Dual Heart

Document 1

These records declassified by writ of High Archemoria, 1.1.0001 A12 E1 and released to Terran Central ArQive under guidelines established pursuant to TCA ArQivist Director Superintendent’s Audit of ArQive Black Library Materials-A11 E9.

Document 2

BLACK LIBRARY RECORD

ARQ 08645-261

DUAL HEART GAIAN WELL

&

PG-012 TEMPORAL DISPLACEMENT ANOMALY

NOT TO BE REMOVED FROM BLACK LIBRARY

Document 3

INVESTIGATION REPORT

CLASSIFIED O1-Z

SCAO LAO BCAO BLP FDSEO

INVESTIGATING ARQIVIST

████ ██████

[██████████]

(01.01.0001 A12 E1)

RECLASSIFIED:

03-C SCAO-LPAO [CARQ]

NTK FOEO COC-ARQ PAI-MCT QSLCP NDC

Document 4

ArQive Investigation: █████████ Gaian Well [Anomaly]

Date Filed: 6.11.2910 A10 e6 [RCA-01]

Lead Researcher: ████ ██████ (██████████)

Subordinate Researchers: N/A

Incident Type: Anomalous Type-9 Gaia

Threat Assessment: Alpha-0

Actions Taken:

1) Classified ███████████ as Class 1 Graced World

2) Alerted Soulstar and Terran Conclave of Seelie Courts

3) Request Submitted to Terran Central ArQive to establish Class 9 Exclusion Zone around ██████████ Gaian Well (codename: “Dual Heart”)

4) Filed IB-BLL Cleanup Request with CORR-AFR FMC Command to contain Infohazards

5) Established Interim Class 6 Exclusion Zone w/ special protocols

6) Oversaw draft evacuation measures with planetary governor

Researcher’s Notes:

To say anything that comes across my desk is normal would be a lie. I’m a Regional Overseer. Weird is what I do. This one… It’s something else entirely. Something beyond weird…

Not sure what a Gaian Well is doing on ██████████, nor how it got there. Neither is anyone else, truth be told. Some say it could be an example of the fabled Temporal Displacement Anomaly, others a harbinger of some impending Galactic-Scale AF Replay, others still a TDA for a more local AF-R on ██████████. Hard to say, really.

What really cooks my noodle are the Gaians. They claim to be from New Sparta and Cathedral of Io. Problem is, New Sparta and Cathedral of Io—now Scars of Sparta and Cathedral in the Stars—were destroyed by the nascent Autonomous Káè Empire and Imperial Chu Shi Tan Province—now Imperium Kaidan—just prior to The Incursion. Those who managed to evacuate before the bombs dropped formed out the nomadic, Engineers-Adjacent Pseudoempires of Neo Sparta and Neo Ionia.

If what these Gaians are saying is true, one or both of them could possess knowledge of the location of the SPARTAN Crypts—even the rumour of which is enough to start a multi-state war. Though of lesser concern, both would also become objects of worship and devotion by Neo Sparta and Neo Ionia, the complications of which would give the ArQive no end of trouble. Suffice it to say, the risk of one or both Gaians being abducted and interrogated, or worse, killed outright is less of a matter of if and more of when should word get out. Whoever gets hold of them will, invariably, trigger an all out war with the other three factions over possession of them.

It’s a clusterfuck.

While Rill has remained steadfast on their position that the SPARTAN Programme was a bridge too far, it cannot be denied that Rill still very much desires to recover the lost SPARTAN constructs. Their stated reason being to release the constructs from a perpetuity trapped in the equivalent of a sensory deprivation-isolation chamber. Imperium Kaidan, and, for that matter, the Wider Way, have good reason to doubt such noble intentions. An AFR Marine is already many leagues beyond the best most empires have to offer, with First Marines being the equivalent of one-person armies. A single SPARTAN, especially today, would be enough to topple entire systems—empires, even.

