Extreme Augmentation, Indentured Service on the Rise in Terminus

Extreme Augmentation, Indentured Service on the Rise in Terminus
by Darya Baryshnikova, Tayseri Times

Pentalion District, Omega Station- The Castoran Hotel was a veritable hive of activity this afternoon as the annual Cybernetic, Bioethics, and Transsapientism Conference concluded it’s third and final day of discussion. A landmark function that hosts representatives from no less than three dozen politically significant Terminus and Abyss entities including corporate bodies such as the Legiatis Group, Multinational Organizations like the Ad’Thoro Pact, and, of course, a selection of some of the most prevalent transsapient groups active in the galaxy today like Typhoon Rise and S+.

In addition to applying new common law standards concerning sapient experimentation, the unveiling of several much anticipated breakthroughs in the field of morphic chimerism, and formally awarding of the celebrated Genomic Constellation to Doctors Maklash Yaelah and Induroc Basravix for their work in creating and distributing the celebrated Cadesis Rahkn line of augmentic facilities as well as their related sapientarian work; the commission also released their findings concerning the increased prevalence of the practice known as Relicae’s Process.

Pioneered by the eponymous Dr. Tarquex Relicae the process involves the total excision of the brain and brain stem, followed by the relocation of said tissue to an artificial frame and cranial housing. Originally developed as a means to preserve the lives of patients whose bodies had been damaged beyond all reasonable repair, over time the operation’s alternative applications became apparent. When individuals undergo Relicae’s Process, their cerebral tissue is encased in a hardened regulatory shell with attached infrastructure for interface with motive platforms. Over time, these men and women may operate their bodies with a degree of force and precision unmatched by the nonintegrated; providing them with a keen edge over their primarily organic counterparts. Of course, given the extreme nature of the surgery involved, the creation and procurement of these individuals has largely been restricted to the status of a niche industry.

However, given the extensive social, civil, and economic devastation left in the wake of the recent war it would appear that, according to the Conference’s report, the process has experienced something of a resurgence with a number of transsapient oriented groups, companies, and worlds sponsoring uninjured individuals for the process. The patrons provide room, board, and health while, In turn, the pilots agree to pilot motive armor until their contractually mandated term of service expires after which they may continue with their parent organization or seek employment elsewhere. An overwhelming majority stay. The suits themselves range from heavy, mechanized affairs to agile, CNT corded, bipedal platforms but, almost without exclusion, most are fundamentally military in nature.

“To be honest it’s really not as bad as people make it out to be. I mean, I didn’t turn into some kind of souless monster or anything after the operation.” Stated Jiang Du, one such operator in the employ of Wǔshì Securities. “I still have all my senses, they’re really pretty pointed about getting those in for the mental part of it, I’ve still got my friends, I still lead a mostly normal life really. Adjustment’s a bit of a kick in the balls but I’ve my genetic material’s on ice so kids aren’t out of the question. Plus I get a roof over my head, all the food I could want, money in my account, and a twelve foot suit of armor with jetpacks to pilot on top of it with a civvie suit for off hours. So yeah, I’d call it a pretty good deal.”

However many prominent abolitionist and sapient’s rights groups have leveled harsh criticisms at the institution in its entirety. “What we are seeing here is, essentially, the implementation of slave soldiers as a generally accepted commodity.” Said Mr. Wakarh Tan’til of the Torchbearers, “The issue is, the people who’re piloting these suits are desperate men and women that these groups plucked from the refugee camps, from the shelters, from the rubble, sat them down and offered them the world on the platter. Why wouldn’t they say no? They’d be stronger, faster, more durable than they’ve ever been before. And sure the Process has been rendered down to the point where there’s minimal risk but that discounts the fact that its completely irreversible save through extraordinary methods with traditionally low chances of success. These are people being exploited at their most vulnerable and turned into nothing more than tools for the rest of their lives. This is not merely inhumane, it’s utterly barbaric.”

Current estimates place the number of heavily augmented troops in the low millions; all within extra-Citadel space. This number is expected to increase substantially over the next several years.

As far as I see it, it is still a sentient being. Which raises some possible misuse questions, remote control, submission measures from outside... anyway, you can find all that for any being, just different ones I guess.

