++++ELARA INCIDENT REPORT ++++ TOP SECRET ++++

From: MegaGen Security Council

To: Board of Administrators, MegaGen

Re: The Elara Incident

Message:

Although the outlines of the Elara Incident have been made known to you, we believe the scale of the issue wasn't made apparent, on our Tokyo meeting. That being the case, we wanted to clarify a number of issues:

1. Our mines of Jupiter's moon Elara were rich in exotic metals, but too unproductive to be of financial benefit
2. The Proteus Project was initiated in February 2055: instead of designing a creature for mining (like we have done in Mine 33 on the Moon), it was decided to design a creature that could mutate at an advanced rate, keeping an imperative to extract minerals. It was expected that the creatures thus produced would be much more adapted to the singular environment of Elara (low gravity, magnetic field disruption, toxic mine gases) much faster and cheaper.
3. The Proteus creature was a vague slug/insectoid, hermaphroditic, and had only 2 main imperatives encoded:
1. To extract metals
2. To lay eggs once a month. These eggs (5 on average) were designed to be as follows: 2 clones of the parent, and 3 radically mutated organisms.
4. For the fist 3 years progress was slow, but as the first results were coming in, an attack by The Everleaf Group killed the research crew. TEG decided not to claim the mines. A series of bigger attacks to more important installations kept our attention elsewhere. We assumed the organisms were dead or dying.
5. In 2068, we tried to reclaim the mines and see what had happened to the project. It was then discovered the organisms had evolved into vicious insectoids. After a protracted clean up operation, the mines were considered safe, and research resumed.
6. in 2074, a surprise attack by even better armed creatures wiped out the research facility. The creatures had learned from the previous engagement and had evolved a simple - possibly pheromone-based - link, to maximise battle planning.
7. 3 more missions have been sent to Elara, all wiped out in hours by the creatures. The latest picture obtained of one of the creatures is reproduced below.

Summary:

The Elaran mines and research station should be considered out of limits to all. It is unknown the current development level of the creatures, and any massive mobilisation from our part would reveal the project to the public and rival Corps. This committee is aware that every day that passes, is a few hundred millennia of evolution for the creatures, but is also aware of the power of said creatures.

We await your decision.

MegaGen Security Council President, Finn Douglas

Adlartok

Polar Alliance