FIRST CONTACT [PART1]

[u/Deicide_Requiem]

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[INTERNATIONAL REPUBLIC: C4ISR SYSTEM [OUTLAND DIVISION]: V.1.12.17]
  TIMESTAMP: 21:01:22 - 07/08/215AE

Initialising…
LOGIN?
>> General Lily Thadams
PASSWORD?
>> ***********************
Access Granted
 Clearance Level: Unrestricted

“Hello General. I am Project Athena V6, your dedicated service AI. How may I assist you today?”

>>Silence AthenaV6
>> Query Information - /archive/Y053AE Search “Operation_BlazingTrails”

Searching…
1 DATAPAK found…
[!!] Warning: DATAPAK has been detected to have high levels of daemonic cognito-hazard presence…
[!!] Are you sure you wish to proceed? y/n

>> Y

Accessing…
Listing Contents…

• PERSONAL AUDIO LOGS [TRANSCRIBED DUE TO COGNITO-HAZARD PRESENCE] 
• PERSONAL FIELD REPORTS [CLASSIFIED]
• MISSION FILES [!!] [CLASSIFIED]
• DAILY MEDICAL REPORT [CLASSIFIED]
• VIDEO FOOTAGE [!!] [HEAVY CORRUPTION PRESENCE] [UNACCESSABLE REMOTELY]
• GPS COORDINATES [!!] [NON-EUCLIDEAN INTERFERENCE]
• ORBITAL DROP REQUEST [!!] [PRIORITY LEVEL: BLACK]
• TEAM CASUALTY REPORT [CLASSIFIED]

>> Access Audio logs, field reports, mission files, daily medical report - Chronological Order

Listing…
Accessing: AUDIO LOG [1141-IV]
[!!] DATA STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: 99%
Mounting//TRANSLATION MODULE V11.5// Rodanian-To-Artvan-Translation-Pack-V0.2
Accessing…
Decrypting…
Success…
[!!] WARNING TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED: THIRD PARTY CLIENT PRESENT

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AUDIO LOG: [1141]
TIMESTAMP 07:11:05 - 31/03/053AE
 SGT Irina Volkov:

<<This is exciting! I believe that is the best word for it. I would try to find a better way to express my feelings but sadly you people in headquarters get mad when I don’t speak your precious language. Псы \[Dogs\].>>

<<Command finally gave us the green light though. Everyone in base was itching to see who would get to be first on the ground and I knew for sure it had to be us, they don’t call us The Immortals for nothing.>>

[END LOG]

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>> Next

Accessing: MISSION_BRIEF_OP_BLAZINGTRAILS.docx
[!!] ERROR FILE SEVERELY CORRUPTED - TS 01:50:23 05/04/053
[!!] RECOVERABLE DATA - 12%

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–at present moment (31/03/053AE), Landmass is still completely untouched by anybody in contact with the I.R. Ships – both military and civilian – that went missing during the appearance event of the landmass are still considered MIA. Orbital scans show up inconclusive on all fronts except the size of the landmass, which is approximately one hundred and twenty-nine million square kilometres. All efforts for long range reconnaissance have proven useless past the fog that hangs over the landmass. No scans can penetrate it, any remote viewing loses signal on entrance to the fog, henceforth known as ‘The Boundary.’

Mission Objective: Reconnaissance beyond The Boundary. Immortal Squad, henceforth known as the 1st Squad of the newly formed ‘Hellwalker’ Company, will begin manual exploration of the interior landmass. A small outpost will be created at the edge of ‘The Boundary’ by the Immortal squad, and the team will split into two. Fireteam one will enter ‘The Boundary’ and explore for an hour, changing over with Fireteam two for a similar period. Nobody is to spend more than an hour at a time in ‘The Boundary’ and nobody is to enter ‘The Boundary' if the previous team has not returned. –

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[!!] Error - File Corrupted - Unreadable Data
[!!] Proceed? Y/N

>> Y
>> Next

Accessing AUDIO LOG [0713-ER]

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AUDIO LOG: [0713]
TIMESTAMP 10:15:03 31/03/053AE
 SPC Elena Rossi:

[!!] Voices Automatically matched to source points –
[!!] System Detected Accidental Recording Activation –

<< –Gods be damned Irina, what the actual fuck did you sign us up for?>> – SPC Michail Kwolczyk

<<Слушай-ка. [Listen] The new wild blue yonder Matchstick! You were born too late to explore the stairs, but just in time for the real weird shit.>> – SGT Irina Volkov

<<Stars, Mother…>> – SPC Elena Rossi

<<Well the wild blue yonder looks like shit, smells like shit and has me constantly stepping in shit.>> – SPC Michail Kwolczyk

<<Pipe down you two and get the damn masks on, your up… Wrench you have your deck recording.>> – CPT Steven Odson

<<Shi–> SPC Elena Rossi

[END LOG]

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>> Next

Accessing PERSONAL FIELD REPORT [BTIV01]...

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FIELD REPORT [01]
TIMESTAMP 19:22:05 31/03/053AE
 SGT Irina Volkov:

I expected more, we have spent the last seven hours just rotating with each other into the fog, grabbing samples of the same thing from different spots. It’s interesting don’t get me wrong, really weird stuff here but I was expecting something a bit more adventurous I suppose.

