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Field Report A-1: Resource Acquisition Site Romeo-19 While the shuttle I've been assigned is anything but comfortable, it does the job it was designed to do. As I was informed, it possesses all the amenities required for a long-term field study, as well as the facilities necessary to keep me alive and well-fed for the foreseeable future. On a further positive note, a fully furnished and supplied Autolathe and Cyberiad-Pattern Protolathe have been installed on a last minute recommendation by the overseer assigned to pre-flight maintenance; this should mean that if I do not possess a tool for the job at hand, I can simply make one. This will most likely make things extremely simpler, as the stylish sunglasses I'm now wearing most definitely prove. Nevertheless, I digress. The first officially recorded contact with a Xenos Umbra specimen occurred in 2389, though previous, unrecorded encounters have not been ruled out at this moment (it being likely that, given the apparently supernatural abilities of these creatures, precious encounters may have been passed down through tales of "Shadow People" present in various cultures across the galaxy), in Resource Acquisition Site Romeo-19, my very first destination. It is currently a sprawling industrial complex built around a city-sized asteroid, and located within the asteroid belt surrounding CHA-12312B, the G-class star of the Lambda-15 system. Its current assigned goal is the exploitation and strip-mining of the asteroid belt, and it currently produces mostly Titanium and Plasteel for delivery to the Tau Fringe and the Omicron Core Worlds. However, at the time of First Contact, it was little more than a series of hastily-pressurized habitation blocks connected by umbilical tubes that were prone to failure and malfunction, something that cost the lives of 37 personnel during the initial construction period, which lasted from 2387 to 2391. Full mining operations only began in 2493, and expansion of the facility only began in earnest in 2446. The encounter with the specimen, heretofore referred to as U-1, is therefore poorly logged in company records, having occurred in a barely functional construction site staffed entirely by low-grade miners and only a half dozen trained engineers. For this reason, I have traveled to the complex myself, where I met with Chief Engineer Aaron Kemsley, current on-site Chief of Operations. Thankfully for my research, on-site records have been well kept in backup hard copies, and Dr. Kemsley permitted me access to the databanks for the duration of my stay. The findings, while minuscule in comparison with future ones, nonetheless shed a much-needed light on the early history of NanoTrasen's involvement with these creatures, and their methods (or lack thereof) to combat possible infestation. Anomalous reports first began appearing in early 2388, with the construction staff reporting multiple power outages, unusually frequent light fixture malfunctions and, eventually, high incidence of migraines, insomnia and nightmares in the staff. As the situation degraded, and multiple individuals began issuing formal complaints with the site's engineers, then-current Chief of Operations, one Michael Brattis, requests emergency medical aid from the NCS Venture, the nearest NanoTrasen installation, located in the Lambda-13 system. Due to the relative unimportance of the construction site at that time, along with the lack of trained medical personnel on-board the Venture, the request went unheeded for approximately 3 STT (Standard Terran Time) months, during which the medical condition of the construction staff deteriorated further. Eventually, as a team of emergency medical personnel arrived, the continued operations aboard Romeo-19 were deemed unfeasible; on-site Staff were evacuated and construction was halted until a replacement team was found. The original crew, which had been working on-site since the start of the construction process, made a full recovery, but refused to return, citing "horrible things" happening to them in their sleep, but refusing to elaborate further. The trail grows cold, as the records proceed to the next staff rotation. Is it notable that NanoTrasen does not seek to investigate these complications further, as no reports of further inquiries into these medical conditions are logged. The issues present with the first rotation carried on with the second one, with early 2388 logs reporting a much quicker-acting onset of nightmares and night terrors, along with several incidents of miners disappearing during work hours and reappearing several hours later with little to no memory of the time lost. One of the miners, one Robert Proudhon, would never return, though his corpse (or what became of it) would be found later (see below). This would carry on throughout the following standard weeks until, at a certain point, on-site Chief of Operations Sarah Carver sends the following message to the NCS Venture: The records show the reason for this message: earlier in the work shift, one of the mining teams reports spotting an "unidentified creature" in one of the deeper mining tunnels. One of the miners reports having spotted a "hole full of resin", which was quickly ordered to be torched. What happens afterwards is unknown, but the next communication arrives approximately 5 minutes later, with the mining team reporting having killed a "black humanoid thing", specimen U-1, which