TMW - Polus System | "The Alpha Beacon"
Overview ~
In the desolate near-garden world known as Polus, the sercretive research facility of Sekdril is harboring a piece of rare Prothean technology that could revolutionize galactic sciences and technological advancement or hold information about the history of the Prothean race. Two Salarian scientists and comrades decide to brave the darkened and treacherous caverns to reach the beacon and when they get there, discover its long untapped secret.
Forthwall
Thanks 
Schulmanator
Indeed.
Luiz P. Romanini
Lol, that'd be an interesting series 
IL.
Not exactly but then again, I do tend to write quite a lot in these updates, so I guess its close enough
Bipin
Great! Cause I'm hoping that it makes a good impression considering its using your collaborative BAT.
fatjuice888
Luckily the odds were in their favor, those criminals never stood a chance
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Note:
- Eunmara System | Pyteris Fel
I guess Eunmara wasn't my most impressive update if it got 0 ratings
Nonetheless posted.
But anyway, the inspiration for this update stemmed from Bipin's new released collaborative future BAT work, the "Circuit Relay Tower". Coincidentally, the design to me is a reminescent of "Prothean Beacons and archive technology found in Mass Effect. But its distinct look can make it seem hybrid and unfamiliar which gives rise to the extreme confidentiality kept at the Sekdril Observation Center managed mostly by Salarians. A rare piece of unfamiliar and striking Prothean technology would be a huge gain and would be worth keep a secret. Read on and see what happens...
Ps. This update is revolved mostly around character dialog.
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A covertly dispatched Salarian scientific expedition team arrive at the Lera Relay of the Violet Nebula gateway system.
The Salarian scientific expedition team navigate their way to the Polus system in Ilix by ship and to the Mintet Mountains by shuttle.
Flying through a treacherous blizzard to make contact with the primarily Salarian research base 'Sekdril Observation Center'.
The scientific expedition team arrive at the S.O.C. and disembark the shuttle to enter the facility via the pedway entrance due to a malfunction in the docking bay door system.
A scientific expedition team primarily composed of Salarians has arrived at the Sekdril Observation Center. What are their intentions you say? Few people in the galaxy know that facilities that are established on this desolate near-garden world go beyond the observation of Polus' terraformation processes and the oxygenation of its mostly oxygen deprived atmosphere. The largely Salarian populace of Polus consists of scientists, military officers and guards and a handful of STG units and is alongside with a sizable minority of species, whom are also scientists; they consist mostly of Asari, Humans and Turians. These scientists have been rumored to tap into lost artifacts and supposed 'hidden beacons' that were found scattered along the mountains, deep snow and the planet's darkest caverns and natural tunnels.
Interestingly, these rumors are true, yet they remain lies outside of the planet and will do so until the dawn of the Reaper invasion in 2186. See the remarkable and groundbreaking discovery they make through the eyes of two Salarian scientists.
Wow, it's freezing here! What happened to their heating systems? It's like the cold's seeping through the walls!
That's probably cause it is, the funding in these places are so far gone they can't even run the power and heating right. But don't worry, the heating should come back on in a little while, probably just some sort of technical glitch.
Where's the way to our private lab anyway?
Don't know. I'll try asking someone. Hmm...
Wait, there's the facility sector receptionist.
Oooo...
Hello, you two must be a part of the arriving expedition team, if I'm correct?
Ugh [blank stare]
Yeah, how do you know?
Well, I've never seen you two around the facility and I do receive information on new arrivals, departures and details on the teams that usually dock at our facility, or your case, landed on the pedway in the miserable cold.
Okay...well, if you could help us then, we're trying to get hold of our research team's labs and some directions to it.
Your labs are located in the Base's North sectors, specifically Sector C. You're looking for Lab 4 there. The directions to Sector C are on the holoboard directions down the hall, but if you can't read, then you two are on your own. I really don't have time to direct idiots.
That's fine, thanks, we'll be on our way.
[Ogling]
I SAID, we'll be on our WAY. [Pulls Jugat towards the corridor entrance]
Ahh, here we are. Sector C, Lab 4.
Great. I wonder why the restationed us in this lab. The last time I was here researching, we were on the Southern end of Sekdril.
What?
Oh, that's right, it's your first time around here. I forget sometimes.
Yeah well...
