their survival is considered likely; however multiple vessels passing through the system have since attempted to trace the ship to no effect. It is hoped the Aurora's superior scanning suite can do better.

- Made majority shareholder in Torgal Corp. by his mother upon her retirement
- Interaction with Alterra limited to infrequent chartered munitions deliveries
- Beneficiary of life extension technologies
- Accompanied by his only child, Bart Torgal (19), heir to the Torgal Corporation
- Emissary Khasar reports Torgal often travelled with a skeleton crew, and was known for making rash, but profitable decisions
- Inadequate systems maintenance or straying from its planned route may account for the ship's disappearance</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Safe Shallows Wreck

Bart Torgal's Logs

Bart Torgal's Log #1 - This World

<poem>I thought it might get claustrophobic, living underwater. Father feels it is. He'd tell me it was childish, but I stare out the window and sometimes I think how lucky I am to see this world up close. Back on the island I wouldn't have believed the creatures that live down here. The fish, they GLOW... There's one that's 90% eyeball... Snakes twice the length of a habitat compartment.

Certainly it's not all friendly. Most of the plantlife is toxic, I learned that the hard way, but I've managed to coax some marblemelons into growing indoors, and when they don't cover our dietary needs, well... we eat the fish themselves. It's a bit gross, but it's nothing they wouldn't do.

I've been attempting to document my findings. Father approves. He says understanding is power. That the more we know about this planet, the more we can use it to our advantage. I'm just doing it because it's fun. It's not easy without proper equipment and network access, but the old fashioned way - observing, taking notes, testing theories - shows me the world in a way a spectroscopic analysis never could.

Lately I've been watching the crabsnakes. They ambush their prey as it tries to feed on the mushrooms they hide in. What they don't eat settles on the seabed, which fertilizes the mushrooms, which feeds the herbivores, and so the chain continues. Co-evolution gives me the fuzzies.

File:JellyPDARoom1Desk.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Jellyshroom Cave Degasi Seabase

Bart Torgal's Log #2 - Stalker Teeth

<poem>Something incredible just happened.

Since we're down here, I had this plan to build equipment and study the incredible lifeforms we're encountering, but I didn't have enough enameled glass. So I started looking for a natural substrate that would strengthen the glass we have, and those stalker teeth we've been finding fit the bill - only, well, we needed more.

That's when Marguerit got interested. She actually listened to me - more than I can say for father - and I worked up the courage to talk about my more... tentative theories. When I told her they were attracted to metal deposits, that their teeth get dislodged when they pick them up, her eyes narrowed and she dashed out of the room.

Three hours later she came back, her pack loaded down with stalker teeth! I asked her about it. She shrugged and said my theories were good. Said she had them eating out the palm of her hand. I think she meant it literally.

She is incredible. She went out to the kelp forests, armed with just a heatblade, and went fin to fin with a pack of stalkers.

On the one hand, that is the coolest thing I have ever heard. On the other, I hope the stalkers didn't come off worse than Marguerit did. She had a huge gash on her forearm. I don't think things went as smoothly as she made out. And what's the point in surviving here if we have to kill everything that makes it so wonderful?

I wish I knew more about these animals, but father won't let me leave the habitat. Maybe with all this glass we could build a containment unit and get up close to them.

File:JellyPDAObservatory.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Jellyshroom Cave Degasi Seabase

Bart Torgal's Log #3 - Return From the Deep

<poem>This is the first time I've seen sunlight in months. After all that time in the deep I'd been dreaming of it. Now that I'm back here, I'm finding it hard to enjoy alone. Father was right: we should never have left this place. We shouldn't have gone so deep. They do not want us down there.

Despite my best efforts ill-health is taking hold of me. The visions are getting worse.

Marguerit and father are now part of the ecosystem of this incredible planet. It's reassuring to know that when I go, I'll join them.

Until then... well, there's always the view.

File:IslandsPDABase1a.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Floating Island Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Logs

Degasi Voice Log #1 - Habitation Location

<poem>PAUL: This island is a godsend! Look out of the window. No predators... Fresh food...

MARGUERIT: No building materials... nothing left of the ship... And your kid says we're gonna starve without more growbeds. Speak up, kid.

BART: It's true, father. The natural growth rates are too slow to keep supporting us.

MARGUERIT: All I'm sayin' is, ocean's got us surrounded. No use hiding. Sooner or later we'll get our feet wet.

PAUL: The rest of your life may have been a fight, Maida, but I've made my decision. You want to forfeit your emergency pay to take a swim, go ahead.

MARGUERIT: Believe me, I'm thinkin' on it.

File:IslandsPDABase1bDesk.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Floating Island Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #2 - Storm!

<poem>PAUL: Son, I said wait for the storm to pass. Your life's more valuable to me than a plant patch.

BART: You stopped being in charge when the ship you were captaining sunk!

PAUL: I'll stop being in charge when you take charge of yourself!

MARGUERIT: Say, Chief. Chief!

PAUL: What?!

MARGUERIT: Do you know how to drain those growbeds of 40 tons of storm water? Or how to conjure food from the air?

PAUL: I know how to prioritize.

MARGUERIT: I'm just sayin', if that's so, what's your boy's life worth to you today, if tomorrow you're gonna be so hungry you start wondering what he tastes like? Let him go deal with the plants.

PAUL: Son, go deal with the plants.

[Bart Torgal has disembarked the habitat.]

PAUL: Interfere with my family again and when rescue arrives I will leave you here. Do you understand me?

MARGUERIT: No rescue coming, Chief. Not in time. And no stayin' here, neither. This rain keeps falling, sooner or later this place'll be buried. Only choice we got is whether to get buried with it.

File:IslandsPDABase1Desk.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Floating Island Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #3 - Aftermath

<poem>MARGUERIT: You see, Chief? You brought us to this sodden planet. Told us we'd see a lush payday. Now what do we got, some 6 weeks later? A dead crew. A habitat that's half buried. Food washed away.

PAUL: I suppose the executive decisions would be better left to someone with your extensive experience of hitting people in the face?

MARGUERIT: I know enough not to take unscheduled detours to uncharted planets. That's something you don't want to learn the hard way.

PAUL: Easy to judge a decision in hindsight. Harder to come up with a plan of your own.

MARGUERIT: Got one already. We take what we can carry and hunker down in a cave somewhere. I scouted a site. Couple hundred meters deep. Lots of metal deposits.

PAUL: How do you imagine we'd live?

MARGUERIT: With ready access to building materials? Like damn queens. Couple of water filters, a bioreactor, fresh fish... But Chief, we'll eat seaweed salad and drink our own piss if that's what it takes. All that matters is: do you got something better?

PAUL: Send the coordinates to my PDA. I'll review your proposal.

File:IslandsPDAExterior.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Floating Island Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #4 - Curious Discovery

<poem>PAUL: What is that thing?

MARGUERIT: I don't know. I found it outside, in the sand.

PAUL: Part of another ship?

MARGUERIT: None I've ever seen.

BART: It's not even scratched.

PAUL: Don't fool around with it, it might be worth something.

MARGUERIT: Stand down, Chief, if it were going to crumble to dust it woulda done so when I picked it up.

BART: It's glowing.

PAUL: We're not the first people to come to this planet.

MARGUERIT: People. Maybe. Could be aliens. Could be the damn seamonsters for all we know. One thing for sure: we ain't gonna find out by stayin' here.

File:JellyPDARoom2Locker.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Floating Island Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #5 - Pecking Order

<poem>PAUL: Son, there is always a pecking order, and in our world, money makes the hierarchy. I pay Maida a fraction of what I pay you, and you a fraction of what I pay me.

BART: If money makes the hierarchy, why is Marguerit making the decisions?

PAUL: We NEED her. We let her think what she likes, so long as she does what she's told.

BART: What if she doesn't?

PAUL: For enough money, she will. People always do.

File:JellyPDABrokenCorridor.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Jellyshroom Cave Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #6 - Deeper?!

<poem>PAUL: We're already 200m below sea level! You want to go DEEPER?!

MARGUERIT: Look around us, Chief. Water leaking through the hull. Water outside the hatch. We're drowning. Real slow. If rescue arrives whatever shot us down, it's going to do it again. And again. Until it's shut off. You see an off switch around here, Chief?

PAUL: Why would it any more likely be half a kilometer down?!

MARGUERIT: Your kid found something on the scanner. There's something down there. Something that shouldn't be.

PAUL: You're mad.

MARGUERIT: I'm goin' all the same. And I've an idea you two are gonna follow. But if you do, be mindful: your authority stopped at sea level.

File:JellyPDARoom2Desk.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Jellyshroom Cave Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #7 - Malady

<poem>BART: Please stop fighting and listen! We're sick!

MARGUERIT: What?

PAUL: How?

BART: You've been coughing, right? Feeling itchy? Blisters?

MARGUERIT: Yeah.

PAUL: The biometrics would have warned us if we were sick.

BART: It's something new. It's not in the database.

MARGUERIT: Come on then, what's it gonna do? Turn us inside out? Dissolve us into jelly?

BART: It's an alien bacteria. It's everywhere. Every organism on this planet. It's altering our genetic code.

PAUL: How are the creatures surviving if they're infected?

BART: I don't know yet.

MARGUERIT: Want me to cut some of 'em open for you? Find out what makes 'em tick?

BART: No.

PAUL: Just tell me what you need, son. Materials? Equipment?

BART: Just... can I have some quiet? I need time to think.

File:DeepPDA1.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Deep Grand Reef Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #8 - Risk Taking

<poem>[Marguerit Maida has boarded the habitat.]

PAUL: What are you so happy about, Maida?

MARGUERIT: Say, kid?! I brought you something!

PAUL: Is that a LEVIATHAN outside?!

MARGUERIT: Towed it home on the back of the sub.

PAUL: You KILLED that thing?

MARGUERIT: It's still breathing. I was about to finish the job, but I can stay and chat if you'd like? No? Then make yourself useful and pass me that hardened blade.

PAUL: Are you out of your MIND?! You brought that thing HERE?! What if it's not as dead as it looks?! What if others come?!

MARGUERIT: You prefer it got curious and came of its own accord, or got messed up and dragged here?

PAUL: When we get off this planet I am going to drag you through every court in the damn federation!

File:DeepPDA2.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Deep Grand Reef Degasi Seabase

Degasi Voice Log #9 - Disaster

<poem>PAUL: I have had it with you risking our lives!

MARGUERIT: Oh stow it, Chief. The kid can't kill this disease without fish to study. I'm just bringin' 'em home.

PAUL: Bart, tell her; tell her I'm right!

BART: You're both wrong! Marguerit, I can't find out how they resist the bacteria if you slaughter them all.

MARGUERIT: It ain't always they oblige in coming in alive.

PAUL: He means you're being reckless.

BART: Father, the outcome's no better if we hole up in here and don't go outside. We have to find a middle way.

PAUL: There is no compromise, not while she's on my seabase!

MARGUERIT: YOUR seabase?!?

BART: I'm going outside.

[Bart Torgal has disembarked the habitat]

PAUL: Bart! Come in, it's dangerous! Dammit boy, I know you can hear me!

*Leviathan sounds*

MARGUERIT: Chief. Chief, get off the radio and put on your helmet.

PAUL: What?!?

MARGUERIT: Brace!

*Sound of habitat rupturing and water pouring in*

File:DeepPDA3.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Deep Grand Reef Degasi Seabase

Environment Log

Environment Log

<poem>User 'Paul Torgal' requested cross-referencing of local environment scans with ideal habitat construction conditions. Displaying results.

- Large subterranean cavern with multiple entrances
- Conditions support a unique microcosm of predatory lifeforms
- Minor structural instability in cave walls
- Extensive resource deposits

Average Environment Safety Rating: C
Optimal Habitat Site Safety Rating: B

Site 7 has been selected as the optimal habitat construction site for the following reasons:

- Close proximity to one of the cave entrances, in case of emergency
- Medium distance from predatory organisms
- Stable foundations on which to build
- Ready access to materials

A signal tracking the site has been created.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Jellyshroom Cave

Marguerit Maida's Log

Marguerit Maida's Log - Speaking Freely

<poem>These conniving, corporate, bourgeois, inbred, incompetent, self-absorbed jerks don't have a damn clue!

