As Genesis approached the coordinates Lady Flowers had provided, Janet pulled up the final pieces of research she had extracted from the ship's historical archives. The data was fragmentary, buried in subsections that had been marked for deletion but never actually purged. They were ghost files from an era when Genesis served very different purposes.
"Experiment X3012," Janet announced to the small group gathered around the conference table. With Drew, Simran, and Carlos aboard the Prosperity's Edge, establishing the drone network, only Tanya, Cameron, and Amara were present for the briefing. "A class-based society using four distinct genetic templates."
The holographic display showed clinical documentation that made Tanya's scrunch up her nose in repulsion at the sight. Genetic manipulation never sat right with her.
"They used alien DNA splicing, like you know, the official history says there were no aliens, but we know differently," Janet continued, her voice carefully neutral. "Each template was designed for specific societal functions. The manual labour class, designated Alpha-7 was engineered with enhanced muscle density, reinforced skeletal structure, and improved oxygen efficiency. Basically super-human construction workers who could operate in hostile environments for extended periods."
She pulled up detailed genetic profiles that made the modifications sickeningly precise. "The ruling-scientist class, Beta-2, received cognitive enhancement through expanded neural pathways and improved memory formation. IQ scores averaging 200 plus, with enhanced pattern recognition and analytical processing. Their brains aren't really human anymore."
"The crafting class, Gamma-5, got modified nervous systems for improved dexterity and reflexes. Reaction times three times faster than baseline human, fine motor control sufficient for microscopic assembly work. And the breeding caste, Delta-9..." Janet's voice carried distaste. "Enhanced fertility, improved prenatal health, and genetic markers designed to ensure compatibility with all other templates. They are required as hybrids are sterile."
Cameron studied the genetic profiles with scientific fascination. "This explains why Holy order would be feared if most of them are human-alien hybrids."
"The first set of hybrids were abandoned on-planet without vortex drives, dimensional crystals, or long-range communication capabilities but with normal educational resources," Janet said. "They are completely isolated. No way off-world."
Tanya stared at the data, appalled by the casual reduction of people to biological functions. "This is horrific. They created an entire society based on genetic slavery and abandoned them when the experiment was finished."
"But the concept has merit," Cameron argued. "Enhanced humans designed for specific roles, functioning as an optimised society. If it works, why not pursue it?"
"Because they're people, not tools," Tanya replied sharply. "Genetic modification without consent is—"
"How do you give consent before you're born?" Cameron interrupted. "Every parent makes genetic decisions for their children. What environment they're raised in, what advantages they're given. This is just more precise."
Amara leaned forward with her characteristic pragmatism. "The ethics are complicated, but that's why you need experiments," she added, responding to Tanya's continued objection. "To find out what works and what doesn't. The practical question is what we will actually find down there? Two centuries of isolation could have created anything. Or they went extinct"
"And if there are complications? If the modifications caused suffering or instability?" Tanya asked.
"Then you learn from the data and improve the process," Cameron said with the callous logic of scientific inquiry.
Janet closed the holographic display with obvious relief at ending the uncomfortable conversation. "The only way to know what happened is to go and see."
Genesis dropped out of vortex space to find a world that bore little resemblance to the experimental parameters Janet had described. The recorded survey data indicated a harsh but habitable planet, a challenging environment but well within colonial standards. What they observed was a world teetering on the edge of complete uninhabitability.
Massive tectonic activity had scarred continents with volcanic ranges that belched sulfur dioxide and ash into an increasingly unstable atmosphere. The atmospheric composition showed dangerous levels of particulates and trace toxins that would require environmental suits for extended surface exposure. Ocean levels had dropped by nearly thirty percent, leaving vast salt plains where inland seas had once supported the original colony sites.
"Environmental degradation is severe," Cameron reported from the sensor station, his displays showing radiation readings, atmospheric toxicity levels, and seismic activity that painted a grim picture. "This planet is dying. The volcanic activity has been increasing exponentially over the past decades. At current rates, the atmosphere will become completely unbreathable within fifty years. I don't think it was natural. That much change does not happen within two centuries."
The scans revealed more disturbing details. Strip mining operations had devastated entire mountain ranges, apparently focused on extracting materials for weapons manufacturing rather than environmental restoration. Agricultural zones showed signs of soil depletion and contamination from industrial runoff. What had once been a carefully planned colonial site had become an industrial wasteland.
Before they could complete their detailed survey, surface-to-space missiles launched from multiple locations across the primary continent. The weapons were primitive by Genesis's standards. Chemical propellant rockets with conventional warheads, but they were precisely targeted and launched in coordinated volleys that suggested sophisticated tactical planning.
"Three distinct launch sites," Amara observed, studying the tactical display that now showed detailed geographical analysis. "Northern mountain settlement shows heavy fortification and what appears to be military-industrial infrastructure. A coastal city has extensive port facilities and naval defences. Southern desert settlement is built into a canyon system with underground installations."
The story was becoming clear. Over the centuries of isolation, the genetically designed society had fragmented into competing factions, each establishing independent settlements that now regarded the others as enemies.
"War," Tanya said grimly, watching heat signatures that indicated ongoing conflicts between the settlements. "They've turned their genetic advantages into weapons against each other."
The cities showed clear signs of militarisation—defensive walls, weapon emplacements, resource extraction focused on military applications. Whatever social harmony the genetic templates had been designed to create had collapsed into factional warfare.
"I'm not sure this is worth the effort," Tanya admitted, studying the complex political situation below. "We don't have time to negotiate between three hostile factions, especially when each one has distinct genetic modifications that probably inform their cultural identity."
//I disagree,// Sage said, his mental voice carrying unexpected firmness. //I can sense great potential in these populations. Their genetic modifications represent natural evolution accelerated through conscious design. They simply require proper guidance to reach their intended functionality.//
"Why are you suddenly interested in this?" Tanya asked suspiciously.
//Genetic optimisation is the logical next step in conscious evolution. These people demonstrate what can be achieved when biology serves purpose rather than random mutation. With appropriate leadership, they could become extraordinarily valuable allies.//
Tanya felt the familiar scent of Sage offering something she needed in exchange for something she wasn't sure she wanted to do. "What's your offer?"
//Successfully integrate these populations into a functional society, and I will unlock Workshop Level Three capabilities. Capital ship construction, industrial-scale fabrication, automated production systems that could establish forge worlds within years rather than decades.//
"Why can't you just give me access now?"
//My design parameters require benchmark achievements before advancing capabilities. This prevents misuse of advanced technology by insufficiently developed bonded individuals. Proving you can manage complex social integration demonstrates readiness for larger responsibilities.//
Tanya looked at the planet below with three warring cities populated by genetically modified humans who'd been abandoned to fend for themselves on a dying world. The moral complexity was staggering, but so was the potential reward.
Workshop Level Three would give her the tools to actually build the evacuation fleets and forge worlds that the galaxy would need when the Scourge arrived. The question was whether she was willing to manipulate entire populations to get there.
"This feels like another test," she said.
//Everything is a test when the stakes are civilizational survival. The question is whether you will rise to meet the challenge or allow moral paralysis to prevent necessary action.//
Tanya stared at the planet, thinking about lives lost, forge worlds needed, and the impossible scale of what they were trying to accomplish. Maybe Sage was right—maybe this was just evolution accelerated, people who needed guidance rather than abandonment.
Or maybe she was rationalising exploitation because she needed the workshop upgrades.
Either way, they were going to intervene and find out what centuries of isolation had done to Experiment X3012.
Whether that was salvation or damnation remained to be seen.