Art of Domination Thread 04

You immediately perceive a wholly different world. You are the first living saramis to ever witness a Cosmic Organ.



GREETINGS, PARASITE

You: Holy shit. Wait, parasite?

Intruder: Don't take it as an insult. To the cosmos, you're like fermenting bacteria living inside its guts. Tiny, sometimes annoying, yet ultimately helpful.

PARASITE, YOU ARE IN NEED OF HELP. YOU STOPPED THE POISON'S FLOW. I WILL REPAY KINDNESS WITH GIFT. I OFFER YOU SAFE PASSAGE INTO THE ARMS OF YOUR COMPANION.

Intruder: Lagan, it means that it's going to send you to your wife.

You: It's going to teleport me?

Intruder: Not exactly. It's going to shove away all the space between you and your wife's starship, then patch it back up behind you.

You: WAIT WHAT?!

Before you even have a chance to do anything further, the entire universe rearranges itself and you are floating in space in front of the Enderfist. Fortunately, Intruder already created an environment suit around you made of corpses and debris.



You: I'm here. I'm really here.

Intruder: Indeed.

You: Can the Cosmic Organ do that again? Rearrange space?

Intruder: Yes, but not anytime soon. It needs time to rest and clear out the... I suppose the best phrase is 'waste matter'.

You: So the universe we're living in is alive.

Intruder: Yes, and the Cosmic Organ you encountered is merely a piece of it, not the entire being. The best way I can describe what happened to you is that an artery has recognized a beneficial bacteria and sent signals to tell other organs to send you somewhere specific.

You: The universe is fucking weird.

Intruder: Surely you've known that long ago.

You hear a voice on your radio.

Ghulls: Unidentified foreign object, you are approaching the Enderfist, a Saramis Alliance vessel. We have detected signs of life. Identify yourself or we will shoot!

You: This is General Lagantis Primevex. Identity Seven-Seven-Nine-Three. Password is 'Unrecognized Command'.

Vora: Lagan? Is that really you?

You: Yeah. It's me. We just killed an Author who was about to erase Homeworld.

Vora: Wait, what do you mean, 'we'?

Intruder extends a piece of the spacesuit and does a gentle wave. This might be the friendliest gesture he's ever done.

WEEK 6 DAY 3

There was understandably a lot of mistrust when Intruder came on board the Enderfist. Despite everything he's done back on Homeworld, many remain skeptical of his friend-or-foe status. However, your influence is enough to make others back down.

Madnas actually called, and asked you about what the hell happened. From his point of view, you and Intruder just vanished instantly. You explained what's been going on, and leave him in charge of the newly-established Coalition between the Saramis Alliance and the Human Federation. While he is undeniably an eccentric, he is also a very dependable leader.

Right now, you're in bed with Vora. It feels like it's been forever since you've both been this close.



Vora: I forgive you.

You: I just wish... I'd been more honest with you. You trusted me, but...

Vora: I know you did what you did because you're scared of becoming a bad person. I've been with you for twenty years, and I know that there's a side of you that's terrified of being remembered as a villain.

You: A monster.

Vora: You pretend to brush it off when you're in public, but I know it really gets to you when people accuse you of doing horrible things. The fact that it bothers you, I like to think it's a good thing, because that means you DO care.

You: So you really don't hate me? About... the reason why I approached you in the first place?

Vora: I don't hate you for that, Lagan. You're a man who's scared of turning into a monster and you wanted someone brave who could stop you before you did something awful. I can understand that.

You: I did come close though, didn't I.

Vora sighs.

Vora: I'm not going to pretend that the things you did were all good ideas. I still remember the times we argued. We almost divorced twice.

You: Yeah. Our relationship, our family, it's not very stable, is it?

Vora: I wouldn't say that now. Back in the early days, I think that'd be accurate. I think it was mostly physical. Two horny soldiers with the hots for each other.

You nod slowly.

