Thargoid: Difference between revisions

At some point in the distant past, the Thargoids instigated a [[Guardian-Thargoid War|war]] with another intelligent species called the [[Guardian]]s over territory.<ref name=":5" /> Although the Guardians eventually prevailed, the Thargoids only opted to retreat because they were unprepared for a protracted campaign against a rival civilization. Thargoids and humanity have been embroiled in two wars. The [[First Thargoid War|first conflict]] occurred between 3125 and 3151, and is believed to have ended in a human victory with the [[Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm]]'s successful deployment of the [[mycoid]] bio-weapon. The [[Second Thargoid War|second, ongoing conflict]] began in 3303 and has been rapidly escalating with no resolution in sight, disrupting dozens of systems across the [[Pleiades Nebula]], [[Witch Head Nebula]], [[Coalsack Nebula]], [[California Nebula]], and the [[Core Systems]].

Following the battle of [[HIP 22460]] and the deployment of the [[Anti-xeno superweapon|Proteus Wave]] by [[Azimuth Biotech]] (an attempt to cripple the Thargoid race) in August of 3308, the Thargoids mobilised a full [[Thargoid Maelstrom|invasion fleet]], that converged on the human inhabited [[Core Systems|Bubble]] later that year.

The Thargoids seeded a number of planets with [[barnacles]] in what eventually became Guardian space 1 to 2 million years ago.<ref name=":3">[https://canonn.science/codex/guardians-codex/ Canonn Research: Guardians Codex 1/28 : Thargoid Log – Barnacle Seeding]</ref><ref name=":5" /> Several thousand years later, the Thargoids returned and discovered that the planets they had seeded were occupied by the Guardians. The Thargoids immediately [[Guardian-Thargoid War|launched an assault]], making no effort to communicate with the Guardians. This tallies with the Thargoids' behaviour in [[human]] space.<ref>[https://canonn.science/codex/guardians-codex/ Canonn Research: Guardians Codex 2/28 : Thargoid Log – The War Begins]</ref>

According to the logs of the [[Megaship]] [[GCS Sarasvati]], the [[First Thargoid War]] ended in 3151. In the aftermath, the [[Galactic Cooperative]] set up a series of deep space monitoring stations, one of which was the GCS Sarasvati, to watch for a resurgent Thargoid threat. This initiative was called Project Equinox. However, by December 27, 3155, no Thargoid presence had been detected whatsoever and members of the project questioned its usefulness. By August 16, 3172, GalCop had become weakened and fractured, and Project Equinox was shut down. Unfortunately, this occurred just as project lead Dr. Cassandra Lockhart discovered that the Thargoids had been sowing the seeds for their future return all along, and her warnings were ignored.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/gcs-sarasvati-early-thargoid-lookout-megaship.380074/ Frontier Forums: GCS Sarasvati - early Thargoid lookout megaship]</ref>

In the course of the war, a number of Thargoid ships were captured by the Galactic Cooperative, and later fell into the possession of the Alliance in the years after GalCop collapsed. By the 3270s, the Alliance was able to reverse-engineer Thargoid technology to produce the single most consequential hyperdrive innovation in centuries: the [[Frame Shift Drive]]. FSDs reduced travel times in [[Hyperspace]] from hours to mere seconds, opening the floodgates for human exploration and expansion. Due to the machinations of [[The Club]], however, the Alliance did not leverage FSD technology to gain superiority over the Federation and Empire; instead, the tech fell into the hands of [[Sirius Corporation]], which monopolized it and distributed it to all the powers and factions, ensuring no one gained an advantage. Afterwards, [[The Club]] suppressed information about the Thargoids so that it became a myth among the public.<ref name="EDP" />

