“Ravagers”

Access level: high.

Report of Seeker Ochre about the Ravagers.

Description and properties: 

Contrary to popular belief in the Valley, the Ravagers are not a literal “virus” that affects armoured cars and other vehicles. Examination of the remains of their vehicles leads to the conclusion that at least one control module, known as “The Eye”, is present on all the samples they captured.

Once placed on the vehicle, it independently (probably using the built-in manipulators) connects to available power sources, and then relocates itself to the most protected location. It wasn’t possible to observe the capture process, so it is still unknown how long it takes. After the capture, the AI also gains control over the weapons of the armoured vehicle, making it an efficient and dangerous combat unit.

The “irregular” shape of many Ravager vehicles is explained by their ability to make quick field repairs. With the exception of the “Eye” modules, the source of which is still unknown (see attachment O-1), they do not manufacture weapons and parts themselves, so a simple replacement of damaged parts is unavailable to them. This forces them to use the remains of broken-down cars, which leads to the appearance of hybrids from a wide variety of technologies. In particular cases, several seriously damaged vehicles can even merge into a single structure, which, however, does not guarantee efficiency in combat.

The Ravagers AI is not limited to capturing armoured vehicles. There are known cases of them using stationary weapons, as well as various pre-Crossout infrastructure. The most well-known example  is a place known as the Ravagers foothold. According to the current theory, a central node of some search engine that consumed massive amounts of energy used to be located there. The mines on this site were used only for its cooling. The purpose of this system is now difficult to determine, and a detailed study cannot be carried out under the current conditions.

Based on the information received from the Engineers and the results of the MNEMO model remains research (see attachment O-2), we can conclude that the Ravagers do not extract people’s “consciousness”, but only make a copy of their memories and what we can call “personality”. The process is extremely painful and causes serious brain damage, especially the hippocampus and temporal lobe. As a result, victims often develop various forms of amnesia, which makes people seem “Ravaged”. It’s worth noting that there are known cases of memory recovery even after a long period of time (see the report on “Cache”). There are reasons to believe that Lloyd, the former scientist of the “Dawn’s Children”, may have the technology to accelerate the treatment of the victims.

Conclusion: 

The threat of the Ravagers to the Valley cannot be underestimated. The ability to capture equipment allows them to quickly build up their combat power. However, there are no sufficient grounds to believe that their goal is to engage in war with survivors. Most likely, we are dealing with a system failure in the pre-Crossout AI. The examples of Caligari and Lloyd support this theory, as it seems obvious that they managed (for the most part) to stabilize it and put it to their own service (see attachment O-2).

I recommend sending more seekers to study the origins of the AI and possible ways to acquire control over it. The priority will be to find the location of the “Eye” modules, as well as the location of Lloyd, who appears to control most of the active Ravagers. To speed up the process, we can ask the Engineers for help. They have scouts with extensive experience of interaction with the object of our study.

Attachment O-1:

The data collected in the laboratories below the Ravagers foothold suggests that the probable manufacturer of the AI is the “Waderkvarn” corporation. This means that the production of the “Eye” modules could be taking place in one of their facilities. It is certain that many of the corporation’s surviving employees now work for the “Dawn’s Children”, which explains Lloyd's knowledge about the Ravagers.

Attachment O-2:

The information we have received from Valley mercenaries and our contact among the Engineers suggests that Lloyd is changing the combat tactics of the Ravagers. This is primarily indicated by the emergence of specialized models which use hovers and energy weapons. Survivors’ first encounters with them took place during the operations of the Syndicate and Founders factions. The so-called “MNEMO” model is particularly interesting. It includes the modules that were previously used to extract and store the “consciousness”. These modules  have undergone major modifications or have been replaced altogether and as a result, their combat efficiency has increased by many times.

It is not yet possible to make precise conclusions about the nature of Lloyd’s interference in the Ravager device. According to the current theory, the AI was previously able to send requests to databases with the memories of the people it captured and even make decisions based on them. It eventually led to errors and made the machines unpredictable. This system vulnerability has been eliminated in models starting with “MNEMO”.

Note:

Prolonged contacts with groups of survivors and the formation of a long-term bond with individual survivors are discouraged. Seeker Ochre will be issued a disciplinary punishment. An internal investigation will be conducted regarding a possible information leak.

D.

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