Etchspace Salvage

No anomalous readings. Energy activity fits model A. Good, now it's time to test the...

Hold on. Let me jot down these numbers first...

Hold on. Let me jot down these numbers first... And yes, I just reported to the General Technological Committee.

Aquito. Senior Originium Physicist. As you can see, I'm conducting research work right now.

The main Protocol-Originium structure of Dijiang recently exhibited an unexpected jolt of activation. Shortly afterwards, one of our operators found this portal.

The readings we're getting from it are extremely ... interesting. As of now, we have discovered at least thirty signal patterns never recorded before.

And this is exactly why I invited you here. We need an explorer to investigate this, and none is more suitable than you.

None of our scouting drones made it back. Interference is just too strong. It's a Protocol Space, after all.

And due to this very reason, the General Technological Committee has determined that it is very likely to pose a safety hazard to Dijiang.

Now, given your ... intimate connection to Protocol-Originium, your involvement might be the safest option available to us.

Thank you for your understanding. Don't worry. I'll be right here monitoring the status of the Valley's Aberrants.

If things get too hot, I'll execute an emergency bootloader and extract you from the Protocol Space. So, why don't we get started right now?

Given our current observations, we have given this Protocol Space a temporary name: "Valley's Aberrants". Many of the things within it might look similar to those in the real world, but they are wholly different as well.

You need anything, Endmin?

Endmin, come take a look at this! We got a new set of interesting data!

Oh, that's true. Endmin, are you alright?

The scan we made even detected a temporary disappearance of the portal, but it quickly reverted to its original form.

The device can now reliably identify more types of data... Endmin, I think I got some ideas.

There might be other entities similar to the "key target" in the Valley's Aberrants. They probably serve as the "index" for the zones around them.

I'll use the material samples we gathered and try to influence this portal, transform the Protocol Space, and provide you with necessary support.

I got something for that. This device has been furnished with some experimental energy interference measures. I believe we can use it to "restructure" the place.

Understood... We should be able to take care of that. Let's start upgrading a few specific exploration support tech.

Let's call them the "Aberrant Cores". Once we decipher them, my device should help expand the zones you can explore.

The size of the Valley's Aberrants portal has just increased by 0.3%. Well done.

I'm not saying the place has been affected by the Æther, but it seems odd when the readings could return to the same initial ranges after such extreme fluctuations.

Perhaps the "contamination" is just a change of state. Perhaps we never truly approached it, and only entered a specific instance of it...

This is simply amazing. An entity that is stable yet active, dangerous yet secure.

I'll be giving you additional research commissions to help upgrade our exploration support tech. Time to hasten our exploration efforts.

I compared the data. Even when Derangement reached dangerous levels, ambient readings quickly dropped back to the initial baseline after you left.

We can definitely achieve something substantial if we could leverage these properties.

Endmin?! Endmin! Are you alright?

I was just walking by when I saw you giving off a lot of smoke and collapsing on Aquito... Your suppressor seems to have experienced a temporary overload.

Apologies. The Depth levels gave off fluctuation frequencies even higher than the sum of all our previous attempts. I had to extract you with max power.

But nothing out of the ordinary took place inside. Why did it react so strongly in this dive...?

Endministrator, Supervisor Perlica, there is an emergency.

The Engineering Division has detected an abnormal energy fluctuation in the engine room sections. The entire hull of Dijiang may have experienced a slight tremor.

...Understood. Please head to the Control Nexus. We'll troubleshoot this together.

What's the situation, Xaihi?

Calm has returned, but we have yet to identify the cause of the tremor.

Self-diagnostic results of every vessel system are normal. Dataloggers of the engine room sections registered zero non-conforming readings prior to the occurrence of the energy fluctuation.

If none of our internal machineries were at fault, does that mean the problem lies elsewhere...?

Fifteen minutes before the energy fluctuation, Dijiang was starting a total Talos-II environment scan of our monthly plan.

To help direct our telemetric arrays, the vessel adjusted its orientation so that its length is aligned with the scanning path. This process continued till the occurrence of the incident being discussed.

And what was the location we were scanning when the incident took place?

Regression analysis under way... Incident took place at 1203 hours 56 seconds. The target of the scanners was ... the north polar Aurora Circle.

......

The Aurora Circle is located in the most dangerous areas north of the Civilization Band. It is also the very frontlines garrisoned by the Order of Steel Oath.

The Ætherside dominates the realspace within the Aurora Circle. The entire region is extremely hostile to us.

Endmin, we should inform Aquito of this. Xaihi and I will continue to monitor the vessel and ensure there are no further risks.

Really? That really helped to explain things...

The core of Dijiang is a single, massive formation of Protocol-Originium. When the vessel aligned itself at the Aurora Circle, its center of mass also got closer to that location.

This slight shift might explain the interference of the Valley's Aberrants and caused the Protocol Space to rapidly collapse from within.

The planet scanning plan runs on a schedule and we can simply avoid those scanning days. However, there's no denying that the Valley's Aberrants is extremely vulnerable to external interference.