was quickly dumped into a deeper tunnel. After evacuating the mining site and sealing the entrance, construction is once again halted until reinforcements from the NCS Venture arrive. Further expeditions into the mining tunnels revealed that the resin was made of an hitherto unknown material, and that the corpse of U-1 was dressed in the tatters of a uniform reminiscent of the one used by on-site construction crew. An ID Card was never found, but odds are good that U-1 was, in fact, Proudhon, having transformed into a Xenos Umbra specimen. The Security team from the Venture is recorded as having safeguarded the corpse, which was brought off-site by a team of scientists from the NSS Shiva, the closest research installation with Xenobiological research facilities. The trail disappears after this point, but on-site medical complaints ceased following this incident, and RAS Romeo-19 proceeded with regular operations as scheduled, with Robert Proudhon still officially marked as "Missing" in company records. It is worth nothing that the dispatched team of Scientists recorded the corpse of U-1 as being covered in a "layer of light-reactive chitin", and possessing "remarkable regenerative qualities", though further inquiries into the possible origin of this creature were not performed. This incident provides some information on possible infestation methods, as it is clear that none of the members of the initial staff rotation were turned into a Xenos Umbra specimen, but suffered through the same symptoms as the second rotation, which produced U-1. This may indicate that whatever causes the transformation, be it a viral agent, bacterium or Bluespace anomaly, it is capable of affecting a geographical area independent of any host, with the actual infestation and transformation occurring afterwards, a pattern repeated throughout history in regards to these creatures. It is also an indicator of NanoTrasen's attitude towards them, as the corpse was immediately sent for further study. It is, however, impossible to follow the trail to the NSS Shiva, as it was decommissioned in 2485, and all on-site records erased from company databanks. The next step is still unknown to me. More research is required. Signed, Quincy D. Huxley END LOG.

A Short Introduction Much has been said about the curious specimens colloquially known as "Shadowlings" by the doomed crew of many a research station and scientific outpost. Despite the numerous encounters with the creatures, as well as a multitude of detailed after-action reports from failed Ascendance Events, very little is known about them, be it their history, behavioral patterns outside known encounters and even biology, if such a thing even applies. While officially NanoTrasen defines Shadowlings as Xenos Umbra, following in the naming scheme utilized for other creatures such as the Xenos Mutatio ("changelings") and Xenos Venenum (genus utilized for a variety of giant spider species), recent findings (Bolton & Carter, 2512) have cast doubt on the notion that Shadowlings can even be classified under the same taxonomic rules as Realspace animals, considering their innate connection to Bluespace. Curiously, it appears that the creatures have an increased interest in NanoTrasen assets and activities when compared to other companies, sovereign governments or other smaller independent polities, most likely due to the former's heavy interest in Bluespace experimentation and various active Research&Development projects dedicated almost exclusively to the weaponization of this dimension of space, hinting at their true nature. However, despite this fact, and due to the disparate sources involved in collecting data about the creatures, a full picture of their species as a whole has never been painted before, something that presents itself as a clear and present security risk for the company, its employees and its shareholders, considering the disastrous effects of Ascendance Events and the amount of damage involved. Due to this lack of a complete picture, the NanoTrasen Board of Directors has empowered me, Senior Research Director Quincy D. Huxley, to seek out and compile any information available on the Xenos Umbra, with the ultimate goal of compiling a full compendium of the sum total of knowledge available at this point in time on the creatures themselves, starting with the first recorded encounters and ending in the current day and the verifiable increase in Ascendance Events. This will most likely require vast amounts of resources; therefore, full access to a special company wallet has been granted, and a personal shuttle provided for any transportation required; this shuttle will be equipped with a small library and research laboratory, as well as a Series-17 Bluespace Restrictor Cell, meant to house exactly one (1) Shadowling specimen, should one be acquired. This will most likely be a long-term endeavour, and I have therefore terminated my current contract for the sake of proceeding with this study. Provided enough space is available, I will inquire into the possibility of recruiting additional trusted researchers. For now, however, I must gather what little data I have available, and set course for my first chosen destination. Signed, Quincy D. Huxley References: Bolton, K. D., & Carter, L. L. (2512). Anomalous readings in post-experimentation toolsets: an investigative report on Xenos Umbra effects on laboratory equipment. NanoTrasen Science Report, 4685(15542), 425-498. END LOG.

