Psych profile on Subject - Engineer/Maker/Commander

Compiled by Pod 153 with aid of Mind Balistraia.

The Engineer's mental state is highly volatile, prone to rapid changes in moods and priorities. This made initial examination efforts difficult, previously noted behavior or emotional queues being discarded as soon as they had been noted. This fluctuating nature was therefore the main point of initial study.

The Initial hypothesis came from information granted by Mind Balistraia of a feature of the engineer thought processes. Multiple instances of his consciousness run in parallel, granting an impressive ability to multitask and absorb information, with the added complication that they all have differing emotional states.

This was disproven by monitoring the streams of thought alongside the displayed emotions and actions of the Engineer, showing little correlation between the emotional state of the streams and the displayed reactions.

At this point in the studies the Engineer suffered an attack that left his mental state decidedly non-standard, and without Balistraia available to continue monitoring less than optimal levels of information were gathered.

What was gathered led to a new theory. The engineer was created and his emotions could be a non-direct method of influencing his actions, seeming random because the parameters were not known.

Initial testing of this theory proved promising, with repeated tests giving similar results with little variation. But this theory did not account for all behaviors and was only one factor in understanding the Engineer's mind. Relative understanding was achieved with the reconnection to the Minds.

The engineer's subconscious is divided into three major sections, The behaviors and Emotional influences granted by his birth, The lessons and influences from his experiences and things outside of pre-programed behaviors, and a third less known section.

We will start with examining the simplest section, the implanted thought patterns. These thoughts are stagnant and serve almost as a foundation for the rest of the mind. Focused towards ensuring the Engineer does not stop his work, defined as 'expanding and maintaining the factory'. What this section defines as 'the factory' is broad but can be assumed to include anywhere a permanent structure from the factory is placed. This section also heavily encourages defensive structures and behaviors, while actively discouraging 'social activities', leaving areas defined as 'the factory', and interaction with entities not of the factory. This discouragement is manifested by increased irritability and annoyance, with extreme deviation from 'acceptable' behavior actively manifesting as pain, usually a steadily increasing headache and exhaustion.

This section is the best understood section, and the Engineer seems to have some faint awareness of it. Actively taking measures against this installed behavior seemingly out of spite. It shall be referred to as the 'machine', it has only made overt actions on rare occasions, most notable when one attempts to digitally probe the engineer's mind through its connection to the factories network.

The next section, named "Maker', is the currently expressed section. Composed of the active thoughts and emotions of the Engineer and highly prone to rapid shifts. This is the source of the Engineers' expressed voice and chooses the overarching goals without significant input from other sections as long as said goals don't actively conflict with the other sections' more static goals. This side is influenced by the actions and behaviors of others, and seems to possess a strong desire to keep others safe even exempting a significant care for the individuals themselves.

It is responsible for innovation as well, actively seeking to improve technology and novel solutions to problems. It also has a minor interest in artistic pursuits, and used to exhibit a significant desire for 'good food' that has since faded.

This section is highly complicated, and poorly understood due to its ever shifting nature. With fairly few stable features. It is actively maintained by the actions of the minds, and more recently by the actions of a select few androids. If not maintained by outside influences the regimented nature of the machine will bring the maker into line with itself. It is theorized that outside influence, such as fellow sapients or problems the machine has not before encountered, would rapidly bring the maker section back to the forefront of the mind.

Without this section the engineer would lack empathy, and it is the only section prone to self reflection. It likely formed from the composition of the Engineers incomplete programming and the machines inability to deal with the situation.

The final section is only speculated to exist from its influence on the other sections, and its nature is poorly understood. But the current theory, as made by Balistraia, will be listed regardless, starting with its supposed formation.

With the Maker subject to intense despair at the thought of his impending death and the Machine unable to simulate a scenario in which it could fulfill its function of maintaining the factory both sections, for lack of a better word, broke. A human mind can only handle so much emotion, and a machine cannot go against its programing. And in its place, made from the shattered remnants of both sections programming and emotions, and catalyzed with the primal need all life feels to survive the third section formed.

It forced the shattered psyche of the engineer back into shape, for it would die faster if it wasn't capable of innovation or planning, and the machine was needed to facilitate connection to the greater factory. It refused to allow its own death, forcing both of its other halves into action with ruthless efficiency, further shattering both sections with the strain but ensuring both sections remained operational.

According to Balistraia it became 'A beast well suited to Nauvis', and with its efforts the engineers efficiency and technological growth grew rapidly, at the expense of the other sections and long term stability. It also seems to take active glee in scenarios where its own self is placed in imminent danger or under immense pressure.

This section is presumed to be roused when the other sections are under significant stress, or when known threats are detected in proximity to the engineer, and essentially functions as a defense mechanism. It will lower the engineer's self preservation instincts, and allow him to take actions he'd not consider otherwise, either due to moral or safety concerns. In effect acting in a similar manner to adrenaline in an ordinary human, though it is apparently a purely mental effect.

It is advised to avoid the engineer if this section is in prominence, even if hostile action by the engineer will be unlikely he will not consider an individual's safety aside from ensuring permanent death does not occur.

Efforts are consistently underway to maintain and expand the 'Maker' section of the engineers psyche. Primarily headed by the minds. This is done to ensure that neither of the other sections can rise to permanent prominence, as that would result in suboptimal outcomes.

Said efforts are primarily focused on reading the Engineers stress level and ensuring he maintains healthy emotional bonds with fellow sapients while reducing factors that would cause other sections to interfere in the overall psyche. Recent efforts have also begun to test physical contact as a method of improving the mindstate, and it has shown mixed results.

AN-

this is mostly non-canon as I didn't quite word most of it right, but I wrote this to help get me back into the engineers mindset.