Dispatch #42.

The Nanook Station scientists might suspect something. I will be as detailed as I can in this briefing, since I may have to be quiet for some time.

As of July 1, the new station lead from Aarhus University, referred to as KL, has shaken up the researchers’ rotations, changed the monitoring protocols for the polar bear neural lace program, and brought an external Assessor, to, as they told the crew, determine why the station budget has gone up so much in the last two years. However, the real purpose of the Assessor’s visit will be made clear below.

A brief background. The position of the station on the western side of Devon Island is such that it provides maximum opportunity for the polar bears to access thickening sea ice throughout the Queen Elizabeth Islands, while staying close to the engineered salmon fishery and the nearby monitoring stations. The salmon fishery is a subject of continual discussion at the station, as wild spawning has only been successful for the past 5 years. Several of the scientists are skeptical that it will actually become permanent given the ongoing, highly variable fluctuations of the seasonal climate. Yet, KL is behaving as though it is guaranteed. The combined genetic manipulation and neural manipulation of the polar bears also appears successful. The modification of the polar bear genome to mimic certain brown bear traits, as well as the manipulation of neurotransmitter activities via the neural lace program, have been confirmed by polar bears hunting in rivers unlike any behavior observed in the past. I have also independently confirmed this via drone clouds. <<Personal comment: seeing polar bears hunting in rivers is among the more disturbing and uncanny things I have seen. >>

Since the station itself is a research partnership between the two public organizations, International Polar Bear Alliance and the Arctic Institute of North America, it lacks robust security and has no deterrence capabilities. The surface portion of the base is heavily camouflaged to appear as part of the landscape, and the underwater portion is designed for thermal and physical resilience to the enormous physical changes that occur seasonally. KL is notably trying to improve some of these aspects of security, but I can confidently say this will go nowhere given the scientist’s reticence to add any complication to their routines. Entry and exit is possible above and below the water surface, and the updated access codes are appended to this message.

The purpose of my mission is to monitor the ongoing success of the scientists’ efforts to insert a neural lace into a large mammal. The progress of the last two years continues, despite no mention of this work to any public agency or scientific organization. Last week, I observed a message sent from lead engineer TD, to KL. This message contained standard updates about uplink efficiencies, and neurotransmitter manipulations. However, it also contained an update for the Assessor about the open channels to unknown off-station recipients.

This is where I learned that the Assessor is not actually an accountant from the University of Calgary. The Assessor, is a forensic computer scientist tracing access and flow of data around the polar bear neural lace program. Apparently, KL was put on this project to identify the source of the leak of the polar bear neural lace information. While we have accessed the neural lace program via different methods, I am concerned that the station leadership will become more aggressive in their search methods. I am certain that no one has found my backdoors to the neural lace program. Yet, if they search hard enough, they will.

I will not remove the access points that I have established, despite the risk it poses. If I am discovered, I will burn my trail and depart, one way or another.

However, given that you may not hear from me again for sometime, I recommend three things to consider as your next course of action.

First, the acceleration of our own research is at a critical point. Given that there is no public knowledge of the Nanook Station neural lace program, we can still be the first mover on this.

Second, KL does not know who the recipient of the station leak is. I have begun my own investigation and increased the number of network monitors in position, but I must tread lightly. Especially now that the Assessor is here. I recommend that we use the bulk download of communications traffic data (attached) to triangulate the destination of the neural lace data, and shut them down. We can not afford for another company to gain an advantage in R&D for their own neural lace programs.

Third, Nanook Station may come under aggressive oversight, if not full takeover, sooner rather than later — and not from our hidden competitors. The refugee crisis that is overwhelming some parts of Nunavut continues to expand northward into the Arctic Archipelago, and may soon consume Devon Island as well. The existence, and success, of a salmon fishery is soon to bring many unwanted fishermen. This will either be preceded or followed by Royal Canadian Naval forces. Until now, Canada has given Nanook Station special treatment, but if the salmon become a flashpoint for conflict, then armed forces will either be stationed onsite or take over operations for the safety of the scientific mission. If this happens, enhanced security review may find me out, and steps may have to be taken.

X.