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.

Holy shit,

brains in mech suits. Sweet Jesus.

Ain't all that new, ape. People have been doing this in the Terminus for a while, now.

Nothin' short of impressive, really.

Integrated. Integrated. Nobody else gets freaked out by this?


FTFY

ANNOUNCING MECHANICAL CONTAINMENT UNIT CONVERSION SURGERY NOW AVAILABLE AT DOCTOR BOSK'S!

Survival rate is VERY HIGH!*

Tired of your weak and flabby batarian body? Get that superior brain into a badass human-crushing mechanical suit that never tires or needs to eat. That's right, the future is here! Now at Doctor Bosk's, I'm willing and completely* able to surgically remove a brain and put it into a robotic body, thanks to the help of my lovely vorcha assistant Vlassk.

Come on down and you've got 15% off!*

can skhash get a body with rocket fists?

that 15 feet tall. and breath fire.

No, you're not.

I'm not the only one getting borderline Cerbie vibes off this, am I?

I find the notion of the interviewee claiming food as a bonus silly, given he can only enjoy saline-glucose solution at best directly administered to the jar his brain is in.

yes, this is unimaginable and weird. The Cerberus reference is only part of the creep.

It is said that physical scarring goes hand in hand with mental scarring. The person inside may even believe she's the same but she's not. It is a new entity created out of pain. I would not want such an existance.
I know good people with artificial limbs who live happily with them so don't get me wrong here, it's kind of a gradual thing and largely individual, but this is truely an end of a scale I'd rather not explore.

You people are aware that Citadel metric of what constitutes "right and proper" bodily alteration is, by definition, confined to Citadel Space yes? And therefore, generally, not relevant in better than half the galaxy?

Really people transsapientism, S+, all of that fine stuff is, ironically, not all that new; and I speak in both the literal (it's seriously been around for a very long time) and metaphorical (this particular brand of change and alteration is hardly restricted to this singular subject). To elaborate, transsapientism is a tool and a resource. It is not innately evil, twisted, or perverted insofar as it does not compromise an individual's mental and ethical agency. I mean seriously, it's not a hard concept: it's not what you have that matters it's what you do with it.

And so Cerberus indulged in practices that bear as much resemblance to most transsapient motivated operations as a particularly spritely blue whale does to a cruiser; that is to say in a convoluted fashion

virtually nothing.

At the risk of sounding callous so what? Shall a perfectly legitimate institution be disbanded because some people entire clusters away found themselves getting slightly squeamish at the idea of cybernetics?

I find the notion of an individual not being aware that the category of "senses" encompasses taste or of the existence of synthetic digestive tracts or tongue analogues decidedly silly. I also find virtually everything you say decidedly silly though that's more because you're a cretin of absolutely calamitous proportions rather than a comedian.

Then you, my dear, apparently don't have much of an imagination because this is a thing that has happened, literally, millions of times.
This is pseudo-spiritual bullshit predicated upon a gross reduction and defamation of transsapientist beliefs and, frankly darling, I am having none of it.

C-Space, where exploring the boundaries of the sapient experience is unimaginable and weird.


'a new entity created out of pain'. What. What even is this, you're saying that A) A treatment for horrible injuries or B) An entirely voluntary sapient augmentation procedure are creating a new entity out of pain. You're deligitimizing an enormous amount of people because you aren't comfortable with what they are.

Man, I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore.


I imagine S+ doesn't want a reactionary, close minded shite.


"Oh, I'm not horribly bigoted, I have minority friends."


Have you got the cash?


It's bad word choice, but it's not really that freaky. We've basically been doing it bit by bit for centuries. Replacing legs with cybernetics, bonding nanoweaves and skeletal enforcers to our bodies, etc. It's just that now we can go a step further. Eliminate Vrolik's syndrome or one of those other nasty genetic disorders that horribly cripple people, treat quadrapalegics, etc.

No quarian needs to die of an immune reaction anymore. Ever.

It's kind of scary (I get not wanting to do it), but it's not exactly 'Oh noes, new cerbies'.


He's an indentured merc, but with tactile feedback tech and the like it's not exactly a walking coffin. Taste, feel, smell, we can wire up the requisite sensors now. If you could convince your boss, you could even fuck. The only issues the normal 'contract with megacorps' stuff.

Never breed.

Anyway. I won't say the process doesn't sound radical and frightening, because I'll happily admit to getting weirded out at the thought. Conceptually, however, it's perfectly fine. If it's your choice to have the procedure, if it's what you believe, then why not? What kind of leg do dissenters have to stand on if you're not hurting anyone? Besides, the organic body is just a shell that's made of meat instead of metal, shaped by trillions of years of trial and error rather than carefully planned out by very smart scientists and engineers and mechanical architects and cyberware specialists in a couple of decades give or take. Kind of puts it in perspective.

