Blizzard launches 'Project Blackstone' site - Page 27

FROM:
DR. TALEN AYERS

TO:
DR. TALISE COGAN

Picture : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/07-overlord.jpg

Overlord Dissection

I am in awe, my dear. Simply in awe. The results from our tests have just come in.

After our analyses of the other zerg species, I was expecting the overlord dissection to present the usual potpourri of unrelated genetic material we have come to expect from these transgenic cellular gypsies. The hydralisk, if you recall from our earlier examination, was a seamless amalgam of seven or eight distinct (and wildly diverse) organism types all woven through the core structure of an herbivorous gastropod. The thorned armor, the claws, the teeth, the jaw structure, and the ballistic spines – all aspects of other creatures hybridized together. The zergling organism contained even more than that; we stopped counting after fifteen because it was obvious that there were different strains within the zergling classification itself holding even greater variety. This entire facility could devote years to unraveling the mysteries of that creature's DNA alone.

We expected similar results from the overlord. Good heavens, I expected more genetic variety from a creature that acts as spotter, transport, and nursemaid to the entire zerg lexicon. But, Talise... the overlord has a core matrix that is 93.726% homogenous. Apart from some slight modifications to the carapace and the pulmonary chambers, this species has been left largely untouched by zerg modifications.

Do you realize what this means?

TA

FROM:
DR. TALISE COGAN

TO:
DR. TALEN AYERS

RE: Overlord Dissection

We should run these samples through again; I have a hard time believing that such genetic acreage would go untouched. Every species we have seen up until now has been shaken, stirred, mixed, and molded into a custom tool for the zerg macroorganism. I am not quite sure what implications you see in this, but it is certainly a unique find.

I take it you have a hypothesis?

TC

FROM:
DR. TALEN AYERS

TO:
DR. TALISE COGAN

RE: Overlord Dissection

I have just sent the results back for verification, but after looking over the numbers I doubt we will see much difference in further testing. What we are seeing here, Talise, is fairly strong support for one of two possibilities:

1) The zerg are lucky opportunists. The qualities they found within the original creature fit exactly within the niche they needed to fill; thus, only minimal modification was required. Jackpot for the Swarm.

or

2) The zerg are unwilling to meddle too deeply with the structural makeup of organisms that possess psionic capabilities. They recognize the rare delicacy of this attribute, and know that even the subtlest of changes can often destroy it.

I'm betting on the second horse. The overlord's cerebral structure is fairly complex, with neural pathways woven throughout its entire bloated body. This is why the creature is unparalleled in its ability to broadcast (or relay) psychic energy. My hypothesis is that the zerg did not want to lose any of that raw power, and kept their modifications limited to the neurologically impotent portions of the overlord's anatomy.

The overlord's brain, Talise. The memories. They may be bridled by the controlling zerg consciousness. But they are still there. Unchanged. Undiminished!

TA

FROM:
DR. TALISE COGAN

TO:
DR. TALEN AYERS

RE: Overlord Dissection

I think you may be getting ahead of yourself again, Talen. It is one of your more endearing traits, but somewhat lacking in scientific rigor. Your hypothesis sounds pretty thin to me. After all, we have several instances of the zerg "meddling" with the brains of psychic creatures... or have you forgotten about a certain ghost agent the zerg crowned as the damn Queen of Blades? I would say that is evidence of some fairly strenuous meddling.

That being said, your enthusiasm is infectious. Why don't you come over to my quarters, and we can discuss this further?

TC

FROM:
DR. TALEN AYERS

TO:
DR. TALISE COGAN

RE: Overlord Dissection

I will be right over as soon as I've finished with these results, my dear. I'll bring some of the cognac I have left over from the other night. Say what you will about Branamoor; he does know how to pick a good brandy.

