ALPHA
In early February YC118, Sisters of EVE flotillas arrived and were sighted in each of the Anoikis systems home to the Hive sites. This coincided with the changes to access difficulties in the Hive sites, along with the pulling back of Drifter forces from their second assault on Amarr. The flotillas were revealed to be conducting research into Drifter biotechnology, and soon after came the announcement of the Sisters of EVE’s “Project Discovery” initiative, a public effort to analyze Drifter tissue samples with the aim of producing new technology through dedicated research.
Most of the year wore on without any major Drifter events, save for the appearance of a new “Arithmos Tyrannos” designation seemingly assigned to guarding Sleeper enclaves in high-class Anoikis systems in the spirit of protecting resources. The most major event in this period was the withdrawal of the Jove Directorate from CONCORD, with the Society of Conscious Thought being named as their successor. (read the background of this in “Inheritance”)
In late October YC118, it was revealed that the four Empires had begun experimenting with the usage of novel cloning technologies in military applications, the specifications for which were received from the Sisters of EVE simultaneously in a significant bypassing of CONCORD treaties. Sister Taya Akira, a member of the SOE splinter group that had first revealed the existence of Thera, days later warned that this new cloning tech had been developed as a direct result of research on Drifter samples with the aim of gaining full understanding of Jove biology, collected through Project Discovery - and that advances distilled from the Drifters and Anoikis must be observed with paramount caution.
Changes in Drifter activity were announced by Taya Akira in early November, suspected to be in preparation for a possible Drifter reaction to the development of these new technologies - and on November 16th, one day after CONCORD introduced the Alpha clonestate to independent capsuleers, the Drifters emerged once again.
Focused Drifter attacks on black-site research facilities across the cluster, located in close proximity to excavation sites containing enigmatic Sleeper infrastructure of an unknown nature, provoked strong military responses from each of the four empires - with each of their navies moving to accelerate the training of countless capsuleer candidates in order to meet and match the present threat. Pushing back the Drifters led to final clashes centered around new Drifter Hives, which had been moved to k-space in an unprecedented example of high-mass transit. The remnant vortexes through which the Hives emerged resembled those found within the Nexus anomalies, but were speckled with huge volumes of shredded debris and were centered on a core-point different in color from those of the Nexus vortexes; this indicated the presence of unencountered Drifter infrastructure in as-of-yet undiscovered Anoikis systems. The Hives were destroyed, the Drifters were once again pushed back through the efforts of the Empires and capsuleers.
THREE
In April YC119, announcement was made of the transferring of Project Discovery from the SOE to CONCORD, a changing of hands in part made to take place as a form of punitive retribution for the Sisters’ distributing of Alpha clone technology behind CONCORD’s backs. (read “Sine Wave Alpha” and “Sine Wave Omega” for the full story)
In July, the second iteration of Project Discovery began - involving the analysis of exoplanetary orbital data with the stated purpose of discovering new worlds, as potential colonization efforts were suspected to be beginning to look beyond the confines of New Eden.
Two months later, a public contract from a figure by the identifier “Quartermaster” put out a public contract through the Agency, calling for capsuleers to scavenge newly marked sites which contained broken Sleeper Enclaves, destroyed Drifter battleships carrying mysterious Trinary Relics, and a new class of Sleeper drone. These “Eosian” Sleepers were both actively retrieving relics from the freshly destroyed Drifters and acting as guardians for the sites, attempting to keep their contents out of the hands of further intruders by attacking anyone entering the area.
The broken enclaves and their guards also served as further examples of previously hidden Sleeper infrastructure in known space, alongside the plundered Sleeper Caches.
The design of this Sleeper drone is similar to ancient battleship-grade vessels that operate as guardian drones in Anoikis. Certain differences of detail, and lack of the scarring typical on Sleeper drones of this size, indicates it is part of a wave of drones that have only very recently been built and launched. This formidable Sleeper drone seems to be part of a force defending Drifter wrecks, presumably to guard against any technology they harbor being pilfered.
– Description for Eosian Upholder
The Eosian Inquisitor shares the same basic design of Drifter-allied Sleeper drones such as the Circadian Seekers but appears to be much more dangerous. This Sleeper drone seems to be very keen to retrieve technology from Drifter wrecks, or stop others from doing the same. It may well be loaded with items it has already collected from the warzone it is investigating.
– Description for Eosian Inquisitor
Corrupted Trinary Relics
A varied collection of relics found close by the wreckage of Drifter ships seemingly destroyed in a fierce fight with parties unknown. These items appear to be trinary data repositories of many different designs, seemingly for use with different data systems and perhaps even of varied age. The relics are apparently corrupted and recovery drones located them in a stasis vault that was evidently hastily abandoned for some reason.Albeit these items are ancient technology and heavily corrupted they would perhaps be of interest to a collector. Possibly someone gathering enough of this kind of relic could even make something out of the data they contain.
CONCORD’s CDIA warned of the dangers these trinary relics posed, as they were “undoubtedly extremely dangerous in the wrong hands, possible vectors of colonizing neuromemetic worms or other coercive infowar technologies, and should ideally be disposed of using antimatter imploders.” Naturally, a capsuleer group immediately began amassing its own collection of the mysterious relics in an attempt to recover information they might contain, comparing them with other known Jove-related data samples.
