Department of Biological Integrity

Dear members of the District 4 Executive Council,

I am writing today to express my anger at the handling of events that took place at Outpost 1 on January 7, 2143. It is clear there is an institutional rot in the Security Council that cannot be ignored. I have always trusted the Security Council to run the outposts autonomously, and their jurisdiction dictates these matters are firmly within their area of control. However, the events that took place and the handling of the situation afterwards clearly fall within my sphere of responsibility. Not only was I not informed of the events through any official channel, a week after the incident I was made aware via a debrief from an exclusion-zone patrol. As a member of the Executive Council, discovering District-critical information through back channels is unacceptable.

I have spoken to all members of the Security Council privately and so far three of them were unaware of this incident. The other three members knew of the incident but were unaware of the gravity of what transpired. I hope that some Security Council members are lying and are fully aware of the situation. If this is the case, excising the incompetence of the Security Council will be straight-forward. At best they actively hid the information from me, at worst they are dangerously incompetent. If they knew the full extent of the events that transpired and decided it wasn’t worth sharing, it indicates an organisational deficiency that takes time and resources to remedy. The punishment for actively placing a district in danger is liquidation, regardless of civil or military rank. Either way, I am requesting that a full investigation and review into the District 4 Security Council take place.

I understand that any attempt to micromanage outposts will impede the flexibility of our threat response, but issues like these can and will lead to entire districts falling. For those of you in the Executive Council that are unaware, I have obtained a copy of the AAR from the January 7 incident. Please take time to review the below report before reading my recommendations and conclusion.

AFTER ACTION REPORT [CLASSIFIED] DEPARTMENT OF EXTRA-CIVILIAN CONTAINMENT

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE DISTRICT 4, OUTPOST 1, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA - 12 January 2143

FOR: The District 4 Security Council FROM: Sergeant Lucas Bradman [18G220] SUBJECT: Incident at Exclusion-Zone border PARTICIPANTS: Sgt Lucas Bradman [18G220], Pvt Jordan Bradman [18G235], Pvt Jacob Bradman [18G234] and [REDACTED]

General:

On January 7 an explosion was sighted roughly 10km from the outpost walls, 1km from the exclusion-zone. I led a team to investigate the cause of the explosion, and to determine if there was a breach in the exclusion-zone. During the operation [REDACTED] was exposed to a lethal dose of radiation.

Report:

At approximately 0700 I led my team by foot 10km north-west to find the site of the explosion. At 0850 Pvt Bradman [18G235] used a drone to locate the site - bearings: 37.7140° S, 145.0660° E. The drone located 5 makeshift huts near the site of the explosion, 6 dead bodies and a surface hatch. There was no record of this village in our maps, we radioed Outpost 2 and they confirmed it wasn’t on their maps either. A radiation measurement of 14 roentgen was taken by the drone. I instructed the team to take a Radux tablet before progressing further.

When we entered the village at approximately 0920, our portable metre measured 27 Roentgen. I instructed the team to take another Radux tablet before sweeping the village. Myself, Pvt Bradman [18G234] and Pvt Bradman [18G235] were to clear out each hut while [REDACTED] was to provide overwatch. It is still unclear whether the people in this village were insurgents or outlanders. The first hut we entered contained the dead bodies of a mother and her baby. There were no gunshot wounds, possible radiation sickness. Deformities on the mother and baby were present, it was unclear whether this was the result of inbreeding or radiation. The second and third hut we entered were empty. The fourth hut contained the body child, roughly 8 or 9 years old, the skin appeared to have melted off. The Roentgen readings of the body was 41. It was at this time I radioed Colonel Abboud at Outpost 1 requesting a radiation team. I was informed that none were available and that taking another Radux would protect against the radiation we were encountering. We all took another Radux entering the 5th hut.

We encountered a person that was still alive but suffering from apparent late-stage radiation poisoning. We were unable to determine the age or gender of the survivor. They were in pain but could speak in a limited capacity. They mentioned a child bringing evil to their people and cursing them. The initial explosion that was observed at Outpost 1 was the result of the people in this village fighting over what to do with the child. It was apparent that this person was close to dying, we did not administer any Radux. It was at this time [REDACTED] joined us to inspect the bodies and the site of the explosion. Four of the villagers died of gunshot wounds while two were killed by shrapnel from the explosion. The guns were manufactured in District 4, Pvt Bradman [18G235] noted their serial numbers before destroying them.

