ENIGMA REPORT: Farside

Lore

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KEY FINDINGS:

– Based on the latest evidence, the Eldan conducted their most dangerous experiments on Farside. The bio-domes here are generally intact, along with numerous surviving specimens or descendants of same. They are supremely volatile and should be approached with care if at all.

– We discovered substantial evidence of terraforming experiments. Machines devoted to this purpose are not only present, but operational, often
resulting in overlapping biomes in unstable juxtaposition. Mutations of fauna indigenous to the surface were also reported, along with vacuum-adapted specimens.

– Farside is heavily infested with mutated squirg, their dangerous attributes likely the result of prolonged exposure to the primal energies already noted in the area. Due to this, they are consequently more aggressive.

CONCLUSIONS:

Eldan terraforming technology was once the envy of the galaxy. Legends and atmospheric evidence of their
power to manipulate ecologies, worlds, and even star systems were ubiquitous even during the heyday of the Commonwealth. While signs of such mastery have occasionally been found on the planet’s surface, Farside’s terraformers are of another order of magnitude entirely.

These show signs of abandonment but not outright destruction, suggesting that their deterioration may simply be the product of natural forces or an exhaustion of local resources. Countering these innocuous speculations is the
Halon Ring. While such formations are hardly unique, our readings indicate that whatever caused its creation did so in the recent geological past. For now the involvement of terraformers is moot.

As scientists, we must be open to the possibility the Eldan did not ascend to godhood, a concept the high sentinel herself has granted us dispensation to pursue. All of which leads us to the startling possibility that there may have been no single reason for the Eldan’s disappearance. We have been proceeding of
late under the assumption that they are dead. Yet perhaps they simply pulled up stakes following a confluence of unexpected events that needn’t have been fatal. An asteroid may have impacted Farside during a critical conflict between Eldan and Megadroids. The squirg may have taken up residence following a parasitic outbreak. Rampant augmentation may have unbalanced an as-yet-undiscovered Focus or Primeval.

Or perhaps the Eldan really did ascend to godhood. That would certainly be welcome news in
certain quarters.

Unfortunately, all evidence suggests that the disappearance of the Eldan was abrupt, thorough, and (above conjectures notwithstanding) involuntary. Their continued silence since our arrival is not encouraging.

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ADDITIONAL

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Breathing apparatuses are required for survival over large stretches of the Farside surface. For more on their forcible removal from Exile personnel, please see Mondo Zax.