The Saffron Malformation

A message from Dr. Elstridge, key consultant during the reconstruction of events detailed in this chronicling of events:"Throughout the inhabited planets of the systems, one question has never been thoroughly answered to anyone's satisfaction. What happened on Saffron? Or maybe, better yet, how could a planet end up so wrong?Images taken by the first voyage to the colony after the call for aid, painted a shocking picture that mixed with first and second hand accounts to continue to...
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A message from Dr. Elstridge, key consultant during the reconstruction of events detailed in this chronicling of events:"Throughout the inhabited planets of the systems, one question has never been thoroughly answered to anyone's satisfaction. What happened on Saffron? Or maybe, better yet, how could a planet end up so wrong?Images taken by the first voyage to the colony after the call for aid, painted a shocking picture that mixed with first and second hand accounts to continue to spawn endless speculation and countless rumors. After years of searching through files and code, we believe we have sifted through all the conjecture and found the original report, uploaded to the network the day of the call. I will warn you that many of the events detailed in this chronicle-for lack of a better word-are disturbing and caution is advised. But I believe the truth has to be known.These people must be spoken for.This can never happen again.As to the authenticity of the report, I believe it to be the real McCoy, so to speak. The people detailed within, according to our records, all lived on the colony and in the regions it suggests. It also seems to explain everything from the state of the planet's surface layers to the conditions of the wildlife, and provides insight into what may have brought about these 'Once Men.' It even leads us toward understanding the strange DNA strings attached to the unidentifiable corpses of unknown substance.One thing that's for certain, if the events chronicled in this account are the truth, as I believe them to be, then we were all wrong, and what was attempted on Saffron can't be called an atrocity, because in order to describe it properly we're going to need to invent a new word.Lastly, to the crew who came together and made this report possible, lending us your insight and your humanity, it's a sad truth but we failed you. You and the planet you were unfortunate enough to be born on. As a collective, as a culture, as a species... we failed you and we owe you thanks. After reading this I feel like I know you better than some 'friends' I have, and sometimes I wish I could have been there with you. Other times I'm glad I wasn't. But through the good and the bad and the ugly, I would have followed you to whatever end, and because of this, in some small way, I can. So on behalf of all of us, if you can hear this somehow. What you did, we will never forget. And thank you."