[Locked Transmission to Residents]

[endgames]

[On the evening of July 2nd, the following transmission is both typed and dictated.]

Evening, Luceti. My name is Nara Shikamaru; I'm a resident of this enclosure like the rest of you, and am transmitting this over a secure network that can't be seen by the Malnosso.

The last few weeks have been difficult. To be brief, on the twelfth of June, the Malnosso made a demand of the village to hand over a man known to us as "Catherine". [Here on the typed version, said demand is linked now.] Don't know who that is? Albert Silverberg summed him and some other key figures up best on this same channel back in February. I suggest taking a look.

[And again a link, this time to here. He doesn't want to explain things any more than necessary, it gets tedious.]

Catherine, or Bil as I'll refer to him, was seriously injured in an attack made on the Battle Dome in April. His assistant, Molly, was taken in the same raid, but Bil remained and his treatment was left to us. The village decided to keep things that way, and it's so that he died in our care. The droids the Malnosso sent to find him captured decoys instead, myself included. From there we were taken to a facility.

Before I say anything else, I would like to thank everyone who worked to keep the village safe in the attack, and those who defended both Bil and his decoys. I know things ended grimly, but your efforts were and continue to be appreciated, and it is thanks to that that I can share the following information with you, as those of us who were captured didn't spend all of our time in a cell.

I can tell you that the facility was similar to the one Luceti residents infiltrated a while back and where a flesh-like entity was fought, for those of you were involved in either of those things. Before we were recaptured, we did come across several things which I feel should be of note, starting with an overheard conversation.

A certain man's "niece" was said to have given up valuable information, to which they dubbed "the Luceti Operation" to not have been a complete waste of their time.

[His suspicions about that, he keeps to himself. Lupin was the only one to have heard that part of the conversation, unlike the following. It's the only thing Shikamaru will give his opinion on out of all of this.]

They then went on to discuss an old man, calling off another attack on Luceti when they realized he was near death in favor to make plans for what they called his rebirth, saying that he would be more dangerous then.

It's clear the old man they speak of is Bil. Due both to this, and the things Bil said before he passed, it is my belief that those who demanded him from us intended not to kill him, but to keep him alive and weak in their hands. Make what you will of that.

The last thing I have to mention is more drastic than the others. While we were on the run, our party made it to the third floor of the building. It was there we found what was essentially a factory, where the improved line of droids were being assembled. These are the same model of droids who could replicate unique abilities of us residents, which some of you may have fought.

[He pauses for a breath, then continues.] What we saw were actual brains being installed inside the robotic heads.

We later attempted to stop them by shutting down the building's power, but we were surprised to find that they can function without the building network to direct them like the older line we're accustomed to. This may or may not be the reason why.

[So. New layers of disturbing, but he'll leave it at that.]

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them here or to discuss recent events in general - any information that may have been gathered from the attack on the village or on the draft. Please keep all such discussion to this entry, however, and do not point anyone towards it on the journals. This network remains hidden from the Malnosso, and we'd like to keep it that way.

Thank you.

[/end transmission]

(ooc: Anyone is free to ask questions and start discussions on this post. If there are any specific questions for Shikamaru, he'll get to them.)

Comments

About the Malnosso and Space

[markofthewise]

[Droids? Made with brains? That's some creepy stuff. And it makes him think. But. It's time to divulge what he's learned too.]

That's a lot to think about. Let me uh, follow up with what I learned on the draft about the Malnosso and their space capabilities.

The Malnosso have our spaceships and they're huge. We only were able to get on The Liberator, but the other four looked pretty similar and pretty junky from what I could see. They were called The Returner, The Midnight, and the Commandant' ship - The Finisher. Each one was able to hold over a thousand people. Most of them were Malnosso soldiers. The ship we were on was captained by a guy called Specialist Davis. He was apparently killed during the battle though. The ships were full of smaller vehicles called Tyr-Fighters. CJ mentioned them before the draft with all the information on them. It looks like we can still fly them in the Dome. The Malnosso had a ton of them.