While we were looking at the explosion site to determine the nature of the explosion, I saw [REDACTED] open the surface hatch. Immediately after opening the hatch he was illuminated by a pale blue light. He slammed the door shut and fell to the ground. [REDACTED] was screaming in pain while clutching his legs. We dragged him away from the hatch and administered a fourth dose of Radux intravenously. [REDACTED] was lucid long enough to mention a “heart-shaped locket” in the hatch. I suspect this locket was found in the exclusion-zone. Pvt Bradman’s [18G234] metre measured the hatch at 98 Roentgen. I radioed Colonel Abboud at Outpost 1 and informed him of the situation, we were ordered to return to base immediately for debrief and decontamination.

Sergeant Lucas Bradman, Outpost 1.

Members of the Executive Council:

First and foremost, why is the name of the irradiated trooper from Outpost 1 redacted? Every Outpost contains one natural-born General, every other trooper is a clone. The clones that garrison all of District 4’s outposts are tagged and logged in my department’s registry. Is the dead trooper an unauthorised clone, or a civilian? I’m unsure which answer is worse. Perhaps Colonel Abboud has been cloning himself without authority from me, a capital crime in District 4. I have no record of what happened to the irradiated trooper, there are no logs of him returning to base or entering quarantine. There are no logs that he even exists. I request that all Outpost 1 command logs and cloning chambers be turned over to me for analysis.

Additionally, Radux pills are rated to protect against a maximum of 10 Roentgen. One pill protects against up to 5 roentgen, two pills protects against up to 10 roentgen. Taking three pills damages kidney and liver function, taking four pills degrades muscle and bone integrity. The minute these clones took three pills, their genes were no longer eligible for reproduction. This operation should have never occurred after the initial 14 Roentgen reading was recorded. Colonel Abboud has displayed a gross disregard for proper radiation and genetic protocols. The mandatory protocol, dictated by my department, states that any measurement above 10 is to be referred to my department before any action can be taken. The thought that proper procedures are not being followed is terrifying. This isn’t a recommendation, it’s a life or death requirement. I recommend the Executive Council undertake a full review of hazard protocols for all Outposts.

According to my discussion with Colonel Abboud, Sgt Bradman and both Pvt Bradman's were decontaminated with no further quarantine. Since my department never received the action report, no review of the clones genetic integrity was undertaken. At a minimum, they were exposed to 98 Roentgen for an undetermined amount of time. Guidelines state that any citizen, clone or natural-born, must report to the District 4 genetic integrity laboratory if exposed to 50 Roentgen or more . Since this didn’t happen, I can only assume we now have genetically defunct clones stationed in Outpost 1. By the time these clones end their life cycle and submit their genes for the next (19th) generation, the resulting clones will be incapable of effectively carrying out their duties. The current population of Outpost 1 must be liquidated and temporarily garrisoned by my peace keeper clones.

The only good news here is the radioactive heart-shaped locket has been seized by my bio-team. It was taken 14km into the exclusion-zone where it was buried. The Security Council's negligence, whether by malice or incompetence, could have led to the destruction of an Outpost. Failed protocol enforcement by Outpost 1’s natural born Colonel and Security Council have put us all at risk. I needn’t remind any of you that we are the last remaining Eastern District. Before I intervened our Outposts were under-manned, under-supplied and poorly maintained. My clones are all that is standing between survival and destruction in District 4.

As I mentioned earlier, I have previously trusted the natural-born Security Council to oversee Outpost operations. It is clear the Security Council is no longer fit to guarantee the safety of District 4. It’s folly to think that clones should continue to be subordinate to the natural-born. The sole qualification for leadership in our Outposts is the trooper's conditions of birth. On the back of my achievements we have become self-sustainable; through my workers we produce a surplus of food, power and drinking water. My department's efforts in bio-containment have kept our natural born population's genetic defects under 10%. Despite this, we have seen the competency of our military staff flounder. This latest incident has demonstrated we can no longer rely on random chance to produce competent leaders.

We must make a hard decision today, I have not come to this conclusion lightly. I am formally requesting the Security Council be dissolved and absorbed by my department. Complacency condemned District 3 and 5, I will not allow us to follow them. May I remind you, the clone troopers that garrison our Outposts have one directive: Protect District 4. Their duty transcends bureaucracy and genetic prejudice. I have allowed them to be subordinate to the natural-born Security Council and this has proven to be a mistake. If they continue to be issued orders that put District 4 at risk, I will have no choice but to intervene. I trust you will all make the right decision.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Robert Bradman

Director

Department of Biological Integrity