Confirm - 10 (Casket + Tablet)  - Language 1

Confirm - 1 (Relic + Totem) - Culture 1
Confirm - 27 (Casket + Orb) - Tech 1

Confirm - 1 (Tablet + Urn) - Bio 4

1) This is very interesting commander. This is a new data pattern. I have given it the designation beta-pattern data.I can already report that it contains some fascinating insights into the Guardians culture. The first is that religion formed a large part of their lives. Strangely this seems to have occurred late in their development, after various technological revolutions. The details are a bit vague in this data package. There must be others that hold more cultural details. Please continue the search.

2) Your hard work is paying off commander. This data holds more details about the Guardian's culture, specifically spiritual matters. Almost from the dawn of their civilization they possessed a strong spiritual sense - one that reflected their close connection to the natural world. Even when they'd developed industrial-scale machinery, they maintained a balance with the world around them. Their ongoing love of hunting presumably played a significant part in this.

3) This data holds more details about the Guardian's culture, specifically spiritual matters. This spiritual awareness sustained them through most of their history, but did not evolve into a formal religion. It was not until the development of machine intelligence, during the most rapid era of their development, that any sort of organised religion emerged. I speculate that this technological singularity alienated much of the population, who responded by rejecting this technology.

4) This data holds more details about the Guardian's culture. The tipping point that gave rise to organised religion amongst the Guardians doesn't appear to have been the creation of thinking machines, but other technological developments - in particular a kind of implant that interfaced with the brain. Up to this point, biological enhancement and repair had utilised only organic-based systems, so this sudden change frightened many.

5) This is very interesting, very interesting indeed. This data holds more details about the Guardian's culture. There was an anti-technology movement that rejected not only specific developments, but also inventions such as virtual reality. The loose customs associated with their affinity for nature formed the basis for a new belief system. It evolved rapidly - almost as quickly as the technological advancements produced by the scientists and machine intelligence. It's interesting to note the parallels with human-made sentient technology, and how its development threatened humanity during the golden age of technological advancement. The growth of this new religion divided the population, and conflict soon erupted.

6) This data holds some shocking revelations. it talks about the religion that emerged towards the end of the guardians civilization and i wont lie it has shocked me. while religion remains a feature of human society, unless you live in one of the more extreme theocracies, its generally a matter of personal faith rather than a generally accepted consequence of the human condition. i know some of my fellow researchers would disagree with me. but it is generally assumed that religious beliefs tends to reduce to potency as scientific understanding grows in the case of the guardians, the opposite holds true, it truly divided them.

7) This data does not paint a bright picture of the Guardians culture at the point it was recorded. As I examined the data in this beta pattern and crossed references from other data I have received, I have learned that the truth wasn't quite so clear cut. The information I've extracted regarding their legal system indicates a stable and mature society. Given the physical similarities between us and them, I'm amazed at the cultural and societal differences and the speed at which they rose to become part of their lives.

8) This data contains cultural data, specifically regarding the legal system of the Guardians.In contrast to many of our legal systems, the fundamental laws do not concern individual rights, but instead focus on defining the individual's responsibilities to society. I'm sure this is another reflection of their pack mentality, where the requirements of the group supersede those of a single person. Naturally, it isn't as simple as that in practice - for example, individuals were expected to come to another's aid if necessary.

9) This data contains cultural data, specifically regarding the legal system of the Guardians. An individuals responsibility extended past simply obeying the law to include elements of law enforcement. Society was self regulated, with everyone required to ensure laws were obeyed. These values were instilled in the young as part of their education in the communal crèches.

10) This data contains cultural data, specifically further details regarding social responsibility. As well as being regulated, there was still hierarchical form of administration within the legal system. These were defined by areas of responsibility, but as with all the Guardians’ social structures, everyone was expected to participate, meaning that individuals were required to fill certain legislative roles as part of their everyday life. Some of the concepts aren't completely clear, but i believe individuals were nominated and couldn't hold office for more than a single term.

11) An excellent discovery commander. I was wondering when we would find this type of cultural data. I had begun to fear it might not exist. You can tell a lot about a people from their art. Humanity has demonstrated great creativity in artistic expression throughout history, and I'm keen to compare our art with the Guardians'. Fortunately I've been able to tease some details from the beta-pattern data abstracts in this data package. We already knew they were capable of fabulous architecture, but these records show that buildings, statues, monoliths and even city layouts were a common outlet for aesthetic expression.