This seems a rather individual decision. If someone wants to undertake this, it's free will so please. But when the person is not capable of voicing her opinion (given the state the body is in or coma or whatever) and this is performed without proper consent it's absolutely horrible.

This sounds interesting! I subscribed, the price for that piece was tempting. Worth a look into.
Hm, I don't remember you, but you don't seem new. But thanks for the link!

As I suspect Mr. Aleksanders is preoccupied rephrasing existing knowledge of the subject into his so very distinct manner, allow me to give you the quick and dirty:

Effective EMP shielding, while a concious and requisite design choice for such applications (along with radiation shielding, any number of protective measures that by the nature of the end result must surpass the natural arrangements) A major concern most people don't immediately think of is the problem of sensory input.

The brain has a number of unusual reactions when it has trouble reconciling its percieved self with its actualized self, and that gulf is exasperated in the extreme when that actualized self is literally itself without any external stimulus. The inability to percieve anything at all is very different from a lazy analogue of being trapped in a cold dark void, and the reaction of a concious sentience to is it fankly, quite distubing.

Honestly thats the side of the issue that troubles me most: the possibility that these dissembodied minds could be cut off from external stimulus and kept in that state for any period of time, perhaps indefinately.

Hardly, most of the "wet" portion of the "wetware" is nonapplicable in this context, and really you people say this like mechanical uses of element zero aren't already a thing.

See: containment fields, industrial work, ships.
It's a life support suit, technically that's possible but technically so is putting out a bonfire by spitting on it; it's impractical, would take a substantial amount of time, and you look somewhat foolish trying. You do know that this all applies to regular organic soldiers too yes? Many of which are themselves are augmented to some degree or the other? I mean really by this logic we should just get ourselves mechanized proxy soldiers and let them duke everything out for us.

Given that there's a quarian advocating this I can't help but feel as if I'm missing the opportunity on a truly spectacular joke.
And what, exactly, is the issue with either of those things? If the terms are amenable to both parties or the singular individual I don't precisely see how it's any of your concern.

Given how heavily reliant basically said soldiers are on weapons and tech more sophisticated than gunpowder and/or crossbows I am, once again, not exactly seeing your point.

Oh but of course.

The nature of Electromagnetic Shielding varies from civilian to military grade; in civilian models you'll generally have the augment shut itself down once certain threshholds are tripped and attempt to ground out the charge to prevent permanent damage to the module as a whole. Military or paramilitary gear tends to a take a more proactive approach with the issue and includes electromagnetically conductive weaves in plates and casing, breaking up and dispersing waveforms before they seriously threaten the pilot thus allowing the operator to continue to...well operate even in such conditions.

Brain oxygenation involves a high efficiency synthetic blood substitute and respiration matrices embedded near the surface at the hull, typically in multiple spots with redundancies and implemented filters. Like hardsuits the armor can almost always be sealed against vacuum though combined with the expanded stores of compressed air and the general lack of organic tissue pilots can persist for an appreciably longer length of time.

Energy for the frame is derived from a catalystic partially organic power converter (extremely nutrient rich cells adapted for maximally ecnomoic consumption and conversion to electrochemical energy) and frequently augmented with synthetic load bearing cells; ie. your hydrogen batteries and the like.

My gut tells me that your answer is ridiculous and repulsive. My gut is also telling me that I'm rather hungry, I should totally try Red Sand, and going streaking through Omega would be a very very fun idea.

My gut is an idiot. That's why it's input on the general decision making process is limited because, surprise surprise, base instinctual reactions regarding pleasure, discomfort, or what have you are a terrible metric to use when making policy decisions.

Have you ever seen a surgery? Not a transsapient based one; any significant operation whatsoever?

The native response to seeing someone with their hands inside another person's chest cavity fiddling around with their organs is one of disgust and revulsion. Clearly this means that this is an acceptable reason for banning all forms of invasive surgery altogether.

