emile fischer

Ryfs: Birth

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -6 BTC / -3659 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report n°1 on Project 191625. Project leader: myself, Professor Ern Hrubber. Project Sponsor: Dark Jadus. We are on Dromund Kaas, on level - 16 of the Krespuckle, Trill laboratory. The staff at my service is satisfactory, however limited in number as a precaution, to keep the secret as buried as possible. And for that… there is no better place.

The Krespuckle is awesome. So many scientific colleagues, so many projects kept secret, so many mysteries that will one day be put at the service of the Empire. This huge underground tower even has its own atmospheric pressure system. You can't hand over subjects to the Sith that jelly when brought to the surface, can you? And then it saves everyone from donning these pressurized outfits here.

The objective of Project 191625 is the synthetic creation of the perfect living spy: he must be incorruptible, obedient, impassive and undetectable. For comparison, a droid can only best fulfill the first three criteria. It is therefore the beginning of a whole new stage in the history of Homo Deus.

My basic idea to meet these four criteria was as follows:

To have an incorruptible subject, I was inspired by the DNA branch of the K-706 trait, better known as "stubborn" or "obstinacy". A subject with my altered K-706H gene will be completely incapacitated for betrayal. Even under the greatest torture, his will will dominate perfectly, and this in absolute calm.

For obedience, the EA-55 gene specific to the maternal trust of newborns has been diverted to EA-55H for blind trust in a designated alpha, in this case, our Emperor for example.

Then comes the impassiveness, the lack of emotion. To do this, it suffices to remove the creation of a few neurons located in the limbic brain of the subject.

..Mhh? Yes, over there. Room 8, back left, thank you. Place them on top of each other, not too close to the tanks...

…And finally, to obtain a subject undetectable in the eyes of our enemy, I'm still working on it but I think I'll draw inspiration from the genes possessed by our fascinating polymorphic friends, the clawdites. If that doesn't work, I might consider total camouflage with some Manaan cephalopod genes maybe...to see.

We have the green light to apply the results of my research tomorrow. My men therefore install the necessary equipment, as for me, I revise the trombinoscope of my new staff, and supervise the move. We will be on time. I can't wait to start. I have come this far. I will deliver this project to completion, and thus, Jadus will obtain for me the means to push my research to the ultimate stage of science: to cure Death itself.

[Whisper] We'll get there, my love...

[End: Duration: 00:02:33]

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -5 BTC / -3658 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report #359 on Project 191625...I'm barely sleeping...I'm starting to really worry.

It's been a year since the project started, and so far no progress has been made. We have inseminated more than 10,000 stem cells, and not a single one has been able to develop to stage 1, that is, cell reproduction until it is visible to the naked eye, and therefore , so to speak… [yawns] …to officially become a subject according to my qualifications.

I simply haven't yet unlocked the formula that will allow us to give birth to a living being that is both 100% synthetic, but also genetically programmed to be born with our four key criteria. Incorruptible, obedient, impassive and undetectable.

From insemination, the whole formula gets stuck. It's very strange, I had never seen this during my personal experiences. I think I have to rework the molecular diagram, rewrite the DNA sequences, anyway… [yawns] …start from scratch. Go back to the source. For some reason that I don't know, Life... doesn't let it go. And Death won't be any tamer, so… here I am. Sitting at my desk, alone in a laboratory, isolated in the dark more than 9,000 meters deep. Coffee doesn't really have any effect on me anymore. I could easily synthesize something stronger… I would lose all sense of the passage of time if I did not note down every detail to the day in my reports.

I have no choice… I don't care if my life is at stake, I have to get there… There is bound to be a solution that still eludes me. And… I will find her.

I… mmh, I took into account the… the data of the last three… of the last three months… I'll see… mhhh… mmmmmh…

…

[…]

…

Mmmh... Mmmmmh?... Oh... damn...

[End: Duration: 08:19:34]

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -2 BTC / -3655 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report n°1255 on Project 191625. It has been four years and seven days since the project began…

Subject 3901 died this morning. We couldn't revive him. In… a fit of anger and desperation, I injected the experimental adrenaline stim into her stomach, but it only had the effect of dissolving her abdomen entirely. So we end up with only four subjects that are still stable...and one stim that obviously isn't working.