In December YC119, rogue drone activity increased before developing into a new Rogue Swarm Alert occurrence. During this time, Sister Taya Akira disappeared - having been spirited away by a rogue drone when Sjakhuni, a man deeply involved with the distribution of Alpha clone technology, came to pay her and Sister Latimas an unfriendly visit in Yulai. (read the background of this, again, in the Sine Wave Alpha and Omega chronicles)
Amidst the Swarm Alert, CONCORD announced a universal timebase measurement effort, to be undertaken by CONCORD Aerospace and Project Discovery researchers. When Project Discovery’s Holnar Reinret began the operation on January 6th YC120, flanked by CONCORD Aerospace Public Communications Officer Lorienne Nesif, the research convoy came under attack by a Capsuleer calling himself “The Astromancer” and his associates in an apparent attempt to interrupt the ongoing experiment. The attacker’s companions hailed from Algintal Core, originally a military group “seconded to corporate interests studying the behavior of rogue drones in the Algintal constellation” - and Trinary Relics, the neuromemetic risks of which were previously cautioned by CONCORD, were discovered in the wreckage of his ship following its destruction by capsuleers in attendance.
A lone Drifter battleship then arrived on the scene, but was only observed to silently watch as the convoy’s mission was completed, non-aggressive until it was later attacked by capsuleers, at which time its superweapon failed to fire. The Pharos of Thera soon claimed that the experiment had in fact had deeper purposes, including the testing of anti-Drifter countermeasures, veiled under the guise of timebase research. And while this claim was initially dismissed by many as overly speculative, suspicions increased after a Phoenix Naval Systems vessel, transporting the corpse of the Astromancer with the intent of conducting an autopsy, was intercepted by CONCORD operatives and forcibly relieved of its cargo.
AZDAJA
In mid-February YC120, enormous fleets of critically damaged Drifter vessels began to appear out of nowhere throughout the cluster. The first fleet of Tyrannos vessels was in fact encountered in one of the Hive sites; after that, additional fleets began appearing en masse around stargates, from no discernible origin point. Following the first encounter, a CONCORD CDIA file depicting a corrupted view of an unknown, energetic object was leaked to many capsuleer parties.
Engaging and removing the Drifters, a capsuleer group began to uncover strange messages from “Trinary Vaults” carried by many of the Tyrannos vessels. Coded in an unknown script and language, the group quickly undertook efforts to decode and understand the language of whoever created the messages. Over the next few months, the mysterious language was transcribed in its entirety as more Drifters appeared - bolstered at one point following the emergence of Drifter cruisers across the cluster - and more vaults were collected. Progressively, the vaults revealed combat footage in which imposing, unknown vessels - revealed to be the subject of the earlier leaked video - engaged the Drifters in unexplored and abnormal environments.
At the tail end of these efforts, a heavily damaged cruiser identifiable as one of the same vessels sighted in the decoded footage arrived in Yulai, under the control of SARO Captain Oveg Drust, who had also been present during the Astromancer affair, and was quarantined outside the Yulai X station for 48 hours before being deemed safe to tow into the dock.
A special CONCORD briefing was then announced, scheduled to take place during the annual Society of Conscious Thought capsuleer gathering on Yulai III.
The depths of abyssal deadspace, and its denizens, were a main target of the Drifters; from the very first capsuleer dives into the Abyss, Drifter sorties and “Lucid” sleeper drones under their control were encountered regularly. Operating in highly abnormal space, no Drifters encountered in the Abyss were observed to be capable of utilizing their superweapons.
Trinary Datastreams, recovered from Triglavian caches a short time following the opening of the Abyss, then revealed apparent observations on those entering the Abyss, from the Collective’s point of view. Records describing encounters with “Ancient Enemy Azdaja” referred to the Drifters who had entered the Abyss - with the name suggesting that the Triglavian race had been aware of the Drifters, in one form or another, for far longer than they had been operating in their home space.
Triglavian Datastream AEA1
Cladeships of the 3 tactical troika classification in communion militant of Varpulis Subclade of Perun Clade encountered the Ancient Enemy Azdaja at reverse-time co-ordinates (indecipherable) while processing in sub-18 exclave of conduit loop construct-405. Absolute imperative of poshlost extirpation against Azdaja was invoked without acceptable material realization. Tactical troika of Varpulis Subclade placed a casting of absorbed data into the cladeflow for reflection of Convocation of Triglav Outside the Struggle.
Triglavian Datastream AEA2
Convocation of Triglav Outside the Struggle has affirmed the need for playful communion of repeated-time by the Clades Assembled and Subclades Militant and Technical. The entosis of the Ancient Enemy Azdaja into the loop constructs must be sever-reversed by the volition and merge-consent of Convocation of Triglav Outside the Struggle. The adaptation schema of cladeships for all tactical troika classifications may be entered into the cladeflow without proving.