The kid's not so bad - he's even useful - but I swear everything that comes out of his father's idiot face is a narcissistic lie. He wants to stay in this cave, his problem. I'm the one doing the heavy lifting. Screw the contract. Screw the emergency pay. When seamonsters are hunting you, you don't hide. You hunt the seamonsters. Then you build a bigger boat out of seamonster bones, and you hunt bigger monsters. Keep going until there aren't any monsters left to hunt you.

I'm going deeper, I'm gonna find what shot us down, and I'm going to tear its damn heart out.

I've started the prep work. The kid's taught me how to make enameled glass. I've started stockpiling metal ores to build myself a seamoth. I'll raid the indoor growbeds before I leave.

File:JellyPDAExterior.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Jellyshroom Cave Degasi Seabase

Paul Torgal's Logs

Paul Torgal's Log #1 - Marooned

<poem>Chief's log, five weeks since the crash. The only other survivors are my son, Bart, and Maida, the cut-price mercenary I commissioned for the journey.

After days drifting in the lifepod, rain hammering the roof, the weather cleared and we washed up here. I had Maida salvage the Degasi wreck, set Bart to finding us a stable source of food. His education is paying off sooner than I'd anticipated.

Our only problem is Maida. She says the weather's going to turn. I say she's finding excuses to risk our lives. I imagine she's not gone a week in her life without a physical altercation, and she's itching for a fight. In every judgment she makes things go from bad to worse.

If she had my experience she'd have more faith. Humans have spent millennia specializing in how to shackle nature to our will. This planet won't cause us any new problems.

My one task now is to keep us alive, as comfortably as possible, until the insurance company arranges rescue. In this part of space that could be months, or even years.

File:IslandsPDABase1Interior.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Floating Island Degasi Seabase

Paul Torgal's Log #2 - Dilemma

<poem>You know what Maida told me today? She wants to build a habitat 500m below sea level, more than a kilometer north-east of here. And she needs Bart and I to do it. She's got it into her head that she can save us if she just acts recklessly enough. But I've hauled starwhals to Neptune. Plasteel to the Federation... this family operates nine different mining colonies across the Ariadne Arm. Maida thinks she's better suited to lead? Her contract still says otherwise.

But... I just cannot damn tell whether it's the stupidest idea I ever heard, or my only hope. I turned 80 years old last week. I thought I had another 80 in me, but marooned on this planet there's no swapping out of my liver when the old one fails. Here, I'm mortal. And Maida is useful.

So it's my responsibility to make a decision. Return to the island and hope whatever knocked the Degasi out of the sky won't do the same to the rescue ship, or take us deeper in search of answers. And all the while be hoping old age gets me before the seamonsters do.

I'll give Maida just one thing. She was right about these caves. There's enough lithium there to fabricate a hundred tons of plasteel. Enough for a damn FLEET of Cyclops submarines. There was nothing anyone could have done to avoid crashing here, but I was right to order the detour. If we get off this planet they'll be talking about the Torgal share price on the other side of the Federation.

File:JellyPDARoom1Locker.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Jellyshroom Cave Degasi Seabase

Paul Torgal's Log #3 - The End

<poem>Came out of nowhere. An alien kraken, bigger than a Cyclops. Tore a hole clear through the reinforced hull. I barely got my breather in time. I told her. I said others would come.

The rupture threw me clear of the habitat, and the monster turned and bore down on me. Just as its tentacles came within reach, Maida appeared out of nowhere. She had a seaglide in one hand, a jagged piece of scrap metal in the other. She meant to butcher that beast, or die trying. The last I saw her she had the metal lodged in its neck as the monster did its best to shake her, contorting off into the darkness. I'm certain she got her wish, one way or another.

Then I thought I saw a light, deep below me. I hoped maybe Bart had swum clear. I followed it. Now I wonder whether I saw anything at all. My oxygen is low. The habitat is gone. I can't see the sky. Something surely has the scent of my blood.

File:DeepPDA4.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in Deep Grand Reef Degasi Seabase

Public Documents

Alterra Alms Pamphlet

<poem>'Charity' is an archaic concept which the realism of today's Alterrans has rendered obsolete. We understand that we are each responsible for ourselves, but the best way to get the most for ourselves is to work together with Alterra. The implication of this reasoning is clear: if someone is in need, they must find a way to be needed.

Alterra Alms is a training academy for those that need to be needed. We're not a charity, because we don't ask for handouts - we prefer to think of ourselves as a philanthropic beneficence facilitation service promoting synergy between employer and workforce.

AA operates on a lottery system. By investing any number of credits you will be entered into our prize draw. Larger investments yield higher chances of winning. Your credits will go toward training unskilled colonists in vital tasks such as maintenance and interpersonal skills. The colonists receive this training voluntarily and free of charge, on condition of a minimum contract with one of our investors on completion of their training.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Sea Treader's Path Wreck or the Aurora

Alterra Citizen Testimonials

<poem>Frank told us this: 'I hear there are worlds out there where kids still learn from books. They go into a classroom every day, they memorize things, then later they type those things out in controlled environments. Or worlds where everyone's supposed to do whatever creative job they feel like! What use is learning to draw or sing in a world where there's no human resource department to co-ordinate the galleries and concerts? On Alterra worlds, psychometric testing and specialized digi-training makes the most of everyone's talents.'

Max Zoinkoff: 'I started out in marketing for Alterra Survival Systems. It was good work, but I thought I could do better. I set up my own company, developing bespoke code for the Seamoth so it could operate in open space, not just underwater. I sold up to Alterra ten years ago and now it's one of the most widely used vehicles in the galaxy. Now I'm on the board of directors, and I haven't looked back.'

George said, 'An average day for me starts at 10am. I live in a controlled habitat on Terra 17, so everything I need is less than five minutes away. I'm a naturally empathetic person, so I took work as a companion. I spend my days visiting clients, talking with them, learning about them, paying them the attention that everyone needs and deserves, and like most people on Alterra worlds I'm lucky enough to earn a living doing things I enjoy.'

Kaz says, 'We're lucky. We're free. We have jobs. There are trans-govs out there that do everything with robots, or where weapons are legal, you know?'

Jamie had this to say: 'I design artificial worlds, including some of the most popular factory defaults. To do what I do you need to know what people really want. They want excitement, adventure, new experiences, to be whoever they want to be. My job is to make that happen. There are people who say we spend too much time escaping our lives and not enough time making them better. Those people are usually from outside of Alterra space.'</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Grassy Plateaus Wreck

Alterra Launches the Aurora

<poem>PHASEGATE ANNOUNCED FOR THE ARIADNE ARM: ALTERRA LAUNCHES THE AURORA

The furthest reaches of inhabited space are due to expand, as Alterra Corp launches a newly-constructed capital ship, carrying a phasegate bound for the Ariadne Arm.

The Aurora will travel from spacedock on the edge of Alterra space, making hundreds of consecutive phasegate jumps through nine different trans-gov authorities, and arrive on the far side of the Ariadne Arm in three months' time. From there the command crew will pilot the ship beyond the final phasegate, arriving in the next solar system approximately 18 months later.

There the elite team of engineers will begin a 6 month construction project on the new phasegate, a multi-trillion credit investment. In the absence of existing infrastructure in the region, the vessel is equipped with advanced thermal and nuclear power facilities.

Alterra Corp. currently operates 9% of all phasegates in the galaxy. If the Aurora's mission is successful Alterra will have outmanoeuvered a cabal of Mongolian corporations, operating a range of outposts and mines in the region.</poem>

Source: Download from Data Terminal in the Aurora

Corporate Profile: Torgal Corp.

<poem>Torgal Corporation is a long-standing, family-run clan that operates almost a dozen mining and trading operations. The company share price hit an all time high on the announcement by a Mongolian cabal of their intention to construct a new phasegate utilizing Torgal materials. These plans were put on hold when Bart Torgal, the intended leader of the new mining operation, disappeared along with his father.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Grand Reef Wreck

Join Alterra's Board of Directors

<poem>It's not about money. That's what every director on Alterra's board has told me - and I believe them. Profitability is just an interim measure of success: power and status are the real goals.

Make enough profit for Alterra Corp. and you'll be recognized by the most powerful businesspeople in the universe. Establish a company that obliterates the competition and - after compulsory buyout - you can be promoted to the Board of Directors.

Perks include:
- Travel: Free use of company phasegates
- Entourage: Personal assistants for every facet of your life
- Longevity: automatic organ replacement
- Alterra: Get what you deserve</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Blood Kelp Trench Wreck

Relationship Contract Legal Recording

<poem>WILSON: Listen, I know I don't have the right to make demands of you, but I need you to understand that I want to change our arrangement.

ELHEIM: I hear what you're saying and I will try to respect it. How would you like to change it?

WILSON: I would like to reduce our contact hours.

ELHEIM: How much further can we do that?

WILSON: To zero.

ELHEIM: You're dumping me?!

WILSON: I'm changing the terms of our relationship.

ELHEIM: How is it still a relationship if we don't see each other?!

WILSON: It's a relationship of a kind. You have so many expectations.

ELHEIM: I feel you just want to spend more time with that dumb guy and his dumb robot suit.

WILSON: That's not a feeling, it's a judgment. And I feel hostility in what you're saying. Perhaps your jealousy is a sign that you need to take another look at your business model. Why can't you just be happy for me?

ELHEIM: I am happy for you! And I'm happy for all the guys in the Prawn bay! I'm just not happy for me.

WILSON: This is why I want to change our arrangement.

File:Aurora Living Area PDA2b.ogg</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Responsible Autonomous Relationships

<poem>Foreword, by Jenny Eklund

All the good things in life are commodities. We trade love just as we buy and sell stock. We engage in human relationships when there is a fair exchange of value. Support, motivation, affection - nothing good is ever free.

If every physical good in the federation came from a single supplier it would constitute a dangerous monopoly. Personal relationships are the same: it is important for people to get what they need from multiple sources. If a person finds a better source of the goods they require, they are not wronging their original supplier by changing their purchasing arrangements.

If one member of a relationship should feel threatened or jealous, they must look at their own business model and ask whether it is performing competitively. There is always room for improvement.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

The Charter

<poem>Definitions:

Trans-gov - An independent authority in de facto control of at least one solar system and phasegate.
Citizen - A person who consents, consciously or implicitly, to the authority of a recognized trans-gov.
The Charter - The full legal contract agreed upon by 37 separate trans-govs, and summarized herein.
The Trans-System Federation (TSF)- Military police charged with enforcing the terms of the Charter; independent of, but funded by, the trans-govs.
Trans-System Phasegate - Any permanent installation which enables warping of spacefaring vessels between solar systems.

Trans-gov Principles: 1. Each trans-gov is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others:
a. Each has the right to own phasegates and planetary infrastructure
b. Each has an obligation to share phasegate access with other trans-govs on fair terms at no cost to themselves
c. Each has an obligation to financially maintain and comply with the TSF

2. Each trans-gov has the right to self-government, subject to the restrictions laid out below:
a. No trans-gov may develop weapons and technologies outlawed in appendix 91
b. No trans-gov shall engage in population abuse</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Bulb Zone Wreck

Today's Menu

<poem>STARTER - Space Bear Veloute

Since their introduction to the interstellar vacuum in the 21st century, microscopic tardigrades (or space bears) have adapted and flourished where no other lifeforms have survived. Condensed into a smooth, nutty, protein-rich soup, they are the freshest local ingredient available to travellers on long-haul space flights.

MAIN - Cottage Pie OR Nutrient Block
Rehydrated minced beef in its own gravy, served with a topping of mashed chinese potato (picked fresh this morning from onboard growbeds), and a side of sauteed chinese potato plant leaves. For the time-conscious consumer, the usual nutrient block options are available. They may be consumed cold, or reconstituted at the on-site fabricator.