In the meantime, I would like you to consider this: do we actually know how much of Sarah Kerrigan's mind was changed by the zerg? For all we know, the Overmind simply made some powerful suggestions to the more primitive parts of a warrior's brain. The actual structure of her cerebellum may be, for the most part, unchanged.

Good news for her. If my theories are correct, that is.

TA

FROM:
DR. HELEK BRANAMOOR

TO:
BLACKSTONE RESEARCH STAFF

Pic : blackstone project icon

Dr. Held

Good morning.

It is with great personal sadness that I ask you to join me in thanking Dr. Held for his service, as today will be his last at Blackstone. His contributions have been innumerable, and I believe we all speak in unison in calling him not just a colleague, but a good friend. Out of respect for our mutual friend I ask that all communication regarding Dr. Held end now, and no further discussion of recent incidents continue. We've done everything to ensure a speedy resolution with those involved, and I want to make it absolutely clear that this in no way impacted Dr. Held's curriculum vitae. We're all aware of the pressures we face, and Dr. Held has done an admirable job coping with them. His reputation deserves your respect, and I'll have no more of this childish whispering. We're all adults; now let's start acting like it.

On a related note, I see that not everyone has bothered picking up their weekly supplements. Let me make this absolutely clear: rumors of contaminants in the supplements, as well as the ridiculous notion of them being used for "tracking purposes", are completely unfounded. The majority of us being medical professionals, I'm quite sure I don't have to remind you of the importance of "taking your medicine." Schedules have slipped far enough, so please put these ideas out of your minds. Beginning this evening, supplement doses will be administered by our support staff the old-fashioned way until we can all learn to be big boys and girls.

I appreciate your continued cooperation.

Dr. Helek Branamoor, PhD
Chairman on Dominion Xenostudies
Imperial Science Advisor
Chief of Research for Project Blackstone

DR. TALEN AYERS

JAKE RAMSEY

Pic : warhound

T. Ayers
That was ugly. I knew that Held was a little off, but
J. Ramsey
What have I been telling you? Why did nobody see this but me? He could have killed somebody.
T. Ayers
I guess we should be thankful Red was there, or it could have been a lot worse. He already had our resident protoss expert in a headlock when I arrived.
J. Ramsey
He wasn't fast enough. Did you see all of that blood?
T. Ayers
Yes, well, it looked like Dr. Martine was bleeding pretty heavily before they carried her to the infirmary. I hope she's okay.
J. Ramsey
Oh, she'll be alright: she has a fairly intense military background. Even with the bum knee, she avoided the worst of Held's assault. I wouldn't be surprised if some of that blood was his.
T. Ayers
"Military background"? I wouldn't have guessed.
J. Ramsey
She was training to become a ghost before her injury, Dr. Ayers. Winlaleah Martine is potentially one of the most dangerous people on this little rock. In fact, if Red hadn't been in the room, I imagine we would have found a very different scene when we arrived.
T. Ayers
How so?
J. Ramsey
Oh, this altercation was going to end with Dr. Held either dead or gone. You didn't see Martine's smile when security carried him off? She planned this, has been pushing at his unstable little mind ever since they were assigned to work together.
Can't say I blame her.
T. Ayers
Do you
I was going to ask if you had any evidence of this, but I am fairly positive this all falls under your mysterious premonitions, yes?
J. Ramsey
I'm not a psychic.
Not anymore.
But I can still feel things. See things. Dr. Martine was miserable working with that monster, and the administration wasn't listening to her complaints. So she pushed Held into a demonstration.
And now Branamoor gets to play Hide The Psycho.
T. Ayers
Indeed. Well, Jake, I wanted to compliment you on the restraint you showed in there. It is no secret that you've got issues with Held, and you could have taken advantage of the situation. But you didn't.
J. Ramsey
Thanks.
I just saw no need for further pain. Dr. Held's career is finished. The protoss subjects imprisoned on Blackstone will fare better under Dr. Martine's care. She can talk with
Better if I don't go into that here.
T. Ayers
Understood. I would just like to apologize for my anger earlier. I am a patriot, Jake. I believe in what mankind can do out here in this corner of the universe. We may have different takes on how to go about it, but I think we are both on the same team.
J. Ramsey
We are, Dr. Ayers.
T. Ayers
Call me Talen, please.
J. Ramsey
Okay, Talen. Now, about that note I gave you in the hallway.
T. Ayers
Yes. Odd little message – you say it's from Rothfuss?
J. Ramsey
It is. He has uncovered something that may have relevance to your family.
T. Ayers
What the hell are you talking about?
J. Ramsey
We shouldn't discuss it any further here: these lines are often monitored. Meet me in the commissary in an hour.
It's about your daughter, Talen.

