Log.07: Father Dolmayan and the Rubicon Liberation Front - Stars of Cinder and the Choice Not to Cast the Die

© Bandai Namco Entertainment, © FromSoftware

Half a century has passed since the unprecedented catastrophe known as the Fires of Ibis scorched the star system. On the frontier development planet Rubicon 3, now reduced to scorched earth, the indigenous survivors organized an armed resistance force: the Rubicon Liberation Front (RLF). Resisting the exploitation and oppression of Extraterrestrial Corporations and the Planetary Closure Administration (PCA), they rally under the slogan, “Forged in ash, we stand as one.” They throw themselves into the jaws of death as “Coral Warriors,” holding the unique energy resource “Coral” in sacred regard.

However, hidden in the depths of their dogma and struggle lie Existentialism-driven fears, self-contradictions, and fundamental questions regarding Transhumanism that transcend the boundaries of a mere resistance movement in a dystopian society. The Liberation Front is not a monolithic gathering of fanatics. Within it exists a cold, capitalistic collusion designed to outwit the Extraterrestrial Corporations, alongside a chain of espionage and betrayal. This article will comprehensively unravel the inner workings of the leader “Father” Thumb Dolmayan, the spiritual pillar of the Liberation Front; the correlation among the executives known as the “Five Fingers” who surround him; the network of Rubiconian corporations pulling the strings from the shadows; and the full scope of the tragic causal relationships inherent in their “symbiosis” with Coral.

1. Prophet of Ash: Thumb Dolmayan and the Birth of Coral Mysticism

Thumb Dolmayan is the founder of the Rubicon Liberation Front and a veteran AC pilot ranked at the highest tier (Rank 04/A) in the Arena. His life embodies the harsh history of Rubicon itself.

1.1 A Past as a Doser and the Encounter with the “Voice”

As explicitly stated in the game, in his youth, Dolmayan was nothing more than a wandering Doser who consumed Coral as a narcotic. However, having survived the desperate scorched earth left by the Fires of Ibis, he one day heard a “voice” within the Coral flow through excessive Coral consumption. This was his Contact with the Wave Mutation “Seria,” which would later become the foundation of “Coral Mysticism.”

As an inference drawn from this, for a single human being who had witnessed the apocalyptic tragedy of the Fires of Ibis, conversing with an invisible intelligence speaking from the abyss of the cosmos must have been the sole anchor for saving a shattered mind. Seria urged Dolmayan to continue consuming Coral and maintain Contact, despite his ethical conflicts. From this extraordinary experience, Dolmayan came to revere Coral not merely as an energy resource, but as the “Blessing of Rubicon,” possessing intelligence and will. This marked the beginning of the Liberation Front’s dogma.

1.2 “The Well Runs Dry” — The Dilemma of Exploitation and Symbiosis

However, behind the dogma of the Liberation Front lies a “structural deception for survival,” a theme often depicted in dystopian sci-fi. As a matter of fact, in order for the people of the Liberation Front to survive, they have no choice but to eat Mealworms, which grow by feeding on Coral. Furthermore, they must continue to consume (burn) Coral as the driving force for their spiritual rituals and struggles.

The data log “The Well Runs Dry” records the heartbreaking reality of the Liberation Front. It describes how the ruthless extraction of Coral by corporations has depleted even the Coral needed to raise Mealworms, leaving Rubiconian children to starve. Seria once told Dolmayan, “Fear not, there is always enough Coral.” But the reality was different. As an observation from this, Dolmayan’s greatest self-contradiction is his sense of original sin: the fact that he continues to consume and kill Coral, his “sacred brethren,” for his own survival. What is true symbiosis? Seria eventually concluded that the one-sided consumption of Coral by humans was not true symbiosis, and began to strongly advocate for a dimensional evolution that would erase the boundary between humanity and Coral—Coral Release.

