Adamastor

Adamastor
Overview
Model	Science Vessel
Class	Lowell Class
Hyperdrive	Quirium Drive
Usage
Years in Service	Unknown - 3111
Affiliation	Independent
Owner	Azimuth Biochemicals
Crew	Azimuth employees Pharmasapien sleeper agents
Passengers	Penelope Carver's survey team
Location
System	Chukchan
Orbit/Body	5 b
Date Discovered	October 29, 3306

The Adamastor is a Lowell Class Science Vessel megaship that was owned and operated by Azimuth Biochemicals in the early 32nd century. It is the sister ship of the Hesperus. The vessel disappeared in 3111 after Pharmasapien sleeper agents attempted to seize control of it at the same time as its systems were being disrupted by a Thargoid artefact. On October 29, 3306, the Adamastor entered the Chukchan system as a ghost ship, and was towed by local authorities into a safe orbit above Chukchan 5 B.

History

Disappearance

On October 26, 3111, the Adamastor was sent by Azimuth Biochemicals from Chukchan to an unknown location somewhere in the direction of Barnard's Loop; it was supplied with enough fuel to travel 370 ly and was scheduled to pass by HIP 39748 and HIP 33386. The ship made a stop on October 28 that was wiped from its flight logs, and then on October 29 it checked in with an Azimuth comms beacon in Synuefe XE-Y c17-7 and received fresh orders to change course for the Coalsack Nebula, where it was to retrieve a planetary survey team led by Professor Penelope Carver, which had found alien technology on planet 3 of the Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1 system. Upon arrival on October 30, the Adamastor was only able to load the samples and part of the survey team before unknown phenomena, possibly Thargoids, appeared and a gun battle broke out on the surface; this battle also likely involved Pharmasapien sleeper agents who were trying to take control of the site. The Adamastor's crew made the decision to depart early, leaving the remaining survey team members and a number of mercenaries who had been deployed to secure the site to die.

One particularly active alien object that had been recovered from an alien crash site induced severe malfunctions in the Adamastor's systems, slowing the megaship as it continued to its original destination and causing its hyperdrive to fail as it passed through HIP 69200 on October 31. Another cell of Pharmasapien sleeper agents took the opportunity to attempt to seize the Adamastor, but anyone who managed to survived the ensuing firefight apparently chose to abandon ship. The ghost ship automatically diverted on an emergency course back to Chukchan, which it was forced to undertake at sublight speeds.

Ghost ship

The ghost ship finally completed its journey almost two centuries later on October 29, 3306, when it reentered Chukchan. Local authorities prevented the Adamastor from colliding with Chukchan 5 B and deployed tugs to wrench it into a safe orbit; while this spared the ship from destruction, the maneuver also damaged it. Investigators from the Alliance Salvage Guild were initially only able to determine the ship's name and calculate an estimated travel path that passed by the HIP 61595, HIP 64011, and HIP 65201 systems since most onboard records had been scrubbed, but retired private investigator Benjamin Chester, a resident of Chukchan, offered his assistance. Using serial numbers found by the Guild, Chester was able to identify the Adamastor's owner as the now-defunct Azimuth Biochemicals and obtain a partial flight plan which would have taken the ship past HIP 39748 and HIP 33386.

The return of the Adamastor led to the discovery of fresh Thargoid Barnacles in the Coalsack Nebula. This was fortuitous, as the Barnacles found in the Witch Head Nebula in mid-3305 had already begun to show signs of over-exploitation and there were fears of resurgent Thargoid activity there. The Alliance Assembly quickly approved a plan with backing from several corporations to colonise the Coalsack and secure its new sources of Meta-Alloys, and the expedition was launched on November 12. The initial stages of the expedition succeeded thanks to the efforts of the galactic community, paving the way for four starports to be constructed and opened on November 26.

Awakening

On March 10, 3307, detectives of the Wallglass Investigations Agency reported that they had learned that the Adamastor had a sister ship, the Hesperus. Similar to the Adamastor, the Hesperus vanished after departing for an unrecorded destination in 3113. An examination of Geological Survey 23B also found that Azimuth Biochemicals mercenaries had engaged with hostiles wielding laser guns, which the detectives speculated belonged to Azimuth's rival Pharmasapien.

