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“Make no mistake — this is a one-way trip.” — Spoilers for Mass Effect: Andromeda follow. |
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A key component of kett military strategy and social doctrine, exaltation is the process by which other species are converted into new kett as a means of reproduction.
Origins[]
Little is known about the origins of exaltation or why the kett began practicing it in the first place, though a recorded transmission by the Primus states that exaltation "lifted the kett out of sorrow and tribulation." Andromeda Initiative scientists speculate that it first began when the species reached a point of terminal genetic stagnation and decline, though however it came about, by 2819 it was the only means by which the kett could replenish their numbers. Effectively a form of asexual reproduction via viral assimilation, exaltation converts non-kett lifeforms (both sapient species like the angara as well as animals such as challyrions and eirochs) into new kett, completely overwriting their original genetic structure in the process until nothing remains.
Process[]
Information gained by Pathfinder Ryder's infiltration of an exaltation facility on Voeld has given the Initiative and the Angaran Resistance a general understanding of how it is employed to convert other lifeforms (in this case, angaran prisoners-of-war) into new kett fighters. Until the combined Initiative/Resistance team breached the facility, neither party was even aware of the existence of exaltation, with the angara operating under the belief that their abducted kinfolk were sent back to the kett home system as slaves.
Upon taking prisoners, the kett subject them to an intense series of genetic scans and screening procedures in order to determine their viability for exaltation, with no distinction being made between combatants and civilians. Those deemed worthy are taken to secretive and heavily fortified installations deep in kett-controlled territory, with those rejected being forced into labour camps and worked to death to service the invaders' war machine.
The exact criteria used to make this distinction are not precisely known. Subject genetics are a major factor, though there are some candidates selected for their knowledge. Some evidence point to a preference for strong-willed individuals, while other data suggests that the process cannot be universally applied to all subjects, and those rejected are biologically incompatible.
Within the exaltation facilities, captured angara are gradually broken down in an almost cult-like fashion, their will to resist eroded away by kett physiological manipulation and indoctrination in a process called "Purification". Purification is painful and leaves the victim with a decimated immune system. Following this pain, however, the victim's mind experiences a "transcendent" peace that makes them compliant no matter previous resistance.
Kett DNA is implanted into the subjects through several rounds of injections, building up in their systems, while kett scientists take the opportunity to run further tests upon their victims' genetic structure in hopes of isolating valuable traits to be harvested and applied to the rest of the species.
Eventually, the captives are deemed ready for "final exaltation" and ritualistically injected with a one last dose derived from a "pure" kett such as the Archon himself. This acts as a catalyst upon the combined presence of the kett compounds, accelerating them to critical mass and rapidly transforming subjects into new kett.
During the transformation of an angara into a Chosen, after injection the subject's blood vessels swell with a black substance. The entire body turns black in what is apparently an excruciating ordeal as the body contorts into its kett form. A black-skinned Chosen comes out of the process, though its body quickly gains its distinctive coloration.
These new members of the species are left fanatically loyal, though on occasion, repressed memories have been known to resurface, much to the confusion and panic of those experiencing them. Moshae Sjefa, rescued from final exaltation, reports a guard who knew her in its previous life as a Resistance fighter. It remembered everything, but she describes its demeanor as a kett who's eager to forget a dream that it was once angara.
As kett gain rank and the patronage of their superiors, so too do they receive further genetic modifications, up to and including traits acquired from newer species encountered and assimilated into the Empire. So thorough is the process that nothing remains of the original species; it cannot be reversed and the captive restored as there is nothing left to restore in the first place.
Impact[]
Exaltation is, in many respects, very inefficient, being both time-consuming and resource-intensive to do. Following her rescue at the hands of Pathfinder Ryder and the crew of the Tempest, the Moshae notes that given their vast knowledge of genetics and biological manipulation, the kett would easily be able to use cloning as a means of replenishing their numbers. Yet for the kett, exaltation is as much religious dogma as it is reproductive strategy, the process invested with a ritualistic significance that grants it meaning far beyond producing new troops for the Empire, and those subjected to it are considered blessed, elevated far beyond the "inferior" nature of their origins.
Exaltation also informs much of kett military tactics: each foe killed in battle is one less that can be converted into new kett, after all, so much of their strategic doctrine emphasizes taking prisoners as opposed to decisively destroying them outright. For example, kett assaults on angaran civilian population centres focus on destroying critical infrastructure and forcing them from their homes, using the threat of starvation and exposure to harsh environmental conditions to force their surrender. The kett also disdain the use of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, lest they potentially induce unwelcome mutations in their targets that make them unviable for exaltation or even contaminate their gene-lines.