REDELL QUINTON

DR. TALEN AYERS

Pic : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/10-terran.jpg

R. Quinton
Hey Doc, I could use your help in my shed today. I've got an infested marine cadaver stinkin' up my workbench, and I'm gonna need some help peeling it.
T. Ayers
Wait, you've got an actual infested human INTACT? How is this
I've been trying to get my hands on a specimen for years, but they keep exploding. Damn things are stuffed with more unstable compounds than I can count. Talise and I have a theory that the baneling trigger enzymes were an adaptation of those first discovered by the zerg during human infection, modified by
Never mind, you don't care about that.
I'll grab my gear and head over. Your "shed" is next to the materials lab, yes?
R. Quinton
Hold your horses, Doc.
You saying these things are volatile? They told us not to worry about explosions, but I don't want to take any chances. Wouldn't be the first time something here's been... mislabeled.
T. Ayers
Interesting. "They" being Branamoor's assistants, I presume?
R. Quinton
Right. Seemed pretty clear on this one, and I asked them straight out if there were any nasty surprises under the hood. I don't think they'd outright fib to me about this sort of thing.
T. Ayers
I wonder.
You know, after the most recent conflict, we started seeing new mutations across the board in almost all of the zerg species. It is not inconceivable that we would see new strains reflected in the host creatures as well.
R. Quinton
Doc
T. Ayers
A new breed of infested Homo sapiens, this time without the suicide-bomber capabilities. (Capabilities that have been perfected by the baneling strain?)
R. Quinton
Doc, I'm losing ya here. This theory stuff is nice and all, but
T. Ayers
Which strategic niche do you suppose these devils are meant to fill?
R. Quinton
I don't do the guesswork here, man. You know that.
Listen, the boss wants us to check out this poor bastard and see if the zerg fiddled with more than just his genes. I need to take a look at the armor and rifle—both of which are wrapped in tendons and veins and all that soft stuff you bio-boys work with.
It stinks to high heaven, I should warn you.
T. Ayers
I appreciate the warning, but rest assured I have been elbows-deep in biomass at just about every state of decay you can name.
R. Quinton
Whatever lights your candle.
T. Ayers
This is why I like having you around, Red. "Lights my candle"? Ha!
So
Apart from the "peeling," as you put it, I assume you need me there to catalogue the more unique adaptations the zerg have made to the already modified marine biostructure? This will be good; I've been working on some theories about how the xenos alter cellular processes to interact with and manipulate the highly specific inorganic weaponry of our Dominion soldiers.
R. Quinton
Uh
T. Ayers
Sorry, I got lost in xenobiological shoptalk there.
Let me put this more succinctly: What do you need?
R. Quinton
Just what I said, nothing more. I need you to help us separate the metal from the man—or what used to be a man. I need to get to the tech and see if and how it changed after the zerg gunked it up.
Listen, I can lop off tentacles and zerg zits all damn day, but I figure you guys will want a look when we're done with it.
T. Ayers
I don't want to sound petty, Red, but I'm a little flummoxed about why they didn't send this specimen to my team before letting your crew at it with their sledgehammers. There are some fairly delicate aspects of a zerg-human hybrid that may have already been destroyed—aspects that could prove critical to innovations in medicine, agriculture, and untold areas of research.
R. Quinton
Can I be honest, Doc?
T. Ayers
Please.
R. Quinton
I think Branamoor gave it to us first because he wants some results. Pronto. No offense, but your end of the shop likes to take its time poking around.
T. Ayers
Results?
R. Quinton
Practical applications. Weapons. Branamoor wants to see if there's anything our boys in the field can use right now.
T. Ayers
How infuriating. You would think that a supposed scholar like Branamoor might consider the value of UNDERSTANDING something before creating weapons with
well, with technology we only barely comprehend.
This is
I'm marching over there to give him a piece of my mind. Red-lit hallways be damned.
R. Quinton
Whoa, Doc... Back off the throttle a bit.
You know I don't like getting into the politics of this place, but when has spouting off at Branamoor ever worked? He's obviously got pressure from the higher-ups to deliver something workable, and all those dreamy theories put out by you and your girlfriend don't smush zerg.
T. Ayers
I would hardly call Professor Cogan my "girlfriend."
R. Quinton
Tomayto, tomahto. Listen, I'm a brass-tacks sort of guy. Point me at the problem, give me a wrench, and I'll have a gun in your hands before sundown. That is why I was brought on board. Blackstone wasn't drilled into this asteroid so that we could sit here and talk fancy theories on Mengsk's dime. We are here to make bigger, better weapons for our boys on the front line. You know this, right?
T. Ayers
I'm not a complete idiot, Red. I had only hoped that the administrators would see some value in actually understanding what we are
Wait
How do you know that we're in an asteroid, Red? I was brought here blindfolded.
R. Quinton
Simple math, Doc. My trip was two warp jumps from Korhal IV. It's possible that one of the jumps was a null-distance decoy to throw me off, but even so, there really aren't that many outta-the-way places where you could hide a top-secret lab.
We are either in the double asteroid belt surrounding New Folsom at one jump from Korhal, or in the belt just beyond Deadman's Rock at two. The ferrous stone lining the walls of our cozy lil garage have me leaning towards the latter option, since the Folsom belts are largely cupric in composition.
T. Ayers
I don't
Wow.
I had never considered trying to play detective like that. You are full of surprises, my friend. But how
I'm not sure how to ask you this…
R. Quinton
How am I able to chat about this spooky classified stuff on a monitored line?