The first subject remains misshapen and falling apart until yesterday. The second refuses to adapt to the dose of DNA added late, and will probably not survive it. As for the other two, they are not even conscious beings. They remain stuck in the state of… clusters of cells. I still have 46 variations of my formula to try… but I'm under no illusions. If the other 5,000 didn't work out, I made a mistake, and I'll soon have lost all hope.

In two weeks, I'll be either dead or, if I'm lucky, a nobody without a job, no future, no loved ones… and the project will have been a failure. It's already a miracle that Jadus allowed me to go on for so long. I won't get another year without promising results. Besides, my body and mind probably wouldn't survive it.

[Sighs] …I haven't seen a birth since I've been working here. I miss it deeply I must say.

Yet I tried. It's those damn criteria, that DNA... It melts for no apparent reason. As for the fourth criterion, 'undetectable', it is a real black hole… It sucks up all hope of success. Misleading the Republic wasn't a problem, but how do you create a creature that could spy on the Jedi? Me who thought that the project concerned the senate only. But no one tells me anything here.

If most of my testing was based on the hope of polymorphic clawdite DNA...I can't deny now that I've been doomed all along. Today, it is simply insufficient. Same thing for the cuttlefish... The Jedi can see beyond a purely physical stratagem. Might as well dress an Imperial with a smiling mask. No, the solution must be psychic. I could never deceive the Force… Tss… If only I understood it. If only I had the right to understand her.

…

Note to self: An idea just crossed my mind. One last idea… It may be nothing…

[Whispers] …After all, what have I got to lose?

[End: Duration: 00:02:45]

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -2 BTC / -3655 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report n°…1 on Project 191625. It's a new beginning! Our laboratory is running at full capacity, my staff has doubled and all the tanks are full of embryos. I say embryos, embryos that will become fetuses, fetuses that will become babies… and babies means births, results, victory… [Sighs]

I haven't even taken the time to check in since the beginning of the week. So I thought it best to start over from the beginning. Everything else can go to the compactor, let's say no more about it. Hence the present report, report n° 1. From now on, even the subjects are reset. We have subject #1, in the process of becoming a mirialan, and 799 other subjects following it at the same pace. In total, that makes… 80 mirialans, 60 miralukas, 35 pure bloods, 32 humans, 32 twi'leks, 32 mikkians, 28 voss, 28 gormaks, 13 iktotchis, 10 kiffars, and 450 other specimens of different species. Thank you Kelana.

- You're welcome sir.

So far, very few failures. Nine cases reluctant to growth acceleration, two cases of autophagocytosis and one case of cellular anorexia. My new formula is a real success.

[sound of door closing and locking]

Now let's raise the curtain. I wouldn't have gotten to this point without the research that was previously inaccessible to me, and without this strange discovery that I had… that we had made eleven years ago.

There exists in the cells of all living beings a strange phenomenon that we have not been able to explain. In a last ditch attempt, I persuaded Darth Jadus to grant me just enough information to continue my research. It turns out that the Sith had the answer to our mystery a long time ago. According to a holocron that Jadus was in possession of, a certain Dark Drear had observed the same phenomenon a thousand years ago. He had named these microscopic life forms… the Midi-chlorians.

This is what was blocking my formulas. These Midi-chloriens, these bacteria, ferociously attacked my sequences. I had no idea these things were eating up my work, let alone that they were alive! They are also fascinating, although extremely difficult to perceive.

But Jadus has strictly forbidden me to study them further for this project. I just had to find a way around them. Quite frankly, that doesn't surprise me at all. We are not going to touch on the ultra-sensitive subject of the Sith religion. Playing with the Force, for a simple scientist like me… it would cost me my head. But now, I find it a shame to hide a huge part of science for a supremacist purpose. Maybe that will change one day, who knows…?

In conclusion, the solution was rather simple. Put the 'MC' to sleep during the first 6 hours following the insemination of the stem cell. Killing them is absolutely impossible, and after this time, they no longer fight because Life is on the move. The result: living beings, entirely synthetic, whose DNA is coded to create an organism incorruptible, obedient, impassive and... undetectable to the eyes of non-Force sensitives.