But uh, the big thing? Space was pretty empty. There was some points of light out there, but they weren't stars. Just other planets in this system. Everything else was complete black. According to the soldiers, the stars we see in the sky aren't real. They're like... only there to keep us sane or something. It was weird. But, it proably means that any chance of getting home isn't going to be a matter of distance. I could see this planet from up there, but the storm that hit here was pretty big. It was kind of hard to make out any of the landmasses from up there.

I wasn't on that draft with the underwater city, but I think the moon base was the same kind of idea. They wanted somewhere the cultists couldn't get to. There was a whole city up there and lots of scientists and just regular Malnosso people living there. They had their families up there and everything. They kept us from getting into Shift research stuff though. They didn't seem to care about us going anywhere else. But I was kind of too busy to, you know, snoop.

[He could say more about the cultists or other subjects, but this is the stuff he paid the most attention to. There's other people who would be able to comment on the other stuff more.]

1/2

[endgames]

...I'd wondered about the stars. I'd heard the story about Bil rearranging them to spell out things.

[Which happened before he got here, but stuck with him. Makes him wonder about the time the barrier went down too.]

[endgames]

But thank you for that addition, Sokka. Seems Shifting is one thing they'll continue to be adamant about - at least beyond the filial magic.

[It's funny to here him talk for once about getting home too. Hadn't he stopped being so concerned with that?]

[Voice] 1/2

[daisy023]

[She remains silent as she reads the file herself, taking note of every element -- and in part feeling regret in not having taken part in the infiltration. Because of this... Shikamaru has gained a lot of respect in the Spartan's eyes.

Moreso because of the revelation of the Third-generation droids. She audibly gasps when she reads it... And remains silent for a whole minute.

Déjà's lessons on the creation of Smart AI come to her mind.

Her sister comes to mind.]

[Voice] 2/2

[daisy023]

It makes sense. I have a guess why they'd use them... Creation of Smart AI isn't that different in my world.

[Written | Voice]

[daisy023]

[In time, the Chief Petty Officer collects her thoughts... And some secrets, just as well.]

In my world, there are two kinds of AIs: “Dumb” ones, and “Smart” ones. “Dumb” is an oxymoron – They're manually programmed to serve their functions, and are incredibly useful in managing cities, but lack creativity, independent thought process, and personality; Smart AI, on the other hand, are incredibly powerful and independent -they can perform immediate complex calculations and even operate battleships by themselves-, but they need a human brain to be created via the neural pathways. The brain tissue is destroyed in the process. It is why Smart AI's originate from deceased donors in very controlled circumstances.

... There is the possibility to create Smart AI's through another way. A subject could survive by creating a full-body flash-clone for its' brain. But the procedure is highly unethical, morally reprehensible, and one of the most vile crimes in human space. It's creating a sentient being that will not live very long and will be used for a single purpose.

...

We already know how the Malnosso work. My guess is that they could've found a way to cut the middle man. They could have bioengineered a clone, with the functions of an AI capable of more swift and complex strategic thought, but given how some supernatural abilities may depend on very varied factors, it's likely the brain remains as a way to channel into those forces.

[She pauses. She is going to have to reveal intel she had been keeping hidden for so long. Now... she regrets it may be too late.]

It could also have a bonus for them. The first and second generation droids run the risk of not only being disabled, but hijacked by Shifters into their side. If the flaw hasn't been corrected, the Third Party Cultists would gain new tools into their fight; if it was... The Malnosso could stop needing us.

[A very grim possibility. One she hopes it may be purely suspicions based on this case scenario.]

...

Whatever they really think, and if they still possess independent thought, it's irrelevant. As noted by someone else, it's a killing spot we'll have to make use of from now on.

[Voice]

[geniustheveil]

[Shikamaru has Ami's attention, and respect, for this; it fills in many of the blanks still left after what she's been told since returning from the Draft.]

Thank you for all of this information. However, please still remain cautious. Even though we've told been told this filter is secure and hidden before now, I don't know if I believe that. [She may tend towards cynicism.]

You mentioned the facility was similar to the one infiltrated some time ago. Were there signs of other experiments also taking place there?

[Voice]

[endgames]

[He snorts. Regardless of what can be found out here, he's always careful of how much he says, and where.]

There were - the typical ones performed on people abducted from their villages. We interrupted one when we first escaped, and freed about ten people from other enclosures from their cells.

