The Grey
Source (x)
"Are those freaks even Human?"
-Anonymous Army Trooper
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION- Intent: Creating the augmentation procedures used in Project: Afterlife, the Project is responsible for providing Death Trooper Supersoldiers with their Surgical and Chemical augmentations, head-and-shoulders more advanced than those received by their predecessors centuries ago.
- Image Source: Source
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: Bio-engineering, Cloning, Cybernetics, Cybernetic Implants, Death Trooper Augmentations, Gene Therapy, Mutant, Ragithian Human, Skeleton, Telomere Genotherapy.
- Manufacturer: First Order Security Bureau
- Model: Project: AFTERLIFE
- Cost: 7,000,000 Credits (Per Subject)
- Informal Name: Death Trooper Augmentation Program
- Type: Surgical-Biochemical-Cybernetic Physiological Enhancement Procedure
- Legal Status: Lawful (Procedure not available on the civil market)
- Affiliation: Luther Ando, Rexus Wenck, Kyli DT-6767, Dergan Twigg
- Modularity: Yes (Voluntary or physiological rejection of certain augmentations)
- Production: Semi-Unique (Luther Ando, Rexus Wenck, Kyli DT-6767, Dergan Twigg)
- Material: Stygian-Triprismatic Polymer, Titanium.
- Augmented Myelinogenesis Reaction System.
- Cardio-Vascular System Cybernetic Augmentation
- Chemically-Induced Mutagenesis
- Cloned Dermal Grafting
- Cloned Epidermal Grafting
- Cloned Muscle Grafting
- Chondrocyte Cell Strengthening & Lengthening
- Cybernetically-Augmented Clotting Phase
- Cybernetically-Augmented Immune System
- Cybernetic Respirator (High Quality, Silent)
- Gene Therapy
- Muscle Growth Hormone Production Increase
- Nerve Enchancement Package
- Neuroendocrine System Reconstruction
- Occipital Capillary-Flow Inversion
- Osteoneogenesis
- Rybcoarse-Bonded Musculature
- Stygian-Triprismatic Polymer-Bonded Skeletal Structure
- Stygian-Trismatic Polymer-reinforced Joints
- Telomere Lengthening & Strengthening
- Analgesic Resistance (99.9% Incidence, treated with non-human analgesic stims)
- Anesthestic Resistance (99.9% Incidence, treated with non-human anesthetic stim combinations)
- Bipolar Disorder (52% Incidence, treated with stims)
- Cascading Tissue Rejection (20% Incidence, Fatal)
- Elephantitis (1% Incidence, treated with stim injections)
- Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (8% Incidence, treated with Gene Therapy)
- Hyperacidity (41% Incidence, treated with Ph buffer stims)
- Hypercoagulation (47% Incidence, treated with anti-coagulation stims)
- Hyperpituitarism (13% Incidence, treated with Hormone-Regulation Therapy)
- Infertility (11% Incidence)
- Muscular Dystrophy (21% Incidence, treated with rehabilitation)
- Parkinson's Disease (13% Incidence, treated with stims)
- Pericardial Effusion (21% Incidence, treated with stims)
- Retinal Detachment (14% Incidence, treated with cybernetic prosthesis)
- Suppressed Sexual Drive (35% Incidence)
- Synovitis (33% Incidence, treated with stims)
- Psychosis (55% Incidence, treated with stims)
- Viral Myocarditis (17% Incidence, treated with stims)
- Agility & Speed: The Procedure results in greatly increased endurance especially in the Cardio-Vascular System with experimental tests revealing that subjects are capable of reaching running speeds in excess of 52 km/h and recover from fatigue faster than the baseline Human.
- Endurance & Strength: Each subject who receives the procedure exhibits massive increases in muscle mass and density providing strength comparable to the most powerful baseline Human athletes. Their muscular strength is further enhanced with a Rybcoarse-derived polymer bonded to their muscles which triples their already impressive output; giving physical power that considerably exceeds what their appearance suggests. The subjects' skeletons are reinforced with a Stygian-Polymer to handle the increased stress placed on them by their Rybcoarse polymer-bonded muscles, these enhancements leave each subject an average 20-30 kilograms heavier than their pre-procedure weight.
- Immune System Strength: Thanks to a plethora of Surgical and Chemical augmentations the subjects find themselves able to resist a wide variety of Poisons, Toxins and diseases commonly found across the universe. The model of cybernetic respirator implanted in the Thoracic region filters out harmful airborne agents and permits brief survival in a vacuum environment but does not permit them to breathe underwater like some models.
- Nervous System Enhancements: Increased production of Myelin sheaths managed by a Cybernetic Implant results in much faster transmission of electrical signals from the nervous system to elsewhere inside the body. Resulting in reaction time being reduced by approximately 300% with most observers noting that the subjects seem to be able to react to things before the Human eye can perceive them.