Triglavian Datastream AEA3
Report of the Paramount Strategic Troika of the Leshak Subclade of Veles Clade has reaffirmed the dispersal of reverse-time reclaimed adaptation schema of 729 tactical troika classification vessels into the cladeflow after proving in anti-cladistic mortification with the Ancient Enemy Azdaja. Repeated-time casting and winnowing of invocations of imperative of poshlost extirpation against Azdaja reveals a (indecipherable) acceptable material realization.
INTRUSION
YC120 progressed without any significant changes to Drifter behavior, save for occasional periods in which the number of Hive site wormholes would increase, for unknown reasons.
In January of YC121, a virus began to infect multiple stations in Semiki. This hyperadaptive malware had originated in the Zainou station in-system, but had originally gone unnoticed. A man named Steine Vailakkel had brought the virus to station, breaking into and sabotaging many systems, which resulted in some residents encountering disruptions to artificial gravity and communications - but the malware itself was not detected until it arrived at the Aliastra warehouse in the same system, stowing away aboard a routine transport.
Now aboard the Aliastra warehouse, the virus spread to the implants of many people working aboard when the infected transport data-synced with the station - those infected reported severe migraines, dizziness, nausea, and double vision. Malware of this caliber were reported to be limited in origin to nations, megacorps, or other similar actors, due to the required resources - as reported by infowar expert Hagiken Ku of Ikomari-Onu Enforcement. The infection was discussed by some as resembling a similar attack on Holene Vailakkel, Steine’s spouse, in YC111.
The situation continued to deteriorate, with employees with compromised implants progressively experiencing additional symptoms, including lapses into fugue states and even short comas, lasting anything between a few minutes or a few hours. After capsuleer groups began to take an interest in the situation and set up infrastructure in the system, Ishukone allowed capsuleer parties to assist in verifying Zainou’s conclusions thus far: that a substantially modified rogue drone subroutine had been the base of the malware, making it behave more aggressively while also making it more effective at subversion and infiltration across a variety of platforms.
Ishukone Watch Officer Kauntora Itkaku called for assistance in gathering relevant research materials, including rogue drone nexus chips, artificial intelligences, other fragments of rogue drones, and any available trinary datastreams - not confirming whether or not the modifications made to the subroutines resembled the Triglavian Galnet worm that had opened the Abyss to frigate-based exploration.
Following this, the Arataka Research Consortium quickly amassed a cache of Trinary Datastream samples numbering over 20,000 - but just after collection efforts ended, SARO Captain Oveg Drust issued demands for the unconditional surrender of all samples to the DED, citing “serious risk of an Emergent Threat Case Red Gamma incident involving CRG.A or CRG.B entities”. However, the Caldari State, through unanimous agreement of the CEP, appealed the demands and led to the issuing of a stay on Captain Drust’s orders. The surrender was aborted, though any remaining materials, alongside copies of all relevant research, would be given to the DED following the development of a cure.
The Aliastra warehouse was predicted to become fully compromised within the month.
During this period, Drifter activity had increased, both across their domain and within Semiki. Instances of Unidentified Wormholes had increased to unusually large numbers of connections within the Hive site systems, and roaming Sleeper drones and even Drifter Battleships were encountered in Semiki in limited numbers. Soon after the appeal by the CEP, Drifter activity escalated.
Following the reinforcing of multiple citadels in Semiki, including the primary ARC facility, Captain Oveg Drust - accompanied by Lorienne Nesif, who was also present during the Astromancer Affair - roamed across Semiki in a Marshal and Enforcer pair, initiating what appeared to be the exact type of “scan” performed indiscriminately by Seekers, Lancers, and Drifters (and by Matshi Raish against Jamyl Sarum’s titan) against each structure in the system. When pressed for an explanation, none was provided.
Soon after, a conference was held by CONCORD in which Captain Drust announced that “counter-measures aimed at reducing Drifter capacities have been developed and, we can now report, are being rolled out with considerable success” - lending credibility to the accusations made by the Pharos of Thera following the Astromancer Affair.
INVASION
At the end of June YC121, the Vigilant Tyrannos mounted a large-scale invasion of null-sec space. Appearing with no discernible pattern, large Drifter sorties moved within target systems day-to-day - indiscriminately attacking any capsuleer ships or structures they came across and inflicting enormous damage in the immediate fallout.
Though the larger capsuleer polities quickly developed reliable tactics to repel the Drifters, countermeasures such as those CONCORD demonstrated were nowhere to be seen; and as the onslaught intensified, the stress put on active-mode local fluid routers threatened to cause far deeper problems. A full-scale delay-blackout of active local connection listings was initiated across null-security space, and was soon put in place as an indefinite measure.
When the dust of the events settled, the total death toll at the hands of the Drifters - vastly inflated by Tyrannos strikes on non-capsuleer baseliner facilities and stations across all areas of space - reached over 1 billion. Though this loss of life was felt widely, more ominous details also came to light.
The main goal of the Drifters during these attacks became readily apparent in following days; the Vigilant Tyrannos were gathering resources. Baseliner resource extraction facilities were preferentially targeted by the Drifters, who would then strip the entire contents of the facilities in a great harvest. In all of these cases, there were no survivors; rumors abounded that among harvested infrastructure, no traces of biomass, living or dead, remained.
More to come…