Lost River Laboratory Cache

The Laboratory Cache is a unique Alien Cache found in the Ghost Canyon of the Lost River. It was established by ancient aliens to study the Ancient Skeleton and various other specimens within the biome. Unlike other caches, this location requires the Orange Tablet, found in the Deep Grand Reef Degasi Base, to unlock its forcefield.

Overview

Inside the cache, players can find three containers holding bone samples and three containers with local Fauna samples. Various pieces of Precursor lab equipment are scattered throughout the area. At the far end of the laboratory, three Ion Cubes are located. Additionally, a Cuddlefish Egg can be found on the workbench at the far right of the cave.

Hazards

Crabsquids may be encountered outside the entrance cave. Players should exercise caution when approaching the cache and keep any vehicles near the ceiling to avoid attacks.

Main entrance to the cave

Overview of the cave containing the Ancient Skeleton

Entrance to the Laboratory from the Blood Kelp Trench

Entrance to the Laboratory

The Forcefield Control for the Lost River Laboratory

Overview of the Laboratory interior

Tanks containing skeletal samples.

The Data Terminal

The far end of the Laboratory

One of the three Ion Cubes

Lab equipment

Lab Equipment w/ the Cuddlefish Egg

Smaller tanks containing samples of local Fauna, Flora and Coral

Data Bank Entries

Bone Specimens

The skeleton of a million-year-old, armored carnivore. Projections suggest this lifeform would have been larger than any living creature encountered on the planet.

The oceans of the time would have been very different to support lifeforms of this size, with more open geography and many more individuals in the leviathan range.

These fossils likely came from an ancient ancestor of the leviathans which inhabit the planet today. The relative size and delicacy of the bones suggests they formed part of the ear canal, or some other complex internal structure.

Local Plants

Local plants being held in stasis. The aliens evidently sought an extensive knowledge of the planet's ecosystem, which would have been necessary to support any live specimen research.

The large laboratory table and accompanying scanners incorporate technologies far beyond our current level of understanding.

Hypotheses:

• Equipment maintenance
• Staff maintenance
• Specimen analysis
• Specimen gene manipulation

Alien Devices

The prominence and facing of these alien devices suggests they are some kind of probe or sensor. Their subject would seem to be the vast skeleton in the center of the cavern. The attached cable network may lead to a remote power station or data hub.

Assessment: Investigate

Fauna Research

Extensive alien research data on the local fauna, with a special focus on their reproductive methods. Core conclusions have been synthesized:

• The aliens discovered the lifeforms on the planet have just one sex
• They observed local organisms engaging in asexual reproduction
• All healthy individuals tested were capable of egg-laying
• Eggs usually required genetic material from another of the species
• In rare case only one parent was required, with evolutionary mutation introduced by the effects of the environment itself

Research appears to have been focused around hatching conditions and genetic variations between parent and child.

Trivia

The data bank entry for the bone specimens case states that they are bones from ancient relatives of living leviathans, possibly being ear bones. Despite this description, all three of these bones actually belong to the Reaper Leviathan and can be seen in their skeletons.