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Crowley · 06-09-2023, 12:24 AM,

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: "Ikarus Station" - Dr. Sailas Montgomery

Subject: Updates

Encryption Strength: Impossible

A message from the Director,

As an update for my previous message blacklisting all Liberty Corporations and Government institutions, AWES has been verified and can be reached out to again for any resupply needs that we have.
The Dreamscape will be undergoing an engine overhaul in the coming weeks. Please ensure that you have all of your personnel belongings off the ship. Anything left will be donated to the Sailas needs booze fund.
Phase one of the Endurance project should be wrapping up soon. We will need to follow up with NSE.
Dr. Harlow continues to be missing in action. I have hired a third party Freelancer to investigate the area she was last seen in. Do not attempt to do this yourselves.
OSI will be getting paid their down payment for the Biodomes soon. You may see their engineers onboard the station doing some follow up surveys. Be sure to give them a warm welcome and keep any sensitive research out of sight and secured. Answer any questions they may have. If you do not know the answer, refer them to Dr. Wright or myself.

As always, if you have any questions, you can find me in my office. Keep up the great work!

--Dr. Sailas Montgomery
Director and Lead Researcher, SLRC
Ever upwards, towards starlight!

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"HERE TO STAY"
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Proselyte · (This post was last modified: 06-18-2023, 07:13 AM by Proselyte.)

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: "Freeport 14" - Dr. Aspen Harlow

Subject: Grant Fulfillment: A-225-T

Encryption Strength: Impossible

Hey folks,

Making this somewhat belated report on behalf of the Director. We spoke briefly in space about my absence, nothing much to worry about. If anyone's curious, you can ask me later.

During our chat, a particular Hunter swing by after overhearing us on proximity channels. I'm not often fond of them lingering around, the BHG typically want to shoot some of our fine visitors, but this one's a special case. It took a minute to get them to open up, but I'll vouch for them. They're the same one that sent us a message recently, offering their services if we need a hired gun for anything. I'll leave that up to administration, of course.

Well, with them tagging along, the Dreamscape set out to take care of one of our open grant requests that's been sitting a while, aiding in the transit of Zoner research teams away from Ames to the much more hospitable Pygar, shearing winds aside. The flight was fairly unremarkable the whole way, and the Hunter was pretty quiet, but it was nice to accomplish something without the world collapsing on our heads for once. A relief, honestly.

Here's to similar smooth operations in the future. And remember, credit for this one goes to Sailas.

--Dr. Aspen Harlow
Exploration, SLRC

Attachments-(2)

Flight Log Recording

Image Capture(s)

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Proselyte · (This post was last modified: 06-19-2023, 11:10 PM by Proselyte.)

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: "Bethlehem Station" - Dr. Aspen Harlow

Subject: What's Old Is New Again

Encryption Strength: Impossible

Howdy colleagues,

I've been spending a lot of time in Pennsylvania lately. You know how it is, visiting family, just... makin' sure they're ok through all this. I've been planetside to see mom and pop finally, they're shaken up but they don't have to deal with seeing Liberty troops marching down the street out in the boonies where they live. The more active folks in the family are keeping their head down for now, if you take my meaning.

While I'm here on Bethlehem (Karl - how's your family doing?), I ran into an opportunity to line up the purchase of a new Spatial hull finally. I've really been lookin' for one since Alberta, not to mention I think that Junker I tried to make a deal with for findin' one might've taken me for a ride. In any respect, I've made the deal with personal funds - if I recall Sailas, we agreed that this here counts as a work expense, don't you agree?

I'll see if I can't have it delivered by transport to Freeport 6, closest she's going to get to Ikarus on the regular shipping lanes. Mister Radoli, Doctor Genda, I'd like to talk to you about some potential upgrades we can put her through as it relates to some of your work and areas of interest. I reckon she's got potential as a real testbed. You wanted a test pilot after all, Robert, so here I am!