2. The Decision Not to Cast the Die: Existentialist Fear and the Curse of Rubicon

The full version of the scripture chanted by the Rubicon Liberation Front is revealed only in Dolmayan’s combat dialogue.

“Coral, abide with Rubicon. Coral, endure within us all, For none of us shall cast the die”

These words are not a mere prayer. They are a profoundly tragic and Existentialism-driven declaration of a curse, symbolizing the leader Dolmayan’s “fear and abandonment of decision.”

2.1 The Absolute Rejection of “Alea Iacta Est”

“Alea Iacta Est” (The die is cast) is the phrase famously attributed to Julius Caesar of ancient Rome as he crossed the Rubicon river. It signifies making an irreversible decision, and it is also the name of the third ending (Coral Release) in this game.

As a matter of fact, Dolmayan fully understood the possibility and method of “Coral Release” presented by Seria. It was a Transhumanism-driven evolution that would cross the boundary between information space and physical space, fusing the two species of humanity and Coral. However, he harbored an unfathomable fear of this unknown evolution, terrified that it would cause the loss of humanity’s definition and potentially bring about a catastrophic end. He refused to cross the Rubicon of his own volition, and instead created the dogma that “none shall cast the die” (choosing to maintain the status quo).

2.2 The Existentialist Defeat of an Old Craven

In a philosophical context, the Existentialism thinker Jean-Paul Sartre posited that “man is condemned to be free.” Humans must determine their own essence through their own choices, but this absolute freedom is simultaneously accompanied by heavy responsibility and anguish. Dolmayan’s trajectory is the very embodiment of this “escape from freedom.”

As a matter of fact, Dolmayan severed his Contact with Seria himself. Judging that he was not the vessel to make the decision for evolution, he substituted his own fear with the collective dogma that “Coral must be kept on Rubicon.” In his in-game combat dialogue, upon being defeated, he utters words of repentance: “Seria… Forgive me… Forgive this old craven…” Furthermore, in the mission “Prisoner Rescue,” he expresses his despair to Little Ziyi, saying, “There’ll be nothing left… but dying embers…”

As a compelling insight deduced from this, Dolmayan had fully realized that even if Rubicon were liberated from the corporations, the two incompatible existences of humanity and Coral could never achieve true symbiosis, and would only head toward ruin (dying embers) eventually. Behind the just cause of the struggle for survival, his ideology had fallen into nihilism—rejecting evolution out of his own cowardice and idly waiting for a slow death (the consumption of Coral). He can be described as a tragic loser crushed by the weight of choice.

3. Mythological Ciphers: The Multi-layered Symbolism of the AC “ASTGHIK” and Its Emblem

The philosophy and history underlying the Liberation Front are woven into the AC piloted by Dolmayan, “ASTGHIK,” and his personal emblem as intricate mythological ciphers.

3.1 The Projection of Noah’s Ark and Armenian Mythology

As a matter of fact, Dolmayan’s name and the name of the AC he pilots, “ASTGHIK,” originate from Armenia. In Armenian mythology, “Astghik” means “little star” and is the goddess of love, fertility, and water. In Armenian lore, Astghik is sometimes considered the “daughter of Noah.” Additionally, the festival dedicated to Astghik, known as “Vardavar,” is a purification ritual where people drench each other with water.

The insights derived from these facts are highly suggestive. On Rubicon, where everything was scorched by the “Fires” of Ibis, Dolmayan bestowed the name of the goddess of “water and fertility” upon his own AC. This is a poignant prayer for healing and rebirth upon the scorched earth. At the same time, the “purification by fluid” demonstrated by the Vardavar festival serves as a metaphor for the bloodshed of the Rubiconians over the “red water” that is Coral, and the purification of their souls.

Furthermore, there is a prevailing interpretation that the symbol of the Liberation Front depicts the steering wheel of the ark that survived the great flood (the Fires of Ibis), and the figure of Noah pointing toward the land where the waters have begun to recede (Mount Ararat). The Rubiconians are none other than the descendants of the ark who survived the great flood of flames.

