|| CAPTAINS LOG::NV-36
|| ULS DECLIVITY
|| LOCATION::SALASAN BELT, MALKAAN V, DELUN GALAXY, BRAHMA TERRITORY
|| D::103_76/06 PE
// We saw one today, a Leviathan. Lieutenant Heller had spotted it in the asteroid belt we’ve been traversing for the last cycle. We’d been following it’s F-spoor for what seems like months now, and it’s safe to say it was nothing like what any of us expected.
The first thing I noticed was the brightness, the entire asteroid belt seemed like it was being illuminated by the being's presence. It was too much for some of the crew members to look at directly, but my sensors adjusted to the light.
|| CAPTAINS LOG::NV-36
|| ULS DECLIVITY
|| LOCATION::SALASAN BELT, MALKAAN V, DELUN GALAXY, BRAHMA TERRITORY
|| D::103_76/07 PE
// We got a closer look at the creature; it was both remarkable and terrifying.
I had stayed up all night, monitoring information, taking in the data from the Declivity’s sensors. Some of the readings seemed impossible, things that didn’t even seem conceivable until today. The being itself is massive, almost the equivalent to a small city. Its physical size is close to 5x that of our ship, only the 11th’s Justification-class carriers could rival the Leviathan in size. The amount of energy it seems to be producing is also staggering, in fact I can’t say with complete confidence right now that the readings are even correct. A whole planet could be sustained for months from energy this creature gives off in just an hour. [NOTE: Possibility of capturing and harvesting? Benefit to the Confederation] The most troubling find is that when we attempt biological scanning of the creature, all results come back inconclusive. An x-ray scan produces the same results, leading me to conclude that this creature must be emitting something that creates issues with our scanners [Or is the being itself not made of biological matter? Pure energy? Seems improbable].
When morning came, I gave the order for Officer Mallus, our helmsman, to trail the being at a closer distance so we could better observe its behavior. As we closed distance with the Leviathan, I could sense the crews unease with pursuing the unknown. With the exception of Lieutenant Heller, my secondary, whose interest in the undiscovered preceded him (most likely the reason he was assigned to my crew). Our weapons crew was at full alert, and Weapons Officer Julius even gave the order to load our seismic torpedoes. All shields were full charge, although we weren’t sure how much they could protect us. As we closed distance with the being, it seemed to show no interest in us as it snaked through the asteroid belt. The way it moved was...unsettling. It seemed to flow through space like water, with seemingly no form of propulsion. We followed the creature for close to 30 minutes, observing its behavior and mannerism, trying to gather as much data as we could on this fascinating entity. It didn’t seem to be going anywhere in particular within the asteroid belt, it moved through the space almost wistfully, sometimes doubling back causing us to have to change our position to stay behind it. We were still trailing the creature when we reached a particularly dense part of the asteroid belt, where it seemed to have found what it was searching for.
Glowing almost as brightly as the Leviathan itself, an oblong object was suspended there in space. Our sensors had not picked it up, and any scans we ran on it came back inconclusive. The being circled the object, slowly and deliberately. As it did, the glowing mass seemed to construe its shape, becoming almost that of a liquid. It was at this time that our sensors started reading an increasingly large amount of radiation coming from that area.
What happened next was...otherworldly, to put it in simple terms.
Without any sort of warning or preparation, the creature snaked upwards, light pulsing through its body at an alarming rate. It’s maw opened, revealing that same unsettling darkness from before; lightning was now branching off from its body, scorching the asteroids around it. The radiation levels were now at unreadable levels, and other devices on our vessel seemed to fail as well; our radar showed hundreds of large objects approaching our ship at an alarming rate, our weapons targeting system went offline, even the lights in the bridge flickered. The creature then plunged downwards towards the glowing object, maw still spread wide. It swallowed (or whatever bodily function occurs when something goes through that black void) the substance, and as it closed its mouth the lightning suddenly stopped and the being grew dim. Time itself seemed to slow as there was suddenly one single hot flash of light, silent in the depths of space.