Also, does anyone know what the going rate is for Kishiro Service Robots, or what some good aftermarket upgrades are for 'em? Just a little something on my mind.

--Dr. Aspen Harlow
Exploration, SLRC

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Stoner_Steve · 06-25-2023, 02:51 PM,

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: The Aurora Borealis - Dr. Brandon Wright

Subject: The Gryphon

Encryption Strength: Impossible

My fellow colleagues,

As you may know, the R&D department has been working on a top-secret project for the past few months. We are pleased to announce that we have completed the upgrade and retrofitting of the Gryphon from a Carrier to Colony Research Center for use by Starlight Teams.

The Colony Ship has been equipped with the latest technology, including:

A new hyperspace drive system that will allow it to travel to distant stars much faster than conventional drives.
A state-of-the-art life support system that will ensure the safety of the crew for extended periods of time.
A variety of scientific instruments that will allow the crew to study new worlds and collect data.

We are confident that this mobile research center will be a valuable asset to Starlight. We look forward to working with your specific projects' and to explore new worlds, along with expanding the boundaries of human knowledge.

Please join us for a tour of the Mobile Research Center on {{TO BE ANNONCED}}.

We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

The R&D Department

P.S. We know that this project has been a poorly kept secret for a while now. We appreciate your patience and understanding. We are excited to finally share this news with you.

--Dr. Brandon Wright
Research and Development, SLRC

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SLRC Faction Document | SLRC Recruitment | SLRC Feedback | SLRC Message Dump

Stoner_Steve · 07-02-2023, 03:28 PM,

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: The Gryphon - Dr. Brandon Wright

Subject: Research Assignment: G-NU-001

Encryption Strength: Impossible

The Research and Development Team aboard the Gryphon has acquired a pair of unknown artifacts from an abandoned research facility in the Nu system. These artifacts have been brought to Ikarus for further study. Please note that the computer systems aboard the abandoned facility were completely blank, like not even factory unused, just blank. No OS, No Backup, No Papers. Not even a sticky note as to their place or purpose. As such anyone willing to take a crack at figuring out what they are can check them out from R&D Storeroom on Level 5 Section C. Adequate compensation will be provided upon completion of the research assignment.

--Dr. Brandon Wright
Research and Development, SLRC

Attachments-(1)

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Proselyte · (This post was last modified: 07-02-2023, 07:41 PM by Proselyte.)

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: "SLRC-XV>Perihelion" - Dr. Aspen Harlow

Subject: RE: Research Assignment: G-NU-001

Encryption Strength: Impossible

Dr. Wright - Unknown artifacts? That's mysterious. I'm guessing these artifacts were transported with great care taken towards containment. We've got it on good authority that a few of these can be real dangerous sometimes.

Although, that's serendipity if I ever saw it. I was already looking to pick up some inert artifacts from Crete in the near future to conduct a mineral composition analysis (with the help of some other staff on-board), to compare them against the composition of material from the Geode in Baffin. These could make a useful comparison to the more frequent variants seen throughout the sector, which should help with narrowing down the specific function of these two. Color me especially interested. I'll be glad to take a look when I'm on the station.

One last thing, could you pass me that station's coordinates on a secure line? I might want to feel out the location if I'm passing by, just curious.

All - I'm now fully settled in with the Perihelion, so I'm turning over the Cryptomnesia to the Consortium as recompense for reimbursement on all the lost special equipment from my first ship. Word of warning, don't try to adjust the seat manually while you're in it, the latch goes totally loose and it'll fold all the way back - not stellar when you're flying! Thanks, cheapo Newport designers.

