[Hierarchy] Reactions to Cabal Poison Weapons

Reactions to Cabal Poison Weapons

via Adrien Celix, Hierarchy Citizen's Press

Cipritine, PALAVEN – Controversy is erupting from wide swaths of turian society after an investigative report by HCP yesterday revealed that Cabal units called to serve the Cause during the Reaper War made use of an effective but unpopular historical weapon — poison blades.

During the Unification War, Cabal units served primarily in an espionage-based role: infiltration, manipulation, and assassination, only breaking their cover and using biotics when backed into corners. Poisoned blades were one of the most feared weapons of Cabal members. Although data on the mechanics of the poisoned blades are still highly classified, it is rumored that the weapons were used as a morale-breaking tool: a slow, agonizing, painful death whose shock-and-awe effects mirrored pre-Reaper War Hierarchy bombardment doctrine.

Although outlawed in the wake of the Unification War, the blades have been making a comeback. Documents obtained by the HCP show that blade training is now required as part of basic training for all Cabal members, and some eyewitnesses report that blade training is also taking place in pre-boot academies geared specifically for biotic children.

“I don't understand why Cabals are returning to such primitive weapons,” commented Li Naelus, a parent of two whose children are being raised in a Nurturing Center less than a mile from a Cabal training ground. “Practical considerations like efficacy aside, teaching potentially dangerous individuals how to use weapons of terror is not a way to encourage citizens that they are safe and supported.” Other responses are even more condemning—on the extranet, some are speculating that the Cabals may be planning a Unification War-style coup due to broad disaffection with the Hierarchy.

HCP attempted to reach out to the Minister of Biotic Affairs and several key Cabal officers; many expressly denied any knowledge of a mutiny, but all refused to comment on whether the deadly weapons were once again in Cabal hands.

...well, hells, I been tellin' people this for years, but comin' from a separatist, folks think I'd make up any old shit that makes the Hierarchy look bad.

And way to be unbiased. If there's a coup, who you gonna blame....those creepy blade toting glowy folks, or the Hierarchy, who's treated them like second class citizens probably since the fragging Unification Wars?

Somehow, though, I doubt it. If the cabalists I'd known had been revolution-minded, I wouldn't have had to bother defecting.

....And no, you don't need to worry, I stank at bladework and still do.

--Battis Montagnais

I think there's still way more non-biotics than there are cabalists, and remember how kids with even slight tendency for biotics were cooped into the Cabals, regardless of whether they can fling warps or papercups with their minds. The coup is a ridiculous rumour.

However the poison blades make me cringe. What's the posturing for and for whom?

I can understand bringing back the poison blades during the war; that was a life or death struggle against the Reapers and indoctrinated people like in the old Cerberus. We couldn't afford to lose; we had to bring out every weapon in the arsenal to win. But now that that battle is over, I'm just not sure if we really need weapons like those anymore. There are still really bad guys out there, but... Gah. I dunno. I'm conflicted.

This one is distressed to learn of the current tensions within the turian reef. It offers its sympathy to those members of the board affected by such diversification of perspectives within the Hierarchy. It understands differentiated opinion to be a disturbing matter for conservative turian mindsets to contemplate, especially when threatening to provoke national division, and hopes it will not appear discourteous with its analysis. If this one may shine its humble opinion as a student of the Many Voices, this one acknowledges the many uncertainties that attend these ones in the aftermath of the Darkening. If would, however, propose that while fragmentation is certainly counter to these ones' best hopes for successful adaptation, monopolizing of conversation is equally hazardous, and serves only to increase tension or dim these ones' collective waters further. As such, this one must respectfully argue for closer examination of the rhetoric utilized in the article, for it is concerned that the author presents a face incompatible with the chosen language, and thus potentially corrupts the noblest purpose of the Word.

Indeed, this one hopes it will be excused its inquiry, but it is uncertain as to the exact truth the posted article seeks to manifest in Word. The issue of poisoned weaponry seems to this one a displacement, hinting at deeper and more significant tensions, and the quoted reference to "primitive weapons" seems incompatible with the associated argument that the cabalist outcrop poses a significant military threat to the turian reef. It is aware that the strongly centralized turian government is traditionally intolerant of breakaway sects, and thus differs considerably in practice from these ones' own ever-diversifying society. However, it must distressingly admit its suspicion that the linguistic vehicle of the article is ill-considered for the spiritual upswell it seems intended to generate. This one humbly requests clarification from those more knowledgeable of the underlying politics (this one is not knowledgeable about politics). Is this one correct to note potential allusion to deeper currents of dissatisfaction that render the structure of the "poisoned weapons" debate irrelevant or distractive to comprehension of the current discourse?

