#report excerpt

“….Review of what footage that could be recovered from the ruins of Kyoto and its Superintendent’s data banks by members of Section-Three black ops team Kilo-Four; as well as data collected by orbiting ships and tactical spy satellites; reveals a massive anonymous energy signature seconds before the radiation alarms in Bravo company’s drop pods went off. Visual data from security cameras shows a slight lensing of the light being scattered by smoke around the position of the artifact Bravo Company was being sent in to secure or, if securing and transporting the artifact proved impossible, destroy the Forerunner artifact so it may not fall into Covenant hands. This lensing of the scattered light can be observed for a few brief moments before a surge of neutrinos was detected by the sensors aboard the prowler UNSC Midnight. 

A quarter second after the neutrinos was detached, a directed Electromagnetic pulse shot upwards into the atmosphere. Transmitted footage from a traffic camera facing the Ukyō Ward Office, which from here on shall be referred to as Video Reference point A232-437 (VR A232-437), at the time of the narrow scope EM pulse shows a pronounced glow coming from the location of the Forerunner Artifact. Seconds later sensors aboard Bravo Company’s drop pods flagged a brief but strong radiation pulse. A skyward facing security camera from a neighboring Skyscraper recorded members of First platoon firing their pod’s maneuvering thrusters to in an attempt to get away from their originally intended landing zone. However as clearly seen, one pod makes no course corrections. That pod was occupied by Staff Sergeant Lucas B. Reynolds. Viewing the footage between 17:42:00 and 17:42:11 one will notice that the Staff Sergeant’s drop pod is pushed 200 meters further into the air when the ten meter wide column of light from the artifact’s location appeared. 

However careful analysis shows that from 17:42:11 to 17:42:20 that not only does the drop pod cease ascension but from 17:42:18 to 17:42:22 it, along with air and smoke caught within the column of light are rapidly pulled down towards the center point of the artifact’s position before vanishing. The few frames that caught the Drop pod’s passing through what we believe is a portal of sorts at 17:42:20, though it’s visual appearance suggested something akin to spaghettification. However assuming the Staff sergeant being KIA would be misdemeanor. Given the concrete evidence of his transponder still showing up on the Tactical Satellite station above Kyoto at the time being of his pod passing through this supposed portal. As well as the fact that his drop pod’s coms system was still transmitting (though heavily garbled in static.) what its sensors were receiving until 17:40:22 when the column of light collapses down into a single point approximately measuring 15 millimeters across. It was at that moment where the Staff Sergeant’s signal was completely lost. Then again a micro second later, the pinpoint of light exploded in an event not too dissimilar to the New Mombasa Slipspace event. 

However unlike the New Mombasa Slipspace event this ‘fireball’ that consumed everything within 2 kilometers of the origin point was not expanding constantly. Spy Satellite observation of the event recorded at several instances where the ‘fire ball’ ceased expanding. However to the human eye this moments where it ceased would be unnoticeable, however AI analysis shows that at several points, the ‘fireball’ ceased expanding for an average of two to three nanoseconds before resuming expansion until the 14th and final pause. After which the ‘fireball’ collapsed into a cloud of Cherenkov radiation. Furthermore it was at the end of each ‘pause’ in the expanding ‘fireball’ that all communications and signals with and from other UNSC personnel, whom were caught in the expanding ‘fireball, vanished. 

This curious occurrence does not line up with what would conventional occur with a Slipspace transition despite the numerous other similarities to a Slipspace transition that were observed in the event. However the aftermath of the event is clear given that a section of Kyoto 2 kilometers wide and 770 meters tall simply vanished, leaving a uniform one-meter deep crater on the surface of the city from street level. As well as the disappearance of 24 ODSTs of Bravo Company; Pelican Charlie-320; Army Major Rolando R. Harkins and the remains of the originally company strength convoy force he commanded; leading elements of the 90th Armor Division, the trailing retreating elements of the 506th infantry Division; as well as Over 2 Mechanized Divisions of Covenant Infantry with heavy armor, including 2 scarab walkers, and moderately strength Covenant air support. 

The remaining 139 ODST’s of Bravo Company escaped the ‘fireball’ and landed near or at the edges of the affected zone. There they linked up with remaining members of the 90th armor division and fought their way towards the city’s superintendent. There ONI agents tasked Bravo on the recovery of the Superintendent’s data cores for further investigation…….

… However as a final ending note given all the evidence collected as well as several other ‘mysterious’ occurrences in the records. It is safe to presume that Staff Sergeant Lucas Reynolds did not in fact perish in the Kyoto incident but was instead trans-located to a place unknown. It is with 87.908% certainty that the marine survived the transition to parts unknown. The probability of survival beyond the initial transition is unknown however it is in my personal informed belief that the Staff Sergeant is still alive out there. Wherever he and the others pulled in with him during the event may be. So I urge that he and the others caught within the Kyoto incident be marked as Missing in Action until further evidence is found to suggest what their fates may be. With the rediscovery of the Forerunner artifact that triggered the Kyoto Incident at the edge of the Suwa prefecture earlier this month, perhaps further analysis of the artifact itself and its nature could possibly allow us to determine where they went and what ultimately became of them.”

“ ...What has been most troubling as my team looked into more about these unusual quasi-human individuals was the fact of how widespread they are. As it stands members of the team you assigned to me for this mission have confirmed the existence of these quasi-human entities on eleven colony worlds, most of them are outer colony worlds who’s settlers can trace their heritage back to East-Asia and/ or of Japanese decent. The exact nature and reasoning for this correlation is still not exactly known. Perhaps digging through the old Department of Colonial Security records may yield additional information and/or clues about the nature of these entities and their capabilities. 

However if any of these quasi-humans are capable of feats similar to what Gregory Reynolds performed during the failed acquisition of candidate Lucas-009, then we face a threat that is potentially far more dangerous than the Insurrection. Or perhaps to better put it: if the insurrectionists win the support of these groups, then we may be unable to further contain the ongoing situation in the outer colonies even with the Spartan-II’s....”