--Dr. Aspen Harlow
Exploration, SLRC

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Stoner_Steve · 07-04-2023, 04:53 AM,

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: The Gryphon - Shipmaster Enoch

Subject: RE: Research Assignment: G-NU-001

Encryption Strength: Impossible

Aspen,

Dr. whoever and Goodyman told me to pass along the stations coordinates, and I would, but I regret to inform that per the fiery reentry recorded by the recovery team. Planet Midway ate whatever we weren't able to drag off. There are some databanks, a few pads. It's all down in the R&D lab, deck 3 of The Core. I'm sure we can get them on the next transport going to Ikarus here soon. But I was told there pretty empty and blank. Maybe some sort of EMP blast? Either way I'll tag for delivery to your office, Deck 5, corridor 23.

--Shipmaster Enoch
SLRC-HV>Gryphon

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Stoner_Steve · 07-15-2023, 01:14 AM,

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: The Aurora Borealis - Dr. Brandon Wright

Subject: Liberty?

Encryption Strength: Impossible

My fellow colleagues,

I don't know how many of you have seen the attached transmission. But there is certainly a lot to unpack. Most...disturbing of which is this "Radford Research Station" apparently built around a Baxter object. Something that Operation Kaleidoscope was primarily focused on. While I don't doubt that Nicole Hayes believes that a research station is located within the Newport Anomaly. I find it hard to believe Liberty would continue to pour resources into researching Baxter Objects after so many years of Ithaca and the New York anomaly being ignored for the most part. We, or more pointedly, some independent individual, should be sought out to....review the possibility that this might not just be a figment of her imagination.

--Dr. Brandon Wright
Research and Development, SLRC

Attachments-(1)

Freeport 14 Relay

(07-14-2023, 10:04 PM)Goddess Astra Wrote: > Signal detected.
> Identifying...
> Authenticating...
> Decrypting...
> Stream initiated.

COMM ID: Nicole Hayes
TARGET ID: [SIRIUS-WIDE BROADCAST]
SOURCE: Freeport 6, Tau-29;
Fontana Freeport, California;
Bethlehem Station, Pennsylvania;
Freeport 14, Inverness;
Heisenberg Research Station, Cologne;
[LIBERTY INSURGENCY RELAY], Kansas;
Freeport 5, Omega-41

This is Nicole Hayes.

It’s been over a month since Operation PESTICIDE took place. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how best to convince people that the Liberty Navy is corrupt, and that its corruption goes deep into its core. There are a lot of different things that I could say on that front. But, honestly?

F*ck it. I almost don't need anything else: the fact is that even with the threat of retribution, even with the entire sector knowing they were about to do it, Operation PESTICIDE STILL took place. But I know that won't be enough.

As promised, I’m now going to reveal details of various top-secret locations and organizations in the Liberty Navy’s hierarchy, and I'll be including context of why the Navy conducts itself the way that it does.

Here are details of the External Security and Research Division, which I directly led and to whose records I had direct access. Here are the details of the ESRD’s internal field communications, which will provide insight into their operating procedure. It was founded as a way to circumvent the messy bureaucracy of "classified" and "need-to-know" information that exists in the Liberty Navy, offering flexibility which enables its operatives to act with impunity and without oversight.

Willard Research Station is the headquarters of the ESRD’s operations, location in the Tahoe Ice Cloud, California system, sector 6D. Guncam attached:

Spoiler

The guncams from most of these top-secret facilities were corrupted by the jamming around them, but I've managed to salvage frames with the relevant data still attached.

Willard Station is the center of the ESRD's research operations. Any anomalous materials, nomad remains, hybrid technology, anything like that, it all goes here. The vaults in this place are stacked high with all kinds of artifacts, most of them inert, but some are active. All kinds of experiments have been conducted here. This is one of the examples of the divide between the Navy and LSF--their informational hierarchy is divided, and both departments conceal secrets from each other. This has even escalated to the point of armed conflict between the departments.

