Hunor Deak Gold | FRUIT Magazine
By: Hunor Deak
Tags: Science Fiction, Gold, Mars, Space Exploration, Space Travel

Title: RED GOLD

United States Colonial Authority… (With associate Corporate Members: SpaceX, Halliburton, United Launch Alliance & ICTS International)

Corporate Communications: HALLIBURTON MINING & SPACE SERVICES … Internal communications — [AUTOMATED LOG] …

Planet: Mars, Sol.

Location: Central Caldera, Olympus Mons, North-West Region (18.65°, 226.2°)

Sector: 129

Date: 23/01/2133

Time: [FULL LOG SENT] … 13:24 (Zone -9, Martian Time)

Clearance Level: Internal Corporate Communications and Data Logs … [DO NOT CIRCULATE]

Log In I.D.: AUTOMATA264567

Message type: …Internal Logs… — …Feedback messaging between mining controller and multi-layer resource extraction team… [AUTOMATED — DO NOT CIRCULATE]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 100%

Total Voltage: 1120 Volts

Pressurised compartments: 85/85

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: 70%

Warning: None

Audio:

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘We are overloading the system… just reduce the voltage… we do not need a 70% capacity… keep it just to 65%’

WORKER010 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Sorry Jim, we are working overtime… good bonus in this one. Heads know what they are doing. Plus we will have the sandstorm coming up in a few days.’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Hmmm… Sure. Too much pressure me thinks.’

WORKER003 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Work or machine?’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Machine ye dummy. We are like the Patriots, throwing a good game for a gain in the open, losing in the rankings. If this rust-dust breaks we will be stuck here for weeks. No going back to Earth… Sitting, waiting out the storm, waiting for spare parts, waiting for the waiting. It is better to not throw it. Loose ball.’

WORKER012 [SENIOR ENGINEER]: ‘What are you two numpties up to? Just watch that extractor arm. We are after the ore, not waste rock. Mr O’Hanraha-hanrahan wasn’t happy with the volume of volcanic rock. No chatting about football, girls and what nonsense Hollywood has pushed out this week.’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER015 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I do like blue biscuits.’

WORKER020 [GEOLOGIST]: ‘Those are rocks, not biscuits!’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 100%

Total Voltage: 1122 Volts

Pressurised compartments: 85/85

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: 75%

Warning: None

Audio:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER003 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘So when you get back… do you plan to propose to her? Lots of nice rocks we dug up, maybe you could get one for the ring?’

WORKER025 [GEOLOGIST]: ‘Yes… how did you know?’

WORKER003 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘You geologists are rock hounds. You collect rocks faster than the Houston Astros do touchdowns. Oh,… you mean know? I overheard you two on the phone.’

WORKER025 [GEOLOGIST]: ‘Too much snooping… thanks for the idea. I was already planning to do that.’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER013 [ELECTRIC ENGINEER]: ‘I don’t like how we are overloading the systems. And for such a long period as well.’

WORKER022 [ELECTRIC ENGINEER]: ‘Upper office is nervous about this place. One of the geologists talked about a strange anomaly bellow the surface. Company wants to get to it as fast as possible.’

WORKER013 [ELECTRIC ENGINEER]: ‘Why? We have no competition here, so it is unlikely that the contract changes and another company snoops in. I will complain to upper management when back in Seattle.’

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 100%

Total Voltage: 1105 Volts

Pressurised compartments: 84/85

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: 75%

Warning: None

Audio:

WORKER004 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘(External audio) She’d excite us with his legend that the… Africans had told… About a red iguana who turned lava into gold…’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘(External audio) We’d mount an expedition headin’ out into the bay… Superstitious children playing pirate for a day… Off to see the lizard… Off to see the lizard’ … ‘Off to see the lizzard… *Phwwwwwhhht Phwoooooh Phwoooooh*… Off to see the lizzzard … *Phwwwwwhhht Phwoooooh Phwoooooh* … Deja deja deja vu, believe it and it will come true! …’ … *Snapping fingers*… ‘Veja Veja Veja do… What works for me might work for you!’ … ‘So you think we will get off this rock before the storm?’

