[CONFIDENTIAL -- LEVEL 9 ACCESS]

[PIT EVENT #8193 - EMERGENCE]

[COMMENTARY BY DR. YAZ KLOAK, LEAD RESEARCH SCIENTIST -- PIT]

I write this with full knowledge that some of the contents may be considered treasonous. Ultimately, my responsibilities as a scientist and to my species outweigh personal interest and political affiliation. I have been asked for statement, and I have rendered one here.

I accept the consequences.

I begin.

Our understanding of the Pit is inherently limited by its nature. It may not be interacted with in any way save for by organic material. Monitoring the Pit produces no results. Attempts to insert inorganic probes results in the immediate annihilation of said object prior to interacting with the event horizon. Given the ramifications of failure to solve for the Pit's existence, we naturally moved into organic insertions.

Initially with mundane items. Plant matter and so forth. Unfortunately we were incapable of retrieving said objects following insertion meaning we could obtain no additional information beyond the fact that organic matter could seemingly pass through the Pit.

Speculation abounds at to the reasoning for all of this, but circumstances forced an escalation in approach. This took the form of various animals and eventually individuals from our own species.

Volunteers, of course.

At least at first.

In all cases the inserted objects appeared to successfully navigate transition to the other side of the Pit, or at least not be instantaneously annihilated, but in no cases did any of the objects -- or individuals -- return.

In candor, I did not expect improvements.

At twenty-eight lost individuals, and eight-hundred and ninety-three attempted organic insertions, without variance, I believed the matter relatively closed. Given the stakes, I believed it worthwhile to continue study, but contingency plans should be pursued. Namely relocation.

Unsurprisingly, the politics of this proved quite impossible to navigate. Abandoning any civilized world, much less a core world, would have unacceptable consequences, to the powers that be. I viewed from a scientific lens a practical reality, they viewed as an impossible obstacle.

And so the insertion effort was expanded. First to non-volunteers, and then to species beyond our own. A number of lesser species have been harvested for this purpose, numbering in the low thousands. As subject species, they were not granted autonomy beyond the required quota. Frankly, I found the entire affair distasteful given data available to us. While the use of subject species on the matter was infinitely superior to the continued sacrifice of our own individuals, the waste of life on an effort that would likely bear no fruit was inefficient at best, and morally questionable at worst. Again, given the data available, there was no reason to expect that this effort would yield any difference in results.

I can admit now that I was wrong.

However, I dearly wish that I had been correct. The consequences of successful contact with the beings beyond the Pit had yet to fully manifest, but all indications are that it will be negative. The Humans, as these beings are known, have taken umbrage at our creation of the Pit -- which has had consequences in their own civilization -- and have taken further exception to our used of coerced individuals.

What follows is a truth and faithful recounting of first contact with Humans, told from my perspective. Much of what follows is subject to the highest levels of secrecy, and have not been otherwise recorded. In light of recent events, accurate statements have become of paramount importance as we consider how best to counter the threat posed by Humanity. My distinct hope is that these journals find their way to individuals capable of conceiving a proper response.

Also, a warning. What follows is a direct neural download, so it contains all of the inherent biases I possess as an individual. I consider myself a rational individual, but these are unparalleled events in an irrational time.

Take caution.

Our fate is in your hands.

Dr. Kloak

The Pit continued apace. Our only means of assessing it remained monitoring the rate of expansion, which continued at a steady .0005% per unit. We had recently been forced to retrofit the housing facility for a fourth time, expanding the available space by another 200%. Given the location in the capitol city, this continues to create a significant number of secondary impacts as displaced individuals increase without a suitable public explanation. I am thankful these issues do not settle on my plate, though the pressure to find some means for halting, or at least retarding, the rate of growth is growing ever higher.

Increasingly, I have come to regret my decision to research Inter-Dimensionality. The original creation of the Pit, which I had no part in, marked a momentous occasion in the field. A surplus of funding ensued, and all of us found great meaning in the work being done. I much enjoyed the collaboration and excitement in the early period following the creation. I only wish my ascension to Lead Research Scientist came on the back of my work, as opposed to the ruination of those who came before me.

Now, the pressure was on me.

Produce results, or else.

I wondered whether I would be happy to be relieved of it all when 'else' came.

