Debriefing / *Classified 1Nebula*: Captain Jannat Slainer, Exploration and Development branch
Officer in Charge: Captain, state your identification and rank for the record, please.
Captain Slainer: Jannat Slainer, ID FPA-ExDev 2380567, Scout Captain second class.
OIC: You understand and accept that this briefing, due to the nature of the information, will be classified to Nebula level, and discussion of any facts concerning your latest mission would constitute a level one breach of security resulting in loss of rank and privileges?
Capt. S: I do.
OIC: You and your crew were the initial contact with the humanoid population of Intelligent Life Found, 276/5346, Satellite IV. Per your report, your crew identified widespread biological and sociological anomalies resulting in a temporary withdrawal from the planet surface. Please elaborate in your own words.
Capt. S: There were no Abilities at large on the planet. No latent telepaths, none of the usual borderline empaths working with animals, no reports of people who see the dead or start fires. Given that the incidence of mental Abilities in standard deviations of humanoid is over 30%, we were concerned.
OIC: You also noted widespread presence of personal weaponry on the planet. Your report didn’t indicate that this was a primary concern.
Capt. S: It’s extremely common, in primitive cultures. Often seen as a symbol of sexual prowess.
OIC: Indeed. In any case, you and your crew briefed the contractor hired to…
Capt. S: Get shot at, sir?
OIC: …establish initial tolerance in the population. Yes. What were your impressions of this contractor?
Capt. S: …competent, sir.
OIC: I understand, Captain, that the Cortii are a sensitive subject. However, this briefing is not optional. Your full report, please.
Capt. S: *sighs* They sent a commander. Cortiora Khyria Ilan, of Wildcat Cortia, out of Corina Base. Black hair, green eyes, some scarring visible left cheek, both hands. A palm-width taller than I am, looked as if she weighed a little less. Intelligent, excellent memory, extremely high tolerance for stimulants. A very strong Ability. I’ve never met an IESRO-reg before, but quite possibly she would qualify. They put a double-squad of Interstellar Close Combat Specialists around her, and she looked…amused. She spent most of four days taunting them when she got bored.
OIC: And her interactions with your crew?
Capt. S: Professional. Clearly had to translate some of the questions she needed answering into terms we understood, but did it politely enough. Even though getting her full attention could be…powerful.
OIC: Elaborate.
Capt. S: Every so often, it felt as if she forgot to…hide what she was. Meeting her stare or drawing her attention could freeze any of us in our tracks. I put it down to her Abilities.
OIC: You think she was exerting Ability on you without your consent?
Capt. S: No.
OIC: Very well, Captain. You also attended her debriefing at the end of her mission on the surface. Your impressions of the Cortiora at that point, please.
Capt. S: She’d been severely injured, mentally and physically. She declined medical assistance, but permitted a medical scan as part of the debriefing. Beyond that, she presented as suffering from a severe level of Ability over-exertion.
OIC: You went on record earlier as stating that you believed her to be an Ability of unusual strength. What, in your estimation, would cause that level of injury?
Capt. S: Nothing I would survive meeting, sir. I have no idea. She implied that it had been caused during a meeting with the heads of the religious organisation of the planet. As I reported, this planet apparently has an Ability-backed religion based on Elemental symbolism. They had previously declined to meet with any of our people. The Cortiora reported that she was…invited to participate in a religious ritual that included the use of drugs.
OIC: You hesitated, Captain. Please clarify.
Capt. S: *pause* Bluntly, sir, I believe that they broke her. Somehow.
OIC: And yet you failed to put this observation on-record, Captain.
Capt. S: It has no basis in verifiable fact, sir. Instinct, if you like.
OIC: So your professional opinion is that the Cortiora lied to us during her debriefing.
Capt. S: No, sir. While I don’t doubt, given our relative rankings, that she could lie to me and hide it from me, I had no impression that anything she actually said was in any way untruthful.
OIC: So you were unaware of her official recommendation that the Interspecies Extra-Sensory Regulatory Organisation should be involved in the planet’s entry negotiations at the earliest opportunity?
Capt. S: I was not aware, sir.
OIC: What are you impressions of that recommendation?
Capt. S: That the Cortiora very likely is IESRO-level, and that she believes that the Abilities she encountered are a serious threat.
OIC: Indeed. Thank you, Captain.
*Notes on file indicate follow-up/urgent, regarding the psychological stability of Captain Jannat Slainer, Interviewing officer believed that at some level he felt obligation to the Cortiian operative.
