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MISSION REPORT

PREPARED BY

Veritas Ratio .

Veritas Ratio

IPC Technical Consultant, Operation Shattered Reverie

Doctor & Professor, University of Veritas Prime

Intelligentsia Guild - Council of Mudanites

as sponsored by

The Interastral Peace Corporation

2158 AE / ~700 AF

Operation Shattered Reverie — Penacony

Table of Contents

1. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1. Mission Description . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3. Findings on Penacony and the Yawning Chasm Incident . . 4
4. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5. Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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Summary

In 2158 AE, Penacony announced a Charmony Festival¹ and issued invitations to representatives of various factions, including the Intelligentsia Guild, the IPC, the Stellaron Hunters, the Astral Express, the Masked Fools, and the Garden of Recollection. The move came as The Family— the ruling sect of Penacony and followers of Xipe the Harmony— sought to usher in a revival as the “Planet of Festivities.” As a former property of the IPC during its time as a prison planet, Penacony holds substantial historical debt from its war of independence. The IPC sought to leverage the festival to overthrow the Family's occupation and have these debts repaid. In order to avoid a brutish approach to reclaiming ownership of the planet by the IPC, Diamond assigned Aventurine the mission with plans to enter negotiations and reacquire the “asset” through less violent means.

In conjunction with the IPC and Intelligentsia Guild, I, Veritas Ratio, was recruited to act as a consultant and witness to Aventurine's dealings. Diamond spearheaded this operation, dubbed “Shattered Reverie.” Several risks were accounted for when planning the operation, including delegation, methods, and the desired outcome. Aventurine ultimately put himself in severe danger by engaging with a Self-Annihilator to reveal the truth of Penacony's existence as a false sanctuary. This gave the IPC an upper hand in its bargaining. With negotiation assistance from Jade and Topaz, the IPC came to an agreement with Oti Alfalfa to receive 30% of the planet's shares in exchange for rebuilding assistance. Insofar as the IPC is concerned, this result fulfills its goals of

¹ A festival held once every Amber Era by Penacony to celebrate Xipe of the Harmony.

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entering a long-lasting relationship with Penacony wherein it's financially dependent on the IPC.

Introduction

Mission Description

The goal was to uncover the “truth” of Penacony and reveal it to officials (and the public, as needed) to achieve the desired results. Aventurine and I convened a week prior to the Charmony Festival to discuss tactics. There was an obvious disconnect between our preferred methods of operation from the beginning. Aventurine is an embodiment of the idea that “it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission,” a wholeheartedly reckless and inadvisable tactic which even my youngest students know to avoid. Throughout the operation, I found myself tracking Aventurine down to obscure corners of the Dreamscape and attending meetings where I had to analyze conversations using intuition and contextual analysis lacking any forewarning. Despite Aventurine's lack of robust communication skills, I managed to work in tandem with him at key points throughout the operation to fulfil my supporting role.

Aventurine's ultimate goal, as far as I can glean from my understanding of the situation, was to collect blackmail and other “bargaining chips” with which to present to The Family as evidence of its untrustworthiness with the general public. Aventurine's “death” in Penacony revealed its corruption, shining a light on the previous “deaths” of Firefly² and Robin, the true cause of which was Dormancy (“Something Unto Death”). Aventurine intended for the news of his

² Firefly is also known as Fyrefly Type-IV Strategic Assault Mech (AR-26710) and works for the Stellaron Hunters.

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death to become a publicity nightmare, especially on the eve of the Charmony Festival. By positioning it as a false sanctuary, he opened it up to dire financial risk, a perfect opening for the IPC to step in and regain control. Considering the lengths to which Aventurine personally put himself at risk, Penacony would be held responsible for the “death” of an IPC member if such news broke to the public.

Methodology

Aventurine exhibited an astounding absence of logic, stooping to whatever means necessary to chase leads and acquire information about Penacony. When we discovered that Robin had “died,” Aventurine ran experiments on himself and concluded he “couldn't actually die,” instead waking in the Dreampool upon each attempt. He engaged in numerous underhanded dealings, sometimes in literal alleyways, to investigate the abductions performed by Dormancy and the inner workings of the politics and alliances within Penacony. Aventurine himself sought out specific people to converse and forge agreements/alliances with, including Black Swan (The Garden of Recollection); Trailblazer (The Astral Express); and Sparkle (The Fool). In a rare spark of intelligence befitting his title, Aventurine also gave the Trailblazer a transmitter to record all of their interactions, which helped close many gaps in our knowledge as we executed and planned the operation.

Aventurine's relationships ultimately concluded in his desired outcome of “death” as a theatrical act staged to highlight the dangers and failings of Penacony and to question its safety. I, too, helped establish relations with the Oak Family on his behalf. Aventurine and I suspected early on that Penacony's

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traitors were associated with another possible Stellaron crisis. To test this theory, we set our eyes on Sunday of the Oak Family to ascertain more information. Aventurine strategically planted cornerstones in a gift bag and box which was then acquired by Sunday to be exploited as a bargaining chip. Sunday predictably fell for it, and I was given an audience with Sunday wherein I “betrayed” Aventurine to acquire information about the Stellaron crisis in Penacony's Grand Theater.

Findings on Penacony and the Yawning Chasm Incident

We ascertained key information about the Watchmaker, the Stellaron, the Families, and Dormancy. Dormancy was the source of the disappearances, or “deaths,” in Penacony. The creature's primary function is to transport individuals from Dreamflux Reef— a primordial Memory Zone which is the true form of Penacony— to the “sweet dream” populated by regular citizens. Dormancy is a Memetic Lifeform created using Enigmata by another product of the Enigmata known as Gallagher. Traces of the Watchmaker's previous existence, too, are physically manifested in Penacony as Micah, a Memetic Entity formed from a portion of the Watchmaker's memories. Wherein memoria is a vessel for human consciousness and memory, Memetic Entities— or “memes”— are objects that have forgone a real-life physical form and are only given shape from the memoria through dreams, thoughts, etc. Though this poses fascinating potential for future research, the more detailed aspects of these observations grow outside the scope of this report and are best kept to future, independent research.