12) This is truly fascinating data commander, as an engineer myself I have to admit I'm highly curious about the Guardians technology. It seems that the guardians had a particular fascination with geometric shapes, which they used to illustrate connections between themselves and the world around them. This predilection manifested itself in their technology as well - specifically their monolith network. With this data and the help of the galactic community we've partially mapped the monolith network, which formed the backbone of their communications technology, and discovered that they too are arranged in geometric patterns. Whilst this does not give us full access to the network, I believe it is the first step to unlocking the entire system and maybe more.

13) This data contains more details on the Guardian's culture, specifically art. Many of the records I've now extracted include the data you've just sent through, show that most of the Guardians' art had a religious basis. It seems that their shift to a religious society affected all aspects of their lives. I have found older records that indicate other art forms did exist, with realistic and abstract techniques evident. I hoping that some of the data we've yet to decode will contain images of these art works.

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1) Thank you commander, this data has proven vital to my ongoing research. While it seemed logical that the alpha-pattern data corresponded with the core information on the Guardians' biology and ecology, I couldn't be certain until I received the data from your scan. I'm pleased my hypothesis has proved correct, and I've started to unlock some fascinating details about the Guardians. The extracted data relates to individuals rather than their species as a whole, but thanks to the information you have transmitted, I believe I will be able to merge the data to create a general picture.

2) The information you've uncovered is very interesting and regards the Guardian's anatomy and physiology, you might be surprised to learn they weren't that different to us. Their morphology was bipedal, although they were generally taller and more slender than the average human. Their skin tone was red, encompassing the whole spectrum of red hues. There were various reasons for these changes in pigmentation, including genetic disposition and the fact that they darkened as they aged.

3) Details on the facial structure of the Guardians. Their faces were proportionally smaller than ours and they had round eyes, darkened from their evolution under a very strong sunlight. The colouration and structure of the eye indicates that not only they have keener vision than us, but they could also see a wider spectrum.

4) This data details the facial structure of the Guardians. The nose appears to have been vestigial - I believe it was once more pronounced, but that some environmental change made it less useful - so their sense of smell would have been less developed than the human average. Their ears were very tightly formed against the skull, and the interesting array of internal acoustic chambers suggest they perceived sounds differently to us.

5) This data offers more details about the physical appearance of the Guardians. Most remarkable are their limbs. Their forelimbs had a serrated edge and were no doubt used as killing implements during the pack-hunting period. They had two more more joints in their arms than we do, facilitating complex articulation and the use of sophisticated sign language. The skeleton was flexible yet resilient and their muscles were long, thin and ropey. They had two hands, each with four digits.

6) We've barely scratched the surface with the Guardians. There is so much yet to discover. But this new data contains one tantalising detail that stands out: their biochemistry was very similar to our own. They had blood in the same fashion as us, and it fulfilled exactly the same role as it does for us. Beyond this, they share a similar genetic structure, with DNA and RNA their core building blocks. Although a full analysis has not yet been conducted, this might be evidence of a common ancestor, but also of a branching in their genetic history. This is an astounding discovery!

7) This data offers more details about the physical appearance of the Guardians, specifically regarding genders. The similarities between humans and the Guardians continue to delight me. They had two distinct genders and reproduced sexually. There don't appear to have been any taboos surrounding sexual activity, as the data contains large quantity of graphic images and recordings - not unlike some of our data nets!

8) This data contains more details about the Guardian's sexual behaviour and reproduction. Their body form encouraged sex while standing, but although this was the most comfortable pose, they entertained a variety of positions. I've concluded that sex was a recreational behaviour and not only for procreation. They didn't use birth control as they could manipulate their bodies to become temporarily sterile at will, although I've not yet identified the precise mechanism for this. It's clear their biological-manipulation technology was quite sophisticated. This data has huge applications for Medical treatments if we can unlock the secret.

9) This data contains more details about the Guardian's procreation and reproduction. Procreation was a matter of personal choice, although they were require to be a parent at least once during their lives to ensure continuation of their genetic line. I've not yet established their metrics for measuring time, but it's clear the period of gestation was quite long, to allow substantial development of the young prior to birth. The infants were effectively helpless for a period after delivery.

10) This data contains more details about the Guardian's approach to raising their young. Care of the young was the duty of the wider community. Infants were raised in communal crèches rather than by their parents, the cultural significance of which I'm eager to unravel. I have established that prenatal care of the young involved genetic manipulation to remove hereditary diseases and other complications.

