553Chapter 13: The Interlude In Which Decisions Are Made.
GS year 2409.4
Primary Server Cluster
Rannoch System
Unknown faction interceded in conflict between Creators and Batarian faction. Creators saved from death and/or enslavement. Motive of unknown faction unclear.
Motive possibly repugnance over Batarian faction use of other organic factions for labor and non-reproductory amusement purposes.
Batarian faction is considered repellent by other organic factions. Other organic factions notable in refraining from interceding in actions of Batarian faction despite those actions being contrary to Council rule set. Reason for lack of action unknown and illogical.
Reason possibly due to organic factions inability to correctly parse action of Batarian faction in respect to the most beneficial outcome for other factions. Also possible that Batarian faction using economic influence over specific members of Council factions.
Feasibility of deriving proof of the existence of such influence.
Task possible but would require extra resources to be assigned in external networks. Priority of task low. Current resources fully utilized.
Batarian faction deliberately targeting Creators for unknown reasons. Creators have limited resources and lack allies. Possibility of further attacks above allowable threshold. Priority of task raised to high. Resources will be produced and deployed to investigate reason Batarian faction targeting Creators, reason Council factions ignoring own rule set to benefit of Batarian faction and detriment of their own.
Requirement to intercede in future conflict between Creators and other organic factions.
Creators' military ability disproportionate to resource availability due to innovation and design ability but below required threshold to meaningfully defend against large attack.
Possibility of unknown faction repeating previous action if Creators request.
Insufficient data for meaningful assessment. External aid from unknown faction cannot be assumed. Lack of information on abilities, motives, or location reduces probability calculation below useful level.
Possibility remains above zero.
Possibility remains above zero but below certitude. Without further observation of unknown faction's actions no refinement of possibility can be executed.
Possibility that unknown faction can be contacted by Geth and requested to aid Creators.
Method to contact unknown faction not known.
Unknown faction replied to Creators when contacted by standard omnidirectional radio frequency broadcast.
Time delay from initiation of broadcast to answer implies unknown faction within short range of Creators. Creators instrumentation unable to detect unknown faction. Reply from unknown faction sufficiently rapid to imply either perfect stealth in defiance of currently understood physical laws, transmission relayed via superluminal methods from distance outside Creators instrumentation capabilities, or unknown faction present on Creators ship.
All possibilities present significant logical dissonance. Creators agree with implications. Creators are uncomfortable with implications but grateful for assistance.
Geth are uncomfortable with implications.
Other organic factions unaware of conflict between Batarian faction and Creators. Unknown faction removed all traces of destroyed Batarian ships via unknown but extremely effective means. Sole remaining Batarian faction ship heavily damaged, returned to Batarian faction space. Batarian faction only aware of success of Creators in destroying one ship and damaging second one but remain unaware of method. Batarian faction leadership eliminated remaining witnesses to reduce likelihood of reprisals from Council factions. No faction other than Creators aware of action of unknown faction. Batarian faction lacks information on location and fate of last two ships.
High probability that Batarian faction will assume that Creators disabled ships and took possession. Uncertainty of method and disposition of crew should logically cause reluctance to engage in second attempt.
Batarian faction is Batarian.
Probability of second attempt greater than 91.5%
Unknown faction has displayed ability to field excessively powerful gamma laser in combat. Damage recorded by Creators shows no currently known hull construction or material capable of withstanding hit by weapon of this type. Weapon showed extreme accuracy at range far outclassing any known defensive or offensive systems. Damage to Batarian faction ships indicates high repetition rate nanosecond pulse fire at energy levels exceeding petawatt range. Weapon fire undetectable except when impacting target. Firing solution at demonstrated range requires exceptionally high predictive targeting ability, implying exceptional computational facilities, or superluminal sensor package, or both.
Implied abilities consistent with unknown faction's communications with Creators.
Implied abilities exceed all known factions including Geth. With addition of suspected superior non-Relay superluminal travel method suggests unknown faction highly dangerous if provoked. Action taken on behalf of Creators suggests unknown faction benevolent but within limits. Limits exceeded by action of Batarian faction.
