Scientists Study Thargoid Barnacle Matrix Sites

Aegis xenologists are focusing their efforts on the mysterious alien growths reported on multiple planets and moons in the Trianguli sector.

These have been designated ‘Thargoid barnacle matrix sites’, due to their resemblance to the barnacles that produce meta-alloys, but are far greater in size and complexity.

Commander Yoselin Aquino described visiting one of these sites to Vox Galactica:

“This wasn’t an easy place to explore, since I had to avoid Revenant drones and the occasional Thargoid scout. Once I did get up close, I found it unsettling as all hell. Each barnacle clump was a mound-like structure over a kilometre across, with several rounded peaks. Spaced around these were weird coral trees, which squeeze out a caustic sap-like stuff and dropped bizarre-looking ‘fruits.”

“What really made me nervous were the spear roots in the middle of the site. They’re made of some toughened substance in a sort of segmented spike, like gigantic skeletal fingers reaching up through the ground. If you ask me, these things are alive in some way. The noises my audio converter picked up made me feel like they were moving, closing around me to drag me down.”

Professor Shamus Madigan, Federal scientific liaison to Aegis, published a project update:

“Barnacle matrix sites emit a significant amount of electromagnetic interference which, coupled with aggressive Thargoid defenders, has prevented a detailed underground analysis. However, Aegis is now devoting extra resources to investigate why these organic structures exist.”

“I can report that geological sensors have detected vibrations resulting from sub-surface activity, with occasional quakes rippling across the ground. This suggests that violent chemical or physical processes are taking place internally. The prevailing theory is that these sites are still not completely formed, but we cannot yet determine their nature or purpose.”