Over the course of 3304, the Thargoids continued to attack stations in a weekly cycle and also picked off remote [[Settlement]]s, resulting in tens of thousands of human casualties. Initially, only stations in and around the [[Pleiades Nebula]], the Thargoids' beachhead, that were hosting Aegis research labs were targeted; at the time, the labs were analyzing Thargoid Sensors and Probes in an effort to decrypt Thargoid territorial data. The attacks steadily moved towards the [[Core Systems]], however, and on February 15, 3304, Gaiman Dock in 49 Arietis and Weyn Dock in 64 Arietis were hit, marking the Thargoids' arrival in the outer fringe of the heart of human civilization. Sightings and encounters with hostile [[Thargoid Scout]]s followed, as well as attacks on stations with no association with Aegis. In response to this crisis, Aegis unveiled a new initiative on March 9 called [[Eagle Eye]] which used an array of six [[Installation]]s to intercept and analyze Thargoid transmissions to determine their next probable targets. Independent pilots were able to concentrate their efforts in defence of the targeted systems and prevent many attacks from occurring.

On August 13, 3304, the megaship, [[The Gnosis]], flagship of the Canonn Interstellar Research Group, announced plans to jump into the permit-locked Cone Sector region for a four week tour. Despite a warning from [[Pilots Federation|The Pilots Federation]] about high concentrations of Thargoids inside the Sector, The Gnosis commenced the jump on September 6. The Gnosis was hyperdicted before it could reach its destination, and attacked by Scouts and Hydra Interceptors, a newly discovered variant of Interceptor that was stronger than the Medusae. The Megaship managed to survive the attack, as pilots baited the Thargoids away using meta-alloys.

As of May 3307, the Second Thargoid War continued to rage in the Core Systems with no end in sight. While human pilots were able to hold their own against the Thargoids thanks to [[Guardian]]-human hybrid weapons and technologies developed by the [[Engineers|Engineer]] [[Ram Tah]], Thargoids ships still managed to overwhelm defence forces and strike stations. It was believed that the Thargoids viewed humanity's colonization of the Pleiades as an encroachment on their territory, and their hyper-aggressive nature compelled them to respond with unceasing hostility, but this, as well as the Thargoids' ultimate goal, remained unconfirmed.

In September 3307, an individual identifying themselves as [[Salvation]] (who had previously come to public attention due to his knowledge of historical research into both the Thargoids and Guardians by [[Azimuth Biochemicals]]) warned the galactic community that the Thargoids were preparing to attack the Cornsar system. This was not taken seriously given the system's distance from Thargoid territory and the lack of strategic targets. Aegis, due to its partial operational shutdown was unable to verify the report. Days later, the Thargoids indeed swarmed into the system, catching local authorities completely off-guard. Mysteriously however, the Thargoids made a sudden retreat from the system after several days of intense fighting, after which commanders found large numbers of crashed Thargoid crafts on the surface of local planets. This was proclaimed to be the work of an [[anti-xeno superweapon]] deployed by Salvation, which seemingly cleared the system in a single stroke. Salvation would go on to deploy anti-xeno weapons in other affected systems, further souring the public's view of Aegis and drawing approval of the new approach from the Superpowers.

In January of 3308 Aegis was dealt a death blow by the [[Paul Baumann|Baumann Report]], published at the conclusion of the independent inquiry. The Federation, Empire and Alliance all moved to create their own anti-xeno defense forces while contributing funds previously reserved for Aegis to Salvation and his corporate partners, Taurus Mining Ventures. Despite this there was some disquiet following the engineer Ram Tah's discovery that Salvation's anti-xeno superweapon was based on data and technology from the Azimuth Biochemicals ship the [[Proteus]], and that the long defunct company had engaged in unethical research as a subcontractor for [[Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm|INRA]], perfecting the [[Mycoid|Mycoid virus]]. Concerns were raised that the superweapons were actively drawing Thargoids into systems they were constructed in, needlessly endangering lives. Salvation claimed he was working towards the next generation of his superweapon, one which could seemingly eliminate the Thargoid threat once and for all. During this time many officers and pilots from the Federal, Sirius and Imperial Navies, as well as the Alliance Defense Force, began resigning their commissions to join Salvation's cause

Later that month it was revealed that Azimuth Biochemicals had survived in some form and were responsible for the disappearance of the Alexandria and the theft of its cargo. Azimuth had also been implicated in horrific experiments to interface captured test subjects with Thargoid crafts. The pleas of former Aegis head-researchers to reform their organisation fell on death ears however, as the Superpowers had determined Salvation's methods were far more effective strategically. Aegis was formally shut down on January 18, 3308, with its military and xenological research responsibilities assumed by the superpowers' navies and universities. Full demobilisation of Aegis's staff, ships, and resources was expected to take several months to complete.

