Friday, May 13, 2011

Project Osiris (Prologue)

            Project Osiris is a series of short stories about the first Caldari clone foot-soldier.  It is written in the spirit of Dust 514, and will attempt to stick with prime fiction when it can.  It will also link up with past events within the larger realm of EVE history, and anyone who was well enough versed in the lore will spot the Easter eggs I will occasionally leave.  


Synopsis

As mega corporations and intelligence agencies vie for control over an increasingly fractured Caldari State, a secretive branch of Ishukone scientists work feverishly towards the creation of immortal foot-soldiers in a desperate attempt to secure the future of the State, as outside events threaten to disrupt the delicate balance between the four empires and push them to war.  

An elite operative within a secretive agency finds himself caught between two ruthless organizations that will stop at nothing to achieve their galactic aims.   Allegiances will be questioned, lives will be destroyed, and some will learn that there are fates far worse than death.

Project Osiris OSR-454

Ishukone director level access- eyes only

Report filed January 2nd Y107

Background:

Over the past two and a half years Ishukone Black Projects Division (BPD) has managed leaping advances in “passive scan” cloning technology. These advances emerged, in part, from deals made with the Jovians, as well as portions of data stolen from Crierlere labs. The details of these exchanges, as well as of the technology itself, are beyond the scope of this briefing (see OSR-333,PSC-001 for further details). Passive Scan Cloning (PSC) involves implanting a subject with a series of cranial implants and mapping the brain of the subject to enable the use of passive low intensity brain scans to obtain information necessary to replicate the consciousness of the subject in a clone once the subject dies. This method, perfected to the current standard, allows near real time (with a few minutes of latency) brain-scanning and transfer of consciousness to a clone after death without the massive brain damage incurred from common flash scanning methods, such as those associated with capsuleer cloning. Furthermore, the PSC technology enables info-morph transfer without the need for a capsule.

Potential military applications for this new technology were immediately obvious. Project Osiris was green lit as an attempt to create a resilient soldier, unaffected by the fear of death, or permanent injury, and who's consciousness, experiences, and training would not be lost through death in battle.

Exploratory Phase

Initial research into the viability of Project Osiris hinged on the examination of data from several sources to determine possible side effects of repeatedly suffering trauma, death, and re-cloning on the human psyche. Psychological studies on capsuleers and their repeated deaths and re-clonings were considered inadequate because capsule cloning technology largely prevented capsuleers from experiencing the trauma of their own deaths and would not account for psychological trauma incurred by severe physical injury, battle fatigue, or other eventualities which commonly affect soldiers.

Information taken from the Amarr Human Endurance Program (HEP), which gave birth to the Kaimera Programs, was deemed a more suitable source of data regarding psychological effects of extreme stress and battle trauma on human subjects. HEP testing did not account for removal of death or permanent physical injury as a threat to the subject, and thus was inadequate information for the purposes of fully evaluating the viability of the project, but since it was the closest related study it became the benchmark for establishing many of the trial endpoints and physiological profiles for what would eventually become the Project Osiris pilot program.

Pilot Program

Primary Objectives:

Determination of the median psychological breaking point for subject pool.

Study the effects of Osiris on combat effectiveness. How does the removal of death and permanent bodily harm affect combat effectiveness?

Determine typical DNA/Psychological profiles for strongest performing subjects if one exists.


Secondary Objectives:

Determine best methods for extending subject breaking point. Potential avenues to explore include drugs, psychotherapy, cybernetic augmentation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and preparatory training.

Explore and determine best methods for programming apathy of death and physical discomfort.

Subject Pool:

Subject pool was comprised of 500 test subjects from various special forces branches of the Caldari military and corporate security forces. Test subjects were selected based on genetic compatibility with PSC technology and recent psychological screenings.

Test subjects were not allowed to withdraw from the trial. Withdrawal from the trial was possible only after complete psychological break, or after loss of subject functionality due to malfunction of PSC equipment. The subjects were rated according to aggressiveness/combat effectiveness/and general resiliency during the course of the trial. Test scores and ratings were not made available to the subjects. Subjects were often segregated into units of mixed rating to confuse them of their rating status.

Several performance enhancing techniques were implemented during the course of the trial in an attempt to extend subject breaking point, and enhance general operator efficiency. Techniques included but were not limited to amphetamines, blood doping, performance enhancing steroids, cerebral implantation, and displayed varying degrees of effectiveness (see PSC-199 for further details on trial methodology).

Summary of Outcomes:

Out of 500 subjects
287 subjects were deemed (complete loss) 281 of these were involuntarily committed for mental treatment ranging from extreme PTSD to insanity. (details in PSC-201) 3 Lost to hardware failure and 3 more lost due to mental or genetic incompatibilities with the info-morph technology despite screening precautions. Committed test subjects will be studied further, in hopes of developing treatments for extreme psychological trauma.

178 subjects suffered from varying degrees of mental distress and varying levels of PTSD but were deemed salvageable, and have been sent to a rehabilitation facility for treatment.

The 35 remaining subjects adapted well to the technology and appeared to suffer no significant mental distress as a result of testing. It is worthy of note that the psychological profiles and service records of 16 of the 35 remaining subjects indicate strong sociopathic tendencies which may lead to problems with unit discipline. The remaining 19 all have psychological profiles which indicate some sociopathic tendencies, but appear to function well within a chain of command.

Conclusions:

Pilot testing data indicates that the Project Osiris is viable. Common psychological and physiological traits among those that were most successful have been analyzed and will play an important role in the next phase of the project. Phase 2 will begin once new subjects have been identified and obtained, the goal of which will be to form and prepare units for field testing.

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