I point to this communique as further proof of this. The attached document cross-references a communication from the LSF to Battlegroup Harmony, a rogue battlegroup that would go on to become a member of the Liberty Insurgency. What's more important, however, is that in 823 AS, individuals were sighted with corrupt IFFs and strange technology mounted on their ships, consistent with readings that match nomad technology. More ships with similar discrepancies emerged, and a battle took place in which these rogue Navy elements were joined by two Nomad capital ships. The subsequent communication with the Liberty Navy's admiralty and the ESRD goes into detail of the fallout, in which the LSF conducted "search-and-destroy orders on Naval personnel" to contain the threat of the outbreak.

This was all exacerbated by the secret-keeping practices of the ESRD, the Navy as a whole, and the LSF. A huge amount of the Navy was compromised by this, and it wasn't even the first time this has happened. During the Nomad War, nearly the entire Liberty Navy was compromised by nomad infiltrators. If it weren't for the actions of the Order at that time, which were labeled as terrorist acts, then Liberty would have been made into a nomad puppet state. Alongside Rheinland's complete subversion, they would have ended humanity for good.

The pinnacle of these secrets is manifested here in Zone-21, New York system, sector G4:

Spoiler

In some circles this is an open secret, but before now the public has never known its contents certainly. This is a jump gate to the Alaska system, a remote system with historically unstable jump hole connections that the Liberty Navy has used for centuries, starting in 510 AS--immediately after the Texas Incident. Research was moved to this system for the purposes of secrecy and security, and to reduce civilian collateral damage.

Obligatory reminder that HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of people have died due to the Texas Incident, most of them being prisoners who died as a result of exposure to the radiation from its charged dark matter clouds--clouds that remain in the system to this very day. More on that later.

The Alaska system represents a shift in Liberty's methods, though not their priorities. They moved research here not out of concern for civilian lives, but because of the cost of the damage that the Texas Incident caused.

Inside the Alaska system, the jamming is bad, so these images are going to be poor quality.

Spoiler

This is Juneau Shipyard, Alaska System, sector 6/7B. This shipyard is the center of the Liberty Navy's naval prototyping and testing, and it's where the Osiris-class battleship was developed. Most people in the public will have never heard that name, but I'll provide a quick summary: the Osiris was an experimental battleship developed to test cloaking technology, decades before cloaks became public knowledge. The reason that the Liberty Navy was able to develop cloaking devices at all was due to recovered nomad artifacts and materials that Liberty kept secret from every house in the Sector.

Ultimately, the original Osiris was stolen by a man named Casper Orillion, due to complete compromization of Liberty's armed forces by nomad infiltrators. He was forced to defect with a small number of personnel, and afterward he founded the Order, in an attempt to combat this threat. As I said above, the issues of Battlegroup Harmony were not the first time that the Liberty Navy was infiltrated by nomads. In fact, to this very day, we still don't know how many units in the Liberty Navy that went MIA during the war are still at large and staffed by nomad infestees and sleeper agents. This was enabled by the very culture of secrecy that Liberty cultivated to protect itself, as nomad infiltrators were able to move undetected throughout the ranks, and no one noticed before it was too late.

Moving on, there is another Liberty Navy installation in Alaska. Prison Station Fairbanks is located at Sector 4B. I apologize for the atrocious quality, this was the best I could get.

Spoiler

Prison Station Fairbanks is the successor to a previous prison station in the system called Mitchell. Both installations were built to house political prisoners, and other people that Liberty wanted to disappear. No public records exist of either prison station. This is the another side of the secrecy that Alaska provides Liberty: by keeping prisoners out of the public eye here, no one is able to find details about them, and nobody can hold them accountable for their actions.

The biggest example of how these prison stations were abused in recent memory occurred during the Nomad War, when the publicly elected official President Barbara Jacobi was secretly detained and brought to the station for the purposes of nomad infestation. The infested chancellor of Rheinland, Florian Niemann, was also in attendance there. The Order staged a raid on the facility in order to extract President Jacobi, and the uninfested cruiser LNS Utah came to their aid under the command of Captain Marcus Walker. His ship was destroyed in order to enable the Order's successful escape with the president. Once again, these events have been kept secret from the public ever since the events of the Nomad War, and prove the Liberty Navy's unwillingness to accept accountability of any kind.

