Operation Blackwell

Operation Blackwell was a secret operation led by Raven's Strategic Intelligence Office (SIO) that was intended to establish diplomatic communications with the Ir'vaki via the use of a high-powered laser on the surface of Pluto. The operation was sabotaged by the Anomaly Rights Coalition, and led to the Ir'vaki Conflict.

Operation

The malfunction of the shuttle's wormhole relay was a calculated possibility. However, after waiting more than 31 years past the expected check-in date for standard radio communications with no reply, the Ir'vaki began to express concern that the shuttle might have been destroyed by a manifold distortion field, as they knew the situation in the Solar System had the possibility of getting out of control. In 2146, the Ir'vaki fired a high-energy laser at the system in an attempt to communicate, which reached it in 2177, being picked up by a top-secret Anomaly Detection SIGINT base on the surface of Pluto. Raven, which had realised what had happened after raiding BioCorp's Site 18 facility after the incident two years prior, developed a plan to convince the Ir'vaki that manifold distortion in the solar system had in fact destroyed the shuttle.

The full reason for the operation was much more insidious - Raven planned to use the opportunity to establish exclusive communication and prevent the Ir'vaki from sharing information directly with humanity, which Raven feared would compromise their monopoly on scientific knowledge. After receiving the signal, Raven took five years to build a laser transmitter powerful enough to reach the Ir’vaki, only managing to complete it in 2182. However, in 2183, the operation was sabotaged in the first operation of the budding Anomaly Rights Coalition. Infiltrating the base, Exon injected evidence of BioCorp's atrocities into the transmission. By the time Raven realised, the message was sent, and it was too late.