[Voice]

[eyesofremorse]

[Before responding, Joshua takes the time to go over the given information several times - first listening to the dictated version while going through the text, then reading it normally two more times, and then once more with the dictated version playing in the background. It's a lot to take in, certainly, but for some reason... he constantly finds himself fixated on the same line.

What we saw were actual brains being installed inside the robotic heads.

...Something about this particular part bothers him.]

Thank you for telling us about this, Shikamaru. [It's a genuine thanks, although it's spoken in a rather subdued tone.

He pauses for a moment before continuing. It's likely that if they saw anything of the sort, he would've already said so, but nevertheless--]

Was there anything in the factory that indicated where the Malnosso could have gotten those [...] brains from? I doubt they found a way to mass-produce something like that.

[Replicating something like a fully-functional part of the nervous system doesn't strike him as an easy task, even with how advanced the Malnosso's shifting technology seems to be, so... logic dictates that they must've gotten them from someone - or something - else somehow. He has some suspicions, but before he even considers mentioning them here, it's probably better to try to get a little more information if possible.]

[Voice]

[endgames]

I also doubt it, and have my own theories, but no. Nothing conclusive.

[And his theories he kept out of the above, to give nothing but the facts.]

[written]

[blackflames]

[That's disgusting and disturbing and... close to home considering the entity living in Canti right now. But this goes beyond that.]

Do you think that will be a weakness for these new droids in the future?

[written]

[endgames]

Only if you can get to them. We fought them after the discovery. The one time I got close enough, it didn't do any good. They're made of tough stuff.

[voice]

[chikaidestroyer]

[While the revelation that the droids were being created with actual brains implanted was unnerving, Albert cannot say he's surprised. With the Hunter having been an experiment of the Organization's and his past talks with the Observer about the Organization's cruelty, as well as the Luceti Valley failed experiment last year, the idea of creating an army bent to the Organization's will was not altogether shocking.

He also found himself wryly thinking about personal experiments far in the past now. Just for a moment.]

Specialist Davis was willing to speak about a few topics during the draft. He confirmed that the people we refer to as the Third Party have been around since before Organization, and that no one thus far knows what drives them to believe what they do -- whether the reason be the natural Shifts of the world, repeatedly dying, or losing hope looking at the starless sky. Some of the Third Party apparently will 'sacrifice' themselves, erasing their existence from this world and their home world, if they have one.

He also revealed that the children born in this world will eventually grow the large wings we have associated with the Third Party. Most of the Third Party, as he said, consists of those born in this world. He speculated that them being born of this world may be why they are better at Shifting and why they may go insane.

He also said that the people of Luceti have the reputation of being lunatics because they tend to scream death threats at anyone who attempts talking to them. [A pause.] Take that as you will.

The Third Party cultists had a different type of Shifter in their ranks this past draft; Security Forces referred to them as Dream Shifters. They will ambush targets and isolate themselves from the rest of the battle, delving into their minds until they kill their victim or drive them insane. Those who had closer experience dealing with the Dream Shifters may want to describe what it is that they do.

Most residents should already be aware that the General, the leader of the armies we have seen from the Third Party, can Shift his blood into weapons. Reports from the battlefield this past draft have confirmed that he can also use his blood to take control of his enemies by taking advantage of open wounds on their bodies.

[voice]

[simplestgift]

But...do all children born upon this world become like them?

[voice]

[corrinesbell]

Wait...so they all grew up here? And kids like Sophie...

[This has bad implications but something else is frustrating her. A long time ago when this all started, a few people asked, What if the Malnosso are in the wrong here? But there wasn't much that could be done even if that was the case.

It's frustrating to think that it might have been true after all. That "insanity" is all about who's giving the definition. It's not something she has the means to articulate today, but it's swimming around in her head like a really angry fish.]

None of this is stuff I wanted to hear. [Controlling you by doing what with his blood? No thanks!] ...But if you wanna know more about what we saw in there, I'll talk about as much as Shikamaru probably will.

[voice]

[markofthewise]

Some of the soldiers have big wings too. The Commandant did too. It's not like all of them become cultists...