11) Although the alpha-pattern data encapsulates biological information, it also contains a treasure trove of cultural data. This is particularly true of the data you have uncovered here. The data package appears to contain records pertaining to their food. I already knew that as pack hunters they were carnivores. I subsequently discovered that not only were their arm ridges excellent for killing prey, they were also used for cutting meat into little pieces to fit in their small mouths.

12) This data contains details about etiquette and hunting. The imperative of the kill was retained even as their society advanced. Food killed in the hunt was a delicacy. For guests, it was an honour to provide their host with something that had been hunted, but the host was expected to provide the same. Meat that had been hunted by a lone individual was given even greater accord. For a kill to be valid, it had to be achieved without weapons. Weaponry was only for civil defence or law enforcement.

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1) This is fascinating! The obelisks are clearly some form of data storage, but so far I haven't been able to determine what other purposes they might have had. I am very much indebted to the(sic) you commander for searching for the information I need, although I wish I could see the obelisks for myself. Perhaps closer proximity would inspire greater understanding! Unfortunately my responsibilities here preclude me from such adventure. I believe these are the first clues to understanding the alien language.

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6) This data packet indicates that the guardians used two different forms of communication with the same - or at the very least similar - language constructs, its slow but fascinating work, using this data i believe i can establish a rudimentary understanding of the oldest two forms - verbal communication. like us they had a vocal language, and the range of sounds appears to be similar to that used in human vocalisation.

7) This is a great find commander. According to this data I've been able to deduce that verbal communication emerged early in their history. The scale of the archaeological sites suggests a social society with large populations. There is some supposition on my part, but the data you just found seems to support this contention.

8) Excitingly, this group of delta-pattern recordings contain audio data. Not only will this help me establish the range of sounds they could make, it has should also allow me to confirm that they spoke with accents, as there are regional variations in the sound of their words.

9) The decoder is having a problem deciphering this data packet and is running slower than I'd hoped. The data is formulated in such a way that individual constructs are easily extracted, but there seems to be stopping the decoder putting it all back together. I had assumed it would be simpler to establish a list of words even if I didn't know the meanings. The relationship between the audio data and the constructs, which I believe to represent their written form, Has revealed to be more complicated than I originally thought. Here is comes. This data seems to suggest that their spoken language was of a tonal form, similar to some human languages, meaning that the exact meaning of a word was determined by how it was said.

10) With this data we've made a significant advancement. I believe we have just identified what might be full sentences for the first time. Words are only fragments of a language - sentences illustrate the rules of it. It's only natural that an alien language would be structurally different to human ones. I'm realizing that what I'd deciphered from the previous data packets I've received were simply nouns. So I decided they must be lists, and looked for other more varied forms. Unfortunately I met with no success, until now.

11) This Data is just what I've been looking for. I had been in a deadlock until the pattern-recognition software highlighted some repeating motifs in this data package. Delving deeper, I think I can establish that not only did variance in sound produce different meanings, but that the placement in relation to other words also altered the meaning. This is a real breakthrough!

12) This data package is huge. I could all too easily be distracted by the wealth of audio data in these delta patterns. To actually hear the Guardians' language as it would have been spoken proving too great a temptation. But this data reveals that the formal basis of their communication was visual rather than verbal. This seems logical, as the written word has more portability and permanence than speech. I plan to dig deeper into the information collected by you and other explorers to learn the visual form, which I believe originated much earlier in the Guardians' development than I originally thought.

13) This data proves a theory I had that the written form of the Guardians' language is based around glyphs, with each glyph representing a single word. Once I've fully identified these, the process of separating tonal meanings should become much easier. The glyphs seem to be able to be combines to describe complex concepts, but also communicate additional layers of meaning through the inclusion of movement. each glyph is a symbol. They are more abstract than pictorial hieroglyphics, but it's possible to identify a simplistic reference to the shape of the thing being described - for example, the glyph for 'moon' incorporates the waxing and waning as it would have appeared from the Guardians' home world.

14) This data contains the most amazing revelation. It appears to be the key to tracing the origins of the language, embedded in the glyph formats. It's almost as if their glyphs contained a form of version control that represented the glyphs' evolution, and this has given me a glimpse into their history. These glyphs actually evolved from a form of sign language that the Guardians developed when hunting. The guardians were originally pack hunters, and this sign language functioned as a stealthy means of communication.

