Command: Past is Present

INCIDENTS: ??? Division 51, "Fringe"

All of you are part of MIRA's most important division. You are the ones who will go and investigate the unknown, the ones who will be out on the front line and help make sure that everyone sleeps soundly at night. You are our beacon, you are our hope for our future. 

There will be many things that we will not know, but our job is to make sure those unknown things do as little harm to us and the rest of the human race.

Yes, it will be hard. Yes, if it comes to it, we will be staring defiantly into the face of annihilation, fighting with sticks and stones against an enemy with far greater power, but we will fight. Fight to defend our families and friends, for all of those who haven't been born yet, for those whose futures still shine bright. 

We will stand. We will fight. And humanity will rise up from whatever the universe throws at us to become a force many will fear, one that will journey through the stars for others to look up to.

Through the valley of death, we will emerge triumphant. We shall look at hell as it is, and walk straight into it, for on the other side is a place where we will burn our brightest.

-/\-

"We're receiving a transmission from the Skeld, General."

"We just touched base with them yesterday. They aren't due to touch in until next month."

"I don't know, but they aren't responding to our hails, in any case." 

"...Play it."

"MIRA Command! This is ~~~ of Squad ~~~ crew is ~~~ three dead! Lieutenant ~~~ snapped Ensign Torres' neck like ~~~ light systems failing, coms ~~~ fuck! Get back! You ~~~ little son of ~~~ I'm ordering you to get ~~~ AAAAGH-"

"...It just cuts off there, sir. I've tried my best, that's as much of it that I can salvage. Everything else was lost in transmission."

"Report this to Vice-Admiral Prendergast. We're preparing a rescue party, fully armed, two from Medical, five from either Security or Weapons."

"Sir, what am I supposed to report? 'Sir, sorry to bother you, but we've received a distress call from the Skeld and everyone onboard is most likely dead or dying? And all of that happened without our notice, even though the Skeld is right above our heads and we just checked in with them yesterday'?"

"Maybe not that exact wording, but yes."

--/\--

"So... what is it?"

"As far as we've been able to tell, it's like a parasite. We removed it from Lieutenant Auman's brain stem, although it was very damaged from a bullet."

"Well that bullet was the only reason anyone from that rescue team came back alive. Two shots to the ribcage, more to the limbs, and only when they got that one in did Lieutenant Auman finally die!"

"I think the Lieutenant was already dead at that point. I think this parasite or whatever it is was trying to hang on to whatever remained of its life. We registered an increase in white blood cell count and hyperactive T-cells, but we aren't sure what exactly this thing is."

"Fair enough. What's its origin?"

"Absolutely no clue."

"Do you even know how this thing managed to get into Lieutenant Auman and kill the entire crew? Terrorist attack? Sabotage? THORNS testing?"

"I've identified wounds in the neck, two near the carotid arteries and one that directly pierced the spine. I believe that's how the parasite got into the body; through one or all of the wounds. Whether or not Lieutenant Auman was aware of this thing, I have no clue. I would think so, with the amount of pain that this would have caused, but you would never know."