Dr. Newton Weiss
Dr Newton Weiss
To achieve true mastery of any craft it is essential that one pushes the boundaries of possibility, expectation and even on occasion decency. It is beyond these boundaries where innovation and invention exists; the domain of the genius, the maestro......the famous and adored.
I still believe that I am one of these few and I do not seek forgiveness for having such ego. To be even noticed by Aphrodite Corp. one must have a self belief and conviction to match the highest percentile of talent.
As an member of the Congregation I set myself apart with a relentless pursuit of knowledge. As an acolyte I sought specialism in both neurology and psychology, the first ever within Aphrodite Corp. to do so. How no other has seen that a specialist understanding of both is required to truly understand the workings of the brain has continued to vex me.
As a Surgeon Cleric I was handpicked by the Council of Archbishop Physicians to receive bleeding edge nanite implantation. A singular talent, the brightest of minds now with the physical form to conduct procedures that even the most coordinated of surgical teams wouldn't consider.
Yet I was undone by a...... a girl, I think. I.... yes there, there it is again..... the block, the pain...... You....You have no idea, the physical pain...that, that is nothing next to knowing that within my own mind there is knowledge locked away.....denied to me....... Now if you'll excuse me I think the vomiting is about to start......
Dr. Newton Weiss
Species
Career
Human
Doctor
B
2
A
2
I
4
C
2
W
2
P
2
Wounds
12/12
Strain
13/13
Soak
1
Defence
M0/R0
The Transferability of Surgical Skills into the Profession of Murder
I think the chip took hold again. No I don't think, i know..... but, its best I don't dwell on it for too long; even letting my thoughts drift down that path for a moment brings on a sickening pain.
Pain I'm afraid has become my constant companion in this miserable place. The little foray into espionage was not the opportunity for excitement and rebellion that I had envisaged. We achieved what was asked of us although I have deep concern that the price was simply too high. For one who prides himself of cleanliness in mind and body I now carry stains that cannot be removed. The work on my shoulder was exemplary, of course it was, I carried out the surgery myself! But then you see that very same skill is now responsible for the death of an innocent. Let us revisit shall we? The skills of a surgeon, turned to espionage and then twisted once more to become a bringer of death:
Intellect - A finely honed mind, with the observation and keen insight that despite the anger and frustration knew precisely what it was doing.
Precision - The cut was clean, too clean, a scalpel edge incision that would have too easily led back to my nanotech. I had to "dirty" the wound, I had to try and cover my tracks.
Technological Insight - My own hand could not have inflicted such a wound. Aphrodite gifted this technology to me to save lives not to end them.
Subtlety and Diplomacy - ............
Ruthlessness - well, yes... I think this one writes itself doesn't it.
I swore an oath when I began my medical studies to abstain from intentional wrong-doing and harm. It would be easy to blame the chip, easy to blame circumstance and the "heat of the moment" yet in truth I know I acted with malice aforethought. He had a family, friends, he loved and was loved in return and I not only ended that but caused such trauma that will ripple across generations. I know this, I may not have facts to support it but deep down I just know.
This stain.... this is one I am going to have to learn to live with. I am resolved now though that I cannot continue to live with the chip. It must be... I have to.... I.....
The Transferability of Surgical Skills into the Profession of Espionage
Evidently the unusual circumstances in which I find myself have led to some slightly "off piste" utilisation of my exemplary skill. My life having been so committed to the world of medicine and surgery I had not even given thought to the potential for alternative career paths; yet it has become swiftly apparent that the talents I have honed could easily be converted to a multitude of professions.
Now i must be clear here that I have no intention of accepting a future of mundane normality, obviously I could take up a lesser role, manufacturing perhaps and I have no doubt that I would complete such work with a skill and efficiency unmatched. Yet what a waste of my education and ability that would be!
So then what would be a suitable career path? It seems that espionage, the life of a spy, mystery and intrigue would be something to challenge and excite! Let me run you through the values I already possess that make me an obvious choice for such work:
Intellect - Not just an inate intelligence clearly but a finely honed mind with the observation and keen insight to pick up on the smallest of details
Precision - A surgeon used to working on the human body with the skill of a master artist
Technological Insight - I have embraced advancement by cybernetics further enhancing my physical ability while maintaining a working knowledge of computing.
Subtlety and Diplomacy - Knowing when to speak, when to listen and the power of words to sway and influence.
Ruthlessness - When necessary to cut out a malignancy I do not shirk from the task. The world is full of many malign presences.
I could go on but I feel I have made my case, perhaps when all of this is over there will be other companies than Aphrodite that hold an interest in my employment.....
Intelligence: A Study in Three Parts
In my short time in this miserable foetid place I have been putting thought into what defines true intelligence. Thought sparked by several encounters of extremely varied nature that has produced somewhat unexpected conclusions in my mind.
Before I begin with my analysis of these encounters it is first necessary to gain a grasp of how intelligence is defined. On a very basic level I would define intelligence as the ability to acquire knowledge and to implement this knowledge in an appropriate manner; however this does not take into account much more nuanced facets of such a complex concept. Therefore I feel it more satisfactory and comprehensive to break intelligence down into three measurable elements: Analytical Intelligence - the ability to solve problems, Creative Intelligence - the ability to learn from past experience to deal with new situations, and Practical Intelligence - the ability to adapt to changing environments.