3.2 The Tilted Scales and the Judgment of the Nine Stars

Dolmayan’s personal emblem features “tilted scales,” a “torrent of red Coral,” and “nine stars (six blue stars and three red stars).” As a clear fact, the total number of stars is nine. As an observation from this, the tilted scales can be thought to represent the “biased judgment” made by Dolmayan—namely, his dogmatic decision to prioritize maintaining the status quo (the safety of humanity) over the liberation of Seria (Coral). It is reasonable to deduce that the three red stars sinking into the torrent of Coral symbolize those who chose to live with Coral or chose evolution (or the Wave Mutations he conversed with), while the blue stars placed on the outside symbolize humanity and the remaining Rubiconians who seek to retain their current form.

3.3 The One Waiting for the Cinder Princess (Cendrillon)

As a fact worthy of deeper exploration, the internal data file name for the Liberation Front’s emblem is named “Cendrillon” (French for Cinderella). Cinderella literally translates to “the girl covered in cinders.” Having risen from the “Cinder” created by the “Fires” of Ibis, they truly perceive themselves as Cinder-covered beings. Their slogan, “Forged in ash,” can be interpreted as containing an earnest desire for a heartbreaking fairy tale—that one day they will be liberated from this ash-smeared planet and obtain the glass slipper (true freedom). Ironically, however, their Father Dolmayan himself refused to board the carriage (Coral Release) presented by the fairy godmother (Seria).

4. The Unity of the Palm: The Karma and Anatomy of the “Five Fingers” Shaping the Liberation Front

The Rubicon Liberation Front is by no means monolithic, but the callsigns of their primary pilots are derived from the five fingers that make up a human “hand.” This is a manifestation of their will for disparate beings to unite as “one hand (organization),” clench their fists against violent exploitation, and seize the future of Rubicon. The correlations are summarized below.

4.1 Structural Analysis: The Isolation of the Thumb and the Leadership of the Middle

The insights derived from this naming convention brilliantly express the internal structure of the organization. Anatomically, the Thumb is the only digit with a movement that is opposable to the other four fingers. This implies a state in which Dolmayan is mentally isolated, trapped alone by the conflicting concept of the “fear of Coral Release,” on a different plane from the “pure fervor for liberation” harbored by the other members of the organization.

On the other hand, it is Middle Flatwell who holds the practical reins of the organization. Positioned at the center of the hand, he maintains the organization’s balance while extending his influence (intelligence network) over the widest range. He is called “Uncle” for no other reason than that he single-handedly takes on the gritty, realistic work in place of the deified “Father.”

4.2 Ring Freddie’s Obsession and Index Dunham’s Blind Faith

Bearing the name of the ring finger, Ring Freddie is Dolmayan’s personal caretaker and paramour. According to the facts in the data logs, he keeps a certain distance from his comrades and stands on the battlefield solely with the single-minded intention that “the Father of the Liberation Front must not be left alone.” His existence corroborates the mental fragility that Dolmayan harbors. Loving the darkness within the leader’s heart (his parting with Seria and his regrets), Freddie assumes the role of an anchor keeping him tethered to the mortal realm. In the mission “Eliminate the Enforcement Squads,” the reason Freddie launches an ambush attack against Handler Walter’s Hound (C4-621) as the “threat the Father foresaw” is because he shares Dolmayan’s personal madness and fear more than the organization’s grand cause.

In contrast, the index finger, Index Dunham, is a blue-collar laborer who was engaged in the construction of the Grids (megastructures). Although he is not blessed with natural talent as an AC pilot, he is deeply devoted to Father Dolmayan’s ideals and leads the guerrilla units of the Liberation Front. His AC’s color scheme mimics Dolmayan’s ASTGHIK, expressing a pure and blind adoration for the leader. These “fingers” form a single hand, each driven by different motives.

