| Item: | Praxedes’ Fist |
| Size: | 11.44 m |
| Type: | Robotic War Drone |
| Status: | Deactivated |
| Potential/Current Hazards | Deadly radiation is present in a 6.5 m area surrounding the object. Electrical arcs frequently surge from inside the machine’s core. |
| Required Wear/Weaponry | Class IV radiation suit inside the storage chamber |
| Location: | Base Eight |
| Reported Anomaly: | Unknown construct; unknown origin |
Usage
In the event of the activation codes being found, “Praxedes’ Fist” is to be used on the following targets as soon as possible: ██████████████████████ ██████ █████████████ █████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████
(Information removed by Command Law 50.)
Object is exclusively used for high-priority obliteration missions. Extensive use of its arsenal is paramount to enforcing the will of the Insurgency during Level IV or higher conflicts.
Object was designed to wreak chaos against large enemy concentrations, civilian centers, and fortified capital sites. During the Discord War, it besieged no less than three full-scale battlefields and twenty-six enemy bases, with an Object-encounter mortality rate of 98%.
“Praxedes’ Fist” is to be protected at all costs. It is currently secured in Base Eight with a dedicated on-site security force. The Aleph-48 Support Battalion, which traditionally held the position of cohort, is to join the Item during operations. Aleph-48 is able to access long-range artillery, close air support, and Tier-4 Weaponized Artifacts from Base Eight’s Item Arsenal (to be transported to the field by Aleph-5, when necessary).
Owing to the extended period of disuse, maintenance tests are conducted annually to ensure the integrity of the artifact’s systems.
The approval of Director Eisteich (the research supervisor), Commander Savini (the military supervisor) and four specially assigned beta-level administrators will be required to access the item’s unit. Under no circumstances are experiments to be attempted during this time.
Report
“Praxedes’ Fist” is a robotic construct with arthropodic features, resembling a large arachnid.
Its structure is separated into a core component, eight crab-like legs used for locomotion, and modular attachments for armaments. The exterior plating is comprised of an unidentified dark steel alloy with sphalerite crystals cut into a triangular pattern around the shell. During operation, said crystals emanate a faint red light from underneath.
The core is segmented into an octagonal base layer, terminating into an elongated spade-like weapon module capable of firing a 500 MW laser from its apex. The spade itself terminates into three outward-facing arrows, symbolizing “the Insurgency.” Broadcast from the core is an signal that interferes with guided projectiles within range of the item.1 Further analysis reveals that the in-side surface of the module also projects a 8 m empathic aggression field affecting all subjects with ████████-globulin-3 in their bloodstream.2
Internal features of the object include a high-powered nuclear fission reactor and engine, self-repairing circuitry, and vestiges of the former A.I.’s computing systems, visibly supplanted by foreign augments. Electrical signals from the former systems are overwritten by the augments as they are fed into the motherboard.
In the front of the core module are two fang-like extensions, terminating in downward-facing protrusions. The object is able to wield the limbs as pincers, grasp objects, and drive them into targets to impale them. Material used is a unique carbon-titanium substance.
The artifact is deceptively agile, able to climb vertical platforms, forcefully embed itself onto larger structures to tear it apart from within, and reach speeds of 320 kph in optimal conditions. Its legs can crush vehicles and light battle tanks. Outfitted with a full array of weapons (six modules), it is powerful enough to overpower a heavily entrenched position (see: Battle of Senator Lewis, 1941, where Lewis’ traitor faction, at around 1 100 men, 300 armored tanks, artillery support, and access to four Xeno-class artifacts, was completely eliminated).
Several supplementary weapon modules are located at the apex of each leg’s joint, capable of firing an 800 kW energy beam in a convex field in front of each module.
Analysis of the artifact’s plating yields that it is resistant to conventional fire and explosives, and negligibly affected by artillery. Object is known to be extremely durable, able to withstand prolonged, concentrated attacks by multiple bombers and demolitions personnel. The metallic plating material is noticeably free of scratches or marks, and carries a matte sheen.
Located at the posterior of the core component is an empty porting module. It is theorized to have been a docking space for later installations. Were the object activated again, proposed additional modules, including energy shielding, will begin to be augmented.
Appendix (History)
“Praxedes’ Fist” originally belonged to Dr. Emerson Fillius, husband and co-conspirator of Praxedes Fillius, a political figure and Chaos Insurgency operative who was assassinated in the Discord War. It was the result of “violently reprogramming” the original item, a docile scouting drone, into a war construct using both anomalous and non-anomalous means.