You haven't had a chance to talk with Rothfuss yet, have you? Old coot is a genius—gave me a hand-drawn schematic for a piece of hardware that can reroute our coms outside Branamoor's snooping range. I just flip the switch when I want to talk straight with somebody. Anyone listening sees the convo ending.
This tech, Doc. It's unreal. Rothfuss uses old-timey radio waves bouncing through a machine in his office to piggyback onto the local system's core res
And now I'm talking shop. Well, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. I know we've got a high concentration of eggheads here, but Rothfuss is on another level entirely.
T. Ayers
Yes, well, I've been trying to steal a moment with our mysterious astrophysicist for a week now. I've got something of a personal nature to ask him. He always seems to be busy.
R. Quinton
He does that to keep Branamoor off his butt. If you want, I'll set up a meeting for you.
T. Ayers
Would you?
R. Quinton
But first, I got a stinkin' mess over here, Doc…
T. Ayers
Right! Right. I'll be right over. Just please please please don't touch the specimen until I arrive.
R. Quinton
So you want me to stick the head back on?

Are we safe?

I believe that I have attached this mechanism to the back of my desk correctly, Dan; the little light-thing is flashing green, as you said. You know, my daughter often laughed at my ineptitude with technology—called me a backwoods yokel. I suppose that the proper placement of your device will be obvious once I send this note to you. If I hear marine boots stomping down the hallway, I'll know I did it wrong.

Honestly, my mind is still spinning from our conversation earlier. While I appreciate your making time for me in spite of a busy schedule, I do wish we had been able to arrange for a longer discussion.