The individuals on the sponsor side of the table have a vested interest in making sure that everything is actually alright. From a practical standpoint happier workers are more effective workers and a happy worker whose body can withstand anti-materiel rounds is infinitely less of a problem than a bitter, scorned man or woman trapped inside some kind of metaphorical hellcoffin or whatever you're envisioning. And this is, of course, ignoring the existence and prevalence of transhumanist advocacy groups like S+ and Typhoon Rise and the whole ethical and moral dimension.

Yes. Shocking. Not everyone in a suit would immediately start punting baby animals if there weren't express laws and literal chains preventing them from doing so.

Indeed! Though civilian models tend to be more minimalist with some more attention given to pilot preferred non-critical functions (such as the HUD or general mobility).

There have been many stupid things said in this thread, this is not one of them and is, in fact, a perfectly valid question.

While tissue rejuvenation and preservation makes equaling or, not uncommonly, exceeding common organic lifespans a regular occurrence there's a point where degradation inevitably overtakes the countermeasures and the brain enters terminality. That is to say, death.

So yes, in that manner they are like everyone else.

That is actually...

huh

Thank you for the recommendation, I will investigate.

The sapient mind is profoundly adaptable Doctor Aujury and the sense of self is hardly some immutable constant that remains unchanged for the totality of an individual's life. I'm not disputing that it's a radical procedure, merely that it's this "ego-ender" that apparently half the thread thinks it is.

Yes, that would be horrible. But again, the potential for negative applications of a given tech is terrible as a sole basis from which to advocate for it's illegality.

Fore example: electricity is a wonderful thing that powers our lives but it can also be used to torture people. Clearly the only humane thing to do to is to outlaw it's use entirely.

All you prisses need to get over your selves. I have a full cyborg that works for me. He is just as real and normal as any Turian I have ever met, minus the sub dermal rocket launchers in his arms. He eats, drinks, sleeps, pisses, hell he smokes just like most al lthe other turians I know.

...

Bro, do you even know what words mean?

There does come a point where it actually becomes impractical to use such a complex array. Nice try on trying to completely misinterpret my point there though.

Problem is, you also have to worry about critical damage to the power sources and such. Sure, you can up-armour them and such, but that's just throwing money at a rather inefficient platform.

As for advocation a large-scale use of mechanised forces, While not only would be a good thing, is actually widely practised due to the use of drones. Completely replacing every organic soldier is a pipe dream though. And if you did want a supersoldier, you'd start off with something a lot more compatible to the average soldier: Enter genetic engineering and retroviral genemods
Mainly to stop people doing something on a whim that entails a non-reversible procedure

Considering that a cyborg would be more heavily reliant on technology, and the comparable costs of a hardsuit and a rifle in comparison to a fully mechanised body. It's just not efficient, on a large scale, for this kind of thing to be practiced

And one last question onto this: How does all that blood and nutrients actually get delivered to the brain for it to actually sustain itself?

Before the stasis bubbles or after the key to interplanetary travel?

Geth. The punchline was the geth. Jesus Christ.
You do know that one form of transsapientism existing does not, in any way shape or form, preclude others.

Because, in your infinite wisdom oh Lord, that is clearly your choice to make. Indeed, you are in fact more qualified to know whether an individual really wants to do it than the individual in question.

Teach me your ways oh Lord for I too wish to know how to read minds.

I don't exactly see how one being more expensive than the other renders the other the obvious and undisputed victor. Troops mechanized to this degree are faster, stronger, significantly more durable (and yes that includes EM shielding), more mobile, and can project an absolutely hilarious amount of firepower. Fielding an entire army of them is impractical for most yes but auxiliaries and heavy support they are incredibly valuable.

Also the point was more to illustrate the fact that in any zone of operations ground troops depend on tech to such a significant degree that attacks that would totally disable a cybernetic individual would also render them tactically useless given their lack of comms, ladar, HUD, omnitools, and anything more deadly than a knife.

Good thing that countermeasures exist in either case isn't it?

So millions of these individuals in existence constitutes what, a cottage industry?

...blood vessels Mr. Kaelor. Blood vessels.

Those are things.

I see. Thank you, this has been very enlightening. Of course I wouldn't pay for such a procedure since I've worked rather hard on the body I have right now, but you'll be pleased to know I'm not gathering torches and pitchforks.


I... I just...

What.

You... baffle me.

