Overlay Machine

R E S T R I C T E D
The Overlay Machine, which was originally developed for the Imperial Interstellar Survey Covert Survey Branch, is actually a combination of devices, drugs and techniques that allow an artificial personality to be overlayed over a subject's real personality. The device uses a combination of drugs and hypnosis to suppress the subject's real personality and memories with one created by the programmer.

The receptive sleep state is artificially induced using drugs and a special machine. The process consists of 12 hours of processing followed by 12 hours of induced sleep. Typically upon awakening the subject believes themselves to be the new personality. A delayed post-hypnotic suggestion can be established which will trigger the transformation to the new personality up to 72 hours after awakening.

The fewer personality traits or memories which must be altered the easier the overlay and the harder it will be for even a psion to penetrate. So it is much easier for a veteran of the Imperial military to be overlayed with the memories of a veteran of the Consulate military than for an academic with no military experience to receive the same overlay.
It is also possible to program suggested activities for the personality. These activities cannot overcome normal deep seated personality boundaries. So for example a pacifist can not be made to assassinate someone using this technique. However a military sniper who would have no problem assassinating an enemy commander could be made to carry out such an assassination against a target they would not normally act against, provided the induced memories are sufficiently supportive of the act.
Some of the drugs used can induce an allergic reaction. All members of the NdN's crew likely to have this technique used on them have been tested for this.
Removal of the overlayed personality is triggered by a code-word or situation. This can include seeing a particular design, picture, person or place.  If the code-word is not used the overlay is persistent, even when the treated individual is confronted with contravening facts.
It is possible to overlay personalities over existing overlays.
The Covert Branch has provided a specialist on the Overlay Machine to act as the NdN's surgeon. Only she, the ship's command and his executive officer have access to the Overlay Machine space.
The typical process is for one of them to escort the subject to the room. The subject is then briefed in the process (memories of this briefing are removed as part of the process, so that afterward the subject is unaware that they have been processed.) The process is then completed.
Typically the subject will be sent on a recce using the Shebzhinij-class Launch. The personality will be triggered to activate once clear of the NdN. False memories will be induced to provide a cover story and activities conducive to completing the present mission will be invoked. During the course of the mission the only information a psionic telepath will be able to detect will be consistent with the cover story. Once the mission is completed the subject will feel a compulsion to return to their ship. When the NdN is spotted the false personality will remove itself, while allowing the subject to remember the relevant mission details for debrief. After debrief the subject is sent off "to rest" which will trigger a final post mission suggestion causing any mission details incident to the use of the overlay machine to be suppressed. The general mission time will be remembered, so as not to cause psychological trauma which is likely to be the result of incidents of induced memory lapses.
R E S T R I C T E D