The Progenitor Device is a Mission for the Osiris faction. It is unlocked after completing Dangerous Science Part 5. The Progenitor Device has 19 mission parts.
Description
After decades of storm and hazardous radiation from the Teratomorphic Energy Field enveloping most of the planet, an abandoned Osiris field lab on a remote island has suddenly become accessible. While it was common for Osiris researchers to be the last ones off the planet when the final evac order finally came, there are no recorded survivors from the installation at Tharis Island. Sullivan wants you to investigate the area, find out what happened to the researchers. And more importantly, to their research.
Parts
We have received some intel on one of our old research sites potentially being ready to be reclaimed. The area was completely inaccessible due to radiation and terrifying creatures, but now the radiation seems to have faded.. at least a little. For the creatures, however, you are not ready yet. Keep being a valuable asset to us and we may grant you access to this area.
Ah, our most efficient Prospector. Good. I think you should be able to handle exploring Tharis now. Bring us the parts we need to improve your drop pod so you don't go up in flames as you drop to the Island.
'You're ready. I have some recon work for you, Prospector. Recent survey data shows a dip in TEF radiation on a 'Tharis Island', the spot of one our old field labs. The installation was just being set up when the evac order came through, and with all the chaos, the records don't show any researchers making it out, nor why they were there in the first place. Head down there, check the outpost, and report back to me. '
'All killed. Not surprising, of course, but definitely not all were killed by surface beasts. The obvious suspects would be Korolev's goons; our people may have found something important those meatheads wanted for themselves, or maybe it was something more basic, like commandeering the site's vessels to evac. I need to think... this happened decades ago, but it would still be an unacceptable transgression. For now, just go back to those caverns and do some field work; apparently the caverns had some unique flora. '
'I need more information before I act; get into the Korolev Island HQ and retrieve whatever information that might shed some light on what happened. If Korolev truly is responsible for what happened, there will be hell to pay. '
'Unexpected. Both our people and Korolev's were attacked by a third party, what a Korolev foreman referred as 'cultists'. From the description, this group behaved similar to those afflicted by prolonged exposure to the TEF's radiation, but the first recorded encounter predates the first storms by a matter of months. Prospector, I need you to search for the Surveyor Pods deployed in the caverns, they would have recorded evidence of any exotic radiation, even before they knew what it was. '
'Just as I suspected, those caverns had been leaking TEF radiation for years before anyone ever set foot in them. That entire area can give us a preview of what sites on the surface may look like decades from now, if the field continues to affect the planet. But first things first: hunt down some Crushers from one of the affected areas and stash samples of their remains at one of our outpost so we can analyze the radiation. '
'One of my researchers working in the Crescent Falls area has some theories on those Spine Briar plants, and why they're unique to the Tharis caverns. I need you to take some new samples to a stash in the area; hopefully he does something more useful than just replanting them. '
'The results came back on the Crushers irradiated by Tharis: inconclusive; none of the creatures you dispatched seemed to be over a decade old, which may hint at the limits of their natural lifespan, or at how efficient your fellow prospectors have been at thinning their numbers. One thing did stand out, though; a foreign bioluminescent compound. I've found mentions of a 'Cave of Stars', the likely source. Search the area, and bring back anything that may be of interest. '
'These 'cultists' weren't merely men gone feral, they had kept some level of organization, and built a devotion to the Tharis caverns. They seemed obsessed with clusters of a glowing crystaline compound unique to the island; bring me some samples, this merits study. '
'These 'Teratomorphic Crystals' are proving to be an interesting puzzle. There's nothing organic or 'living' about them, but they don't resemble any natural formation I've ever seen. And they appear to absorb TEF energy like a battery. Perhaps the cultists knew more about them. The records you recovered mention of wall markings scattered throughout the caverns, perhaps they hold some cyphered information. Find them, Prospector. '
'It appears the cultists were fixated on the same rare ore that kept Korolev and our own Osiris people, 'Tharis Ore' as they called it. Bring me samples, normal and the 'refined' type. If the Teratomorphic Crystals interacted with TEF radiation, it's reasonable to believe this material might too. '
'Our experiments with Tharis Iron proved very productive; concentrated blasts of TEF radiation caused the samples to react by warping into different shapes. Some, almost organic, and very reminiscent of patterns seen in Fortuna III's newer flora and fauna. Bring me samples of creatures killed at the peak of a storm. And some Charged Brightcaps, too. '
'It's clear that the importance of these caverns can't be overstated; Korolev stumbled upon a Progenitor terraforming artifact and they simply decided to mine around it, for rocks! I need you to go deeper, recover anything else the cultists deemed valuable; they may have been insane, but they knew something. '
'Korolev had people block off the deepest caverns, fearing the unknown and wanting to bury the 'dangerous' mysteries beneath. Everything points to there being something important down there, something connected to Tharis Iron, something the cultists killed to protect. They even found a way through those strange alien doors, just to get there. Thanks to these Ritual Items you brought back, we now know how they did it. Down the Abyss, Prospector, discovery awaits!'
'Fascinating... The installation on Tharis Island may not have been part of the Progenitor terraformer network, but perhaps a small outpost of some sort? It makes sense that they would place self-sufficient outposts on the planets they terraformed. You must remain my proxy on this venture, the island is still far too dangerous for a team to investigate directly; head back to the Forge, feed it Tharis Iron, and bring back the results. And get rid of any onlookers. '
'Excellent work down there, Prospector. It's doubtful, though, that this lone machine's purpose would be solely to transform Tharis Iron into Forge Alloy, not without additional support or transport systems to put it to use. No, this must be an intermediate product... Return to the machine, there must be something we've missed. '
'Fascinating, it appears you found what's essentially an instruction manual... But something urgent has come up, on Crescent Falls. Scans found a cavern near the south of the Fallen Tree, with curious energy readings during a recent storm event. I want you to explore it; make short work of any creatures you find inside, and stash their remains for my people on the surface to collect. '
'I think it's time to move forward with our work on the Abyss Forge. Use the 'recipe' you found earlier, and whatever that device prints out, deliver it back to me. If we can put this Progenitor technology to work for us... well, you can imagine the implications. '