NationStates Jolt Archive

Internal Halberdgardian Intelligence Community Memo

To: Director Donovan Whitling, Director of Central Intelligence
From: Director Eric Vaughn, Head of HCIA Special Activities Division
Re: A Proposal

Director Whitling,

Our resident scientists at SAD have come to me with a most unusual proposition. They believe they have an idea that will revolutionize our Special Forces warfare. They have proposed a "Project Ethereal," whereby, with highly specialized equipment, we will be able to create a new breed of Special Forces operatives, a soldier that can truly go where he pleases, and accomplish nearly any mission, with abilities far beyond that of a normal SOF operative. Let me explain further.

Our resident physicists came up with a theoretical procedure to open passages through the known dimensions of space-time. This was accomplished on a very small scale by highly specialized equipment. Now they wish to perform it on a larger, more controllable scale, whereby, with some careful manipulation of this "void," we will be able to create what our scientists have deemed "Spectral Operatives." Namely, the process, if performed on a larger scale, will, in theory, be capable of separating one's soul from their body. With specialized spectral containment pods and training simulators, these spirits could be trained to possess other bodies and utilize a variety of different skills to accomplish relevant goals. Let me provide you with an example.

A fascist dictator is meeting with other world leaders at a summit. The HCIA has been tasked with eliminating this dictator. Rather than worrying about the difficulty of deploying normal SOF teams to the site without identification of our forces or international backlash, we instead dispatch a single Spectral Operative to the summit. The Operative has a variety of options from there. Most crucial to his wide variety of options is his ability to remain absolutely unknown until he acts. Unless the target site has highly specialized and extremely expensive equipment designed specially to detect and block out spirits, they will have no countermeasure for our Operative. The Operative has a variety of options before him. He could possess a security sniper and pick the target off as he enters the building. He could possess one of the target's bodyguards and assassinate him at close range. He could even possess the dictator himself and make his death look like a suicide. There would be no trace of the Spectral Operative's machinations, or of any foreign involvement, for that matter. Put simply, the Spectral Operative is far more suited to the job of covert activities than his flesh-and-blood counterparts.

The project's cost is estimated to be at $10 billion. I seek your approval and black-budget funding for Project Ethereal and assure you that we will make this venture a resounding success.

Respectfully,
Director Eric Vaughn
Head of HCIA Special Activities Division

[OOC: Before anyone cries foul at the apparent godmodding of this idea, let me assure you that there will be catches. You will see what they are as I later RP the R&D stage of Project Ethereal, but as this is Secret IC, you probably won't ICly find out without some trial-and-error clashes with a Spectral Operative. For those of you who own Gamecubes, or are interested in this idea, I'm borrowing this idea from the game Geist.]

like a chrono-shift commando?

OOC: Only $10 Billion for this? Cheap... >.>

like a chrono-shift commando?

[OOC: Not really. The Chronoshift Commandos have only the ability to manipulate time. Spectral Operatives, on the other hand, not only experience faster time (everything else around the Operative seems slower to him), but are far superior. You'll see why as I further RP the R&D process.]

OOC: Only $10 Billion for this? Cheap... >.>

[OOC: I'm planning some mishaps along the way that'll increase the final cost.]

ooc: Assuming FT?

ooc: Assuming FT?

[OOC: More MT/PMT than FT. In the game Geist, the tech looks modern-day, or only a few years in the future. Even calling it PMT is sort of a stretch, so I'm actually going to stick with MT for now.]

OOC: I'd guess late MT and very early PMT. Looks interesting however.

[OOC: More MT/PMT than FT. In the game Geist, the tech looks modern-day, or only a few years in the future. Even calling it PMT is sort of a stretch, so I'm actually going to stick with MT for now.]



OOC:i dont know about that...you might want to keep it FT,alot of MT players might see it as godmoding(me kinda being one of them)

OOC: Perhaps, to eliminate some of the wankiness feeling, have the operatives be temporarily blinded and deafened for, say, two minutes or so after porting around so they're more vulnerable and must strategically time their portations?

ooc: i think this is passable for PMT, but i wouldn't use it MT. As long as there are side effects, methods of detection and weapons to destroy it with, i would be happy to RP with, or against, these things.

OOC:i dont know about that...you might want to keep it FT,alot of MT players might see it as godmoding(me kinda being one of them)

[OOC: I'm hesitant to call it FT, so I'll go with somewhat-early PMT instead.]

OOC: Perhaps, to eliminate some of the wankiness feeling, have the operatives be temporarily blinded and deafened for, say, two minutes or so after porting around so they're more vulnerable and must strategically time their portations?

