"Unusually Useful Paperwork"
By Kpmh2001
Dominion Archive:
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Title: A Complete Report on All Scientific Anomalies Observed Following The Onyx Slipspace Anomaly
Authored by: UNSC A.I CUR-02102 "Curie"
Section One: Introduction
Page 1 of 12367
Hello Commander, I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors included in this report. I declined Lieutenant Chen's offer to edit it, as it would take her months to carefully examine a document of this size. This report is already considerably bloated in size, and is only likely to grow, as we continue to encounter dozens of new anomalies on a daily basis.
For the sake of brevity and to minimize the time needed to properly educate our staff, I have prepared briefing packages relevant to all remaining UNSC personnel, and they can be distributed to the relevant recipients upon your request. I would strongly advise contacting me before allowing any other personnel access to this report, as some of the contents either pose security risks, or otherwise sensitive information.
The first two-hundred pages of this document contain a brief summarization of all relevant data to our immediate strategic situation, and as time-consuming as it will be, I strongly advise reading at least that far into this document. Our initial assessment of Remnant's tactical hindrances and overall situation have considerable flaws, which I have attempted to update and correct to the best of my abilities.
Section Two: Physics Based Anomalies
Without a doubt the most unusual example of Remnant's Non-Newtonian nature are what I have dubbed "regional anomalies". The effects and size of these regions varies dramatically, and can include, but are not limited to:
-Anomalous shifts in gravitational forces (only sometimes accompanied by temporal anomalies, seemingly in spite of relativity)
-Total gravitational failure (Remnant's Moon appears to be the only example of this, as of right now, I cannot explain why)
-Chemical reactions that defy known laws of chemistry. In particular, Dust has a number of unusual reactions, both in and out of atmosphere.
-Lethal radiation pockets, in spite of a lack of radioactive material. (From what I have seen, these regions remain entirely undiscovered by the local inhabitants)
-Complete lack of tectonic activity in areas that should be dramatically unsafe. (The continent of Anima especially should be experiencing near-constant earthquakes, based on what information I have gathered so far.
-Dramatically accelerated crop growth, occasionally leading to cataclysmic and potentially lethal mutations. (See section fourty-four for further details)
-Spontaneous Grimm appearance (orbital reconnaissance suggested)
-Astronavigation hazards (See section fifty-five for further details)
-Semblance Generated Anomalous Regions (See section two for further details)
I believe that Sergeant Benjamin worded my thoughts considerably better than I could when he stated that "This planet is a goddamn nightmare". Needless to say, almost every scientific law has been called into question, and I have submitted multiple requests to collaborate with Remnant's universities already, which await your response.
My working theory states that Newtonian Physics remains universal laws of science, with all of the anomalies we have witnessed caused by undiscovered elements and possibly even undiscovered laws of fundamental physics. We must be cautious to avoid some of these hazardous environments, as their effects on the safety and operational capability of our troops could be catastrophic. To counter this, we should consider deploying our troops with HAZOP suits and thruster packs on a mission-specific basis.
Further information on this topic is provided on page 3443-3924.
Section Two: Aura and Semblances
We have completely underestimated the strategic value of Aura, and misunderstood the purpose and function of Semblances. Properly outfitting all of our personnel with Aura and beginning preliminary training in its operation should be a priority objective. The potential increase in individual unit survivability and combat capabilities is immense, and could potentially alleviate many of the concerns that we have on the battlefield.
By now, you already know about the defensive value offered passively by most Auras. Some users seem to require conscious thought to trigger their defenses, although that requires further research. As I speculated, this defensive barrier varies dramatically in terms of strength, dependent on the operator's own "Aura Reservoir". It also appears to differ in color by individual, but this has little tactical relevance.
Until recently, I have been unaware of some of Auras other effects. Note that most of these require a considerable amount of training, to the point that most Specialists, Huntsmen, and Huntresses begin their combat training as children. Unlike back home, this appears to only bear negligible ethical concerns (many of the locals practice live gladiatorial combat between the best of these children in a tournament format, some notable video samples are included on page three-four-three). I cannot predict how they would react to the true extent of the Spartan programs, were it ever revealed.
