Temple of S.A.R.A.H. 5: Debug Mode Read Online Free PDF Page A

little we do have seems to be either be incorrect, or at the least inaccurate. We are finding that the information we had on that race is at best, flawed. It is suspected that the information was mostly misinformation planted by the Veranorian Synod to mislead us,” Sarah replied. “I am surprised that your instructor agreed to allow you to write this when they would have known that any information we have would be inaccurate and unproven.”
    “I haven’t submitted my Thesis statement yet. He actually doesn’t know yet,” Ellie replied in disappointment. “I was really hoping to be able to write this paper, I was even planning on interviewing a couple of Shallans if I could!” 
    “Do you have a second choice?” Sarah asked.
    “Not really,” Ellie said. “I was so positive we’d have tons of information on the Aracs that I didn’t think of one. It’s a short paper so I was going to focus on how they got weapons so quickly after establishing the hive.”
    Sarah just shook her head. “That’s a really good question, Ellie. Unfortunately, we have no idea how they do that. We can’t even be certain about how they communicate. No one has ever entered a hive and returned.”
    “Isn’t that exactly what our Marines are about to do?” Ellie asked.
    “Well, yes, it is. But this mission is different from other instances.”
    “May I ask how so?” Ellie asked, but held up her hand. “I know pending missions are generally classified simply as a matter of protocol and I really don’t need to know specifics. I only want to know what is so different about this situation.”
    Sarah nodded. “The situation on Earth is very different in that the hive has not yet matured and begun taking the surface. In all other instances of attempted hive assaults, they were made on planets that had been fully infested and the total number of hives was unknown. We do know that other hives will react to an attack on a different hive, yet we do not know how they are aware of it.
    “On Earth, we know that there are only two hives and they are on different continents. We were lucky in that neither seed pod landed near an inhabited area, however, that same isolation will make it difficult to accurately gauge the maturity of the hive,” Sarah explained.
    “How so?” Ellie asked.
    “What little we do know of the hives and how they function - which is all conjecture at this point - is that soldier Aracs will not kill and eat if the Queen is still maturing. They capture and return the prey to the Queen. If they kill and leave the internal organs of the prey, we assume they are returning food for hatching. Most often after a hive has matured and become established, the soldier Aracs will kill and eat as they move. We assume that some of their ‘bounty’ is sent back to the hive but again we have no proof.”
    Ellie cocked her head to one side. “It sounds to me like there is plenty of information available on the Aracs, I just couldn’t find it.”
    Sarah shook her head. “No, you couldn’t find this information because there is no proof. None of it can be substantiated so none of it has been accepted as ‘official’. I see by your search history that you have been searching academic sites. That’s a perfect source for a student to use, however, the information I just told you about cannot be found there until there is a way to document and verify it.”
    “Well, perhaps we can get some information during this assault as well. If no one else requests it after the fight is over, may I request permission to study the battle footage?” Ellie asked.
    Sarah grinned. “Sweetheart, there are already over a thousand request for that footage on file.” When Ellie looked a little let down, Sarah took pity on her. “I’ll see if I can get you a copy, Ellie. With so many requests, I doubt the footage will remain classified for long. In the mean-time, perhaps you could consider writing your paper on the Shallans? There is still a