Field Report A-2: The NSS Discovery Incident The NanoTrasen Science Station Discovery remains as one of the company's darkest and most well-hidden mysteries, one that remains secured behind Authorization Level Epsilon to this day; I myself was only authorized to peruse through existing logs due to the nature of my investigation, and even then was forbidden from directly quoting any part of them, being forced to utilize indirect references and "close-enough" paraphrasing. With construction beginning in 2401 and ending in 2432, the NSS Discovery was the first in a new series of research station design iterations that would eventually culminate in the Cyberiad-Pattern Research Station design. The Discovery was set to become the very first NanoTrasen-owned installation dedicated entirely to Xenobiological studies. To that end, it was equipped with multiple decks of reinforced containment cells, several high-tech Hydroponics units and approximately three times more weaponry and riot control gear than most other research installations extant at the time of its inaugural shift. Its final location was chosen to be the Tau-56 system, located in the far reaches of the Tau Fringe, next to a star cluster notable for its high incidence of Earth-like planets inhabited by unique fauna and flora. It operated from 2432 to 2498, after which it was officially declared "Missing Under Suspicious Circumstances". The loss was designed as "Category C", ostensibly standing for "Catastrophic", considering the amount of resources and personnel invested into the facility. While officially NanoTrasen has never provided a reason for the Discovery's disappearance, the "unofficially accepted" explanation is that it was destroyed via unauthorized activation of the on-board Nuclear Failsafe Device, ostensibly installed in order to prevent hostile takeover by the part of any hostile entities, sentient or not. However, the few records that do exist in regards to the Discovery do not support this hypothesis, as no radiation bursts were detected from its last known location, and no debris belonging to the station was ever found. For all intents and purposes, the station disappeared, and was not simply destroyed. However, the last two shifts recorded as having taken place aboard the NSS Discovery shed a light on the most likely reason for the facility's vanishing: a successful Ascendance Event. Approximately sixteen hours before all communication with the Discovery ceases, the second-to-last ever shift begins with no incident. Research into captured Xenos specimens continues as programmed, with only a few minor scuffles reported by on-site Security staff, ostensibly over a "rigged" arcade machine that on-site Engineering staff had installed in the cantina. However, approximately eleven hours before communications cease, just beyond the halfway point of the shift, several abnormalities in the station's power grid are reported, with several departments issuing formal complaints with the on-site Chief Engineer, one James Blasky, over the constant brownouts experienced by the crew. No abnormalities with the Singularity Engine are reported, and Engineering officially explains the power grid failures as being the result of faulty wiring. Despite extensive repairs over the course of the rest of the shift, powergrid issues persist without being resolved, and Chief Engineer Blasky officially faxes the NAS Karakorum (attendant administrative center to the NSS Discovery) requesting the following shift be equipped for more in-depth repairs of the grid, including potential SMES unit replacements. The rest of the shift proceeds without other incidents. However, at the beginning of the following (and final) shift, the NAS Karakorum issues a notification to the NSS Discovery, warning on-site captain, Melinda Bernstein, that a crewmember from the previous shift, one John Berkeley, never reported at the end of their work period, and that a full search of the station was mandatory in order to ascertain their whereabouts. Captain Bernstein indeed orders on-site Security staff to search the station for Mr. Berkeley, to no avail. Powergrid issues persist, and in fact worsen throughout the first half of the shift, until an odd report on the part of the on-site Cook has Security staff investigate the walk-in freezer, where they find multiple slabs of meat missing, along with one of the back doors being hacked open. Security is unable to follow any trail, but comms chatter logs indicates that Security staff suspected it was the work of the missing crewmember. Approximately three hours before communications cease, all lights within the Medical Department simultaneously fail, plunging the area into darkness for approximately ten minutes before Engineering staff respond with enough replacements. All contact with medical personnel ceases past this point, and Medbay goes into lockdown. On-site Security staff respond by issuing an arrest order for the on-site Chief Medical Officer, one Andrew Adams, and issuing Riot Control gear to multiple officers. Approximately two hours before communications cease, the NSS Discovery's powergrid shuts down, plunging the station into complete darkness. On-site Engineering staff do not respond to this, claiming they were evacuating and citing multiple encounters with hostile entities in the maintenance