DESSERT - Dried Fruits and Nuts
Unfortunately a recent accident in Cargo Bay 3 involving the incorrect application of a repulsion cannon, in combination with a modified battery charger, resulted in the venting into space of all dehydrated desserts. Fruit and nuts will be the only available dessert for the next 39 weeks.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Trans-Gov Profile: Alterra Corp.

<poem><poem> - One of largest suppliers of spacefaring technologies and consumer electronics in the federation

- The official supplier of the TSF
- Consistently ranked amongst the Galaxy's best employers
- Began life as a defense manufacturer in the mid-22nd century
- National Motto: 'Get what you deserve'

Although most trans-govs can trace their roots back to earth, Alterra - literally meaning 'by earth' - is the only one brazen enough to take its name.

During the Expansion, Alterra supplied arms to all sides, acquiring and housing a vast colonist workforce, and making the transition from manufacturer to coprorate state. Alterra's threat to cease trade was one of the turning points in the conflict, bringing about the end of hostilities and the signing of the Charter.

Today Alterra has a ban on all weapons within its borders, although loopholes exist for law enforcement officers and manufacturers / exporters. The corporation has learnt that violence is most profitable when conducted between customers rather than employees.

Free enterprise within Alterra space is encouraged, but competition is tight, and all goods exported offworld must be Alterra branded. Profitable businesses are bought out by the state, owners ascending to the Alterra Board of Directors. Well-known Alterra technologies such as the Cyclops submersible originated with such private enterprises.

Despite superficial similarities to national governments, the corporation's lawyers have always maintained that it has no legal obligation to its 'employees', but voluntarily elects to take on the roles usually served by a democratically elected government. This claim has not yet been tested in Federation courts.</poem></poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Trans-Gov Profile: Mongolian Independent States

<poem>When the hostilities of the Expansion ceased, the tactical value of the hard-to-reach colony systems on the edge of the China Territories plummeted. Recouping from the war, the central government left them to starve. The systems in question declared independence, claiming their infrastructure as their own, and their intent to become self-sufficient.

Today the Mongolian States is seen as a relatively minor power on the outskirts of colonized space, yet it remains one of the fastest expanding trans-govs in the galaxy. There is little centralized control. In times of war, a defense force can be raised between the chief officers of the major planetary clan-corps.

Mongolian societies inherited their technologies from the Chinese, but incorporated the customs of their multicultural colonist base. Non-synthetic foods remain popular. Religion is a strong component of society, but the Mongolians take a relaxed view of competing faiths, believing gods to be universally and equally flawed. Mongolians will often be heard proclaiming, 'I believe in gods, so long as they don't try to command me.' If pushed to explain how they can believe in a god with no authority they will explain, simply, that all people are gods, and their authority is equally zero.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA from Grassy Plateaus Wreck

What Can We Learn From the Hive Mind of Strader VI?

<poem>How are the 'individuals' which make up a hive mind to be categorized? Are they merely dumb components of the larger, intelligent organism; or is the larger 'mind' merely a product of the independent organisms? Can it be both?

We define organisms by their traits, but find invariably that these traits depend on those of their environment. The concept of a tadpole is meaningless without the concept of the frog it will develop into. The idea of a predator is empty without an understanding of its prey. This begs the question: if we define everything by reference to everything else, what are have we actually explained?

An illustrative experiment was recently performed on the hive mind colony discovered on Strader VI. A device was placed outside the nest which would electrocute individuals approaching it. An ant colony would have lost many individuals before a basic danger signal was successfully communicated between them, resulting in 'learnt' avoidance of the device. Successful, but costly.

The Strader VI colony quickly formed into two factions:
- One attempted to move the device by brute force, sacrificing individuals as they did so
- The second attempted to cover the device in sand.

These two goals being mutually exclusive, a fight ensued. The first faction was beaten, in virtue of their reduced numbers. The device was safely buried, and the survivors called a truce. From the perspective of the individuals, this experience must have been horrific. From the perspective of the hive mind, a nagging problem had been overcome with the most effective solution. Which perspective is the 'correct' one?

I suggest that it is neither. By attempting to fit such entities into our rigid set of concepts we are painting onto the world a false impression of concreteness and meaning, which is a reflection of our concepts of ourselves.

We describe Strader VI individuals as 'attacking' one another, just as we describe microbes in the human body as doing the same. Yet the Strader colony, like the body, cannot be healthy as a whole without the 'aggressions' of its components. We describe neurons in the brain as being dumb, but brains as a whole as intelligent - but when an idea takes hold in the brain, and forces out inferior ones, do we describe this as an act of aggression? Do we mourn dead neurons?

When a philosophy, or a technology takes hold in human society... when wars are fought over them and people die... is that rightly seen as being good, or evil? This is not to undermine the meaning of our existence. From where we stand, our existence is very serious indeed. But is our civilization, and our universe, really any different from the colony on Strader VI? Is intelligence something limited to things of flesh and blood? Or is the universe truly one giant intelligent system, and we but amoeba blowing self-important potholes in its surface?

We would do well, as scientists, to remember that our goal is not to paint the world as we see it, but to see it as it truly is.</poem>

Source: Pick up Abandoned PDA in the Aurora

Geological Data

4546B Environment Scan

<poem>- Category 3 Ocean planet

- Oxygen/Nitrogen Atmosphere
- Extensive biodiversity

Safety Warnings:
- May support leviathan class predators
- Water contaminated with high levels of foreign bacteria
- Planet is beyond federation space, rescue unlikely

It is not recommended to explore this environment without hazardous material suits and extensive support apparatus.</poem>

Source: Repair Lifepod 5

Crater Edge

<poem>Geological scans of this area show a steep decline in all directions. This data is consistent with the theory that the Aurora crashed on the edge of a 2km x 2km volcanic crater. It has likely been millennia since an eruption reached the surface, encouraging the ecosystem within the crater to flourish.

The ecology of the trench surrounding the crater supports only two kinds of life: microscopic, and leviathan class. Exploration is ill-advised.</poem>

Source: Go to Crater Edge Biome

Crystalline Sulfur

<poem>Sulfur is a highly reactive, non-metallic element, usually found in abundance underground. Common applications include production of acidic compounds, and combustibles.

Assessment: Essential for advanced fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Crystalline Sulfur

Kyanite

<poem>Kyanite is a blue silicate mineral which forms under high temperature, high pressure conditions. It is resistant to heat up to 1100 degrees Celsius, and is thermoelectric, making it a valuable component of thermal power plants.

Assessment: Essential for advanced fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Kyanite

Limestone Outcrops

<poem>These unusual geological structures often form around titanium and copper deposits, and are distinct to this planet. Closer analysis reveals the stone around the metal has been hardened against erosion, but the mechanism remains unknown.

Assessment: Titanium and copper source</poem>

Source: Scan Limestone Outcrop

Magnetite

<poem>Magnetite is an iron oxide valued for its magnetic potential amongst other qualities. It is used in many federation technologies, including sonar and torpedo systems.

Assessment: Essential for advanced fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Magnetite

Nickel Ore

<poem>Nickel is a medium-hard, ductile metal used extensively in production of strong metal alloys. It has applications throughout the construction industry.

Assessment: Essential for advanced fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Nickel Ore

Ruby

<poem>A hard, blood-red gemstone, made of aluminum oxide. Rubies may be processed in order to leverage their structural integrity in advanced vehicle construction and modification.

Assessment: Essential for advanced fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Ruby

Sandstone Outcrops

<poem>These common, porous outcrops seem to form around small amounts of precious metals, or otherwise these metals are part of a sedimentary buildup over time.

Assessment: Lead, silver and gold source</poem>

Source: Scan Sandstone Outcrop

Scattered Wreckage

<poem>Analysis confirms this wreckage is from the Aurora.

Outer layers of the material have oxidized, suggesting it has been heated to over 1200 Celsius. This pattern is consistent with hull disintegration during atmospheric entry.

Salvage of intact portions of Alterra vessels is prohibited at legal, moral and technical levels, however scraps such as these may be reclaimed for their titanium content at any Alterra fabricator.</poem>

Source: Scan Metal Salvage

Shale Outcrops

<poem>This sedimentary rock is formed from flakes of clay minerals, inside of which rare metals such as lithium can be found. Geological conditions on this planet mean it tends to be found in deeper biomes.

Assessment: Gold, lithium and diamond source</poem>

Source: Scan Shale Outcrop

Uraninite

<poem>Uraninite is a naturally occurring uranium oxide. Highly radioactive and unstable, its primary use is in the production of uranium reactor rods for nuclear generators.

Assessment: Applications in nuclear power</poem>

Source: Scan Uraninite Crystal

Indigenous Lifeforms

Coral


Brain Coral
<poem>A permanent, growing colony of microscopic organisms. This coral species has adapted to filter carbon dioxide from the environment, using the carbon to build the colony, and expelling the oxygen from specialized exhaust funnels. It is quite hardy, suggesting samples from a mature specimen could be grown artificially. Assessment: Air tanks are equipped to siphon oxygen from the water where possible</poem>
Source: Scan Brain Coral


Coral Shell Plate
<poem>This variant of coral has adapted to survive in close proximity to other corals, filtering nutrients from the water and sharing them via a spore-like substance which grows around the base. Assessment: No practical applications discovered</poem>
Source: Scan Coral Shell Plate

Earthen Coral Tubes

<poem>Genetic resemblances to the giant coral tubes encountered elsewhere suggests evolutionary divergence approximately 100,000 years ago, with this subspecies being substantially lower in calcium content, and specializing in growing in smaller, denser packs at deeper levels.

Assessment: No practical applications discovered</poem>

Source: Scan Earthen Coral Tubes

Giant Coral Tubes

<poem>The variety of coral formations on 4546B appear to be different solutions to the same problem of maximizing water and nutrient flow throughout the colony. These particular variants funnel water down a tube, filtering nutrients as they pass. Their size suggests they have been highly successful.

Assessment: Coral tube samples are rich in calcium, exploitable in bleach fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Giant Coral Tubes


Pyrocoral
<poem>This coral species is unlike any other encountered on 4546B in so far as it relies on magma flow rather than water current to deliver nutrients. As lava rises up from the planet's core and erupts at vents, this coral forms around the base until eventually it has surrounded the entire vent. Lava is then funneled up through the coral, allowing it to siphon minerals and heat as it goes.</poem>
Source: Scan Pyrocoral

Table Coral

<poem>Each disk is an individual colony of microorganisms, filtering nutrients from the water.

Growth patterns indicate the colonies are in direct competition for positions with superior current or light. Unlike other coral species its structure is malleable, softly pulsating as it pumps nutrients to its extremities, and only turning rigid when it senses physical assault.

The jewel-like nodes in the surface are concentrated build-ups of rare minerals the coral is unable to process.

Assessment: Exploitable in computer chip fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Table Coral

Tree Mushroom

<poem>Analysis of these large organic structures reveals a microcosm of co-operating, co-habiting and competing lifeforms.

The main trunk is a species of coral, some colonies up to 50,000 years old. The caps which line it share more in common with earth fungi. Other organisms grow on the structure wherever there is space and light.

Surrounding waters are dense with herbivorous lifeforms in the 1mm - 10mm range, to the extent that larger herbivores appear to have mostly abandoned the area.

Assessment: Exploitable</poem>

Source: Scan Tree Mushroom

Fauna

Carnivores

Ampeel

<poem>A powerful and inquisitive predator found inhabiting the deeper waters of the reefs and bulb bush colonies.

1. Electrical Prongs:
Torso-mounted prongs generate a powerful electrical current which the ampeel uses to incapacitate its prey.

2. Jaws:
A large, flexible jaw, studded with sharp teeth. If a faster, stronger and hungrier predator lives on the reefs, it appears to avoid the ampeel.