Of course it sounds like biotics would get hard-fucked by this deal but hey, what can you do.

But yeah, it's conceptually fine. The only issue is in the execution. Getting loopholed, putting all that trust in someone to scoop your brain out, the possibility of problems down the line or doing it for the wrong reasons. The guy they interviewed sounds just peachy about it, so... what's with everyone going 'ewwww Cerbies ;~;'?

Having your brain cut out seems a bit extreme to me, you know, I wouldn't do it. But if they give consent,it's their business.

I got a lot of bits in me now I wasn't born with. I'm not some different person due to that. In fact, without those bits of metal and cyberware and neural integration nodes, I wouldn't be able to walk and I certainly wouldn't be able to look forward to regaining full mobility. 'Sides, S+ has some great newsletters for adjusting transsapients.

Power cores plus element zero deposits interlinked with synthetic neural net plus training equals reliable mechanical biotics

with minimal risk of cancer or peripheral nervous disorders (largely to the, well, separation of the brain from the aforementioned).

Personally I'd be glad to do away with the whole digestive tract with its assorted unpleasantries and myriad ways of making me sick, but each to their own. Synthetic digestive tract though...I'm unsure about that.

In any case, good job the corps have the tech to keep life 'life-like' despite the brain-in-a-jar solution.

As for the newsarticle comment box essayist's provo, nice try but I'm not going to bother.

Looking at a far higher cost for one compared to a regular, organic biotic. And you still have the normal operating costs of a standard biotic along with the maintenance costs of the robotic body.

Not to mention you still have the weaknesses of an organic with these too: They can be asphyxiated, starved, dehydrated. Not exactly things anyone wants in a supersoldier of sorts. Labour-wise, you'd be better off just networking a few mechs or just automating the entire factory where possible.

Medically, it's a decent idea, provided it was regulated so that it's distributed to those that actually need it, rather than letting some megacorps pick up indentured servants or some hobbyist that has the money to pay for it.

Between the costs, and the fact that you'd still need a circulatory system (Something which the article neglects to mention) and the sheer vulnerability to EMP weapons to a point that it's more effective on them than it would be on a "Pure" synthetic entity, it isn't that viable as an overall idea.

Most mechs are still limited by one thing: their VIs.

Ever gotten into combat with a LOKI mech? They have no grasp of tactics whatsoever. Even a YMIR, while formidable, is predictable. This has the intelligence of a sentient being.

I would like to pooint out I only advocated mechs for workplace purposes, not for combat. For that, traditional flesh-and-blood organics would still be the optimal choice compared to a complete "Cyborg". Sure, the performance may not be as great, but they're only vulnerable to one set of weaknesses, and they're cheaper to initially outfit and maintain too.

That's a good point. Answer for us, Mr. Aleksanders? What kind of EMP shielding, surge protection, brain oxygenation etc etc goes into a cyborg body?

I was freaked out well before that, but... honestly, that part at least I think we can put down to just a PR gaffe (or alternatively, the author quietly hoping for exactly that response).

Still. I'm no opponent of tweaking mother galaxy's handiwork here and there, I'm pretty non-standard myself in a variety of ways. But this is... this scenario repels me, on a gut level, and I think it's a case where the gut is onto something that I ought to listen to. I feel our minds are bodies are very deeply joined, and mixed with one another, and severing that connection is a much more profound process that seems to be being recognised by the people orchestrating this. I don't believe we understand ourselves this well, not yet - perhaps one day, but not yet. And the people who are going to suffer the ill effects are in the supremely disadvantaged position of being indentured to the people who have a strong vested interest in everything appearing to be smooth sailing. That's a recipe for misery, if you ask me - if not inherent in the process, then inherent in the way that process is being realised here.

I actually really don't see the problem here. I mean, if the person agrees to it, of course. Personally, I'm amazed they can adjust between multiple bodies, because the man they spoke with mentioned a civilian suit?

Does the brain still, y'know, age? I know that sounds stupid, of course it does, but I mean does it eventually degrade, or can they stop age from taking a real toll on someone with this?

Oh, actually this gives me a good opportunity to pitch Ulgo Mor's "The Mirror on the Ceiling", which will be released next week. Mor describes it as an odyssey through the process of procedures such as this. [Subscribe] to the Armali Literature guild for special deals on the latest novels and specialty data slates.

(I need to work on subtlety)