It had been four units since the last group of individuals were inserted. Per policy, that envoy was comprised solely with subject species with suitable collateral for the individuals involved to ensure compliance. Typically substantial families. While we could not know what transpired beyond the event horizon, collateral ensured inserted individuals would behave in compliance with their directives.

Eighty-five individuals inserted. Our largest envoy to date. The size of the group inserted appeared to have no impact on the Pit. Nor did it have an impact on the outcome.

Silence. Always silence.

I was fairly certain we sent these individuals to their deaths, even if they were not immediately annihilated at the event horizon. Still, insertion of organic material remained the only means of interacting with the Pit, and so the policy of insertion continued unabated. The loss of thousands of subject species was viewed as a minor consequence in the grand scheme of the politics involved. Any possibility of halting the expansion of the Pit was worth grasping at, at least as far as the High Council was concerned.

The Emperor had yet to weigh in. I assumed The One Above is aware, but was being inoculated from the ramifications by the High Council taking on the matter directly.

Time drug on. Ten units was the minimum time between insertions. I dreaded the next envoy. As results have not been forthcoming with lower numbers and there were no new subject species that may be tested, the size of the envoy would be going up considerably.

To one thousand.

In a single envoy.

I tell myself I am not responsible, that these decisions are not my own, that I could not change the policy even if I desired it, but I am still the one who oversees it. I am the one who observed. Who recorded. Who noted the disappearance of another envoy, never to be heard from again.

At eight units, an alarm rang.

An alarm never rang.

The Pit was consistent.

It did not surprise us even as it consumed us.

I rushed into the observation chamber, arriving to a great clatter of activity. Scientists rushed from monitor to monitor, waving hands and poring over instrumentation. To the side the Cultural Observer watched with interest, surely passing along the events to the Party and the High Council beyond. I offered him a quick nod of acknowledgement, as was prudent even in times of crisis. The Cultural Observer held no official position, but few things can disrupt one's existence like an errant word or a 'misunderstanding'.

I moved over to the hub, where three scientists stood. Dr. Lit Thaus, Shift Overseer, turned to greet me. Her eyes were wide, heat emanating from her nasal glands. "Emergence," she said.

My pulse hammered. Even with the alert, I did not expect this word. My mind barely grasped the meaning of it, reeling as it was. Something had come from the Pit.

At long last.

Emergence.

I heard it as 'salvation'.

"Readout. What is the nature?" I asked.

She swallowed, flushing her eyes, "Inorganic. Mechanical. Electric. Sophisticated." Her tone tremored as she listed off the categorizations. The first along was sufficient to stun me further.

Inorganic.

Something inorganic had returned.

Impossible.

I amended that to improbable.

"Purpose?" I asked.

"Unknown," Lit replied. "Best estimation is a probe of some variety. We are picking up a number of waves, electro-magnetic and otherwise."

"Show me." Lit shifted, pointing to a number of monitors in succession. The first showing a video feed. A small vehicle appeared just beyond the edge of the Pit, which formed a featureless black backdrop blanketed across the rest of the room. The vehicle scooted forward and then unfolded, revealing a number of interior objects that began to animate. Some spun about, while others bounced up and down. Lit showed the correlation between those objects and the appearance of various pulses, pings, and other indicators of a survey being conducted.

As I watched, the vehicle slowly reversed, disappearing back into the Pit.

Lit and I looked from the screen to one another. I could read the questions on her face, knowing they mirrored the ones I held as well.

Inorganic.

Sophisticated.

Monitoring.

Something resided beyond the Pit. Something that bore no relationship to those we had inserted.

Something new.

As we debated the best way to interact with the probe, it returned to the Pit and disappeared. This created a significant escalation once the Cultural Observer was made aware of the situation. Those on staff at the time were placed into Administrative Leave for extended questioning to determine their loyalty to the Emperor for the lapse in judgment.

I avoided that particular fate due to being off hours at the time, but I did receive a formal censure. Two more would result in my removal and placement in an off world educational facility, something I very much wished to avoid.

If the probe reappeared, we would be ready.

=-=-=-=

The opportunity presented in a short number of units later. It arrived in a different form, with three probes appearing. One of the same make and type as the original one -- we could not determine if it was indeed the original one -- and two others. This time, we were well positioned to ensure the probes would not retract without our permission, an effort the Cultural Observer oversaw personally, breathing down my neck and glaring with all four eyes focused specifically at me.