The last facility, and one of the most pertinent in Alaska, is Prudhoe Skunkworks, sector G6. Again, apologies for the atrocious quality:

Spoiler

Prudhoe Skunkworks is not a Naval installation, but instead an installation belonging to Ageira Technologies, one of the "big three" Liberty corporations. Why does a civilian corporation have a facility in a top-secret system?

The answer to that is simple:

Spoiler

The Virginia supergate is the culmination of all of the research that Liberty has poured into jump gate technology since its founding. It also was built on the corpses of countless Liberty citizens, prisoners and free alike, people who had no say in being part of an experiment gone so horrifically wrong that you still can't work or live in Texas without exceeding annual radiation limits. Those who can afford treatment enjoy decent lives, and those who can't afford it or are denied it suffer from illness, poverty, and death.

The epicenter of the Texas Incident is still there, and still active even now:

Spoiler

At its epicenter, you can still see the wreck of the prototype supergate, and the permanent anomaly that remains within, which bears a striking resemblance to the Baxter anomalies that can be found throughout Sirius.

The Virginia supergate is the third supergate Liberty has constructed. The first two were the Texas supergate, shown above, and the Alberta supergate. The Alberta supergate was rushed out during the Gallic War in an attempt to create a secure backline logistics route from Liberty into Bretonia, a means by which they could ensure that even though they were cut off in the Independent Worlds, they could still make sure that Bretonia didn't fall.

I won't criticize the efforts of the Liberty Navy during the Gallic War. I fought during that war. I have friends who were wounded or died fighting on the surface of Leeds. I understand taking every possible step in order to stop a force hellbent on conquest and genocide. But, despite all this, the Alberta supergate also went wrong.

Contact was lost with Alberta at earliest in the year 827 AS, as an enormous dark matter storm descended upon the system--a storm that was in many ways similar to the one that engulfed Texas, though less destructive. One might say that this is a strict improvement over the Texas Incident, but the human cost of this still can't be understated. All of the people who lived and worked in Alberta were forced to evacuate, and when Alberta was lost, Ontario was also forgotten, becoming a backwater that went nowhere and produced nothing of value. As such, the dark matter storm displaced and evicted not one but two full systems of Liberty's citizens.

One might say that this is just a coincidence, but I think that the conclusion is easy if you read between the lines: we're playing with forces that we still don't understand, and it's creating dangers unlike any that we've ever witnessed before in the sector. The dark matter storm is moving and growing at an absolutely unprecedented and insane rate, now also engulfing and threatening to isolate the Kepler system as well.

Liberty never stopped playing with fire. They just moved it from the gas station into the parking lot. What they're dealing with is well beyond their ability to control or manage, and the consequences are going to be so much greater than just material damages if they're not careful.

With the three major facilities of Alaska out of the way, I only have a little bit more to share.

First of all, there is a jump hole backdoor into Alaska, which I'm sharing for no particular reason. The coordinates to this jumphole are in the Virginia system, sector C1:

Spoiler

It brings you out into Alaska in sector G4:

Spoiler

It's hard to get to, and there's no real good way that doesn't risk getting caught out by patrols, but there are still a couple of ways around. You could break off from the lane to the supergate, though that would leave an electronic record of your position that might get you caught and prosecuted--or killed, realistically. So there's another way that you can go, which is less likely to get you into legal trouble and more difficult to trace, but is also more lethal due to deadly radiation. If you're fast, you can pull it off. I won't tell you exactly what it is, because the Navy would probably heighten patrols to an insane degree if I did, but this is enough information for you to figure it out yourself if you're really committed.

