File #[REDACTED].
Selected texts from ex-int ship 'U.S.S. Juneau', retrieved from same ship and [REDACTED] by SC operative EQ-047 on 20932 C.E. (see incident file #[REDACTED]). Translations provided by SC operative EQ-001 using enhanced UT matrices.
Log order: approximate chronological.
Captain's Log, T. C. Gao
Well, here we are. I don't know whether I've damned us all, or taken a necessary step for humanity, but right now I believe this is the right thing. The Company is exploding. After Leviticus, it was probably inevitable, but I don't think anyone really understood how bad it could be. I don't think anyone in the Corps really believed it, truly understood, until our last order came through.
I don't care what kind of justifications they think they have, I'm not going to bomb Earth cities from orbit. I don't know if there's anyone who will, but the order alone wasn't enough to drive all of us away. There were those who still felt loyalty to the government, even after that, so I let off any who wanted on shuttles 8 and 16, before we jumped out.
I've received word that at least the entire 2nd and 5th fleets are just gone, without word, and there are rumors that the 1st and 7th have engaged each other near Harvest. A bunch of us decided to meet up at Thedus, try to figure out what to do, where we could do some actual good. Should arrive in about twelve days.
Let this be the right thing.
Outgoing message in queue, Lt. G. Anatov
Maria, my love, I don't know if you'll ever get this, but I just have to write it down, and try. I hope you can understand why I may never see you again. We were headed to Thedus to try and figure out what we could about the situation around Earth, about the Company…about everything. Most of the crew and enlisted went into cryo as soon as we jumped.
Our flight path was odd. We thought it was just the computer finding some weird optimization, since we didn't jump from a nav buoy. It took us right past a planet in an unexplored system. There's something out here. A station of some sort, unrecognized design. It must be emitting something, or have a weapon on board, because we left warp unintentionally and violently. Comms, the bridge and main computer, the launch bays, are just gone. The Captain and half the officers with 'em.
We're angling towards the station now. I'm sure it's the cause of this, I mean why else would we have popped out so close to it, but it seems abandoned. Minimal power readings, no activity, no responses on radio. What else can we do? We'll dock, see if we can find anything useful, some sort of comm system.
It was the Company. I know it was. We got a signal as we were letting people off on the shuttles. Captain thought it was garbage. Looked like garbage. But then this weird route came up, and now here we are. That signal must of fiddled with the computer somehow. I feel it in my bones. I don't know why, but this is just like 'em. It sounds like the kind of thing the Leviticus Memoranda talked about.
If we can get comms equipment off the station, maybe this message will make it to you. Or maybe we'll get found some day. I just hope this stupid war doesn't make it to Arcturus. Be safe.
Love, G.
Personal Log, Cpl. S. Jones
Nine Marines. We came in here with nine, and they took seven of us just like that. Hell, eight. Kyle is hanging on, but that acid doesn't just burn you, it gets into your blood or something. He's got the shakes bad, and I don't know how to help him, much less have the supplies, if anything even could. I've looked up into the duct in the ceiling, but it's dark, and I can hear things moving around up there. This is it, then.
I hope they can do something on the Juneau. I hope any of our warnings got through, but the radio sure isn't receiving anything. Kyle's fading fast now. I'll stay with him, until he's gone, and then I'll be gone too. I hope God will forgive me. We saw those aliens on the walls, what these monsters did to them, how they…reproduce. Fredricks said they probably need a live host. So this isn't suicide. This is denying the enemy resources. Hell, if I had any grenades left, I'd run out there and try to take as many of them with me as I could. This is all I can think to do.
Lord, have mercy on our souls.
Personal Log, Pvt. M. Jackson
Am I the last one? I want to be up there, fighting. Anything but sitting here in Shuttle Control, waiting. But the monsters melted my damn arm clean off. Jeff said if it wasn't for the calcium injector in the cryovault medkit, I'd be dead already. Something about fluoride.
…
They're dead, aren't they? It would be done by now if they'd made it. I'm going to lie here and rot.
…
They're coming. I can hear them in the vents. I've got one thing left I can do. Monsters ain't gonna take me.
Lead Engineer's Log, L. Hicks
It's been five hours now. Nothing from the rest of the survivors, and I've got enough access to see that we're still docked. That means they've failed to free us from that festering hive of a station. Guess I probably came down here and got the power relays back up for nothing, but whatever. I'm awful with a gun, so it's not like I would have been much help if I'd gone with them.
I'm rigging up an automated reactor bootstrap system. Stupid thing was always just a fun idea to play around with in class, but I think the theory is sound. If anyone ever finds us, maybe it'll be helpful. I hope they don't get wrecked by whatever hamstrung my poor Juneau.
When I'm done, I'm gonna pop a seal, go for a nice, slow decompression. They say oxygen deprivation is a pretty okay way to go. Hopefully with the reactor shut down, the air gone, and me dead, those monsters won't be tempted to break in here and mess up my stuff.
The shuttles and the cryopods are all fully charged, now. Supposedly that gives them a lifetime of 80 years, but who knows if that's just more Weyland-Yutani marketing nonsense. Are people on Earth climbing into '80 year' survival pods to try to live through Company-owned pols nuking the planet from orbit? Such a full complement of services.
If you're reading this…whatever side you're on, we ended up here because we were trying to do what we hoped was the right thing, for humanity. They're good men and women, good marines, even a few civvies…I hope you give them a chance. They deserve it.
Right, then. This is Leo Hicks. Peace out.
Ex-int ship U.S.S. Juneau lost during incident—294 ex-int survivors.
Survivor custody requested by SC operative EQ-003 (see file #[REDACTED]).
Request approved.
FILE STATUS: CLOSED.