Log #282 – conspiracy theory

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Successes and suspicions characterized the Molina Mold epidemic.

I had sent Alaska, Pike, Brubacker, and Husky the SSN newsflash about Dr. Jorrit’s experiments. For me, the flatcat was out of the bag. Even the Senate was now looking into it. Brubacker, however, responded with a completely different view: the official report merely claimed that Dr. Jorrit had conducted a few unethical experiments on a captured Vanduul alone and without the knowledge of the ASD—nothing more. Not a word about the cruel attempt to crossbreed humans and Vanduul genes. Instead, everything was blamed on Pyro, as if Stanton had nothing to do with it. Pyro was outside the jurisdiction of the UEE, so nothing could be done. For Brubacker, it was clear: they wanted to protect the ASD and throw the public a harmless bone as a sedative. Even worse, the government didn’t want to invest any more in solving the regeneration crisis and wanted to let Bioticorp off the hook, even though they had screwed up.

I felt like Brubacker and I were living in different worlds. Twisted worlds. The critical UEE stance was usually mine. I swiped the message away—there were more important things to do. The People’s Alliance needed help. Groaning, I got up and went to the cargo hold to check on my load: treatments for Molina’s disease. The labs in New Babbage had developed an active ingredient that I was taking to Levski.

After landing, I looked around with satisfaction. Rebekka had organized a hangar for me and furnished it comfortably with a few things and an old sofa. That way, I didn’t have to go to the station, I could sleep there, and I minimized the risk of infection. After a quick power nap, I set off again—more aid deliveries were waiting. A veritable shuttle service between Nyx and Stanton was established. It felt good to be doing something meaningful.

After countless flights, I sat exhausted on the sofa. In the meantime, the Hockrow Agency had contacted me. The Jorrit case was not over yet – neither the investigation nor the consequences for the ASD. They didn’t want to say any more. Only that the trail led to the Nyx system. I should keep my eyes open for anyone trading in Vanduul technology.

Emperor Addison had announced consequences for the ASD. But if Brubacker was right and the publication was only intended to reassure the public and conceal the true extent of the situation, what was the point of continuing the investigation? None! Helping the People’s Alliance had an immediate effect. At the moment, there were more pressing matters than pointless investigations. With this thought, I fell into a restless sleep.

My arm vibrated. Tired, I opened my eyes. The sofa was more comfortable than it looked — but not when you slept sitting up. I stretched, tense. There was a message from Rebekka on my mobiglass.

The new filters are helping. Molina Mold is contained to certain areas of the station. In the others, you can move around and breathe safely.

Relieved, I got up and made my way to the Grand Barter Bazaar. People were sitting by the statue of Anthony Tanaka, engaged in lively conversation. Through the window, I could see spaceships taking off and landing. Life was returning. In good spirits, I continued on my way, rode the rumbling elevator down, and saw the words “Grand Barter” glowing cheerfully at me. I waved to a guard, walked through the archway—and stopped abruptly in front of a poster.

Don’t be fooled. The UEE is behind Molina Mold. The Corpofascist Pseudogovernment are murdering us as they pretend to be our saviors. The real Poison is their greed. The real threat si their hypocrisy

I was stunned. Was Brubacker actually right? Was the UEE deceiving us, not only about the ASD? Was there much more to it than that? The takeover of the Nyx system by the UEE? Or had just a few extremists put up the poster? The conversation with Arid, Hanna, and Rebekka had shown how torn Levski was about his attitude toward the UEE. Slowly but surely, I no longer knew what to believe myself.

Lost in thought, I strolled through the bazaar. The babble of voices was like background noise. Absentmindedly, I took an apple from the fruit stand and bit into it. There was an intense discussion going on at a table. People in work clothes. I stopped and listened.

“I’m telling you, the mold infection came from a facility in Levski. A secret bioweapons lab or something.”

“Conspiracy theory! Gyson Inc. is to blame. They supplied us with faulty filters.”