The Alliance Salvage Guild reported on April 8 that an undeployed comms beacon previously found within the Adamastor had been automatically reactivated, then began receiving and rebroadcasting an encoded long-range signal that appeared to originate from the Hesperus. Commanders in the vicinity of the Adamastor were contacted by an individual calling himself "Salvation", who had the access codes needed to decrypt the signal and wanted help investigating it. The signal pointed to a beacon in Taurus Dark Region UY-R b4-0, which was connected to two more beacons in Perseus Dark Region LN-K b8-0 and California Sector IH-V c2-1. Encrypted location data combined from all three beacons in turn identified the location of the Hesperus in Perseus Dark Region KC-V c2-2. In response to these developments, the Pilots Federation opened an inquiry into the mysterious Salvation on April 19.

Reconstructed flight path

Date	Location	Events
October 26, 3111	Chukchan	Launch from Chukchan on course for unknown location
October 28, 3111	Unknown	Log data for this event erased
October 29, 3111	Synuefe XE-Y c17-7 3	Listening post check-in, orders received to change course to Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1
October 30, 3111	Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1 3	Arrival at Geological Survey 23B, partial extraction of site personnel and samples, emergency departure
October 31, 3111	HIP 69200 1 B	Ongoing hyperdrive malfunctions, security system failure, Professor Carver flees in a Sidewinder, crew evacuates, hyperdrive failure, automated deviation from original course for emergency return to Chukchan
October 29, 3306	Chukchan 5 B	Completed emergency return to launch system, towed to current orbit

Logs

Log

Log No.

Log Text

1/1

Log: 26 10 3111: Departing under private license. Log: 28 ...: ... Log: 29 10 3111: ... Entering system with a single K class star and 11 bodies. Heading for third body. Arrived at listening post. Updating route to rendezvous with planetary survey team. Log: 30 10 3111: ... Entering system with a single M class star. Heading... metal body... Outpost latitude 11.86... Retrieve... cargo... Emergency de... initiated... Log: 31 10 3111: Currently 1... Ly... Entering system with a single A class star... Security system offl... Ship lau... ... ...

Private Beacon

Log No.

Log Text

1/1

Access Code AZB3648-00 Secure channel established. Drive input mode: Locked Source ID: H002255 [Hesperus] Timestamp: 08/04/3307 03:44 Proximity alert: Type G [unidentified megaship] Emergency upload protocol 01G engaged. Status log: Inactive Mission log: Inactive Crew manifest: Inactive Locator beacon: Inactive Pulse transmission status: Running Navigational data to follow... H1 Key -E H2 Key +H H3 Key -C Beacon region: Taurus Security notice: All information contained herein remains the intellectual property of Azimuth Biochemicals. Any violations of confidentiality will be prosecuted in accordance with the 2984 Corporate Communications Act.

Timeline

07 FEB 3308

• Shutdown procedures for the anti-xeno organisation are continuing, despite Aegis's warnings that Azimuth has returned. Conrad Sterling reported on the situation for Vox Galactica: "We now know that the Alexandria megaship was targeted by a hostile force that could be Azimuth Biochemicals, the 200-year-old corporation which owned the Adamastor and Hesperus. In the face of this new evidence, Aegis leaders have petitioned for it to be reinstated. Even while accounting for this new evidence, the Baumann Report has exposed a litany of organisational failures within Aegis. There is still a broad consensus among politicians that the organisation should have done more to repel the Thargoids. Many senior military figures have switched focus to Aegis's controversial rival Salvation, despite his mysterious nature. As one Imperial Navy admiral succinctly put it: 'Salvation's methods have proved more effective in counteracting the Thargoid threat.' The issue of military staff defections also appears to have been resolved. Alliance, Federal and Imperial fleets have opened channels of secondment, allowing naval crews to voluntarily take positions aboard Salvation's vessels without resigning their commissions. However, one of Aegis's requests has been authorised. There will be a public ceremony to posthumously award medals of honour to Captain Jacob Morales and the four thousand people who lost their lives aboard the Alexandria."