Vora: We went at it like crazy in the early years. But now? We've both changed. We both understand each other better. And I know we both love our kids. We'd never neglect them, never abuse them, never abandon them. That's definitely something we'd never argue about.

You: True. Speaking of which, I haven't talked to them yet.

Vora: I haven't talked much to them, either. Maybe we should share a meal together. After everything we've both been through these past few weeks, we deserve a break.

You: A family dinner sounds a lot more appealing than seeing another goddamn abomination. I've had enough monsters for ten lifetimes.

Vora: Agreed.

A call comes.

Vora: Could be important.

Dr. Ushah: Commander, I've- oh! I'm sorry if I, uh, interrupted something.

Vora: It's fine, Doctor. Go ahead.

Dr. Ushah: I've finished the report on what the corporal experienced as his mind was taken over by the enemy General.

You read the report along with Vora.

Subject was completely aware during the brief time spent under the enemy's control. He claims to have felt something probing around inside his skull, like fingers. He also saw quick flashes of his memories, ranging from the pleasant to the traumatic. Understandably, he experienced confusion and terror and wanted to run away.

His body would not obey any command, and despite his body breathing as normal, he felt the sensation of suffocating. Though he did not hear any of the General's thoughts, the probing feeling became more and more intense, as if there were a dozen or more hands touching his cranium's interior, and so he was certain that he was being controlled.

Unlike the Brainbeasts, which convinces their targets to perform actions using hallucinations, Generals seem to opt for a more aggressive method of control. They have the ability to cut off the nerves connecting the brain to the rest of the body, and completely dominate their actions. The victim is trapped inside their own body.

The sensation of fingers feeling around in his head may be representative of the General searching inside his mind and taking note of anything useful. He may have gained access to some top secret information, but it is difficult to be certain.

Is the General capable of outright killing their target? Considering the ease with which he shut off the corporal's nerves, I would say it is very likely. Had the General wanted to, he could have simply ordered the victim's heart to stop beating permanently.

I would wager that psionics will become a crucial element in our war against the Authors. We will have to pay more attention and devote more resources into both utilizing it and protecting ourselves against it.

R&D have managed to make use of the data we found, and we now have a solid date on when the Psi Helmet can be completed.

Vora: Is Corporal Morj fit for duty?

Dr. Ushah: Physically, yes, but we need to continue testing him to make sure the enemy didn't do something like plant a hidden instruction in his mind. We'll have to keep him under observation for the time being.

Vora: Understood.

Dr. Ushah: There's also something else. It's about psionics. I would like your permission to begin testing soldiers for psionic potential. However, there is a possible risk that some of your soldiers may lose their motor skills or worse during testing. Volunteers only, of course, but there is still an eight to ten percent chance that the subject will suffer some form of brain damage during the test.

Vora: Isn't there a better way to test? One that won't result in hurting people?

Dr. Ushah: Hmm. Let's ask Feathers and Francoise.

Feathers: Commander, there are actually alternatives, but they may yield less... impressive results. Allow me to explain: To test a person for psionic potential, we need to force their brains to perform a task that can only be done by someone with psionics. We artificially stimulate their neurons. Push them to their limits.

Francoise: The downside to this is that it risks neural damage if the task is beyond the subject's psychic capability, and the risk becomes greater the more intense the test is. The truth is, every organic person has the potential for psionic capability, but not at a powerful level. To test them at low intensity means we need to spend time, and also get a smaller chance of unlocking a powerful ability.

Feathers: Here are the options available to us.

Psionic Potential Testing
Every Level also unlocks abilities from the previous levels.

Level 1
Failure rate: 2%
Unlocks:
Mental Pause
(Stuns a target for 1 to 2 seconds)

This psionic attack delivers a telepathic message that overwhelms the target's thoughts. Though the duration is very short, a second's delay can make a huge difference in combat.

Level 2
Failure rate: 8-10%
Unlocks:
Nerve Shutdown
(Permanently paralyzes a limb until the user either dies or chooses to end the effect)

The target's nerves will be blocked as long as the user wishes it. Any command sent from the target's brain will never reach the affected limb.

