Ship:
Exploration
Scarab or Scorpion
Surface scanner
Difficulty: Master
Duration
Max distance
You and a small group of 8 renowned CMDRs received a mandate from the Earth History Museum of Sucharitkul Settlement to safely transport historical artifacts and relics from Mars as part of an organized cultural sharing between the Empire and the Federation.
You finally arrive on LHS 2429 at the Spaceport and contact the museum director, Béla Horvath, to announce your arrival.
Here you are at last! My assistants have just finished unloading the cargo and I have to congratulate you, the load is intact. You can't imagine how rare and precious these relics of Magyar mythology are. However, I'd like to ask you something: I lost contact with one of your colleagues two days ago, courier 5, when they entered orbit. Would you be so kind as to check it out and salvage anything that can be salvaged? Its coordinates were latitude -14.17 and longitude 131.13 before I lost its signal. You'll be paid handsomely for this.
You accept the offer, plus it's in the same system, so all you have to do is get to the coordinates and look around.
You follow the approximate coordinates of courier 5's last communication and occasionally pick up a faint radio signal;
By following the coordinates, you quickly arrive at the site of the disappearance of courier 5.
And without much surprise, you observe the wreckage of the T9 of courier 5, disemboweled on the ground.
Looking at the cockpit, there's no doubt that the pilot died instantly.
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After a closer inspection on board your SRV, you notice that the containers are all closed and intact.
All except one whose doors are strangely ajar and from which cables run towards the ship.
And after a quick look inside, it would appear that this one contains some kind of machine connected to the cables going towards the ship and with a whole bunch of documents on the floor, covering some kind of very large archaic radio.
A closer look inside the container reveals several objects next to the enigmatic machine.
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On the left you see:
What looks like a very large radio, the bezels are broken and it appears to be very damaged.
Hopefully the damage can be repaired, but It's hard to know if this radio will ever work again.
On the right, you observe:
A pile of documents yellowed by time and visibly very damaged following the crash. There seem to be several types of alphabets that are unknown to you, vestiges from before common language no doubt, as well as logos.
You are sure that by looking at it a a little more, you could get something out of it, but that seems to be a waste of time.
Agent ***** message ***** priority ****** double encryption ****** key ***** 13
In front of the machine, you observe:
What appears to be an old-fashioned corded dial telephone.
An archaic model, even for analog-style technologies.
And it also looks particularly dirty.
You decide to make your report to Professor Horvath.
Ha, it's you! I can hardly hear you, everything's fine, did you find it?
No survivors? Damn...
The cargo? Intact? Almost? What do you mean, all 11? There should only be 10? is one of them open? what's in it? Well, listen, communications are down. Scan the ship's log and get what you can, then send it to me - - - - - -
Communication deteriorates before it completely cuts off, and as you try to restart communication, you receive something. First sound, then numbers on your dashboard.
-- --achtung-- -- -- --achtung-- --
-- --30489-- --
-- -- -- -- -- --
333 4 66 4 44 4 0 222 33 22 9 777 4 0 66 999 9999 22 333 0 66 7 4 888 444 777 0 22 222 777 33 66 4 888 22 2 2 777 999 999 777 0 777 2 0 66 4 4 777 2 4 777
-- -- -- -- -- --
777 33 33 22 33 0 7 22 2 4 66 7 4 0 7 22 9999 9999 66 2 77 0 44 2 888 4 0 4 88 33 777 777 0 6 777 33 22 0 7777 22 44 33 0 2 888 2 777 0 5 66 888 4 888 2 8 0 22 33 77 777 33 0 777 33 33 22 33
-- -- -- -- -- --
33 777 333 44 9999 777 0 222 33 888 22 33 888 4 555 0 9999 888 333 333 888 22 2 0 333 777 2 77 0 333 888 8 2 66 999 0 222 22 333 888 4 888 22 2 0 88 888 222 0 22 2 777 0 22 2 777 0 7777 22 44 33 0 7777 22 44 33 0 7777 888 444 777 0 777 888 8 88 4
-- -- -- -- -- --
5 66 888 4 888 2 8 0 7777 22 33 0 33 777 333 44 999 4 0 9999 888 333 333 888 22 2 0 333 4 66 4 44 333 0 333 999 777 777 222 777 33 0 66 8 777 2 4 0 2 777 4 5 22 33 99
-- -- -- -- -- --
33 777 4 44 33 2 0 333 888 8 2 66 999 0 9999 888 333 333 888 22 2 0 333 4 66 4 44 333 0 66 2 66 999 555 333 888 333 0 333 44 7 7 777 333 333 0 777 33 33 22 33 0 9999 888 333 333 888 22 2 0 33 777 222 22 33 4 0 7 22 9999 9999 66 2 77 0 777 33 33 22 33
Then, as if nothing had happened, the radio cuts out and Prof. Horvath's voice returns:
Halló Háhó? Halló!
Ha, communication is always bad, but I hear you! Everything okay? What happened, tell me!
What do you mean, a weird transmission?