The additional abilities of Aura, however, remain the primary concern. These include but are not limited to:
-Accelerated regenerative properties, confirmed with Specialist Schnee's assistance in treating our wounded.
-Resistance, and in certain cases, complete immunity to disease.
-Protection of weapons and equipment by using said items as "conduits" for Aura, although the strength of this protection varies.
-Increased athletic and cardiovascular capabilities. (some individuals have been rated at accomplishments that would rival the capabilities of Spartans, although these are extreme cases)
-Enhanced Perception (effect varies by individual, and is sometimes tied to the user's Semblance).
-Environmental protection, including sonic, thermal, and natural kinetic impacts (radiation shielding untested but probable).
-The ability to prevent weapon or tool malfunctions, although this apparently requires some practice and ample familiarity with the weapon.
There is one final capability of Aura that demands immediate expansion upon, and that is the enhanced offensive capabilities of the user. At the cost of a small amount of the user's Aura Reservoir, they can increase the capabilities of some weapons, unarmed attacks, and operate offensive Semblances. These effects appear to be dependent on the capabilities of the base weapon (or lack thereof) in order to determine the resulting effect, examples include:
-Increased velocity and stopping power of conventional firearms.
-The ability to carve through solid steel armor plating up to seven millimeters thick with a common blade (although it is likely that an attack could carve through more is so desired)
-Increased destructive output from energy weapons, likely by increasing thermal output.
-Amplifying the kinetic impact of unarmed attacks, including dramatic impacts on some forms of Martial Arts.
-Operation of certain Semblances in an offensive manner.
My final example demands a further explanation onto the concept of a "Semblance". For the sake of brevity, and a lack of a better explanation, I shall paraphrase our Huntress Ally, Margaret "Mags" Jackson.
"A Semblance is like a personal ability that all Aura users have, a superpower, if you will. For the most part, they're unique, but similar Semblances aren't unheard of. Mine is saltwater manipulation, which means I can use my Aura to make it do what I want."
Needless to say, I was dramatically unsatisfied with this explanation. While I cannot find anything definitively incorrect with her statement, that shall not stop me from conducting further investigation. For the time being, I would advise extreme caution from our Marines, as the potential for casualties is currently considerable. I have attempted to scour the CCTS and captured SDC records for additional information, and have gathered some notable examples of Semblances here:
-Pyrokinesis
-Telekinesis
-Weather Manipulation
-Dramatically enhanced reflexes (The enemy Specialist from Point Wilhelm, Adrian, seems to possess a Semblance similar to this)
-Glyphs. As explained by Specialist Schnee, this semblance is unique not just in it's capabilities, but in the fact that it is hereditary. Using what I can only describe as magic, she is able to manipulate spacetime, amplify kinetic, thermal, and even gravitational forces. She also has the capability to summon ethereal copies of any enemy she's defeated, although this function does not work on any being with a soul (presumably anything capable of generating an Aura).
-Impact deflection/Redirection/Amplification
Although all individuals apparently have a unique Semblance, similar or even seemingly identical Semblances are fairly common. I currently have no reason to doubt that all UNSC personnel have a Semblance, although actually finding out what those Semblances are and how they work will be a greater challenge.
Section Three: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
The Kingdom of Atlas remains the sole operator of Artificial Intelligence in any meaningful status. As of current, Remnant has not developed the technology or even scientific theory required to create a "Smart" A.I. There have been attempts to create an A.I with an artificial Aura, and thus, a soul, although these have apparently been met with failure.
Their "Dumb" A.I, however, appear to have impressive capabilities given the limited hardware that they have to work with. That being said, they remain primitive by modern standards, and even rudimentary programming from our systems can overload them if not operated carefully.
What is certainly impressive is how Atlesian scientists have used the anomalous materials at their disposal to create some very impressive combat-oriented mechs. While modifications back home have allowed for the Cyclops and even the Mantis to perform combat duties, their performance has always been limited by several laws of physics, most notably the square-cube law.
On Remnant however, physics did not stop Atlesian scientists from producing armored combat units of varying size and lethality. These range from the modern and heavily armed Paladin all the way to the appropriately named "Colossus", an unwieldy and outdated monolith comparable to the obsolete United Nations Dreadnoughts of the 23rd Century. These mechs are all controlled by human operators via complex controls, although converting them to operate via neural interfaces would likely be a somewhat simple conversion.
