Chapter 54: Chapter 55: A summary of four key operations in the history of the Cobalt Immortals

Operation Incandescent Genesis:

Dreamscape/full-immersion simulated AltReal initiation using an early vision of the as-yet hypothetical reality dubbed "Creation's Fringe."  Notable for an initial emphasis on hyper-specialization which the Immortals have since tapered back. Also established an early reliance on Kairliina's power to transmute dreams to reality as a tool for simulations, training, and field testing of new tactics.

Lack of conscious understanding about this method's nature posed problems when devising alternatives became necessary. This proved to be a running theme throughout Kairliina's time as CinC. Her intuitive understanding of the deep power and instinctive gravitation towards new techniques were excellent for seeking new directions, but offered no path for translation to the organizational level.

On the other hand, the use of unit-wide archetypal modeling to isolate the strengths and weaknesses of particular tactics and mindsets was developed during this operation, and continues to be an instrumental part of Immortal doctrine. The simulated Fringe continues to serve as a testbed for new Immortal tactics, with the living text The Way to Kandge-Brad extrapolated as an experiential operations manual. Each new draft gives recruits a direct way to see various versions of Immortal doctrine at work, making organic learning easier, as their own early mistakes tend to be represented in the earlier drafts.

(See: Operational Study 32F-001-C)

 Operation Magnet Slinglord:

First full deployment of the Immortals to a partly-real theater of operations. Exact details about this point remain classified.

Officially, Slinglord is marked as an Onslaught-class deployment: all Immortal units committed at once, no reserves. Strategic goals included annihilation of a Rapturous unfurling, which had previously defied Kairliina's attempts to bring it to heel by domination rather than destruction, and creating good conditions for tactical support of Kairliina's duel with the rogue Emissary of Seurchraig leading the unfurling.

Outcome: tactical victory. Strategic defeat.

While the Immortals succeeded in exterminating the unfurling, and Kairliina did confront and destroy the Emissary, soul-attrition for this operation completely dwarfed expectations. Most Immortal units were rendered combat ineffective due to burnout, pyschosis, etc. Kairliina herself, in addition to wounds taken in direct combat, endured such severe strain that her Morgul response to the duel left her convinced that she'd actually lost.

At this time, trauma-management doctrine for the Immortals relied on the assumption of disempowerment. Kairliina's working hypothesis at the time held that an adept of the deep power could only manifest their strength if sufficiently lucid. While often true, this proved completely inadequate for souls who did not see psychosis and collapse of self-image as alien to themselves. As an outer succubus, Kairliina proved to be the absolute epitome of this caveat.

Unfortunately, while the Immortals correctly felt that Slinglord had exposed the limitations of the order fighting in isolation, this second layer of implications slipped under the radar. As such, Kairliina continued to be the primary case study for adept wielders of the deep power, and increasingly began to participate in major operations under the assumption that being able to wield her power meant she was lucid enough to trust.

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With the Lady’s understanding of her own optimal level increasingly warped, it was only a matter of time before a cascade failure scenario caused a complete disaster.

Operation Synchronicity:

Direct Immortal response to analysis of Slinglord. Almost everything about this operation remains classified.

It is publicly marked as a Zephyr-class operation: only a single Immortal deployed, but with full oversight from high command. Synchronicity was called off very abruptly as a direct result of the holdover issues from Slinglord. Kairliina--whose role in the operation involved unspecified "connective support" to the lone soldier deployed--succumbed to an escalating feedback loop of decisions made in delirium, attempts to analyze this delirium while still in its throes, and further off-balance actions that led to total catastrophe.

The operation is marked as such: a catastrophic failure at both the strategic and tactical levels. While no details are known to the public, it greatly tarnished the Immortals' reputation and utterly gutted Kairliina's. Synchronicity directly caused the Roseate Damnation incident. After resolving the incident by defeating and assimilating the Shard of Seurchraig, Kairliina formally retired from her post as Prime Immortal. She continued as an advisor to Immortal command until a few years after Madcap Gambit. She now leads no one except her fellow miidyaerita.

Operation Madcap Gambit:

Rush deployment to neutralize a growing hunter threat in Machrae Diir-adjacent empty spaces, centered on the planar nexus of liminal spaces and anomalous architecture known only as The City. A Maelstrom-class operation, putting all Immortal forces on high alert while retaining half or more in reserve as per conventional military doctrine.

Outcome: major strategic and tactical victory.

While the Immortals still incurred considerable soul-attrition and had to be taken off the line, lessons learned from previous operations meant the Shattered Shield Division was reconstituted well in advance and available to finish the fight.

This sudden shift proved staggeringly effective, as hunter forces had only just begun to change their plans to account for the Immortal threat–largely by avoiding them or wearing them out with many indecisive skirmishes–when the Shattered Shields rotated in, presenting a completely different blend of shock infiltration along hunter routes of movement through the city, followed by defensive attrition warfare to render those routes non-navigable, which hunters proved completely unable to deal with.

Analysis of operational data and changes to Immortal doctrine are ongoing at this time.

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