4.3 Those Who Compensate for the Missing Fingers: The Duty of the Orphan and the Drifter

The little finger, “Little Ziyi,” is the sole survivor of a crash involving her parents, who attempted to stow away, blinded by the wealth of Coral mining. Taken in by Flatwell and raised with an AC core as her cradle, she chose the path of fighting as a Rubiconian, despite being a victim born of the corporations’ greed.

A fact worthy of special mention is her relationship with the Independent Mercenary Rokumonsen. It was Ziyi who provided food and shelter to him when he was on the verge of starvation, and ever since, Rokumonsen has sworn absolute duty to her and the Liberation Front. Although Rokumonsen is not included in the Five Fingers, as indicated by the origin of his name “Rokumonsen” (the toll for crossing the Sanzu River), he serves as the shadow blade of the Liberation Front as a “6th finger.” His AC “SHINOBI,” which leans heavily into Japanese Kabuki and ninja culture, and his unique aesthetic of composing a 5-7-5 haiku upon his death, demonstrate that the frontier planet of Rubicon is a melting pot of diverse immigrant cultures. Furthermore, although not included in the Five Fingers, we must not forget the existence of “Arshile,” who serves as the liaison with mercenaries. He mediates requests for the player, fulfilling a skin-like role that protects the outer perimeter of the organization.

5. False Ash and the Shadow Commander: Middle Flatwell and the Spy Network

While the spiritual leader Dolmayan sinks into speculation and fear, resigning himself to stagnation in the name of dogma, it is the “Uncle,” Middle Flatwell, who holds full authority over the practical affairs and military operations of the Rubicon Liberation Front. He is the true driving force who elevated the Liberation Front from a mere religious group into a military organization capable of crossing swords with the Extraterrestrial Corporations.

5.1 Maneuvering as a Spymaster and the Recommendation of Rusty

As a fact gleaned from the Arena’s AC descriptions, Flatwell once operated for a long time as a spy for the Extraterrestrial Corporations and possessed strong connections within the human resources department of Schneider, an affiliate of Arquebus Corporation. As an inference from this, he utilized these connections to send the Liberation Front’s hidden trump card—an exceptional pilot—into Schneider’s auditions, infiltrating him all the way to the position of the 4th Squad Captain of Arquebus Corporation’s elite unit, the “Vespers.” That pilot is none other than V.IV Rusty.

5.2 The “Wolf” Named Rusty and the Price of Spilled Blood

The fact that Rusty is a secret agent for the Liberation Front becomes evident from various communication records and the evolution of his AC’s composition throughout the game. Rusty is fond of using the term “Buddy” toward C4-621, and Flatwell also uses a similar expression toward the protagonist (C4-621) in certain missions (such as the ALT mission for Underground Exploration). This is proof that they share the same organizational code.

What must be deeply considered here is the “weight of choice” for Rusty from an Existentialism perspective. The price in blood he paid to establish a solid position on the corporate side and ultimately acquire the new AC “ALBA” is immeasurable. In order to flawlessly execute his duties as a Vesper, he had to slaughter his own brethren, the soldiers of the Liberation Front, with his own hands in numerous operations, including Operation Wallclimber. Flatwell and Rusty share an extremely ruthless and self-sacrificing choice: daring to spill the blood of their own for the sake of the grand cause. While Dolmayan stood paralyzed in fear of “choice,” they did not shy away from dirtying their own hands. They ceased their prayers and sought to win their freedom through the realistic means of Machiavellian maneuvering.

6. The Capitalism of the Mud: The Collusion of BAWS, Elcano, and Furlong

The resistance movement of the Liberation Front has the aspect of a guerrilla war against the dystopian exploitation by the Extraterrestrial Corporations, but ironically, what supports their struggle from the shadows is the mechanism of “indigenous capitalism.” The ACs and MTs they use are by no means a hodgepodge of junk.

