Seo Jin-ae, formerly known as Subject D-2, is a former test subject who had been abducted by Project Seraph for unethical experiments involving Thargoid technology at Oaken Point in HIP 26176. Seo is currently a special advisor to Aegis, working as an interpreter of the Thargoid hive mind.
Biography[]
Before her abduction, Seo Jin-ae worked as a private investigator.
Unlike many of her fellow test subjects, Seo managed to survive her attempt to interface with a Thargoid ship, and even achieved some positive results. The effort left her drained, and she was confined in Oaken Point's infirmary while she recovered. However, Dr. Edmund Pierce, one of the Project Seraph scientists overseeing the live trials, had grown disillusioned with the program after witnessing many test subjects die, and he decided to help Seo escape Oaken Point and return to the Core Systems. With Pierce's assistance, she stowed away on a contracted supply ship piloted by Commander Hyford, then after it lifted off into space, she jettisoned in an escape pod and found a ship that Pierce had prepared for her nearby. Seo was able to follow a series of beacons placed in several systems between HIP 26176 and HIP 22460 on her way to freedom, but was apparently plagued by unsettling dreams caused by her experience in the Thargoid ship test. The final beacon in Synuefe GB-O c9-8 contained the permit for HIP 22460, which Pierce urged Seo to give to the press or authorities to expose Project Seraph. Seo survived the journey and went into hiding. There is no sign that the HIP 22460 permit ever became public between her escape in 3303 and the permit's discovery by independent pilots on August 26, 3307.
In May 3308, Seo contacted Professor Alba Tesreau, Head of Research at Aegis (then disbanded), directing her to DG Canum Venaticorum. An investigation of the system found an abandoned INRA outpost, with logs connecting Salvation to Azimuth Biochemicals. In October 3308, Seo appeared at a symposium aimed at reforming Aegis. She forced her way on the stage and spoke directly to Professor Tesreau, revealing her full name and her forearm ink-branded with "D-2". Tesreau and other members of Aegis took Seo into their protection, where she supported their research into the Thargoid Roar. Azimuth Biotech requested Seo to seek treatment at their medical facilities, but she declined and started working with members of Aegis as an interpreter of Thargoid messages.
Seo was present during the activation of the Proteus Wave in August 9 of 3308, and her unique abilities allowed her to partially decipher the Thargoids' communication systems while they unleashed the counterwave that disabled human vessels in HIP 22460. The "roar" heard by most humans was in fact a boosted multi-frequency transmission sent to Thargoid space, which is now widely believed to have been received by the Thargoid Titans, who started their invasion of human space near the end of that year.
In 3309, Seo Jin-ae continued to work with Aegis while it was officially reformed by the superpowers. Throughout the year, Seo investigated rumors of a "Nemesis" protocol used by Salvation to cheat death. During her investigation, she was rescued from unidentified pursuers by the Far God cult. Her findings regarding the Nemesis failsafe led to a meeting with Simguru Pranav Antal, as Utopia's Sim-Archive technology is believed to hold some similarities to the Nemesis failsafe. During the year, Seo leaked logs of Aegis conversations to the public, confirming the Thargoid mass abduction of humans.
Logs[]
Listening Posts[]
| Log No. | System | Log Text |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | HIP 26176 | MESSAGE CORRUPTED. DECODING... 0123@5?789 Set the es]ape pod to ...o.o.ou'll f#nd a sh#p wa#t#ng Travel to ]ol ?9 Se]tor J#-# ]10-@ #f you bel#eve #n anyth#ng # suggest you pray to #t 238.@? |
| 2/4 | Col 69 Sector JI-I c10-4 | MESSAGE CORRUPTED. DECODING... 0=23!56789 I can'+ s+ay he£e +oo long. Don'+ feel safe...Li(e some+hin*'s abou+ +o appea£ in the s(y any second I've plo++ed a £ou+e +o W£e^oe D(-£ b!-=. No £eason fo£ me +o be he£e Mee+ me. Please don'+ be lon* !!5.=0 |
| 3/4 | Wregoe DK-R b4-1 | MESSAGE CORRUPTED. DECODING... 01234567%/ -u were ^uppo^ed to ?e here 376./0 |
| 4/4 | Synuefe GB-O c9-8 | MESSAGE CORRUPTED. DECODING... 01-345&789 Stenson suspects someone =elped ^ou escape. I can't do an^thing t=at would draw suspicion |
Nemesis Investigation[]
| Log No. | System | Log Text |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 | Ngaruayanka |
Seo: You finally figured out how to contact me. It took you long enough. Tanner: I'm out of practice. It's been a while since I received an anonymous tip from some hot-head charging across the galaxy. Seo: Skip the lecture about how I shouldn't be flying around the galaxy by myself. Or that the noises in my head are 'too important'. Alba already tried. Tanner: Are you sure? I've been planning my speech for hours. Seo: I found something, Mr. Tanner. Data pulled from an Azimuth archive. The files are still corrupt in places, but if the decryption I'm running is good then- Tanner: Hold on a second. What do you think you've found? Seo: Salvation had a failsafe device. Some kinda digital storage for human consciousness. He called it the 'Nemesis' protocol; just the type of codename an arrogant prick would give themselves. It must have been activated before the Bright Sentinel was destroyed. The recovery crew only saw a corpse, right? Tanner: Yeah. The body's ID was confirmed but Thargoids showed up before it could be recovered. I saw the report from the rescue crew. I can't say I doubted its authenticity. Seo: There's no chance Salvation would have been on that ship if he didn't have a getaway plan. He's too much of a coward to face death. Final death, l mean. I know he escaped somehow. Tanner: I understand why you're keen on this, Seo. But this idea of uploading someone's mind onto a databank is- Seo: Is what? Crazy? Tanner: Never said you were crazy, kid. Just don't want you to exhaust yourself chasing rumours. Seo: I'm always exhausted. I didn't ask to join your stupid war with the aliens. Now I'm trapped in the middle of it, because of him. This Nemesis device will prove Salvation's still out there. If I can find it. Are you going to help me or not? Tanner: I already said I would. What have vou got? |