WORKER004 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Phhhh… I will!… unless you get some better music on!’ ‘(External audio) Elvis up in Michigan or maybe out on Mars… Dance out dance out dance out to the stars…’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘(External Audio) I heard it in the songllines of the aborigine…

Off the see the lizard…

Off the see the lizard…

Deja deja deja vu, believe it…’ … ‘This is a classic. Jimmy is a great balladeer, this song is about the mystery of life and the exploration between personal, free choice and destiny, a pushed direction…’

WORKER004 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Uhuh, “Again, it’s like poetry, so that they rhyme.” This is not high art…’ … ‘(External Audio) … If you think this songs confusing you…’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘What is this racket?!’ … ‘(External Audio) I’m turning off the waterfall the tourists can go home… Feel it time to travel time to write a poem… Time to seek some therapy I’m goin’ walkabout… Answers are the easy part questions raise the doubt…’ … ‘Switch this off, will ya!’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Fine. Are you happy now? We are just passing the time. These machines could be run on automatic, and nothing would go wrong. Why do we need to be here?’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Ask the company, don’t know, don’t care. Get back to your station!’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I am already at my station!’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Mentally as well…’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘We should be moving faster. Can’t the equipment take a few extra percentages?’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘No.’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘According to my knowledge of the equipment specs, this system can run at an 80% capacity, no problem? Isn’t that the case?’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘No.’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘This is taking too long. I might be a new guy, but as I said we should request a second drill system. The sandstorm is coming in. Could we call central base and get them to drop off a second one with a drone?’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘No. Are you some kind of Soviet spy, or an African League one? So you struggle with the language? No. Ara. Nein. Hapana. Net. M hai. I can even say it in British Thatcher: No! No! No!’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Phhh… oh hi.’

WORKER015 [MEDICAL PERSONEL — SENIOR NURSE]: ‘Working hard or hardly working?’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘The machines do the work, I get the boredom. Job is fairly simple.’

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘You two quit chatting. One of the outer chambers next to the rock processing systems managed to depressurise. Nothing major or critical. We have been having these strange anomalies in the past 30–40 minutes. Hmmm… the wind must be picking up, or all the sensors are busted again. The company should have replaced the parameter sensors 2 months ago!

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I told you, we were overloading the rock processing system. Don’t stress out over it. One of the rocks must have flew out of the conveyor belt and got through a panel. Lets put the production down to 20%, system capacity to 30% and get a team togeth…’

WORKER001–030 [ALL PERSONNEL]: ‘(External Audio) *BANG* *ELECTRIC CRACKLING* *BANG* *BANG* *SCREAMING* *EXPLOSION*’

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 76%

Total Voltage: 0050 Volts

Pressurised compartments: 65/85

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: 2000%

Warning: External Hull Breached! … 2 Out of 3 Heating Units Offline … Electric Surge Overload … Leaking Atmosphere! … Depressurisation! *WARNING* EVACUATE! … Multiple Fires! … *WARNING* EVACUATE!

Audio:

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘The system blew! No… No… this can’t be possible! How… This is a safe environment, we tested everything. No… No… *SIRENS*’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘We are under attack. Do you have any defence drones active? … We have a weapons locker, pressurised suits… GET YOUR MEN TO THEM! *SIRENS* Can you get the firefighting systems online? *SIRENS* We need to send out a distress signal. I know the military channels. Start the evacuations! *SIRENS*’

WORKER008–019 [… SYSTEM OVERLOAD …]: ‘Ahhh!’ … ‘Help, Fire! Fire!’ … ‘*cough* cough*’ … ‘Ahh, aide, aide! Non! Feu! *sizzle*’ … ‘Go, go, to the suits! Get the firefighting system online!’ … SYSTEM OVERLOAD … ERROR

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I… I… *SIRENS*’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Can you tell me what the hell is going on!? My men are disappearing one by one! Not just the initial explosion. Their life signs keep flatlining! This is no accident! Their marking points just keep dropping off the screen!’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘We have visitors, the little green men. They have done a number. EMP as well.’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘S*it, s*hit. Are they all dead?’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘Some of them. Get the fire under control, prevent more depressurisation and get them moving out of that area. We need to abandon the control center, they will be moving here.’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 68%

Total Voltage: 0250 Volts

Pressurised compartments: 58/85

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: OFFLINE!

Warning: *WARNING* EVACUATE! … External Hull Breached! … 3 Out of 3 Heating Units Offline … Electric Surge Overload … Leaking Atmosphere! … Depressurisation! *WARNING* EVACUATE! … Multiple Fires! … *WARNING* EVACUATE! … Fuel Lines Ruptured! … *WARNING* EVACUATE! … Chemical Contamination of Atmosphere! … *WARNING* EVACUATE!