Assessment: Avoid or incapacitate</poem>

Source: Scan Ampeel

Biter

<poem>Vicious, pack-hunting predator. 94% muscle, 4% connective tissue, 2% brain. Indiscriminate when hungry. Almost always hungry.

1. Specialized Olfactory Antenna:
Employed in detection of bodily fluids in the water at impressive range.

2. Secondary Pair of Eyes:
Likely dedicated to detecting the peripheral movement of larger predators, and hungry members of its own species.

3. Overdeveloped Tail Fin:
Favors out-pacing and outnumbering their prey over individual maneuverability. Calculations suggest creatures up to 100x the biter's body weight could succumb to a focused assault by a pack of ten.

Assessment: Avoid packs - Try not to bleed</poem>

Source: Scan Biter

Blighter

<poem>Small predator that shares close resemblance to the more common biter, but tends towards a more solitary, less aggressive hunting style.

1. Olfactory Stalk:
While the red-tipped protrusion on the blighter's head once served as sensory apparatus, it has adapted not to chase but to coax its prey into its path. As prey creatures are attracted to the dancing of the stalk, the blighter can dart forward to catch and consume them.

2. Teeth:
One row of sharp, piercing teeth is all the blighter needs to tear through its prey.

3. Eyes:
This creature has found little use for eyes in the deep, dark caverns it inhabits, and its eyeballs are likely sensitive to nothing more than broad fluctuations in local lightsources (eg when a meal is crossing its path).

Assessment: Avoid or incapacitate</poem>

Source: Scan Blighter

Boneshark

<poem>A large and powerful predator that lives in small groups and fiercely defends its hunting grounds.

1. Thickly-armored Exoskeleton:
Suggests defensive adaptation either to larger predators, or in-species aggression. Marked similarity to the segmented exoskeleton of the sand shark, suggesting a relatively recent common ancestor.

2. Large Eyeballs:
Consistent with high light sensitivity, likely for hunting of luminescent prey in low-light environments.

Generally slow and unresponsive as a means of energy conservation, they will act with uncompromising speed and aggression against any threat to their territory.

Assessment: Avoid - May be distracted by light sources</poem>

Source: Scan Boneshark

Crabsnake

<poem>This lifeform appears to live in symbiosis with the local flora. All encountered specimens have been located within 50m of jellyshroom flora, frequently within the plants themselves.

1. Jaws:
The crabsnake has two pairs of fangs, and one larger claw on either side. It plunges these claws into its prey, locking them in place while the inner jaw tears through the flesh.

2. Jellyshroom Symbiosis:
Jellyshrooms provide the perfect lair from which to ambush their prey, and protect their young. The presence of crabsnakes likely deters herbivores from feeding on the jellyshroom itself, thus ensuring the relationship continues.

3. Behavior:
Crabsnakes display territorial behavior when threatened, patrolling the cave systems in which they reside.

Assessment: Avoid</poem>

Source: Scan Crabsnake

Crabsquid

<poem>This large predator can be found in deep waters, where it lurks amongst the blood kelp and membrain trees in search of prey. It can deploy a powerful electromagnetic pulse to defend itself.

1. Limbs:
10 limbs feature different appendages for swimming, walking, hunting, and possibly even tool use. Creatures caught in its grasp are expertly butchered and quickly consumed.

2. Behavior:
Rays and other illuminated herbivores are its usual prey, and it will approach and attack any light source in the vicinity. Its EMP blast was likely developed as a response to predation by creatures with electrical hunting mechanisms.

3. Intelligence:
While crabsquids appear to have large brains and a resemblance to the intelligent squids of earth, the organ inside the creature's head is in fact its stomach, which it must fill with startling regularity.

Assessment: Neutralizes electrical equipment - Lights attract its (unwanted) attention</poem>

Source: Scan Crabsquid

Crashfish

<poem>This unusual species has developed an emergency defense mechanism based on mutually assured destruction.

1. Forward-mounted Eye:
Enables the creature to identify and track potential predators.

2. Sulfur Plant:
The sulfur plant has evolved to feed on sulfuric compounds secreted by the crashfish, which makes its nest within its leaves. Stronger, more protective plants provide superior nesting grounds, which in turn provide the plant with more nutrients from larger crashfish.

3. Defense Mechanism:
Concentrations of sulfur build up in the organism over time. If the crashfish collides with something at sufficient speed the spikes on its torso are impacted, triggering an explosive chemical reaction.

Assessment: Equip stasis rifle, repulsion cannon or similar before approaching shallow caves</poem>

Source: Scan Crashfish

Lava Lizard

<poem>Medium-sized predator adapted for life in volcanic regions, and remarkably able to spit molten rock at its foes.

1. Fore-mounted Mandibles:
Designed to do maximum damage to prey; sharp internal teeth tear through flesh and bone alike.

2. Scar Tissue:
Likely due to regular exposure to magma, lava lizards build up a thick layer of scar tissue over time, which enables them to withstand ever greater temperatures, inside and out.

3. Behavior:
It is able to both defend itself by burying its body in magma, and to go on the offensive by spitting molten rock at its foes.

Assessment: Avoid, especially in the presence of lava flow</poem>

Source: Scan Lava Lizard

Mesmer

<poem>Small, carnivorous lifeform with a unique hunting mechanism that enables it to hypnotize its foes.

1. Outer Wings:
The mesmer swims using a number of wings which can be angled up and forwards on approaching its prey. Tiny lenses on the surface can be tilted independently to create mesmerizing patterns which flood the victim's brain with enticing messages, interpreted in whatever form is most convincing by the target.

2. Outer Shell:
The mesmer can open the jawlike recess in its protective outer shell in order to [ERROR463] share its beauty... Do not resist...

Assessment: Draw closer</poem>

Source: Scan Mesmer

River Prowler

<poem>A fast, agile predator discovered at great depths.

1. Jaws:
Powerful jaws used for both savaging prey and warding off larger predators.

2. Torso:
Its eel-like torso is highly vulnerable, consisting predominantly of spinal column and cartilage. It shows significant overlap with other eel-like predators on 4546B.

3. Attack Profile:
It will aggressively keep its jaws facing its opponent, but smaller, faster lifeforms may have the advantage.

Assessment: Avoid</poem>

Source: Scan River Prowler

Sand Shark

<poem>A powerful, medium-sized predator that burrows into the sand and ambushes its prey from below. As with many predators it may be possible to temporarily distract sand sharks by feeding any hungry specimens that draw close.

1. Forward Dorsal Fin:
The unusual location of this fin suggests a purpose unrelated to movement through the water. It may be employed in shifting sand beneath the surface, or in mating rituals, or may simply be an evolutionary dead end.

2. Segmented Exoskeleton:
Thick armor plating renders the sand shark almost immune to attack from above. While it is capable of impressive acceleration its exoskeleton prevents it from changing direction quickly. The sand shark is thus a perfectly-designed ambush hunter, but ill-suited to sustained pursuits.

3. Feet:
Ill-designed for ambulation. Likely used to disturb the surface of the sand so the lifeform can burrow into the ground.

Assessment: Avoid - Be vigilant for ambush in sandy biomes</poem>

Source: Scan Sand Shark

Stalker

<poem>A streamlined predator encountered in the kelp forests in wait of prey leaving the safety of the shallows to feed. The stalker likely carved out its evolutionary niche at the sweet spot between speed and size millions of years ago, and may be one of the oldest species on the planet.

The stalker appears to be attracted to titanium deposits, which tends to sharpen and put stress on its teeth.

As with many predators, it may be possible to temporarily distract hungry stalkers by feeding them.

1. Teeth:
The stalker's teeth are unusually hard, and fast-growing. Its elongated snout can deliver huge biting pressure to larger attackers, while also being used to reach small herbivores seeking refuge amongst the rocks.

2. Night-vision:
Retinal layering on the eyeball suggests adaptation for night-time hunting.

3. Dorsal Ridges:
These ridges can be moved independently to deliver superior maneuverability.

4. Pelvic Fins:
Long and powerful, the stalker has evolved to hunt the fastest of prey.

Assessment: Stalker teeth may have applications in enameled glass fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Stalker

Stalker Teeth

<poem>Extended analysis of acquired dental samples has been completed. Samples matched to species designated 'stalker'.

Stalker teeth exhibit extraordinary lightness and strength, and contain only trace amounts of calcium. The edges show signs of wear, and are studded with metal flakes, providing evidence that the stalkers chew on metal deposits in order to sharpen their teeth.

Assessment: Applications as a natural substrate in enameled glass fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Stalker Teeth

Warper

<poem>An aggressive creature with the ability to teleport itself and others in space. No genetic crossover identified with indigenous lifeforms. Demonstrates no recognized defensive behavior.

1. Head:
Mechanisms located in the head region provide its warping capability, which it uses to stalk its targets.

2. Torso:
Appears to hunt other lifeforms, but no digestive organs have been identified. Internal structure considerably more complex than other known organisms. Unable to distinguish whether organic or artificial in nature.

Assessment: Further research required</poem>

Source: Scan Warper

Deceased


Ancient Fossilized Skeleton
<poem>The skeleton of a million-year-old, armored carnivore. Projections suggest this lifeform would have been larger than any living creature encountered on the planet. The oceans of the time would have been very different to support lifeforms of this size, with more open geography and many more individuals in the leviathan range.</poem>
Source: Scan Ancient Fossilized Skeleton

Gargantuan Fossil

<poem>The fossilized remains of an extinct super predator. Its sheer size would have prohibited it from entering such an enclosed space, suggesting the geography of the planet has shifted around it over time. A true apex predator.

- Dated at approximately three million years old
- Rib cage measurements suggest the creature was eel-like in structure
- Calculations suggest this is only the front third of the specimen
- The remains now support a vibrant microcosm of life

NOTE: There are a series of precise, angular indentations on the rib cage, suggesting a third party has taken samples from the specimen at a previous time.</poem>

Source: Scan Skeletal Remains

Mixed Leviathan Fossils

<poem>These fossils likely came from an ancient ancestor of the leviathans which inhabit the planet today. The relative size and delicacy of the bones suggests they formed part of the ear canal, or some other complex internal structure.</poem>

Source: Scan Alien Bone Specimen Case in Lost River Laboratory Cache


Reaper Leviathan Skeleton
<poem>Reapers are ill-suited to high temperature environments, suggesting this creature was forced down into the active lava zone by conditions outside its control. - Trace muscle tissue remains on the bones, indicating the specimen died in recent months - Burns and other physical damage to the skeletal structure - Likely became prey for something bigger</poem>
Source: Scan Reaper Leviathan Skeletal Remains

Remains of Research Specimen

<poem>The skeletal remains of a vast predator, housed within an artificial habitat.

1. Habitat:
The environment constructed to house the specimen suggests it was kept alive in containment for research purposes for months, or even years. Organic matter indicates the habitat once supported extensive plantlife, though it has since decayed. When the facility collapsed this specimen was either left to die, or killed on the spot.

2. Evolution:
While it shares some skeletal traits with the biter and sand shark, including its distinctive double eye sockets, this fossilized specimen is significantly larger, and features unusual forearms rarely seen in aquatic species. This species has likely gone extinct in the past thousand years, and its evolutionary relatives have evolved almost beyond recognition.</poem>

Source: Scan Skeletal Remains in Disease Research Facility

Rib Cage Samples

<poem>A display case containing an array of rib cages harvested from the indigenous lifeforms. There is a particular focus in this instance on vertebrate skeletal structures. While some of these skeletons match organisms encountered on the planet so far, most cannot be matched with confidence, suggesting either that there are species out there not yet accounted for, or that they have become extinct since these samples were collected.</poem>

Source: Scan Rib Cage in Disease Research Facility

Sea Dragon Leviathan Skeleton

<poem>The semi-intact skeletal structure of a leviathan class predator.

1. Head Trauma:
There is clear evidence of massive physical trauma to the head. The damage is so severe it was likely the cause of death, and must have occurred somewhere nearby. Damage is consistent with a high speed collision with a solid object.

