Cherreads

Chapter 18 - 18. Massacre

[FIELD REPORT: BATTLEFIELD RECORD]

REPORTING OFFICER: [REDACTED]

DATE: [REDACTED]

LOCATION: Sector 8A, Eastern Combat Zone

SUMMARY:

At [TIME REDACTED], Subject X-02 was deployed to suppress the escalating rebel offensive. The enemy had fortified key positions, demonstrating strategic advancements that exceeded prior assessments. Initial resistance was heavy, with organized battalions utilizing improved countermeasures against standard suppression units.

Upon receiving authorization to remove operational limiters, Subject X-02 initiated full-scale engagement. Within the first [REDACTED] minutes, recorded enemy casualties exceeded 60%. By the time mission parameters were deemed complete, estimated rebel losses had reached 80%, rendering their forces ineffective.

The aftermath of the engagement has been classified as a historical-scale event. Structural collapse, gravitational distortions, and environmental destabilization in the region have rendered it inhospitable for further operations. Due to widespread destruction, recovery and reconnaissance efforts are ongoing but significantly hindered.

This event will be recorded under [REDACTED] military archives.

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[OTHAN RESEARCH BUREAU REPORT NO. 7725]

EXPERIMENT ID: X02-UNRESTRICTED-COMBAT-01

DATE: Philos Calendar Year [Redacted]

RECORDED BY: OTHAN-17642

OBJECTIVES:

1. Assess X-02's combat efficiency in unrestricted mode.

2. Observe environmental effects and collateral impact of gravitational manipulation.

3. Evaluate neural and physical strain post-engagement.

4. Measure interference in surveillance and communication systems.

OBSERVATIONS:

- Immediate and overwhelming suppression of enemy forces.

- Structural collapses and wide-area gravitational distortions consistent with previous controlled experiments.

- Signal disruption recorded in all observational units within a [REDACTED] radius.

- Post-combat retrieval successful; Subject X-02 displayed no physical exhaustion or cognitive degradation.

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[CONTROL ROOM OBSERVATION LOG]

Lead Researcher: "Signal disruptions are worse than projected. His gravity field is interfering with remote access-we're losing real-time data."

Researcher 1: "Surveillance drones are struggling to maintain visuals. There are gravitational anomalies affecting the optical sensors. It's as if space itself is bending around him."

Researcher 2: "We accounted for this, but the intensity is beyond expectations. If X-02 alone causes this much interference, imagine the result if A-01 were released at full capacity."

Lead Researcher: "A-01's power is not gravitational-it's absolute destruction. She doesn't distort space; she erases it. We cannot afford an error."

Higher Commanding Officer: "And yet, anything can be used as a weapon. Even creation itself. Our priority is control, not restraint. If X-02 can be honed into a tool of precision, so can A-01."

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[FIELD SCENE: POST-BATTLE]

Caleb stood in the center of the devastation, motionless amidst the silent ruins. The battlefield-once a strategic rebel outpost-was nothing more than crumbled structures and fractured earth. Bodies, debris, remnants of the resistance were scattered, weightless in the residual gravitational flux.

The mission was complete. He had done what was expected. Again.

Distantly, the low hum of retrieval crafts approached. His orders were to stand by until extraction. And so he waited, an instrument now at rest.

His eyes drifted upward. Beyond the smoke, the artificial sky flickered with the remnants of disrupted systems. His mind, programmed for efficiency, did not linger on questions.

Not aloud, at least.

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[SECURITY PROPOSAL: A-01 READINESS REVIEW]

AUTHOR: [REDACTED]

DATE: [REDACTED]

SUBJECT: Operational Viability of Subject A-01

Following the success of X-02's unrestricted combat deployment, the question of A-01's battlefield application has resurfaced. Current risk assessments categorize A-01 as a priority anomaly.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Determine control measures necessary for combat deployment.

2. Assess risks of autonomous activation under duress.

3. Identify fail-safe mechanisms to prevent uncontrollable events.

RECOMMENDATION:

Given the volatility of A-01's power, direct deployment remains inadvisable until additional safeguards are implemented. Further research into cognitive suppression techniques is required before field application can be considered. A full report on potential failsafe methods will be submitted in the next operational review.

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[END DOCUMENT]

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