#(EXCAVATION 1)
 ---- REPORT FROM SURFACE ----

THIS IS XENO-HISTORIAN KILGORE, SIR. WE'VE DISCOVERED A LARGE CIRCULAR BUILDING WITH A DEEP, WIDE SHAFT IN THE MIDDLE. FROM THE INNER LAYOUT, WE CAN TELL THAT THIS IS SOME KIND OF RESEARCH FACILITY OF ANDROSYNTH ORIGIN THAT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

THE ENERGY CORES SEEM TO FUNCTION NORMALLY -- MOST OF THE ROOMS ARE LIT AND SOME MACHINERY IS ECHOING THROUGH THE CORRIDORS, BUT THE REST OF THE EQUIPMENT HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS. THE SECURITY ROBOTS PRESENT NO THREAT DUE TO THE LACK OF ANY TECHNICAL SUPPORT. ALL ELEVATORS ARE OUT OF ORDER, SO OUR TEAM IS HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF EXERCISE HERE.

I HAVE TO SAY, CAPTAIN, THIS PLACE IS A LITERAL GHOST TOWN. IT FEELS LIKE EVERYONE HERE JUST LEFT FOR LUNCH AND NEVER CAME BACK. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY DROPPED WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING AND PRESUMABLY LEFT THE PLANET, AS THEY DIDN'T LEAVE ANY KIND OF SPACE CRAFT. WELL, AT LEAST WE DIDN'T FIND ANY SO FAR, WHICH IS WEIRD FOR AN INSTALLATION OF SUCH SIZE.

WE'VE REACHED A CLOSED DOOR THAT LEADS TO THE CONTROL TOWER. LUCKILY, FIELD ENGINEER LAIDLAW WAS ABLE TO OPEN IT. IN HERE WE HOPE TO FIND CLUES AS TO WHAT THE ANDROSYNTH WERE DOING HERE AND WHY THEY LEFT THE PLACE IN A HURRY.

...

OUR TEAM, HUFF, ALMOST AT, PUFF, TOP FLOOR. NONE OF THE COMPUTER TERMINALS THAT WE'VE FOUND SO FAR ARE FUNCTIONAL, DESPITE BEING MOSTLY INTACT. SO, HUFF, I REALLY HOPE THIS ASCENT WILL BE WORTH IT.

WHEW, WE'RE FINALLY AT THE TOP. WHILE ENSIGN HAWTHORNE IS CHECKING ON THE COMPUTERS' CONDITION, I CAN HAVE A BETTER LOOK DOWN THE SHAFT, AS I COULD BARELY SEE ANYTHING THROUGH THE SAFETY RAILS ON LOWER LEVELS.

THE ANDROSYNTH DUG A VERY IMPRESSIVE HOLE. IT'S ABOUT 800 METERS IN DIAMETER AND SEVERAL KILOMETERS DEEP. ACTUALLY, I CAN'T TELL EXACTLY HOW DEEP IT IS AS NONE OF US CAN SEE THE BOTTOM, NOR DOES ANY OF OUR EQUIPMENT SHOW RESULTS THAT MAKE SENSE.

THANKFULLY, WE'VE FOUND A COMPUTER TERMINAL THAT WORKS! WE CAN NOW ACCESS ANY DATABANK IN THE FACILITY AND SHED SOME LIGHT ON WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.

THE EARLIEST RECORD DATES TO LATE 2143 WHEN THE ANDROSYNTH DISCOVERED A WEAK ENERGY SIGNATURE ON THIS PLANET -- THE PRESENCE OF PRECURSOR TECHNOLOGY. FROM THE IMAGES THEY'VE TAKEN AND THE CONCLUSIONS THEIR SCIENTISTS MADE WHEN THEY REACHED THE SOURCE, I CAN TELL THAT THIS IS SOME KIND OF VAULT OR STORAGE. A SMALL ONE. WELL, SMALL IN THE TERMS OF THE PRECURSORS. THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING HERE IS HOW DEEP THIS VAULT IS. IT TOOK ALMOST A YEAR FOR THE ANDROSYNTH TO DIG TO IT, AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE IT'S ALMOST THREE TIMES AS DEEP AS WHATEVER THE DEEPEST PRECURSOR INSTALLATION THAT THE ALLIANCE HAD EVER DISCOVERED.

IN HERE, THEY FOUND AN ARTIFACT WHICH THEY SIMPLY REFERRED TO AS `THE DEVICE'. ANY INFORMATION ON `THE DEVICE' IS HIGHLY CLASSIFIED AS THERE ARE NO IMAGES, NO DESCRIPTION OR REAL NAME, NO SUCH CHARACTERISTICS AS ITS SHAPE, MASS OR DIMENSIONS, NO THEORETICAL OR PRACTICAL USE, OR ANY REFERENCES TO KNOWN PRECURSOR TEXTS. AS SOON AS THEY DRAGGED THE DEVICE ONTO THE SURFACE, THEY TRANSPORTED IT TO THEIR HOMEWORLD AT ETA VULPECULAE AND IT'S NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN IN ANY FILE.

THEIR ACTIVITY CONTINUED FOR ABOUT 6 MORE YEARS. THEY KEPT BRINGING ARTIFACTS FROM THE VAULT TO THIS COMPLEX FOR STUDY, AND EVENTUALLY TRANSPORTING THEM OFF PLANET ALONG WITH ANY RESULTS OF THE INITIAL EXPERIMENTS. THE INFORMATION ON THESE ARTIFACTS IS VERY BRIEF BUT FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH PRECURSOR TECH I CAN CONCLUDE THAT THESE ARE ONLY PARTS. AND GOD KNOWS WHAT ANDROSYNTH COULD ASSEMBLE.

ONE THING THAT I HAVE TO MENTION -- EVERY ARTIFACT HAS A SO-CALLED DF-CORRELATION RATING ATTACHED AND WE CANNOT PUZZLE OUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN. PROBABLY SOMEHOW RELATED TO `THE DEVICE'. CAN'T MAKE ANY FURTHER COMMENTS.

ANYWAY, THE ANDROSYNTH EVENTUALLY STRIPPED THIS VAULT CLEAN, THEY EVEN CARVED OUT SEGMENTS OF WALLS WITH PRECURSORS' WRITING. AFTER THAT, THE RECORDS CONSIST ONLY OF WEEKLY ROUTINE REPORTS, TO THE POINT THAT IT'S ALMOST THE EXACT SAME TEXT. THE LAST ONE DATES TO MARCH 2150. 

THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS, WARNINGS OR EMERGENCIES MENTIONED EVEN ONCE, NO ORDERS FROM HIGH COMMAND TO LEAVE THIS PLACE. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

...

I THINK WE'VE REACHED A DEAD END HERE. ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON `THE DEVICE' IS PROBABLY ON THEIR HOMEWORLD, ALONG WITH THE REASON WHY THEY LEFT THIS PLACE. SADLY, WE CAN'T GO DOWN TO THE VAULT BECAUSE THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING. AND TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION ITS COMPLEXITY, I ASSUME WE CAN'T FIX IT WITH THE RESOURCES OF OUR ENTIRE FLAGSHIP, NO MATTER HOW GOOD AND TALENTED OUR CREW MAY BE. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT THE VAULT ITSELF IS SUPPOSED TO BE EMPTY AT THIS POINT.

CAPTAIN, A MINOR REMARK, SIR. IF THE PRECURSORS HID THIS SO-CALLED `DEVICE' SO DEEP, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE VERY IMPORTANT... OR VERY DANGEROUS.

RETURNING TO THE LANDER.

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