Rith Experiments Explained

Posted by: Kilian Delmarco - Faction: NOVAcom
Date: Year 14 Day 277 Onboard the Quasar Fire-class Bulk Cruiser Pandalorian Fire in system Utos (-60, 60).

Case: "Good evening. Last week on our show we brought you news of a race of beings known as Diathim who were unknowingly used as guinea pigs in order to prove that they were not some race of extraordinary beings. Some, once thinking they were made of light or tangible energy, have now come to know the truth, but at what cost? Tonight, we have with us two guests; one a Diathim who was experimented on, the other, a scientist who helped in the exploitation of these beings. Both have asked to have their identities hidden and their voices distorted in order to remain anonymous. They are also being held in separate, secure locations. I warn you now that what you are about to hear and see may be too disturbing for some viewers. They can both hear each other, but will have their mics muted when the other is talking. We know that this is a traumatic time for both individuals and we wouldn't want either any more upset than they currently are. We'll start with our Diathim, whom we will refer to as Karen. Hello Karen, how are you doing tonight?"

Karen: "I'm recovering."

Case: "We hope for a speedy one. Can you tell us what it was that you went through during your time with Dr. Rith?"

Karen: "I want to believe it was some nightmare. The time when I was going through it, I wished it was, and that I would wake up. There were twenty of us when we started, but only three of us walked away in one piece. I remember the first day they had us in some rooms. They were clean rooms, ivory colored. They had some chairs in them and some fluorescent lighting. We were just waiting there for what must have been hours. I guess they were deciding what it was they wanted to do with us. Two people in the room I was in ended up leaving and not coming back. It wasn't until a few days later we saw what happened to them."

Case: "I know it is painful to talk about, but please, tell us what you saw."

Karen: "They were hanging... they were hanging up and on display, broken apart like bugs! Wings pulled off and pinned up! Arms and legs separated from their torso! The head was even there. Left with hollow eyes, just staring. Everything cut up and labeled!" There was a pause, then the sound of sobs. "their glow was gone. They were just shells. And they were displayed for everyone. I guess they felt like they had us, so there was nothing that we could do. What could we do? They did so many things to us. To me."

Case: "What did they do to you, Karen?"

The sobs continue to grow louder. For a few minutes, there is nothing but the sound of tears, grief and sadness filling the space where their words once were. Then there is quiet and soft sniffles.

Karen: "They restrained my arms and legs and had a strap around my waist. They took several needles to my stomach, poking repeatedly to try and get through. I am a Derra Diathim and happened to be pregnant at the time of my changing. I suppose that is why they saved me until the last and didn't push me as hard. Once they finally got through, they just took the baby out. I remember screaming for them to stop. It was like they didn't hear me. There was someone standing over me with a camera, just watching. Watching me, watching my stomach close itself back up slowly. He stood there until it was finished and walked away like he had just watched some show. I don't even know what my baby was, or if it was healthy. They took it away from me.." A groan of sadness and pain, followed by more crying covered over the white noise.

Case: "Thank you, Karen, for sharing your story with us. We know it was hard for you. Now we have an assistant and former colleague of Dr. Rith. We will refer to him as Dr. Lemming. I'm sure you heard all of that, Doctor. What can you tell us about what you witnessed?"

Lemming:"I can tell you that that Diathim was being quite light with the descriptions of what was going on there."

Case: "Can you tell us more?"

Lemming: "This all started, as I'm sure Dr. Rith told you, because she thinks very little of anyone who doesn't share her thoughts and feelings. So she went out and found a powerful medical faction to fund her research, because who else is going to fix these people once we break them, right? So there we were, signing some papers and telling them what they wanted to hear. We had every intention of telling these people what they were getting into, but they didn't want that. All they cared about were results and were willing to go to any means go get them. They even sent us one of those.. what do you call them? They've got those glowy sticks. They sent one of those to us for the dismembering that was going to take place. Said they wanted nice, clean cuts. Sick bastards. But what does that make us for going through with it?

Anyway, that wasn't until sometime later. There were four Diathim we pulled out the first day. Ran some scans, did the run of the mill tests: blood pressure, stress test, brain scans. Everything was going normally. After that Dr. Rith started to push for more. It was some of the worst things I've ever seen. We dropped one in the ocean with some weights around his ankles and someone followed in a submarine. The subject didn't end up drowning, instead, he got crushed by the water pressure. Sucks, huh?"

Case: "Indeed. Can you tell us how these tests were decided on?"

Lemming: "That's an easy one. She just picked based on whatever thing she felt an angel would be able to do. 'An angel would easily be able to get out of chains' or 'survive standing in a pit of fire'. Things like that. Turns out, Diathim can't do too many of those things. It was always worse with the Derras than the Iegos. Since the Iegos were naturally Diathim, they already knew their limits, but the Derras. When it came to the vacuum test, they would freak out. They would plead and beg and curse. Two got smart while they were out there and flew away. Those two, and the Diathim you guys have were the only ones who got free. The others died in the testing or in the dissecting."

Case: "How do you feel now that you have seen the things you've seen?"

Lemming: "Like I need a drink. That's all I've been doing since. We got a nice paycheck afterward, so I figured, what better way to spend it."

Case: "Was there anything that you did personally that you regret being part of?"

Lemming: "Heh. Not sure I'm drunk enough to tell this story, but yes, there is. There was one Diathim we had. Think he was male, at least that's what it seemed like. Anyway, we had him in this tube. No water or anything, just the tube. I think he was an Iego Diathim. He looked like he had been in a few battles, with what or who, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure the powers in charge wanted to break him. He had been through the majority of tests and gone through all of them well. Well enough that he could still walk and wasn't crying, at least.

So there he was, in the tube, just waiting. I was over by the control panels, trying to put off the test as long as I could. We were trying to see exactly what it would take to kill all of the parasites on a Diathim. The first test was electricity. I think we got to about 12,000 volts before any were starting to fall off at all. We tried some gases, injections, acids.. nothing was giving the effect they were wanting. His screams... they still haunt me in me sleep you know. All of it was hurting him. Not at first, at least not at first. But with one test after another... you could imagine how it was taking its toll on him. He never asked for me to stop. Not once. I suppose he must have been a proud Diathim. We never did get them all off, but we found fire to be pretty good. And dust, dumb as that sounds. I guess it does something too them. I used to know, think all the drinking killed that. Heh. He died, by the way. The Diathim. Died with gaps in his glow before it faded. Worst thing I've ever seen."

Case: "What are you going to do now that everything is out in the open?"

Lemming: "Keep my mouth shut and stay away from Diathim sympathizers. No one wants to hear how you didn't want to do it, but did it anyway."

Case: "And to the Diathim who spoke before you. What would you say to her?"

There was another pause, a heaving sound, and then a clear of the throat.

Lemmings: "Your baby was healthy."

Case: "Thank you both for being with us tonight. Next week, we'll have a special surprise for our viewers at home to wrap up our coverage of the Rith Experiments. Don't miss it!"