29 DEC 3307

• Continuing a series of articles by historian Sima Kalhana that look at the most newsworthy events during the past year.
  "April 3307 saw the creation of the Federation's Proactive Detection Bureau in reaction to the Nine Martyrs bombings. This organisation monitored all public and private communications for evidence of terrorists, to prevent similar attacks in future. But its highly controversial nature would soon present the Federation with new challenges. ACT's investigation led them to the Neo-Marlinist Order of Mudhrid, which had helped deliver the caustic enzyme bombs to their nine targets. The faction's defeat was an early victory against the NMLA, but much of the organisation remained a mystery. When the 'ghost ship' Adamastor began receiving an encoded signal, this began an entire saga of mysteries. Its long-lost sister ship, the Hesperus, was soon located by pilots who had been recruited by an anonymous figure named Salvation. His interest in Azimuth Biochemicals, the 200 year old corporation that owned both vessels, would bring a strange twist to the ongoing Thargoid conflict. In May, Hadrian Duval was targeted by Federal forces after accusations that he was the mastermind behind the NMLA. The spectre of Empire-Federation war rose once again as Nova Imperium successfully defended itself, but ACT concluded that evidence had been falsified to implicate Hadrian and his new wife Lady Astrid. Aegis came under intense scrutiny when the megaship Alexandria, laden with newly collected Guardian artefacts, began attracting Thargoids in every system it jumped to. The Alexandria later vanished completely in hyperspace, and to this day remains missing presumed destroyed. The Alliance election finally took place at the end of May, having been delayed by three months due to the Galactic Summit. Councillor Nakato Kaine fought a spirited campaign, but Edmund Mahon was re-elected to serve a second term as prime minister. Supporters of Neo-Marlinism gained a voice in June, when Minister Aaron Whyte offered a peace deal with the Empire to prevent further terrorism. The idea of a political wing of the NMLA gained support from those fearing further bombings, but opened major rifts within the Marlinist Colonies. Salvation once again contacted pilots to track down survivors from the Hesperus. This led to the discovery of an ancient Guardian-Thargoid battleground, where Azimuth scientists had built a research base around their vessel Proteus. All were killed by unusual experiments into weaponising Guardian crystals. The Proactive Detection Bureau had been generally accepted by Federal citizens, but many claimed it was a violation of civil liberties. Halfway through the year, the Azaladshu Free faction took the bold step of seceding from the Federation, thus triggering the possibility of mass rebellion."

11 JUN 3307

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  Commanders in the Chukchan and Perseus Dark Region KC-V c2-2 systems have reported being contacted by 'Salvation'. The anonymous individual is known to have an interest in the Adamastor and the Hesperus, the 'ghost ships' within those systems. Both of the derelict megaships were operated 200 years ago by Azimuth Biochemicals. Commander Tyler Thorsen told Vox Galactica: "I was taking some sightseers on a trip round the Hesperus, and getting as close as I dared to the Scriveners Clan dredger. I scanned the tourist beacon for them, and suddenly received a direct message from this 'Salvation' guy. He asked me to track down some old signal beacons, which are listening posts configured to retransmit long-range comms. Apparently these could help locate the survivors from the megaship. But the Hesperus is ancient history. Surely there can't be anything or anyone left to find?" In April, 'Salvation' unofficially recruited independent pilots to locate the Hesperus, and to deliver its surviving logs to Taurus Mining Ventures. The Pilots Federation is running an inquiry into 'Salvation' and his associates. Commanders are being cautioned against undertaking tasks for what may be an illegal enterprise.