I hope with these simple definitions you will be able to understand the progression of my logic in the following scenarios.
We begin then with Subject A - plantlife, native flora of Daxu that we have been assigned to clear with crude flamethrowers. I was highly curious about this particular species as it came to my attention how swiftly it regerated once culled. Several samples were obtained although on the attempt to do so it became evidence that the plantlife was aware of my presence, tracking my movements and attempting to lure me in with quite sophisticated hypnotic/halluginogenic mechanisms. It became apparent quite quickly that this species also had the ability to feel pain, provoking the question of just how emotionally aware it may be? Resolved to not cause these fascinating find any further suffering I deduced that it was in fact repelled by the intense light output of the flamethrower and not simply from being burned.
To use the definitions above this 'plant' for want of a better word has demonstrated remarkable levels of intelligence. Analytically it resolved my companions and I to be a threat and attempted to "solve" us. Creatively it has learned the weakness of seemingly more "intelligent" life to develop new defence mechanisms. Finally practically it changed the manner in which it "fell back" when exposed to a deterrent that did not cause immediate harm; seemingly with the intent to offer a pathway through deeper into the forest.
Subject B (for Bureaucracy) is our "overseer" of sorts; a dwarf by the name of Fierymane. Surely an adopted Nom de Guerre intended to boost an ego shattered by a life of pure incessant mediocrity. Lets get straight to the point shall we, it is rare for a mammal to demonstrate lower levels of intelligence than a plant without lobotomisation, yet here we are! I come before him for assignment, with my much vaunted skillset, and get assigned to menial labour. I come before him with a new solution to repel the local flora which would be cheaper both economically and in lives lost, and get denied. On all three measures this excuse for a dwarf fails. Failure caused by the blinkers assigned to him by his Corporate "betters". We may be indentured workers but such mindless obedience is the clear domain of a slave!
my final subject, subject C, is easily identifiable as Morbitz. Where do I begin with this? I am comfortable in admitting that I initially wrote off this companion of ours as a psychologically broken, physically frail creature with little to no measurable intellect. It is not often that I am so profoundly wrong in my judgement and he has given my own intelligence the challenge of adapting to the new and unexpected. I feel that Morbitz has been the quickest of us all to adapt to this wholly new environment. He has evidenced all three measures of intelligence and beyond this into an emotional intelligence that saw him intervene when harm was being caused to the plantlife. It is clear he identified what I saw in the local flora just as swiftly as I did.
Further his adaptation has started to take the form of overcoming his crippling levels of anxiety for which previously he was entirely reliant on his security blanket/troll. He has already oroven a resourceful and valuable ally; I believe with more time and teaching I may well have found a good friend in the strangest of places.
To conclude then, although intelligence may be relatively straight forward to define it is clear that when these definitions are practically defined the results can be quite startling.
More than anything now I am drawn to research further if there is a greater intelligence at play acting as a guiding hand within the forest. The others say they saw humanoid creatures deeper amongst the trees, I am glad they seem as curious to investigate this as I. Hopefully the coming days will hold further answers.
A Brief Treatise on the Socio-Economic Question of Indentured Servitude
It was only when I was sold into indentured servitude that I had the opportunity to travel the void and see the stars from a wholly different perspective than looking up from the surface of Leonis. This was a truly bizarre notion to me, one that broke me from the melancholy of what was to come and to see that even in these pitiful circumstances there is opportunity to expand the mind.
Therein lies the first piece of evidence in favour of the system of indentured servitude. Where is the value in letting mind and body wither away in a cell when they can be set into action, to improve the self and offer rehabilitation for the corrupt and deviant.
Yet there are those deviants who are beyond rehabilitation, the truly vile creatures that deserve to be confined, even executed for the good of society as a whole. Is it possible that monsters can still be of value?
The answer to this is far from simple and is specifically guided by the direction in which ones moral compass points. From my own point of view, supported by experience as a neuro surgeon, I have concluded that in circumstances where execution would be the favoured mode of punishment, consideration should instead be given for a lobotomisation process. Such a perspective would paint me as the monster to some; yet why waste a perfectly capable physical form that can be set to menial tasks and labour for the good of society?
There really is little argument against such a course, even the financial cost of maintaining such a mindless servant is far less than the cost of imprisonment, execution and the frankly obscene amount of bureaucracy involved.
To tread further along the path of economics we do however reach the true heart of why the system of indentured servitude exists. In the simplest of terms imprisonment is expensive; an expense that would have to be passed on to hard working citizens who do not deserve to foot such a bill.
So what we have in place is such a system that allows citizens, nations and corporations to indirectly profit from criminality that can be justified extremely simply from every possible perspective. A system that I may have already convinced you is worth expanding into the conversion of murderers, rapists and paedophiles into mindless slaves. It really is almost absurd isnt it?
However within this seemingly flawless system there lies my own personal example; the ascendant cleric surgeon sold to an oil company....... an oil company, on Daxu no less! A savage world that could not possibly make the best of the skills I have to offer! But it is fine, it really is; I have resigned myself to this life. I have been told I have a debt to pay for the actions I took and I will ensure that debt is paid in full so that society does not have to pay for it in my place.
If there is opportunity for enlightenment along the way then I will simply accept that as an unexpected boon.
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