| 2/3 | Ngaruayanka |
Seo: The upload's finished. Check your inbox. Tanner: Message received. There's a lot of stuff here. Seo. Seo: I've checkmarked the important parts. Tanner: So you have. Where did you learn to find this information? Seo: I used to be a private investigator. My boss had a soft spot for people who'd been screwed over by the corporations. He taught me how to access private networks without setting off any alarms. Tanner: You're a hacker, then. Seo: Oh yeah. a real 'cyber-net-hacker'. Nobody talks like that anymore. Info is only as safe as the network it lives on. Didn't you ever learn how to bypass in the Federal Army? Tanner: Federal Navy. And no. it wasn't part of my training to steal classified data. I had a network of spies who did that for me. Seo: I read that you tried to seize data from Azimuth's computers at Hind Mine, but failed. Maybe that wasn't part of your training either. Tanner: I can hear your grin, Seo. Instead of smart-mouthing your way onto my bad side, how about you explain how you found out about this Nemesis thing? Seo: Fine, fine. Remember when Azimuth was forced out of several systems last year? They left a few unmarked data clusters on local servers - I doubt on purpose. One had access port info for a primary... Seo: Did you send someone after me? Tanner: No. Why do you ask? Tanner: Are you still there, Seo? Seo: I could have sworn there was movement on my radar. Can't see anything now. You'd tell me if you did, yes? Tanner: It depends what my objective was. But I'm telling the truth. I'm not aware of any plan to have you followed. Seo: Okay... Okay. let's go through this data. Start at the first checkmark. |
| 3/3 | Ngaruayanka |
Tanner: I’ll be completely honest with you, Seo. I'm still not convinced. Seo: How can you say that after everything you've just read? Salvation had a failsafe for when he physically died. Tanner: All I've seen is a theory about using Guardian tech to build a storage device for the mind. But having an idea and making it a reality are very different things. Seo: Salvation had the credits and resources to build anti-Thargoid megaweapons. He convinced the fleets of all three superpowers to join his cause. Do you really think he'd design a way to cheat death and not go through with it? Tanner: Show me in this document where it says he built the Nemesis device. Seo: You're being dumb. Tanner: Show me. Seo: ...There's no mention of building it. Tanner: Then you're still chasing a rumour. I agree that this is interesting, and maybe there's more to find. For now, come back to the Aegis facility and we can plan the next phase of your search together. Seo: Together? Right. You'll keep a close eye on me. i guess. It's important to make sure your Thargoid wiretap Is safe. Tanner: You're sulking? Seo: Don't talk down to me. I'm right. Tanner: Is that what you think? That we're more interested in what you can give us than who you are? Seo: If l couldn’t hear the Thargoids we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Tanner: Maybe you're right. But I'm not sure we'd be talking if l hadn't been a Federal Navy Admiral. It doesn't matter what brings us to the dance, Seo. What matters is you're here now. and we have a duty to care for you. Seo: I wish I could believe you. I want to, but... I'm so messed up, Aden. It's like my brain isn't my own anymore. The noises are sometimes Ioud and sometimes quiet but I can never switch them off. Tanner: And that's a crappy hand to be dealt. I wish there was a way to take it back. But the doctors say we can't. Not yet, at Ieast. Seo: Maybe not - Need to go. Ships arrived with weapons ready. No identification. Tanner: Name a destination, I’ll have a squadron deployed to meet you. Seo: Shangdi. Dropping comms. Tanner: Wait. Seo! Stay on the- |
Curious Ship Debris[]
| Log No. | System | Log Text |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Shangdi |
MESSAGE CORRUPTED. ANALYZING... TRANSCRIPTION COMPLETE -Are you sure that's her wake? -One of them is. Can't tell for sure. She gate-crashed a wedding and sent ships scattering. Damn barges are everywhere. -Who takes a wedding barge to Shangdi? -People who live in Shangdi, probably. -Shut up, you two? We’ve got a job to do. -Just analyse the wakes, jeeze. -None of them give her name. She's hardly gonna have 'D-2' stamped on her ship. either. -Would make our lives easier if she did. -Look, let's take one system each. I'll search Alectrona. -EGM 95. -Ankaa here. -That leaves me with Main. -What do we do when we find her? -Stick to the plan. Disable her ship and force her to use an escape pod. -What if she doesn't jettison? -Disable her ship more. Trashing life support can change anyone's mind. Trust me. |
E-*ENGHY …..6E...88-#@[]
| Log No. | System | Log Text |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Ankaa |
MESSAGE CORRUPTED. ANALYZING... TRANSCRIPTION FAILED. W4HHATIN TH@ EFUU9....##’.’@%%AT |