Shadowkill

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IMAGE: Kinefray sits in the cell like a lump; Azrarrz is talking and talking at him, agitated, crying as he tries to reach his cousin. He shakes Kinefray, slaps him, then retreats to the far side of the cell and sits there, suffering.

Savant 1 (speaking into note pad):

Subject 3Tj (native name: Tejnor)… youngest of the subjects… perhaps the most intractable, despite his youth… which might be considered to contradict trends suggested by previous data… probably an anomaly due to individual differences within the species… the subject sample is, unfortunately, too small for anything more reliable than a hint…

NOTE: recommend immediate attempts to enlarge the sample.

Have broken through the trance state repeatedly… made it impossible for 3Tj to retreat from attack, while maintaining intelligence levels and some degree of free will… have managed also to breach the strong ties between this apprentice and his master, subject 7T (native name: Tolmant)… to the point that he was willing to participate in a pain-inducing session with 7T as subject… during this session he proved so enthusiastic that 7T was accidentally killed… no great loss, the subject was badly mutilated at the time…

NOTE: Tech 1 Rivas has suggested the killing stroke was deliberate, not accident; 3Tj was questioned under probe, results inconclusive-the drugs present in his system hinder analysis of his reactions.

TENTATIVE CONCLUSION: Rivas is mistaken. If 3Tj were still feeling the pull of the kin-bond, he could not harm 7T; if he were not, he’d have no reason to harm 7T.

RECOMMENDATION: Continue testing, gradually decreasing dosage. Necessary to determine the holdover strength of the regimen, how much of the change is permanent, how much transitory, what is the overall effect on intelligence and agility.