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1) This data stream is unlike the others. More complex with a lot more layers than the others. Intriguing (sic), this data seems to be about the Guardians technology. This is very exciting, I was hoping we would find this kind of information. The epsilon-pattern data contains a lot of information about the Guardians' science and engineering, and extracting their historical records has helped isolate some of the specifics, adding to what we know about this fascinating species.

2) As I have established from other data packages the guardians had the ability to manipulate genetics and active biology to achieve specific results, and it seems their healthcare revolved around this technology. As a species they were susceptible to maladies similar to those that affect us: they could get sick, develop cancers and suffer from parasites. They approached these issues from two different directions: they improved their immune systems to defend against infection, and engineered specific microorganisms to tackle threats. If we can harness this type of technology we could effectively eradicate disease from our lives.

3) This data will need further analysis from someone with a greater knowledge of medicine than I possess. It appears that the Guardians’ experimented with biological manipulation extending it to other creatures in their environment. These techniques were used not only to improve life for the other creatures, but also to address ecological issues, although the Guardians took great care to influence things only as much as was needed. There is a lot of data here that while I can generally understand needs a biologist to truly decipher all the information. After all I’m an engineer not a doctor.

4) This data details the social aspects of the Guardians Technology. Although obviously an intelligent species, it was the Guardians' social constructs that allowed them to progress so quickly. They were required to involve themselves in various socially progressive activities, from caring for the young to researching cutting-edge physics. This was facilitated by institutions, which made research data and education available to all. The development of implants and the monolith network created a kind of shared virtual work-space, and the direct brain interface allowed thoughts to be shared and manipulated. I wonder how much they could have achieved if religious strife hadn't brought about their destruction?

5) This data is incomplete by(sic) what we can decipher relates to the communication systems the Guardians used. As with human civilization, communication systems were key to establishing a stable society. In many respects, the technology the Guardians used was the same as ours, in that they utilised various electro-magnetic wavelengths and physical optical mediums. I suspect their faster-than-light technology shared the same principles as our own, too, although I haven't extracted enough technical data to be certain.

6) This data gives some more information about the monolith network - the imposing structures explorers have discovered at various Guardian sites - served as a foundation for all their communication systems. It's clear, however, that the monoliths had ceremonial significance as well as being functional, so I mustn't underestimate their importance.

7) This is very interesting. According to the data package you just sent me they monolith network was used for most if not all communications regardless of importance. In keeping with their predilection for sharing knowledge, few restrictions were placed on the network. I thought there might have been separate networks for military and administrative use, but I haven't found any evidence of that. Everything points to an extremely open society, which would have made them even more vulnerable when significant social divisions arose.

8) Now I understand. This was the missing piece. The monolith network was augmented by vehicle-based communication systems, personal devices and even implants. These were designed to operate seamlessly with the network to provide ad-hoc coverage. Having implants that you can direct communications to you directly would revolutionize communications as we know it. I can only speculate what this would have felt like, but it might have even gone as far as a technological telepathy of sorts.

9) This data, while unremarkable at first glance has proven something that I long suspected to be true. The networks were content agnostic, and the full range of language forms was supported. I've even found extracts of virtual entertainment experiences that supported full audience participation.

10) This data is only partially intact but I have been able to decode the following information. For a species that experienced only brief periods of war, the Guardians developed very sophisticated means of waging it, although their arsenal was nowhere near as varied as ours. In terms of flight and small-class spaceships, humanity has surpassed the Guardians, but in other respects their technology outmatched ours.

11) Once area I was unsure about until now was whether the guardians used their abilities in genetic and biological manipulation to advance their technology and weapons. While some might argue that our technology is equal to the Guardians', I would counter that their integration of such technology at a societal level gave them a greater knowledge of its application. As well as biological warfare agents, they also created creatures expressly for use in battle, and these remained effective even into the modern era.

12) This data you have collected contains details of weaponry the Guardians developed. The guardians' projectile weapons utilized electro-magnetic propulsion, much like their space technology. Such weapons were manufactured in a range of scaled, from personal weapons to capital-ship class. Generally the Guardians used kinetic energy in combat, and explosives were rarely deployed. Nuclear fission and fusion were developed during the Guardians' astro-expansion period, but when it came to large-scale destructive weaponry they relied on bespoke biological weapons. Predictably, these were of little use against the AIs.

13) This data contains details of shield technology. The Guardians developed powerful shields that were far in advance of our own. Whole cities were protected by huge shields able to resist even bombardment from space, at least for a time, although these defences were ultimately overwhelmed during the second civil war.

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