...You always sorta know you're gonna get upstaged someday, but you never think it's going to be so soon.

Things that evidently, the article seemingly forgot. The problem with that is you need the ENTIRE circulatory system. You need to transplant the heart and lungs in addition to the brain. You can replace the individual organs afterwards, but you need the entire torso intact in order to retain all the blood vessels connecting from the heart to the brain. Which means that the process as described in the article is false, due to being impossible to actually conduct. And things can go extremely badly for the potential implantee if there's a rejection to the cybernetics.

Fair points on most of the others though, I'll concede those to you. As for the geth, they may be good at fighting, but we didn't build them to actually do so in the first place as they did that by themselves. Not really a joke if it doesn't fit the context.

...No? You...you actually don't; given that it's entirely possible to replicate the functions of those organs with cybernetic analogues?

I...I'm really rather confused at the argument here, particularly given that, no stereotyping intended, it's a quarian arguing against the use of cybernetics and augmentation. Or rather, the fact of their impossibility.
Oh but I think you'll find it does.

And now things just became rather awkward.

The major organs are. It's the blood vessels themselves, down to each capillary required. Between the immense amount of work that would be need to recreate such a system synthetically, along with the VERY short window to connect the brain to it after it's removed and to set up the entire system so that it works. The performance gains seem embellished to downright unrealistic though

And I may be arguing about that, but that's mainly trying to warn people before we get get a horde of rebelling cyborgs trying to turn everyone into one of them because one moron decided to shut a few down over some sapient rights concerns or whatever.


...Welp, I think that just makes whoever had the bright idea to start shooting them a complete and utter moron. I mean, we could've conquered the galaxy with them, and we try killing them to comply with the council and it's laws.

...Which actually gets me thinking if there was some outside influence on that or not (Though that could go into it's own thread.)

What

No

you

you're stupid

shut up

shut up

shut up shut up shut up

up shut

the fuck shut up

I have actually (not sure if that was supposed to be a question, or just an HV game show style 'answer as a question' way of airing your assumption; sorry), and yes, I've experienced the strong instinctive reaction to the experience - doubly so since it was me the surgeon techs were rummaging around in (the phase two surgery of the Ultima-Dendr-Parassis build is one of those ones where it's handy for them to have patient feedback while they're working). But my conscious self being as harmonious as I can contrive with my physical self, I put the experience in what I felt was its proper context, and overall I'd describe the experience as 'otherworldly' without any particular negative associations. Not something I'd care to go through on a whim, I'm glad most of my other augmentations have been done while I was off in dreamland, but not the horror show you're suggesting.

If that's how you feel, it probably doesn't like you much either... But if what you're trying to express is the notion that 'you' are hosted entirely in your brain and the body is just some kind of squishy mech to carry you around, my understanding is that that model's wildly outdated. I believe it's now widely accepted that the body, exclusive of the brain, has a much more profound and sophisticated relationship with our sapience than reporting when we're hungry or tired or have stepped on a faBrix brick hiding in the carpet. And that's a major reason why I find this so disturbing, I'm not seeing a lot of evidence that that's being taken into account - these people are being asked to amputate a huge portion of their selves, and the assumption seems to be that it's just some disposable shell that won't affect "who they are". This is the kind of procedure that should only be undertaken (if it's proven to be viable in the long term at all) with extensive psychological study and preparation, and skipping that - apparently not even recognising the need for it - sounds like the surest way to guarantee these people are going to face very major difficulties with long-term adjustment.

A full conversion cybernetic individual is virtually entirely synthetic save for the brain. Many of the functions of their former organs are irrelevant, many of the analogues fulfill multiple roles, and their circulatory system is simplified as a result. Also they have regulatory casings for their brains.

Amazing.

It's almost like people thought this through.

Because you have a truly pitiful imagination?

...you are aware that there isn't really a "species" of transsapients or that they are, in fact, not one massive homogenous bloc correct, nor a hive mind, nor a vast collective and many, strangely enough, would be rather offended at the implication correct?

And what a profoundly stupid thread it would be.

So, to clarify, it's perfectly alright for you to take on such alterations because you have, and I quote "my conscious self being as harmonious as I can contrive with my physical self" which essentially boils down to "it didn't gross me out too much" but it's fundamentally wrong for someone else to do something that they clearly have reconciled with themselves?

