Immortal

[Sonny]

You can find this and all my other Planetside 2 lore stories at www.talesfromauraxis.com

Dear Henry,

This is the file that I mentioned at the briefing last night. It was a ball-ache getting this on priority access, but hopefully this can help explain the ‘abnormalities’ that your sensors have picked up in your contact zone. Until your scouts return with confirmation, I would put your MAX and armoured units on full alert tonight, just in case. We don’t need another debacle like back in ’51. Remember, we’re just one satellite call away, should the need arise.

Best of luck,

Raze

TERRAN REPUBLIC ARCHIVES – CLASSIFIED – LEVEL 3 CLEARANCE

Psychological assessment programme notes, index /003:10 (REFER TO INDEX /003:09 FOR ASSESSMENT SCORES

Analyst Staff Sergeant Peter LYLE

Case no. 10058 – #02543236 Private Erich D. DWIGHT (Combat Medic, GREEN)
Session 1 – ROUTINE SCREENING – 10:00 Sanctuary time, 08-11-2845

Dwight exhibited no outward signs of stress from leaving his family (mother and younger sister, father deceased) behind on Cyssor, but remained cold and unwilling to discuss the issue (FAMILIAL ISSUES, MINOR). He did, however, discuss his apprehension at entering the war and various stresses deriving from it (APPREHENSION, MINOR). Recommend RELEASE for standard combat duty.

RECOMMENDATION: CONTINUATION OF FINAL TRAINING AND COMMENCE COMBAT DUTY AS PER SCHEDULE

Session 2 – ENFORCED REFERRAL (via STAFF SERGEANT HOLT #0341861) – 11:00 Sanctuary time, 16-12-2845

Holt requested me personally after referring Dwight to two voluntary sessions with other psych. operatives (Cases # 21334, 35567). Currently on suspension from field duty and solitary confinement after disturbances of dormitory areas including: crying, shouting and destruction of Terran Republic equipment (DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR, CONCERN). Despite his previous behaviour he appeared lucid throughout the session and spoke only of his desire to speak again to his mother and apologise. Once reminded of his 1-year contract with the military, he commenced his disruptive behaviour once more (DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR, CONCERN). He ranted about events he had witnessed in base such as medics “shooting casualties in the head” and “knife fights on the training ground”, leading to a succession of delirious visions and inability to sleep (VISIONS, INSOMNIA, CONCERN). I conclude that the events he witnessed followed un-authorised respawn-inducing activity at the medical spawn and training grounds that should be investigated immediately, matters that I have brought up with Staff Sergeant Holt personally. I was forced to explain to Dwight the existence and nature of respawning to prevent further psychological trauma.

I hesitate between recommendation that Lyle be sent home or shipped to the front line, however it appears that the decision is in fact out of my hands, as the Directive states that new soldiers deemed ‘Valuable Assets’ must be sent to the front line. Therefore I conclude that Private Dwight must be sent into real combat for combat sedation before he infects the rest of his platoon with his delirium.

RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE TRANSFER TO FRONT LINE. RESPECT PAID TO RESPAWN PROTOCOL IN FUTURE IN ZONES IN AND AROUND TRAINING AREAS.

Session 3 – ROUTINE OBSERVATION FOLLOWING FIRST RESPAWN – 16:42 Sanctuary time, 27-12-2845

Private Dwight appeared in the spawn bay completely lucid and calm. No outward signs of stress - sweating, hyperventilation, delirium or violence. For the first time in my professional life we did not need to pacify the subject with drug injections following regaining consciousness. Dwight picked himself up of the medical bed within five minutes of respawn, with barely any common symptoms of bad co-ordination/dizziness/memory loss. His only words were that he had been ‘reborn to serve’ and that he had to ‘fly straight back to Eisa’ to break the New Conglomerate siege of the station. After a brief physical he was immediately signed off for combat duty. This incredible event has been logged in the ‘best practice’ folder within training guidelines File #3482. I recommend personal commendation of Staff Sergeant Holt for an almost-perfect ‘greasing’ of this new recruit.

Session 4 – ROUTINE ANNUAL CHECKUP – 11:00 Sanctuary time, 11-12-2846

Militarily, Sergeant Dwight has progressed enormously since our last meeting one year ago. Since his initial terror following joining the ground forces and enduring his first respawn with such unusual spirit, he has gained a reputation as one of the toughest, bravest Medics in the whole division. However, following this meeting I have some doubts regarding his suitability for long-term combat assignment, particularly for leading a squad. Please refer to notes 1 to 3 below:

1. When asked how many times he has respawned in the past year he simply stared and laughed in a frankly sinister fashion. Following protocol #12 I asked repeatedly the same question only to be met with the reply “more than you know”, a brash laugh and a wide-eyed stare. Subsequent access to his files revealed a respawn count of 64, but this may be an under-estimate as outpost respawns are not taken into account. Subsequent questioning of squad members revealed an almost suicidal tendency in Sergeant Dwight’s actions in the field. I heard of instances of head-on charges into tank columns and hand-to-hand combat with MAX units – both specifically un-authorised activities according to the Terran Republic directive on combat engagement guidelines (#08297) AND the respawn code for the prevention of unnecessary risk (#043345). Two squad members even recounted instances where they had to be respawned directly due to rash command decisions of Dwight. I understand that Epsilon platoon has the highest Kill/Respawn ratio in the entire division, but surely instances of blatant wastage of scarce Terran NTU resources cannot be accepted in this current climate of austerity. I recommend the immediate transfer of Dwight to a ‘home’ division to ensure that his impetuous command style and callous disregard for Terran resources be halted immediately.