Audio:

WORKER002 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘His head! His head… it… it… was gone… it… it… *SIRENS*’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER009 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Lucky I found you. All the lights went off, I thought the emergency lights would never turn on. *SIRENS* We need to get to the pressured suits. Most of the corridors caved in! It is getting colder and colder as well! *SIRENS*’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘All the heating units are down. They must have killed the center electric distributor. *SIRENS* They are hunting us. Trying to force us into choke points. We need to keep on moving, towards the jump shuttle. If that one is busted, we move to the loading bay. *SIRENS* Don’t you have transport vehicles moving in and out of there?’

…

WORKER012 [MEDICAL PERSONEL — JUNIOR NURSE]: ‘Matt! Luke! You are alright! *SIRENS* The medical bay is gone! Everyone is gone! Their skin… We need to get out of here! … Matt, where did you leave Freddy? You were together. *SIRENS*’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘He was a babbler. Saw all the carnage, couldn’t process it, froze in place, refused to move. *SIRENS* I had a group of 5 to move out of there. The life of one for the life of 6.’

WORKER012 [MEDICAL PERSONEL — JUNIOR NURSE]: ‘You…, you fu…! And where are the rest? *SIRENS*’

WORKER023 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR {- CLASSIFIED (MILITARY OBSERVER — CIA)}]: ‘They took a wrong turn. Now, lets go!’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Just leave them! They are good as dead. And we will be soon too, unless we move! *SIRENS* We need to get to the pressurised power suits! *SIRENS* We are losing section after section! You like air, don’t you?’

WORKER015 [MEDICAL PERSONEL — SENIOR NURSE]: ‘We can’t… We shouldn’t! *SIRENS*’

WORKER016 [MECHANICAL ENGINEER]: ‘Ahhhh!… Arghhh! *SIRENS* Arrrghhh! No! No! Arrrgggh! *SIRENS* Arrrgggg! … *SIRENS*’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 20%

Total Voltage: 0045…0025…0050…5600…6000…7654…9999… *ERROR*

Pressurised compartments: 05/85

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: OFFLINE!

Warning: *WARNING* EVACUATE! … Complete Hull Breached! … ALL Cooling and ALL Heating Systems Offline! … [NO DATA] … Total Atmospheric Loss! … *WARNING* EVACUATE! … Multiple Fires! … *WARNING* EVACUATE! … [NO DATA] … NO LIFE SIGNALS DETECTED … [NO DATA]

Audio:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘We need to keep moving forward. Away from the fire. Any luck on the communications Jim? We need to get out and quick.’

WORKER009 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘All the communications are disabled! Oh, oh… . We need to… *gasp*… we need to… we need to get to the rover! That section is undamaged, it is a separate compound, so we need to walk across the crater but, it… it is doable… the rover has enough juice to get us to the nearest military base! Warn them… get the Navy, get the CIA! What if they had the same fate as us… the blood! These…’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Get it together! We are away from the damaged sections, we are in the pressurised suits. Breathe in and out. Calm.’

WORKER009 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Ok. Yes. Calm. True. If they destroyed…, there is a nearby So… *ZAP* *BANG* *SPLAT*’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘(External Audio) Svolach… pizdets! *ZAP*’ … ‘Fu… *Brrrrrrt* *ELECTRIC CRACKLING* *Click* *EXPLOSION*’ … ‘Russkies! Grenade got them!’

- WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Karen? Karen! Get up! Oh Jimmy! … Death… Karen? Stay with me, okay? Here, let me help, I shall carry you. We need to get to the rover!’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 000…0000000…00000…0000%

Total Voltage: [NO DATA]

Pressurised compartments: 00/85 … 01/85 … 00/85 … 01/85 … *ERROR*

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: OFFLINE!

Warning: *ERROR* … [NO DATA]

Audio:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘Just stay with me. We will get there. The suit sealed up all the cuts. At least you don’t need to walk. We will get through this.’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘(Internal Radio Audio) Life signs not detected, label the body with name and address, then store it in a cooled container. Halliburton thanks you for your cooperation… *clicking off switch*’ … ‘Stupid machines, she is alive. They broke when the base was on fire. They let everyone die. This is broken. She is not broken.’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘We will get there.’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘This entire base is dead. Everything is off. Everyone is dead.’