There is actually nothing remotely funny about this.

In terms of jokes its a bad one.
So is your argument, what, that full conversions aren't people anymore? Or if they are they're hollow shells of who they once were?

I

The truly sad part of this is that I'm barely exaggerating what you're implying and Jesus Christ what you're actually saying is already utterly despicable.

Because the corporations, cartels, organizations, and nations taking them on have absolutely zero reasons, absolutely none at all, no not a single one

to make sure that the expensive jetpack equipped walking tank with flamethowers and a platoon's worth of assorted heavy weapons is psychologically stable and that they, the patrons with reputations and stakes in the trannsapient community, are not behaving in a literally cartoonishly evil fashion?

You say that as though it is somehow meaningful, my dear. Have you met many sentient beings?

As for the subject at hand, these augmentations are far from a new phenomenon - the Hegemony at the very least had been equipping their special forces with a wide variety of implants for decades, in addition to standard genetic modifications and the like. Certain high-ranking Seekers were more machine than biological, one of which died on Lorek during the Reaper War. I'm quite fond of subtle modifications myself.

For the record, I have to agree with Sandman on this one.

No, I'm not who I was before the war. Yes, there are times I'm jealous of the pain-free teenager who could enjoy the feeling of touch on flesh over his entire body.

But I'm also not the ruined burn victim I was after the war.

I don't think I would have ever had the nerve to get the augments I have were it not for the fire. I'm not certain whether that's a failure of courage on my part, or a wise attachment to what nature gave me. Regardless, I am still every bit as turian as I was before the augments and my Spirit is just fine, thank you.

As to whether I'm the same person - perhaps not, but any traumatic experience will do that. We could all ponder, for example, whether Vindi is the same person she was before her stay in prison. Or before she went to war. Or, Spirits, before she came to the Citadel.

I find it hilarious that the 'diplomatic' and 'accepting' council asari are being bigoted shitstains towards transapients here. Seriously, AProm is evidently fine with modifying yourself to be better at giving blowjobs, but Divine Mother forbid you voluntarily deal with your 'g-forces kill me', 'locked in syndrome' or 'compromised immune system means I die if I get a suit breach' problems.

For the record? The single most famous person in the galaxy, Commander Shepard, was basically full conversion.

Well, generally sentient beings do try not to get shot, unless they're on Hallex or have a death wish. LOKI mechs just walk towards you asking you to revise your aggressive attitude.

So lemme get this straight. You had surgery while conscious. And didn't flip out or have an instinctual fear response because you were 'harmonious' with your body.

Right.

I guess I just needed to be more harmonious, when they had to sedate me in that field hospital because I started freaking out the moment they started cutting my hardsuit off me. Maybe I could've been conscious when they were connecting my arm then!


The body is part of your identity not part of your sapience. A person trapped in a body that's been made useless by birth or injury is still sapient-that doesn't fucking change just because their body no longer works properly. I haven't been locked-in but I know how it feels to be trapped in your body.

It fucking sucks.

Transsapientism can do so much for people like me, with severe injuries and disabilities. I am not a lesser person because I have synthetic parts. And it's insulting for you to treat transsapients as lesser people.

Fuck that. This procedure can give someone locked inside their body a new life. And if people want to do it voluntarily, well shit man, that's their decision and their body. And it's not as if S+ and Typhoon Rising, who are the major transsapient advocacy groups aren't going around trying to turn everyone in cyborgs/ignoring any possible abuses by corporation sponsoring such surgery. They're very informative on the pros and cons of modification and often get involved if transsapientism is at the request of your employer.

I am still who I was before I got these parts put in-my fucking sapience wasn't in the parts they cut out or off. My body has become the fucking enemy for the last two years. When you've had a major debilitating injury that can only be resolved with decidedly unnatural means and you have to cover up in public because people stare at the amount of shiny bits you have.

Yeah, well, then you can get back to me.

Augments that let you blow turians = okay

Augments that improve you as a human being = unnatural perversion of the divine engine of our bodies

Christ on a pogo stick listen to yourself lady.