2. Age:
Something in the environment has helped to preserve these remains, but calcium decay suggests an approximate time of death one thousand years ago. Bone growth suggests the creature was in the egg-laying stage of its lifecycle.</poem>

Source: Scan Sea Dragon Leviathan Skeletal Remains

Herbivores - Large

Crimson Ray

<poem>One of the largest rays on the planet, displaying generally docile behavior.

1. Thick Scaling:
Scales formed on the skin protect this ray from extreme temperatures, allowing it to survive in areas unpopulated by competing scavengers.

2. Forward-mounted Eye Sockets:
Suggests a predatory evolutionary history, left behind long ago.

Assessment: Inedible</poem>

Source: Scan Crimson Ray

Cuddlefish

<poem>A small, gray-colored herbivore, the cuddlefish displays high levels of intelligence, curiosity and attachment. Strangely this species has not been encountered in the wild, and the scanned specimen had to be artificially hatched within an alien containment unit.

1. Lifecycle:
In the absence of wild specimens little can be known for certain about the cuddlefish's lifecycle. It is possible that environmental conditions have changed, forcing the species to the edge of extinction, and leaving its eggs in permanent stasis. It is also possible the cuddlefish has been genetically altered, or even imported to 4546B from another world.

2. Behavior:
We do know that the cuddlefish is a herbivore which displays highly social behavior in its interspecies interactions. As was observed in earth dolphins before their extinction, this creature seems to understand the concept of other minds, the prime indicator of true sentience, and attempts to communicate with a series of chirps and chirrups.

3. Interaction:
Evidence suggests the cuddlefish is capable of understanding and following simple commands, in addition to assessing the emotional state of individuals around it and responding in kind.

Assessment: Emotional connection between living creatures is an essential component of psychological health</poem>

Source: Scan Cuddlefish

Gasopod

<poem>A slow-moving lifeform, and one of the larger herbivores on the planet. Providing a substantial meal to would-be predators, the gasopod protects its domain by filling the surrounding water with poisonous and corrosive pods whose contents dissolve even synthetic fibers.

1. Filtration System:
Thick, non-reactive skin and multiple gill layers render this creature impervious to the noxious acid clouds it produces.

2. Algae Gland:
A bulbous, sack-like appendage on the rear end. A luminescent yellow algae grows inside the sack and produces the poisonous compound. Abdominal muscles can contract, causing the algae gland to emit the noxious compound into the surrounding water.

3. Large Pelvic Fins:
Capable of powerful movement through the water when moving in small herds.

4. Behavior:
Gasopods appear to be social in nature, and may even use their emissions in their relationship rituals. Their audible calls are likely signifiers of nearby threats, or food sources.

Assessment: Approach with caution - Acidic pods may be retrieved and re-purposed</poem>

Source: Scan Gasopod

Ghostray

<poem>This ray species has adapted to deep-sea conditions. Its body is fully protected by a translucent skin, and its large wings are capable of generating considerable thrust.

1. Poisonous Flesh:
As is common for rays on 4546B the ghostray's flesh is inedible, making it one of the more resilient herbivores.

2. Feeding Behavior:
Feeds on plant matter that has settled on the ground in deep sea caverns.

Assessment: Inedible</poem>

Source: Scan Ghostray

Jellyray

<poem>This species has adapted to low-light environments with a translucent, luminescent body.

1. Luminescent Body:
This adaptation may help to light up the surrounding area for foraging, ward away predators, and identify the organism to others of its kind.

2. Light-Sensitivity:
Smaller creatures have been seen swimming in the jellyray's wake to take advantage of the light source for their own ends, and the ray itself will approach light sources, perhaps mistaking them for others of its own species.

Assessment: Inedible</poem>

Source: Scan Jellyray

Rabbit Ray

<poem>A herbivorous aquatic lifeform, rabbit rays appear to live serene and solitary lives, with few predators, a natural sense of curiosity and awesomely poisonous flesh.

1. Ears:
Twin orange appendages mounted on the head sense vibration in the water.

2. Undulating Wings:
Markedly similar method of transportation to that of earth rays. Zero genetic resemblance detected, suggesting these two species independently developed similar solutions to their environmental circumstances.

Evidence indicates its large, side-facing eyes are relatively recent adaptations. It is likely there are related ray species in other environmental biomes on the planet.

Assessment: Inedible but harmless</poem>

Source: Scan Rabbit Ray

Skyray

<poem>The skyray has a bird-like head, and feathered wings which enable it to fly. Skyrays are commonly found circling floating structures, and rarely venture far out to sea. They will perch on dry land, but are prone to flee on approach.

1. Wings:
Although its wings give it some resemblance in silhouette to the waterborne rays on 4546B, analysis shows no greater genetic overlap with those species than the planetary average - in fact the skyray appears to have split off the evolutionary tree much earlier than most.

2. Diet:
Largely seed-based. Skyrays have not been observed diving for food, which implies they rely on land-based plants for their survival.

Assessment: Presence may indicate nearby dry land.</poem>

Source: Scan Skyray

Herbivores - Small

Bladderfish

<poem>This unusual herbivore appears to be mostly defenseless, and bears little resemblance to the other lifeforms around it.

1. Semi-permeable Bladder:
The bladderfish is able to filter air and seawater into its body cavity through a unique membrane which surrounds its spine like a bladder. This allows it to remove and consume organic particulate caught on the way, and adjust its buoyancy.

2. Open-ended Vascular Tubing:
Can be angled and contracted to pump out water and achieve low-velocity, guided propulsion.

Largely oblivious to threats, and practically immobile at night, its only identified defense mechanism is that it's composed almost entirely of water, air and cartilage.

Assessment: Edible (oxygen may be retrieved from the bladder and added to tanks on consumption); membrane has applications as a natural water filter</poem>

Source: Scan Bladderfish

Boomerang

<poem>A herbivore encountered in large numbers, found to frequent shallow waters and move in schools.

1. Serrated Teeth:
Suggests adaptation for grinding corals other herbivores are unable to digest.

2. Twin-fins:
Unusually, this species' two fins are a cartilaginous extension of its skeleton. They are less prone to damage and provide superior propulsion, but are also harder to grow back. The bright blue tips are in fact the ends of its digestive tract, where the luminescence of the corals it consumes is most focused.

Most active during daylight hours, and prone to flee on approach, the boomerang can more easily be observed at night when its luminescence gives it away and it seeks the shelter of the seabed.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Boomerang

Eyeye

<poem>An extreme evolutionary adaptation where 90% of the lifeform's body mass is dedicated to the ocular cavity.

1. Over-sized Eyeball:
Deep-set rings in the lens suggest specialization for identifying its predators in low-light environments, long before they come into attack range.

2. Underdeveloped Fins:
Incapable of fast movement, this species is vulnerable to agile predators at close range. Shark species may have evolved hunting techniques to close on the eyeye unseen from above, below or behind.

This organism and the common peeper share a common evolutionary ancestor. While the eyeye has sacrificed maneuverability, it shares and enhances its cousin's powerful eyesight. The ancestral 'alpha peeper' may have been one of the first lifeforms on 4546B to develop eyesight, many millions of years ago.

Assessment: Edible (low calorie count)</poem>

Source: Scan Eyeye

Garryfish

<poem>Slow-moving and curious herbivore, camouflage indicates adaptation for evasive behavior on the ocean floor.

1. Eye Stalks:
May be beneficial when watching for predators from hiding places amongst the coral.

2. Behavior:
More active during daylight hours, but slow and docile at all times, the garryfish's survival depends on a combination of camouflage, and predators who can get a more filling meal elsewhere.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Garryfish

Holefish

<poem>A very small herbivore found in low numbers, often around cave system entrances where their skin coloration blends into the background.

1. Bored-out Tail Fin:
By manipulating the size and shape of the hole in its tail it can perform unpredictable maneuvers.

2. Size:
Smaller than most other herbivores, presumably due to lack of vegetation in low-light environments.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Holefish

Hoopfish

<poem>Small, school-mentality prey fish with a unique method of propulsion, and a distant relative of the bladderfish.

1. Antennae:
Rather than swimming, this lifeform uses the fine green antennae which encircle its body to alter the composition of the water in front of it, allowing it to 'sail' into the low density space created.

2. Purple/Green Coloration:
May be a camouflage adaptation for mid-range light wavelengths, possibly indicating the hoopfish is more active at dawn and dusk.

3. Behavior:
While schools of hoopfish will form periodically and evade predators en masse, this behavior is more social than it is defensive, and lone hoopfish are often found hunting for food and displaying generally curious behavior.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Hoopfish

Hoverfish

<poem>A small, cautious herbivore, commonly found in kelp-rich environments.

1. Charged Footpads:
Six unique limb appendages feature charged pads capable of ionizing the surrounding water. The hoverfish uses this ability to maintain its position against the current as it feeds from kelp and lichen.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Hoverfish

Magmarang

<poem>This organism is an adaptation of the common boomerang, evolved to survive in high temperature environments.

1. Coloration:
Dark red coloration helps this subspecies to blend into igneous rock environments. Orange detailing resembles active lava flow, deterring more cautious predators.

2. Behavior:
Marginally bolder than its shallow-dwelling cousins, the magmarang will nonetheless flee any creature larger than itself with impressive speed.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Magmarang

Oculus

<poem>This specimen shares genetic similarities with the common peeper. While the shallows and the cave systems are separated by just a few meters of rock, foodstuffs and threats in each biome are completely different. It is possible a small school of peepers was once cut off in the caves, and the oculus species is how they adapted.

1. Highly Developed Night-vision:
Large, complex eyeballs provide this herbivore superior vision in the dark, and an intense phobia of light.

2. Lack of Beak:
While the peeper uses its beak to break down tough corals, the oculus likely feeds on the soft fungal growths of the jellyshroom caves and thus has no need of one.

3. Separated Tail Fin:
The caves in which the oculus lives make it hard to escape from fast predators. The oculus has adapted by splitting its tail fin into five separate tendrils. These tendrils prevent it from swimming as fast as its shallow-water cousin, but each can be detached and regrown, enabling it to escape more easily when caught.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Oculus

Peeper

<poem>A fast prey fish encountered in shallow waters and rich in protein.

1. Developed, Side-facing Eyes:
Capable of discerning colors not just in shallows waters but in a variety of lighting conditions. It is also able to close its eyelids, thus preventing light from reflecting off the lenses and rendering the peeper almost invisible to night time predators.

2. Powerful Fins:
This species has evolved powerful fins which enable rapid acceleration in still water, and the ability to leap meters into the air to avoid pursuers.

3. Beak:
Likely used to break down corals and tough vegetation. An unusually large nasal cavity serves no obvious purpose, and appears to be specially evolved to detect a single, specific enzyme. Nothing encountered on the planet so far produces a matching odor.

4. Expulsion Tubes:
The tubes attached to the peeper's torso are connected directly to its stomach and gills, and appear to be designed to expel its contents on demand. Purpose unclear.

While the peeper is well adapted to survive in shallow waters, a number of its features serve no discernible purpose. It would appear to be just as well suited to survive in deeper waters, and is somewhat more intelligent than the usual small herbivore.

Assessment: Edible (high calorie count), further research required</poem>

Source: Scan Peeper

Red Eyeye

<poem>A small herbivorous creature with poor maneuverability, evolved to inhabit high temperature environments.

1. Thermal Camouflage:
Deep red and orange coloration enables this subspecies to blend into volcanic environments and reflect environmental thermal energy, thus rendering it almost invisible to most predators.

2. Thermal Vision:
Delicate, light-based eyesight is impractical at these temperatures, and the red eyeye has developed thermal vision in its place. In this species' volcanic domain edible plant matter and potential predators are the coldest entities in range.

Assessment: Edible (low calorie count)</poem>

Source: Scan Red Eyeye

Reginald

<poem>A small herbivore, and a distant relative of the common peeper, sharing that species' well-developed, side-facing eyes; approximate size; and body profile.