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘What has happened here? Everything is so quiet now. How the glass just shattered everywhere in the base. We can hear the crunching underneath my boots. Just hang in there Kaye… I hope… We hope… he, he, he, he he, hope…’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I am lucky. I am alive. I don’t know what killed them. They were burnt, torn, cut… but I managed to get the gun from Matt. If that was his real name. That gun… We had our suspicions. We suspected him to be more than just a simple mechanic, “the boy, just down from Chicago” as he used to say it. He must have been from the government. But that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter now…’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘The strange thing was… when I shot the guy, his suit glowed bright blue. And as if the bullets didn’t seem to faze him at all. I could only finish them off with a grenade… handy that guy whatever he was… had a rifle with a grenade launcher.’

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -ERROR — NO DATA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I can only hear the crunching of Martian sand beneath my boots. Everything is so quiet. The middle of the crater. Huh, the sun is rising. It is a nice golden orb on Earth. Here? Here it, is quiet blue… Quiet blue. Quite blue! It rises above the red horizon… Tranquillity…’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I… We will get there. To that nice cabin. Johns Island is beautiful at this time of year. We will sit under the Angel Oak Tree. It will be beautiful.’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘My skin, it itches. These cuts are deep. The air must have been full of fumes from the fuels and the coolant fluids. I need to keep on going. For you.’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘He, he, he. They were all dead… Are dead. I need to stay calm… *humming a tune* *Come Monday It’ll be all right…* *Come Monday I’ll be holding you tight…* … Just 10 more minutes… we… I will get there.’

…

WORKER030 [EQUIPMENT OPERATOR]: ‘I need… to get to that rover.’

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

LOG ERROR

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

LOG ERROR

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

LOG ERROR

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

WARNING — UNOTHARISED ACCESS TO SYSTEMS

SETTING UP FIRE WALL … PHYSICAL ISOLATION OF DATA CORES … ISOLATING BACKUP DRIVES … ENCRYPTING INTERNAL DATA FILES … ERASING MATERIAL CLASSIFIED ABOVE CONFIDENTIAL … SELF DESTRUCT PROTOCOL ACTI…

…

WARNING — PHYSICAL SYSTEMS BREACHED

WARNING — FIRE WALL BREACHED

WAR… ** CCCCC WAR… W… W… WWWAAA…

…

…

…

… СИСТЕМЫ ОТКРЫТИЯ … ОТКЛЮЧЕНИЕ ПРОТОКОЛОВ САМОРАЗРУШЕНИЯ

…

… ДОСТУП К ФАЙЛОВЫМ ПРОТОКОЛАМ

…

FEEDBACK MESSAGE:

КОГДА ЕСТЬ ГОСУДАРСТВО, НЕ МОЖЕТ БЫТЬ СВОБОДЫ, НО КОГДА ЕСТЬ СВОБОДА, НЕ БУДЕТ ГОСУДАРСТВА.

…

КОГДА ЕСТЬ ГОСУДАРСТВО, НЕ МОЖЕТ БЫТЬ СВОБОДЫ, НО КОГДА ЕСТЬ СВОБОДА, НЕ БУДЕТ ГОСУДАРСТВА.

…

КОГДА ЕСТЬ ГОСУДАРСТВО, НЕ МОЖЕТ БЫТЬ СВОБОДЫ, НО КОГДА ЕСТЬ СВОБОДА, НЕ БУДЕТ ГОСУДАРСТВА.

…

КОГДА ЕСТЬ ГОСУДАРСТВО, НЕ МОЖЕТ БЫТЬ СВОБОДЫ, НО КОГДА ЕСТЬ СВОБОДА, НЕ БУДЕТ ГОСУДАРСТВА.

…

КОГДА ЕСТЬ ГОСУДАРСТВО, НЕ МОЖЕТ БЫТЬ СВОБОДЫ, НО КОГДА ЕСТЬ СВОБОДА, НЕ БУДЕТ ГОСУДАРСТВА.

…

LOG REQUESTED

…

Structural integrity: 100%

Total Voltage: 1138 Volts

Pressurised compartments: 100%

Load on mineral processing systems capacity: 80%

Warning: None

Audio: ‘Everything is going well Jimmy!’ … ‘I hope so, can’t wait to get home and see the wife’ … ‘Indeed Fred, capitalism is great! We are not being oppressed at all!’

