"Standard information gathering will suffice. Focus on documenting the new tactics and equipment performance displayed by the Raiders during this operation, as well as any Dominion technology we have not previously cataloged in detail.
Regarding the expected adjutant and its embedded data, make a backup according to standard procedures to serve as supplementary archival information on this world's critical historical nodes," Osiris instructed, before shifting the topic entirely. "Now, the more vital task is to continue analyzing these two Keystone components."
His gaze returned to the fragments.
The Xel'Naga artifact fragments were, more precisely, components of the "Keystone"—a realization likewise drawn from his memories transcending this realm.
According to that knowledge from another lifetime, the Xel'Naga were depicted as ancient creators born of the Void, traversing the sea of stars. Their sacred mission was to seed life and uphold a cosmic law known as the Infinite Cycle.
The trajectory of this cycle was defined and grand: whenever a new universe was born, the Xel'Naga descended as avatars to sow the earliest seeds of life.
Afterward, they receded into a vast slumber, watching life evolve on its own without interfering.
Over eons of evolutionary history, each universe was destined to give rise to two races that reached absolute pinnacles: one possessing "purity of form," endowed with unparalleled physical prowess and adaptability; the other possessing "purity of essence," containing vast psionic power capable of harboring divine essence.
When these two chosen races followed clues left behind by the Xel'Naga—primarily the deliberately scattered and hidden Keystone components—to locate Ulnar, the sleeping sanctuary of the creators, and awaken them, the cycle entered its final chapter.
The eldest Xel'Naga would surrender all their essence, infusing it into a new lifeform born from the fusion of these two species, thereby creating a new Xel'Naga.
With that, the cycle for that universe reached completion, and the newly birthed Xel'Naga returned to the Void, joining their kin to await or travel to the next newborn universe, inaugurating yet another cycle.
The Keystone resting before Osiris was a vital link within this grand blueprint.
It was not merely a navigational beacon pointing toward Ulnar, the birthplace of life; it was also a sophisticated "key" and "energy receptacle." Holding sufficient energy within to awaken the sleeping creators, it waited quietly for the two designated species—purity of form and purity of essence—to assemble and activate it, unlocking the door to the ultimate trial and inheritance.
According to the knowledge drawn from another lifetime, the Xel'Naga were ancient creators born of the Void.
Their existence revolved around the Infinite Cycle—a grand law governing the creation of life across the universe, the selection of purity of form and purity of essence, and the ultimate guiding of their fusion to yield new Xel'Naga.
And the Keystone was the core creation of this law.
It was far more than a simple navigational beacon; it was the first object created by the Xel'Naga in the universe they seeded—a super energy device and coordinate repository linked directly to the Void and their sanctuary, Ulnar.
Scattered in pieces, it awaited the moment the Protoss and Zerg reassembled it, guiding the way to Ulnar to witness the ultimate answer to life's evolution: the final chapter of the Infinite Cycle.
Yet what Osiris focused on went far deeper than this widely understood "guidance" function.
Data in his memory also revealed the Keystone's hidden nature and incredible feats.
He knew that the assembled Keystone was once secretly altered by Narud, the fallen Xel'Naga, with the true intent of draining the Queen of Blades' massive psionic power as a "key" to draw Amon, the fallen god in the Void, back into the physical universe.
Though that conspiracy was thwarted, it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Keystone harbored profound power capable of manipulating—and even converting—life essence and immense energy.
Furthermore, during the final battle, Phase-Smiths of the Protoss unleashed its true capability: temporarily severing Amon's mental control over all Protoss via the Khala's psionic network, and at the final moment, at the cost of the Keystone's self-destruction, completely stripping and sealing Amon's corrupted divine consciousness out of the physical universe.
This demonstrated its ultimate potential to counter, and even eradicate, higher-dimensional Void entities.
These records convinced Osiris that the Keystone was never just a location navigator.
The underlying technical principles it employed—involving Void energy, 100% efficient mass-energy conversion, and foundational interference with psionic networks—were the mysteries truly worth probing.
Had Xel'Naga technology reached a height where it could directly define cosmic rules?
How had they integrated such origin-touching functions into this seemingly archaic crystalline structure?
Was the Keystone's energy source linked directly to the Void?
Did its method of interfering with fundamental physical laws in this universe serve as the key to unlocking the "Warp" or similar concepts?
As a Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the pursuit of knowledge—especially the lost, advanced knowledge of ancient civilizations—was a core directive driven deep within his logical architecture.
Compared to the grudges and conflicts of human empires, the technological legacy of an ancient presence like the Xel'Naga—capable of shaping species, guiding evolution, and leaving behind creations powerful enough to sway cosmic balance—unquestionably held a higher research priority and an endless allure of knowledge.
"Valerie, pull up all scan data we have gathered on both fragments to date, including energy spectrum analyses, structural resonance profiles, psionic signature interaction logs, and any signs of synergistic reaction when brought near one another," Osiris ordered, his mechanical fingers tracing a series of precise trajectories across the interface as multiple analytical views expanded. "We need to construct a more refined energy model of the fragments and attempt to derive the prospective technical architecture of its complete structure."
"Understood," Valerie immediately set to work.
Though not a specialized technician, in the absence of other candidates, she served as a capable temporary assistant for Osiris.
The fires of war on Tarsonis were about to ignite, but to Osiris, that was merely distant, inefficient background noise. All his cognitive modules were currently occupied by higher-priority processes: those two hovering crystals, acting like two silent, ancient databases glowing with faint blue radiance, their internal technical language waiting to be recompiled and understood.
The isolation lab doors sealed completely behind them, shutting out the physical noise generated by other ship sectors preparing for battle.
The internal environment was strictly controlled at optimal parameters: constant temperature and humidity, virtually negligible vibration, and ambient sound filtered down to nothing beyond the machinery's own operation.
On the workbench, an array of multi-spectrum scanners executed his pre-set protocols. From basic electromagnetic spectra to simulated psionic resonance fields, probing beams woven into an invisible net sought to capture every material and energy parameter comprising the "Keystone components".
Osiris stood motionless before the console. Behind pale blue optical lenses, data streams refreshed at speeds far exceeding human visual perception.
Every shift in spectral peaks and every subtle deviation in structural resonance were recorded and cross-referenced in real-time, integrated into a multidimensional model rapidly taking shape.