[OOC: The Spectral Operatives will have weaknesses, though it will take some time for other governments to ICly discover what they are. Any weaknesses discovered during R&D will, of course, remain classified. So I'm thinking the Spectral Operatives will have a limited time to be unstoppable before someone puts two and two together and starts coming up with countermeasures. Like Admiral Yamamoto said during World War II, "In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success." But I don't want someone to immediately come out with countermeasures after the Spectral Operatives hit the field. It would take time for governments to first figure out what the hell's going on, determine if what's happening is actually possible (remember, you have to think a lot of people would be very skeptical, even down right disbelieving, of the idea of souls being separated from the body and then possessing other people), and then develop highly specialized countermeasures that may not even be 100% effective at first. With time (and thus more knowledge), of course, more effective countermeasures will develop, and then things will get tricky for the Spectral Operatives.]

ooc: i think this is passable for PMT, but i wouldn't use it MT. As long as there are side effects, methods of detection and weapons to destroy it with, i would be happy to RP with, or against, these things.

[OOC: There will be drawbacks inherent to the Spectral Operatives, and there will eventually be methods of detection and weapons, once other countries determine what's going on and start doing some serious research. But I'm not going to use the Spectral Operatives all the time; they're going to be the HCIA's elite, so there won't be too many foreign SOF encountering them in the field.]

IC:

Internal HIC Memo

To: Director Eric Vaughn, Head of HCIA SAD
From: Director Donovan Whitling, DCI

After careful consideration and acquiring a first-hand look at the research performed by your scientists, I have decided to approve your plan for Project Ethereal. $10 billion has been earmarked for Ethereal. I anticipate only good news from Ethereal.

Donovan Whitling
DCI
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a nuclear- and EMP-hardened underground installation, Project Ethereal was getting underway. The $10 billion allocated to Ethereal was being quickly eaten up by the specialized equipment required, as well as more mundane expenses such as security personnel, technicians, and service personnel. Power came from a pair of nuclear reactors buried deeper below the facility, and an extensive water-recycling system eliminated the need for bringing in water. Food was brought in from the outside, but a handful of hydroponics labs could act as a back-up food supply, albeit with rather bland fare. Construction had begun on the Spirit Separation Chamber, where the first step in creating Spectral Operatives would begin.

The machine responsible for separating one's soul from one's body was a huge device buried in an even more massive underground shaft, consisting of five concentric rings connected to one another by a system of cables and girders. Seen from above, the subject would be suspended by cables in the middle of the largest and highest fifth ring. Each ring below the subject became progressively smaller in diameter, like a focusing lens. Below the five rings was another ring on the ground level, with four equidistant fuel cells along the inside providing power. Carved into one side of the shaft wall about halfway between the ground and the fifth ring was the control room. Just below the window overlooking the device was a large laser. This was the catalyst laser, fired into the center of the ground-level ring, that would set off a chain reaction, which then shot up the center of the five rings, and hit the subject. If successful, the subject's soul would be released, and then captured by a specialized spectral containment pod, waiting just above where the subject was suspended. The mechanics of the soul-separation were still not fully understood, and it was unclear as to what would happen if the soul failed to separate, as well as what a successful separation would do to the subject's body. These were questions that would only be answered by an actual experiment. The clock was ticking.

*slaps FT label on*

*slaps FT label on*

OOC: I'm inclined to agree, you need some realistic physics at this point to justify this. Or maybe we have spoken too soon.

OOC: I'm inclined to agree, you need some realistic physics at this point to justify this. Or maybe we have spoken too soon.

[OOC: That's the problem: the game never really explains how the process works. That's why I'm trying to get around it by claiming that my scientists aren't even really sure what the mechanics of the process are, and there'll be mishaps along the way, just like in Geist.]

IC:

Project Ethereal Progress Report

From the Desk of Ethan Rourke, Supervisor, Project Ethereal

Construction: 10/10
Spirit Separation Testing: 0/5
Containment Testing: 0/5
Simulation Testing: 0/5
Training: 0/5
Final Training Exercise: 0/1
Overall Completion: 32%

Notes: Construction is complete on the Spirit Separation Device, and testing of the catalyst laser proceeded without a hitch. We are currently in the process of gathering subjects for the testing. A few of the subjects come from military backgrounds, and have volunteered for this project. Their records have been falsified to show they are either MIA or KIA. However, the majority of the subjects are felons and terrorists that have been captured over the years. As a result, we are developing two different simulation routines for the successfully-separated spirits. An idyllic pasture will serve as the basic possession simulation for the felons and terrorists. This was done to ease the strain of separation on the psyches of these subjects, which will likely be less resilient to separation. This simulation will also have powerful indoctrination routines, to ensure the total loyalty and focus of these potentially rebellious subjects. Meanwhile, the military personnel will have a stripped-down, military-style simulation, whereby they will immediately proceed to learn possession skills in a combat scenario.

