Ramifications of Employment of the Caduceus Swarm
By Angie Ziegler
She hadn’t written her proper name on any draft of paper yet. The one everyone … well, her formal name. “Mercy”, her code name, was often used. But everyone around her either used that or felt they must go full formal.
Introduction of the Caduceus Swarm, outside full warfare, to combat has had major ramifications on how humans even perceive combat. Injury is enumerated, to the point that soldiers are immobilized for their own safety, to be ‘resurrected’ and sent to fight again on the same battlefield on which they would have died a generation ago.
As of late, recent safeguards of this technology have been eroded; Once the original providence of field medics to activate and supervise, there was a progression; firs these medics self -medicated, attempting to keep themselves in necessary condition as they became targets for enemy fire. Then the average soldier became a self-sustained, the field medics only enhancing the recklessness that could be achieved.
This was not quite the case. Of course it had all been with good intentions – and still was. As Mercy, she had pushed for some of these changes. She had done the the thing. People not dying was a good thing.
But Then these same people threw themselves against a hail of bullets and other exotic weapons. Again. And Again. And Again. What self preservation instincts they had being short-circuited.
And she had gotten used to it. Outside these quiet moments, she had gotten used to it.
One can not so much question the original necessity of setting on this path – the Omnic wars – nor roll back the progression of history as a side effect. But the lesser ramifications of the Caduceus Swarm must be documented. Humanity must, at minimum, realized what has changed.
Angie leaned back. This was the third time she had tried to dictate an introduction. Somthing to put in front of her charts and microscope slides.
But her stir-crazy had evolved. After noticing a pattern to the torpor of being “healed”, the taking a moment to find your bearings and limbs. A pattern of laxity – muscular flexibility – That took longer to recede. And acting as a field medic herself – she had wondered the details.
The short of it?
The window was about 40 hours after deactivation.
Significant flexibility training was possible during that time.
Training gains achieved a 40 hours were indefinite.
And the effect between sessions was cumulative. That is, the micro-tears of training after the 40 hours counted as healable material for the next activation.
And the sensation could be called addictive.
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