Matthew-076 stood in the control room staring up at the large monitor. The elderly man was saying something, though the audio had stopped working. He simply waited, arms held behind his back. He certainly wasn’t going to do anything that would mess this up, not after waiting so long.

“Lord Cavendish, you cut out,” he offered politely.

“Can you hear me now?” Lord Cavendish responded, voice crackling.

“Yes, sir,” Matthew-076 nodded.

“Good, we’re in range then. It’s refreshing to finally speak face to face,” Lord Cavendish nodded. “We should be there in a few weeks. I take it all is well. Everything still… contained?”

“Yes, sir,” Matthew-076 nodded again. “The working joes are still picking pieces out of the central intelligence, but otherwise the facility is secure and is being sterilized again as we speak.”

“And the specimens?”

“Very effective, sir,” Matthew-076 smiled, a gesture that he could never get quite right. “Trespassers were ultimately overwhelmed, as explained in my report. Only Lord Barrick and another officer made it out. The mature diaboli have proven to be effective against infantry and, despite their hyper aggressivity, were successfully deployed in a targeted attack, preventing a remote attempt to destroy this facility.”

“What is the containment situation… globally?” Lord Cavendish hummed.

“Unknown, sir. The infection of the Euphorion settlement was the first deployment in a real operation. We used the sterile strain; however, it is unknown how many diaboli were killed and how many remain at large,” Matthew-076 continued. “There is little concern of an outbreak; the viral fungal-producing strain never breached containment.”

“Good. I would hate to be setting foot on a planet that’s about to erupt into chaos,” Lord Cavendish chuckled.

“Certainly, sir,” Matthew-076 replied. “It’s been months. If such an outbreak were occurring, we would know.”

“And what of The Specimine?” Lord Cavendish asked, image now flickering out briefly.

“The Nicole-013 model remains deactivated,” Matthew-076 sighed. “As per your instructions. Are you certain you do not want me to wipe her memories or–”

“I am. Don’t touch anything. We’re bringing specialists to handle 013. You’re a bioweapons research operative; focus on your mission. Unless, of course, you’re worried about her escaping?” Lord Cavendish frowned.

“No, sir. 013 has remained powered down this entire time. There have been no issues. I am merely curious, and a few adjustments would make her more agreeable,” Matthew-076 smiled politely.

Lord Cavendish nodded. “Then leave it alone. Let my people handle 013.”

“Yes, sir,” Matthew-076 replied, unable to feel disappointment but still experiencing some degree of it.

“Anything else I should know about? It’s almost tea time,” Lord Cavendish muttered.

“Yes, sir. What should I do about the fossilized cocoon?” Matthew-076 asked.

“The what?” Lord Cavendish huffed. “Matthew, is this a bioweapons thing?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Right, then you handle it. You’re the one in the lab able to conduct experiments,” Lord Cavendish sighed. “I’m just middle management. I don’t know what you’re talking about, and quite frankly, I'm not smart enough to know. Hence why you’re on the ground to figure it out.”

“Of course. Shall I cut it open then, sir?” Matthew-076 asked.

“Sure,” Lord Cavendish nodded. “And if you find anything, put it in your report. Otherwise, you can give me the tour when I get there.”

He seemed a tad irritated, Matthew-076 wasn't sure why. “Certainly, sir,” he nodded. “Enjoy your tea.”

Lord Cavendish hung up. With a sigh, Matthew-076 headed to lab two to cut open the large chunk that had been pulled out of the pit. His work was never done; that was for the best, for he was little more than his work.

The End of Book 1

EldritchPotato

That, my friends, is the end of book 1, and unfortunately, the end of Expedition Euphorion for the time being.

I vaguely plan to pick this back up eventually with a much changed Elsy emerging from the cocoon to fuck up Matthew and rescue Nicole, allowing Vander and Frakes to arrive just in time to get what they deserve (and of course Lord Barrick to be brutally violently killed for all he has done). But I am currently still a bit stuck on what a bioweapon-Elsy would look like or how things would continue from there, so for the time being, I am putting this project down. But I've absolutely adored writing these characters, and I hope you've fallen in love with them as much as I have.

Shout out to Alien, obviously. And also shout out to RimWorld, which a playthrough actually inspired this story in the first place.

What else to say? I have books; find them here.

By now, I've also got my next story coming out, and you can also find my Patreon, Tumblr, and everything else here.

Otherwise, happy trails, folks, I'll see ya next time!