Project Ethereal Progress Report

From the Desk of Ethan Rourke, Supervisor, Project Ethereal

Construction: 10/10
Spirit Separation Testing: 1/5
Containment Testing: 5/5
Simulation Testing: 0/5
Training: 0/5
Final Training Exercise: 0/1
Overall Completion: 52%

Notes: Separation experiments have begun. After multiple failures with civilian subjects, we have met with success with one John Raimi, one of the military personnel who volunteered for the project. His spiritual form was successfully captured in the prototype containment pod, and was later transferred to the later-produced pods as a test. All transfers proceeded smoothly, so we can declare the containment tests over with. However, the separation failures proved to be a problem. The subjects who did not separate, upon later medical examination, appear to be insane; their minds have been effectively destroyed by the failed separation. The fate of these subjects has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, there have been reports of "strange creatures" appearing throughout the facility and attacking personnel. The scientific staff theorizes that they are demonic creatures that entered our world through the rift we opened during separations. Security is on high alert, and all further separations have been ceased, pending the development of containment measures and effective weapons against these "demons."

Project Ethereal Progress Report

From the Desk of Ethan Rourke, Supervisor, Project Ethereal

Construction: 10/10
Spirit Separation Testing: 5/5
Containment Testing: 5/5
Simulation Testing: 2/5
Training: 0/5
Final Training Exercise: 0/1
Overall Completion: 71%

Notes: Separation experiments continued after containment of the creatures was complete. Using data from the earlier failed separations, the separation technique has been refined, increasing the success rate. Five more subjects, two military personnel and three civilians, were successfully separated, reaching our target goal of six Spectral Operatives (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/neotheone175/NationStates/Modern%20Tech/Spectral_Operative.jpg). The military personnel were put through simulations of a variety of combat scenarios: sniping (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen024.jpg), holding a position against enemy forces (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen025.jpg), and infiltration and eliminating bodyguards (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen026.jpg) as a prelude to dignitary assassination or possession. The civilians were planted in an idyllic pasture, taught the basics of possession, and were indoctrinated by the loyalty routines. They will proceed to the military simulations after indoctrination is complete and their psyches have recovered.

Regarding the demon infestation, the Spirit Separation Device suffered some minor damage, but other sections of the facility were ravaged by the demons. Among these were a massive worm-like creature that burrowed tunnels 20 feet in diameter through solid concrete in the facility's foundations, ferocious arthropods (http://www.gamereactor.se/media/gdc_22324.jpg) that literally ripped men apart, and smaller bug-like creatures (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen013.jpg) that claimed many lives by spewing demonic fire at soldiers. After claiming the lives of over three dozen men, the beasts were finally slain by heavy weapons teams. The remains of the demons (or what was left of them after direct hits by anti-tank rockets) were transferred to the science wing for research. The resident scientists believe they can use certain parts of demon remains as power sources for their prototypes of weapons effective against demonic and spiritual entities (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen029.jpg).

Additionally, R&D has almost perfected their prototype "Spirit Hunter" suite. The Spirit Hunter suite includes highly advanced armor, borrowing design elements from the Macabean-made Samson battlesuit, and utilizing a classified device that allows the wearer to experience the same accelerated time as a Spectral Operative for a limited time (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen033.jpg). The weapon of the suite (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen032.jpg) is a automatic 7.62mm machine gun with an underbarrel grenade launcher that fires specially-developed grenades. The grenades consist of a combination fragmentary device that can wound human combatants, as well as a gaseous substance that apparently forces a spirit from a possessed host, as well as draining the spirit's energy (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/235/reviews/914965_20050824_screen035.jpg). Another weapon that fires specially-calibrated energy blasts at a spiritual enemy is also in the works.

Despite the damage to the Ethereal facility and the effective closure of the Spirit Separation Device due to concerns of further demonic outbreaks, Project Ethereal is progressing smoothly. We hope to have Spectral Operatives ready for deployment within weeks.

OOC: Hal, two questions.

1) After this is done, will it be transfered to the SWC?
2) As with all my answers to anything the least bit FT, if I hit it with a 2 gigaton thermonuclear device, will it die/cease to function/explode/eat me?

OOC: Nice twist...

OOC: Nice, would love to get hold of at least 1 of these Spectral Operatives, any chance of you releasing these to the IADF?