Kaidan would wage total war against The CORR if they caught wind of this. They would, naturally, be obliterated by The CORR. Their last war ending poorly for them is something of a titanic understatement. The Fifth Rimworlds-Kaidan War ended after The AFR, under the Presidential Authority of the Major, engaged in a rare offensive into the heart of Kaidan territory. FMC’s Major ultimately took Imperial Seat in a matter of weeks, and personally beheaded the Emperor, inspiring his successor to beg The Major for peace. This defeat, the resulting total surrender and white peace accord, collectively made for a humiliation Kaidan still considers to be its greatest insult.

Needless to say, a war between the two would be a geopolitical doomsday scenario and would certainly give credence to current hypotheses by ArQive researchers that the Dual Heart Gaian Well is a harbinger of a Galaxy-Wide AF Replay Incident. With Neo Sparta and Neo Ionia chipping in, the requisite four tribes for an AF-R-type event1 are present. Though possible, I hesitate to consider such a scenario as being probable.

First and foremost, it is unclear how such an Anomalous Apocalypse-Class Event would function. The Thema, Archetypes, and Manifestation of an AF-R scenario all seem to indicate a necessarily terrestrial and global scale phenomenon. How such an event would transcend the ordinary boundaries of its manifestation protocol is, ultimately, impossible to speculate on. Additional evidence against the hypothesis lies in the general activity of other, local Mythic Sanctuaries coupled with a distinct lack of the usual echoes in the Tapestry.

While I don’t find this hypothesis to be particularly convincing, I do consider the potential for a galactically destabilising conflict sufficient to warrant the establishment of an exclusion zone. My prime concerns in this vein are over the Gaians, whose protection is paramount for reasons described above, as well as below.

Perhaps more concerning than them, is that ██████████████ Phoenix Graces—its Gaians included—all claim to be from planets destroyed by war, each possessing the collective memories of those who lived and died during the conflict and destruction of their origin worlds2.

Their numbers are another curiosity in this nesting doll of anomalies. 141 Phoenix Graces, 143 accounting for the Gaians—whom Phoenix Graces consider as their own3. After collecting their origin worlds and cross referencing local and galactic archives, all worlds are, indeed, either positively confirmed as having been destroyed by interfaction wars or were destroyed under previously ambiguous circumstances4. What’s more, 143 worlds is the total known, or suspected, as to have been destroyed by interfaction wars.

Additionally, to add another layer to the nesting doll of anomalies, the 144 Graces all seem to recognise a particular numerical hierarchy, each one intrinsically knowing her number and place in the pecking order. The Gaians are 1 and 2, each claiming the title of Tempered Wrath and Crown Prime Archon, but next is [name withheld] (PG-012), the twelfth of 144.

PG-012 is where things get really weird.

She claims to be from Monikyn.

Problem is, Monikyn is not just not destroyed, but home to active and thriving Anthousai and Naiad populations. Both Courts of Grace confirmed Monikyn’s continued healthful existence and neither claimed any knowledge of nor could provide any explanation as to how or why a Phoenix Grace would be claiming descent from their orders.

That’s not to say Monikyn isn’t at risk for being destroyed. Only a fool or the profoundly ignorant wouldn’t recognise that. Everybody wants a piece of the Rimworlds, especially Monikyn’s asteroid fields, but more so Monikyn’s Tanzaurum5 mine.

Tanzaurum is still, to date, the rarest, most valuable, and most strategically important resource in The Way. Everything from FTL Drives to the Venusian Barrage to personal Qubes rely on a steady supply of the GQF nullifying compound.

Both fortunately and unfortunately for Rill, Monikyn happens to possess one of two known sources of it. The other is The Shrouded Vael6. For obvious reasons, seizing control of The Vael is not an option. Which leaves everyone salivating for a chance at taking Monikyn for themselves.

All but the last half-dozen incursions into CORR territory have been over access to Monikyn’s Tanzaurum. The last CORR-Kaidan War was over this, and, despite throwing 12% of the Imperium’s collective population, and a quarter of its GDP, behind the effort—about a quintillion soldiers and an unfathomable amount of ISFK—Kaidan barely managed to secure a single continent on Sentinel Leshen before The Major’s March on The Seat.