“Do you realize something? Gyson is located in the Ferron system. UEE territory.”

“And that’s why the UEE is to blame?”

“Sure. It’s all because of the terraforming of Nyx I. They’re not risking another accident like the one on Mars. So they’re experimenting here—without permission. They just show up and get started. And it works, and it works well. And now? They’re talking about claiming Nyx—cleaning it up.”

“That’s right! The UEE is reacting too quickly to the epidemic. Sending Alliance Aid, bringing hundreds to UEE space for treatment, and warning everyone not to enter the system. The Empire is using emergency powers for political absorption.”

“Exactly! It’s a methodical approach. Infect and weaken the locals. Send in aid. Relocate and assimilate the locals. Colonize the land. Profit.”

“And the new FTL communication comes in handy. They can control the reporting faster than resistance can mobilize. Instant propaganda. Instant justification. We didn’t conquer Nyx! We saved it! That’s how it works.”

I felt queasy. Didn’t Rebekka say the People’s Alliance was working with the UEE? Had they been duped? Or were they in on it themselves? Was I being used? The connection to terraforming couldn’t be dismissed. But then why were the new filters and remedies working? It didn’t add up. I needed my own answers.

Wearing one of the protective suits I had organized, I entered the contaminated area. A plastic sheet sealed the passageway. I slipped through. Maintenance technicians were replacing ventilation filters clogged with spores—a Sisyphean task. The fungus was everywhere. It covered floors, walls, and grew out of the ventilation system. It looked like the beginning of an apocalypse. Containment was not guaranteed.

I went deeper into the tunnel. In front of me was a carpet of fungi. A popping sound – I had stepped on a fungus. A cloud of spores rose. I felt uneasy. At the end of the tunnel, I took samples and stowed them in a hermetically sealed box.

A short time later, I was sitting with the samples in the “White Rabbit” on my way to New Babbage. I had allies there: Marsden Analytics. Although they specialized in data analysis, they surely knew a trustworthy company that could examine the samples. I wanted to know whether the remedies and filters really helped – or whether we were caught up in a gigantic conspiracy. Maybe they could also find out the origin of the fungus.

I reached New Babbage in the late afternoon. Stanton’s star hung low, bathing the snowy landscape in a white-orange glow. I sought out Marsden Analytics in The Commons. As so often, the founders were willing to help. It would take time, they said. I shouldn’t wait. Nevertheless, I took a room at the Aspire Grand.

There, I made myself a coffee and scrolled through the news. An article from The Citizen Compass, a new independent news organization from Orison, caught my eye. They proudly wrote:

Every state has four pillars: legislative, executive, judicial, and media. The Citizen Compass proudly stands as a representative of the fourth pillar.

Probably another one of those UEE-loyal newspapers. I was about to swipe away, but my eyes were glued to the headline of the first paragraph.

Molina Mold – Theories about a conspiracy by the UEE or corporations

The article picked up on the theories from Levski: terraforming of Nyx I, colonization, rapid response time of the UEE, even the ASD as the origin of the fungus.

But then:

While these theories are compelling, most lack substantive evidence. The simplest explanation is often the correct one: a faulty ventilation filter.

The article argued soberly: mold needs moisture and organic material. A poorly maintained system could provide all of that. Given Levski’s aging infrastructure, this was plausible. Companies were involved—not through sabotage, but through cost-cutting and lack of quality control.

Corporate greed—there it was again. Profit at the expense of free peoples. A kind of sabotage, too. A wave of anger washed over me.

It concluded by saying:

It would be naive to assume that no external actors are operating behind the scenes. The Molina Mold may not be a calculated attempt to evict the Alliance—but Nyx is unlikely to return to peace and obscurity any time soon.

I put the article aside and gazed into the darkness above New Babbage. The text ruled out extreme theories, but not outside influence. Was the UEE’s involvement a conspiracy theory, and was the simplest explanation the correct one? Or did we just need to dig much deeper to find the evidence?

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)