Shades of the Ve'katak

[Carver]

Lore Impact: 
Small

Species: 
Vaurca

Short Description: 
A controversial form of recruitment incentive for the Ve'katak Phalanx, utilizing VR/Neusim 'facsimiles' of the recruit's deceased friends or family recreated from a combination of public record knowledge and any other source the Phalanx may have access to.

How will this be reflected on-station?: 
It would be an optional background addition to help justify creating non-Vaurcae Phalanx characters, hopefully easing the process for anyone interested in such.

Does this addition do anything not achieved by what already exists?: 
Expands upon the background for non-Vaurcae recruitment, by offering a (debatably) meaningful incentive for these recruits that uniquely involves the Neusim and hopefully enabling more character concepts to have a reason to fit in the Phalanx. Additionally, it would provide a very openly controversial layer of manipulation to the Phalanx's recruitment tactics.

Do you understand that the project may change over time in ways you may not foresee once it is handed over to the Lore Team?: 
Yes

Long Description: 
The Shades of the Ve'katak, or alternatively, Neusim Facsimiles

Shades present a deceptive, debatably cruel form of recruitment incentive; wherein after a non-Vaurcaesian recruit has been interviewed, given a background check and psychological assessment it is determined whether it would be effective to produce a facsimile of one (or rarely, more) of the deceased's friends or family, offered as encouragement to go through whatever lengths may be necessary to pass the entrance tests - including invasive physical augmentation liable to improve the greater quality of the recruit in the end.

These facsimiles would be met during the Neusim portion of their training, and may potentially provide significant encouragement for the recruit to stick through their training to the end, whereafter the recruit would still be able to 'visit' their shade during any further training sessions in Neusim - and substantially more rarely, if allowed access for a time to MNeusim. Unfortunately, Shades are not perfect recreations in most cases; typically being produced from a combination of public record of the recruit and the deceased, as well as information gathered during interviews, examinations and background checks. Small details about their form, appearance and personality are often 'off' to an uncanny degree that even the most desperate may need to accept. 

It has been found that despite this, recruits who have shades are more likely to stick through and pass their Neusim training - in addition to often desiring further training past what is required, even further raising the quality of the now-full member of the Phalanx. The possibility of exposure to the imperfect shade mentally breaking the recruit is, of course, considered a negligible risk for all the benefits the method offers. Furthermore, there is the value in utilizing shades to gather deeper information about the recruit and their history - both to refine the facsimile, and to potentially gain sensitive information on any notable individuals or entities (Corporations, Governments, etc.) with which the individual bears a history with.

Ultimately, news may spread of the Ve'katak's members being allowed to 'reunite with the dead', offering a draw to the forlorn who have lost their friends or family in tragedy and war. It is even said that with time, a recruit's memories of the lost and the experiences with their shade often become indistinguishable.

Disorganized thoughts, separated for the sake of ease of reading:

Spoiler

Whose idea was this?:
 It may be a passing idea of Athvur twisted into a contribution to the Phalanx's goals by Zoleth - with the former brood's greater understanding of human empathy taken advantage of. Originally intended for approved (Phoron Star-tier donors, politicians, etc.) humans to visit deceased friends or family through a viewfinder or MNeusim, it was discarded when the idea of these facsimiles was considered to be unhealthily exploiting human grief. Zoleth's brood would have seen instead the potential in which this could be used to bolster recruitment for the Phalanx.

Spoiler

Where else would shades potentially appear?:
 This would be up to writers, especially as to whether it may open up Phalanx members to possessing virtual reality looking-glasses or similar devices tuned to a minuscule sub-realm as a more unnerving equivalent of the 'photo in the locket'.

Spoiler

What happens if the Phalanx doesn't have enough information to produce a shade?:
 If the information cannot be gathered from interviews or any accessible records, then the recruit would be gently informed that it is not currently possible to 'bring their loved one back'. It'd be horribly ineffective to try and produce a shade out of nothing, and more than likely to emotionally break the recruit.

Spoiler

What happens if a recruit's lost friend is a Vaurca?:
 An interesting thought, for if the deceased's consciousness is available then it is more than likely that - if the individual Vaurca was willing to allow a facsimile to be produced, and it was approved by the Phalanx itself - the recruit would meet a perfect facsimile of their lost friend. If the Vaurca was especially caring for their friend, they may instead visit the recruit with their true consciousness.