And for the problem of the Jedi, I think that a solution will only be possible long after the birth. My modified genes reach their limits where my knowledge reaches theirs.

There is still work to be done, but we are making great strides.

[End: Duration: 00:02:53]

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -2 BTC / -3655 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report n°7 on Project 191625. Three months have passed since the renewal of the project and the inseminations. From now on, I share my reports in different mediums, so I will keep this diary for myself and I will not check in every day on it.

The fetuses are in regular development. At this stage, they have all the characteristics of a 6-month-old fetus, thanks to accelerated aging.

A few minor losses along the way, but almost nothing. An unfortunate miscalculation led to a minor accident, causing degenerative growth on subject 336. The baby togruta was stillborn with the body of a 10-year-old child. The tank no longer supporting it, it ended up yielding during the night. In addition to this, subjects 301 and 716 evolved with an arm fused to the thorax, and we had a case of cyclopia in pantoran 89. We left these subjects to progress for observations.

As for 'Factor 4', formerly the undetectable '4th criterion'… I am actively pursuing my research. My knowledge of MCs being limited, I make do with what I can find on my own. However, I have serious doubts that the solution can be found in our laboratory dedicated to science. What Lord Jadus is asking for is magic, and during our last conversation I seem to have made it clear to him. He asked me to continue my research for Factor 4, but in the meantime he intends to speak with Darth Arctis, who is the head of Ancestral Knowledge. If anyone has an artifact that could have the intended effect, it's him.

- Sir?… Excuse me… We have eight additional subjects affected.

Eight?... All right, I'm coming to see, Wenry.

One more thing. Some subjects are sensitive to a disturbance of as yet unknown origin. It must be electrical or gravitational…because all subjects are confined to their tanks, and share the same type of amniotic fluid…yet the only thing that connects affected subjects is their proximity to each other . The disturbance is therefore local and external to the experience.

Alright…let's see that.

[End: Duration: 00:01:48]

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -2 BTC / -3655 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report #8 on Project 191625. The unknown disturbance continues to spread among the subjects. We went from 12 to 38 affected subjects in 24 hours. I launched experts to find its origin as soon as possible. We also took down the wall closest to the anomaly, looking for answers. A team of geologists run scans on the rock behind it. I hope the lab wasn't built by chance next to an artifact or an ancient underground tomb, that would significantly delay my work. Given the depth, I bet on a new rock.

Anyway, it's not from my equipment. We have selected one of the most affected subjects, subject 4, to interrupt his development and proceed to an autopsy. It was also he who was closest to the wall at the epicenter of the phenomenon. The results of the examination refute any possibility of any infection.

Affected subjects suffer from severe, generalized and inexplicable atrophies. Some subjects within the source's range of action seem more or less resistant to the effects, but others, lucky at first, sooner or later suffer the same fate.

There is one subject, however, which so far seems intact. Subject 14, pure blood, and neighbor of Subject 4. Yet at the heart of the supposed epicenter, all seems well for him. Her life signs are perfect. To study closely… very closely…

I had an alarm installed on all the tanks. If things get out of hand overnight, we'll all be back here soon enough. I think I will select one or two colleagues to watch over here as an extra. If the disturbance is electrical, it can disrupt the entire system.

How do they already say…? The Force is not with us on this one.

…

Correction: Her. Subject 14 is a girl.

[End: Duration: 00:01:35]

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -2 BTC / -3655 BBY]

[Start recording]

…What a story… Mhh…

[Squeak of chair that compresses under the weight]

[Sighs] …Report n°9 on Project 191625. Here we are, as predicted, on a war footing, in the middle of the night. The alarm went off for one vat in critical condition, and by the time I got there, over 220 vats were in the same condition. Inside, two hundred fetuses in cardiac and/or cerebral arrest. The biological compactor had to be emptied six times.

Well… Good news: We were able to pinpoint the real source of the problem.

Bad news… The source was a subject. Topic 14… The perfectly healthy pureblood…

…

Very bad news… I can't make a statement, but… it… it seems that the subject… [Sighs] It seems that the subject is, in some way, Force-sensitive.