07 MAY 3307

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  The enigmatic 'Salvation' has sent a message to the Commanders he recently recruited to discover the Hesperus megaship. The vessel was found in the Perseus Dark Region KC-V C2-2 system, after 'Salvation' provided an access key to read its automated SOS. Pilots were then encouraged to deliver any surviving logs to Taurus Mining Ventures at the Hind Mine asteroid base in the T Tauri system. Patience Middleton, a representative of the corporation, announced: "'Salvation' has authorised us to offer two million credits or ten units of void opals for delivering the Hesperus's logs. This contract ends on the 21st of May 3307, after which payments will not be available. We have been asked to relay the message below.
  'This is Salvation. I call myself this as I cannot yet reveal my identity, but my scientific breakthroughs will literally save all of humanity. The Adamastor and the Hesperus were just the beginning, as I have always known. For my intrepid agents, there will be further work to come.'"
  Little is known about Taurus Mining Ventures, and 'Salvation' remains anonymous. Commanders are therefore being cautioned against undertaking tasks for a potentially criminal organisation.

27 APR 3307

• Francesca Wolfe of the Wallglass Investigations Agency examines the Hesperus megaship and the Dredger Clan that caused its recent discovery. "When the Adamastor derelict received a strange signal, smart money was on it originating from its sister ship, the Hesperus. Both were owned by Azimuth Biochemicals and had vanished 200 years ago. After a united effort to decode and trace the signal, independent pilots located the Hesperus in an asteroid belt around the second star of the Perseus Dark Region KC-V C2-2 system. Like the Adamastor, it was devoid of life – but not alone. Alongside it was a dredger, whose proximity had triggered the Hesperus's mayday. This was a rare sighting of a Dredger Clan, one of the nomadic tribes that Gunnarson recently discussed. The Scriveners Clan was originally a fleet of research vessels for a long-forgotten academic consortium. Over centuries they became a self-sufficient society, constantly acquiring materials and information. They're not aggressive, but shun outsiders and jealously guard their 'Knowledge Core'. I'm fascinated by mentions of research-sergeants and lector-generals, suggesting their culture is a merger of scholastic and military. With the Hesperus claimed as salvage by the Scriveners and its drives stripped, all chance of learning more was lost. Luckily, four encoded data files had resisted upload, and a gap in the dredger's antiquated firewalls allowed pilots to hack them. The decrypted logs have now been preserved for posterity in a nearby tourist beacon. They tell a disturbing story of corporate rivalry, murder and revenge, but also leave many unanswered questions... We know that survivors abandoned ship to continue searching for 'alien artefacts'. Did they all die in space or did they find something? What did Azimuth's probes detect back in 3113? And who the hell is 'Salvation', the shadowy figure who contacted pilots to find the Hesperus?"

19 APR 3307

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  Commanders have reported receiving anonymous instructions regarding the 200 year old derelict megaship orbiting Chukchan 5 b. A communications beacon stored onboard the Adamastor began receiving and rebroadcasting an encrypted signal on the 8th of April. Efforts by authorities to trace and decipher the signal proved unsuccessful. However, a number of independent pilots claim to have been contacted by an anonymous source, who provided an access key to decode the Adamastor signal. Commander Rex Trevelyan gave this statement to Vox Galactica: "Not long after arriving in the Chukchan system, my ship received a message from someone calling himself 'Salvation'. He provided a decryption key, and when I downloaded the signal from the Adamastor it became readable. It seems to be an automatic SOS from its sister ship, the Hesperus. I've heard that some Commanders have made sense of the navigational data in the signal. It feels like pilots are being recruited for something, but who exactly are we working for?" The Pilots Federation has begun an inquiry into the situation. The identity of 'Salvation' remains unknown, but there are reports that the Adamastor signal contains data that has led to its sister ship.

08 APR 3307

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  The Adamastor, a 200 year old 'ghost ship' in orbit around Chukchan 5 b, has received a mysterious encrypted signal. The derelict vessel has been undergoing investigation by Alliance Salvage Guild teams since its discovery last October. They released this report: "Months ago, we cut open one of the Adamastor's damaged cargo holds to find an undeployed communications beacon. We managed to power it up, but it contained no data and had never been used. This beacon has now automatically activated, and is receiving and rebroadcasting a long-range signal. The transmission's source cannot be identified, but is definitely of interstellar origin. Its encoded content has yet to be deciphered." The Adamastor vanished in 3111 after an incident that may have involved the first historical encounter with the Thargoids. It reappeared in 3306 when it entered the Chukchan system at sublight speeds on autopilot, with no sign of its crew. It was recently learned that in 3113 the Adamastor's sister ship, the Hesperus, also disappeared. Both were owned by a corporation called Azimuth Biochemicals, which was absorbed by a rival named Pharmasapien. Little is known about either company, but it is believed they were competitors in the field of xenological research.

