The Whispered are unique individuals in the Full Metal Panic! universe who possess access to Black Technology, technology that outstrips the level of technology that should exist in the world.[1][2]
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The Whispered are young individuals (16 to 17 years old in the course of the series) who have an innate knowledge of advanced mathematics, science, engineering, and physics capable of producing machines and devices beyond the scope of present-day human comprehension. This technology is called Black Technology. Their emergence in the mid-1980s led to the creation of the palladium reactor, ECS (Electronic Conceal System) camouflage, and most importantly, Arm Slave mechs.[3] The devices they created led to an alteration of the world’s timeline and the continuation of the Cold War. Because of the military capabilities of the Whispered, they are sought by any national and multi-national forces aware of their existence. Two non-state extralegal organizations appear to have discovered and acquired the most Whispereds: the Western-leaning Mithril and Communist-allied Amalgam.
Although the possession of even a single Whispered would provide such organizations with increased advancements in military technology, each individual Whispered's abilities are specialized in one area -- while one may possess inherent knowledge in submarine technology, another will be far more knowledgeable with the Lambda Driver.[4] Thus, Whispereds such as Kaname Chidori are acquired and analyzed in order to determine in which area they specialize.
Besides possessing vast stores of incredible knowledge, Whispereds are also capable of telepathic “resonance” with other Whispereds. They can communicate over great distances with one another; a killed Whispered can even resonate with another Whispered for a short period after death.[5] However, a danger lies in this resonance -- if two or more Whispereds resonate too long or too deeply, the individual personalities will merge and become inseparable. (Tessa Testarossa used the metaphor of adding milk to a cup of tea.)[6]
The reason they are called “Whispered” -- or, “those who hear Whispers” -- is that the knowledge is transferred to them in a way that feels like they’re being whispered to from some faraway place by innumerable unidentified voices. Sometimes the Whispers can violently overtake a Whispered and lead to a breakdown. Kaname Chidori experienced such an attack while escaping from Gauron in North Korea (Siberia in the anime), but gained control of her Whispered powers in time to help Sousuke Sagara first utilize a Lambda Driver.[7] The Whispered, Bani Morauta, may have been driven to insanity or depression from the Whispers and committed suicide.[8]
Tessa Testarossa believes Whispereds are “terminals” to the future, receiving Black Technology from an unknown source that desired to alter the history of the world from what it is in our current world, to a world where the Cold War remains and wars between the superpowers are ongoing.[9]
The Whispered were all created on December 24, 1981 (1984 in the anime) at 11:50 Greenwich Mean Time.[9]
Before that date, Soviet scientists set up a secret city, designated "Yamsk 11," to develop advanced technology for the Cold War. Bringing scientists from all over the Eastern Bloc and around the world together, they set out to work on an "Omni-sphere," a techno-mental device that would be able to cut through space and time and see into the future. It would also be able to control the minds of others. The systems utilizing the Omni-sphere were designated as "Transfer and Response Omni Sphere" (TAROS).
TAROS was created by Professor Dimitri Varov by connecting thousands of dolphins' brains together. On December 24, 1981 they managed get the TAROS working; however, there was an accident and the machine went out of control. Waves of TAROS particles erupted from the facility. Two waves were particularly powerful:
Iota particles / Iota wave : These particles are still emanating out of the facility at Yamsk 11, but dissipate over distance. They caused the “mental pollution” of the people in Yamsk 11 and led them to kill each other and destroy the complex. Anyone approaching the core of the abandoned complex and the source of the Iota particles will be struck with constant and overpowering sensations of déjà vu and nausea.
Tau particles / Tau wave : This wave dissipated quickly, but not over distance, hence it spread all over the world. The Tau wave had no effect on normal people, but led to creation of the Whispered –- children born on December 24, 1981 (1984 in the anime) in a three minute interval after 11:50 GMT. (Kaname Chidori was born at 20:50 Tokyo time, which was 11:50 GMT.) Tessa Testarossa theorized that, according to the explanation of psychologist Alice Miller, the moment a newborn baby is born there is special activity in the basal ganglia and occipital lobe, and the Tau wave's impact at that moment of mental activation connected those newborns to the Omni-sphere.[9]
Kaname Chidori -- developer of the "Fairy's Feather," a device that can negate a Lambda Driver field. The "keystone" of the Whispereds, the conduit of information from the future to other Whispereds: a "Whispering".
Tessa Testarossa -- designer of the TDD-1 Tuatha De Danaan submarine and its A.I. program, DANA.
Leonard Testarossa -- developer of Lambda Drivers for the Amalgam organization and compact "Alastor" Arm Slaves. Oversaw the development of Amalgam's Lambda Driver-equipped Arm Slaves: Codarl, Behemoth, and his personal Arm Slave, Belial. Led development of the TARTAROS system on Merida Island, after it fell to Amalgam.
Bani Morauta -- A pacifist who developed the Lambda Driver for Mithril and the ARX series of Arm Slaves, specifically the ARX-6 Halberd and the ARX-7 Arbalest. It appears his greatest creation was Al, the A.I. program for the Arbalest and the ARX-8 Laevatein. Apparently committed suicide.
Sarah Miller -- The Whispered rescued by Mithril and Sousuke Sagara at the opening of the series. Builder of the ARX-8 Laevatein, with the A.I. Al's help, and the Fairy's Feather from design specs provided by Kaname Chidori. The character's original name is Kudan Mira, but during translation the name was changed.
Nami -- A Southeast Asian Whispered girl who fell in love with Sousuke Sagara in the novel Burning One Man Force. Excelled at programming Arm Slave operating systems. She never fully tapped her Whispered capabilities before being killed by the Amalgam agent Kurama, but did resonate with Kaname Chidori after her death.
Sofia -- A "Whisperer" who imparts knowledge to the Whispereds, through Kaname Chidori. She existed in a crystalline form, isolated in a laboratory that was buried in the wreckage of Yamsk 11, until discovered by Kaname Chidori and Tessa Testarossa. Her physical form eroded away as she took over Kaname Chidori's mind.
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