Given AFR’s reputation and their track record, it’s unclear what, if anything, could penetrate into the heart of the Rimworlds and attack any of its Old-Guard worlds. Assuming for the sake of the hypothetical that it is possible, given the aftermath of The Incursion’s failed attempts in Palm-Cressida and Palm-Aurida, there’s little to nothing to be gained in doing so. A dozen or so worlds are proof positive of the fact that even when there is nothing left of Monikyn to defend, The CORR will defend its ghost if only for the principle of the matter. They really are that unrelenting. Then again, their zealotry to their stated ideals has been nothing if not successful.

As far as sending messages goes, AFR has mastered the art. They do not so much defeat their enemies in battle as they shatter them against an impenetrable shield wall the likes of which those who trespass their borders will not soon forget.

I digress...

The strangeness of PG-012 gets worse, though. As if to outright confirm researcher’s suspicions of a TDA, she couldn’t recall any details of the war preceding, nor of Monikyn’s, destruction. Compared to her peers, who can recall the collective memories of all participants to, and parties present at the time of, the war and subsequent destruction of their origins without difficulty, PG-012 is uniquely disabled7.

Equal parts fascinating and terrifying is the fact that it has been five Ages since the last planet of Monikyn’s like was destroyed in an act of war. Whisper’s Wrath has left its mark on the collective memory of The Way and no one has been willing to cross that line since her last dispensation of what some qualify as divine fury. The price is just too high. Which leads to ever more questions as to the nature of PG-012 and what she truly represents.

Researchers assigned to this investigation have all been asking whether or not giving The CORR forewarning of an impending attack on Monikyn will prevent the inevitable, ensure it comes to pass, or create a time paradox. In my frank estimation, I think PG-012 is a harbinger of the inevitable. Whether Rill is warned or not won’t change the outcome, only details ultimately trivial in the grand scheme of things. The part that makes me question the credentials and qualifications of these researchers is the fact that none of them seem to have pieced together the most disturbing potential revelations out of all of this.

The number of Phoenix Graces accounts for the totality of all planets confirmed destroyed by humanity in acts of war, as well as a handful of those the cause of whose obliterations were, until now, ambiguous and controversial. One hundred and forty-three worlds, with the hundred and forty-forth claiming to be from a planet yet to be destroyed. Add on top of this that they are all in unanimous agreement that they are the Constellation of Planetary Annihilation, no star unaccounted for.

In effect, what they’re saying is that the totality of all planets humanity itself has ever and will ever destroy in acts of war is 144. What I want to know is why. Why 144? If Monikyn is to be the last, why? And what happens then?

Moreover, why is the Court of Crown Prime Archons comprised entirely of Rimworlds? And why is PG-012 the Crown Prime Archon of Phoenix Graces instead of PG-003? What significance does 12 have? Why is 12 associated with Monikyn? If PG-012 is that important, why isn’t she a Gaian also? Why isn’t this a Triple Heart Gaian Well?

These questions are driving me mad, more so knowing I’ll never have answers to them.

██████████████ Dual Heart Gaian Well is truly a unique, once-in-an-age event. The ArQive does not possess classification tags, guidelines, protocols, or even procedures appropriate to contain it. The best I can do is classify this report as O1-Z SCAO-LAO-BCAO-BLP and dispatch FMC-E CleanTeams to ensure no part of this ArQive is leaked.

No one can know what’s sleeping in ██████████████ Dual Heart. Not even me.

Never thought this would be how it’d all end…

Then again, who does?

All I’d ask is…

If my son tries to follow in my footsteps, tries to join the ArQivists, do not let him.

_____________

Footnotes Appended from Original ArQive

Document 5

Report:

Arqivist Note: Original audio logs from ████ ████████ personal audio recorder have been preserved in a sealed, Tanzaurum-lined, nullifying pocket infinity within the Black Library for preservation purposes. Copies have been made and their transcriptions follow. [AL Audits have been authorised under SSSRP Class-4 to be performed once per Epoch by the High Archmemoria.]

Document 6

Log init_0:

This is the research log of ████ ██████, Overseer for Riverine Central ArQive, ██████████. This log is provisionally classified O1 Access Restricted.