In mid 3308, Tauris Mining Ventures formally rebranded as [[Azimuth Biotech]], confirming suspicions on how Salvation acquired such advanced knowledge of Guardian technology. Construction of the new anti-xeno superweapon (now dubbed the Proteus Wave) began construction within a [[Thargoid Surface Site|Thargoid Structure]] on planet 10b of the HIP 22460 system. Despite public outcry about the numerous crimes Azimuth had committed over the centuries, the three superpowers and Sirius continued to back Salvation given the strategic significance of crippling the Thargoid fleet. All four factions contributed megaships, dreadnaughts and large amounts of manpower to the effort, as the vast quantities of Guardian materials imported to the system to construct the Proteus Wave drew ever larger swarms of Thargoids.

As of mid-August 3308, HIP 22460 has been declared a Hazardous Environment, having been conquered by the Thargoids who aggressively track, peruse and destroy any human vessel in the system. The Proteus Wave (still active and visible from high-orbit around planet 10b) has become the site of a major, unidentified anomaly. Guardian Technology brought into the system rapidly degrades to the point of non-functionality, while human systems appear to glitch constantly in either [[Supercruise]] or normal space. Numerous debris fields from the massacre of the human fleet dot the system, along with the wrecks of [[Megaship|megaships]] and Federal and Imperial Capitol class ships. Salvation has disappeared (presumed dead) and Azimuth Biotech has confirmed all engineers of the Proteus Wave have been slain. The superpowers and Sirius have been focused on the withdrawal of their forces and there is no longer a united front against the Thargoids, leading many to speculate the attempt to end the Second Thargoid war has instead escalated it to new heights.

on August 25 3308, independent rescue teams confirmed that Salvation was killed during the HIP 22460 incident, having been present on The Bright Sentinel when the Proteus Wave activated, and the subsequent destruction of the Megaship.

Throughout September and October 3308, independent explorers began tracking eight mysterious anomalies which were travelling at speeds faster than light. They were named 'Rogue Signal Sources', and determined to be converging on the Core Systems by 4 November 3308.  

The Federation cracking down on Thargoid worshipping cults has fueled xeno-peace movements with the Thargoids, believing that coexistence with the species is possible, and conflict can be averted with diplomacy. On 17 November 3308, a Xeno-Peace mission is launched, where the Kingfisher megaship is to travel to Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1, and attempt to make contact with Taranis, the Rogue Signal Source that would be the first to arrive at the Core Systems, which is also expected to pass through Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1. The mission was ultimately a failure, and the Kingfisher was destroyed by Thargoid ships.

On 29 November 3308, Taranis arrived at the Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 system, deploying a huge number of Thargoids to invade surrounding systems in a huge escalation of the war, destroying starports, settlements, and outposts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Many systems are completely conquered, with stations abandoned. Taranis itself is revealed to be a large corrosive nebulae-like cloud, containing Caustic Generators and patrolling Interceptors, as well as disabling all guardian-based weaponry within its 100 km wide radius. The core remains a mystery, and any approaching ships are blasted back with a very strong Thargoid Pulse released from the center. The Orthrus Interceptor returns, having rarely been seen in the past. It is speculated that they are some sort of scouting vessel, gathering data for the Thargoids without participating in any combat. When engaged, the Orthrus releases a shutdown field before jumping away, leaving behind a caustic trail as it moves.

The Federation, Empire, Alliance, and Independence forces engage in combat with the Thargoids, in some cases liberating systems from their control. This is partly thanks to the development of newer Anti-Xeno weaponry by Azimuth Biotech. Nevertheless, The Thargoids continue pushing into the Core Systems. By this point, millions have already been killed, and many more have been displaced.

