Briefing
Greetings, Special Agent.
We come in peace, Just kidding, we never do. Good thing we finally got that Kotova guy, excellent work! After suffering a large blow to their income, the Order of Hades has decided to start a more lucrative business. Unfortunately it’s one the world really cannot use right now. As you know we’ve been in contact with our Alien friends for many generations now. Somehow we’ve all been able to keep this from the public, (although some of them have suspicions) allowing us to work closely together. The Order of Hades is now threatening to put an end to all this.
Recently, during a routine visit for soil samples and gathering some local wildlife as snacks, one of our Alien friends crashed. We do not know the exact location, given the speed of the ship and time we lost contact, the ship impacted earth roughly one hour ago. On board was our friend Klumgongyn. Being not a very skilled pilot after only living 325 human years, Klumgongyn sent out a distress signal right before crashing. After that signal, we received additional communication in the form of scanned writings. We therefor have reason to believe Klumgongyn is still alive. Although this should not matter, I’m sure you can imagine the impact of a citizen finding an alien corpse laying around.
Monitoring of the Order of Hades communication channels, indicates they are also aware of the crash and are actively searching for Klumgongyn. It’s your task to establish communication with Klumgongyn, guide our guest to safety and off our planet. The scanned writings sent after the distress signal are attached below. You will have to translate it as our first step to finding Klumgongyn. Our alien friends have a ship moving closer to earth, it is unfortunately outside our communication range. We cannot ask them for a translation right now.
As always, Special Agent, the contract is yours, if you choose to accept.
Materials
Step 01
The scanned writings sent after the distress signal are attached below. You will have to translate it as our first step to finding Klumgongyn.
Step 02
Great, now we know that Klumgongyn is alive, we were able to intercept another message. Our comms technician has written it down. We believe it will give information about where Klumgongyn might be. See if you can again translate the message and locate Klumgongyn.
Step 03
Great work on finding Klumgongyn! We sent in the BTRU (Borderless Tactical Response Unit) to rescue our alien friend. Unfortunately the Order of Hades beat us to the location and has taken Klumgongyn. During a further sweep of the area, we received a transmission. Using an alien version of a smartwatch, our friend managed to draw their current surroundings. The geolocation functionality of this watch is not usable on our planet, luckily Klumgongyn is an amazing artist. This image should help to locate the group.
Step 04
The BTRU is finally on their way to the island, though given the size of the place, finding Klumgongyn might be difficult. While waiting for their arrival, we’ve received another message from our Klumgongyn. Find out what it means, it seems like our friend needs help. If my memory serves me well, Klumgongyn started a blog last time when visiting earth, maybe that has something to do with this.
Step 05
Great, it seems Klumgongyn is still alive! The island was far too big to find any trace of our guest, luckily Klumgongyn is hyper intelligent and was able to sneak us another message. Our communication specialist wrote it down again. Find out where they’re taking Klumgongyn again, we have to catch up to these people soon! The Alien ship is also nearing comms range, I’m sure they will be very displeased with the Order of Hades, maybe this can work in our favor if we bring back Klumgongyn alive and well.
Step 06
We have new communication from Klumgongyn, this time already translated. The mothership is within our comms range, but not close enough to locate Klumgongyn. It seems that when teleporting out of the airplane, our guest managed to teleport to a wrong location. Find out where Klumgongyn is and where the Obelisk is that our alien friend needs to go. This Obelisk has an emergency beacon built in, once activated Klumgongyn will be able to extract.
Located in the Al-Matarriyah district of Cairo, Egypt
Largest surviving monument from Heliopolis
Oldest obelisk in existence
Was part of a temple of Re-Atum constructed by Pharaoh Senusret 1
Stands at 69 feet high and weight 120 tons
There is an eagle glyph at the top of the obelisk
Step 07
Answer Instruction
Use the answer to unlock the flagfile, this will reward you with your badge.
First word of step 1
Location of step 2
Location of step 3
Special code from step 4
Country Klumgongyn was taken to by boat in step 5
Location of step 6
Last word of the transmission step 7
Answer format:
word-location-location-code-country-location-word
Answer example:
fish-cowabunga-hill-special-valley-code-france-cairo-obelisk-splinter
Flagfile
Be advised, the flagfile is an encrypted ZIP. Make sure your OS supports the ZIP format. Ensure the password contains no hidden characters or formatting, paste in Notepad first if the password doesn’t seem to work.
PS: Don’t forget to claim your Coins and XP, by posting your card in the #card-brag channel in Discord.
Official Write-up
Provided here is the official write-up, it does contain the answer. Use this if you’re stuck, or want to verify if you got the answer correct.
⚠️ SPOILER: Official Write-up
Galaxios
This contract, part of the “Operation Galaxios” OSINT competition, involves helping a friendly alien named Klumgongyn who has crash-landed on Earth. The player must decipher a series of encoded messages and clues to locate Klumgongyn and assist in his extraction.
Challenge Objectives
- Translate the encoded messages to uncover Klumgongyn’s location
- Identify and locate the specific sites mentioned in the clues
- Help coordinate Klumgongyn’s extraction and safe return to his home planet
Solution Steps
Step 1: Decode the Initial Message
The first step is to translate the scanned writings provided, which appear to be encoded in a letter-to-symbol cipher. By identifying common letter patterns and word structures, the player can gradually decipher the message, which turns out to be a plea for help from Klumgongyn.
Step 2: Locate Klumgongyn’s Cave
Using the clues in the translated message, the player determines that Klumgongyn is hiding in a cave with ancient paintings, located in the Wunnumurra Gorge, Barnett River, Kimberley, Western Australia.
Step 3: Track Klumgongyn’s Capture
However, the Order of Hades beats the BTRU (Borderless Tactical Response Unit) to the location and captures Klumgongyn. The player is then provided with a sketch drawn by Klumgongyn, depicting unusual “dragon blood” trees, which the player identifies as being located on Socotra Island, off the coast of Yemen.
Step 4: Decode Klumgongyn’s Blog
While Klumgongyn is being transported, he manages to send another encoded message. The player deciphers this message and discovers that Klumgongyn has been taken to the Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti, and then flown to Switzerland, near the Large Hadron Collider.
Step 5: Locate the Extraction Point
The final encoded message reveals that Klumgongyn has teleported to the wrong location and is now in Tunisia. The player then identifies the correct extraction point as the ancient Heliopolis Obelisk in Cairo, Egypt.
Step 6: Activate the Extraction Beacon
To complete the extraction, the player must decipher the audio message from Klumgongyn’s alien ship, which contains a Morse code message with the code “BEAM ME UP SCOTTY”. This code is then used to activate the emergency beacon on the Heliopolis Obelisk, allowing Klumgongyn to be safely extracted.
Final Answer Format
The final answer format for this contract is:
humans-wunnumurra-gorge-socotra-island-klumo-switzerland-heliopolis-obelisk-scottyThis includes all the key locations and elements mentioned throughout the challenge.
Tips for Players
- Carefully analyze each encoded message and clue to gradually piece together the full story
- Utilize a variety of online tools and resources to research and identify the locations mentioned
- Pay close attention to any specific details or references provided, as they may be crucial to solving the puzzle
- Be prepared to think outside the box and explore different avenues to uncover the final solution
Creator(s): Frank Diepmaat