Second, there's the matter of Chesapeake Shipyard, located in the Arlington Minefield, Virginia, sector G4:

Spoiler

There's really not much I can tell you about this place. Har har, yes Agent Siren, you're right, I have no dirt on the LSF, despite my position in the Primary Fleet, but this is the whole point. The LSF's operations are unknown to the Liberty Navy, even though the departments are both on the same side, due to the culture of secrecy and need-to-know information that I've already made clear throughout this transmission. So even though you're right, you still lose.

Third, there's another installation that I wasn't able to get on camera, but which my position still gave me enough information to share. Radford Research Station is in the Newport Anomaly, Virginia system, sector B2. It's a research station devoted to Baxter anomalies, which it's partly built around, and it's the successor to the stations Bedford and Ithaca. It also serves as a highly secure position where the wrecks of vessels from hostile organizations, including the Houses, are analyzed and reverse-engineered. It hides in plain sight because scanners can't penetrate the cloud from the outside.

So there you have it. I'm releasing all of this because Liberty has turned on its own people. Regardless of whether or not you consider Zoners to be citizens, Planet Erie is managed by Liberty's government, and the people who live there are her responsibility. When Liberty chose to invade Planet Erie and even fired on escaping civilian transports, shooting to kill, they proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the people are not their first priority. All they care about is sovereignty, profit, and power, and they will stop at nothing to keep that power secure.

Liberty will deny everything. They have to, because anything else would mean accepting the injustices inherent in their system of government, and by extension the governments of all the Houses of Sirius. Nobody wants to surrender that power. And that's why we have to hold them accountable.

If you want to help? Fight. Fight against the Navy, and other armed forces like them. Fight against oppression of innocent people. Fight against the unjust and inconsistent laws of the Houses, designed to reduce the accountability of their armed forces to zero. Fight against imperialism. Fight to support the Zoners of Erie, who have been pleading with Liberty's government to no avail ever since my first broadcast. They literally can't shoot all of us, and at least in my view, going down fighting for what you believe in is much preferable to dying a slow death of a thousand cuts.

If you can't fight physically or with a ship, there are other ways to resist. Refuse cooperation. Demand legal representation. The Liberty Navy is not a law enforcement body, and you have a right to fair treatment as Liberty's citizen. Demand transparency from the government. One way or another, we'll hold them to the truth, and we'll put an end to the militarist and corrupt police state that Liberty has become. With any luck, the other Houses will one day follow.

For the people of Erie. For liberty.

> Terminating...
> Transmission terminated.

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Stoner_Steve · 07-15-2023, 04:59 PM,

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: The Gryphon - Shipmaster Enoch

Subject: Research Assignment: G-NU-002

Encryption Strength: Impossible

We have recovered a pair of Adapted Nomad Blasters and a pair of Adapted Nomad Cannons from a freighter wreckage within Nu. The vessel appears to be Core in origin, but there was no sign of the pilot. The adapted weapons have been placed on the next transport to Ikarus.

--Shipmaster Enoch
SLRC-HV>Gryphon

Attachments-(2)

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Proselyte · 07-25-2023, 01:28 AM,

Starlight Research Consortium
Chasing starlight since 829 A.S.

From: "Bethlehem Station" - Dr. Aspen Harlow

Subject: Letter of Resignation

Encryption Strength: Impossible

Director and colleagues,

I'm sorry to say that for the time being, with the circumstances in Pennsylvania being what they are and my time being occupied elsewhere, it's become necessary to say my goodbyes to the Consortium. I have to pursue fortuitous circumstances that have come up for me, and dedicate more of my time to family in this moment of crisis. I appreciate that you've been willing to relocate families of those on staff away from affected areas, and I apologize if this departure leaves any projects down a member. Depending on how things go with Pygar, I'd be glad to still be on-board if you'd have me, but the business with those acquisitions from Nu likely have to fall to someone else.

Thank you for all the opportunities. We'll meet again.

--Dr. Aspen Harlow
Exploration, SLRC

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