…

We… we triggered the birth. It is a very fine specimen. 50 centimeters, 3.4 kilos, red irises and hair turning black. We created her with blood type UMJ-1.12.9.24, her tissue type is SB-3.4.1982, and her neural pattern is T-600.

She's only been in her tank for 3 months, swimming in SAF BZ-259 amniotic fluid and yet… she looks fully developed, like a 9 month old baby… not 6 months like she seemed… last night.

His medical regimen follow-up is common to most of my subjects: extreme anaphylaxis to kolto and bacta. The slightest drop on its flesh would cause damage equivalent to a 3rd degree burn.

We have isolated him for the moment, far from any living contact and above all far from the subjects. If my diagnosis turns out to be correct...I'm safe to assume that Subject 14 has...fed on the life essence of her neighbors, somehow. The closest ones were the most affected, and were pressed against the side of their tank, in the direction of Subject 14. The staff had to use a scraper to remove some of them, which looked as dehydrated as… fruit left in full desert for months.

…

I... I dare not imagine the repercussions of what may have just happened tonight.

…

Interesting note to finish: …I remember an amusing detail, predictable, but which had completely escaped me when writing the DNA formulas... Babies cry during birth. Some open their eyes and observe their surroundings out of curiosity, but all cry. All those I have seen born at least.

Not her. Her little red gaze, rimmed by her dark sockets, is fixed and cold.

[End: Duration: 00:03:08]

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[Project 191625 audio report: An -1 BTC / -3654 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report #12 on Subject 14, 1st specimen under Project 191625. Subject is now exactly 1 year old. Its accelerated growth seems to be fully functional. She has the phenotype of a 2 year old child. According to his medical examination, same observation for his genotype.

Under the DNA criteria, the results are more than promising. The subject is perfectly obedient, and shows no emotional feelings. Moreover, any physical sensation exceeding the level of pain equivalent to that of a moderate pinching of the epidermis is blocked at this same stage of suffering. The subject therefore experiences the same pain when she receives a heavy hammer blow to her hand as when we pinch her arm.

We carried out a social test with all the subjects of the project, in groups of five and in separate rooms. Unlike all the others, Subject 14 has yet to utter his first words. We suspect she has muteness, yet her vocal cords and the back of her frontal lobe are in pristine condition. She continues to communicate in a binary way, with gestures of the head.

Anyway, at the beginning of the social test, no interaction, except when we ordered him to. Then Subject 101 pulled her hair for no apparent reason. This was his first manifestation of… the Force. She tipped a large wardrobe, which was nevertheless heavy and stable, on her young attacker. So we are left with 22 subjects remaining.

The survival instinct of this subject exceeds that of all my works. When she feels any sign of external aggression, except during the tests that we subject her to of course, her self-preservation system kicks in unreservedly. I cannot compare her to a ferocious animal, for no hatred, no fear, no pleasure is experienced.

No, I would opt for a plant instead. Indeed, unlike us, his immune system is not generalized, but each cell of his body has its own self-defense system.       It comes from the combination of his blood type and his tissue type. After all, I was inspired by my botanical work for the SB fabric. If we ever severed an arm, for example, I believe the arm would contract its muscles in self-defense, and start a process of cauterization on its own. Of course, he wouldn't be able to attack us, or move at all after that, and the lack of blood flow would quickly lead to the death of his tissues, but it's still very interesting.

It is still too early to test the criterion 'incorruptible'… but 'obedient' and 'impassive' are validated. As for the 'undetectable' factor, Jadus proposes to wait a little longer. I believe that his expectations on topic 14 are all the greater. He barely looks at the other subjects when he walks by. After all, it's thanks to him if the project continues, and if I'm still alive.

On the surface, no one is aware of this…strange first. The first man-made sith was born by pure chance, and it sits right under their feet. No… Fortunately, it is not intended for all that religious nonsense. If Subject 14 ends up being Jadus' choice for Project 191625, the Republic and the Jedi will be in trouble.

But if word ever gets out... if the Sith ever learns of the heresy I've brought forth... They'd be willing to alienate Jadus for our heads.