[It can't be THAT simple, right?]

[voice]

[eyesofstrength]

The Dream Shifters will outright affect the subconscious of their victims. Any skills of ours that can affect the subconscious of the victim can be used to their advantage as well.

Also, Specialist Davis mentioned to me that the Third Party has also been known to turn on each other as well. I got the impression that they have always been warriors and there are not many among them who cannot fight. We outnumber them, but they outnumber us when it comes to the number of fighters.

[voice]

[floralogy]

Actual... brains?

[Shikamaru, you didn't tell her any of this. Did they have Orochimaru as their sensei or something?]

[voice]

[endgames]

Brains.

[It slipped his mind? /badum-tsh]

[Voice]

[eyesofstrength]

[Now this is all very interesting, though disturbing. Now Leonhardt is regretting holding back on asking what was done with tagged Third Party members, because that could be what was done with them.]

I truly wonder if it is a coincidence that these droids have abilities very similar to a type of Shifter that was encountered by those of us who helped defend Segretar. Those Shifters also could replicate our abilities.

Also, I should add that I got a chance to speak with Specialist Davis on a few topics and found some interesting things of note. One was that the numbers of the Third Party may well be over a million. And that the number of people in the enclosures and among the Malnosso actually outnumbers them, but there are not enough who can fight among our numbers. That explains why they draft non-combatants.

[Voice]

[unseenspy]

They need to realize that sending non-combatants is detrimental to our strategy. They distract the fighters, particularly those who are bent on protecting them. If we could leave them out, the fighters could focus more on the battle. We can still defeat them, even if they outnumber us.

filtered to Shikamaru; 100%

[alloys]

[Brains, huh. He's already asking himself a million questions, trying to picture the construction, the very ramifications involved. Were they organic? Synthetic? Home-grown by shifts, or worse? What was giving them the capabilities to use abilities of the villagers?

Too many questions he can't answer without getting a look himself. This seems more important now than ever.]

I don't suppose you slipped one of those droids in your pocket and brought it home with you, did you?

[He really wants to tear into them. He does, he does.]

filtered to Shikamaru; 100%

[endgames]

Left 'em in my other pants when they drained my chakra and put me in the clinic.

[But now you know why he wanted you to get in touch with him when you were out.]

[markofthebrave]

[So. This is. Horrifying. Give her a minute to react privately and violently to that.]

I found out that all of the soldiers in the Malnosso Security Force are volunteers, and that some of them were in enclosures themselves before they joined the army. And they hadn't been here very long, compared to what you often hear - the person I spoke to had been here twenty-five years.

[Voice]

[voidseeing]

Actual brains mean we have a defined weakness to target. And, unless they've enhanced them somehow, that means the methods we can use to target them should be straightforward once we can break through to the brains themselves.

[voice]

[godbent]

This is based on my observations alone, but while the Organization and outside civilians have got a few people I identified as non-human, I don't think I've seen a single cultist who doesn't at least look completely human. Can anyone who senses spirits or mana or whatever confirm this for me?

[Voice]

[everyonesconfidant]

Wow... so this is what happened with Catherine or Bil or whatever his name is and the others while we were gone... it's a shame he died after all the effort you went through to protect him. Is everyone who was taken to the facility alright, mentally or physically? I can't do much, but if anyone is having some sort of trouble, I'd like to be able to help somehow.

[Voice]

[i_am_not_cute]

[Brains. Actual brains. In androids.

Give Pao-Lin a moment to get over her horror.

...

Okay, she's not over it. But she needed the moment to get her thoughts together.]

...do you think they got the brains for those droids from the soldiers we've been tagging on the last two drafts? [Ugh. Ugh. She'd always suspected in the back of her mind that there was something slightly off about being allowed to do that, but at least it had been an easier way of non-lethally dealing with cultists. Or so she'd thought.]

Also, I heard a while back that the droids might have a weakness to electricity. Do you know if that's true? [Because if so...]

[Voice]

[wise_maiden]

The current model of droids have a confirmed weakness only to powerful electricity spells. Even so, the Malnosso have a habit of sending more until their target is reached.

[... and that second question, she's not even going to touch. She'll leave that to the ones who had actually seen the production.]