2. In appearance Dwight has aged significantly – I estimate 15 – 20 older than his current age of 20. His face and hands are spotted with several scars. It is my opinion that there is a mismatch between his genetic code and that currently stored in his respawn tube (GENETIC MISMATCH – HIGH CONCERN). I realise that this would require a neo-memory reset, but in this case I believe the benefits outweigh the risks as otherwise he may require a replacement exo-skeleton or MAX unit re-assignment within one year without IMMEDIATE action. Additionally, his right hand shakes slightly and he has a frequent facial tic that indicates the foundation of long-term combat stress. I recommend that his dose of combat drugs be upped and administered more frequently, particularly of the nerve-calming variety.

3. Perhaps most worryingly in the long-term, he speaks of ‘living on the other side’ as if it were another realm. He describes beings of light and shadow and of a ‘paradise in death’. He speaks of the journey to death as ‘the biggest hit in life’. He is evidently approaching if not deep within the ‘respawn addiction’ phase, beyond which his drug dose (already at upper limits) can handle. A further recommendation for being placed within a ‘no-spawn’ position.

RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF FRONT-LINE COMBAT AND COMMAND DUTIES AND RE-ASSIGNMENT TO SANCTUARY

I have forwarded this report to Warrant officer Kelson to communicate the importance and severity of this particular case.

Session 5 – EMERGENCY REFERRAL – Xelas Bio lab, Amerish. 06:32 Sanctuary time, 24-06-2849

I am writing this following 8 hours of emergency shuttle flight from Sanctuary and 4 hours of psych. interrogation. Here we have yet another cast-iron case of communication failure within the Terran administration and the consequences resulting from this. My previous psychological report (several years ago) was forwarded to several field commanders as well as mid-ranking Terran officials at Sanctuary and obviously not acted upon. In future, as will be done with this report, I will forward urgent reports directly to the base commander.

Staff sergeant Dwight (yes, he was promoted even subsequent to my last report) was arrested by Terran military police following setting fire to the dormitories and med lab of the base, along with three other squad members (refer to incident report #400321). 32 Terran soldiers had to be respawned at great cost to the facility energy stores, and 3 support ‘non-spawn approved’ staff (will someone please tell me why this is still un-official policy on front-line bases to allow ‘non-spawn’ staff??) were permanently lost*.

I arrived following the chaos and the interview took place in between a platoon of engineers working frantically to hold up the leaning mess-hall of the facility. In amongst the smoking wreckage, Dwight was calm and lucid, sitting cross-legged in amongst the still-glowing embers. The wounds and scars on his face now dominate his visage, he has the appearance more of a burn victim than of a man (I later learnt that his gene match was NOT reset as recommended in my previous report). After first joking with me about being ‘rash’ and ‘impetuous’ (obviously someone here has read my report), I recount his responses un-edited in full to let his words speak for himself this time:

1. Why did you do this?
(Four seconds of silence… a deep breath) “I want everyone… to see what I’ve seen… To pass through the barrier and free themselves, forget about their worries, this war… We don’t need this war…”
2. Do you feel any guilt?
(He did not seem to recognise the question but instead stared through me for several seconds. I repeated the question) “I envy you, your chance to be there forever, to see them, live with them… These people – these spirits, they are incredible, beautiful… We need to learn from them…” (I repeat the question a third time, he seems to snap to attention) “Guilt? Why, NO! Joy, happiness… Three men were freed tonight. Three, because of me. You see, me, my squad, we are tortured Gods, trapped in a human form. One day we will free ourselves. All of us.”
3. The Terran Command can choose to terminate you at any time. You are not a ‘God’, just a man.
(He stares at me wide-eyed for several seconds and laughs deeply in a monotone, emotionless drawl) “You think that the Terrans control us anymore? You think that you control me now? I don’t need your NTUs, your respawn tubes, your ‘med bays’. We are beyond men.
4. What do you mean?
(He stares at me, laughing again) “Shhhhhh…. Vanu… Hahaha… Shhhhhhh” (no response after repetition of the question).
5. Do you realise that you will be permanently contained in solitary confinement and/or terminated?
“Yesss… Yes… Yes.. I welcome this. Please take me home. Hahaha…”
6. What are your plans?
(His gaze turns to the smoking embers in front of him and he appears not to hear me voice, despite several repetitions, he slumps forward in some semi-vegetative state).