OOC: Hal, two questions.

1) After this is done, will it be transfered to the SWC?
2) As with all my answers to anything the least bit FT, if I hit it with a 2 gigaton thermonuclear device, will it die/cease to function/explode/eat me?

OOC: 1.) A possibility, but a distant one at this point. Project Ethereal is going to remain hidden under the highest classification ratings for the foreseeable future. Despite the fact that I'm such close allies with the SWC members, I really don't want this proliferating, at least not until I've come up with effective countermeasures. Even then, I don't really want this getting out.

2.) I was trying to decide between "it would be completely vaporized" and "well, it's on the 'spiritual plane', so it would really wouldn't be affected", but I decided the latter would be too godmoddish for some, so I'll say the former. But who the hell is going to use a 2-gigaton nuke (Jesus Christ, that's a fucking monster) on one person-like entity, and something they can't see and can't detect without extremely expensive and as-yet-undeveloped technology?

OOC: Nice twist...

OOC: All stolen from the game Geist, my friend; it's nothing original. But thank you anyways.

OOC: Nice, would love to get hold of at least 1 of these Spectral Operatives, any chance of you releasing these to the IADF?

See 1.) under McKagan's quote. I'm not nearly as closely allied with the IADF as I am with the SWC, so if they're not getting it, the IADF is definitely not getting it (no offense intended).

OOC: 1.) I've got a "new breed" coming too, but see, you basically fucked the Sierra Force because now my space inserted Commandos aren't even the best. :p

2) Ah, the 2 gigaton "Yoda Buster" missile/torpedo. I designed it for my limited Space Forces. Incase I'm ever in a MT/PMT vs. FT war (maybe against someone who wants to use star destroyers against me,) it would be used against any orbital forces.

I PROBABLY wouldn't use it on a planet, at least the MT one, unless I was REALLY po'd at someone.

Project Ethereal Progress Report

From the Desk of Ethan Rourke, Supervisor, Project Ethereal

Construction: 10/10
Spirit Separation Testing: 5/5
Containment Testing: 5/5
Simulation Testing: 5/5
Training: 5/5
Final Training Exercise: 1/1
Overall Completion: 100%

Notes: Project Ethereal has come to a successful close. Six Spectral Operatives, individually code-named Sigma One through Six and collectively code-named Collateral, have passed their simulation routines and final training exercise. The final training exercise covered all previously-learned skills, placing each of the six Operatives in a challenging scenario as the lone infiltrator at a summit of leaders of repressive governments. Each Operative had to utilize their possession skills to take control of a sniper, pick off the other snipers and security on the ground, and then eliminate a dignitary fleeing inside the summit building. The Operative then proceeded inside to eliminate waves of security soldiers attempting to impede him, followed by possession of a dignitary in a locked room and figuring out how to kill him. (This was accomplished by possessing a soldier in another room to shoot out the cables of a nearby elevator, then possessing the dignitary and forcing him to plunge to his death down the elevator shaft.) This was followed by possession of dignitaries' bodyguards and fighting their way to a conference room and assassinating six dignitaries. All six Operatives passed the final simulation with flying colors, and are ready to be utilized. Some notes on their use, however:

In order for a living subject to be possessed, they must have a malleable psyche. This can be accomplished by sufficiently frightening the subject (the Operatives have informed us that they can see a certain aura around subjects: a gray aura signifies the person is in a normal mood, yellow signifies partially frightened or nervous, and red is frightened; the Operatives say only those with red auras are "eligible" for possession). Inanimate objects are immediately possessable.
The Operatives have also informed us that the time they can spend in spiritual form outside of a subject (be it living or inanimate) is limited to approximately fifteen minutes. They claim that they continually "bleed off" the spiritual energy that constitutes their spiritual forms outside of a host, and that this energy can be replenished in three ways: draining life energy from plant matter, possessing an inanimate object, or possessing a living host.
A valuable side effect of possession that was discovered during live testing was that the Spectral Operatives appear to be capable of viewing, and retaining, recent memories of their host.
A possessed host does not appear any different than they would as if they were not possessed, thus other people will not be alerted to the host's possessed status until the Operative chooses to do something that would alert others. For example, if an Operative possessed a security guard, the other guards would not notice any difference in the possessed guard until he started attacking them.
After a host is dispossessed, they retain no memory of any actions committed while they were possessed.
Upon the Operative's dispossession of a host, the host remains viable for repossession for approximately one hour. After an hour, the host will need to be frightened again before possession is possible.
If a possessed host is killed, the Operative may remain in the corpse. However, the corpse will no longer sustain the Operative as it did when living, and as such, shortly after the host's death, the Operative's spiritual energy will begin to bleed off as if the Operative were outside of a host. Additionally, if the enemy has methods to detect an Operative, they would likely inspect the corpse with such methods, making the tactic of a Operative retaining a corpse unwise.
Tests of possessions of corpses revealed that for approximately twenty-four hours after a person's death, an Operative is capable of limited reanimation of the corpse. While the Operatives proved to be unable to fully reanimate even fresh corpses, they were able to reanimate certain parts of the corpse, such as individual limbs. In one test, an Operative was able to frighten a coroner by reanimating the corpse the coroner was examining, thus making him viable for possession.
The Operatives are capable of passing through certain objects, but not all. For example, the Operatives are capable of passing through humans and other living creatures, chain-link fencing, and other inanimate objects that are not extremely dense.
The Operatives are not capable of passing through thick walls or other dense objects. However, the Operatives are able to pass through small fissures and cracks that may be present in walls, ceilings, floors, and other dense materials.

