Encrypted communication 7/12

WARNING: This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!
Previous/Next

Decrypting…………multiple segments found! Parsing segments……………………………done Dumping buffer contents…

Archived transmission records found. Replay transmissions? [y/n]:  y 

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - COMMAND MODULE - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

This is Valentina Savitskaya, speaking to all humans in Battle Group 'REDEMPTION'.

I’m not great at these so I’ll keep it brief. In three hours I’m ordering an assault of the xeno light capital ship—designated target &quot;Gamma”—currently in orbit around Veles. I’ve already dispatched one of our gunships to draw off the fighter cover. At 23:15 hours the remaining two gunships will escort the SRTS Athos to Gamma’s starboard side. Athos will initiate a chemical penetration of the hull. Then, twenty-five armed humans will take control of the ship and liberate our captured brothers and sisters.

Notice I said “humans”, not “soldiers” or “commandos”. We may not be a trained military, but we are human. The greatest and most dominant species this galaxy has ever seen. For tens of thousands of years we have subjugated every inferior form of life we encounter—plant, animal, artificial—through our superior intelligence and force of will.

Today will be no different. Our opponent is weak, barely capable of a human level of higher thought. A new kind of animal, yes, but still an animal.

I’ve ordered the SRTS Porthos and the command module to stay in reserve, in order to provide logistical support. I’ll direct the attack from Porthos via comms. Once Gamma is ours, we’ll all rendezvous and make our escape.

Stay focused and do your jobs. I didn’t ask for this command, but I’ll be damned if I let our people rot away as prisoners on an alien ship. And I will not preside over the extinction of our species in this system so soon after first entering it.

Val

—

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Very stirring, Val. Tears in my eyes. What are you going to tell them when they don’t find any prisoners on that ship?

I’m forwarding our analysis of their escort fighters. Fast little things, but their movements seem mostly random. I doubt they have a human-level intelligence.

Answering one of your questions: our metallurgists confirmed that a plasma-based aquaregis in sufficient concentration should be able to eat through their hull. They suggested some tweaks to the formula you're using (see attached).

Good luck to you. Or to your people, I should say, as I noticed that you’re “leading from the rear” on this particular assault. How prudent.

Don’t forget our deal.

WM Stanislaus Litvin

INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - VANGUARD Battle Group: 'REDEMPTION'

Your support just means the world to me, Stan. I notice that you ignored my question about unlocking the higher registers on our weapon tech. Worried about us having a little too much firepower by the time you get here? How prudent.

Talk to you in a few hours. Maybe.

Val

—

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Porthos - ID: Alicja

How long before you launch?

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Athos - ID: Pendleton

Soon. Any minute now. They’re handing out rifles. Trying to explain how to use them. It’s surreal.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Porthos - ID: Alicja

We were so close. I have only five, six hours left before the encryption breaks.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Athos - ID: Pendleton

It doesn’t matter. Crack them, find out what they’re up to, try to stop it. Stay alive.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Porthos - ID: Alicja

Still time for you too. Tell them to transfer you to Porthos. Don’t go with them. The readings I see from the xeno ships, the way they move in aggregate...they’re not animals. I don’t even think they’re one race: I’m seeing at least two distinct technological paths with different behaviors. And they’re fast. Faster than a human. You would practically need to be an automaton to handle the acceleration the xenos can take. Don’t go, Pendleton. This will not go well.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Athos - ID: Pendleton

It’s too late. And I don’t care. I’m tired. I can’t breath here. Keep going without me. I’m sending you the ID of my Rodina contact. Work with her, but stay on encrypted channels. Protect her. I’m trusting you here. There’s a message for her there, too. If I don't come back, make sure she gets it.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Porthos - ID: Alicja

Ok. If you get on xeno the ship, and there actually are prisoners on there...

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Athos - ID: Pendleton

Alicja, there aren’t. You know that.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Porthos - ID: Alicja

But if there are. He’s 175cm tall, gray hair, olive skin. His name is Tavio but call him Tavi. His left knee is bad. He says it isn’t but it is, so you may need to help him walk. He won’t...

INCOMING TRANSMISSION - SRTS Athos - ID: Pendleton

Something’s happening. I think it’s time. Good luck.

[Attachment1]

Alicja: use this contact info:

Contact: Olafsdottir, Sigrid

Comm port: 2001:0db8:85a3:0442:1000:8a2e:0370:7334

Public Shared Encryption key: PZ9vsLFy+zWThCQSyeM4ykSnC6qcukKZLa7XygHCC2LTGWDGSfo8k21jGNzrbNUlVPwXrXHR0rtKRYv6xDXxjjUPm

...and please send her this:

Sigrid -

They’re sending me on the assault and I don’t think I’m coming back.

You need to find a way to survive when Rodina reaches the system. I can handle dying. I can even handle Emily dying, in a way. But I can’t handle you dying. Work with Alicja. Find a way.

I made the wrong decision. I’m sorry.

-P

[/Attachment1]

—

[ERROR] Unknown segment format. Low data redundancy detected: possible encryption? Attempt adaptive pattern recog decrypt? [y/n]: <font class="DocumentConsoleEntryFont"> y <font class="DocumentConsoleFont"> Decrypting…………………………………failed! Press s to skip segment, or d to display raw data: [s/d]: <font class="DocumentConsoleEntryFont"> d

[segment14:rawdata]

[/segment14:rawdata]

—

<font class="DocumentFontConversation2">INCOMING TRANSMISSION (PRIVATE) - RODINA

Val? What’s happening? I’m getting reports of explosions. They think one of the gunships just went down.

What the hell is going on over there?

WM Stanislaus Litvin

<font class="DocumentConsoleFont">…End buffer dump