VIII.XVIII.MMXIXTo my patrons in Pan-Asiatic States,
My name is James Dixon, and I was the B.A.S. specialist who handled this project. I have 15 years of experience handling underwater/partially submerged project sites for B.A.S., and I am thankful my expertise could be beneficial to this project.
With that being said, the location of this dig in a cavern below the waters surface made this project especially challenging. Additional costs were incurred to keep both staff from B.A.S. and your nation safe. These costs are reflected in your final bill, which was given to the agency you assigned to
As for the dig itself, our investigation focused primarily on uncovering how and why a group of soldiers ended up in this cavern. Our initial survey revealed a large amount of human fecal matter in the cavern, as well as the what appears to be an attempt to track time on a wall- indicates that at least a portion of the soldiers were alive when they entered the cave. A number of the corpses appear to have been buried, where as others were seemingly left where they lay. Our morticians estimate that the first individuals to die passed on as long as a month before the last.
We then brought in geological experts to analyze the cavern. Our men and women concluded that the cavern was the result of a sink hole that formed around the same time as the soldiers died.
With this in mind, our theory surrounding the unit's demise is thus: While marching, the combined weight of the unit surpassed the load limit of the wet surface, causing the land to slide out from under their feet, leaving them to fall into a growing sink hole. The men were trapped in by the moving surface, which left them with a small amount of air and light. Our analysis of the bodies indicates the majority of the men were injured- with broken bones and head contusions.
Our analysis also indicated something more grim. Several of the bodies that had been left unburied featured advanced decay that would be unusual for a corpse of such an age. Forensic lab analysis revealed human teeth marks on many of the bones of these soldiers. It is likely that the soldiers who survived the longest did so by cannibalizing their companions. See the attached image.
All of this is obviously tragic. However, there is some good that has come out of this dig. Soldiers who could be identified have had their remains respectfully transferred to their relatives/descendants. Those who could not have been transferred over to your government. I entrust these fallen men to your care.
It has been a great privilege to serve your nation in my first international project, I look forward to working with you again in the future.Sincerely,
Dr. James Dixon,