Markers

> The research in that Marker is worth every life we just lost!
>
> Israel Chan

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 File:LightRedMarker.png
**Markers** are enigmatic double-helix shaped objects of extraterrestrial origin. The purpose of these objects are to create Necromorphs and finally a Moon.

## Types and Origin

Two types of Markers are known to exist: Black Markers and Red Markers. Black Markers originate from extra planetary sources, traveling through space until they impact a planet. Red Markers are artificial copies of Black Markers, created by intelligent civilizations. Both are functionally similar, serving as emitters of an electromagnetic signal that both compels sentient beings to create more Red Markers and reanimates necrotic tissue into Necromorphs.

## Purposes

The ultimate purpose of the Markers is to create a Necromorph Moon (also known as Brethren Moons), by spreading an alien contagion that reanimates dead cells and kills all life in the area. This results in the activation of the Markers, known as the Convergence Event, and pulls all of the infected in space to create another Necromorph Moon.

The creation of a Brethren Moon begins with a Black Marker being sent to a hospitable planet. There, the Black Marker emits an electromagnetic signal that guides and teaches forms of life into civilization, forcing evolution of certain sentient species. The sole purpose of guiding a species into civilization is for the species to grow in numbers and overpopulate. Because of overpopulation, the species depletes all available energy and becomes desperate in finding new sources.

By this time, the Black Marker is revealed to the species. Once they discover it is a reciever of limitless energy, from an unknown source, the species is controlled by it to worship the relic and to create copies of the original. Thought to be for the purpose of gaining more energy, the reasoning behind the copies is to spread the soon to be contagion and limit quarantine protocol.

Eventually, the Black Marker and the copies made by them send out multiple signals. Those alive and afflicted, with lower intelligence, begin to experience hallucinations and contract dementia, sending the living into a paranoid state causing homicidal and suicidal actions. This ultimately prepares the next event by creating increasing dead bodies. Those with a higher intelligence, however, are instead given blueprints of creating a Marker directly into their brains.

The signals finally are released to begin the final stage which is the Necromorph Infestation. This contagion's genetic code is written in an Alien language on the Markers itself. This signal reanimates the dead cells and tissues of all dead species. These dead bodies are then twisted into nightmarish, monstrous creatures that are built for the purpose of killing other living species and infecting them. This infection occurs not only with the Black Marker, but also where the other duplicate Markers have spread. When the bodies become numerous, they prepare for the ultimate stage of Convergence.

The Convergence Event is when all of the able-bodied Necromorphs gather around all the Markers. A final signal is released and the Black Marker begins to rotate and levitate into the sky. Its signal then connects to all of the other duplicate Markers. The Black Marker then pulls in every single Necromorph made by the Black Marker and its duplicates into the sky and stratosphere. The Black Marker then joins them and pulls the Necrotic flesh all around it to create a Necromorph Moon. It is created and then feeds off the remaining life on the planet. When it is done, it goes into hibernation and joins its kin in a chain network signal, possibly spreading the infestation farther in space.

## History

When the original Marker or Necromorph Moon was created is still unknown, but it is known that a Convergence Event has happened many times to countless other civilizations in space. The only recorded events to species has happened to the Aliens on Tau Volantis and is currently happening to the Humans on Earth and other inhabited colonies in space where the man-made Red Markers have spread.

### Aliens of Tau Volantis

By the year 2311, Tau Volantis has been frozen over and inhabited by the Sovereign Colonies. After extensive research, Dr. Earl Serrano discovered the events that plagued the planet two million years ago.

Apparently, Tau Volantis was not frozen over, but an aquatic planet full of life. Eventually, a sentient alien species evolved and built a rising civilization. The aliens became overpopulated over time and diminished many of the planet's resources. However, the aliens soon found a Black Marker on their planet and discovered its limitless energy. Worshiping it, the aliens created duplicates across the planet to harvest its power.

The Aliens were deceived and the Black Marker and its copies released the Necromorph contagion among their species. Eventually, the infestation reached its limit and activated a Convergence Event, forming the Necromorph Moon from the dead Aliens. During the event, several living Aliens realized the impeding doom of the Convergence Event and built a machine that would freeze the planet and the moon, halting Convergence. The machine was also built to bring down the moon, crashing it into the planet. However, the Alien species died before this could occur.

Since this event, the Moon has been frozen along with Tau Volantis, but is fully aware of the situation and now calls out via Markers to **"make it whole"** and **"turn it off"**, meaning to turn off the machine and resume Convergence. The moon was briefly completed in the year 2514 by Shion Sonozaki, but not before Abdullah and John Carver complete the machine and sent the moon crashing down to Tau Volantis. However, this action has awakened the Brethren Moons and are now on course to Earth following the signals from the Markers.

### Humans of Earth

65 Million years ago, the Black Marker arrived on Earth via asteroid, in the gulf of Mexico, which caused the extinction event of the dinosaurs. From that time, the Marker replicated a signal to guide certain species, mainly primates, into knowledge and become the supreme species to ultimately create civilization, resulting in the evolution of Humans.

By 2214, the Black Marker began affecting the inhabitants of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. A research team, led by Maikeru Arutoman, discovered the Black Marker and recovered it from the flooded crater. After doing so, it produced dementia among the scientists and released the Necromorph infestation. Altman then replicated the signal which culled the Black Marker. Altman then sank the research facility along with the Marker back in the crater. After doing so, two men of the government assassinated Altman and recovered the Marker codes Altman used. His mysterious death and work with the Markers made him a martyr and a figure head of the newly formed religion, the Church of Unitology.

Using these codes, the government wished to not only study the Marker's effects, but also use them as sources of energy following an energy crisis due to overpopulation.