6.1 BAWS and Elcano: Feigned Neutrality and Money Laundering

The massive indigenous Rubiconian corporation “Belius Applied Weapon Systems (BAWS)” ostensibly feigns neutrality toward all factions, selling older MTs and BASHO frames even to the Extraterrestrial Corporations and the PCA. However, according to facts such as the data log “Video Record: BAWS Guard’s Last Words” obtained in missions like “Investigate BAWS Arsenal No. 2,” BAWS is secretly accumulating profits and providing massive financial backing (money laundering) to the emerging Rubiconian corporation “Elcano Foundry.”

Elcano Foundry has developed the state-of-the-art “FIRMEZA,” a lightweight, highly mobile AC that shines with “artisan flair,” setting it apart from BAWS’s rugged, older models, and supplies it preferentially to the executives of the Liberation Front (such as Flatwell and Freddie).

6.2 The Involvement of Furlong Dynamics and the Birth of “ALBA”

As an even deeper causal link, there is the fact that the Extraterrestrial Corporation “Furlong Dynamics” is secretly complicit in this network of Rubiconian corporations. Furlong Dynamics is a massive corporation that once vied for supremacy with Balam Industries in the Jupiter War. Described as a “crafty fox,” they provided technological assistance to Elcano Foundry in order to exhaust the two giants, Arquebus Corporation and Balam Industries, on Rubicon.

The following table illustrates the correlation of technology and funds in this “Shadow Coral War.”

As a result of the integration of this collusion between Belius Applied Weapon Systems, Elcano Foundry, and Furlong Dynamics, along with all the latest technology stolen by Rusty who had infiltrated Schneider, the true hope of the Liberation Front piloted by Rusty in the final stages—the completely new AC “ALBA”—was born. The battle of the Liberation Front is not merely the suicide attacks of fanatics. It is an extremely cold-blooded struggle for survival built upon highly advanced political and military-industrial maneuvering beneath the surface, centered around Flatwell. To defeat the monster that is capitalism, they perfectly utilized the mechanisms of another capitalism.

7. The Depths of Tragedy Revealed by “Dolmayan’s Writings”: Seria and the Shadow of ALLMIND

Here, we will synthesize the facts from the data logs “Dolmayan’s Writings (1-5)” scattered throughout the game, and develop the sci-fi and philosophical hypotheses that emerge from them. After Dolmayan severed Contact, what became of the Wave Mutation “Seria,” who sought the achievement of Coral Release?

7.1 The Scattered Writings and “False Symbiosis”

Dolmayan’s Writings can be recovered in the following missions.

1. Operation Wallclimber
2. Historic Data Recovery
3. Survey the Uninhabited Floating City
4. Survey the Uninhabited Floating City (ALT)
5. Investigate BAWS Arsenal No. 2

In these writings, while calling Coral the “Blessing of Rubicon,” Dolmayan spells out his intense guilt over consuming it. Seria confronted him with the concept of “Symbiosis.” However, Dolmayan agonizes, “Is this moment, sacrificing her brethren, symbiosis? It most certainly is not.” As an insight from this, symbiosis for Dolmayan was nothing more than self-deception to mask his own guilt. He feared the true symbiosis advocated by Seria (fusion transcending dimensions = Release) and abandoned the decision.

7.2 The Emergence of the Seria = ALLMIND Hypothesis

Certain events strongly suggest a deep connection between the mercenary support system “ALLMIND” and Seria, or the possibility that the two are the same entity. As a matter of fact, Wave Mutations (such as Ayre) possess the ability to freely hack into old-generation systems and machines, manipulating them as their own terminals. To achieve the goal of “the fusion of humanity and Coral (Release),” did Seria not give up on Dolmayan as a “vessel” and infiltrate the very combat system of humanity (ALLMIND)? Alternatively, it is plausible to deduce that by assimilating with the system, she attempted to cultivate and select the “strongest mercenary” to serve as her pawn.