And then nothing. The creature had disappeared. For a brief moment there was no movement from where it had just been, only a single speck of blue light. Then the tiny blue orb flickered out of existence, and a shockwave rocked the asteroid belt in its absence. The crew had all been staring at the scene, mesmerized by the event unfolding in front of us; but as soon as the first asteroid raked our hull everyone immediately pulled back into focus. Asteroids were now hurtling towards our ship, and I gave the order to Officer Mallus to remove us from the asteroid belt immediately to avoid any further damage. While the armament of this ship may not be impressive, its maneuverability is on par with that of the Legion’s most agile frigates. Mallus, although slightly inexperienced, is one of the best pilots I’ve had the privilege of travelling with. Within five minutes, we had made it out of the asteroid belt sustaining only minor hull damage that will need to be addressed by our RAS drones. No reported injuries and all systems seem to be at full function.
Tomorrow I will be in contact with Admiral Riyus. Both Lieutenant Heller and Bishop Saiul will be in attendance. I will report our findings, and seek instructions on how to engage future specimens we come across based on these new developments. I can tell some of the crew has become skeptical about our mission, and will need to be reminded of its importance.
|| END ENTRY
|| INFO LOG 78658
|| CONFEDERATION
ARCHIVES::PRODUCTION::AUTOMATONS::MODELS::NEUTRAL-VISIONARY
//This class of automatons began production pre-Enigma, well before the Confederation had established itself as a large universal power. The first models began as simple assistants, designed to bring tools and carry supplies for researchers in the field. Over the years, as the Confederations robotics technology has progressed, they have become much more effective. The latest models are by far the most cognitively advanced robots in the Confederation, and arguably smarter then most of the Confederacies general population. Their production is timely and expensive, leading to a small number of them being deployed. While other robots specialize in certain a task like combat or construction, the NV-class automatons were designed to think, act, and BE human. They are fully capable of individual thought and learning, but they are programmed to perform within the best interests of the Confederation. They are primarily assigned to low exposure directives, as the common civilian could find their human-like capabilities to be unsettling.
While not designed specifically for combat, NV-class automatons still obtain the same software and physical capability as the Confederacies Templar-class automatons (or similar models). A reinforced orium exterior ensures protection from most light kinetic weaponry, and will absorb blasts from small F-class energy weapons and below. How efficient they are with weaponry and tools depends on the unit's individual training.
|| END LOG
|| AUDIO LOG
|| ULS DECLIVITY
|| D::103_76/07 PE
|| T::0932
//Captain NV:36: Ease back Mallus, keep main thrusters primed for evasive maneuvers but don’t approach any further. I’d like to observe what it’s doing without drawing any attention.
Officer Mallus: Acknowledged captain, reducing forward momentum.
Captain NV:36: Julius, load depth-rods. At this distance our best bet is slowing it down before we can initiate our H-Drive in the event that it engages.
Officer Julius: Aye, captain. Depth-rods dialed in and primed.
RA Hirrian: Captain, we’re reading high levels of electromagnetic radiation coming from the anomaly, almost on par with that of the creature itself.
Captain NV:36: Interesting, is the object living?
RA Hirrian: Scans coming back negative, but that's inconclusive considering the Leviathan doesn’t return successful scans either.
Captain NV:36: Interesting, try to run-
Lieutenant Heller: Captain!
Ensign Huskar: Systems failing captain, we’ve lost communications!
Officer Julius: Captain, radar appears to be failing, reading multiple entities approaching from all directions but there’s nothing out there. I can’t get a bead on anything!
Officer Mallus: Tiv, get a report from engineering. These readings can’t be accurate, our fusion generators are acting up.
Lieutenant Heller: Captain, systems are failing across the board, primary oxygen reserves appear to be compromised. We can’t get an accurate read on any system on the ship.
Captain NV:36: Prepare escape pods, try and get in hold with engineering and-
[INTERFERENCE]
Officer Mallus: Systems back online captain, orders!
Captain NV:36: Evasive maneuvers, now! Julius, disable shields. Mallus, get us out of here, move vertical from the blast point.
Officer Mallus: Affirmative. Mius, give me additional power to auxiliary thrusters, primary thrusters aren’t important here.
Ensign Mius: Aye, sir!
[EXTERNAL STRIDENCY]
Captain NV:36: Damage report.
Lieutenant Heller: Minor exterior impact to our hull, no significant damages.
