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"Do you love the Earth, son? Your mom? And dad?"
—General Mahad to Private Tim Caufman.

Major General Spencer Mahad was the commanding officer of the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces ground units on Tau Volantis during the expedition from 2311 to 2314.

In the expedition's final days, Mahad was responsible for overseeing and carrying out the execution of Scenario Five on Tau Volantis at the order of General of the Army Ambrose Caiden.[1]

Biography[]

Tau Volantis Expedition[]

"I'm not gonna lie, professor. I don't like you, the way you look, the way you talk, or the way you conduct business. [...] I don't care how much support you have back home. You're playing a dangerous game, professor. And out here, you play by my rules!"
—General Mahad to Dr. Earl Serrano.[2]

General Mahad was sent by the Sovereign Colonies to lead the SCAF Legionary forces during the Tau Volantis Expedition whose goals were to locate the source of the Marker signal, hoping that its limitless energy could finally be harnessed by humanity. In a meeting, Mahad badgered Admiral Marjorie Graves to abort the mission and head home so he could use his military forces to assist in the Secession War that was occurring at the time.[3] When he was told that the mission involved Markers, he was not convinced of its importance. Asked by Admiral Graves, Dr. Earl Serrano gave Mahad a briefing informing him of the purpose of their mission to the ice planet.[4]

DS3 General Mahad Model

Mahad during the Tau Volantis expedition.

Graves was upset about having to double bunk half the officers on her ship so Mahad could house his 163rd "Reaper" Unit, stating that they were rude and did not do a single useful thing aboard her ship. Graves asked Mahad why they were wasting resources on this frivolous addition to the mission, to which the General replied that if it was bunk space that she was worried about, she would not have to worry for much longer, as he was taking half of them down with him to the planet once they managed to get themselves dug in and that they were his insurance that nothing was going to go wrong.[5]

It was not until the science teams began unearthing an Alien Machine and finding several strange lifeforms that had been cryogenically frozen that Mahad's military outfit suddenly became one of great importance.

During the expedition, Graves was exposed to the artifacts brought up from the planet and stored on the ships. Gradually, her mind succumbed to the effects of the Markers,[6] and she was sequestered to her quarters under quarantine,[7] leaving Mahad to take command. Now in charge of the entire expedition, Mahad made it clear that he did not like Dr. Serrano and threatened him, telling the doctor that he was playing a dangerous game.[2]

Containment Failure and Scenario Five[]

"We lost control! And now, for the love of Earth and the Sovereign Colonies, we've got to do what's right."
—General Mahad to Private Tim Caufman.
Dead_Space_3-_Scenario_5

Dead Space 3- Scenario 5

Mahad's Scenario Five instructional film.

On June 17, 2314, when the Necromorph outbreak across the colony became too much for Mahad and his military outfit to handle, the Sovereign Colonies Council issued a Scenario Five kill order for all of the personnel on Tau Volantis.[1][8] Mahad ordered his remaining military personnel via broadcast to commence with a colony-wide 'quarantine' which included disabling all of the vehicles and ships in the colony and orbit, destroying all of the communications devices on the planet and in the orbiting vessels, destroying all of the data and files relating to the experiments and research that the science teams had uncovered up to that point and, finally, murdering any remaining personnel as well as committing suicide following these completed tasks.

When Mahad came to the armory to requisition all of the ammunition there for use in the kill order, Private Tim Caufman reported that the armory key was missing. This prompted Mahad to threaten him with a permanent assignment of peeling potatoes unless the key was found quickly.[9]

Deadspace3-mahad-suicide

Mahad self-terminates.

On June 18, 2314, once Mahad oversaw the final stage of the quarantine campaign, he encounterd Tim Caufman at the Research Compound Silo. Tim was returning from a mission entrusted to him by Dr. Earl Serrano to retrieve a key that would supposedly be able to stop the Necromorph outbreak. Mahad, unaware of the device's ability, still believed that the mission was a failure and that the only remaining option left to preserve Earth and the Sovereign Colonies was to kill everyone on Tau Volantis. He took the device before he shot Tim in the head and, after erasing the data on the Codex, the general also killed himself with a single gunshot to the head after saluting the flag of the Sovereign Colonies.

Quotes[]

"And as far as manners go, I didn't pick them because they play nice with others. There's a reason they call the 163rd the "Reapers". These guys all cut their teeth doing wet work for us during Secessionist riots on Earth. They're the coldest bunch of killers you're ever going to find and they're my insurance that nothing's going to go wrong."
—General Mahad to Admiral Marjorie Graves about the 163rd "Reaper" Unit.[5]
"Fine young soldiers, every one of them."
—Mahad about the SCAF soldiers who committed suicide during Scenario Five.
"Earl Serrano, always the optimist."
—Mahad about Dr. Serrano's plan to use the Codex.
Mahad: "Do you love the Earth, son? Your mom? And dad?"
Caufman: "Y-Yes sir, of course."
Mahad: "Good. I'm glad to hear that."
—Mahad's last words to Private Tim Caufman before executing him for Scenario Five.

Trivia[]

  • Mahad is voiced by Keith Szarabajka, the same actor who voiced Terrence Kyne in the original Dead Space.
    • Coincidence or not, also, it is notable that Mahad's behavior to sacrifice himself and his comrades in order to stop the spread of a Necromorph outbreak is identical to Kyne's actions in Dead Space: Downfall.
    • Szarabajka's last name is misspelled as "Sarabatchka" in Dead Space 3's ending credits.

Gallery[]

Sources[]

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