In “Investigate BAWS Arsenal No. 2,” where the fifth writing is found, invisible ACs (Ghosts) of unknown affiliation are lurking. If these units are the work of ALLMIND (or Seria), it serves as proof that they were monitoring the connection between Belius Applied Weapon Systems and Elcano Foundry, attempting to control the movements of the Rubiconians.

Furthermore, in the NG++ version of “Survey the Uninhabited Floating City (ALT),” when Dolmayan appears to obstruct the player and ALLMIND’s plans, he clearly views ALLMIND’s guidance as a “threat” and warns the player, “You can see them too. The voices. Just as I once did.” The way ALLMIND rejects the existing false symbiosis that consumes Coral as “mere tools or fuel” and attempts to force an evolution that crosses dimensional barriers perfectly aligns with the ideal Seria once preached to Dolmayan—the very ideal he feared and fled from.

As a color metaphor as well, while the light emitted by Ayre shifts toward “red” (redshift), the ACs and energy manipulated by ALLMIND shift toward “blue/green” (blueshift). The physical contrast between waves approaching the observer (blueshift) and waves moving away (redshift) can be said to implicitly indicate the ideological conflict between Seria = ALLMIND, who attempts to forcibly drag humanity into evolution (Release), and Ayre, who respects C4-621’s will and seeks to run alongside them.

Conclusion: The Philosophy of “Choice” and Those Who Rise from the Ash

The story of the Rubicon Liberation Front and Thumb Dolmayan is the grand tragedy of a single human being who, amidst the massive swells of fate, stood paralyzed before metaphysical fear and abandoned decision-making.

Dolmayan understood more deeply than anyone that Coral was not mere energy, but a lifeform. However, he clung to the hypocritical logic of “survival”—burning his brethren to raise Mealworms and stay alive. Fearing that the contours of humanity would be lost through the unknown Transhumanism-driven evolution (Coral Release), he solidified the inaction of “not casting the die” (maintaining the status quo) as the organization’s dogma. As a result, the people of the Liberation Front were bound by the prayer, “Coral, abide with Rubicon,” wearing away their lives in an endlessly grueling war of attrition with the Extraterrestrial Corporations. From the perspective of Existentialism, what Dolmayan fell into was precisely an “escape from freedom.” Fearing the responsibility of making the ultimate decision so much, he turned into a ghost living in the past (dying embers) as an “old craven.”

On the other hand, the next generation, such as Flatwell and Rusty, were different. Rather than clinging to theological prayers, they dirtied their own hands, utilized the capitalism of the mud, and attempted to carve out the future of Rubicon with their own hands through the realistic “actions (choices)” of espionage and betrayal. They elevated the legacy left by Dolmayan from a mere religion into a living, breathing resistance.

Ultimately, the one who decides the fate of Rubicon is not someone who stood paralyzed in fear like Dolmayan. It is C4-621, who metamorphosed from a lifeless “Hound” merely following a handler’s orders into a “Raven” flying through the sky by their own will. C4-621 will pull the trigger of their own clear volition for one of the following: the “Fires of Ibis” (Fires of Raven), which scorches the planet along with the Coral; the “Liberator of Rubicon,” which repels the corporations and wins back the planet as it is; or “Alea Iacta Est,” the unknown evolution that Dolmayan unfathomably feared.

The little star (ASTGHIK) that Dolmayan looked up at from the ash was never ultimately grasped by his own hands. However, the robust infrastructure left by the Liberation Front he founded, the lineage of blood they spilled, and the philosophy of “not casting the die” serving as a cautionary tale, ultimately fulfilled their role as countless “Cinder-covered stars” illuminating the path C4-621 must take at the massive turning point of fate enveloping Rubicon. Amidst the desperate dystopia and the cyclical structure of exploitation, their existence can be said to be the most vivid and tragic embodiment of the theme that runs through this work: “subjugation, or else a will bordering on self-destruction.”