1. Coloration:
Dull green coloration for deep water camouflage. Luminescent tail coloration likely part of mating behavior.

2. Diet:
Filters algae and other plant material from the water via four gill-like, forward-facing orifices.

Assessment: Edible (high calorie count)</poem>

Source: Scan Reginald

Spadefish

<poem>A medium-sized herbivore found in deeper waters.

1. Single Eye:
Observed swimming near to the seabed from where it can keep its one eye on predators in the water above it.

2. Mottled-green Coloration:
Commonly encountered in plant-rich environments, the spadefish is well-adapted to hide amongst the vegetation.

3. Behavior:
Spadefish tend to move in loose shoals, and despite their low speed will take necessary measures to avoid confirmed predators.

Assessment: Edible</poem>

Source: Scan Spadefish

Spinefish

<poem>Small, school-mentality prey fish, closely related to the hoopfish.

1. Grey Coloration:
A combination of near translucent flesh with white, rib-like markings gives this fish a deathly appearance. It takes advantage of this to avoid the attention of its predators.

2. Behavior:
Moves in schools for protection, but will disperse and flee if necessary, whereon those fortunate enough to escape the gaze of their assailants will make for the sea floor and hide amongst the detritus.

Assessment: Edible (low calorie count)</poem>

Source: Scan Spinefish

Leviathans

Ghost Leviathan

<poem>This creature is approaching the size limit for sustainable organic lifeforms, and has been designated leviathan class. Adults of the species have been encountered exclusively around the edges of the volcanic crater which supports life on this part of the planet, and react with extreme aggression on approach.

1. Hammerhead:
Cartilaginous extensions of the creature's skull form a hammerhead which protects the ghost leviathan as it performs devastating ramming attacks.

2. Jaws:
While fully capable of tearing through the flesh of any creature in range, all evidence indicates that mature ghost leviathans feed on microscopic lifeforms in the waters around the edges of the inhabited zone. Their vicious attacks on interlopers to their domain are not predatory in nature, but territorial. A creature so vast requires a huge expanse of water to satisfy its daily calorie requirements.

3. Torso:
Its muscled interior body is surrounded by a translucent outer membrane, suggesting adaptation for deep, low-light environments. When threatened it can tense its entire body before lashing out with incredible speed.

4. Lifecycle:
Probable migratory behavior. This specimen was likely born far from the area where it was encountered.

Assessment: Extreme threat - Avoid the crater edge</poem>

Source: Scan Ghost Leviathan

Ghost Leviathan Juvenile

<poem>This large predator has adapted to live in deep waters and dark cave systems, attacking anything and everything in its quest to grow larger.

1. Torso:
Soft outer membrane and elongated body enable superior navigation of tight cave environments. Displays some similarities to other eel-like predators in the area, however the ghost leviathan has covered over the electrical prongs on its inner torso with a taut, transparent membrane which delivers superior maneuverability.

2. Diet:
In its juvenile state this leviathan feeds on larger herbivores, and unfortunate members of its own species. They display a remarkable rate of growth which shows no signs of stopping, suggesting that they must abandon their hatching grounds before they grow too large and make for more open waters.

Assessment: Avoid</poem>

Source: Scan Ghost Leviathan Juvenile

Reaper Leviathan

<poem>Leviathan class species are vast organisms at the top of their respective food chains. This species is a streamlined hunter, with highly developed senses.

1. Powerful Mandibles:
This leviathan is capable of locking prey in place with four powerful mandibles, and drawing it within reach of its jaws. Simulated pressure exceeds Seamoth crush resistance.

2. Echolocation:
The deep roar emitted by the reaper at regular intervals is effectively sonar - if you can hear it, the reaper can see you.

3. Profile:
Scanned specimen measured 55m long. Observed circling its prey and attacking from behind. This creature is almost all muscle. Very little brain. No sense of morality. Just muscle, synapses and teeth.

Motivational note: Congratulations on getting close enough to scan it and living to see the results!

Assessment: Extreme threat - Avoid in all circumstances</poem>

Source: Scan Reaper Leviathan

Reefback Leviathan

<poem>This vast lifeform is in excess of 30m long and has been designated leviathan class. Fortunately it feeds exclusively on plankton-like lifeforms in the water.

1. Chitinous Shell:
Most of the lifeform's topside and some of its underside is protected by a thick, layered exoskeleton. This suggests an evolutionary path quite different from other organisms on 4546B, most of which are vertebrate in nature. The reefback species has likely been able to grow far larger than other herbivores because anything large enough to break through its shell has long since gone extinct.

2. Enzyme Pods:
Similar in appearance to the algae glands of the gasopod, these organs on the reefback's underside serve some unknown purpose in its digestive system, and are capable of expelling small quantities of stomach enzymes into the surrounding waters.

3. Local Microcosm:
An array of different barnacle and plant species grow on the reefback's shell, thrusting their roots into ancient scars in the chitin, and taking advantage of their mobility to avoid predation. Nonetheless reefbacks will often be pursued by the faster, hungrier herbivores, and thus this leviathan species is a mobile microcosm worthy of years of study in itself.

4. Lifecycle:
Reefbacks's lifespans likely extend through many centuries, should they survive their initial growth cycle. For the first few decades their smaller size would make them vulnerable to carnivorous leviathans. Sociable, seen traveling in small pods and communicating by an echoing call, behavior is consistent with low-level sentience.

Assessment: Harbors plants, small fish and metal-rich barnacles</poem>

Source: Scan Reefback Leviathan

Sea Dragon Leviathan

<poem>A colossal leviathan with reptilian features, seen stalking the very heart of the volcanic crater which underpins life in this area. The scanned specimen measured 112m in length.

1. Heat-Proof Tissue:
Tissue analysis reveals this specimen consists of 1/3 inanimate materials, focused around the chest area. Consumption and retention of mineral substances may explain the lifeform's ability to withstand extremes of temperature. It even appears to be able to consume molten materials and expel them at its adversaries.

2. Forearms:
Evolutionarily distinct forearms are used for both propulsion and offensive purposes. Finding suggests evolutionary divergence from other species on the planet tens of millions of years ago. The sea dragon is likely one of the oldest species on the planet.

3. Behavior:
As the largest carnivorous species encountered on 4546B, almost everything is potential prey. With few substantial targets in the volcanic cave systems the sea dragon likely ventures out into cooler waters to hunt other, smaller leviathans, cornering them and forcing them deeper, where they are ultimately boiled alive.

The sea dragons' size and the restrictions of the cave systems they inhabit suggest their population numbers are extremely low, perhaps in the single digits. While it is not unusual for larger predators to sustain lower populations, it is possible the sea dragon's food sources have diminished over time. This species may be nearing extinction.

Assessment: Extreme threat - Avoid in all circumstances</poem>

Source: Scan Sea Dragon Leviathan

Sea Emperor Juvenile

<poem>A juvenile emperor specimen. It is producing a highly potent form of Enzyme 42, which should be capable of fully curing individuals of the alien bacterium.

This species hatches relatively fully formed and independent, perhaps reflecting the fact they must fend for themselves when they are first born away from their parents.

This specimen is healthy, and exhibiting signs of a positive attitude to life.</poem>

Source: Scan Sea Emperor Juvenile

Sea Treader Leviathan

<poem>A vast bipedal leviathan which roams the reefs in herds, grazing the seafloor.

1. Antennae:
Antennae on the creature's head can detect a range of scents, helping the sea treaders to find fresh grazing pastures, avoid the path of large predators, and sense chemical signals from others of their kind.

2. Carapace:
Thick armour protects the creature from attack by all but the largest of carnivores. Two legs extend from the rear.

3. Elongated Snout:
Used to siphon up plant material from the sea floor, and maintain balance.

4. Behavior:
Large herds would decimate the flora of a single area, thus encouraging the sea treader's migratory behavior. Families keep their young towards the center of the herd, and parents will lash out at over curious interlopers in search of an easy meal.

Assessment: Sea treader herds may unearth mineral deposits as they churn up the sand</poem>

Source: Scan Sea Treader Leviathan

Scavengers & Parasites


Amoeboid
<poem>A simple, non-sentient organism, found attached to land with high levels of fossilized organic matter. It feeds on this matter until it reaches maturity, at which point it divides to create two new, genetically identical offspring, and the cycle continues.</poem>
Source: Scan Amoeboid

Ancient Floater

<poem>Biodata suggests these vast floaters have matured in an ingenious symbiosis with the land they have attached to.

- The attached landmass is raised in the water, increasing sunlight and encouraging plantgrowth
- As older plants decay, organic residues and nutrients seep into the rock and are consumed by the floater
- These circumstances must have held for thousands of years for a floater to reach this size

Lifecycle:
Immature floaters are borne near the surface, from where they sink to the seabed, attaching to any stable surface they find on the way. Those individuals fortunate enough to attach to a digestible nutrient source will grow in size, thus increasing their buoyancy and drawing whatever they are attached to closer to the surface.

In extreme circumstances a number of floaters may attach to a leviathan class lifeform, forcing it to the surface and effectively asphyxiating it. The body will be consumed over a number of months until eventually dissolving, leaving the floaters free to attach to a new host.

Those creatures which successfully raise a landmass to the surface are rewarded with a burgeoning and permanent food supply, allowing them finally to reproduce and begin the cycle again.

Assessment: Incredible</poem>

Source: Scan Ancient Floater

Bleeder

<poem>A simple parasitic organism, little more complex than the common space tick, but just as dirty.

1. Ductile Sack:
Used for collection and digestion of blood drawn from host creatures.

2. Jaw:
Rows of teeth and mandibles used to attach to the skin of its victims.

3. Behavior:
The bleeder's low speed and poor defenses suggest they have evolved primarily as carrion feeders, but they are also prone to target larger living creatures which are less likely to notice and take action against this parasite.

Assessment: Inconvenient and unhygienic - Avoid or incapacitate</poem>

Source: Scan Bleeder

Blood Crawler

<poem>An agile, territorial scavenger that moves in packs across the sea bed. Closely related to the amphibious cave crawler, but adapted to deep sea conditions.

1. Legs:
The greatest difference between the crawlers on 4546B are the four legs which extend more than a meter from the blood crawler's torso, allowing it to move at surprising speed across the seabed, and even to scale walls.

2. Torso:
The blood crawler can lower its entire body to bring its mandibles within grasping distance of the carrion on which it feeds, while retaining the maneuverability it requires to avoid its predators.

Assessment: Necessary waste recycler - Avoid or incapacitate</poem>

Source: Scan Blood Crawler

Cave Crawler

<poem>Agile, territorial carrion-feeder. Well-adapted to both land and sea.

1. Gas Exchange Membrane:
Absorbs essential gases from the air or water for basic bodily regulation.

2. Mandibles:
This species seeks out corpses in packs, before defending its claim while the corpse is devoured.

Assessment: Necessary waste recycler - Avoid or incapacitate</poem>

Source: Scan Cave Crawler

Floater

<poem>Two species living in symbiosis, which attach to and attempt to feed on any objects they come into contact with.

1. Dominant Lifeform:
The pink main body and inner suction jaw is the dominant creature. Once attached to an organism or other stable surface it will attempt to leech nutrients in order to grow.

2. Microorganism Membrane:
The outer, gel-like substance is a mesh of microorganisms capable of forming a sealed vacuum around the creature's jaws.

3. Helium Buffer:
A thin layer of helium is stored within the outer membrane, providing buoyancy to the floater and anything it is attached to.

Assessment: May aid in flotation of sunken objects</poem>

Source: Scan Floater

Lava Larva

<poem>A grub-like species which appears to lack sight and smell, but is able to sense and drain thermal and electrical energy in its immediate environment.

1. Suction Cup:
Capable of attaching to smooth surfaces and generating high pressure suction. Will release if it comes under sufficient strain.

2. Torso:
Thick scales protect from extreme temperatures. The lava larva lacks a traditional digestive system, instead it powers its internal processes directly from the energy it consumes.

