So many are asking, what was the point of the Owl Sector stuff? What exactly is SIVA? The background shows that the two are related and I will attempt to explain them here. It also shows some fairly unethical research occurring in the name of science. Golden age wasn’t quite so golden.
One of the things that was confusing people in the Owl Sector record logs, is that they were both present day and historical records intertwined, so understanding the timing was difficult. But lore wise, the mite infection we briefly endured leading up to RoI is a parallel research that along side the one that generated SIVA.
So centuries ago in the Golden Age, a scientist named Z. Shirazi was performing research for Clovis Bray under the oversight of Willa Bray (relation not known yet) at a facility located on Mars in the Dust Palace. Shirazi recorded her research in log books as she injected test patients with nanotechnology (code named Glory, Magnificence, Brilliance, Splendor, Fortitude). The nanotechnology was injected into human hosts in which the mites were trying to augment human abilities (I believe the code names to indicate the elements of the human they were trying to augment). Basically enhanced humans, but these patients experienced a wide variety of negative effects.
The research was all about colonization. Shirazi’s research was trying to improve human’s abilities to survive the colonization of other planets/systems. To endure the harsh physical and mental demands.
Shirazi was initially enthusiastic to be leading such important research, but in time, became more and more skeptical. As her patients kept having severe negative side effects, she began to uncover files that Willa Bray secretly kept indicating that previous versions of the research Shirazi was currently conducting had 50-60% mortality rates. This high mortality rate caused Shirazi to become upset because this information was not told to her and it makes her second guess her research.
In current time, Owl Sector, a group of humans living in the tower and liasons to the Vanguard, begin to observe Guardians becoming infected with mites after visiting the Dust Palace. They send a member of their team to the Dust Palace to look for the source, and they discover all of Shirazi’s old research files from the golden age and that the mites (nano robots) had been released. As the mites spread across the Guardians, Owl Sector and the Vanguard restrict contact between humans and Guardians because while the mites appear to have beneficial effects on guardians (in game represented as increased Exp/Rep), it still proves as harmful to humans as it did back in the golden age research that Shirazi was conducting. The lead of the Owl Sector, a human male named Shun Li, accidentally gets exposed the mites and nearly dies (as a side note, it appears that him and Ikora have feelings for each other and may at one point had a romantic relationship). Through reading Shirazi’s old research notes, Owl Sector is able to cure Shun of the mite infection and in our current time, the threat of the infection ended.
In the Owl Sector entry under Fortitude 3.1, the last log entry Shirazi made back in the golden age stated:
[spoiler]
“After I sent my research staff home, I entered Clovis Bray’s data isolation chamber with borrowed credentials. I had to know. My predecessor’s annotations are sparse, but I believe the data from previous trials show mortality rates of 50-60% for the last generation of injectable biotech. I should have been informed of this.
My report will begin with the words: Unacceptable, demonstrated risks preclude further human trials at this time. I must make Willa Bray see that this way lies disaster.”[/spoiler]
So how does this tie to rise of iron and SIVA?
Dormant SIVA fragments, those red glowing things we collect in RoI. Let’s start with the very first one, Clovis Bray 1.0:
The fragment does not identify the names of the two individuals talking but let’s see what they say and infer. First dialogue:
“I can’t in good professional conscience recommend further research in this direction without stringent review of protocol and mitigation of the undisclosed lethality risks. Which I should have been informed of.”
So this looks to be picking up right where Shirazi’s last Owl sector record left off. Simliar words and sentiment. Shirazi is expressing her anger over not being told all the facts. And she receives a response back from someone:
“Should have been.” Is this insubordination, Zarin?
Zarin? Seems to be a name. And Sharzi’s first name…as in Z. Shirazi from her log records. Zarin Shirazi is her full name. And the log entry notation below is recorded as SIVA.MEM.WB065… WB, Willa Bray. So Shirazi and Willa Bray are the ones talking. Keep reading the dormant siva fragments and later it openly states the name Willa Bray as one of the narrators. Over the next 4 Dormant SIVA entries, Shirazi is removed from the research project after Willa discovers she’s been snooping around her secret files.
In parallel, a Dr. Zhang, is working on another version of the research, building the replication chambers for SIVA.
The SIVA nanotechnology is not just the mite technology that Shirazi was researching, the one we enjoyed briefly in the week leading up to RoI, it is the technology we see kill the Iron Lords centuries ago and infect the fallen in the present story.
While Shirazi’s version of the research used the mites to augment human abilities for colonization , the SIVA version show the mites as being able to operate independent of a human host. A rather simple analogy, but think microbots in the Disney movie Big Hero 6, controlled by AI.