10 MAR 3307

• Erik Gunnarson and Francesca Wolfe, two detectives from the Wallglass Investigations Agency, examine the background of the Adamastor megaship.
  Gunnarson: "When Wolfe and I started this project, we knew this case would come first. We're both protégés of Benjamin Chester, creator of the Wallglass Archive. He retired years ago, but that old spark kicked in when a 'ghost ship' turned up on his doorstep! The Adamastor is a 200 year old derelict that drifted into the Chukchan system on autopilot. It's still there, with the Alliance Salvage Guild poking through its guts. Chester investigated its owners, a super-secretive company called Azimuth Biochemicals. We don't know what they were searching for, but what they found was possibly the first recorded Thargoid encounter. I've since tracked down evidence that the Adamastor had a sister ship – the Hesperus – which in 3113 was sent to… somewhere! Neither ship returned, but we only know what happened on the Adamastor mission. Of course, Wolfe had to go see that with her own eyes."
  Wolfe: "Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1 is a busy system nowadays, but was unexplored when Professor Carver's survey team were there. Listening to their logs from two centuries ago while examining the research base was chilling… ghost voices from a ghost ship. There was evidence of blast scars, but I've seen enough battlefields to know what exchanged gunfire looks like. Azimuth's mercenaries weren't just firing at Thargoids, but at someone who shot back with laser rifles. Gunnarson tells me Azimuth was swallowed up by a rival called Pharmasapien. Did they infiltrate the Adamastor and try to take over? Or did the thing that Carver captured drive everyone insane? This is a seriously cold case, even for us. But maybe one day, more tantalising clues will emerge. And that’s what we live for."

17 NOV 3306

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  An Alliance initiative has successfully prepared the Coalsack Nebula for exploitation and reduced the Thargoids' presence.
  Traders delivered shipments of power generators, robotics, structural regulators and building fabricators, which will be used to help construct several new facilities in the region. The quantity of commodities received will result in construction of the following for the 26th of November 3306:
  Betancourt Base Starport in the Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1 system. Additional services: Interstellar factor, human technology broker, encoded material trader, extended range of Multi-purpose ships.
  Cole Point Starport in the CoalSack Sector VU-O B6-6 system. Additional services: Interstellar factor, raw material trader, extended range of Multi-purpose ships and mining equipment, fleet carrier administration.
  Hannu Arena Starport in the Musca Dark Region IM-V C2-24 system. Additional services: Interstellar factor, range of combat ships and weapons.
  Bering Port Starport in the CoalSack Sector KN-S B4-9 system. Additional services: Interstellar factor, improved outfitting options, manufactured material trader.
  Commodore Morag Halloran of the Alliance Defence Force delivered an update on the security procedures: "Our efforts to clear the systems of Thargoid vessels were hugely boosted by independent pilots. Their skills have enabled our transports to travel to the nebula in relative safety." The Alliance is collaborating with several corporations to investigate the Coalsack Nebula for commercial and scientific sites of interest.

12 NOV 3306

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  Commodities and anti-xeno support are requested as the Alliance begins exploitation of the Coalsack Nebula.
  The Alliance plans to construct several new outposts in the Coalsack Nebula. From these, commercial and scientific operations will be conducted to locate fresh sources of meta-alloys and other potential sites of interest. The initiative was prompted by the findings of a planetary survey team two hundred years ago, which were only discovered after an abandoned megaship arrived in the Chukchan system. Shipments of power generators, robotics, structural regulators and building fabricators are required, and can be delivered to the megaship Spirit of Nysa in the Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1 system. The more commodities that are supplied, the more outposts will be upgraded to starports and the greater the range of services they will offer. Commodore Morag Halloran of the Alliance Defence Force discussed security arrangements: "We anticipate a heavy Thargoid presence within the Coalsack Nebula. Therefore it is a strategic necessity that we act now to curtail the threat to future exploration. Independent pilots and anti-xeno squadrons can serve the Alliance by focusing their efforts on the Coalsack Sector KN-S b4-9, Coalsack Sector VU-O b6-6, Musca Dark Region IM-V c2-24 and Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1 systems, which will host the new structures."