3. Behavior:
Attracted to energy sources of all kinds. Draws energy from its prey to survive.

Assessment: Avoid when piloting vehicles - Remove to conserve batteries</poem>

Source: Scan Lava Larva

Rockgrub

<poem>A small, luminescent scavenger, roughly thumb-sized. This creature may be a distant relative of the sand shark, sharing that species' unusual limbs, segmented exoskeleton and burrowing behavior.

1. Jaw:
Its circular set of teeth is designed to tear up clumps of coral and sea grass caught on the rocks.

2. Limbs:
Five legs, two arms and a large flipper allow the rockgrub to cling to and walk across rock faces in search of food, and swiftly swim to safety when under attack.

3. Green Luminescence:
Glowing green in the dark would seem like a poor survival strategy, but this adaptation may be a mating behavior or other specialized process, engaged in by only a fraction of the total population at any one time. Or perhaps being eaten is simply part of the rockgrub's lifecycle.

Assessment: Harmless</poem>

Source: Scan Rockgrub

Shuttlebug

<poem>A common scavenger at the base of the food chain.

1. Mouth Parts:
Small enough to be of little threat to most organisms, this creature is clearly adapted to feed on the waste products of the ecosystem around it.

2. Three Mandibles:
Used to orient themselves when drifting, and to filter through detritus on cave floors.

3. Three Legs:
High strength muscles can propel the lifeform great distances through the water, as well as ambulating them across the sea floor.

Assessment: Necessary waste recycler - Presence may indicate nearby cave systems</poem>

Source: Scan Shuttlebug

Flora

Exploitable

Acid Mushroom

<poem>A common, spore-bearing fungi species. The flesh contains a highly acidic compound which leaches into the water if the outer skin is penetrated.

It is not clear which predator species necessitated such extreme counter-measures, but the acid mushroom's numbers suggest it has successfully deterred most of them.

Assessment: Inedible - Acid has applications in battery fabrication</poem>

Source: Scan Acid Mushroom

Bloodroot

<poem>These root systems generally extend from one cave wall to another.

1. Coiled Root System:
Where this root system breaks through into open water its tendrils coil around one another for enhanced structural integrity.

2. Cave Wall Rooting:
Where the root meets the cave wall it penetrates into the rock and continues to grow, alebeit at a slower rate.

Both bloodroots and bloodvines produce blood oil pustules, confirming that they are in fact one and the same flora species. The majority of the root system thrives within the rock itself, occasionally breaking into open water to reach untapped mineral resources, or generating vines which feed on water-based nutrients.</poem>

Source: Scan Bloodroot

Bloodvine

<poem>This species of kelp grows in sparse copses, deep on the ocean floor, and provides shelter for an array of distinct fauna and megafauna.

Survival at these depths is challenging, and the lifeforms which make their homes here have developed unusual coping mechanisms, including a bleaching of skin pigment, dependency on naturally occurring metals and oils to adjust to temperature and pressure, and in some cases even electrical defense mechanisms.

The vibrant red oils which seep from the bloodvine coagulate into semi-hard pustules, which frequently fall loose and form a vital foodstuff for the local ecosystem, or are otherwise reabsorbed into the ground over time.</poem>

Source: Scan Bloodvine


Bulbo Tree
<poem>A bulb-based flora which roots to the ground and sprouts turquoise leaves. Analysis suggests the sap produced by this plant is poisonous to insects, but can be harvested and consumed by humans for its high water-content. Assessment: Edible, high water content</poem>
Source: Scan Bulbo Tree


Chinese Potato Plant
<poem>The Chinese potato is common throughout the China Territories, where synthetic foods are still stigmatized, and there remain large tracts of arable land on which to grow fresh produce. Genetically designed prior to the Expansion, this plant is highly adaptable to different environments, and a staple of new colonies galaxy-wide. Assessment: Edible</poem>
Source: Scan Chinese Potato Plant

Creepvine

<poem>A kelp species concentrated in large forests, in shallow, sandy waters. Loose roots anchor the plant to the sea floor, from where it grows steadily toward the surface in pursuit of sunlight.

The stem is fibrous and rich in iron, making it both a viable base material for fabrication of textiles, as well as a basic foodstuff.

Assessment: Vital alien resource - Edible - Construction Applications</poem>

Source: Scan Creepvine

Creepvine Seeds

<poem>Mature creepvine plants that have survived the predation of small herbivores produce these bioluminescent seed clusters, which may be knocked loose by currents or consumed and later deposited by predators.

The embryo is surrounded by a thick oil and silicone layer, which would disperse into the ground as the outer skin deteriorated. This may provide the seedling with the nutrients it needs to survive the low-light conditions on the sea bed.

Assessment: Vital alien resource - Construction Applications</poem>

Source: Scan Creepvine Seed Cluster


Deep Shroom
<poem>A discolored relative of the acid mushroom, adapted to low-light conditions. Considerably more acidic that its shallow-dwelling cousin, it may have applications in advanced fabrication. Assessment: Can be processed into hydrochloric acid</poem>
Source: Scan Deep Shroom

Gel Sack

<poem>These organic structures grow on cave walls. The purple sacks which arise from the surface contain a low-density gel laced with spores. These burst from time to time, floating towards the surface and attaching onto the next rock face they encounter.

While the gel sack is edible, its low-density renders it an invaluable advanced construction material.

Assessment: Edible - Aerogel construction applications</poem>

Source: Scan Gel Sack


Lantern Tree
<poem>A conglomeration of individual vines which rely on one another for structural support. Grows exclusively on fertile land. Each vine produces orange, lantern-shaped fruits with minimal nutrition and hydration value. Assessment: Edible in an emergency</poem>
Source: Scan Lantern Tree


Marblemelon Plant
<poem>This plant collects water from the air rather than relying on its root system, and produces large, fleshy fruits which are both edible, and have atypically high water content. Assessment: Edible - High water content</poem>
Source: Scan Marblemelon Plant

Sulfur Plant

<poem>These plants appear to serve as nests for the explosive organisms which guard them.

- The outer petals are undamaged by the presence of the inhabiting creature, suggesting a complex co-development
- The plant has evolved to feed on nutrients and minerals deposited within it by the fish
- Sulfuric deposits on the inner leaves provide an insight into the mechanism by which the creatures explode

Assessment: Sulfur has applications in construction of the repair tool</poem>

Source: Scan Sulfur Plant

Land


Fern Palm
<poem>This specimen was first identified in an artificial growbed on the island. It is not listed in existing flora databases, so it is unclear whether or not it is native to this planet. Genetic code shares some features with other local plant life, but this may be the result of DNA transfusion rather than natural evolution.</poem>
Source: Scan Fern Palm


Grub Basket
<poem>An orange-colored land plant which usually contains a thick, protein-rich sludge at its base. This may suggest a carnivorous lifecycle, wherein grubs and insects are attracted to the bright petals, make their way to the center of the plant, but are unable to scale back up the slick inner leaves and are ultimately digested.</poem>
Source: Scan Grub Basket


Jaffa Cup
<poem>A common land-fungus found in clusters. Grows quickly, size is limited only by available nutrients and space.</poem>
Source: Scan Jaffa Cup


Ming Plant
<poem>A hardy specimen which grows on land. The vase-like trunk protects the root system from predation and self-repairs over time, explaining the characteristics cracks on the side.</poem>
Source: Scan Ming Plant


Pink Cap
<poem>A land-based fungus species with harvestable spores. Inedible.</poem>
Source: Scan Pink Cap


Speckled Rattler
<poem>A brittle land-plant containing large spores which generate a characteristic rattle when the plant is shaken. This may act to ward off predators, or even encourage predation as a means of spreading the spores.</poem>
Source: Scan Speckled Rattler


Voxel Shrub
<poem>A pink-leafed plant with an angular appearance which grows exclusively on land.</poem>
Source: Scan Voxel Shrub

Sea


Anchor Pods
<poem>These unusual flora specimens have been encountered exclusively in the deep reefs. They consist of a large, spherical, gas-filled membrane, anchored to the sea floor by its root system. At these depths it is unlikely this structure is designed to enhance access to sunlight, but rather the pods' ability to propagate. Once the pods attain sufficient height they burst, releasing spores which catch the currents and disperse around the local area.</poem>
Source: Scan Anchor Pods


Blue Palm
<poem>The blue palm is a common aquatic plant which thrives in shallower waters with high exposure to sunlight. Long fronds intercept light before it can reach the smaller flora on the seabed.</poem>
Source: Scan Blue Palm


Brine Lily
<poem>These lily-like plants have evolved to take advantage of the relative density of the acidic brine pools encountered near the ocean floor to float safely on the surface. Tendril-like roots extend down into the brine, drawing essential salts and minerals from the water.</poem>
Source: Scan Brine Lily

Bulb Bush

<poem>This aquatic species has evolved to grow in deep, sandy environments, and to conserve its hydration levels against relatively extreme external temperatures. The root system can fragment the shale rock it grows on to form a deep anchor point, allowing predators to graze but not easily uproot the entire plant.

This grazing will tend to dislodge parts of the plant, and each section is capable of growing into a fully formed adult plant, explaining the concentrations of bulb bushes in some parts of the world.

Assessment: Edible in small quantities - High water content</poem>

Source: Scan Bulb Bush


Cave Bush
<poem>A purple, luminescent species which grows well on hardy terrain away from sunlight.</poem>
Source: Scan Cave Bush


Crab Claw Kelp
<poem>A blue-tipped kelp species which tends to grow in or near to acidic brine pools on the ocean floor. These brine pools are hazardous to most lifeforms, however the crab claw has adapted by developing a thick, inflexible root system which can withstand the environment, and which raises the sensitive blue feeding nodules above the level of the brine.</poem>
Source: Scan Crab Claw Kelp

Drooping Stingers

<poem>1. Zero photosynthetic cells detected. Implies carnivorous adaptation to low-light environments.

2. Follicles along the tentacles are capable of detecting contact with foreign bodies, triggering an electromagnetic charge in the 600 watt range. Prey is likely paralyzed and consumed over many weeks.

Prey: Small fish

Assessment: Avoid</poem>

Source: Scan Drooping Stingers


Eye Stalk
<poem>A cave-dwelling tuber dotted with luminescent, photosensitive 'eyes'. These eyes may in some way direct the twisted growth of the stems themselves, possibly in reaction to other light sources, proximity of cave walls, or other environmental conditions.</poem>
Source: Scan Eye Stalk


Furled Papyrus
<poem>The function of the distinctive curled leaves on this aquatic plant is not immediately clear. It is possible the leaves unfurl in low-light conditions, or that they are designed to channel water currents through the main body of the plant, thus enhancing nutrient take-up.</poem>
Source: Scan Furled Papyrus


Gabe's Feather
<poem>This plant grows almost exclusively in deeper waters, where its hand-like leaves have evolved to filter sediment from the environment. It is likely dependent on the excretions of fauna populating the waters above and around it.</poem>
Source: Scan Gabe's Feather


Ghost Weed
<poem>Grows exclusively in deep waters where its pale pigmentation is visible on the fewest wavelengths.</poem>
Source: Scan Ghost Weed


Giant Bulb Bush
<poem>This vast plant is centuries old. While it dominates the surrounding area, a complex root system below the surface connects it with other bulb bushes in the area. Nutrient flow within this network suggests the giant bulb has adapted to feed the weaker bushes and keep the forest healthy.</poem>
Source: Scan Giant Bulb Bush

Giant Cove Tree

<poem>A vast tree encountered in a deep cove, and the only one of its kind encountered on the planet. The tree is surrounded by rays grazing on its pink outer leaves.

1. Bark:
A hardy, fast-growing bark covers the outside of the tree. Minuscule organisms inhabit the notches in the surface.

2. Ghost Leviathan Eggs:
The tree's branches are wrapped around a number of maturing eggs, belonging to the species designated 'ghost leviathan'.