Officer Mallus: We’ve cleared the asteroid belt captain. Mius, divert power back to primary engines, let's distance ourselves from any additional debris.
Officer Mius: Aye, sir.
Captain NV-36: Good flying Mallus. Heller, get me a shipwide report on our operations, I want to make sure everything is up and running.
Lieutenant Heller: Aye, captain.
Captain NV-36: Cora, any indication of the Leviathan?
RA Hirrian: No captain, it’s F-spoor ends at our last point of contact. Radiation levels are normal, no excessive energy readings. It’s gone, Nev.
|| END LOG
|| CAPTAINS LOG::NV-36
|| ULS DECLIVITY
|| LOCATION::OUTER RIM, DELUN GALAXY, BRAHMA TERRITORY
|| D::103_76/08 PE
//Today we got in contact with Admiral Riyus to report our findings in the Salasan Belt. Lieutenant Heller delivered the status report while I provided the details of our engagement. The admiral was not the only one in attendance, our primary research group back at Giol II was present as was Archbishop Vijan. While I spoke, I could tell the Archbishop did not find our course of action satisfactory. This was unfortunate, but expected. Vijan had known my former research partner, Professor Dellus, and was the one who personally saw to his arrest. The scientists, however, were fascinated, and bombarded me with questions about the encounter. They were amazed at the results we had received, which I had sent to them for their own analysis.
After we delivered our initial report, Riyus had excused the research group from the briefing room, and he and the Archbishop began their own line of questioning. They asked less technical questions, such as whether the being showed any signs of aggression, what did its combat capabilities seem to be. The Archbishop seemed especially interested in the amount of energy the being was producing, and I’m sure he was entertaining the idea of obtaining an infinite energy source for the Confederation. Superweapons, sustainability, production, the possibilities would be endless with that kind of utility.
After a few minutes of consulting with us further on the Leviathans behavior, the Admiral delivered a new set of directives to us. A new F-spoor had been detected on the outer fringes of the Gillij galaxy, near a discontinued space station. Our orders were to travel to this sector and attempt to locate the Leviathan. He stated that we were to rendezvous with an escort, Strike Group Delta-X3, before entering the target area and to brief them on the situation. The additional firepower would be welcome, considering we’ll be going deep into pirate territory. The space station used to be under control of the Terra-Sus Rebels before they were defeated, and though many of those rebels survived, they took up arms as pirates. Now, the area has become a hotspot for illegal activity, with many renegade strongholds scattered throughout the sector. However, the Archbishop surprised me by saying the escort was only partially for protection. Our primary directive was to locate and attempt to eliminate the Leviathan. If we are not able to kill the being, we are to capture it. Among the escort would be two cutters, 3 squadrons of interceptors, and one Immunes-class freighter. The freighter is equipped with heavy disabling railguns, designed to act as an EMP and a projectile weapon. They are only there as a secondary, and is not to have any direct engagement with the creature unless destruction is not possible, or in case of emergency. He made no mention of survivability of the strike group, and it appeared the Confederation wanted us to make this happen, regardless the cost. The Admiral did make a note that we were not to take part in the engagement, and were to stay within close proximity of the freighter. In his words, we are “the most valuable asset to the Confederation in this sector, and it would be unfortunate to lose us”.
It has always been the edict of our teachers that to die for the Confederation is the highest honor, to wage war in the name of your brothers through insurmountable odds is our duty. We are the Confederacies children and backbone, products of a superior upbringing. With the comfort of the nation's ever-lasting support at our backs, me and my crew take on any mission given to us without fear. This is our duty. This is our purpose.