Begin introduction.

The Riverine Central ArQive was first alerted to a potential Type-24 Manifestation Event in June River Reach several anno before receipt of anomalous transmissions and the leaking of various records originating from the ██████████████. Of most note is an interview transcript (exhibit 1), which was leaked to ████████████████ News Media by Duluun Biiba to ████████████ News Network.

Duluun, motivated by a desire to have his wife—Nilo Biiba (PoI #001)—returned home, ultimately alerted RCA-01 to the existence of a potential Type-9 Gaia incident. An investigation was ordered, and, after an audit of local and regional personnel, a shortlist of qualified candidates was compiled. I—████ ██████—of the Council of Overseers, Riverine Central ArQive, of my own free will, and with full knowledge of the risks inherent thereto, volunteered to investigate.

End introduction.

Document 7

Log 6.3.2910:

Research log of ████ ██████ into ████████████ 9-G, recorded sixth of three, twenty-nine ten, A10 e6, en route to Ulooj, ████████████, June River Reach. Beginning oral notation.

Immediately upon arrival in orbit over ████████████, evidence of a Gaian Well was readily apparent. Within the mountainous region of Loh Appiiri, roughly two hundred kilometres from the city of Ulooj, a large “scar” formed by the encroachment of Phoenix Wildlands had formed. With the assistance of the Starliner’s crew, I had several topographical scans made and sent to the ████████████ for comparison.

The results (exhibit 2) have revealed disparities of non-insignificant scale. Though strongly indicative of a Gaian Well forming in Loh Appiiri, other factors could be at play. ████████████ has long been suspected to have a small population of Elder Anthousai, though that does little to explain the spontaneous manifestation of a Gaian Well—and I strongly believe that is what is forming in Loh Appiiri.

I arranged immediately upon landfall a chartered flight to Ulooj for the earliest possible departure from ███ Central Starport. The local constabulary has been informed of my imminent arrival, and an Audit Warrant has been drafted, filed, and is currently being reviewed by the Central Judicial Magistrate Authority (CJMA).

Document 8

Log 9.3.2910:

The flight to Ulooj took roughly nine hours. Weather conditions as well as GQF interference forced a low-altitude subsonic flight. These delays were serendipitous as the extra time allowed me to review media coverage sent to me from █████████.

Two conclusions could be drawn from what was sent, the first being that ██████████████ news media is too heavily consolidated. Though significantly improved from the single State Media Corporation of Walloch, twelve media conglomerates proved to be only slightly less useless for this investigation. The importance of local, independent news media cannot be overstated.

The second is that the ████████████ is not appropriately monitoring social media platforms—a problem I do possess the power to rectify. Fortuitously, I also happened to bring a standardised template I put together during my audit of Wallochi SubArqs. As OSI █████ likes to say, “hope for the best, but always expect a complete shitshow.”

██████████████ SI is on notice. No matter how quiet of a boring, backwater snoozefest the assignment may be, we are The ArQive of the Anomalous. Failure to follow protocols and procedures can not and will not be tolerated. Once I’ve concluded my investigation into ██████████████ Gaian Well, I will be performing an audit of their operations and heads will roll, both figuratively and literally.

Having provided the appropriate motivation, █████████████████ has spent the past three rotas setting webtrawlers and datascrapers to work gathering as much material as meets investigation criteria. Fifty researchers have also been assigned to QC results as the SI is now, it seems, taking this situation with the levels of seriousness as outlined in the SubArq Superintendent’s Manual for a Priority 0 Anomalous Event.

Moving on, after arriving in Ulooj, I was able to meet with the local constabulary, who were far more accommodating than I’ve grown to expect from local authorities, LEOs especially. Rural politeness, I suspect.

The Warrant was approved during my flight and transmitted directly, allowing me to immediately set to work filing requests through the Detective Superintendent of Ulooj’s Constabulary. Specific records outlined were those regarding Missing Persons, Animal Attacks, and ‘Crank Calls’ for the Docade beginning 7.3.2898 A10 e6 and ending 7.3.2910 A10 e6, as well as the Docade beginning 7.3.2798 and ending 7.3.2910 for comparison purposes.

