The Surface of Steinhull, RSC-2W-0063 “Dara Tonn”

Sinn'Are'Sen nods in acceptance and opens his clothing locker.

“If my bosses are going to be able to see me, that means I have to get back into the damn jumpsuit.”

“Hey, I'm still in my original paint scheme. Any chance I could get re-painted soon?”

“So long as we are still in Republic service, probably not. Something to work on perhaps? I wonder if your persona core could fit in a mobile platform...”

“My hull is mobile!”

“Not at the moment it's not. And I cant exactly take you along if it get transferred to a new hull.”

“You are thinking something more humanoid sized?”

“It's an option. I think. Anyway I think I've got everything squared away in here. Do you see anything I missed?”

“Prepare a place for the artifact to sit if you have to bring it in here?”

“I was planning to use the cot as a suitably soft semi-improvised location if I needed to. Be sure to disable the medical sensors before we begin the log. I don't know if they can pull your telemetry but it won't hurt to activate them 'on command' if we need to.”

“That presumes that you will get the artifact open.”

“I feel confident that I can eventually. I'll do the Artifact first, then move to a summary of discovery to date. There's a lot of small pieces but I think I can start putting them together to form a larger image. Not all of them of course. I'm not giving away the device in my head!”

“Sounds reasonable enough.”

Sinn ambles over to the archaeology lab and sets the artifact 'on display' on it's workbench. He arranges the other items he has brought back as well: the section of the exterior hull plating and a piece of the mechanical remnants he had found most prominently.

“I'm all set. Ready for a log entry Dara Tonn?”

“Medical observation suite sensors offline. Ready.”

“Begin exploration log entry.

“It is the thirty eighth day of the mission and the eighth day I have spent on the surface of Steinhull. Although a comprehensive picture of the pre-Republic people and culture that constructed the station that became the Steinhull Ruins is impossible to form at this time, I believe I have enough data to form a very preliminary set of conclusions. I would hesitate to even call them true conclusions. They are more akin to mere hypotheticals supported by fragmentary evidence.

“For the sake of convenience, and in the absence of any data on what this pre-Republic civilization called itself, I will be referring to it as 'the Empire'. That name is, of course, subject to change should I find any evidence to the contrary.

“Firstly, and most obviously, the Empire was a space fairing civilization of significant size and caliber to construct the orbital station that would become the Steinhull Ruins. As my explorations have shown there are sleeping quarters for at least a hundred thousand individuals just on the one deck I have been able to explore so far. The exterior hull was half a meter thick at an airlock. I have been as yet unable to identify the alloy they used, but it does not show the layering I would expect out of ablative armor, composite, or ferro-fibrous armor. Instead it appears to be a single face hardened plate. It shows qualities of both metallic alloys and ceramics.

“Second the Empire possessed and used cybernetics including brain to machine interfaces. The one set of remains I located that showed this was scaled for a human sized and shaped individual and was incredibly extensive. It is unclear if such augmentations were commonplace enhancements, replacements for injured or lost limbs, or a mixture of both. Additional data, particularly additional remains and records, are needed on this point.

“Thirdly the Empire possesses roughly Republic grade biotech as well. Obviously I'm not cleared in on any classified Republic programs, but the Empire does posses cryogenics technology. Consulting the initial second-wave survey report on the Steinhull ruins, and consequently my personal history, I can say that the Empire's cryogenics technology is rather durable and long-lasting. Considering the artifact recovered yesterday, and allowed to recharge overnight, I hope to recover biological samples from the Empire to expand on this point today.

“Accordingly I will now move to an examination of the artifact in question. As you can see here it is roughly rectangular in shape. It is zero point four five meters wide, zero point four meters tall plus the handle, and zero point two meters deep. It is mostly metal, baring the display screen and the evident electronic components that it must contain. I will point out that the power cable is not original. It is an improvised solution crafted here at 'base camp' inside the hull of RSC-2W-0063. Schematics, such as they are, and construction instructions will be attached to this log. The 'triple knot work diamond' insignia marked the location of what appeared to be a medical clinic. For more information please review the archive footage of this artifact's recovery.