In December 3308, Professor Alba Tesreau calls for Aegis to be reformed in order to fight the Thargoids, as more research is needed into research and defense projects against the Thargoids so that humanity can successfully repel them.

on 13 February 3309, Aegis is reformed by the Alliance, Federation, and the Empire in order to ensure more cooperation, and increase research and development of Anti-Xeno weaponry. They begin researching into countermeasures against the Maelstrom caustic cloud. By 20 February they begin testing a prototype version of a caustic sink launcher, designed to protect against the caustic environment witthin the Maelstrom.

By the end of February, a total of 634 systems have been overrun by the Thargoids, while only 61 systems have been liberated by humanity from Thargoid control. Fierce fighting also broke out in the enclaves in the California and Witch Head Nebulas, speculated that the Thargoids are trying to secure control of the barnacle sites they created millennia ago.

On 9 May 3309, the Thargoid Pulse Neutraliser is released to independent ships, being able to successfully negate the Thargoid Pulse released from the center of the Maelstrom. Combined with the caustic sink launcher, it is now possible to successfully penetrate into the core of the Maelstrom. On 10 May, Aegis sends armed ships equipped with Thargoid pulse neutralisers into each Maelstrom, on a mission to gather as much tactical and environmental data as possible about the Thargoids.

Thargoids are an insectoid species. Little is known about their physical appearance and biology, and descriptions based on encounters centuries ago have yet to be verified. Their chemistry is carbon-based, but with ammonia as the solvent rather than water.<ref>[https://archive.li/r1cmc Rolling Stone: 'Elite' Creator on Sci-Fi, Politics and His Studio's Next Big Thing], through archive.today</ref> If the rumours are true that they come from [[Ammonia World|Ammonia-based planets]] then their physiology is drastically different from humans. For example, ammonia boils at -33 degrees C. Thargoids may well be acclimatised to temperatures far lower than humans.<ref name="DW" /> They are presumed to be highly intelligent, more than the average human due to their superior technological capabilities.

At some point, the Oresrian and Klaxian dynasties became embroiled in a civil war. Prior to 3303, the Klaxians gained the upper hand in this conflict and forced the Oresrians into a slow, continuous retreat across the galaxy, a retreat which will take them directly through human space. [[The Club]] has learned that the Oresrians planned to use human civilization as a "bullet shield" to occupy the Klaxians' attention while they escape deeper into space. This poses a potentially apocalyptic threat to humanity's survival.<ref name="EDP" />   

It is unclear whether Thargoids are a Type II or [[Elite Universe#Type III Civilizations|Type III civilization]] based on the Kardashev scale. Their lack of control over the Milky Way galaxy indicates they are Type II. However, since Thargoids may originate from another galaxy, parallel [[universe]], or spatial dimension they could be Type III.

The Thargoids construct most of their structures and ships using [[Meta-Alloys]], [[Thargoid Resin]], and [[Thargoid Biological Matter]]. The Meta-Alloys serve as a base that provides structural integrity and counters the caustic effects of the versatile Resin, which is utilized in both solid and liquid forms. Destroyed Thargoid ships vent a cloud of the vaporized form of the Resin, which is highly corrosive. The Biological Matter's purpose in Thargoid structures is unknown, but it might be used as an analogue to wiring and electronic systems in human ships and serve as the "nerves" of a Thargoid vessel.

[[Thargoid Surface Site]]s demonstrate the Thargoids can construct vast structures. The purpose of these sites is unknown, but the interiors of several have been found to contain machines classified as Unknown Devices in a centralized chamber. [[Thargoid Egg]]s can be found around and inside these sites. It is unknown what produces these eggs or what gestates inside them.

|Invaded by the Thargoids in June 3304.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/5b34b13246fe331e2f6ca222 GalNet: Thargoid Assault on the Deciat System]</ref> Despite the defeat of the invasion force, Non-Human Signal Sources remain plentiful years later. Currently the only location in the Core Systems with a long-term Thargoid presence.