[End: Duration: 00:03:14]

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[Audio report on Project 191625: Year 0 BTC / -3653 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report #27 on Subject 14, 1st specimen under Project 191625. Subject is now exactly 2 years and 3 months old (4½ years physically). She's not mute after all. When I asked her what was holding her back all this time, she explained to me that she simply had nothing useful to say. Our interviews are brief, she doesn't like wasting time. When I talk to her, I almost forget that she is so young.

I think that training will be required for the sociability of the subject. Since it will be used for infiltration purposes, we cannot introduce the Jedi to a robotic spy. She seems to have difficulty understanding what humor is, as well as all tactile pleasures. The caresses, hugs, and - if a mission will one day require it in the field - sex, are phenomena that she does not understand. It's perfectly normal for a child not to understand that last thing, but I have my doubts that she will ever understand it. Therefore, it will be necessary to train it to simulate reactions of laughter, tenderness and pleasure.

On the other hand, she seems extremely gifted when it comes to memory. His score in the pairs game is maximum each time.

But above all, I can assume that Factor 4 is on track. Subject 14 is able to cloak its appearance through the Force. I'm talking about physical appearance, thanks to a kind of illusion, but also psychic. Jadus came to confirm. This ability will also have to be trained, but miraculously, the Force seems to solve the problem. It takes away a task for us to solve.

When Jadus asked to test his obedience himself, I have to say the whole team was… somewhat shocked. He ordered the subject to plunge a fifty centimeter blade into his abdomen. I don't know if Jadus knew the subject would make it. We quickly placed him in his amniotic fluid, and his wound will take a few weeks to close. This test proves as clearly as possible the absolute loyalty of the fruit of my labor. I'm just less… direct.

…

The sith are very busy right now, it's crazy up there with what's been going on on Coruscant. Staff were given a weekend off to celebrate. Me, I prefer to stay here, to work. I have to admit that I hardly feel safe on the surface. I constantly feel like I'm being spied on by the Sith. This project, and the strange coincidence of subject 14, makes me paranoid. One of them just needs to know...

The construction of my subbases on Dromund Kaas, as well as another whose location has yet to be determined, take up a lot of my time. But it's for the best. It will do me good to have a home a little more apart, where I can finally work on what matters most. Although my hopes tend to vary, especially on what falls under the secrets of the Force. My knowledge of the mystical universal phenomenon will forever remain limited, no matter what mysteries I unravel...

I'm... I'm afraid of failing... [Sighs]

…

[End: Duration: 00:03:12]

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[Audio report on Project 191625: Year 3 BTC / -3650 BBY]

[Start recording]

Report… [Distant sound of explosion] …report no.… Professor Ern Hrubber's final report on Project 191625.

What had to happen happened. I don't know how, but the Sith have uncovered the Empire's most secret scheme.

They are after us. And Jadus had no choice but to gang up with them…to ease the tension. It posed too many problems, once known. The traitor dare not admit his mistake. Him and the Emperor… It's their joint project, after all. And of course, I bear the blame.

It's a witch hunt. We took refuge in the lower levels. We have set up solid barricades. I do not have a lot of time. I'm recording this, in case I fall…in case my plan fails. Hoping someone takes the torch… You never know… Hmm.

- Sir... We have to hurry. Your carbonite block is ready.

Thanks Kelana, I'm coming. Immerse my patient in it, and notify the droid of my arrival. Then go ahead, I'll join you right away.

My research is too extensive. This exceeds my personal ambitions. The key had been before my eyes for five years. I searched for so long…and topic 14 had the answer yet again…

If chance implanted Force sensitivity in a subject, it was thanks to MCs and DNA formulas. I must now push my research further. I therefore propose to go beyond religions, mysticism, taboos. I have to create a serum… a serum based on Midi-chloriens…

Yes. Tomorrow, my love, science will vanquish the veil of Death. For you…

[Sound of repeated explosions]

Ah... The Sith have stormed the lab. By now all subjects must be dead and my work must be on fire. What a waste… This subject 14 was promising. Without him, my next project would never have been possible. In less than an hour they will be here.

- Sir ?…

Yes yes ! I still have to take care of some details! Ah… Subject zero is dressed? Good. [Blaster noise] Perfect. That should do. Let's go, then.

[End: Duration: 00:02:18]