…

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Message Received: … Phobos Antenna System (ONLINE) … Lunar Relay Station 1492 (ONLINE) … (DIVERTING MESSAGE) … CIA Spy Satellite 292 — Good Hope (ONLINE) … NASA Deep Space Research Satellite — Amelia Earhart (ONLINE) … Communication Ship TX3 (ONLINE) … NASA Venus Atmospheric Observer Satellite 23 (ONLINE) … CIA Spy Satellite 346 (ONLINE) … Deep Polar Communication Array (ONLINE) … MESSAGE DELIVERED

Date of Message Received: [CLASSIFIED]

Time of Message Received: [CLASSIFIED]

Communication Classification: [CLASSIFIED]

Additional Information: [CLASSIFIED]

…

This communication file contains information, which is strictly confidential to the company. If you are not the intended recipient, please note that any copying, use or dissemination of the contents of this communication file is prohibited and unlawful. If you have received this communication file in error, please contact Halliburton Security Services to inform them in the breach of automated security.

The information, images, documents and views expressed in this communication file are Halliburton property and do not expressly or implicitly represent official positions and policies of Halliburton’s and are given entirely without prejudice and subject to contract.

…

Halliburton Mining & Space Services Incorporated

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — **********************************************************************************

AGENT GREEN: So… we got this just this morning. With an emergency alert. We managed to make sure that Halliburton was fed false data. It was a cave-in due to faulty equipment.

AGENT BLUE: This is worrying.

AGENT ORANGE: How so? Rogue elements played their hands. Now we see their cards. Anyone play poker here? They bluffed. The bluff is over.

AGENT RED: We prefer chess. In addition, if you would treat this situation as a chess game you would concentrate on the bigger picture. Capitalism makes you concentrate on the day-to-day profits; therefore, you see the day-to-day results. This is part of something bigger. See it like in chess: In the middle of the game, the aim is not to take the pieces but to limit the options of your opponent.

AGENT ORANGE: Sure. And Stalin played Hitler like a fiddle until they got to Moscow and you came to us begging for lend-lease. And the loans. And more money to rebuild the USSR. Last time I checked none of those “loans” were payed back. Socialism doesn’t just beggar belief, it is the beggar’s ideology.

AGENT BLUE: This is neither the time nor the place. We are not politicians; we have a veneer of competence… (I hope so!) Here are the facts: Halliburton Mining team finds something interesting. 3 days later agents of the Soviet State in stealth suits break in, kill everyone and access the data cores by directly drilling into them. They passed through all the security codes. The hacking programme chewed through everything. All the video files were corrupted. They attempted to feed false data so we would not notice anything. They didn’t even drill into the explosives, they made precise little holes. They knew the explosive charges were part of the data cores in case of unauthorised access, even Halliburton doesn’t know that (!), if Halliburton finds out us having ‘spiked’ their equipment with passive-ready to activate explosives… we are in the s*it. In short: this was a well-planned operation with insider knowledge (greater than the corporation running the mining site) done with state of the art equipment. The men delivering the operation were of equal height with no regiment markings, their voices were electronically filtered. Fully pressurised suits. They must have hiked to the site from the nearby Soviet ‘observer’ base to avoid battle net detection. Pros.

AGENT RED: Well what can I say? The KGB is made of multiple parts. My department was not aware of this. I think other sections are getting the hearsay of an alien craft being found on Titan. They want their own answers.

AGENT BLUE: We don’t exactly know either. Alien in origin? Maybe? Or it could be false data being sent around by agency groups…

AGENT ORANGE: The explosives always make me chuckle. It is such an overkill. The ‘partner’ corporations don’t even realise it. Even internally, we use acid packs. If there is a breach, the packs burst; corrode through the equipment; the end.

AGENT BLUE. Yes, indeed. While you are at it please copy and paste the nuclear launch codes as well, so our red friend can be truly informed about the comings and the goings of the agency.

AGENT RED: If you want to make our government truly go nuclear just release a few photos of the leader of our Supreme Soviet before his hair transplants. No need for launch codes.

AGENT ORANGE: He, the amount of affairs of the President I had to cover up… Release photos of each girlfriend and it will be another Pearl Harbor: “This day will live in infamy…”

AGENT BLUE: A great way to show respect to our servicemen and women. And if the Soviets want to spy on us they need to put in the work. No more info for you Agent Red! Can we please return to the topic at hand?

AGENT ORANGE: Sure.

AGENT GREEN: Yes.

AGENT RED: Da.

AGENT BLUE: Was this operation centrally authorised? By Committee or internal agency? Or is this an operation by a state corporation to sabotage rivals? We are not ruling anything out.