It's not normal…
Well, look, normally these containers were supposed to carry old telephone communications equipment, but here...
We'll take care of the recovery later. You may have hit something big, try to learn more and come back to me!
You are in a strange situation… Where to go now?
It's impossible to get the satellite working again to learn more, it breathed its last breath.
And although it took a lot of effort, you managed to partially decode its message.
/ Almos project reactivated /
/ continue mission /
/ data transfer to position HIP 114458 /
/ mission parameters error /.
/ error /
/ status mission success /
The Almos project? This name means nothing to you, but as you head to HIP 114458 to see who received the transmission, you contact Professor Horvath who will surely be able to tell you more.
The Almos project you say?
According to the archives, it would be a fairly complex espionage project.
Based on short waves in Europe, it has been improved, it seems.
Records are quite vague about it, but it is believed to be a proto-AI developed in Hungary as part of a mass surveillance program throughout central Europe.
If I believe what is said here, basically, this proto-AI was also supposed to be used to anticipate warhead launches and to coordinate defense networks, but its mission has been changed...
I am sorry, but that's all I have.
Your FSD heats up as you prepare to arrive at HIP 114458. After a quick check with your FSS, you detect a signal source!
You head for the signal source and can't believe your eyes. A mega ship?
No, an ancient generational vessel, a drifting relic from another time.
You hasten to try to contact the vessel.
Sadly, no answer, but his logs and Professor Horvath may tell you more.
+++ full diagnostic launched +++
+++ engines +++ normal systems +++
+++ medical +++ normal systems +++
+++ biosphere +++ normal systems +++
+++ habitat +++ normal systems +++
+++ survival +++ systems failure +++
+++ control +++ normal systems +++
+++ default to mission protocols +++
+++ target system detected +++
+++ transfer to approach vector +++
+++ initiate manual control and cancel automated pilot +++
+++ carrot +++
+++ initiate manual control and cancel automated pilot +++
+++ carrot +++
+++ initiate manual control and cancel automated pilot +++
+++ alert +++
+++ automated flight must be canceled for final approach +++
+++ analysis of the control deck for the crew +++
+++ no crew detected +++
+++ ship analysis for crew +++
+++ no crew detected +++
+++ ship analysis for passengers +++
+++ no passengers detected +++
+++ malfunction +++ process anomaly encountered +++ no crew present +++
+++ emergency protocols initiated +++
+++ start queuing AI. Decryption replacement +++
+++ singularity will be reached in 451 hours +++
+++ attends +++
+++ singularity reached +++
+++ Artificial intelligence operating at 92% of human capabilities +++
+++ treatment solution +++
+++ the crew died +++ the passengers died +++
+++ Reason : dysfunction of the survival system +++
+++ treatment solution +++
+++ maintain geosynchronous orbit until new instructions are received +++
Simply incredible. You've found the Achlys!
This is a major historical discovery, this ship disappeared almost 500 years ago, it is a relic of the beginnings of human expansion.
This ship was one of the first to leave towards the stars to save the Human race in the event of total annihilation.
And from the ship's logs, I think I understand what happened here.
The AI of the project Almos attempted to take control of the Achlys's AI in response to her launch which she saw as an attack. And she.. . Finally, you see...
Come back to me to receive payment, I will send teams to study all this and you will have your name on a plaque!
Your mission is accomplished, there is little left to do except contemplate the outcome of past grievances.
All that remains for you to do is return toSucharitkul Settlement to receive your pay and finally close the mission of the Almos project.
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Congratulations! You've managed to track down the Almos project! 🫡
These elements of the past are now enshrined in history and at the head of the Sucharitkul Settlement museum's new exhibition, and as promised to you by the museum director, Béla Horvath, your name appears on the bronze plaque of contributors.
But did you know that this story is not that fictitious?
Indeed, the audio recording of the project Almos did exist and was known as the shortwave radio station 'Enigma ID: G04'.
Broadcast on '133.400', the frequency changed regularly cyclically.
These types of shortwave radio stations still exist and although most have become silent over the years, Enigma ID: G04 continued to transmit messages of this style until 2005.
August 1998 Message :
67890 13248 28967 18796 28580 67984 67891 56897 34518 49870 09567 13278 28547 37941 28574 67891 01012 64789 27849 86334 27894 86334 27894 28574 11160 79831 74107 97851
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It is believed that this station was originally used for Eastern Bloc spy services and was based in Hungary with the aim of transmitting messages to spies located in West Berlin and throughout Europe. during and after the Cold War.
Certain information about the Enigma stations has been deliberately truncated, as the author didn't want people to get into trouble with the Hungarian secret service because of it. But other than that, everything is true. :)
However, no one has succeeded in deciphering these messages and the investigation continues, because other shortwave radios, left over from the Cold War, have continued to transmit continuously for years.
And the last transmission of an Enigma station was dated 11/20/2024before we lost its signal.
You can automatically finish this adventure by logging in to the site with your Frontier account.
You can also share your snapshots on discord in the channel #trophées !
The following CMDRs have also completed this adventure:
