1st Sep 2547GS Research station Red Crown, in orbit around Sur'Kesh

Nearly 9 years after the emergence of the Protoform threat, the Salarians, being one of the best researchers in the wider galaxy, have been slowly, yet steadily, accumulating samples and information about the Protoforms. Multiple research stations have been set up secretly- staged on planets well beyond reach of any Mass Relays where even the FTL resupply ships would require months to reach, staged in the core of some asteroids, on the cold outer planets of the Sur'Kesh system where no prying Protoform would think of visiting, and on Sur'Kesh itself. Oh. Actually, in Low Orbit around it.

Red Crown, the Salarians' main research and analysis facility on the Protoforms, looked externally not very different from any of the several thousand military and civilian space stations in Sur'Kesh Orbit. In fact, Red Crown was built inside one of the Salarians' favorite tourist attraction and gambling site- the Sol Aureus Casino Station. Just behind those ornate, gilded walls was one of the most top-secret biological research facilities in the entire Citadel space. And Red Crown was hidden behind sight for a very real reason- Genetic Engineering, which was necessary for the study of Protoform samples,was all but completely banned by the Citadel Conventions. And although Redwatch had SPECTRE level access that let them bypass Citadel Law for dealing with the Protoform threat, several previous attempts at establishing a research facility have been met with constant threat of terrorism by Turian "Vigilantes" that thought they were doing the right thing. Also. The threat of Protoform infiltrators that was constantly on the move to infiltrate Redwatch facilities have also meant that the only way to not give your enemy a leeway was to stay dark and stay quiet.

Recently, as the 3rd STG Investigation fleet returned from Arcturus after almost 3 months of FTL travel, a new batch of tissue samples and other research materials was deposited onto Red Crown. It was almost conventional for every major STG investigation fleet to submit a sample of any form of biological matter they have encountered during an investigation to Redwatch- both as a mean to monitor the motion and evolution of the constantly-growing Protoform threat, and as an attempt to find a mean to counter it.

Suren: "Sir- this was a small collection of the biological samples we have collected from the remnants of the Arcturus Detonation Event. And you have to look at this."

Suren opened one of the cryogenic preservation containers- and among the racks of frozen tentacles and red-stripped flesh indicative of Protoform activity likely came from their constant use of the Mass Relays within the Arcturus system before the ShanXi relay blew up and sealed them out of Citadel Space; There were few vials of what looked like opalescent crystals whose shape resembled ominously to broken parts and pieces of technology. Not the Organic Technology Protoforms use which are different & doesn't maintain it's shape for long after it's deactivation, but actual, mechanical technology which the Citadel could comprehend.

Saleon: "Fascinating. Are you sure this came from the Protoform-infested system of Arcturus? They were... so different. Must be some new race that happen to cross the system. Or at least were using that system before the Protoforms showed up since all 4 remaining Mass Relays are now active, probably due to Protoform activity. So bad that they met these people-eating identity-stealing monsters right out of their own doorstep. Or it may be someone who are very, very, good at Dealing with them. I have to run a Gene sequencing and Carbon dating test to determine which scenario was likely."

4th Dec 2547GS, Research Station Red Crown in low orbit around Sur'Kesh.

The mystery only deepens. As the Salarians on Red Crown performed a more detailed test on the tissue samples they brought in, it was clear that the opalescent' crystalline tissue samples, deemed "Race 2", was apparently torn off of another, larger construct when the ShanXi Relay blew up 9 months ago.

And the Radiocarbon dating suggest that the tissue sample were apparently manufactured at most 11 days before the incident- Almost impossibly new in the standard of any form of permanent space stations or ships which could take months for a more conventional race to build, especially given the circumstance where there were significant, active Protoform activity around Arcturus. Which should have precluded any sort of construction activity around it if Race 2 was not Protoform, or is at conflict with them, forcing them to jump in ships that should be much, much older.

Genetic sequencing on the crystalline material, which, despite being almost Technological in appearance, contained large number of still-living cells with a large amount of sequence-able DNA, only deepens the question. The material was evidently grown and not built- plans for the microstructures of the fragments were found encoded within the DNA sequences in a compact, easy to decode, yet incredibly genius way. The genetic plans appear to be self-decoding, forming microstructures that resembled what was found during microscopy of the fragments themselves when cloned and incubated in vitro.

And it looked like that the fragments hold more information than needed just for building itself- DNA sequences from the sample formed structures that are much, much larger than just the fragments themselves when cloned and incubated in the right buffer solution. Structures that resembled a part of a much larger machine, whose exact purpose was completely out of guess by Redwatch Scientists on Red Crown due to the genetic plans being incomplete, likely because the fragments they have collected by now was simply too few to contain a full, detailed plan for what they were used to attach to.

Saleon: "Fascinated. Tests on the cells themselves have revealed more than one plan being encoded by the DNA genome of this strange, partially organic tech. Although access to other parts of the cells' genome would require in vivo cultivation of the cells themselves. Sample does not resemble Protoform at all- Protoform genetic structure chaotic, resemble highly evolved metazoan cells with gene spacing largely at random with random-length non-coding sequence in between. Sample genetic structure highly ordered, resemble programming evidently produced by intelligent entities with genes organized with regularly-spaced repeats and what appeared to be comments of an unknown language. Other structural plans evident in cell Genome- transcription of which appeared to be controlled using a simple, high-fidelity signaling system. And I already had a plan for the signal molecules needed."

In the next 3 months, the Salarians on Red Crown have experimented with samples of this strange, new race that have made appearance within the Arcturus detonation event. The Turians turned in the rest of the crystalline samples as requested by Red Crown with Redwatch, and within the multiple bioreactors and culture vats within the station of Red Crown, more and more fragments of this strange race's technology have emerged. However, most prominently, among many of the decoded structures formed as the cells were cultured and subjected to stimulation by the signal molecules cooked up by Saleon, one especially unnerved them. The structure specified within that specific part of the Cells' genome was a body that resembled an intelligent, mammalian life-form, superficially resembling the Asari both in body plan and in sexual markings, with the only difference being that this life-form had an unknown fibrous material coating it's head instead of the tentacles which the Asari had. It resembled the "Humans" which the Protoforms disguised themselves as in order to lure the Asari First Contact Team down to their planet before taking their forms and stealing their ship, unleashing the Protoform to the wider galaxy.

Suren, as he watched the lifeless figure bobbed up and down inside the cultivation tank, with Clothing that resembled Prothean in style already manifested itself around it' body as if they were part of itself, an ability that was only seen in the Protoforms before: "Shocked. I thought that they were unrelated with the Protoforms- their genetic structures are so different that there bear no resemblance whatsoever on the genetic level. Then this body plan shows up. Very different in the mechanism of which they were encoded, but evidently came from the same planet the Protoforms came from as we all seen the Asari first contact team meeting with these 'Hyoo-Manns' before the entire thing went the wrong way 9 years ago."

Saleon: "Suren, you are mostly right on the genetic analysis results of this 'Race 2' when compared to the Protoforms. Except for one trait. I was not supposed to tell you about this since it was considered classified data. Make sure you don't tell anyone else about this once you hear this from me. Let's go."

Under the guise of a toilet break, Saleon and Suren entered the restrooms of Sol Aureus, just outside of the Red Crown facility at the core of the space station.

Inside the restroom, Saleon scanned for any bugs and cameras using his Omni Tool, and the three that were found was instantly hacked by Saleon and tricked to play a continuous loop instead of monitoring the inside of the small cubicle, turning the restroom into a perfectly isolated quiet-room for secret meeting.

Saleon: "You mentioned that there were no resemblance in the genome of the Protoforms and Race 2. except for one thing. The RNA polymerase of the Protoforms and of this new race were homologous. Only the shape however. But definitely came from a common ancestor- they both had the Fingers-Palm-Thumb domain structure which was only found in the Protoform and this 'Race 2', and they all recognized one and only one unique DNA sequence as it's Promotor. No other races had this structure- each race have a completely different shaped-and-structured proteome. Especially the enzymes used for genetic Replication and Transcription since each emerged on their own planet independent from the influence of the other. And same shape always imply common ancestry."

Suren: "So the 'Hyoo-Mann' body plan must be that common ancestor. Two races with the same ancestor that have diverged so much that not even the difference between the Bacteria on Thessia and the Asari themselves could be used to describe the level of difference. And it must happen within 50000 years as that was the cycle of which all intelligent life is purged by an unknown reason all throughout the galaxy. Not even traces of DNA of the previous cycles were left behind so no divergence in the Intelligent species of the galaxy have been recorded to ever exceed what was expected for 50000 years of evolution."

Saleon: "And two races that have diverged so much couldn't possibly share a single Hive Mind, which I assume that the Protoforms have one judged by the coordination in their planning and execution of the mass disguise and the heist of We Came In Peace in their escape from the Earth and the Infestation of the Galaxy. If they are Hive Minded by ancestry, then they should have diverged so much that they can not possibly share the same set of FTL communication method as there were no two proteins that were conserved across the Protoforms and Race 2 except for the RNA polymerase, which would be necessary to host entangled particles of the same kind, let alone the same pair. Even the DNA polymerases were different."

Suren: "And no signs of Element Zero or anything that could be used to manipulate it was found in their genome, either. So no common method of FTL communication that would imply a shared Hive Mind even if Race 2 had one."

Saleon: "And that's why I think that Race 2 could be utilized in the fight against the Protoforms. Protoforms are a Ravenous Hive. Anything that is not a part of their Hive is considered food. Race 2 was found with recent Protoform activity- which means that unless they have another form of Communication which is not encoded inside their genome that allow them to share a Hive Mind, The Protoforms and Race 2 must automatically become grave enemies toward each other- or at least the instant when a Protoform or a Protoform ship attempted to eat one of them."

15 Jan 2548G.S., Research station Red Crown in low orbit around Sur'Kesh

Salarian Scientist 1: "Sample 21-Normal. Sample 22-Normal... Wait. I detected a bioelectric signature. Wait. The signature is strengthening... Red Alert! Red Alert! We have a containment breach in Sample Storage Area 5, Follow your training and proceed in Lockdown procedure!"

The lifeless figure within the tank, the "Human" design that was extracted from the biological tissue samples brought back from the Arcturus system, suddenly opened her eyes.

J.A.C.K. , or the part of Jack Zero Sully 2041 (11111111001) that was integrated into the construction of the Wormhole Transporter Experimental Probe that went to the Arcturus system and triggered the second Relay Explosion as it arrived, gained consciousness and woke up, as the part of the coding that was responsible for forming the Evolved form of a New Blacklight Individual was extracted from dormancy in the cellular matter of the Probe's leftover construction materials by the Salarian researchers and activated. Of course, the material that was used in the probe's construction did not carry a complete neural pattern of the Evolved/Individual that contributed the active Biomass for it- But it doesn't mean that the Physical blueprint for the Individual wasn't there. New Blacklight Individuals encode their bodies in a compact pattern stored within each and every of their cell Nucleus- they can reassemble themselves even from a single cell if the environmental conditions were correct. In Constructs, this blueprint is deactivated and put on Dormancy, but it was still there and is capable of being activated, given the right genetic manipulation and signal molecules. A combination that have been extracted from the genome of the fragments and synthesized by the Salarian Researchers of Red Crown.

Salarian Researcher 2: "I think we accidentally woke up one of their Individuals that was trapped inside the fragments we have been researching on... Ready first contact protocol and dump Bose-Einstein Condensate to the vat as soon as the Individual display any signs of hostility!"

J.A.C.K was completely amnesiac- As her cellular material was extracted from the construction materials of a Synthetic, there was no neural pattern of the original Jack Zero Sully 2041(11111111001) recorded whatsoever within the material she was derived from. Recognizing the figure surrounding them as non-Blacklight, J.A.C.K reacted instinctively, thought that the aliens were the Device Builders that were considered primary threat by the Wormhole Transporter Probing Program where the fragments were originally programmed. Biomass quickly assimilated from the culture medium surrounding her, and J.A.C.K soon accumulated enough of it to smash through the tank and escape.

Salarian Researcher 1: "Target hostility detected- Dump the Bose-Einstein Condensate to the tank as quickly as possible!"

The tank's temperature starts to quickly drop as the Bose-Einstein Condensate is pumped into the culture medium within- however, it was already too late. Before the temperature drop to freezing, the glass walls of the holding tank have already started to crack as J.A.C.K powered up her actuators and punched repeatedly against the walls of the tank. And water of this volume required a lot of time and energy pumped out of it to freeze- ice crystals formed on the upper surface of the culture medium as J.A.C.K shattered the reinforced glass and start to tear at the polycarbonate plastic laminate sandwiched within. More ice crystals appeared on the walls as J.A.C.K tore through the glass wall and a hand emerged out of the holding tank. J.A.C.K escaped the tank, ripping the entire front side open as the culture medium start to become a slush from the Bose-Einstein Condensate froze more and more of the water within. As J.A.C.K escaped the holding tank from the front, what left of the tank have became a large chunk of frozen ice, whose shape ironically resembled a Frozen Throne.

Red Crown V.I.: "ATTENTION! Subject E-22 , now designated code-name 'ZERO', have escaped containment! Lockdown of the station is now automatically initiated. ALL Guards, set your Rally point at Sample Storage Area 5 and use suppressing fire on the escaped subject! Re-containment of the Subject is at high priority- Use Cryo rounds as much as possible, do NOT damage the subject as you subjugate it!"

Still confused, J.A.C.K sees multiple squads of what seems to look like bipedal, human-shaped, yet short-built amphibians toward her. Not Infected. And the Planium detection arrays within her body tells her that the technology on the space station contained a large amount of Planium. They may be the Device Builders. Which means that they must be the always-chaotic-evil race behind the unimaginably powerful weapons that are power enough to sterilize an entire system while still leave it suitable for colonization afterward.

"Must not let them know about our coordinates- destroy the station before they could extract anything useful from the samples. The Device Builders must NOT learn about the exact coordinates of New Blacklight."