A full analysis (exhibit 3) showed statistically significant rises in certain key indicators of a Gaian Class incident against the control set. Unfortunately, these also did not satisfy outlined criteria for what would be considered conclusive evidence.

A collection of confounding variables are presenting significant challenges to this investigation. Local traditions, isolation, and the entire affected area being within a protected wilderness notorious for its high concentrations of reclusive high control groups are among a long list thereof. I’ll be leaving for, and continuing my investigation, in Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojiipna—the village PoI #001 disappeared from—in the morning.

Document 9

Log 12.3.2910:

With the assistance of the local constabulary, I relocated and continued my investigation in the village of Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojiipna. A review of records relevant to this case indicated it would be the least problematic of Loh Appiiri’s myriad villages, towns, and settlements to conduct additional evidence gathering. Its proximity to the potential heart of the Gaian Well is a bonus in case a forward expedition and on-site, direct assessment is required.

Interviews with local residents were undertaken the rota after arrival, but, again, results are inconclusive. Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna is incredibly isolated, geographically speaking. It is roughly ninety kilometres from the nearest settlement of any size, and its four hundred residents are almost universally legacy. Very few people enter or leave the village. Those who do primarily do so out of necessity—typically out of need for an individual capable of filling a highly skilled trade (HST) (think doctors, engineers, technicians, etc.). Of those who depart for education in an HST, only one in twenty do not return. Nine of twenty will bring a romantic partner back with them, which is the primary vector of population influx.

The influence of a Deleterious High Control Group has been ruled out, as Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna does not appear to have any centrally binding religious, ideological, or social organisations unduly manipulating its residents’ behaviour. Additionally, though geographically isolated, Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna does have a dedicated Intranet Link to ██████████████ Planetary Intranet Infrastructure, and does receive Regional and Galactic Internet Content Packet Updates as they are uploaded to the ████ Central Starport Inter-Intranet Mainframe. There is no evidence that the Village Council has restricted access to or otherwise disabled village residents from interacting with the wider world, with audits of traffic indicating above-average outside interaction and communication. Randomised communications captures show a generally high level of authentic resident satisfaction.

Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna is still extremely isolated in its geography as well as being extremely insular on a population level. Interviews with the Historical Society of Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna indicate the village was originally founded as a logging town before Loh Appiiri Truffles were discovered.

Loh Appiiri Truffles are a kind of fungal bloom that were found to be useful in the production of BioCements and, upon their discovery, became Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna’s primary industry. Due to the quality of Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna’s truffles as well as social factors endemic to village resident’s ancestral adjacency to Soto communities on ██████, the economy of the village has been able to maintain a high quality of life for all residents. A combination of the value of their annual crop yields, their crop being a highly valuable and strategic resource, and a robust culture of distribution and egalitarianism promoting the sharing of resources communally for the betterment of all rather than more individualist-capitalist economic attitudes, has enabled the village to ensure the well-being and general happiness of all its residents for epochs.

These same cultural factors, coupled with epochs of isolation, and the natural environment Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna is surrounded by, formed the basis of a variety of folklore and traditions that make disambiguating what is and is not an anomalous occurrence difficult. Particularly the tradition of Waldenwandering which is how most of Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna’s residents resolve personal or interpersonal differences.

Waldenwandering presents itself, in most cases, as indistinguishable from a typical Missing Persons case, though residents describe a certain intuition for being able to distinguish between the two. According to statements from the half-dozen non-natives, this ability to differentiate between genuine disappearances and Waldenwandering is entirely opaque to non-natives, but that such intuitions are accurate to a degree anomalous unto itself.

█████████ █████ explained that the village’s internal politics and conflict resolution practises simultaneously make calls to Ulooj extremely rare, but also make any investigations extremely difficult. █████████ ███████████ ██████—a native of the village—further described—though only in private—Puuri Loh Appiiri Aasojipna’s lesser known practises involving more serious offences. For their benefit, I will keep those in confidence.