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We also uncovered Sunday's true alignment with Ena, the Aeon of Order, and gained pivotal information about the Stellaron through Aventurine's interrogation with him. At the end of the interrogation, I learned what we needed about the Stellaron; however, due to “Harmony's consecration,” which Sunday subjected Aventurine to, Aventurine only had seventeen system hours left to complete his plan. Once that time was up, the effect applied to Aventurine would have one of two results: he would either “coalesce into the Harmony” or suffer its wrath and fall “into an abyss of doom.” To escape this fate, Aventurine forced Acheron to draw her blade and confront him, sending him deeper into the Dreamscape.

Though not a finding prevalent to the information we were ascertaining for the mission, I find it crucial to also acknowledge those of Aventurine's strategies I discovered. Aventurine repeatedly put himself and the mission at unnecessary risk, subjecting himself to perilous situations over fifty times while in my presence, including but not limited to:

• Antagonizing and physically confronting members of the Astral Express
• Physically confronting Acheron
• Falling under the influence of Sunday's truth-serum while under interrogation (and, subsequently, experiencing toxic shock from it)
• Being sentenced to death by the Oak Family
• Putting at risk the Aventurine, Jade, and Topaz cornerstones
• Fighting various overworld monsters, including the Dreamjolt's Troupe's assorted cast of enemies and Memory Zone Memes

During the process, Aventurine uncovered the secret of the Watchmaker's identity and the corruption inside The Family. The research and information-gathering conducted by Aventurine forced Sunday onto the stage and

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concluded in a confrontation between Sunday and The Astral Express and their assorted allies. Although we ultimately achieved our desired result, was it worth risking the lives of multiple individuals, including Aventurine himself?

Conclusions

I do not foresee myself booking a future trip to Penacony any time soon considering our deeper understanding of its politics and functionality. With the Stellaron contained and the traitors dealt with, Penacony is more stable than before, but still nowhere near acceptable for leisurely vacationing or the like. Penacony will rely on the IPC for financial support if it is still to earn the title of “Planet of Festivities.” And given Penacony's recovery in the eyes of the larger public, I expect IPC ownership of 30% of its shares to be more than sufficient in compensating the IPC, which will begin to see a profit after the initial repayment within 5 years of reconstruction.

Considering its leadership, the continued existence of the Strategic Investment Department is a miracle. As I have mentioned ad nauseam, Aventurine's methodology and execution of his plans made for sub-par, dangerous tactics. I suggest the IPC consider renaming the Strategic Investment Department and propose the moniker “Abundant Risk-Serving Executives” (ARSE). No person would ever desire to work with anyone from that department, especially if they wanted to keep their sanity. The employees— Aventurine especially— think nothing of taking extreme measures that often also result in physical confrontations and risk of death or worse.

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It is a personal failing on the IPC's part that its employees are pushed to such limits with little reward offered for risking one's life for a mission. I consider this a giant oversight, especially considering the risk it poses to its most valuable asset— its employees. Aventurine, for all of his faults, is a loyal lapdog in every regard and did as the IPC commanded with only bloodshed to his own person. Rewarding such an individual with risk of expulsion is contradictory and unnecessarily punishing.

Perhaps it's not my place to say, but the IPC has garnered a certain reputation for itself as an organization that often employs the same individuals it displaces from occupying (or in some cases, destroying) their home planets. These employees insist to me that being taken under the wing of the IPC is a great “opportunity” for them; however, seeing as they had no chance to return to their home planet, do they have any choice but to be subjected to whatever treatment the IPC deems suitable, whether or not it conforms to the strict labor laws that govern our galaxy?

To Aventurine's credit, he thoroughly examined all avenues with which to pursue the mission and made "friends" with individuals of every stripe to bolster his position and gain as much knowledge as possible about the situation. He thinks quickly on his feet and keeps a cool head in unexpected situations. Regardless of the (somewhat limited) support he was provided by the IPC, he cleanly executed his plan and came out alive. However, that is where my lauds end.

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Recommendations

I recommend a complete psychiatric evaluation of Aventurine's mental state. Aventurine is one of very few people to dive so deeply into the Dreamscape and records have shown that prolonged exposure to memoria can have lasting negative effects. I have firsthand witnessed the exacerbation of new and existing symptoms and behaviors, including but not limited to:

• Threats to the safety of his person
• Fitful / inconsistent sleep
• Graphic nightmares
• Questionable mental stability
• Inability to make sound decisions
• Unnecessary risk-taking
• Impulsive / erratic behavior

The IPC exploits Aventurine's propensity for danger and repeatedly subjects him to unsafe work environments. Therefore, the negligence of this treatment serves only to further degrade his mental wellness. This, too, is why I find it imperative to conduct an internal investigation into the workings of the IPC to ensure all workplace standards are being upheld and respected. The IPC should also conduct employee reviews to ensure they are properly adhering to all internal handbooks and policies and procedures.

For future missions with ARSE, I recommend that Aventurine continue to work alongside one other individual. (This is, of course, pending the completion of his psychiatric evaluation and clearance by a licensed doctor.) Although he prefers to

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work alone and operates best in situations that minimize risk to others, Aventurine is too unstable to be left alone, especially after the events of Penacony. Considering I'm the one who has most experience with Aventurine and his preferred methods, I offer myself up as a possible candidate to work with him in the future pending a review of my contract.