Although perhaps such is this one's own uncertainty as to why poison should be problematic. This one can excrete poisons and other toxins should it require.

EDIT: This one feels it should provide general references to explain its misgivings, and apologises for its failings! The tomes of the most revered Hullisol suggest that the hanar preference for non-violent fragmentation in the face of ideological incompatibility originates in the reproductive budding practice, along with the lack of population pressures resulting from the blessed extensiveness of the Encompassing. This one finds such assertions intriguing, and is aware that turian instincts are far more orientated to control and competition for available space. It is uncertain how its pursuit of greater illumination will join tendrils with a perspective implicitly hostile to the churning of the Many Voices, hence its caution and uncertainty here.

This one did like the repetition of the word "training", appealing as it does to the lifelong meritocratic spirit of the turian culture!

I fail to see much difference from being cut by a poisoned blade, being herded into some filthy refugee camp with no running water, being driven off your land to starve, or being at the epicenter of a loosed biological weapon. All of them are shitty ways to die, and arguing about which is shittier doesn't serve much point in my opinion. Maybe we should be concentrating instead on finding alternatives to killing people.

Are the poisons used on these blades dangerous to other species? I mean, different chemistries, you know, different biologies and such. So can anyone else be hurt by these things, or is it just turians? 'Cause if it's the latter, if they're using the turian poisons, then I can see why they might jump to the conclusion that there's the danger of a coup, you know? You're using a weapon that's designed to be used against other turians specifically, and that's not going to go down well.

How it matters to you isn’t the issue. It’s how it matters to everyone else surrounding you, as each of those methods have a different psychological impact. Methods 2 or 3 are an overt method of killing and instilling social decay, and Method 4 is a basic terrorist tactic. Method #1, however, is a method of killing that instills distrust in the people around you, since (if done properly) no one knows who offed the person in question. It encourages instability and distrust, because someone in your merry band of freedom fighters is a crazed, sadistic bastard that won’t think twice about killing you by setting your very nerve endings on fire.

I love how everyone assumes that the knife training means poisoned blades.

Listen people, it's just basic knife fighting. Being prepared for close quarters combat and all that. No poison, no attempts to overthrow the government. Knives are standard issue for all members of the turian military, not just cabal. Anyone saying anything else is being paranoid.

What kind of crazy ass poison did they even use? I mean reapers and cerberus troopers were mostly synthetics, and that's not even counting the geths! What kind of poison were effective against those guys?

Something that was also corrosive most likely.

Don’t let some two-year-old propaganda fool you. Cerberus may have gone off the deep end and reaperfied its troops during the Reaper War, but their anatomy was still basically intact. It wasn’t like they removed “redundant” organs or anything.

Honestly, I don't really care. If it works, it works.

...wow, ask a salarian.

Hey, you asked. And just because I tend bars doesn't mean I have my head under a rock. Shrell, you'd be amazed at the sort of things people would drop (along with their tip) during the war.

Weapons of terror, really?

Obviously, I'm not going to talk about them on a public forum. But suffice it to say it's blown out of proportion. But I will say tradition is tradition, how is this different from the mexta combat so many learn?

Also how many cases of poisoning have you seen? I think someone ought to tell Li Naelus that she's far more likely to have her neck snapped than be ritually slashed with a poison blade or something.

Maybe it's the biotic baby boom that has everyone all twitchy.

'Cause you know, that'll just calm that shit right down.

...Alright, alright, I get that 'but you do it too' is very often used as a way to shut down discussion but really. How could you complain about poison blades and then join a group where there's like, two snipers who started before the age of ten and a train bomber? That's not really taking a strong stand against exploiting people or indiscriminate tactics.

But wow, "blade training is also taking place in pre-boot academies geared specifically for biotic children". Way to copy the Primacy there. Outrageous, unacceptable, needs to stop now.

We've got quite a few poison bladers in the Suns ourselves, though some of them are too stupid to practice proper safety regulations.

You know the people, some guy just got his uniform and tat and figures he just has to show off his new poison knife at the nearest bluetit hooker.

I think we'd be hard pressed to figure out who did it first. Blade use has been part of the cabal tradition for centuries. The practice weapons at the academies are not poisoned and I fail to see the difference between that and any other self-defense training.

I see nothing wrong poison blades.

Then again I'm more of a "taint the novacoke shipment" kind of guy.