Research Entry .001 - The Gotha Cataclysm
Ever since our familiarity with the Rift technology has sprouted, we always knew the main working principles - there must always be sufficient free space for a Rift to form on both sides and sufficient mass to sustain it. Not by precautions from unforseen dangers of forming a Rift inside of an installation or a celestial body, but by laws of hyperspace traversal. Even the Rifts found in the wild, the Jump Holes as they have been christined, always formed in points of sufficient space and mass. Certain portions of open space can be programmed to execute passages between each other without the need for a body of mass, but with a source of sufficient energy. Such is how the Jump Gates - regardless of their origin - come to function.
Yet the Gotha Cataclysm shatters all of our understanding of the workings behind the Rift Traversal. A Rift into the other-lands, formed right at the core of what used to be an enormous celestial body. The shattered fragments reveal that Gotha could not have been hollow from the inside, even if such a phenomenon was possible in the first place.
The possibilities of "how" such an event came to be are in numbers. Could it have been due to the discharge of an active relic that caused the destruction of Valhalla and the expansion of the Suhl? Did such an event somehow resonate with the Earhart Mechanism and programmed an entry point inside of Gotha, ripping the planet apart from the inside out as a consequence? Or could it be that the mechanism executed the connection on its own, out of fault? Could the entire Cataclysmic Event be unrelated to the Mechanism, with it only being attracted to a sudden surge in energy and the Rift forming after-the-fact?
Understanding the workings behind the Gotha Cataclysm and expediting all the possibilities is imperative to our success in mastering the Mechanism. Whether by chance or not, both places are linked.
Research Entry .002 - The Doorway
Reason to believe that the Gotha Cataclysm and the Earhart Mechanism are related is in the fact that upon traversing the rift, one would find themselves at the other side of the "Doorway" - a term prescribed to uniquely shaped passageways in the Earhart system. Upon numerous traversals, it has been confirmed that, indeed, the Entry point is identical in every case, although there is no pre-determiened Exit.
The layout suggests a presence of eight such Doorways, all alligned in a round octagonal pattern surrounding the Central Pillar. Peculiar to note that, on surface, the Doorways appear to be assembled out of the same material as the Slipstream Paths, Guard Towers and Restgrounds of the Light. It could be that they serve as stabilizers for the Central Pillar's projections, yet additional time is required to determine for how long such connections can be maintained.
Initial observation revealed that only four Doorways could maintain Exit points at once - with two leading into the Unknown Regions and two connected to the Sector.
Research Entry .003 - The Earhart Mechanism
The key component and a mystery shrouded behind platitude of mysteries. On the surface, it appears to be a Pylon with several rotary segments and immense power emissions, with what appears to be a Power Cell of unique frequency at its Catalyst. Yet the intrinsics of its working principle avoid the detection of any scanner arrays, nor do they demonstrate any visual clues. Further investigation of the mechanism requires a prolonged exposure to its temporal and energetic destributions, factors the detection of which we may possess no technology for, yet our Light has a much wider reach.
A Lightbearer must approach the Pylon and channel the Light Within and peer into the strands that weave the bridges to outer places. To have a mind of Exalted Light - preferably, their host or a proxy - would be an ideal circumstance, for we know as much as they, and such an observation may become a fascinating revelation to them. It may be not without reason that the knowledge of this Mechanism - or its surrounding wards - is absent from Memory of The Light. Yet it is our purpose to master and harness the legacy of the Makers, for we shall fail them if we do not.
Research Entry .004 - The Ward
The Earhart Mechanism is enveloped by extremely powerful weaponry in a defensive hexagonal bipyramidic layout. The Wards appear to be tracking any intruder - indiscriminate of displayed friend-foe signature or immited energies that are utilized to identify between Lightborn and Us. It affirms that the Earhart Mechanism was either not meant to be discovered by Us, was designed as a test for capabilities of the Lightborn, or that the Defense Mechanism stands as a failsaife in case if the Lightborn fail to meet certain pre-established criteria. The latter two theories are more probable to be, given how the Wards appear to be soothed by the Concealment Techniques, and it may serve as evidence of the Voidmind deviating from the prognosis.
While not essential in understanding the Mechanism itself, the Wards present a plausible deterrant for any unwarranted attention. To deny the opportunity to learn of such a powerful weapon would be an insult to the Makers. The shielding bubbles prevent any attempt at surface or deep scanning, rendering it impossible to gather any information on their working principle through orthodox means, leaving us with the same method that we deem to utilize towards the Mechanism.