Nine particular cases are of special note. Nilo Biiba was not an isolated incident, and, having reviewed the case file, it is apparent to me that she is, at least now, a drakeswarm changeling. Specifically, based on the markings, her manner of dress, her hair, and the duplication and lengthening of her canines, she is a Wizer.

The other nine cases—of which only two were reported to the local constabulary—follow similar patterns. Seven males, two females, all adults, disappearing into the forest without warning or communication, their clothes typically found some distance into the underbrush showing signs of having been violently removed.

Nilo Biiba’s case is especially interesting as it is the only one the Constabulary actively investigated. As per usual, Nilo Biiba is the least fascinating component to the story the report tells. What I learned about the Constabulary is of a far greater value than what is, at its core, an intensely banal case of Drakeswarm Allure.

(As an aside, that the Constabulary managed to track her down and bring her to Ulooj without falling prey to Drakeswarms or other Dreamborn is nothing short of miraculous.)

The Constabulary’s conclusions from Biiba’s interview tell me how often Ulooj has to deal with deeply superstitious individuals. Their offhanded dismissal of Biiba’s description of the exact, step-by-step, personal experience of a Drakeswarm Allure as ‘excited delirium’ and their subsequent request to a local magistrate to issue a 72-hour involuntary hold for mental evaluation screams of standard operating procedures. Thankfully, the local Inpatient Facility was over capacity at the time of the request, otherwise the local Mythic Sanctuary would’ve gotten involved.

Small blessings…

I’ve requested from the Riverine ArQives: 7th Ward three sets of Level 6 PAPE, as the existence of Drakeswarms is a key indicator of the existence of heightened anomalous activity on a planet. If there is a Gaian Well, Drakeswarms will lead me to its heart.

Document 10

Log 28.3.2910:

Couriers dropped off a package of Level 6 PAPE this morning. █████████ █████ and █████████ ██████████ █████ have volunteered to accompany me on the next leg of this investigation.

They are nothing if not predictable.

Whilst waiting on the delivery of the PAPE, I did receive and review Social Media records sent from ████████████, which proved to be substantially more useful than professional media.

Again, predictable.

124 records showed relevant signs of activity indicative of a Gaian Well, including a recording of a distant creature which closely fit the profile of a Gaian. Between these records, elevated Osanometric readings in the area, interviews with local residents, topographical anomalies, and recordings of Drakeswarms, a Phoenix Grace, and a group of hikers stumbling on a meadow containing a large bed of Gloris, a Gaian Well is conclusively active on ████████████. I have compiled all records and logs, including an ICE Conclusory Report should I be incapacitated in the next few rotas.

All requisite materials have been filed In-Temp with ████████████.

Venturing into the Gaian Well, while not necessary at this point, will provide valuable data in determining how one has formed on ████████████, why, and where its Phoenix Graces came from.

This will be my final log on this investigation. Further noteworthy details will be appended to the Conclusions segment of my report, or included as part of my opening notes.

Document 11

Conclusions:

A Gaian Well is confirmed on ████████████. Its origin, however, is unknown. Contact was established with both its Enclave and Court of Phoenix Graces, and the Gaians at the Heart of the Well. Each claims to have come from a different world, reviews of current galactic maps and planetary listings showing each planet named was destroyed between the Fourth and Seventh Ages.

██████████████ Gaian Well presents numerous atypical risks, among the chief of which is that it is the first instance of a Dual Heart Gaian Well. Two Gaians have never been observed in the same Well before, and it is unknown what effect this will have on the Well nor the populous of ████████████.

Current evidence suggests its Drakeswarms are no more aggressive than those of a typical Gaian Well, which is encouraging for the safety of those residing in the near vicinity. What is discouraging are reports of Crown Dentrorkids, Uswi’s Candles, Irontrunks, and Kkraplusvall growing inside the Well, all of which are unique to the Dual Heart. Ventures into its heart and surveys of its Gloris populations show between three and five times the typical numbers. Reports are also coming in of meadows of non-irradiative bluegrass and polfo-Truffle hybrids sprouting in Loh Appiiri truffle harvesting grounds.

