I have been doing a lot of thinking. Which is very very dangerous I know.
I'm going to throw you a bone here. I think you need it
Stage 1
Find the barnacles (they do exist), mine the organic alloy to make the metal foam and you may have a cure for the stations.
Stage 2
Find the "unknown bases" and you may find more answers and more questions with regard to the "unknown artefacts". "Unknown Barnacles" may be located near the "unknown bases".
Thargoid ships are organic tech. Possibly using organic metals. The space barnacles are an organic source used in metal foam. It is "unknown" where they come from. Ahem...I have a good idea where!
How do Terran marine barnacles spread around the earth?
What is their main means of indirect transport? This is a massive clue here.
The answer to this question is probably the most disturbing and worrying as it means we already have had "unknown ships" in our galaxy. If you find barnacles inside the bubble, you have a really big problem!
Start thinking like a Thargoid and you may find the "unknown bases" and other answers far more quickly. The longer you keep disregarding the potential of Thargoid orientated information, the longer you will keep running round in circles. All information regarding Thargoids is of course "unknown" (another bone).
The unknown artefacts have established a perimeter around Merope. This indicates a high probability that this is the "unknown" centre of operations. If you want to find "unknown bases" and "unknown barnacles", in their locale, I suggest looking in the space between the shell and Merope. This is of course a huge volume of space.
They could also be in far flung corners of the galaxy, but we need to start somewhere.
I am currently in the Taurus Dark sector working my way in towards Merope.
I have thrown you guys a very big "unknown" bone and many Bothans died to bring you that information.
It's up to you whether or not you digest it, or play with it and then bury it in the garden to be forgotten about.
Well, until some builder digs it up and phones the police because he thought it was a dead body.
Ps... the DBX seems to work best for finding things. Good range, good speed and excellent field of view.
Good luck in the "unknown"