tunnels around Medbay and within the department proper. Command-level comms chatter is rather confusing, and it seems that the administrative staff was never quite aware of what was happening, believing the situation to be some sort of mutiny, up until approximately one hour before communications cease, when Captain Bernstein issues a request for an Emergency Response Team, citing an infestation by unknown lifeforms that had, to their best of their knowledge, consumed most of the Medical and Engineering staff. The NAS Karakorum scrambles ERT Gallia-15, a Red-Level Emergency Response Team composed mostly of close combat specialists and accompanied by three medics. Upon boarding the NSS Discovery, approximately 15 minutes before communications cease, Gallia-15 reports that all on-site comms chatter has died down, and that none of the facility's electronics appeared to be functional, the team being forced to use emergency crowbars to force open depowered airlocks in order to progress. Gallia-15 reaches the Discovery's Bridge, only to find it empty, and the Captain's office ransacked. Gallia-15 reports this to the NAS Karakorum, presumably the reason why an unauthorized nuclear activation is believed to have been the cause for the disaster, the on-site Authentication Disk being missing. At this point, approximately 5 minutes before all communications cease, Gallia-15 reports a loud scream that seemed to be audible throughout the entire station. Following this message, Bluespace distortions severely compromise communications with Gallia-15, with the last few words audible in the logged recordings speaking of red eyes, Bluespace teleportation and large mobs of brainwashed crewmembers. Eventually, all communications with Gallia-15 cease, and no further messages are received from the NSS Discovery from that point forward. With no further information to work with, the NAS Karakorum authorizes activating ERT Mercury-3, a Gamma-Level Emergency Response Team. Mercury-3 would deploy to the last known location of the Discovery, only to find all traces of it had disappeared. Despite searching the Tau-56 system and surrounding star cluster, no signs of the station, or debris belonging to it, were ever found, and NanoTrasen officially files the "Missing Under Suspicious Circumstances" notice 3 standard days later, followed by classifying all information pertaining to it as Authorization Level Epsilon, despite the lack of any hard evidence concerning any tangible, known threats. However, NanoTrasen's actions betray an already budding interest in the Xenos Umbra threat, as the disappearance of the Discovery occurs several years after the company was made aware of the species' existence, and follows many of the patterns exhibited by known and recorded Ascendance Events, such as frequent powergrid issues, lighting system malfunctions and progressive subversion of the crew, in addition to frequent mentions of red eyes and brainwashing, not to forget the massive amounts of Bluespace distortions both reported by Gallia-15 and recorded on long-range scanner arrays. This seems to indicate that early action taken towards these creatures involved an attempted suppressing of information, rather than dissemination and study. To this end, I will need to attempt to identify similar attempts at censoring vital information, and seeing where they may lead me, then attempt to ascertain what caused a shift in attitude towards these creatures, seeing as modern NanoTrasen policy both acknowledges the existence of the creatures, and actively encourages its research divisions to acquire as much information as possible about them. Signed, Quincy D. Huxley END LOG.

Here's something dramatic; And nothing is more dramatic than popping out of the cloning machine nude and on the cold floor, thinking to yourself how you fucked up or how did this happen. How at this moment and time you're vulnerable and exposed.

Just a little space walk.

Let's get down to business To defeat the mimes Did they send me shitsec? When I asked for crimes? You're the saddest bunch I ever met But you can bet before we're through Mister I'll make a clown out of you Break in with the chemists Get thermite and win Once you slip the captain Use the spare, break in You're a silent, pale, pathetic lot And you cannot robust too Somehow I'll make a clown out of you I'm never gonna slip up Sec Say hello to those who'll brig me Boy was I a fool in lobby, choosing civ This guy's got me in a cell Hope he doesn't shoot right through me Now I really wish that I knew how to slip Be a clown You must be swift as a gygax mech now Be a clown With all the force of a blobbernaut Be a clown With all the strength of nuclear op Mysterious as the dark of side of scimaint Time is racing toward us Till the mimes arrive Heed my every order And you might survive You're unsuited for the service SOP So pack up, go home, you're through How could I make a clown out of you? Be a clown You must be swift as a gygax mech now Be a clown With all the force of a blobbernaut Be a clown With all the strength of nuclear op Mysterious as the dark of side of scimaint

Here is a gadget, my idea for this is like a expendable luxury item that lets you gild your gun or other suitable item. Who wouldn't like a golden stechkin? EDIT: The handle is hard to see against the background.