The manual said these codes were for “rates no longer in service.” But Mara noticed the notes field. Each obsolete NEC had a single, chilling annotation in Courier font: “Last billet: unknown.”
The final code had no number. Just a blank line and a footnote: navy nec manual
She found a grainy medical waiver for a man named PO2 Elias Thorne, 2019. Thorne’s blood type wasn’t A, B, or O. It was marked “K – provisional.” His duty station: USS Cyclops (simulated) . The Cyclops was a collier that vanished in 1918. The Navy never built another. The manual said these codes were for “rates
Previous NEC: ––– – Designated Observer. Observation log: 2024-03-12 – USS Cyclops (simulated), final voyage of PO2 Thorne. Current status: memory wipe incomplete. Fluctuation detected. Thorne’s blood type wasn’t A, B, or O
“Diving operations below crush depth without hard suit. Requires genetic screening for pressure-adapted hemoglobin variant.” Below crush depth. No hard suit. That meant the sailor became the hull.