Long live the Confederation.
|| END LOG
|| INFO LOG 89056
|| CONFEDERATION ARCHIVES::RESEARCH::CLASSIFIED::PROJECT L::F-SPOOR
//Leviathans have been observed to leave behind a telltale signature in the vacuum of space, which has been labeled as an F-spoor by the Confederations researchers. This trail is somewhat of an anomaly, and is only detectable because of its small output of electromagnetic radiation. It is unclear what the trail itself is actually made of, but it is generally considered to be pure energy. It is also unclear how long the trail stays in a location; sometimes it will be for minutes, other times they have been discovered to be present months after an encounter. This is the most efficient way to track the beings, and is often used by our researchers.
|| END LOG
|| INFO LOG 107345
|| CONFEDERATION ARCHIVES::MILITARY::BATTLE GROUPS::STRIKE
GROUPS::STRIKE GROUP DELTA-X3
Peregrinus Brigade
8th Company
Section Delta-X3
Captain Terrell Briuus
//Strike Group Delta-X3 was a high ranking, elite fast-attack section of the Confederation. At the time of their deployment, they primarily served under Admiral Riyus, and were led by Captain Terrell Briuus. They primarily undertook missions off-planet, and have a total of 46 successful operations, and 3 unsuccessful. This unit consisted of 2 Optio-class cutters, and 2 squadrons of June-class interceptors.
Delta-X3 took orders directly from the Admiral of the brigade, taking part in special operations for the Confederation. All members went through the Dedicae Academy, home to the most intense fleet operations training program in the Confederation. They were the most effective unit in the Peregrinus brigade, and received medals of valor for their dedicated service.
In service until::KIA
Location::Outer Rim, Gillij Galaxy
Date::103_76/15 PE
Cause of death::Unknown
|| END LOG
|| CAPTAINS LOG::NV-36
|| ULS DECLIVITY
|| LOCATION::TERRAN-PRIME, GILLIJ GALAXY, TERRA CONSORTIUM TERRITORY
|| D::103_76/10 PE
//We met our escort near the Terra’s home planet, outside of pirate territory. The Terra were allied with the Confederation, meaning we could move through their borders with ease. “Allied” might be too generous of a term, it’s more of a payment for protection. The Terra are nowhere near as powerful as the Confederation, but they are a very proud people. They provide troops, materials, and payments to the Confederation in return for being able to keep their independence and culture. The Terra-Sus rebellion was actually started by opposers of the Confederation who wanted the Terra to rise up and become the “great nation they deserved to be”. A couple members of the Devlivity’s crew even came from a Terra flight school, although they are fiercely loyal to the Confederation.
The strike group had been docked at the Terran-Prime station for a day now, it’s my understanding they had been deployed in a nearby sector when they were given the orders to accompany us. Myself and a few members of my team spoke with Captain Briuus, the man in charge of the operation. He is an intelligent and highly effective officer with a track record of successful operations. After a lengthy briefing, I feel confident in his abilities. I cannot express the same confidence in the success in our mission however, as the nature of it is completely uncharted and could result in any number of conclusions. The leviathans trail is a few days away now, and we are making preparations to leave tomorrow.
|| END LOG
|| AUDIO LOG
|| ULSx Decorum Escort
|| D::103_76/15 PE
|| T::1331
Officer Edel(W1): Wing One is approaching target location, no visuals yet.
Captain Briuus(COM): Keep spacing and eyes up. Remember, our sensors might not pick anything up.
Officer Rami(SUP): Heavy boats ready to go and scopes are up. Point us at something.
Officer Edel(W1): Holding position, we might have something over here, read our sector.
Captain NV:36: Readings on our side our clear, nothing out of the ordinary.
Officer Rami(SUP): Echo hold your position, I’m seeing…something approaching your sector. Not on the radar, my nav officer says it looks like- Ah shit.
Captain Briuus(COM): Guns up, defensive positions! We’ve got pirates incoming. Stealthed, at least ten. Manual operation, pace your shots.
Officer Edel(W1): Breaking formation and engaging! Damn they’re fast.
Officer Rami(SUP): Nailed two, lets keep clocking em’.
Officer Del(W2): Wing Two’s got contact! We just lost a fighter. Fuck!
Captain Briuus(COM): Support wing shift fire to support Wing Two. We aren’t pulling out of here without even seeing this Leviathan.
Officer Edel(W1): I’m down two of my fighters, captain. These pirates are damn good, but nothing we can’t handle. We’ve wiped them on this side, moving to support Del.
Captain Briuus(COM): Good, good. We’ve got number and firepower on them, lets make quick work and-
Captain NV:36: Captain Briuus! It’s here, somethings here! You’re in very close proximity.
Officer Del(W2): My god, what-
Officer Edel(W1)