Research Entry .005 - The Dark Matter Cloud
While only seven Doorways may be observed within the system, their octagonal layout suggets that one of them was enveloped by a cloud of Dark Matter. Speculations suggest that the origin of this cloud may be related to one of the two incidents - the Alberta Incident or the Dallas Incident, that the Dark Matter somehow "seeped in" into the system during either of the Incidents. Radioactive emissions are too intense within the cloud - investigating the cause in a vessel that isn't heavily fortified would be a death sentence. Asset "Haferbock" will be deployed to investigate the inner contents of the cloud in pursuit of any potential discoveries that could lead to - or, even, reveal - its origin.
Research Entry .005.1 - Dark Matter Report
Survey Asset "Haferbock" was successful in its mission in reaching the Crossroads. We've ventured into the Dark Matter Cloud alone as to avoid unwanted attention. As soon as the survey area was reached, the sensor arrays were jammed with severe interference. Suffice to say it is impractical or impossible to record any readings of the cloud itself from within.
Visibility conditions are extreme, without any open space pockets found within the cloud. Presence of static reactions is confirmed. Upon exiting the cloud, it was revealed that the hull of "Haferbock" - both its internal and external parts - has been greatly degraded and heavily contaminated, which suggests that highly concentrated radioactive emissions are, also, present. In our pre-flight check, the radiation detectors aboard were given a rundown, and they appeared to be functioning as intended. However, given how they failed to report the hazardous presence in the first place, in coup with extreme navigational hazards, it is suffice to conclude that conducting any further studies of the cloud in lighter vessels is impractical. Prolonged presence in fortified vessels is also inadvisable.
Research Entry .005.2 - Lost Doorway
As stated by the initial survey report, the Doorways of the Crossroads are aligned in an octagonal pattern, with only seven of them being visible, and as was theorized, the eighth Doorway could have been located inside of the cloud. Though, with extreme visibility conditions in place, we have still been successful in proving that theory - there are indeed eight Doorways, and one of them has indeedly been submerged within the Dark Matter Cloud.
We were able to cross-reference the shape of the cloud and the position of the Doorway itself relevant to it, and it appears that the theorized origin of it is also correct. A catastrophic event, which brought about the existence of this cloud on one end, has somehow connected to the Crossroads, with the Dark Matter seeping in through the opening. The irregularity observed in the pattern of the Doorways suggests that the Earhart Mechanism was in a perfect working condition before this catastrophe has occurred, and that the Dark Matter is somehow responsible for irregularities in its work. It is possible that the Mechanism relies on an octagonal network of Doorways to function properly, for it to be able to define specific destinations and for them all to function at once without any interference. However, the Dark Matter would certainly work as a metaphorical "resistor" to cut the current of the Doorways, especially if it surrounds one of them. Alternatively, it could be blocking any incoming requests from the Mechanism to the Doorway itself, causing a Mechanism to enter a state of a paradox, as it probably has not been designed with such conditions in mind.
Research Entry .005.3 - Clues of Origin
Following the vector of the Doorway's designated exit towards the Mechanism, we were able to locate ship wreckages within the cloud. Aforementioned poor visibility conditions and scanner interferences made the process of identification quite problematic. Surface observations revealed the found vessels to be of Libertonian Corporate origin. The vessels appear to have been heavily corroded by radiation, narrowing down the time window of theirs - and the Cloud's - appearance. It is possible that the origin of the Dark Matter Cloud is related to the Dallas Incident. A probable theory is that the Supergate Project has somehow linked to the Crossroads, but it could not handle the working capacity of the Mechanism, which caused the Supergate to rupture from within, resulting in the following catastrophe.
In summary, we were able to discern that the Dark Matter has an effect on the Earhart Mechanism's functionality. Namely, it has a critical design flaw - it needs to link to all eight doorways to function properly. If at least one of the Doorways remains unresponsive, it will cause the Mechanism to enter a stage of paradox, in which it may not direct the rest of them. Alternatively, the eight Doorways represent a current, which is necessary to support the Mechanism's capability in creating Rifts to designated locations. An interruption in the current by external conditions, like Dark Matter, may cause irregularities in directional input, leading the Doorways to "flare up" at random without any cohesive designations. Determining which theory is right is imperative in our understanding of the Mechanism, yet so is considering all the options laid in front of us.
Further study of the Dark Matter Cloud is deemed unnecessary. Henceforth, Project File 005 may be considered as "completed".
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