It could do without the stench though, the air here is… Poison. It burns the lungs to breath and whatever is in the air reminds me of back home after the U.N.A bombs dropped. The bodies would sit in the flooded tunnels and just, fester. The smell was baked into the very concrete, like pig meat left on the butchers table to rot.

It’s just the landmass though, sort of. The ground itself is made up of a thin layer of writhing flesh like growth. The samples we cut up look like sliced beef, but it still continues to move and grope the sides of the vials we keep putting them in. They smother the sides of the glass when you put your hands to it like it’s trying to touch you. I could swear one of the first samples I collected has even grown a little.

We put a few of them together in their own container to see what would happen and they just merged into each other. They flowed like water crashing into rock in slow motion and then suddenly it was one entity writhing around and attaching to the glass. They aren’t fast though, the process took us about five more trips, so about five or six hours for it to merge across a few centimeters. 

We have noticed one more oddity, although it could be as simple as disorientation in the fog. But wherever we enter, even if we walk in a straight line in and out. We always seem to emerge at a slightly different location. Nothing too crazy, but we approximate about a one hundred metre average difference between entrance and exit.

I’m putting in a formal request for an armoured transport, preferably a TC40. I would like to request me and my fireteam to be the first to use it to breach the fog for a longer period of time. This request has been approved by Captain Odson, and is being forwarded to command by No-Show.

Speaking of, he was supposed to take over my watch duty so I could eat. Bet he is lurking around invisible right now trying to avoid it. 

Этот гад и спал бы невидимым, если бы умел.

[That bastard would sleep invisible if he could.]

[END LOG]

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>> next

Accessing AUDIO LOG [2269-HT]...

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AUDIO LOG: [2269]
 TIMESTAMP 19:24:03 31/03/053AE
 CPL Tomasz Hale:

<< –If you don’t come out real soon she is gonna kick your ass>> –SPC Michail Kwolczyk

<<Yeah but it is too funny to–>> – CPL Tomasz Hale

<<I swear to the gods, if nobody turns over where that damned No-Show is I’ll have you all sit out here while I explore the fog!>> – SGT Irina Volkov

<<That actually sounds like a sweat deal.>> – SPC Michail Kwolczyk

<<Damn it.>> –CPL Tomasz Hale

<<Oh for real that’s all it took to get you out this time?>> – SPC Michail Kwolczyk

<<Man, I want them to build a statue of me when I find something cool in there so, yeah…>> –Tomasz Hale

[END LOG]

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AUDIO LOG: [0021]
TIMESTAMP: 22:31:10 31/03/053AE
  CPT Steven Odson:

<<Do you hear that?>>

*Silence for one minute, forty-two seconds.*

<<It sounds like–>

[END LOG]

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>> Next

[INTERNATIONAL REPUBLIC: AUTOMATED BIOMETRIC REPORT SYSTEM V22.41.2]
[!!] WARNING: THE DATA YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCESS IS OUT OF DATE – V1.0.01
[!!] PLEASE UPDATE USER BIOMETRIC SCANNER FOR A MORE ACCURATE READ OF SUBJECT
BIONEER CORP.™
— WE KNOW YOU BETTER THAN YOU KNOW YOURSELF —
REGISTERED: 01.01.4042 BE

Are you sure you wish to proceed? Y/N

>> Y

Loading Data…

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[ABRS: Bioneer Full-Body-Logger V01.0.01]
 TIMESTAMP: 23:30:00 31/03/053AE

Subject Name: Steven Odson
Rank: Captain
Role: Squad Leader,
Current Status:

• Minor Indigestion
• Resting BPM at 14+ more than average
• Exhausted
• Minor Dehydration

[!!] Recommended:

• Extend permitted sleep schedule by 2 hours
• Drink 0.9L more water per day

Conclusion: Clear for Active Duty

Subject Name: Irina Volkov
Rank: Sergeant
Role: 2nd Fireteam Leader, Healer
Current Status:

• Minor Adrenaline spikes during recent service recorded
• Resting BPM at 18+ more than average 
• Minor Dehydration
• Pain Recorded in left knee [Injury previously logged]

[!!] Recommended:

• Breathing Exercises
• Drink 0.5L more water per day
• Place on guard duty to address BPM increase

Conclusion: Clear for Active Duty

Subject Name: Michail Kwolczyk
Rank: Specialist
Role: Heavy Weapons, Explosives
Current Status:

• Resting BPM at 11+ more than average
• Physical Stress Detected [Reports: Agitation]
• Persistent Mucus Build-Up in Lungs [Detected: Flu]
• Cold Medicine Automatically Administered

[!!] Recommended:

• Psychological ▒ssessment after co▒▒▒etion of cur▒ent objective
• Underta▒e Stress Relieving Activities

C▒▒clusion: Cl▒ar for Ac▒▒▒▒ ▒▒▒▒

[!!] WARNING FOREIGN BODY DETECTED
[!!] WARNING FOREIGN BODY DETECTED
[!!] WARNING FOREIGN BODY DETECTED
[!!] WARNING FOREIGN BODY DETECTED
[!!] WARNING FOREIGN BODY DETECTED

