XCOM: Dossier
Psionic Overseer Patricia Trask
"That Human woman is different. The Ethereals perceive her as a threat and I need to know why."
- Andromedon Rilianor, Union Omega Project Director
Analysis Record: Patricia Trask
Current Role: Advisor to the Commander (Last known intel)
Current Interference Level: High
Threat Level: High
Usage Level: Low
Brief Assessment: On paper, Patricia Trask is not unique among Humans. She served with the military in her home nation of England, and, by what records we can find, performed well. Not a prodigy by any means, and showed no desire to advance within the military hierarchy, but was nonetheless was a reliable soldier.
Why she was chosen for XCOM is something we are still unsure of. She had a flawless mission record, and very few died under her command, which was no doubt one of the reasons she was chosen, but there are thousands of others that are similar, so I can only assume that she was just one of the finalists that happened to be chosen, for I can see nothing that marks her as special.
Regardless, she was chosen along with the now-deceased Paige Broker, one of her few friends she made during her time in the military. Information gathered from Zar'nartha'intha confirms that she was with XCOM from the beginning, and was a usual Squad Overseer, a role that she fit extraordinarily well. The death of her close friend seemingly focused her on the complete destruction of any and all aliens, though this fire appears to be currently tempered.
Were we simply dealing with one soldier who might have cause to hate us, even an XCOM one, this document would not be necessary. But unfortunately, that is not the case. Patricia Trask is the first known XCOM psion, and now poses a severe threat to us. Her latent power was seemingly activated when she accidentally entered the Sectoid network on the Overseer Dreadnought, and slowly began manifesting over time.
At the time of compiling this report, we have enough information to determine some things about her psionic abilities. The first is that they appear to be mostly telepathic, and she has been observed to easily dominate Sectoids, Mutons, Andromedons and Vitakara. As you can imagine this is an issue that is not easily dealt with.
However, her psionic abilities are still developing, and considering that she was unable to stop the Ravaged One on her own in New York, she is unlikely to be able to stop an Ethereal. Unfortunately, she has been observed being able to subdue Hive Commanders which makes the numbers of responses against her extremely low.
We also know that she's risen high in the Commander's inner circle, though her exact position is unknown, but we can expect from what we know of the Commander that he fully intends to use her militarily and politically, which may disrupt our operations in multiple nations. That she is a telepath is particularly troublesome, as she will not be able to be easily surprised and will be able to detect spies.
Our leverage against her is extremely limited, as it appears her personality has slowly changed to echo the Commander from what Nartha has gathered. Initially Patricia exhibited signs of rash behavior and emotional suppression, and was also rather blunt and brash to her comrades in addition to her brilliant analytical mannerisms. She has since adapted into a highly collected tactician presumably willing to do whatever it takes to protect XCOM.
Nartha suspects that she is currently in a romantic relationship with another XCOM soldier, Anius Creed. Additional details are unknown, though Nartha has not ruled out the possibility that he is an example of Patricia testing the limits of her psionic manipulation. Regardless, while the Commander may be the most dangerous Human in terms of strategy, Patricia Trask poses the greatest direct threat to the Ethereal Collective.
I recommend we utilize a Special Operator and terminate her immediately.
- Zar'Chon'ravarian'vitiary
While it is no doubt vexing for you, your recommendation is denied. - Quisilia
REPORT: 00101000000010101
TARGET OF INTEREST: PATRICIA TRASK
DATABASE SEARCH: PATRICIA TRASK
1273 RESULTS FOUND: ISOLATING NAME WITH ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS (MILITARY SERVICE: ROYAL MARINES; MILITARY SERVICE: IRISH JOINT TASK FORCE)
1 RESULT FOUND: PATRICIA TRASK
|INFORMATION OF NOTE: BOTH PARENTS ALIVE (MOTHER = 61 YEARS; FATHER = 64 YEARS)
|INFORMATION OF NOTE: NO SIBLINGS
|INFORMATION OF NOTE: CITY OF BIRTH: LONDON, ENGLAND
|INFORMATION OF NOTE: 1 CURRENT RELATIONSHIP (XCOM SOLDIER ANIUS CREED)
CURRENT POSITION: XCOM SOLDIER
|INFORMATION OF NOTE: HOLDS SQUAD OVERSEER POSITION
|INFORMATION OF NOTE: INTERNAL COUNCIL MEMBER
|INFORMATION OF NOTE: PSION
|PSIONIC SPECIALIZATION: TELEPATH
THREAT LEVEL TO ANDROMEDON FEDERATION: MODERATE
|ADDITIONAL MANUAL COMMENT: Patricia Trask is among the most dangerous Humans on the planet, but is no more talented than a Hive Commander. While she has been observed taking control of Andromedon soldiers, she does not appear to have significant ability beyond telepathy.
