Blizzard launches 'Project Blackstone' site

---

FROM:
DR. TALEN AYERS
TO:
DR. TALISE COGAN

Picture : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/03-baneling.jpg

Zergling Dissection

I wanted to send you a quick note summarizing my findings in this morning's procedure. The dissection of the zergling-baneling series mutations (A through RR) created more questions than answers, and I wanted to see if your conclusions matched my own.

The specimen Subject L seems to have successfully absorbed the genetic material of the thermophilic pseudo-fungi of Cask, whereas the earlier specimens (A through K) were experiencing various degrees of rejection in areas where the foreign tissue had grown. Subject L seems to represent a biological watershed moment for the species, a point at which the xenocellular chemistry was integrated and accepted by the astoundingly receptive zerg cells.
The adaption and almost purposeful speed towards the new habitus evidenced by the post-watershed individuals were significant. Although the mutations visible in subjects A through K were minimal and subtle, the mutations in subjects M through RR were varied, complex, and even dramatic. It is almost as though there is recognition within the zerg biome, on a cellular level, that the hurdle has been overcome. Are the cells singing to one another? Ha! The instances of wild and unexpected mutation after that point are almost incalculable.
The notes provided by Dr. Branamoor regarding the timing and frequency of this outbreak of new zergling type "baneling" were remarkably insightful. It seems as though they were taken by a researcher in the field – a witness to the manifestation. I wonder if we could be put in contact with this individual. I like the way he thinks.
TA

---

---

FROM:
DR. TALISE COGAN

TO:
DR. TALEN AYERS

Picture : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/03-hydralisk.jpg

RE: Zergling Dissection

Thank you for your summary, Dr. Ayers. I neglected to mention this in the lab, but I have great respect for your work. Your Xenobiological Basics was required reading in my lectures at TU. As for your conclusions, I concur with them on most counts. However, I disagree with the latter part of your second statement – the point where you attribute the increased degree of mutation to cellular "recognition." Frankly, and with all due respect, I find your thesis absurd. It is far more probable that the increased mutation is tied to some element in the zerg process we have yet to uncover, possibly linked to the controlling "Alpha Zerg" individual, be it hive queen or cerebrate. Until we can locate and dissect an Alpha, our findings will have a significant blind spot, and will thus leave room for questionable theories like your singing cells. We are analyzing a decapitated body, Dr. Ayers. Once we find the head, our conclusions will make sense.

As for your third point, I think the research notes provided are sufficient for us to proceed with tissue analysis. They seem to evoke speculation as farfetched as your musical organelles, and I'd rather not waste our resources in that direction. That said, I take umbrage at your assumption that this researcher is male. No gender-specific attribution was given in the summary provided by Dr. Gentry, and I'm sure that Dr. Branamoor has included any data we might find useful in his subsequent revision.

Next on our task list: a series of hydralisk bodies recovered from a failed experiment by a Dr. Loew on Thys. Apparently she attempted to get into their heads. We may be able to shed some light on our blind spot after all.

TC

---

---

# 02 PERSONAL LOG
DR. TALEN AYERS

Personal Log

Ludwig van Beethoven said, "Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes." It is wisdom I have carried throughout my career.

Beethoven was a brilliant composer who has been largely forgotten by the vagabond Earthlings who have taken root here in the Koprulu sector. But I open this log with his words in the vain hope that my work here may someday match, in scientific form, the stirring musical legacy that great soul left for humanity.

No, modesty has never been one of my strong suits. Modesty didn't pull me out of the drafty one-room farmer's shack I was born in. Modesty didn't win me top honors at Tarsonis U and a double PhD at Korhal Academy, nor did it help my seminal work become the first treatise on xenobiology to be made an Augustgrad Times bestseller. Modesty has its place: comfortably stuffed in the throats of those not ambitious enough to take a big, toothy bite out of the universe.

Sadly, it was this selfsame lack of modesty that brought me here. How could the ever-seeing eyes of the Dominion ignore the undeniable efforts of my mind? A mind Michael Liberty called "an interplanetary treasure" in his UNN exposé. How could the Dominion Armed Military Nonsense resist putting my invaluable neurons to work for them?

There I was, publishing valuable insights for the poor masses to consume... and there I was, not helping the D.A.M.N. fools turn knowledge into weapons. Granted, my work wasn't being shared entirely out of benevolence; the poor masses were making me rich. According to Ken, my agent, sales of Ayers on Aliens had already hit 10 million.

That was only one week before I was aggressively recruited from my bedroom. By a ghost. Yes, I know it sounds like a Dickens novel. But, unlike Scrooge's nocturnal abductor, my ghost was armed with a knife, a rifle, and the ability to telekinetically make me lose control of my bladder. They can do that, right?

Regardless, here I am. The Blackstone facility is cramped, stuffy, and it has an appalling lack of windows. The project head is so arrogant that I am surprised they were able to fit his enormous cranium into this tiny little asteroid. To make matters worse, I seem to have made a poor impression on good Dr. Branamoor, and he is now committed to making my time here even more unbearable. Surprisingly, I find it difficult to dwell on my current state of discomfort, due to the incredible resources we have at our disposal. I have worked in some of the most prestigious laboratories in the Koprulu sector and have never seen tools with the power and precision at my fingertips. Nor have I seen such an abundance of rare and unique samples of alien tissue. Rumor has it that Branamoor has connections in the black market, and I don't care to know any more than that. This assignment has given me access to complete specimens of zerg larvae, and I have witnessed things that have sent my imagination soaring. Wonderful things. Possibilities for healing the human race beyond anything dreamt of in our wildest fiction.

---