Cryo rounds flung across her- but it was of no use as J.A.C.K secreted an adhesive on her feet, allowing her to run up the walls of the space station and find cover between the various fixtures and devices on the walls and the ceiling easily. J.A.C.K located one of the amphibian life-forms on the floor of the holding area, and a cloud of distortions and blurred particles soon jetted toward the location of the unlucky Salarian. Another flash of brilliant blue and ultraviolet light and cloud of distortion-like particles later, and the Salarian is no more.

Salarian Guard: "Attention! Race 2 have the same capabilities of the Protoforms! Scatter and use the Anti-Protoform maneuvers!"

Saleon: "Subject capabilities similar to that of the Protoform- Yet the mechanism of which the abilities are implemented are completely different. Fascinating. A divergent species somehow evolving similar capabilities through Convergent Evolution. No attempts of FTL communications are made- Protoform almost certainly use Quantum Entanglement Communication. Race 2 have no capability of QEC either in their genome or their macroscale design. No Mass Effect Fields detected- Tight Beam seems unlikely. Subject likely autonomous. Not the same Hive Mind as the Protoform."

J.A.C.K smashed into and consumed several other Salarians that was trying to shoot her, before plotting a course to escape the Device-Builder's space station. The Station appeared to be constructed out of a metal of which the nuclear forces within the material have been extended in range, which make it surprisingly durable. Not Indestructible though, but definitely a next step toward New Blacklight materials science if it could be replicated. Charging actuators and deploying Fusion thrusters on her back, J.A.C.K jets out from her hiding, and slammed against the place where the station's walls were the thinnest, sharp, diamond-like-carbon claws already formed above her arms and crossed, ready to cut through the thinner part of the wall on one of the corners of the chamber she is currently in.

After a loud bang, the wall of Sample Storage Area 5 have been torn up from it's corner- and a J.A.C.K-shaped hole have been left on the machinery and internal structures underneath, sparks flying everywhere from severed wires and tubing.

J.A.C.K is now on a consuming spree- as she plotted her course of escape out of Red Crown and smashed through multiple walls, small bits of Planium nearby destabilizing from her power reactors creating a chain of explosions and fire as J.A.C.K have started to accumulate Holminid matter from the Device Builders she have consumed on her way out. Once out of the station and reached safety, J.A.C.K would unleash a torrent of electron antineutrinos onto the rest of the station- turning it into a cloud of glowing plasma and completely erasing any evidence of New Blacklight in the hold of the Device Builders.

Red Crown V.I.: "All Crew- Evacuate the station. Find the nearest shuttle and escape pod, and take as many of your personal belongings, data and samples with you- This station may fall, but we can't afford to lose all of our research!"

The station let out it's escape pods as fire and blue colored explosions tore through it's insides, J.A.C.K took time to not leave any bits of samples intact as she detonated the Planium within the gravity generators inside the area.

A silvery, glowing figure escaped the collapsing space station, and as she escaped toward a safe distance, the Holminid matter within J.A.C.K disintegrated as a large energy pulse is dumped into it, bringing it over the electroweak threshold where the conversion of baryons into leptons and neutrinos take place. A beam of electron antineutrinos shot out from the front side of J.A.C.K and struck the core of the space station. Nearly one and half ton of Planium was destabilized in an instant, releasing 2.248*10^25 joules of energy, the equivalent of nearly 7.13 year worth of the total insolation on Sur'Kesh or the total energy output of an average solar flare, at a location that is practically just above the planet's atmosphere.

The Salarians are going to have a really, really bad day.

The Salarian Matriarchy, at the night hemisphere of Sur'Kesh

The sole moon of Sur'Kesh shines peacefully and brightly at the waxing crescent- everything seemed normal at first glance.

And suddenly, the direction of that crescent was turned the other way, and it starts to shine brighter than Sur'Kesh's sun. Salarians on the street stopped, curious about the change of their moon, street lights turned off as the photocells on the top of them detected enough light for the electrical circuits that controls the lights to think that the day have came.

Salarian bystander 1: "Did the sun... just explode?"

Salarian scientist 2: "No... It was another sun that have appeared above the continent of Su'en. And that sun is now burning that continent into ashes and vapour. See, it was about to arrive."

An enormous, blue fireball appeared on the western horizon of the Salarian Martiarchy, first appearing like another sunrise, before it became bigger and bigger, enveloping almost half of the sky. Salarians panicked and escaped to the nearest shelter.

Salarian bystander 1: "Aren't we supposed to panic and find shelter?"

Salarian scientist 2: "It won't work. That explosion released more then 45 times the energy of the prehistoric Rannoch impact that wiped out every animal on that planet except the Quarians themselves and a few small mammals. Taking shelter would just mean that you are now cooked alive instead of being vaporized. Enjoy the view while it lasts."

The glow from the Planium explosion became brighter and brighter, then unbearably bright as the fireball enveloped the two Salarians, turning them, and every living organism on Sur'kesh, into carbon vapors and mineral ash.

This was the last day of Normalcy in Citadel Space.