For reasons we cannot determine, the Ethereals have appeared to take a direct interest in this particular psion, with partially decrypted information from the Ethereal Temple Ship revealing that she has attracted the attention of the Imperator himself. Why this Human has attracted his interest is both unknown and concerning, though it is unwise to risk the Special Operator monitoring the Temple Ship.
For this reason caution must be exercised when deciding her fate. The threat she poses is negligible, and she can be removed on orders from the Federation. Observation will continue.
RECOMMENDATION: CAPTURE VIA SPECIAL OPERATOR FOR HARBINGER PROGRAM CONVERSION
REPORT COMPILER: SPECIAL OPERATOR 029; ANDROMEDON FEDERATION; [ERROR: DATA NOT FOUND]
END REPORT
CONTINUE OBSERVATION
It's interesting the people you meet here. Already I've met soldiers from twelve different countries and that number is probably only going to get larger. But talking with the veterans there are a few people that are definitely above the rest, in some cases quite literally in terms of ranking. I guess I met one of them too, Patricia Trask. Had no idea she was so important, but she seemed to take herself and everything around her really seriously, and even during our brief talk I got the very clear sense that she was analyzing everything I was saying.
Definitely not a people person, but I can easily see her being excellent as a leader. Anyway, turns out my feeling was right, not just because she was described by one Navy SEAL as an "over imaginative analyst who plans for the worst case scenario when she really doesn't need to," but because she is apparently a psion.
A term I was unfamiliar with at the time, and I kinda wish it had stayed that way. I don't care who it is, I'm not comfortable that someone has the ability to literally read my mind. Was that what she was doing during our talk? Reading my mind for…something? Trying to determine if I'm loyal enough? Wouldn't surprise me, seeing as how she also apparently answers to the Commander himself who I've heard is good…but very, ah, dedicated.
I really don't know how to feel about her. On one hand I've heard nothing but praise for her, and it seems XCOM did suffer a breach from a spy not too long ago, so I guess it makes sense for her to be suspicious. She also apparently doesn't go around reading minds. Some internal code of hers or something.
Sorry, I don't buy it. While I'm sure there are some who could restrain themselves, I haven't seen anything to show me that Patricia Trask is one of them. I saw it very clearly in her eyes, and those weren't the eyes of a person who would hold back. If she sees an opportunity, she will take it and if she can justify it, she will do it.
Or maybe I'm just being a paranoid loon. I need a drink. This place is weird.
- Journal of Leono Cantu, XCOM Soldier
XCOM Profile 7138
Authorization Level: The Commander of XCOM
Subject: Patricia Trask
Threat Level: Minimal (Spare me. Do we really need this here?)
Assessment Author: Haley Yates, XCOM Psychologist
Approved By: The Commander of XCOM
SECTION 1: Physical Characteristics
Hair: Brown (Chestnut); curly; cut off just above the shoulders
Eye color: Grey
Skin color: White
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 187 lbs.
Scars or markings: None
Physical Condition: Patricia is an exceptionally fit woman, and has absolutely no physical deficiencies. Her condition is only likely to improve with the addition of genetic modification.
SECTION 2: Psychological Assessment
Patricia is…very interesting to talk to. Knowing that the woman you're interviewing has the ability to read your mind is certainly disconcerting at first, but that gradually faded the longer we continued talking. I must confess my mild alarm at the fact that you gave me no warning about the severe personality shifts she's undergone, as that would have been highly useful to me instead of me pursuing further research. Then again, you've have had no proper mental health professional for nearly a year, so maybe I should not be surprised a minor detail like that slipped your mind.
But I digress.
Patricia Trask is an extremely intelligent and analytical woman. Throughout the entire interview I got the sense that I was being analyzed just as much as her. Very rarely did her eyes ever stray and she never once showed any sign of emotion during the process. She was not 'mechanical', but she is not a very emotional person, at least not with those she does not trust, and that circle of those she does is very, very small.
