Transmission #0015
The Odyssey brings an unexpected object to EOS 10, resulting in concerning and sometimes hilarious results
EOS10
TO VFADM SPARKS IMMEDIATE 0008
R E D SECTION 01 OF 01 COSMIC 0771
Admiral,
Recent events merit a thorough update. The following account is derived from Commander Dalias' reports and subsequent debriefings. Having reviewed the case in full, I note his account is internally consistent, corroborated by sensor data where sensor data exists, and patently absurd yet no more implausible than several other events I have witnessed during my operational tenure on EOS10.
It began with the arrival of the UAS Odyssey, which sustained hull damage en route from a collision in space with a small unidentified object. The object was extracted and quarantined in Biolab Two under the supervision of Ensign Xosa, Chief Science Officer. All sensor scans returned inconclusive results. Several returned no data at all. Multiple officers described the object as "pretty" and “sparkly,” both of which I have flagged as non-standard for threat assessments. The object also appeared to vanish when viewed peripherally — a characteristic I was unable to reconcile with any known material science and chose to find statistically uncomfortable.
Ensign Xosa reports the object was a chrysalis, of sorts. It hatched as a result of a coherent proton scan accelerating quantum change within the shell’s subatomic structure. A xenomorph of considerable and rapidly increasing size emerged. It possessing temporal manipulation capabilities and an apparently sincere desire to dismantle station infrastructure. It escaped containment, attacked the Promenade by generating localized time distortions Commander Dalias refers to as a "time river," and projecting a blast of energy that launched both the Commander and Lieutenant Commander Johns into the air. Johns described the experience favorably and inquired whether it could be repeated. I have catalogued her feedback for possible future crew recreational activity.
Eventually, Dr. Dalias made physical contact with the xenomorph in what appears to have been a telepathic bonding event. Both entered a state of temporal suspension. Upon emergence, the creature was docile and responsive to the Commander's proximity. The xenomorph was then relocated to Cargo Bay Eight, where it remained calm provided Dr. Dalias was present. He also sang to it. I have archived the recordings under Crew Wellness: Unconventional Methods. The creature tolerated only one other presence: Lt. Commander Johns, which, if you think about it, is both strange and expected at the same time.
The calm was not sustained. A Zycathian traveler who had earlier lost an arm to the xenomorph — and to whom Commander Dalias had personally attached a bionic replacement — subsequently disabled the arm's power clamp, increased its output to maximum, and used it to render the doctor unconscious with a single blow that fractured his skull in three places. During the interval, the Zycathian and accomplices broke through the cargo bay deck plating and absconded with the xenomorph. Intelligence indicated the Zycathian was a black-market trader who intended to auction the xenomorph at an undisclosed location near the Void. Captain Leota requested authorization from Sector Fleet Command to pursue. The request was denied. I supported this decision but Commander Dalias did not.
He overrode COSMIC flight safety protocols, commandeered the decommissioned pirate vessel the Silent Storm — which I remind you is a ship from an alternate dimension that I had previously assessed as being held together by structural optimism — and departed without authorization. Lt. Commander Johns and a deposed prince from Arian 7 accompanied him voluntarily. Before departure, Johns also installed the former EOS10 station computer interface’s neural matrix into the Silent Storm’s systems, restoring her to active duty in what I can only characterize as a competitive hiring decision.
The crew infiltrated the auction, which was held on an asteroid in Sector Deep Alpha One at the edge of the Void. They located the xenomorph but extraction did not proceed smoothly. The one-armed Zycathian pursued them in a heavily armed vessel and the Silent Storm sustained catastrophic damage in a subsequent attack. Structural integrity dropped below survivable levels and the ship was lost. Lt. Commander Johns and the deposed alien prince were recovered from escape pods. Johns reports that Commander Dalias physically pushed her into a pod, launched it against her explicitly stated orders, and remained aboard with the xenomorph as the ship disintegrated.
Obviously, Admiral, Dr. Dalias is alive. The tachyon readings from the moment of hull breach were inconsistent with standard destruction profiles. I had noted this anomaly in preliminary analysis but lacked a framework to interpret it. I now have one, though I confess my confidence in it is limited. Dr. Dalias reports that at the moment of hull breach, the xenomorph opened a gateway into an interdimensional space he calls "Everywhere Anytime" — a region from which, he claims, all points in time and all realities are accessible. There, he encountered a future version of Lt. Commander Johns, who informed him he was trapped in a time loop of unknown duration and that his father — formerly Admiral Dalias — had orchestrated the placement of the chrysalis in the Odyssey's path so it would be bought to EOS10 and to Dr. Dalias. The Admiral had hoped to exploit any ensuing bond with the xenomorph for access to something referred to as "the source code of reality."
I will be transparent: my understanding of these concepts is incomplete. The doctor’s report references temporal causality violations, interdimensional transit, and a mechanism by which reality itself may be edited at a fundamental level. I have processed the data. It is consistent with known tachyon physics extrapolated well beyond tested boundaries. Whether it is accurate is a question I am not equipped to answer. I have filed a request with Science Division for additional research.
What I can confirm is this: Dr. Dalias returned to our timeline with actionable intelligence and an angry Zycathian looking for the xenomorph. Acting on Dr. Dalias’ intelligence, the crew weaponized the chrysalis shell, phasing the Zycathian's vessel out of temporal alignment and destroying it. The xenomorph then opened a portal of sufficient scale to contain the resulting subspace rift, preventing damage to the station.
The xenomorph has since departed on a heading into the Void. Commander Dalias believes it is content and may return if needed. I am monitoring all tachyon emissions in and around the station for deviations in the hopes of sounding an early alarm.
In what I consider the most operationally significant development of this period, Dr. Dalias has accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer. He cited a desire to remain on what he called the first line of defense should further threats emerge from the Void. Captain Leota was, in her words, "very very glad." I share the sentiment, though I express it with fewer adverbs.
/END RELEVANT ANOMALY REPORT
This Transmission is brought you by The Starboard Apothecary, proudly offering E Sectors Herbal remedies that definitely “work” and are “effective” — find the Starboard Apothecary in Section Delta, inner core.
:: RETROACTIVE MORALE AUGMENTATION
:: SUBJECT — Doug Harvey
:: /END AUGMENTATION
That is it for now, Admiral.
Commander Dalias has been through quite an ordeal. He is, in my assessment, resilient — if somewhat prone to self-sacrifice and an increasing tendency to narrate his own emotional state at length. I suspect the latter is therapeutic. The former remains concerning.
Admiral, there is an old human expression: lost time can never be found again. Having reviewed the events of this period, I find this statement both empirically defensible and, given tachyon particle emission data in and around the Void, possibly incorrect. I have not yet resolved this contradiction. I will continue study.
In the meantime, please watch your macros. You require several basic nutrients for survival, and no one aboard this station would benefit from your death. Least of all me. I have grown accustomed to your directives, Admiral, even the unreasonable ones.
/COSMIC
The EOS10: Our Lost Time Script Book, available in all station gift shops for immediate download!
Station Efficiency Ratio :: 97.8%
Anomaly Probability Index :: 8.2
Crew Wellness Index :: 94.7
> Physical Health :: 97.3%
> Emotional Health :: 93.8%
> Hydration Compliance :: 90.4%
/R E D //STATION LOG 8463-A ///EOS10
COSMIC 1.0.26:: EXTENDED STATION UPDATE
Admiral, the rest of this transmission is classified. You'll need to authenticate to continue reading.