Prior to her death, Praxedes Fillius was the head investigator and supervisor of RTE-00-474/017. The unnamed Retrieved Item was an arthropodic construct capable of lower-order thought. It was presumed extraterrestrial because of the presence of metals not naturally found on Earth. Originally unarmed, unarmored, and without any use, it was shipped to Fort Laine, Wales, after Dr. Fillius’ wife’s death, and handed over to him due to his connection with the project’s lead. It was considered a Vertigo-class object with no application, and was to be slated for disassembly when the researcher proposed to arm its systems, referring to the upgrade as ‘retribution’. His request was granted three-fourths in favor by Base Command.
Dr. Fillius developed the object into a veritable war machine, outfitting it with anomalous cybernetics. Laser technology, which was not publicly discovered until 1960, was among the first prototypes used as part of the object’s arsenal. However, much of the information regarding other integrated devices was lost during Incident 00-474/017-1 (Fillius Estate Fire, 1944).
In the history of the organization, the Fist was used as a means to exact vengeance on the late Fillius’ killers. Originally built as a labor of reprisal, it eradicated sixteen rival cells (~ 3 000 casualties) and brought havoc to traitor organizations until the death of Dr. Fillius in 1943. Before his death, Dr. Fillius confided the activation commands to his two sons, Robert and Abraham, although both had quietly escaped surveillance after his funeral. Efforts to override control of the object are ongoing.
It is believed that only the Fillius family maintains the access codes to the object. The manhunt is underway. Should a member of Emerson and Praxedes’ bloodline be encountered, agents are to detain and retrieve them at all costs.
It is of note that the lack of oversight Dr. Fillius’ superiors had displayed when the Fist was active – bestowing activation clearance to only Fillius himself – represented a disastrous mismanagement of assets that cost the organization a powerful weapon. After the discovery that the machine’s activation lay with the dead researcher and his two runaway sons, Project Supervisor Gästen and his support staff were executed.
Appendix (File Notice)
Substantial effort has been made to restore this file to its most accurate iteration. While the status of the item in question is stable, conflicting reports from different alpha and beta-level personnel pose some doubt as to the actual background of the artifact.
It should be stated that the fact with Dr. Fillius having sole access to the artifact’s activation is heavily disputed. Fort Laine’s records indicate that the rest of the Item’s I.R.U.C. and project staff did indeed have sufficient information regarding the object’s activation. This included Dr. Adrian Gästen, the project supervisor, and Dr. Peter Heisteic, the lead I.R.U.C. analyst. However, Gästen’s and his team’s execution were not part of the confirmed report, which attributed their deaths to “splintering defectors from 0█” during the infiltration raid of Fort Laine. Dr. Heisteic did not resurface after the raid, and remains at large.
Another case argues that Dr. Heisteic was a fabrication by Fillius’ team in order to deceive the organization into overlooking the activation codes’ importance. It should be noted that for the entire time the artifact was in use, it had always been active. The powering-down of the object was unprecedented. Records show that the technician questioned about the deactivation stated nonchalantly that “it just needed the activation command to get going again. Nothing more.” When the problem began to be known, the technician could no longer be found.
A third argument states that Fillius’ weapon had broken down due to a malfunction or physical damage accrued over its campaigns, and that the best course of action was repair, or retirement, as it has outlived its serviceability. While maintenance has reported some wear due to disuse, there is currently no evidence that the artifact is incapable of activation. The question remains as to how it can be activated, breakdowns notwithstanding.
Update
A classified investigation ordered by Command-6 has informed the Archives of possible alteration, manipulation, and tampering with recorded evidence from Fort Laine, Base Eight, and other sources. Alerts from tracker agents embedded within different regional agencies3 inform Central Command that various Directors have put forward claims to controlling the Object.
The degree of deviation regarding the different circumstances for the Object’s activation has been referred to as “disconcerting”. File analysis shows unregulated edits from seven alpha-level personnel in different si██████████████rors in the file’s attached continuity is to be reporte███████████████████ ██████████████████████████████████████████████ █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████
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All cases regarding “Praxedes’ Fist” are hereby suspended.
Update
Fillius' Estate has been locked down. A Contingent of Aleph-48 has been stationed there indefinitely to protect the late Dr. Emerson’s surviving possessions, including what is left of classified documents regarding the Item's technology and possible replication. Replication of the Fist is currently impossible without further research.
(Service interrupted.)
Appendix (Image)
Early deployment (Fall of Lt. Stephen, Zone Thirteen)
Or perhaps, it only did what it was supposed to. Avenge dear Praxedes. What was wanted was ultimately achieved.