Level 3
Failure rate: 12-20%
Unlocks:
Mental Decoy
(Creates an illusion in the target's mind that the user is in a different location)

Though the hallucinations this ability creates can sometimes be nonsensical, experiments demonstrate that the affected target will believe their foe has suddenly teleported to a nearby location, as it does not only affect sight but also other senses including hearing and smell. The illusion will perform the same actions as the user as long as it is active, just at a different location within the target's line of sight.

Level 4
Failure Rate: 25-30%
Unlocks:
Guardian Aura
(Gives non-psionic allies within line of sight protection from psi attacks by weaker enemies, grants allies the Mental Pause ability)

The Guardian Aura is a field of benign psionic energy that will boost the psychic potential of those within its sphere of influence, enough to resist any psionic attack weaker than the user's. It also gives the Mental Pause ability to any ally within the aura’s zone. Strangely enough, this ability only affects people who are normally incapable of using psychic powers.

Level 5
Failure Rate: 40-43%
Unlocks: Corpse Puppeting
(Can force a dead creature's body parts to move and perform actions.)

Just as how a psionic combatant can force nerves to shut down, they can also, with greater effort, force bodies to move. Dead creatures can be manipulated and the puppet has the advantage of being completely unfazed by any attack as long as it is capable of moving, and its controller remains conscious.

Level 6
Failure rate: 50-60%
Unlocks: Mental Domination
(Permanently mind-controls a target until the user decides to stop, chance of success depends on comparative psionic strength. Can also be used to calm allies.)

The user can completely shut down a target’s higher mental functions and control them, but can also be used at lower intensity to help panicking allies to regain focus.

Level 7
Failure rate: 75%
Unlocks: Organic Combustion
(Causes a group of cells inside a target to spontaneously combust, including brain cells. May instantly kill the target.)

This ability overloads individual cells with so much energy that they just explode. Targeting specific organs is the level of precision we can expect, and this ability can work on machines covered in bacteria or other organic material.

Level 8
Failure Rate: 90%
Unlocks: Soul-form
(Allows user to fly and phase through solid objects for a moment. Can only be used again after a session of sleep)

Primarily used as an emergency escape method, Soul-form allows the psionic user to temporarily phase through solid things and ignore gravity. However, it’s easily countered by having multiple layers of walls as the user needs to sleep to use this ability again. Still, there are other applications: Soul-form can be used to outflank enemy forces, reach high ground, or enter an enemy vehicle.

Level 9
Failure Rate: 95%
Unlocks: Mind Saber
(Allows user to create a weightless melee weapon that can harm both organic and inorganic enemies. When used on a robot, the saber will detonate any microbes near the enemy. Any organic enemy killed by the Mind Saber becomes a puppet for the user until the user falls asleep.)

The Mind Saber has never actually been observed in a controlled setting, but it has been witnessed by a few scientists in Robert North's employ. The user, with all their psionic potential unlocked, was capable of combining their other abilities to maximize the damage they could inflict using the Mind Saber. The only way the Mind Saber can be countered is if it was used in a completely sterile environment devoid of organic matter.

Level 10
Failure Rate: ???
Unlocks: Precious Gift
(The user permanently grants level-7 psychic abilities to an ally within line of sight, but only once)

Only theoretical, but possible, a Level 10 Psi User can boost another person’s brain to the point that they immediately become a Level 7 psychic. It involves the user directly altering the target’s brain. Like Guardian Aura, this ability only affects someone who has shown no sign of psionic talent. The level of effort and focus involved would exert so much stress on the user’s own brain that we believe it can only be done once in their lifetime.

Feathers: We currently have 600 ready volunteers, from various battalions in your army. Should we start at Level 1 of testing? Or should we risk the higher levels?

[[SWITCHING TO VORA]]

- Start at level 1.

- (A higher level)

- Withhold psionic testing until we find a safer way.

>_