Perhaps the most important takeaway is this: Patricia is not the same woman who initially entered XCOM. She has changed, and moreover, she knows it. She actually quite open about what she's gone through since coming to XCOM. Her analytical mind was always the same from what I could find and she relayed, and as I also found out, adaptable.
There were several major events that molded Patricia into the woman she is today. In some ways her reactions are almost…mechanical. Programmed is the wrong word, but she subconsciously will change entire aspects of her personality that she knows are a detriment to herself. Before XCOM she was, in her words, "Not good with people" she only had one friend, who she now wonders how she kept in the first place.
In her mind, it seemed that friends were nice, but not necessarily something that provided her with any benefit. It was apparently more important to her than she realized, since after the death of her friend shortly after arriving at XCOM, she became much more…personable. She made some efforts to be less abrasive and interact more with the soldiers serving with her. Even still, she believes that she is a much better squad leader than friend.
It may seem like grief was a main contributor here, and it clearly seems to be at first, but Patricia is rarely affected by strong emotions for very long, or turns those feelings into productivity until they are spent. She still regrets the death of her friend, but I don't think it's accurate to say that it is a motivation of hers any longer.
Compared to reports of her earlier behavior, I cannot help but notice your clear influence on her, Commander. Her dispassionate statements on aliens, criminals and people she dislikes are extremely evident evidence of your ideology rubbing off on her. I can confirm this because she flat-out told me some of your oh-so-valuable bits of wisdom such as "Not everybody deserves to live", "Some must be sacrificed for the greater good" etc. Paraphrasing of course, but it was clear she latched onto your ideology once she logically concluded it was superior to what she held before.
The catalyst for this, she told me, was her interrogation of the first Hive Commander, when things apparently "became clear" to her. I can definitely attest to that since, records after that, and interviews with other soldiers, definitely portray her as a much more serious, cold woman who is just as dedicated as you are to ending the war.
This is not a critique of your own viewpoints, if you've interpreted it as such, I mention the clear influence you have here for one reason: Patricia has adapted many of your ideologies not because she believes they are right, but that they are superior to what she held before, and as a result she does believe she is right, but only because someone hasn't managed to convince her otherwise.
In some ways, Patricia is one of the most easily influenced people here. But the way to convince her is not through emotions, loyalty, beliefs or even facts, but pure logic. Present a viewpoint that she believes is superior to the one she holds now, and she will adopt it and subsequently believe that there she has always believed it to some degree, when in reality her mind has altered her personality to accommodate this new perspective. Please keep this in mind when considering her interactions.
I would also be remiss to talk about her viewpoint on psionic usage. It is surprisingly ethical. She will not use her abilities on those she considers allies (Though still can sense their emotions, but she has no control over that). But like the rest of her, her beliefs on the usage of psionic powers have changed as her personality has adapted to perceived superior viewpoints.
As of today, she has absolutely no qualms about using her psionic powers on those she believes are a threat to herself, her friends or XCOM. She does not distinguish between anyone, and feels no guilt about using her powers when she can justify it.
Sound familiar, Commander?
The point is not necessarily the views she holds now, but that they stand in stark contrast to what she held before. Interviews with Anius Creed state that Patricia was extremely worried about potentially abusing her powers, going so far as to keep it a secret. At one point she apparently told him that she thought it was too much to use responsibly and wanted some way to make sure she didn't hurt anyone.
Doesn't sound like the same woman, does it? You could argue that it's a natural progression from being unsure about her abilities, then gradually growing more confident and finally accepting them. Except that doesn't appear to be the case here. I will note very clearly that Patricia became much more aggressive and comfortable with her abilities about the same time as the first alien base assault, the importance of which I've already stated above.
It does not seem like a coincidence, and I say all of this because of how you operate, you likely believe you understand Patricia, and I need to tell you that you don't. Right now you hold similar ideals, but the difference is that for better or worse, you truly believe you are correct and justified. Patricia's conviction will only last until someone comes along with a better argument.
I cannot stress this enough: She is not like you, Commander, and to assume otherwise is, frankly, dangerous for a woman of her power. Treat her with as much caution as any of your other psions, and I am not certain she needs a role within your Internal Council. The potential for abuse is too high, even though you are psionic as well.
I am aware of the development of the Manchurian Program, and I sincerely recommend Patricia undergo it when complete. We can't risk her going rogue just because her overimaginative mind has drawn conclusions counter to our interests.
And make no mistake, that is a risk.