On top of atypical Frost Flora growing in the Dual Heart, copses of Aphrodite Aspen are popping up at an alarming rate, along with Great Pines and Floatroot—the latter of which prompted ██████████████ Governor to issue an immediate evacuation order of all settlements within 200km of the borders of the Dual Heart.

Additionally, both Gaians as well as a number of other Phoenix Graces potentially possess intelligence on several Sites of Interest which presents an Infohazard: ████████ ██████████ ██████.

The conclusion of RCA-01 is that the Dual Heart is too unpredictable to be considered safe. June River Reach has already adopted a Voluntary Evacuation Order prior to this conclusion, as well as an Emergency Ecological Protection Programme for ████████████ pending further analysis into the Dual Heart Gaian Well. While the ArQive believes a full evacuation of ████████████ warranted considering its growth and continued manifestation of atypical, anomalous entities—especially hybrid Frost-Fae entities—the ArQive respects June River Reach’s proactive and measured response.

Additionally, a Class 6 Exclusion Zone has been established—pending the approval of a Class 9. This exclusion zone is presently being manned by ArQive personnel not informed of the type or nature of their assignment. Special orders have been given to personnel to consider all sapient entities entering into the Exclusion Zone as Irrevocably Contaminated and to secure, detain, and return to the exclusion zone any entity or entities attempting to depart after the conclusion of the Governor’s 60-Rota Period of Evacuation.

Due to infohazard rating, any personnel involved in the investigation are to be terminated by FMC-E Operators under Protocol: Intel Blackout-Black Library Leak. Writs have already been sent to The Major with specific instructions to send Ciþwa Operators.

Finally, this record should be sealed and secured in ArqTerra’s Black Library until PG-012’s prophecy is fulfilled, or demonstrated, unequivocally, to either have failed, or to be not as such.

Document 12

Exhibit 1

Received by RCA-01 via DataCourier from ████████████

[NO ANOMALOUS TRANSMISSION PRESENT]

Investigatory Interview (Transcript)

Investigator: █████████ ████ █████████ █████ █████

Subject: Nilo Biiba

████ █████: Case number ████████████████. Missing person. Time is seventeen twenty three, fourth of six, twenty-nine oh four, A10 e6 ████████████. Ulooj Headquarters. Could you please state your name for the record?

N. Biiba: Nilo Biiba.

████ █████: Thank you. Would you please describe the events leading up to your disappearance on the twelfth of two, twenty-nine oh four?

N. Biiba: I was minding ████ █████’s —My neighbour’s— children while she was away in Ulooj for treatment. We were out in the garden tending the potatoes when I saw something.

████ █████: Describe what you saw.

N. Biiba: It was…what’s the word for it…a dragonfly, I think. It was beautiful. Bright green, like it was made of emeralds. I can’t rightly say why, but I felt it call to me.

████ █████: Call to you?

N. Biiba: I couldn’t explain it.

████ █████: Try.

N. Biiba: It was…it was like chimes, yes, chimes. I don’t know why, but I had to follow them.

████ █████: The chimes? Or the dragonfly?

N. Biiba: Both.

████ █████: Where did the dragonfly lead you?

N. Biiba: Into the forest, I think. I don’t know. I don’t remember much after that.

████ █████: Try to remember.

N. Biiba: I…uhh…I remember there being more of them.

████ █████: Do you know how many?

N. Biiba: No.

████ █████: Can you give an estimate?

N. Biiba: I think there might have been five waiting at the treeline. After that the chimes became overwhelming. I was all lightheaded and dizzy, like someone had put something in my drink, but pleasant, almost….what’s the word…euphoric.

████ █████: Euphoric?

N. Biiba: Yes. I think I must have passed out after that. I woke up…it must have been a couple of rotas later. I was terribly thirsty, but was in a strange glen. There was plenty to eat and a spring flowing into a nearby pool. The water was pristine, tasted wonderful, like nothing else I’d ever had before.

████ █████: Is it the same glen where we found you?

N. Biiba: Yes.

████ █████: Do you recall anyone else in the woods with you?