Meanwhile, R&D has finalized their production design of the Spirit Hunter suite, which is being mass-produced. We believe that the Spirit Hunter suite will give us the edge we need against the possibility of a rogue Operative or any other spectral entities. Work has begun on extending the length of the accelerated-time function of the suite, which currently stands at 20 seconds. R&D is aiming for a goal of tripling this time.

The final cost for Project Ethereal comes to $20 billion. The additional money comes from the damage sustained from the demonic infestation. However, we believe that despite the additional cost, the results of Project Ethereal are well worth it. The Project Ethereal facility will continue to serve as the main staging facility for the Spectral Operatives and R&D in the spiritual field, but the Spirit Separation Device has been shut down and will remain thusly for the foreseeable future.

Project Ethereal Progress Report

From the Desk of Ethan Rourke, Supervisor, Project Ethereal

Notes: R&D has had quite a bit of time on their hands lately, and they have used it to perfect their Spectral Countermeasures Suite. The suite consists of three parts: their Spirit Detection Device, Spectral Barrier, and Spirit Hunter unit, which has been previously mentioned.

The Spirit Detection Device (SDD) is a highly advanced sensor that is not much larger or different in appearance from a typical metal detector. However, it uses some of the most advanced sensors we have ever developed to scan for the presence of spirits. The SDD would logically be used in combination with the Spectral Barrier. Addtionally, R&D tells me that they discovered that specially-trained dogs are also capable of detecting spirits both outside of and inside a host. More of these dogs are being trained to provide us with a comprehensive detection force.

The Spectral Barrier would be used in conjunction with the SDD, and is already in use at many secure areas within this very facility. It is designed to be mounted at the entrance to passageways. A specially-calibrated energy field that disrupts spectral beings is projected in a thin sheet filling the frame of the machine. Spectral beings are unable to pass through the field, though physical objects can pass through unimpeded.

Finally, the Spirit Hunter suite has been upgraded. While the ammunition clip of the machine gun has been reduced from 120 rounds to 100 rounds, it has enabled us to add a small attachment to the weapon that further increases its lethality against spectral threats. The new attachment fires energy blasts that can drain a spirit's energy directly. Meanwhile, the grenade attachment has been modified to accept standard grade rounds as well as the special anti-spirit grenades, and the time-slowing function of the armor has been upgraded from twenty seconds to one-hundred-twenty seconds. All these upgrades give the Spirit Hunter more than sufficient firepower to deal with spectral threats.

OOC:Nice, my military is developing the exact same thing(except I never intend for mine to get past the testing stage) in what is known as 'The Roshenberg Base'. Its actually an Ex-Soviet Air/Naval Base on a small island off the coast of a Red Tidean Fishing village. The area surrounding the island is a Anti-Ship Minefield, there are also hidden MDM-4, -5B and -5C SAM Sites around the area. Most of the base is actually underground. This is where the Red Tide Goverment does its 'black' research. They have stuff ranging from counter-espionage and espionage technology(on the upper levels) to energy weapons(on the middle levels) to utterly supernatural and extraterrestrial stuff on the very bottom levels.

A question, what would happen if an operative took over one of my soldiers/agents. You see, all Red Tidean Soldiers and Consortium Agents are technically 'mind controlled'. It has to do with the little electronic collar around their neck. You see, this collar is attached to their spinal cord and basically forces a continious hallucination that makes the Red Tidean soldier/agent a utterly loyal and fierce, yet still initituive and moderately trained, individual. It is one of the Red Tidean Goverments best kept secrets.