My primary worry is that you hinted at technology and possibilities I am quite certain lay outside the realm of Dominion science, and I fear that your enticing offers of information may come laced with treason. If you are working with the Umojans or some espionage wing of the Kel-Morian Combine, then I should be up-front with you: I am a patriot. If I detect even a whiff of traitorous scheming, I shall be compelled to alert the authorities. Dr. Branamoor may be a bit paranoid and uncouth in his treatment of the respected minds gathered here, but I believe he has a genuine concern for our efforts and their contribution to the survival of the Terran Dominion in this dangerous corner of the galaxy.

But you asked me to keep this correspondence brief, so I shall focus on the most important question, to me at least: what do you know of Maren? You said that you had some information regarding my daughter but refused to divulge any more before our meeting ended. Please, Dan. I haven't heard a word since her platoon was routed to Anselm, and that was before I was assigned here. Other members of our team have been receiving mail from their families, albeit filtered and closely monitored. I have nothing. What do you know? I don't ask as a fellow academic, but as a worried father.

TA
REPLY
FROM:
DR. DANIEL ROTHFUSS

TO:
DR. TALEN AYERS

RE: Are we safe?

If you see the green light, then your scrambler is functioning perfectly, Talen. I designed these things to be klutz-proof. Just make sure that the device is removed and hidden amongst your personal effects after each use.

Again, I apologize for my earlier brevity. While our rooms have not been tapped for sound (an odd oversight by our gracious host), I have found that security patrols around my quarters tend to increase in frequency when I have visitors. For some strange reason, Helek Branamoor doesn't trust me. I suspect this is because my selection to the Blackstone staff was pushed through against his will, but it is also possible that the man is simply good at reading people.

His instincts are right, you know. He really shouldn't trust me.

No, don't worry, Talen. I am not working for any of the outside parties you mentioned, but perhaps you could say my allegiance is to humanity at large. For now, that will have to be enough for you. And you will have to take me at my word when I say that Helek Branamoor and his puppet master, Arcturus Mengsk, are not working for the betterment of our species as a whole—or of you specifically.

Over the past few centuries, Dominion technology has made commendable advances in the blunt science of military strength: better armor, better weapons, and frighteningly obedient soldiers. But there has been surprisingly little progress in the fields of encryption and machine language. Significant portions of the original ATLAS coding and functionality still exist in your adjutants like familiar old dinosaurs. My guess is that dependence on the servile and deliberately limited sapience of these automatons has allowed for intellectual complacency in those fields, especially since the more exciting horizons of extrasolar planets and xenoscience have been within your grasp.

Regardless, this has presented an enticing Achilles heel to this wheelchair-bound Paris. (I have learned that you are an Old Earth aficionado, and thought you might appreciate the turn of phrase.)

I have been able to crack into the personnel files here on Blackstone, and in doing so uncovered unsettling notes from Branamoor and his cronies suggesting that information is being held from both you and Talise. One particularly cryptic memo came from Korhal. It stressed a fear that your research efforts would suffer if you learned about your "two troublesome girls."

Those are Mengsk's words.

I have been able to uncover an array of Dominion reports on Dr. Cogan's daughter and her dealings with a rebel group around Agria, Meinhoff, and some planet on the edge of protoss space. The reports have a few interesting… details. Details that I plan to share with Dr. Cogan as soon as I can find time in her schedule for a social call. Your daughter's status has been much more difficult to track down, but I believe that is because her data is somehow tied to our own highly secretive research. I know that this information is inadequate and will only cause further worry. But I would rather you hear what little I have found now than for you to be surprised later. And I need you to trust me.

Because you are not just building weapons to protect humanity, Talen. You are being used. My exploration through the personnel files opened up some frightening avenues. For instance, did you know that Dr. Langridge has an entire level of the facility dedicated to xenoflora that can control human thought? Not alien thought. That's right—Mengsk has a section of this facility dedicated to controlling his own subjects. And that is only one of seven isolated levels hidden beneath this one. All are taking your research into dark places that you know nothing about. All are completely off the books.