Woah, neat labs, I've never worked in a place as well equipped as this. There's even a holo-galaxy map.
Well, if there's anything I can appreciate about this poorly funded station, its that at least most of it will surely go into Facility equipment and not be flushed out somewhere else on this dead ball of ice. Like those Greenhouse diffusion plants. Ugh. I get what they're doing, but you'd think analyzing ancient and lost Prothean Palaeotechnology would be far more important?
Hey, we could always use another garden world colony.
Huh. We've still got a couple of hours to kill by the looks of it.
I think everyone else headed for the living quarters, probably getting some shut eye or relaxing. Do you want to head over there or should we go to the mess?
No. I have a better idea in mind. Want to hear it?
No! I'm freakin' tired, I mean we just flew a couple of hours here in a ship and I didn't get any sleep when we were on it.
Fine then. If you'd rather sleep, be my guest, but I guess you'd rather take a nap then see one of the galaxy's most intriuging pieces of newly found Prothean Palaeotechnology. And barely anyone beyond this station let alone in this station know's it exists. It's in a restricted area of Sekdril that accesses the cavern and tunnel systems below Mintet.
What? SERIOUSLY? If it's rare Prothean tech, then I'm in! You should've just said so.
Hey. You're the one who said NO.
Wait a minute. If this is a highly restricted and confidential tech and sensitive info...How do you even have access to it?
I was a part of the task group that researched the beacon just a few weeks back. We hadn't really made that much ground on the beacon and what it might contain. It's a tough piece of tech to crack. But I think I might've figured something out. While I was out on an expedition in the Caleston Rift, I an interesting piece of tech out on Caleston. No one seemed to notice it but it looked like some sort of miniaturized version of a Prothean Data cache artifact. Except there was something slightly off about it. When I analyzed it, I found out that it was giving off the same unique energy signatures the beacon here was giving off. And it might help unlock it.
Luckily, I still have station clearance to get us through the restrictions.
Then we'd better get going!
Hey, you two. What are you two doin' here? This is a restricted area!
Calm down, I have official station clearance to access this place.
Oh, really? Let me see your pass.
[Jugat hands the Facility guard his clearance pass and ID]
Oh, Jugat Mariss. Seems to check out, sorry for troubling you then. What about your 'friend' here? I don't suppose you have a pass too?
No he doesn't, but he's with me.
Okay, don't mess around in there. You wouldn't believe what's happened around here. And I don't need anymore of that Sh*t happening right now.
Here it is, the same corridor that leads to Sekdril's subterranean cavern and tunnel system.
Okay le...[Alaat's cut off by someone calling out]
[Neya (Asari) calls out from across the hall]
Jugat? JUGAT! Over here!
[turns towards Neya] Oh, Neya. Hey!
It's been a while Jugat, how've you been?
I've been pretty good lately, how about you?
Good, good, I've just been doing more research on the...well uhh. [looks curiously at Alaat]
[Jugat notices] Oh, Neya, don't worry, he's a good friend of mine, I'm just about to show him the beacon, he's an expert Prothean tech scientist.
What? Is that such a good idea? I don't think we're supposed to be freely exhibiting this to outsiders.
Relax, it'll be fine, besides he's a Prothean researcher too and has a lot of experience. He could help us figure out this beacon.
[Adam (human) walks by and sees Neya conversing]
Neya, what's going on?
What? Oh, Adam, I'm just talking to a friend of mine. This is Jugat. We were co-workers researching the beacon a few weeks back.
Hi, pleasure to meet you.
Same here. Are you here to check on the beacon?
Yeah, I'm heading over there with a friend of mine.
Yes, I never really caught your name.
I'm Alaat. Alaat Olokos in short form. You probably don't need to know my full name. Like Jugat said, I'm a Prothean tech researcher and have quite a bit of experience in the field.
It's nice to meet you. Hopefully you can help give some insight on it, but you might want to keep it between us cause the superiors around here can get really on edge when people start leaking info. We've had a couple of incidents and they've never really ended well.
May by but right now we still don't have much information on the beacon so its best you don't tamper with it. Okay, I'll see you guys later. Neya, I'll meet you at the rec room down the hall. [kisses Neya before walking ahead into the halls]
Huh? There something between you two there?