How ironic. We spent all our time figuring out how to handle this dangerous Protocol Space ... only to end up brainstorming for solutions to keep it safe.

I referenced data from our previous scans. There should be one more Aberrant Core in the Valley's Aberrants.

I will have a proper solution ready for our next exploration dive. Please help retrieve the data. I need a total scan that is more thorough and comprehensive.

I cannot guarantee that the solution would work, but if it did ... it would mean we have struck the jackpot and found the treasure vault.

...Ah, just a temporary metaphor for describing my baseless imaginations.

In any case, we'll get started once you're ready. This will be the most important exploration attempt of all.

I will. And if my hypothesis gets validated, I hope I could use the budget and apply for a bottle of champagne.

Now, we can get started once you're ready. This will be the most important exploration attempt of all.

......

The same fluctuation curve has been detected, and with a 97% match... Success! I am truly a genius in this field of science!

The scan we just did gave us the essential data we need to construct the Valley's Aberrants algorithmic model.

I referenced the simulation results, then made the device provide a data feed of a completely artificial energy pulse. The Valley's Aberrants actually responded in kind and within my expectations.

We're definitely on the right way! All we need is to keep perfecting the model! We'll eventually find a way to use this portal and "manipulate" the entirety of the Valley's Aberrants!

That's the least minimum we can do. Various laws and models can now be used to influence the Protocol Space portal ... and change the structure, energy, and physical nature of the Aberrants.

Every Protocol Space now has the potential to become the perfect experimental site — a "pocket realm" that is safe, unrestricted, impeccable, and wholly owned by Endfield!

Endmin, our spatial construction model is just a very rudimentary framework right now. You can keep exploring the place to acquire more field data.

This is just the beginning of our research. Let us work together and unveil all the secrets of the Protocol Space!

How did that feel, Endmin?

Our instruments picked up new energy changes shortly after you dove in. Some basic readings shifted as well.

I believe the Valley's Aberrants is "adapting" to your presence. Very interesting. This is a phenomenon that I've never seen before.

The material samples you collected might turn that around. I plan to compare them against their real world counterparts and analyze their unique properties.

Next, this particular device can maintain a comm channel in more dangerous Depths. It'll extend your exploration dive.

Of course. This is the work of the best minds in Protocol Space research. The Engineering Division spared no expense to move it from planetside.

The collected samples should be enough for a deciphering run. Now let's try upgrading the most basic exploration support tech.

Operation metrics quantified... As you can see, there's a huge amount of work ahead of us.

Scan the "key target" that you've already seen in the place. I need an extended and stable scan.

Of course, this is assuming that you can get close enough to it.

The thing we did in the previous attempt might work... No matter what, we should give that a try.

Let's go. Find more energy reaction sites, use them as "keys" to take down the obstacles, and get close enough to our "key target".

Endmin, you should come and look at this.

Well ... this has never happened before. Securing your assistance in our exploration efforts proves to be the correct choice.

Thankfully the device isn't too affected. After a cursory analysis, we believe it still has the ability to maintain an interspatial comm channel. Some of the data still match.

I can even say that certain pieces of identifiable data have become more stable... I'll adjust the parameters and continue to record readings from this portal.

It's even responding to energy inputs... Does that mean... Ah! Apologies.

Yes, of course. And please look around the known zones more carefully. I speculate that they have underwent a few changes.

We should be done... It went smoother than I expected.

It should be visible after you enter the Valley's Aberrants. I only utilized a few minor properties previously discovered about this portal.

You'll find the explosives you need in the place. They will be "generated", just like how the Protocol Space generates other types of matter.

Well, this is assuming we can still recover more of those valuable material samples. Truth be told, the patterns I discovered are still very rudimentary...

And in any case, the more data we have, the more we can achieve. Let's continue.

We've done exploring the newest zone. Thankfully the Blight has hardly messed with our monitoring sensors.

But after checking the video feeds and images, there's something that I'm really concerned about...

Try remembering everything you encountered in the Aberrants. It doesn't matter if they make sense or not. You actually saw all of them in Valley IV, right?

Endmin, I have a feeling that we'll discover something even more valuable.

Hmm... That means the Valley's Aberrants only contained things from your recent experiences. Our temporary name for it just happens to be exceedingly accurate.

Very unusual. The structure of the Protocol Space should be random, yet the insides of the Valley's Aberrants seem extraordinarily "ordered".

It's like a cloudbeast stomping around on piano keys and somehow composing a proper melody. That itself is extremely strange.

Endmin, ready to start exploring?

What is affecting this place...?

Several data properties have been identified... Excellent. I'll start adjusting device parameters.

Since our first dive proved to be quite successful, we can talk about our overall plan.

The precipitation nodules are extremely valuable for research. They offer plenty of parametric samples for deciphering Protocol Spaces.

I've also established other exploration objectives besides the precipitation nodules. All of them have been organized into various commissions.

Collecting precipitation nodules and completing the commissions will all contribute towards our research. Of course, you'll be compensated for your efforts.

It's a very reasonable exchange of resources. After all, your involvement will save this project a lot of money.

In any case, let's tally the results of this exploration dive.