AGENT RED: I will send an agent to the supposed base. I checked; it is a non-military one: Viktor Glushkov Atmospheric Monitoring Base. Not even under the authority of my agency, not under internal security either. Moscow State University. Strange name as well. He is known for cybernetics and computer communications. Not atmospheric science. I wonder how it missed my attention. I see no information about the operation. No memos, no threats of silence. No transfer of personnel.

AGENT BLUE: It would be more helpful if you could tell us what you know as opposite to what you don’t know.

AGENT ORANGE: Basic economics…?

AGENT RED: …?! You goddam capitalist pig. This is serious! Go take a ride in a helicopter!

AGENT BLUE: Very good. No wonder those aliens left. They couldn’t find any intelligent life forms. Back to the bloody topic! I have 3 widows to visit and lie to. I don’t want to tell them that their husbands were killed for some alien guga. Just tell us what you know Agent Red even if you think it is false information.

AGENT RED: The alien topic is mostly discussed in the internal circles of the KGB and some scientific circles. The outer party knows nothing about the topic. Majority in the political wing argue that it is an American superweapon or trick. There were some calls for military action but nothing specific. No stealth suits either; other than a weapons programme mothballed over 110 years ago from the Old Russian Federation. Again no actual data, all wiped or trivialised. Mostly back ends.

AGENT GREEN: Nothing from our side either. The attack was random, yet specific.

AGENT BLUE: Couldn’t have put that less clearly myself.

AGENT ORANGE: The question: Is this the rogue element in our agency and yours that we are trying to track down? Internal calls for direct action need to be taken more seriously as well. But they revealed their existence. They must have exchanged information. We know they exist and the type of technology they use. They bluffed with their Aces. We might be able to get some of their Kings. They could be the same people who plotted to assassinate the President and your Soviet leader…

AGENT BLUE: Enough with chasing your ghosts in the machine Agent Orange! What about the state corporation angle Agent Red?

AGENT RED: I don’t think so. Our corporations unlike yours do not have armies. The Politburo wants to maintain sole monopoly on hard power. Look at that power surge as well. They knocked out all the electronics yet the data shows no evidence for an EMP. Even if you listen to the audio, it sounds like one of the soldiers was genuinely surprised when they bumped into worker030. As if they expected the personnel to be dead after a certain amount of time. There were also a lot of weird sounds, that didn’t seem human, but I would put that down to audio corruption. Also, what happened to the rover? Did worker030 reach it? So many questions!… We still should see this as a grand chess game… and we are in the middle of it. Everybody is trying to position their pieces for a check-mate… I might have something on the mode of transport. On the outset it looks normal. A transport ship. Mostly for research for the Venus bases, yet… I will send you over its transport schedule. It seems to disappear off the system charts than reappears 3 days later. The timing of it would match with our timelines.

AGENT ORANGE: We shall go through the rest of the audio files as well. Data from the days before, corporate files about the area. I will get a team on the ground and to the nearby bases, they will go through the files there as well, on location. Judging from these audio logs I will wear a Hawaiian shirt for the occasion. So what more info do you have about the transport ship?

AGENT RED: The file looks normal. The ship transports research equipment and medical supplies. Non-military. In addition it isn’t registered to transport any personnel. The pressurised compartments are only for the two pilots. This would be the perfect cover. I shall request a flight schedule check from the on-board computer. See if the supposed pilots are willing to comply. In addition I will order a grounding of the ship based on a routine maintenance check. We will blame it on a bureaucratic error, somebody in the Party messing up. We randomly reassign a few paper-pushers so the whole operation doesn’t raise any suspicions. But outside of this, a lot is not explained. The breach, the stealth suits; this might sounds stupid: but portable energy shields? So many questions. The answers raise even more questions. Agent Blue, you might have to get me more data, even if the video files are corrupted, I would like to take a good look at them. The transport ship raises so many questions as well. What do you think Agent Green?

AGENT GOLD: Sorry for the late interjection. I joined later. I read through the thread. All very amusing Agent Orange… To answer your questions: Is it alien? Yes. Does the KGB know about it? Yes, I told them. Was the attack done by a rogue element? Yes and No. Do many people know about Titan? Yes and No, NATO, MSS and the Few at the UN. What should we do about it? Nothing. I want us to meet. In person. Address: Glen Clova Hotel, Glenclova, Angus DD8 4QS (Scotland). Date: Imbolc. Time: When the land is painted gold. I’ll cover for everyone. Code word: ‘capot’. Commit this to memory, as I will delete the chat as of now.

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