The SIVA version are intelligent swarms of mites capable of constructing without the human requirement. These SIVA swarms could travel long distances, operate independently, and even construct colonies, so that the first augmented human settlers would already have some place pre built to live when they arrived.
In the late golden age, we have at least one documented evidence of Rasputin using one of the cosmodrome colony ships to take SIVA to a distant place (Old Russia 4: http://www.ishtar-collective.net/cards/ghost-fragment-old-russia-4?highlight=Old )
We know from RoI that Rasputin has control over SIVA. Based on a few loose pieces of lore, it would appear that Rasputin took control of SIVA at some point in the late Golden Age, possibly without permission.
When the collapse occurred and Rasputin went dormant, he vaulted SIVA away in one of his bunkers, until the Iron Lords showed up looking for it. Which is where the RoI story line picks up.
Hopefully this helps create the backstory and understand things more
Edit: updated to reflect Shirazi's research was going on in parallel with SIVA (Haffocs post)
-
由HellfireEclipse編輯: 9/28/2016 9:29:31 PMSiva was designed to repair the warminds when the last would fall. The Traveler is evil
-
So Rasputin wasn't awoken from his deep winter sleep by us, he was awoken by the Iron Lords. But why didn't he notice that the world was ruined and that the Iron Lords could save it, and how did the fallen even get ahold of SIVA, If the vanguard sealed the vault? Remember only 6 iron lords entered the replication chamber, how did a bunch of scrawny fallen manage to gat in. As Saladin said, Rasputin hasn't been a warmind for a long time. Is something sinister going on? Is Rasputin plotting to destroy the universe?
-
-
Also this bit of lore confirms my theory on everything. Basically, we created the darkness as well as every threat to the city. Rasputin is evil and caused the collapse. Vex are humans. Osiris and the speaker, and the player are all possibly a part of the research teams that caused this. It's also possible that Rasputin is one of these researchers consciousness. I'll elaborate more when I get the chance.
-
由Haffoc編輯: 9/28/2016 5:24:42 PMSlight problem [quote]I'm surprised, I have to say. [b]Although perhaps I shouldn't be. It does save time to run experiments in parallel. I see the benefit to the colonization effort, but I can't support those plans.[/b] I won't help you. Strictly speaking, Zarin, your participation isn't necessary.[/quote] This confirms that Siva was already being researched. Clovis Bray 2 appears to back this up [quote]What I’ve been working on will solve all those problems. Developed in these laboratories built to my specifications, by my handpicked team, these nanites will double, triple, maybe even quadruple construction rates, reduce colonist casualties, and serve us in our spread across the system, then across the stars. [b]Our first replication chamber sits beside the Cosmodrome, ready to outfit the colony ships. [/b] Dr. Willa Bray herself came to congratulate me. [b]“You’ll be able to expand soon,” she said. “Into the space currently occupied by the Shirazi Lab.”[/b] “Are they relocating?” I said. “Moving on to other opportunities.” “I can’t imagine a better place to be,” I said.[/quote] The Siva replication chamber was already in place by the time Dr Zhang took over the Shirazi lab space. The prototype for Siva was presented to Bray before they moved into the new labs [quote]Does the new research facility meet your expectations? It surpasses them. We presented you with this sample of SIVA on your desk six months ago, and the speed of our prototyping was the direct result of our generous budget.[/quote] -- Lastly Bungie have stated that Siva requires a mind to control it, and there's the following that confirms this. [quote]I can feel the mites buzzing, pushing against my sub-mind. They try to steal fragments of memory, but I do not let them. [b]They have no will,[/b] but they want to BE. [b]I exert electronic will: pushing, shaping. Forcing stasis on perpetual motion.[/b] They are quiet then, but I can still sense them. [/quote] The Sub-mind isn't sure he is strong enough to use Siva fully, but Rasputin expected him to control Siva to build new worlds. [quote]I fear my will is not strong enough to shape these worlds. Only the Tyrant can do that, but he will not be a part of my journey. Even his reach has limits, and we will be nine billion miles away. [/quote] Rasputin was that mind that controlled Siva against the Iron Lords, now it's Kovik - though he hadn't mastered the control when we got involved.
-
-
I feel like Osiris cane from those tests. After all he was a genetically engineered human from the golden age
-
Why. Isn't. This. In. The. Game? Haha, I understand that they can't all of this in the game, but I am always just looking for more story in destiny. I feel like the set ups for the stories are so good, but I never really feel like they develop it much. Maybe those great SNES RPGs of old just spoiled me 😊
-
-
-
-
Nice summery, really ties all loose ends. I always found it weird that all Bodyless AI have a weird plutonic fear crush on Rasputin. Also Cayde has a thing for a Frame