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OBSERVATIONS:

A bizarre phenomenon has been observed in the Deradune region's tar pits. Bones of long-dead creatures are reemerging from the muck, reanimated as mindless killing machines. Locals and our own troops have dubbed the monsters "skeledroids."

Exo-Lab A37 was discovered near the tar pits, suggesting a possible connection. Lady Artemis Zin, explorer and galactic celebrity, entered the facility as part of what she called "her mission."

Lady Zin reports she encountered a helpful avatar of the Caretaker who assisted in bringing the exo-lab defenses back online. He was also of assistance in preventing the subsequent deaths of Lady Zin and her team.

The tar pit itself does not appear to be caused by any long-running Eldan experiments. However, natural seepage may be partly responsible for the skeledroid phenomenon in this area. If some substance or alchemical concoction mutated into something that could reanimate bones, the seepage may have hidden it.

HYPOTHESES:

Lady Zin's report confirmed the extreme danger of augmentation, most notably the fact that a creature need not even be alive to be infected - even a skeleton, so long as it is organic in origin, may act as a host for the nanobiotic parasite.

This raises the unsettling possibility that augmentation could jump not only to dead bones, but to completely inorganic life forms. Even computers, vehicles, and starships. Did the Eldan face a rebellion of their own dead, or the disposed remains of their failed experiments rising to take the lives of their creators? The very fact the record before you exists seems proof they did not - for if augmented Eldan existed, surely they would have shown themselves. If anything, the number of corpses amid the wreckage shows the dangers of anything or anyone fighting against the Eldan.

What about the Caretaker? The Eldan AI has shown a considerable diversity of personalities, and one of those could conceivably have deceived and betrayed the Eldan, tricking them into leaving the planet or even sabotaging a lethal experiment. This too seems extremely unlikely, however - all evidence points to the Caretaker's current fractured state as a result of centuries of neglect and network decay.

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RECOMMENDATIONS:

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It is unknown whether physical contact with skeledroids can lead to inadvertent augmentation, but so far the test subject appears to be doing well and shows no signs of infection. The subject's identity and status will be monitored without his knowledge for now.

No need to start a panic, now, is there?