The Sovereign Colonies built three Red Markers, which were located on the classified distant planets of Aspera, Kreemar, and Aegis VII. However, outbreaks commenced around the facilities and were forced to shut down, erasing any knowledge of the Red Markers.

In 2311, the Sovereign Colonies and Dr. Irie Kyosuke wished to find the source of energy the Markers received. They traced the signal back to Tau Volantis where the Aliens once existed. The team uncovered the thousands of Markers made by the Aliens and another outbreak was brought upon the humans. General Miyo Takano then issued Scenario Five to eliminate everything and everyone about this entire mission. After Earl Serrano uncovered the secrets of the Alien Civilization, the Moon, the Machine, and the Codex, he sent Keiichi Maebara and Satoshi Hojo to recover the codex. But resulted in the demise of Tim, Sam, Mahad, and eventually Serrano himself.

By 2508, the human population has inhabited thousands of colonies across the universe, but still there is an overpopulation and energy issue. This forces the Humans to go into deep-space mining. Forming the Concordance Extraction Corporation, deep-space mining became a reality with the USG *Ishimura*.

In 2508, with the support of the Church of Unitology, Captain Benjamin Mathius of the USG *Ishimura* was set to recover the Red Marker. When arriving to Aegis VII and unearthing the Marker, the planet was cracked open for the other purpose of arriving at the planet. However, this caused the Necromorph infestation in the colony which then spread to the *Ishimura*. After the USG *Kellion* and Abdullah arrives on the *Ishimura*, Abdullah's objective is to return the Marker back on the planet to end the infestation. He did so, but not before being touched by the Red Marker's influence and having the mined rock destroy the planet.

He along with Himiko Toga, who caused another outbreak on the USG *O'Bannon* using a shard of the Red Marker, were brought to Titan Station to revive the Marker program run by EarthGov for the sake of harvesting limitless energy. Eventually creating the Site 12 Marker on the Station, it resulted in another outbreak. Abdullah, along with Usagi Tsukino, escaped Titan Station before it and the Marker were destroyed.

Unfortunately, the Markers had spread to nearly every major colony. Due to this "violation", a radical Unitologist group known as The Circle began unleashing the Markers among the colony, spreading the Necromorphs to cause a universal Convergence. After Isaac Clarke and Ellie Langford uncovered Serrano's work on Tau Volantis, they completed the machine and killed the Moon orbiting Tau Volantis. Ellie returned to Earth, believing Abdullah dead. Abdullah is still alive but their actions with the Moon have awakened the other moons.

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### Known Markers

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* Black Marker, on Earth
* Luna Marker, on the Moon.
* Site 12 Marker - on Titan Station
* Multiple Red Markers in varying states of production found in the Space City's Government Sector
* Possibly just a hallucination of Motoko Kusanagi, a White Marker is seen, which due to the amount of Marker testing on The Space City may have been real.
* Two Markers are seen in and destroyed by Sprawl Security in *Dead Space 2 Remastered: Multiplayer*.
* Marker 1A, on Kreemar - Proxima Centauri System
* Marker 2A, on Aspera - Gliese 581 System
* Marker 3A, on Aegis VII - Cygnus System
* Marker Shroud 4, on Uxor.
* Three Red Markers contained in three distinct marker pilons on Ptolemy Station, an old research station of the Sovereign Colonies. They can be charged and used simultaneously to triangulate the position of the coordinates for Tau Volantis. The station gets destroyed by Ellie Langford and the crew of the USM Eudora.
* Two Red Markers in the cargo hold of the CMS Terra Nova. One is half covered by a tarp, the other is just behind it, leaning against a crate.
* A Red Marker seen on the CMS Brusilov which interfered with Tsumugi Kotobuki.
* A Red Marker found underneath the S.C.A.F. base in Marker Containment, destroyed by Tsumugi Kotobuki with the aid of Abdullah.
* Hundreds if not thousands of Red Markers seen on the surface of Tau Volantis, also there are multiple markers already absorbed by the Brother Moon orbiting over Tau Volantis.

## Marker Destruction

Throughout the series, the destruction of Markers has been a common objective/occurrence. While often shown to be sinister, powerful, and seemingly indestructible, there are a few known ways to destroy a Marker:

* Abdullah and Tsumugi Kotobuki both demonstrated a unique way of destroying a Marker: by battling and defeating its influence within their own minds. Abdullah first demonstrated this on the Sprawl with the Site 12 Marker, and Kotobuki would later replicate it when confronting a S.C.A.F-built Marker.

* *Dead Space: Aftermath* indicates that a Marker and shards of one can be eliminated by an extremely high temperature, such as throwing it into a star or a ship's reactor. The resulting energy surge will obliterate the artifact entirely.

* Some Markers are vulnerable to conventional weapons fire or a huge force, as seen in Dead Space 2 Remastered's multiplayer during the Marker Labs scenario. *Dead Space: Expansions* supports this, though it also states that destroying Markers in this manner merely fragments them into still-active shards. Not even the initial destruction of Aegis VII (when the extracted piece of crust fell) was able to destroy the Marker 3A leaving the remaining shards inactive.

The Brethren Moons are aware of Markers' weaknesses, warding off any potential attackers by causing vivid hallucinations to get them stalled then attacked by Necromorphs, killing themselves or each other.

## Gallery

### Concept art

Deadspace markers conceptart artofdeadspace.pngVarious early concepts for the Marker.
### Screenshots

Deadspace3 tauvolantismarker insidealienmachine.jpgA Marker crafted by the natives of Tau Volantis.Deadspace3 alienmarker cutinhalf.jpgAn alien Marker with the "horns" cut off.Deadspace3 alienmarker massive alienmachine.jpgA massive alien Marker half-buried in the Alien Machine.