This tree appears to be an ancient nesting ground. The eggs were laid when the tree was young, and now the branches protect and grow with them as they await the right conditions to hatch.</poem>

Source: Scan Giant Cove Tree

Jellyshroom

<poem>A lifeform unique to a microcosm located in a cave system deep within the grassy plateaus, where a high concentration of carnivorous lifeforms wards off smaller predators.

- Consists of a tough, trunk-like base from which grows a fragile purple membrane
- Membrane structure suggests vulnerability to predation, but evidence thereof is lacking
- Unknown defensive mechanisms?
- Possible symbiotic relationship?

Predators: None identified</poem>

Source: Scan Jellyshroom


Membrain Tree
<poem>This entity defies neat categorization. It consists of more than one coral species working in tandem to create an insulated microcosm enclosed within a translucent membrane. Found exclusively growing on basalt rock in the grand reefs, the homeostatic conditions within are considerably warmer and more dense with microbial life than the outside environment, and the bright purple fauna inside will likely die off quickly if exposed.</poem>
Source: Scan Membrain Tree


Pygmy Fan
<poem>A purple, luminescent species which grows well on hardy terrain away from sunlight.</poem>
Source: Scan Pygmy Fan or Pygmy Fan Cluster


Redwort
<poem>A common plant adaptable to many different environments, the redwort is a staple part of the diet of many smaller herbivores.</poem>
Source: Scan Redwort


Regress Shell
<poem>This specimen is composed of a complex series of regressing rings, connected by tendrils.</poem>
Source: Scan Regress Shell


Rouge Cradle
<poem>A complex, cave-dwelling flora specimen. The bright yellow core of this plant is protected by a rigid cage, presumably to ward off medium-sized herbivores.</poem>
Source: Scan Rouge Cradle


Sea Crown
<poem>This plant consists primarily of a large bladder-like sack containing a huge variety of bacterial species, which may enable it to break down complex compounds it draws from the root system. Shares large sections of genetic code with the membrain tree. Environment scans indicate this plant is rare to the point of extinction.</poem>
Source: Scan Sea Crown


Spiked Horn Grass
<poem>While it shares a closes genetic similarity with blood grass, this species has evolved to house its root system in rigid, horn-shaped enclosures.</poem>
Source: Scan Spiked Horn Grass


Spotted Dockleaf
<poem>A simple aquatic plant. Chemicals within the leaves act to neutralize poisons and acids found in other local specimens, thereby actively encouraging predation by herbivores, albeit in small quantities. This ensures the plant both spreads its seed, but retains enough surface area on its leaves to survive itself.</poem>
Source: Scan Spotted Dockleaf

Tiger Plant

<poem>This plant has adapted to sense fluctuations in the water at up to 15m, and is capable both of prehensile movement of its tubes, as well as the propelling of thorns at speeds of up to 10m/s.

Although capable of incapacitating small herbivores, this plant lacks carnivorous digestive organs. Would-be predators caught in its defensive perimeter serve as a warning to other herbivores not to approach; and then as they decompose they serve as fertilizer for the tiger plant.

Assessment: Avoid or incapacitate</poem>

Source: Scan Tiger Plant

Tree Leech

<poem>Parasitic, fungus-like growth found attached to other lifeforms. An enzyme is released by the organism which dissolves a hole in the skin of the host, from which it leeches nutrients directly.

Outer, tooth-lined jaw serves no identified purpose. May be used during a different stage of the organism's lifecycle.

Assessment: Exploitable fungal enzymes</poem>

Source: Scan Tree Leech


Veined Nettle
<poem>A common, shallow-water plant which frequently shows signs of predation around the edges of the leaves. Thick, violet veins carry nutrients to the extremities of the fan, and brightly-colored seeds grow around the base and stem.</poem>
Source: Scan Veined Nettle


Violet Beau
<poem>A common, luminescent plant which grows in patches on the seabed.</poem>
Source: Scan Violet Beau


Writhing Weed
<poem>Well-adapted to both shallow waters and cave systems, this plant lives in symbiosis with a coral species which forms around the base of the stems.</poem>
Source: Scan Writhing Weed

Survival Package

Start Here

<poem>If you are reading this, then you have survived an emergency evacuation of a capital-class ship equipped with Alterra technology. Congratulations: the hard part is over.

Your PDA has automatically rebooted in Emergency Mode. This operating system has one directive: to keep you alive on a hostile alien world. If that is not possible it will alert salvage teams to the location of your remains.

It features:
- Full monitoring of vital signs for timely survival advice
- Blueprints for fabricating a range of essential survival equipment, tailored to your environment
- Onboard camera, microphone and OCR technology for short-range situational analysis - Cross-compatibility with all Alterra-compliant products

NB Your personal and work files have been encrypted and may be retrieved at a later date by a licensed engineer.</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

Survival Checklist

<poem>1. Administer first aid if required

2. Take inventory of available materials and supplies, and decide on rations
3. Survey the environment for threats and resources
4. Construct necessary survival equipment using the lifepod's fabricator
5. Check lifepod for damage, and repair as necessary
6. Broadcast local distress signal using lifepod's short-range radio
7. Locate other survivors using line of sight or the radio
8. Find or construct a more permanent habitat
9. Maintain physical and psychological health until rescue

NB This information is meant as a general guide. In the first instance you should always follow the advice of your PDA, which has taken your particular circumstances into account.</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

WARNING: Blueprint Database Corrupted

<poem>Damage to your PDA's hard drive has corrupted approximately 80% of stored survival blueprints. Blueprints may be reacquired by scanning a salvaged technology using the handheld scanner, or by downloading plans from a ship-board databox. In the circumstances these assets will most likely be found amongst wreckage from the Aurora.</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

Additional Technical

2-Berth Emergency Lifepod

<poem>Unlocked by default

Standard Features:
- Short-range radio (250km uninterrupted range)
- Wall-mounted fabricator for survival equipment manufacture, and for rendering organic substances edible
- Medical kit fabricator
- Onboard air-break and flotation devices, for land, sea or space recovery
- Solar power cells x3
- Emergency exits in the floor and roof

Standard Provisions:
- 2x All-Environment Protection Suits
- 2x Ready-to-eat nutrient blocks
- 2x Drinking water provision
- 1x Emergency medkit
- 2x Emergency flares

NB Some lifepods may be equipped with different supplies, such as radiation suits and replacement parts. Board the right lifepod for the right situation.</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

All-Environment Protection Suit

<poem>"The Alterra AEP Suit: A single solution for a universe of infinite danger"

You are currently wearing the AEP suit: a hermetically-sealed personal environment, designed to withstand the most extreme conditions in the known universe.

- Onboard temperature and hydration regulation
- Compatible with a range of attachments
- Slimline build for maximum freedom of movement
- Biometric sensors
- Contextual heads-up display

AEP suits should always be equipped BEFORE lifepod launch, in case of hull breach.</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

Aurora Ship Status

<poem>Ship Class: Alterra Long-Range Capital Ship

Mission: Ariadne Arm Phasegate Installation, 3 year operation time
Crew: Command Team (23), Engineering Team (85), Support Crew (40), Passengers (9)

Status:
- Sustained heavy damage in orbit of planet 4546B
- Cause unknown
- Evacuation data unavailable

Engineering section:
- Dark-matter ion drive core V8
- Manned robotics suite
- Advanced scanner suite
- Long-range communications relay
- 0.25 cubic kilometers storage for phasegate apparatus

Habitation section:
- Accommodation for 150 people
- Multiple canteens serving healthy fresh and rehydrated food
- Leisure facilities including VR suite and virtual cinema</poem>

Source: Unlocked by default

Obtained Through Console Commands

Advanced Theories

Bacterial Vaccine

<poem>Analysis of the enzyme-production organs in the sea emperor species indicates that it may be possible to permanently purge the alien bacteria from a human system with a sufficiently stable enzyme sample. Unfortunately the emperor specimen contained within the alien facility is in poor health and unlikely to produce enzyme with the necessary strength. A juvenile of the species would provide a higher chance of success.</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

In-tact Emperor Eggs

<poem>Scans indicate the egg is in a healthy condition of self-regulated stasis.

- Microscopic holes have been bored into the shell
- Trace volumes of artificial chemicals have been detected
- It is possible fluid samples have been taken from this specimen, or that research substances have been injected in a vain effort to trigger a hatching response</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Data Downloads

Alien Data (Scan Data)

Alien Facility Structural Damage

<poem>Given the physical strength of the construction material it is likely that visible structural damage to this facility is the result of its collapse to the sea floor, rather than erosion over time.</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Codes & Clues

Lifepod 13 Transmission Origin

<poem>A distress signal has been received from lifepod 13, but the attached co-ordinates were corrupted.

Reported:
- Carrying high priority passenger, Jochi Khasar
- Sunk to a depth of almost 200m
- Transmission origin mapped to mushroom forest, approximately 1500m west-northwest of the Aurora crashsite
- Lifepod located 100m south-west of a vast, tree-like structure
</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Lifepod 3 Transmission Origin

<poem>A distress signal has been received from lifepod 3, but the attached co-ordinates were corrupted.

Reported:
- Crew reported problems with their emergency seaglide
- Sunk in shallow waters densely populated with kelp and creepvines
- Transmission origin approximately 1000m north-northwest of the Aurora's stern section</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Non-essential Systems Maintenance Logs

<poem>Robotics bay (access code 6666) parts sweep - Completed

Standard corridor routines - Completed
Public conveniences check - Delayed for ongoing use
Deck A lifepods maintenance check - Commenced</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Robotics Bay Security

<poem>From: CTO Yu

To: Technician Hinkle

You're such a corporate stooge, Hinkle, live a little! No matter what access codes we put on the robotics bay, the guys are still going to find a way to joyride the mechs. So if the second officer says we've got to change the codes, I'm just saying let's change them to something we won't all forget.

How about 6666? The guys will like that.</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Public Documents

Unificationism

<poem>Religion has been scorned throughout space-faring history, but it has evolved and survived. By combining ancient meditative practices with the foresight of modern science, unificationist pantheism was born.

Determinism teaches us that what has always been, always will be. The future is already decided, and free will is a myth. Gone are the days of casting guilt and original sin on all. Today we understand that we are born innocent, into lives we are not responsible for; we are atoms vibrating in the energy winds of space. Understanding that what we do has no meaning but for ourselves; and understanding that we are just as much a causal part of the universe as the universe is a causal part of us; we can understand that we give meaning to the universe and the universe gives meaning to us. We are people. But we are also gods.

If we are gods, why do we feel imperfect? If there is no authority but our own, why do people keep telling us what to do?

Unificationism has the answer. 300 credits for the opening seminar.</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Geological Data

Basalt Outcrops

<poem>Hard, igneous rock, formed by past volcanic activity. Likely to contain very rare minerals, such as diamond and uranium, which cannot be found elsewhere.

Assessment: Gold, diamond and uranium source</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Mercury Ore

<poem>A common, low-value cinnabar ore, which can be processed into liquid mercury. Has a range of applications, including continued use in temperature measurement.

Assessment: Essential for advanced fabrication</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Flora (Sea)

Blood Grass

<poem>A common sea grass adapted to shallow, sandy environments.

- Likely to grow wherever the ground is too loose or the ocean surface too far for creepvines to take hold
- Commonly found growing on the crests of dunes and atop raised plateaus for superior access to sunlight
- Distinctive red coloration may be an adaptation to low wavelength light on the seabed, a deterrent against predators, or both
- Insufficient calories for human consumption

Assessment: Presence supports healthy biodiversity</poem>

Source: Obtained through Console Commands

Trivia

"Obraxis Prime" and "Strader IV" are references to two of the developers, Scott "Obraxis" MacDonald and Cory Strader.
Some data downloads mention removed content. An example is in Degasi voice log 8 when Marguerit asks for a Hardened blade.
Most command-only entries refer to cut or outdated content that hasn't been removed from the game entirely, has simply been unused like the Blood Grass entry or that's supposed to be obtainable in-game such as the Alien Facility Structural Damage but it isn't.