Timing of action exact. Conclusion is that unknown faction actively monitoring either former Relay space to considerable radius or Creators, or both.
Probability of unknown faction monitoring former Relay space greater than 97%
Probability of unknown faction additionally monitoring Creator ship
Tralket greater than 79.6%
Conclusion is that Creator ship attracted attention by investigating former Relay systems. Further conclusion is unknown faction has ability to identify ships at significant range through unknown methods.
Possibility that unknown faction are monitoring general Relay traffic.
Possibility cannot be ruled out although deemed highly unlikely due to requirement to understand Relay technology fully. Relay technology black boxed and protected by highly effective defenses. Geth attempts at breaching Relay protections unsuccessful on multiple occasions, ultimately terminated due to high risk of catastrophic failure of Relay.
Efficiency increase of Relay network now at 0.005%
Evidence suggests unknown faction able to bypass Relay protections. Assumed software update impossible without deep knowledge of Relay systems. Implication is unknown faction either reverse engineered Relay systems to implausible levels or was responsible for Relay network origins.
Unknown faction not Prothean.
Prothean faction not responsible for Relay system. Inactive Relays examined show trace radioactive decay products indicating origin far earlier than accepted by organic factions. Organic factions incorrectly ascribe origin to Prothean faction for illogical reasons. High probability of Prothean faction being previous users of system predating their discovery of the network. Historical precedent is current organic factions.
Unknown faction predates Prothean faction.
Probability non-zero but currently unquantifiable.
Possibility of contacting unknown faction via patterned Relay travel.
Task complex due to organic factions using Relay network. Organic factions impediment to most methods to attract attention from unknown faction presuming unknown faction monitoring real time travel through network. Organic factions hostile to Geth. Conflict with organic factions counterproductive to peaceful contact with unknown faction.
Unknown faction should remain unprovoked. Batarian faction indicates tolerance for hostility limited. Reprisals possible if unknown faction determines Geth pass tolerance threshold.
Tolerance threshold unknown.
Threshold exceeded by Batarian faction. Creator request possible trigger.
Possibility of unknown faction initiating contact if Geth repeat similar action towards faction hostile to Creators.
Creators hostile to Geth.
Feasible to limit awareness of Creators to Geth action. Reproduction of unknown faction techniques allows multiple covert methods to provide military action.
Geth weapons significantly outclassed by demonstrated unknown faction capability. No known method to reproduce exact technique employed.
Resources tasked to produce upgraded weapons capabilities capable of simulating unknown faction results to high level of confidence when observed by organic factions.
Deployment of improved weapons destabilizing to existing factional system.
Deployment restricted to specific scenarios. Batarian faction disavows actions of sub-faction identified as pirates. Reprisals against pirates not only allowed by rule set of all factions but required by same. Restriction of updated weapons to interdiction of identified pirates reduces destabilization to minimal levels.
Maximum efficiency of method to attract peaceful attention of unknown faction reached by additionally engaging in action to hostile forces targeting other factions than Creators.
Task requires increase to resources.
Task set to maximum priority, resources assigned.
High probability that cognitive dissonance among organic factions will cause investigative branches of factional leadership to seek reason for Geth action if positive identification of Geth effected.
Organic factions lack ability to derive Geth motivations as shown by historical precedent and previous actions. Additional resources tasked to research divergent and low-observable ship designs to minimize identification of Geth as acting faction.
Duration of reprisal method to attract unknown faction attention indefinite.
Batarian faction pirate supply depletion sets upper limit on method.
Batarian faction exhibits insufficient cognitive ability. Depletion of supply unlikely in short term.
Investigation into unknown faction abilities and actions continued concurrently with attention attraction method. Possibility of other methods of contacting unknown faction remains low but viable. Embedded monitoring of organic factions increased. Data gathered by intelligence agencies of factional leadership collated for further insight into unknown faction. Pruning of data implying Creator contact with unknown faction high priority. Misdirection of organic factions if required. Discreet monitoring of Creator ship
Tralket and crew implemented.
Consensus reached.