09 NOV 3306

• Discoveries made two hundred years ago by an abandoned megaship have revealed untapped sources of meta-alloys within the Coalsack Nebula. The Adamastor, which was launched in 3111, returned to the Chukchan system from the Coalsack Nebula on autopilot with no traces of its crew. Thargoid barnacle sites were found in the nebula by independent pilots. The Alliance Assembly has announced an expedition to thoroughly explore the nebula, with the primary goal of securing fresh sources of meta-alloys. A press release stated: "Recent Thargoid activity in the Witch Head Nebula and over-exploitation of that region mean that this latest discovery has come at an opportune time. The Coalsack Nebula will now be the focus of an initiative to identify sites of commercial and scientific interest. To achieve this, we have established new partnerships with several corporations including Sirius Atmospherics. Although the mystery of the Adamastor may never be fully resolved, we hope it will leave a positive legacy for the people of the Alliance." Mention of corporate partnerships caused ripples in certain industries, with speculation that these have been in the pipeline for months. Political commentators also observed that 3307 will be an election year for the Alliance, placing pressure on Prime Minister Edmund Mahon to secure economic stability.

29 OCT 3306

• A private investigator has uncovered some background to the derelict megaship that recently arrived in this system. Little is known about the Adamastor, which returned on autopilot after two hundred years with no sign of its crew. But an experienced detective has come out of retirement to tackle this mystery. Local resident Benjamin Chester, who was a founding member of the renowned Wallglass Investigations Agency, told journalists: "I convinced the Alliance Salvage Guild to pass on some serial numbers that they discovered inside the Adamastor. Then I started scouring databases, interviewing sources and, well, doing my old job. The megaship was owned by a corporation called Azimuth Biochemicals. This was taken over by a similar company called Pharmasapien, but both were liquidated long ago. No mission records exist, but service crew reports mention that the Adamastor's passengers included scientists, engineers and some kind of military. Eventually I unearthed a flight plan, logged in October 3111. It plotted a course toward Barnard's Loop with fuel for approximately 370 light years, and was scheduled to pass by the HIP 39748 and HIP 33386 systems. I'm way too old to head out there myself, but l hope someone can use this info, and help satisfy my curiosity about what happened all those years ago."

29 OCT 3306

• *Pilots Federation ALERT*
  An abandoned megaship that set out two centuries ago has returned on automatic pilot to the Chukchan system.
  Local security forces were scrambled to intercept an unidentified vessel that was detected on a collision course with Chukchan 5 B. The megaship displayed no signs of life, so tugs were deployed to wrench it into a safe orbit. This caused onboard power systems to overload with explosive results, damaging cargo holds and spilling debris. The name of the ship was confirmed as the Adamastor, but no further information is available in the public domain. Specialists from the Alliance Salvage Guild boarded the derelict to conduct an investigation. Their preliminary report stated: "The Adamastor has been travelling at sublight speed through interstellar space for nearly two hundred years. There are no remains of the crew. All escape pods and secondary craft have been launched, and several airlocks were manually opened from within. A complete absence of identification suggests that this ship was intended for clandestine operations. All data drives have been deliberately erased. There is evidence of a reinforced cargo hold, fitted with what looks like the remains of environmental equipment. Recent fire damage makes it impossible to be more specific. The ships' original destination is unknown, having returned to its launch point on autopilot. Calculating its trajectory implies that it passed near the HIP 61595, HIP 64011 and HIP 65201 systems." The Adamastor will remain in orbit for further examination.