And your friend Dr. Held is still on-site. He has been moved down to a sub-level, along with a handful of psi-blocked protoss.

I already know of your patriotism, Talen. I know that you will refuse to believe most of what I have said. But I also know that you are a smart man and that you will wait to see if there is any proof to my words before acting. I will track down what I can so that you can see what I see. What Jake Ramsey sees.

That Project Blackstone must be destroyed.

Dan

T. Ayers
There you are!
...
Talise? I'm getting an "active" notification from your desk. I know that you're there.
T. Cogan
Sorry. I've been with
It took me a while to get that roach effluvium scrubbed from the lab.
T. Ayers
Hmm, that was an unexpected treat, wasn't it? An entire bladder of volatile enzymes triggered to erupt upon penetration. It's almost as though somebody doesn't want us cutting into these buggers.
T. Cogan
Yes.
T. Ayers
That was a joke, my dear.
T. Cogan
Oh right. Sorry. Listen, I have been wanting to
Never mind.
I just need a little sleep. First thing tomorrow I will make sure to put some notes together on what I suspect is transpiring with the roach glandular processes. As I mentioned during anatomization, the similarities between the creature's thoracic acid bladder and the organelles we found in the mutalisk suggest another example of zerg adaptability in multipurposed internal systems.
T. Ayers
Talise
T. Cogan
I have found more support for my theory on the roach's advanced cellular regeneration. If the reports we are getting from the field are accurate, this accelerated "healing factor" deserves special attention, especially if we wish to find a counter before the trait is passed on to the other, slower-healing zerg species. And I believe that if this ability is derived from the constant breakdown of the roach's own modified pharynx due to the passage of acid, then the lack of insulating mucosal lining there may be seen as a deliberate effort on the part of the Alpha organism. Another case of "shotgun evolution," as you like to call it.
T. Ayers
Talise
T. Cogan
Yes?
T. Ayers
What's wrong? I know you well enough by now to tell when you are hiding behind your research.
You have been avoiding me.
T. Cogan
No, I've just been buried in these new findings. I'm really
There isn't anything
Ok, listen. I don't know how to do this. I can't
I can't do this anymore. I've requested transfer to another team.
Please just leave me alone, Talen.
T. Ayers
What? You can't be serious. Just like this, with no explanation?
Does this have something to do with your visit with Dan? I passed along his invitation because he is trying to help us, Talise.
Yes, he seems a little neurotic, and those scars on his face are alarming at first, but I assure you his intentions are noble. I'm a good judge of character, my dear.
If for one moment I suspected actual treason in his
T. Cogan
You think this is about your precious political ideals? You think I give a damn about loyalty to the monsters that brought us here? You and the rest of your cronies can go to hell, Talen.
Always going on about the big picture, you and your vast fantasies of an epic mystical purpose behind everything. Never looking at the details of REALITY—not in your research, not in your life, not with
Not with me.
T. Ayers
Talise, I never
But you're the one who avoided talking about the details! Our lives before Blackstone, our marriages, even our daughters. Every time I mentioned them—every time!—you would go quiet. Or deliberately change the subject. I assumed this was because of your estranged relationship with Ariel and learned to keep my mouth shut out of respect, but
T. Cogan
My daughter is dead, you bastard. Not that you care, not that you ever asked beyond the trite little "Hey, look what we have in common!" talk desperately used to find some sort of connection in this strange place.
You used me; I used you. Fine. It made the days slightly more bearable. Now I just need to be alone.
T. Ayers
Talise, I am so sorry. I had no idea.
I'll be right over.
T. Cogan
No.
Just leave me alone, Talen.
My daughter is dead.
Leave me alone.
T. COGAN INACTIVE