Mythos Effect

STG Threat Assessment

TOO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.

STG Threat Assessment: Psychological Effect of Human Warfare.

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The material cost of waging this war is not, however, the point of this report; rather, it is the assessment of the pychological cost incurred by those Turians who have been posted on the frontlines and exposed to the Humans to the largest extent.

The mental toll on the Turian Hierarchy's infantry has been, for lack of any better word, horrific. A rampant suicide rate (17% and rising), as well as exponential increases in insubordination, neglect, paranoia and various other problems are all indicative of a war that is having an effect on the Turian mind not dissimilar to those suffered by the voluntary test subjects in [REDACTED]s experiments with enhanced interrogation.

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The recent and public attack on Primarch Aurelian during a motivational speech to the troops at Vharadesh is just the most recent- and extreme example. Various similar incidents have been reported since shortly after the war began - troopers turning on each other as the strain of being on constant high alert becomes too much, superior officers being targeted for assassination by their own troops in order to force troop rotations, various non-combat or rear guard (Rear Echelon Mother-F***ers seem to have become a prevalent, hostile term) being met with contempt at best and at worst being treated like an enemy - the examples are seemingly endless.

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One of the more unusual trends to emerge from the war is an apparent shift in social structure. Turians have always been a tribalistic species, with colonial identity playing a larger role in Turian social interaction than any other Citadel species. For the troops stationed on Digeris and other worlds, however, this seems to be increasingly phased out in favor of new social units based around operating theaters.

Take for example the Yellow Lords: a growing number of troops stationed around Vharadesh have taken to erasing their colonial markings, replacing them with a stylized yellow crown over their eyes. They count among their numbers soldiers drawn from all Turian space, with the only seeming requirement for becoming part of this new social unit being a seemingly arbitrary amount of exposure to the many "monsters" the Humans have seen fit to release onto the planet. Any Turian who fails to meet this criteria is either treated like a nuisance or, if they espouse any pro-war sentiment, as an enemy.

They have also begun acting in increasingly disobedient ways - holding protests outside the local prison, demanding the release of their "brothers and sisters" who attacked Primarch Aurelian, as well as stranger rituals, like nightly bonfires around which they dance while singing about the imminent end of the Hierarchy and the meaninglessness of fighting against the Humans and their "demi-god" beasts of war.

What effect this new social unit could have if it gains enough momentum to spread back to Turian space is, in the opinion of this report, a matter of serious concern.

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As many of these reports are public knowledge in Turian space, the war is increasingly unpopular, especially as stories of the effects of the war on the Turian troops spread back through Hierarchy space. Already, [REDACTED], our leading expert on Turian internal politics has warned that there are increasing tensions between the core of the Hierarchy on Palaven and the outermost colonies. [REDACTED] fears that, should the war against the Humans continue with no sign of victory, it might weaken Palaven to the point where the colonies may seek their independence by violent means. If such were to occur, the Hierarchy's already strained ability to police Citadel space may be rendered impossible.

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In conclusion, it is strongly advised that the Salarian Union utilize whatever political tools it has at its disposal to facilitate bringing the Turians and Humans to the negotiating table, before the consequences of the war spill out over the rest of Citadel Space.