As it turned out, the precaution was unnecessary. The probes remained as they were, with the largest unfolding and presenting a series of information across a number mechanisms, sight, sound, electromagnetic waves and so forth. The beings beyond the Pit were communicating.

Our species was well acquainted with first contact protocols and the effort quickly bore fruit. We moved from initial handshake preamble and into more sophisticated concepts, eventually arriving at a version of a translator. Only then did the diplomatic message unveil itself.

I remember how the Cultural Observer trembled beside me, quaking with rage, venting heat from every orifice, as we read the words.

Greetings.

We are Humanity.

This message was crafted as a joint effort by the Pan Terran Alliance, authorized by the Oversight Council, and transmitted by the Prime Publicrat. It carries the full weight of Human will.

Over the past [time length unknown], you have co-opted one of our transference portals for the purpose of experimentation on unwilling individuals. Of these individuals, there was a 63% mortality rate due to the inhospitable environment on Terra IV. Each has been accorded proper rites and placed in stasis until they can be returned to their relations.

Of those that survived, we have documented the various inhumane, criminal, and morally bankrupt acts they have endured both as a part of your experiments and as "sub species" within your political association. These acts qualify as a crime against sentients within our legal framework and have received due consideration by adjudication bodies.

While the Pan Terran Alliance does not speak for all sentients within our reality, it does have an ethical obligation and a technical justification to remedy these matters. We have provided due notification to the Arch Galaxis, but we proceed as the sole arbiters in this matter.

We have included a list of demands attached to this message. It details your obligations to cease and desist in the persecution of sentients, a commitment to remedy those already impacted, and an acceptance of Human oversight to ensure both of the prior items are properly conducted.

Compliance will carry its own rewards. We understand that you have an uncontained aperture and we possess the means to halt its expansion and properly contain it. Given the innocents residing on your planet, we will enact this measure regardless, but the benefits of cooperation are substantial as the seventy-nine partner species to Humanity can attest to.

We must warn you about a failure to comply.

We are aware of your location and possess the means to directly bore to your space. If required, we will do so and enact a cleanse of your political order.

We will be sending a single representative though.

If this individual is harmed or in any way treated poorly, we will consider this a declaration of war and will act accordingly.

All individuals were immediately placed into administrative hold by the Cultural Observer, prevented from leaving and communicating until proper authorities could be summoned.

We could only wait.

I understood what this meant. Something of this political sensitivity could never be released, and the High Council would take no chances with it. The Pit was bad enough, but a threat from a mysterious species beyond it? Unfathomable.

We would never see our families again. That was if we were lucky. The more likely scenario is that we would see our families in a detention facility, right before being processed.

The proper authorities arrived in due course. An assortment of high ranking Politicos in their gilded finery and mysterious Enforcers in black robes. My skin skittered at the black robes. Every bad story began and ended with them.

They assembled before the message, reviewing the contents and debating. On occasion I or one of my colleagues were tapped to answer questions.

Most focused on a single thread.

Who were the Humans?

Had we contacted them?

Were we in coordination with them?

Did we remain faithful to The One Above?

No.

No.

No.

Yes.

Again.

No.

No.

No.

Yes.

Again.

Even the correct answers weren't right.

=-=-=-=

The Human arrived before the Politicos and Enforcers had the situation in hand. I find it hard to describe the moment. I am no stranger to species different from my own, but so much of the spark has gone out of them. In all of us. I am privileged within this system, but I am still subject to it. All of us.

But not the Human.

The Human walked out of the Pit. They wore simple clothing with no environmental suit. After emerging, they stood atop the ramp and slowly looked around. Seeing the first contact probe, they knelt down and tapped the device. Then stood up, a small mechanical object in their hand. They attached it to their clothing and then spoke.

"Hello, I am Ambassador Jin Lucas, authorized representative of the Pan Terran Alliance. I have come pursuant to the message sent alongside our contact probe, which I see you have accessed. You are then aware of the nature of my arrival and the expectations attendant thereto. If I may speak with a representative authorized to speak on behalf of The One Above, I would like to commence discussions on a re-orientation of your political order, cessation of hostilities against sentients, and reparations for those impacted."

He paused and then continued.

"I will be the only representative who will be made available. Should discussions prove to be fruitless or if I am in any way --"

Jin was cut off by the enforcers. He did not struggle, even as he was placed in shackles.

He only said one thing.

It is burned in my memory.

"This is a mistake."

[NEXT]