Oh, uhh, well yeah. We've been together for about 3 weeks now. I never really got to contact you or anything to tell you, the comms are still pretty sketchy around here with all the blizzards and downed comm buoys. [laughs] I'll see you two later and be carefull out there, the place is a mess and some of the cavern lights are busted. Probably because of the beacon. But anyway, be careful.
Here it is. Sekdril's Caverns.
Why are you all of sudden seemingly down? You're not jealous are you?
What? No!? Jealous? Me? No, no no no no no.
Oh sure you are. Listen to yourself. Denial.
Fine, I might be a little jealous. I kinda liked her when we were together on this before. But if you keep mentioning that and we're turning back and you'll never get to see one of the greatest marvels of Prothean technology ever found intact.
I doubt its the only one in the galaxy. I swear there's gotta be something on Thessia worth looking. I mean there's dozens of conspiracy theories about there being some sort of tech that no one seems to know about.
Well, for one, we know this is real and its right ahead in these cavern tunnels. Better turn on your Omni-tool's flashlight. It's pitch dark, and stone cold. I'll just make sure the Mass Effect Fields are up and the place is pressurized.
[Doors hisses open and the access panel disappears]
You go on ahead. I'll follow.
Good, it looks like we're going the right way.
Wow, they weren't kidding, this place looks pretty bad. I feel like a rock could fall on me anytime soon.
Just keep your Omni-tool on and we'll get through this cavern.
Ughh, there's so many rocks we have to get over. You never said we'd needed to climb rocks.
Hey, I never said we weren't going to either. And what do you expect. We're in a cavern surrounded by tons of rocks.
I thought it was more of something like a tunnel that had a smooth walking surface.
Haha, well you thought wrong.
So...how far out are we?
Not far now, its just a ways around that corner.
A warning holo-message? Not a good sign.
Don't worry, it'll be fine. We just need to get over there. We're really close now.
Okay, there's the barrier control panel. Let me disable and we'll walk to the beacon's location.
Great, this place is starting to creep me out. And its starting get a little colder than before.
[barrier shield disables and they proceed into the cavern harboring the Prothean artifact]
Here it is, the Prothean Beacon. But we gave it a name. We called it the Alpha Beacon. It practically trumps all the others we've found. I mean it beats them in scale and its potential for advanced blueprints and data. This might just be one of the Milky Way's holy grail of Prothean Beacons. And I might just have the key to unlocking it.
That's strange though. It doesn't exactly look Prothean. If anything, it looks like something more alien, not Prothean.
Well, it might not look typically Prothean, but may be that was the point when they built this; I mean it still has some distinct Prothean featured constructs. They must've uniquely designed because it's hold something of extreme importance. Like a superweapon blueprint, historical archive, information on further adavanced tech. It could be potentially groundbreaking!
Do the energy signatures match? Did your team make any real progress on analyzing this beacon?
That's just the thing. We barely did. And we couldn't. This thing is unlike other beacons and data caches. It's more intricate than anything we've ever seen. But it's someting to expect from advanced Prothean tech. Okay, I'm going to try unlock it with this piece of tech I found.
Wait? We're not supposed to tamper with it until we know what we're really supposed to do. Adam just said that back at the station.
Don't worry, I've got this, besides, we'll never figure out what we're supposed to do if we're just going to sit it out and wait until it does something. As far as other beacons go, it should probably just make contact if I get within at least 50 meters of it. I mean this thing's colossal!
[the Prothean "Alpha" beacon reacts to the energy signature of the Prothean tech and triggers some sort of activation mechanism]
It's working!
What's that up there? This seriously doesn't look good! You shouldn't have done that!
No, this is good, it's the only way we'll ever find out what this is supposed to be.
Wait a minute, that looks really familiar, like its...
ALAAT! LOOK OUT, THERE'S ROCKS FALLING FROM THE CAVERN CEILING!
NEVERMIND THAT, LOOK, THERE'S LIGHT COMING OUT FROM THOSE ROCK FORMS ON THE WALLS!
[Alaat and Jugat look at the Prothean beacon in a dazed sense. Dust begins to settle around from the falling rocks and the light energy eminating from the cavern wall's begin to form around the bright orb-like object above the brightening beacon; as if it were powering up slowly]
Is it just me...or is that looking more and more like a.... .... .... a VI?
Or an AI? I can't believe it...
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