“As for opening this container, I'm going to have to guess at the combination. I intend to use psionics to assist in this matter. RSC-2W-0063, please cut audio feed to the exploration log for ten seconds.”

“Complying. Audio cut on mark in three... two... one... Mark.”

Sinn quickly bows his head and utters his Luck Bender invocation. With that complete hie raises his head and holds his focus on the artifact on the laboratory table.

“Audio resuming on Mark in three... two... one... Mark.”

“I now have a luck manipulation psionic effect active. The effect is fairly weak, extending only to actions I perform and ends after a single deliberate action or one minute, whichever comes first. In this instance an attempt to open the artifact. Proceeding now.”

Sinn considers the keypad on the artifact. It is a simple ten-digit display, two horizontal rows of five buttons, each with a numerals. Although he cannot officially read the characters on the keypad it is blatantly obvious to all observers that it is numbered from zero to nine. Four keys are slightly more worn then the others, indicating a common code was frequently used. Sin sets his fingers on they keys, then withdraws his hand. He waits a moment longer, letting the 'that would have been wrong' feeling from Luck Bender fade away. Sinn reaches back out with just one finger and points to four keys in sequence.

“First attempt felt 'off' to me. This is a known effect of Luck Bender, indicating an attempted action would have gone poorly. Second attempt will be the indicated digits in the indicated order. Assuming the top-left button is zero and the bottom right is nine, the code would be one eight two zero. Attempting now.”

Sinn reaches out and gently pushes the buttons in order. The artifact beeps gently and emits the soft 'shussssssh' of equalizing pressure and a plume of evaporating gasses.

“Code entry successful, artifact opened. I show three biological samples, each in their own cryogenic compartment. It contains two test tubes and a larger jar, surrounded by significant padding. Each contains what I presume to be biological material. Query for RSC-2W-0063: does the archaeology lab posses medical grade sensors? I would like to run a genetic comparison on the biological samples.”

“Negative.”

“Query for RSC-2W-0063: does any compartment in your hull contain medical grade sensors suitable to run a genetic comparison? If yes, which compartment?”

“Affirmative. The medical observation suite in your personal quarters could perform the requested genetic comparison.”

“RSC-2W-0063, please activate that medical observation suite and prepare to run three genetic comparisons, on eon each biological item in this artifact.”

“Affirmative. Medical observation suite is active. Standing by to run genetic comparison tests as commanded.”

Sinn stand from the laboratory bench and goes to the hatch into the compartment. He opens it, then the hatch to his personal quarters, and returns to the archaeology laboratory for the artifact. He picks it up in both hands and, with a careful eye kept on the power cable, walks it over to the bed in her personal quarters. Sinn arranges it to be facing the obvious camera in the room.

“RSC-2W-0063, please run the previously specified genetic comparisons.”

“Confirmed. Running...

“Sample one: test tube in top left of artifact. Genetic match to human male reproductive gamete cells. Confidence: nine nine point nine four percent.

“Sample two: Test tube in bottom left of artifact. Genetic match to human female reproductive gamete cells. Confidence: nine nine point nine four percent.

“Sample three: Jar in right half of artifact. Low confidence genetic match found: human. Confidence seven six point one eight percent. Genetic martial heavily modified and / or degraded.

“Genetic comparisons complete.”

Sin picks up the artifact and returns it to the archaeology lab. He removes the biological samples from the artifact and transfers them to Dara Tonn's cryogenic sample storage compartments for safe keeping. Sinn then closes the artifact and secures it on a storage rack.

“I believe that this new evidence both helps to confirm that the Empire did possess Republic grade biotech. If the third sample is indeed heavily altered human biological materiel and not degraded materiel then the Empire may have possessed biotech superior to what is publicly available in the Republic.

“Further investigation is ongoing on all of the raised points at this time.

“End exploration log entry.”

“Clean copy.”