Session 5 Report

General Summary

Ashes of Intelligence

Report 5

Related Dates: Days 117 through 130 of 4,543,626,881

Origin: KC33345L

Destination: IV22357Z
 
Report begins...

This is the fifth report on the activities of Subjects 4777, 4778, 4779, 4780, 4781, and 4782, along with their relationship to, and interactions with Subject 1. Data for this and all other reports on these subjects have been gathered through mostly secondary and tertiary sources, with only occasional data from the primary sources themselves. As such, this data may be subejct to the degredation effects of copying from one source to the next. For full reliability percentages, see the attached charts.

Day 117 of 4,543,626,881 (27 Apr of 98 AF in Local Notation)

The subjects emerged from the Western Mountains in the afternoon of this day, having successfully escorted the Knights of the Round Table through without any casualties or serious injuries. Upon reaching Ardan, the went directly to the Apocalypse Bar to speak to Subject 4 (designated "Dagger" and referred to as such henceforth in this report). They remained in Ardan until the next morning, so there was ample opportunity to learn of what they encountered in the mountains. The band members proved particularly talkative. It would seem that, in addtion to the usual tremors that are frequent in the mountains, they had two significant experiences. Frist, they encountered a carrin merchant that they conducted business with. Merchant is an unusual profession for a carrin, but this one (designated "Quirrkle") was expelled form his community and has been attempting to make ends meet. Although he tried to lie about what inventory he had, they were able to trade with him. The second, more serious experience, was an encounter with a "crack in the earth". Apparently, this involved a fissure at least 18 m deep that opened up during a minor tremor, yet the tremor seemed to chase them. It could turn corners, circle around, and even cross itself. Subject 4780 (designated "Ackers" and referred to as such henceforth in this report) put himself in its way several times and it turned away from him. The others sought shelfter on higher ground, which the fissure seemed unwilling or unable to traverse. Once everyone except Ackers was on higher ground, the "crack" apparently gave up and "retreated", meaning the ground closed back up in the reverse order to which it opened. This unusual event is not too dissimilar to reports of the ground in the Western Mountains swallowing people. What is perhaps odd, is that it seemed to specifically avoid Ackers. It could perhaps be because the forces controlling these phenomena are not intereseted in synthetics? Or perhaps they were interested in a specific member (or members) of the group? Once in Ardan, the subjects were very vocal about the Peace Brigade and the Sisters of the Dragon. It would see they are very interested in warning the people of Taebur about a potential invasion. It is likely they talked about this possibility extensively with Dagger. She has certainly since begun inquiries about making alliances for defence (as reported in Report 531 on Dagger). Their talk with Dagger was also the first documented meeting between Dagger and Subjects 2 and 3 (designated "Evgenia" and "Niklaus Ilyich" respectively, and referred to as such henceforth in this report). Although they were only together for a relatively short period of time, this would seem to point to the possibility that a meeting between all of Subjects 1 through 4 could be getting closer. This is covered in more detail in Report 531 on Dagger and Report 1 on Evgenia and Niklaus.

Day 118 of 4,543,626,881 (28 Apr of 98 AF in Local Notation)

The subjects, along with the band, left Ardan in the morning and headed towards Fastur with the hopes of catching up to the Coop within the next day or two. Data for the remainder of this report have generally come in one to three days after their occurrence. The subjects arrived in Fastur in the early afternoon, where they stopped and made purchases. Subject 4781 (designated "R.A.N.C.H.E.R." and referred to as such for the remainder of this report) got two of his three arms upgraded to make them extendable, and the group as a whole bought a new vehicle. The upgrade to R.A.N.C.H.E.R. kept them in Fastur until the next day.

Day 119 of 4,543,626,881 (29 Apr of 98 AF in Local Notation)

The subjects departed Fastur in the early afternoon, once R.A.N.C.H.E.R.'s upgrade was concluded. They reached the Coop an hour or two later. The Coop was camped off the trail, waiting for the subjects to catch up so they could begin preparations for the wedding between Subject 4783 (designated "Onnya Sokolo" and referred to as such henceforth in this report) and Coop member designated Jamal Aram. The wedding was the purpose of the subjects' escorting of the Knights of the Round Table. Reports indicate that there was an emotional reunion between Onnya and Evgenia, who apparently knew each other when Onnya was a child.

Day 120 through 129 of 4,543,626,881 (30 Apr through 9 May of 98 AF in Local Notation)

Little of note worth reporting occurred on these ten days. The subjects, along with the rest of the Coop, made preparations for the wedding.

Day 130 of 4,543,626,881 (10 May of 98 AF in Local Notation)

The wedding between Onnya and Jamal occurred on this day. In the evening, during the reception, Coop member Naja Sereen was stung by a grey scorpion, a variety of scorpion not normally encountered in Taebur. The scorpion's venom is normally deadly and the likelihood of Naja's surviving it is so low as to be virtually impossible. Nonetheless, she survived. Subject 4778 (designated "James" and referred to as such henceforth in this report) was able to cure her of the venom, which is, again, something that should be beyond his ability without incredible luck. There are three possible explanations:

The scorpion was not, in fact, a grey scorpion, but rather a less deadly variety.
James's skill at medicine is greater than we previously believed.
Jame has acquired new skills. There are some reports of nanite clouds being observed around him, so he might possibly have gained the ability to control and/or maniuplate nanites.

Given that grey scorpions are not native to Taebur and never seen here, option 1 seems the most likely. Option 2 is unlikely, but not impossible. Option 3 is also unlikely, and the reports of nanite clouds come from less reliable sources. However, neither option 2 nor 3 can be dismissed entirely. This will need further monitoring to be certain and will be updated as further data become available.