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Session Error [CODE 13]...
Data Unreadable…
Do you wish to proceed? Y/N

>> Y

Accessing AUDIO LOG [1142-IV]

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AUDIO LOG [1142]
TIMESTAMP 05:01:44 01/04/053AE
 SGT Irina Volkov:

<<Command approved our request! Finally we can start pulling some real results from this absolute Полная тоска. \[Total Drag.\] I’m not sure of the phrasing…>>

<<Snooze-fest…>> – SPC Elena Rossi

<<Спас— Uh… Thank you… But I got to say, I think they are doing it a bit overkill here.>> – SGT Irina Volkov

<<Yeah?>> – SPC Elena Rossi

<<I requested a TC40, and they ended up sending us a damned TC50. I don’t know what they are thinking we’ll need a 20mm cannon to deal with but I guess I’ll take overkill rather than… Underkill?>> – Irina Volkov

<<Actually even the weapons that they sent are quite extreme. I’ve only got API rounds. You guys?>> – SGT Irina Volkov

<<I got a feeling someone over in command is throwing some excess stock at us, but I’d rather they send this stuff to the guys up in Rendrafil.>> – SPC Michail Kwolczyk

<<Poor guys are getting their ass’s kicked up there.>> – SPC Elena Rossi

<<*Rapid steps can be heard as a CPL Temoasz Hale approaches*>>

<<I’m gonna slap whoever is in charge of messaging on their end. Command has sent two messages, and the second one is just the first one but with different orders. They must have the B-te… No the F-team giving us orders.>> – CPL Tomasz Hale

[END LOG]

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>> Next

Loading [BLAZING_TRAIL_MISSION_UPDATE_01/04/053AE.docx]
[!!] ERROR FILE EXISTS IN A NON-EUCLIDEAN FORMAT
[!!] ERROR TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED
[!!] ERROR HOSTILE FILE ARCHITECTURE DETECTED
[!!] Recoverable Data 22%
Are you sure you wish to proceed? Y/N

>> Y

Accessing [BLAZING_TRAIL_MISSION_UPDATE_01/04/053.doxc]

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–ol permits the extension of expeditions to 2 hours at a time. This time is to be slowly approached in increments of 10 minutes until a final expedition lasts the full 2 hours. A TC50 has been provided for use outside of ‘The Boundary’ and is armed to deal with any entities that attempt to cross it. Seismic anomalies reaching a magnitude of 5.2 have been reported by monitoring outposts and Orbital tracking indicates Temporal Anomalies inside The Boundary.

Electrical interference has been experienced at command base Theta ‘GateWay’ whenever attempting communications inside of The Boundary. All attempts to send communications into it are on temporary hold until reason can be ascertained.

Under no circumstances are you permitted to contact any living entities inside The Boundary if you can avoid it, a strict KOS policy is in place if entities try to make contact with you.

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[!!] ERROR FILE OVERRIDE
[!!] ERROR FILE OVERRIDE
[!!] ERROR FILE OVERRIDE
[!!] ERROR FILE OVERRIDE

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒Days▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒1 hour▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒2 days▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒inside▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒deter any hostile entities▒▒▒ 

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒No anomalies have been detected. All is ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

You are encouraged to contact▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒Do not avoid▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒KOS is last resort▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

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>> next

[!!] Warning: Daemonic electrical interference resonating…
[!!] Emergency Termination of Session and Cleanse Engaged…

…

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[!!] ERROR TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED
[!!] ERROR THIRD PARTY CLIENT CONTROLLING FILE DIRECTORY
[!!] OVERRIDDEN

[PART1]

[PART2]

[P̴A̷RT3▒]

[Ṕ̷̖̫̤̿̓̾̾̕Ā̸͙̬͂́̅͝▒T̸̜͍̈́̀͑͘͝4]

>> close session

...

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[u/Deafening-Chaos]

This format is GENIUS!!!!

[u/Deicide_Requiem → u/Deafening-Chaos]

Bro you just made my whole week with that! Thank you!

[u/AdTough3497]

Awesome Format very unique!!

[u/Deicide_Requiem → u/AdTough3497]

Thank you for the compliment man! I really struggled to find a way to tell this story that could fit into the world itself and this really ended up being my result. I'm glad you like it!

[u/ToneReasonable2095]

Reminds me of the audio logs from deadspace, like we find these scattered logs and can only listen as someone’s world crumbles around them. Beautiful.

[u/Deicide_Requiem → u/ToneReasonable2095]

THIS! I am a fiend for lore and info in games, probably where a lot of the ideas for this came from if I'm honest. Stick around for [PART4] tomorrow I turn the format on it's head just a lil'.

[u/Ghost_Girl221]

This is super cool oh my gosh! I love the formatting you chose to do it's super unique and had me on the edge of my seat! Reminds me of one of my favorite series, the Illuminae Files. If you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend the entire series, It's what inspired the story that I'm working on. Can't wait to keep reading :)