If we find ourselves required to destroy these units in combat, I would advise using many of the strategies employed against legged Covenant vehicles. Targeting joints and using armor-piercing ammunition to disable any offensive subsystems. Although some mechs appear to be equipped with hard-light Dust shielding, these defenses can be brought down with energy weapons or even coordinated infantry fire should the need arise.
But Atlas has also employed another technology that strikes me as particularly hazardous, self-operated combat androids. Now, I should clarify that there is little to no risk of something as preposterous as an A.I rebellion (I would certainly hesitate to call the systems used in these androids "intelligent"), but that does not mean that these units are without considerable risk. Accounting for signal delay, my intrusion software achieved total control of the robots in less than half a second, where I was free to manipulate them to target whatever I wanted them too.
Interestingly, it appears that the drones employed by the SDC have undergone some form rapid modification, as when I attempt to gain control of the units, they self-destruct. I would strongly advise that this same asset-denial software is put to use in mainline Atlesian units as soon as possible, as the risk for electronic intrusion by terrorists or otherwise is extreme, and the potential civilian losses from such an attack could be catastrophic. Attached on page 73 are some examples of my intrusion attempts, these have been sterilized of all sensitive data, and you may be able to use these to convince General Ironwood of the threat.
Finally, it appears that most of these combat drones (particularly those equipped with traditional ballistic weaponry) carry extremely minimal ammunition supplies, offering some explanation as to why Atlas may have such a fascination with laser weapons. This also has the somewhat amusing side-effect of most drones being equipped with melee weapons, as well as a preference to use them whenever possible. Needless to say, our Marines should be able to dispatch these robots with ease, specific vulnerabilities of all models of mech and combat drones may be found on page 987.
Additional note: Remnant's advanced robotics field also means that their prosthetic limb development is extremely impressive. I make no hyperbole when I say that there are many things that our doctors could learn from them in this field. Of course, the limitations in their industrial machinery mean that some aspects of their prosthetics are still far behind ours.
Section Four: The Remnant System and immediate Strategic resources
Undoubtedly one of our most significant and unique capabilities at our disposal is the ability to exit the atmosphere at will, something never achieved in Remnant's history in spite of numerous attempts. Lieutenant Chen is still compiling a list of all known astronavigation data from Remnant's scientific institutions, and that particular assignment will likely take her months, given the vast quantity of study that will need to be preformed on this star-system and its neighbors.
There are three celestial bodies that I believe currently pose relevance to the immediate strategic situation. Remnant, Remnant's Moon (Contrary to my expectations, it is quite literally named "Moon"), and a cluster of forty-five asteroids that have assembled at Remnant-Moon Lagrange Four. Remnant's immediate relevance is far too complex to cover in this segment alone, so I would direct you to the rest of the report for further reading. Remnant's Moon, however, presents unique strategic and tactical opportunities.
A cursory analysis of the Moon reveals that the cataclysmic event that splintered it into its current situation likely happened around four-thousand years ago. Whatever happened, it carried the unbelievably devastating consequences of instituting a field of total gravitational failure that now surrounds the Moon, ranging anywhere from one-hundred to two-thousand kilometers away from the surface of the body. The temporal and relativistic consequences of this are currently unclear, and as such, we should avoid sending any sort of manned expedition into the field for the time being. Unmanned, disposable drones are probably our best bet, although any drones lost to collision or malfunction would still need to be replaced.
The amount of valuable material that comprises the Moon's content is astonishing. This single celestial body could likely fuel a massive spacefaring industry, that is, if we discovered a way to safely navigate it and harvest the materials. Until we can find a way to avoid the dangerous relativistic anomalies of the region, it serves to offer us little more than questions.
If we for whatever reason need to acquire precious metals, we would be far better off looking to the so-called "Rabbit's Foot" asteroid field located at Remnant-Moon Lagrange Four. Lieutenant Gage coined the name unintentionally, inspired by the lucky nature of the discovery. These asteroids contain a large amount of valuable metals and materials. Of particular note, Dust and Platinum Group metals are thankfully abundant, and as we are the only ones who can exploit them, I would suggest keeping them in mind should we ever need a substantial economic asset.