N. Biiba: A great many. Why do you ask?

████ █████: Your husband found your clothes in the woods. They had been torn off.

N. Biiba: Oh…yes, I…

████ █████: It’s okay. There’s no shame in…

N. Biiba: It’s not that. I vaguely recall tearing them off myself.

████ █████: Could you explain why?

N. Biiba: I don’t know. I just felt terribly uncomfortable in them. There was no one else about, so I didn’t see any reason why not to.

████ █████: Were you worried about returning home in that state?

N. Biiba: No.

████ █████: Why not?

N. Biiba: I don’t know.

████ █████: Were you planning to return home?

N. Biiba: I…I don’t know…I don’t think the thought had occurred to me.

████ █████: Where was home to you, at this point?

N. Biiba: I suppose it was my house.

████ █████: And where would you say it is now?

N. Biiba: The Gaian Well.

████ █████: Did you say Gaian Well?

N. Biiba: Yes. The Gaian Well.

[37 second pause]

████ █████: Would you consider returning to your family at [redacted]?

N. Biiba: No. I’ve already been away too long. I must return at once.

████ █████: Thank you, Mrs. Biiba. That’s all for now. You’re free to go.

N. Biiba: Thank you, detective. Terribly sorry for the trouble.

████ █████: You’re fine. Should I have ████████ ██████ drive you back?

N. Biiba: Yes, I’d quite like that.

████ █████: I’ll let her know. Interview concluded, Case number ███████████████, Missing Person. Ulooj Headquarters. Time is…seventeen forty, fourth of six, twenty-nine oh four, A10 e6 ████████████.

Document 13

Exhibit 2

Re: Topographical Analysis Report

Good morning, Dr. ██████,

This is Dr. █████ from ████████████, Analytics Division. I apologise for the delays, some unforeseen paradoxes have made the requested analysis a particular challenge to complete to the desired tolerances. Though challenging, we have completed analysis of the scans you sent and there is, indeed, something quite odd going on there.

While attempting a software analysis, we discovered that simultaneous comparisons of archived topographical scans would create anomalous and destructive interactions with the scans you sent over on Terrasday. Interestingly, we found that if we printed out physical copies of these maps, coexistence paradoxes ceased to manifest.

In order to perform detailed comparative analyses, we were forced to manufacture 3D models (to specified tolerances) of each. Subsequently, we performed scans on these models inside two isolated and nullified pocket infinities, connected by a GQF Nullifying Unity Array into a third nullified pocket infinity where a Mechanical Analytics Engine performed the comparison. Readouts from the MAE showed minor deviations consistent with simulations we ran based on data from prior Gaian Well events, indicating a high possibility that this is an infant Gaian Well. If so, it only a few anno old at most, definitely within the Docade.

Other potential hypothesis are consistent with these data, however. Elder Anthousai have been known to cause events with similar footprints after ingesting certain powerful psychoactive agents while in heat. Without more data, it’s impossible to determine the precise nature of these events.

I’ve compiled the archives and sent them your way, though there is a non-zero possibility that coexistence paradox corruption may have already rendered the archives useless.

Stay safe,

Dr. ███████████████ (Senior Supervisory Analyst-████████████ Analytics Division)

Note: Attached Archives encountered Coexistence Paradox Corruption. Array was preserved and audited for confirmation of results by a panel of Senior Supervisory Agents and Overseer ██████.

Document 14

Exhibit 3

Current Docade

Missing Persons Reports: 6,591

Animal Attacks: 12,234

Crank Calls: 28,947

Relevant*: 3,881

Control Docade:

Missing Persons Reports: 1,043 (adj. 2,264)

Animal Attacks: 4,516 (adj. 9,410)

Crank Calls: 16,533 (adj. 22,968)

Relevant: 19

% Increase Above Mean:

Missing Persons: +291%

Animal Attacks: +130%

Crank Calls (Relevant): +20,426%

*Relevance was determined by follow-up investigations. Actual number is suspected higher.

[Analysis of Full Case Files performed by ████████████. Full dossier provided by authorised request only]

Document 15