Since this meeting, medical staff spent several days without success to revive Dwight. However, his importance to military intelligence in the Xelas region resulted in a Special Forces team being flown in with some ‘classified’ technology that brought him back to consciousness. He himself, and the three guilty squad members, are now in solitary confinement back at Sanctuary. I hear that the Administration have blamed the fire at Xelas on ‘outside insurgents’ and have claimed the four culprits to be victims of the attack. Although I completely disagree that these guilty men get away without any punishment whatsoever, at least they are off front-line duty (something that repeated OFFICIAL warnings to not seem capable of achieving).

RECOMMENDATION: LONG-TERM INCARCERATION AND REHABILITATION ON SANCTUARY

* On a side point, Why do we still use doors that are locked on the inside without a REK kit? Surely doors should be removed from all facilities as per directive #5134?

ADDENDUM 21-07-2147: Stepping somewhat outside of my remit, I have spoken with several low and mid-ranking officers with Xelas following the incident. It seems that Dwight’s belief in himself to be some sort of ‘God’ has infected a number of staff on the base. They refer to him as ‘The Chosen’ and his squad as ‘The Immortals’. Several (which I have referred to Psychological command on sanctuary) believe that they will be joining the ‘Immortals’ at the ‘Great Ending’. When questioned further I gained quotes such as ‘The death of all things, forever’, ‘The Great Freedom’, ‘Transcendence’. I have heard un-official anecdotes of soldiers refusing to fire their weapons when under attack and instead ‘invite the journey’. This psychological disease seems to have struck so deeply into the base that I recommend that the entire base staff be replaced and re-assigned across the continent and indeed Auraxis. We DO NOT want a repeat of what happened to the 15th Panthers platoon five years ago.

Session 6 – EMERGENCY REFERRAL –09:32 Sanctuary time, 04-09-2849

The Terran Intel agents have been unable to extract any information out of Dwight (now officially de-commissioned with full honours, he is officially dead after all) despite using their full cocktail of drugging and mind-manipulation techniques, so they wheeled him into my office, disrupting my entire schedule for the day. He now wears a mask permanently; the open wounds and sores on his face cause him permanent agony when exposed to oxygen. His open arms show a similar collapse in health and basic medical hygiene – I had to demand of his Terran ‘supervisor’ that they be covered up. If only my recommendation on re-matching his gene code had been acknowledged over one year ago… Now this figure can barely - physically or psychologically - be called a man.

Contrary to the silence endured by the special ops interrogator team over the last few months, he spoke to me immediately and openly about his plans (albeit slowly and slurring, still drugged to the hilt). I will summarise and submit this quickly as his words (if they have any ring of truth) will be a quite disturbing read for Terran High Command.

He first reminded me that he was a God (and he really believes it). He seems to believe that he has access to a hidden Vanu site that may hold the key to nanitOAUINFP9 9A7AOPHS

VB

END OF REPORT

SITE INVESTIGATOR TAKAHIRO SAITO ADDENDUM 07-09-2849:

STAFF SERGEANT PETER LYLE FOUND TERMINATED (STRANGULATION) AT OFFICE 09:41 SANCTUARY TIME 04-09-2847 (NOT RESPAWN APPROVED, PERMANENT TERMINATION). ASSAILANT (BELIEVED TO BE ERICH D. DWIGHT, FILE # 02543236) UNACCOUNTED FOR. NO WITNESSES. FOURTEEN MEMBERS OF DWIGHT’S EX-PLATOON (6TH EPSILON, ALSO KNOWN AS ‘THE IMMORTALS’) DISAPPEARED WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE INCIDENT, BELIEVED TO BE CO-CONSPIRATORS, ALL UNACCOUNTED FOR.

FIELD COMMANDER YURI LAKOV ADDENDUM 23-10-2851 (COMBAT REPORT #73284):

The hunt for the ‘Immortals’ continues. Forward scouts last report a sighting of Dwight (the ‘Chosen One’) near Indar impact site J-908. We expect that three platoons will be enough, but we have had to push on without air support. We expect engagement within 24 hours.

END OF ADDENDA. FURTHER INFORMATION REQUIRES HIGHER CLEARANCE. PLEASE REFER TO SUPERVISOR (BAND 3 OR ABOVE) FOR ACCESS AS PER PROTOCOL #35.

[Bored]

Not sure why nobody has commented on this. Its incredibly well done and actually feels like it was written by a military bureaucrat, its that authentic.

You have a serious talent for writing dude.

[Micro]

Oh! Sorry! Thought I had commented on this already? Apparently not.

Well, as always, this is just complete awesomeness!
Great work, Sonny!

[Ghodere]

This is, honestly, fantastically well written. The officialism, the exasperation of a civil bureaucrat in an uncaring military structure, and the effects of (repeated) death are all entirely believable and superbly interwoven. Keep up the great work!