I Guess I'm On Your Warp List

"I'm not crazy." Stetmann was clearly taken aback by Augustus's abrupt question, as though he were wondering whether he really did have a mental problem.

"Dr. Romy even wrote me a certificate."

Perhaps this was not the first time someone had asked him something like that.

"Romy Hadley is a psychiatric specialist hired from Tarsonis specifically for Dr. Egon Stetmann, an authority in modern psychiatry," Lieutenant Colonel Sparks of Skygeirr Platform promptly explained to Augustus. "The diagnosis indicates that Dr. Stetmann has no mental health issues whatsoever."

"He's just taken too much Terrazine." Reigel, the Imperial weapons expert Stetmann had introduced earlier, sighed. "This dangerous gas can broaden the scope of human thought and further enhance perception. It is greatly beneficial to scientists engaged in research."

"But the side effects are obvious. In severe cases, it can cause hallucinations, mental breakdowns, or even madness. The Bhekar are one such example."

"Yes, like poisonous mushrooms." Stetmann suddenly cut in, immediately leaving Reigel speechless.

"You must reduce your Terrazine intake." Augustus stared into Stetmann's unfocused eyes. "Dr. Egon Stetmann, losing a scientist as extraordinarily gifted as you would be an irreparable loss to the Terran Empire."

Terrazine was an absolutely prohibited substance in the Terran Empire. Augustus allowed top scientists like Stetmann to take minute quantities of Terrazine to accelerate their research only to buy precious time before the coming apocalypse.

Terrazine's side effects did not end there. The greater the dosage, the deeper one's connection to the Void. At present, that meant drawing closer to the Void's current master, Amon, the Dark God. The boundless rage that filled the entire Void was the true cause of madness.

This was a price that had to be paid.

Those Imperial Xel'Naga scholars also had to prepare themselves to be devoured by madness before