- Service Life: As a result of their Gene Therapy and augmentations it's predicted that each graduate of afterlife will have a greatly extended lifespan and as a result; service life which is predicted to exceed each candidate's eighty-seventh birthday at the least with little if any deterioration in physical performance. Furthermore, it's expected as the subject's live with the Augmentations they'll become more efficient over time as their bodies adjust to them.
- Buoyancy: Increased density in bodily tissue combined with a plethora of cybernetic implants leaves each subject with difficulty in remaining afloat in water and other liquid substances including bacta.
- Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation: Subjects who graduate Project: AFTERLIFE cannot receive Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation due to the nature of their skeletal augmentations which make their bones practically unbreakable, making it difficult or nigh impossible to provide CPR as a treatment when necessary as the force required to break their thoracic regions' bones would almost certainly also crush the organs they protect.
- Clotting: If subjects of Project: AFTERLIFE do not apply their stims to treat contracted Hypercoagulation and then receive an injury in the circulatory system that requires clotting they are at massive risk of receiving a pulmonary embolism as the blood clots can get trapped within their heart, lungs or elsewhere in the circulatory system leading to heart failure.
- Force Powers: Despite all of their augmentations the individuals who undergo the procedure are just as vulnerable as they were before to force abilities, abilities which rely on the senses to inflict pain or discomfort tend to be particularly effective. Because of the modifications made to their brains mind-trick and dominate-mind are two abilities with high effectiveness.
- Force Presence: Subjects who receive the procedures contained in Project: Afterlife have a very peculiar and distinct presence within the force and they are easy to detect for an attentive adept as a result regardless if the subject is force sensitive or not.
- Force Sensitivity: Individuals who are force wielders or force sensitives and become subjects in Project: AFTERLIFE have their focus on the force eviscerated post-procedure making it nigh impossible for one to concentrate sufficiently and channel the force with any notable potency leaving any force aptitude greatly diminished to minimal at best and non-existent at worst. Effectively forcing a potential candidate to choose between the path of a Force Wielder, or Non-Force Wielder before undergoing the procedure.
- Irreversible: Receiving the procedure is a one-way street and the augmentations are practically irreversible, how one chooses to live with these augmentations and their side effects during service life or beyond is ultimately dependent on each subject.
- Limited Production: Due to the prohibitive cost of their augmentation procedures, First Order Death Troopers are an excessively rare sight and any NPC units featuring them must be player-character majority.
- Nerve Agents: None of the Procedures within Project: AFTERLIFE grant a resistance or immunity to nerve agents making them a perfect weapon to use against the subjects or tool to be used to paralyse them.
- Sensory Overload: Graduates of Project: Afterlife are left with Superhuman levels of taste, visual acuity & colour perception, touch, scent, and hearing. And and this can be used against them in some situations; particularly in the form of acoustic/sonic weaponry where sound usually considered discomforting can be quite painful to unprotected ears and highly disorientating. Force lightning is such an ability which can inflict crippling amounts of pain and even paralysis due to muscle contractions.
- Side Effects: The augmentation procedure has many side effects, some severely impacting quality of life in some cases requiring extensive multi-disciplinary rehabilitation while others are chronic albeit mild requiring continual pharmacological treatment. It also as the added bonus of subtly encouraging graduates to remain loyal to the First Order, else their pain overcomes them.
- Stim Dependency: To counter some of the more radical alterations made to their body, Graduates of Project: AFTERLIFE suffer from a variety of chronic psychological and physiological ailments such as encroaching Psychosis, Hyper-coagulation and Hyper-acidity requiring steady access to counter-mutagen stims to regulate their bodies. Reducing their capacity for long-term deep-reconnaissance without material support.
DESCRIPTION
"Unencumbered by ethics we shall reach the apex of Human evolution, and we shall lead the galaxy under the supreme leader's guidance to a bright and prosperous future."
-Anonymous Human Chemist
Project: AFTERLIFE is a series of biochemical, surgical and cybernetic procedures applied to "Death Trooper" candidates who have progressed passed pre-training screening and been inducted into First Order Special Forces to begin the "Pinnacle Warfare Course" The procedures in their totality are often considered unethical and immoral tampering with Human physiology though the First Order's Military are unwilling to be tethered down by such constraints when faced with the potential that Project: AFTERLIFE promises. The goal of the project is to create soldiers who stand above all others, unmatched in their physical and combat performance through a series of modifications made to the Human body incorporating existing cybernetic techniques used for milennia and new chemical and surgical processes developed exclusively for use within Project: AFTERLIFE. The new procedures were developed using flash-cloned specimens from a variety of Near-Human species along with baselines Humans to evaluate their effects both positive and undesirable; Near-Humans suffered massive casualties from rejection during the testing phase for the project in excess of 90% and were thus deemed unsuitable to receive them while baseline Humans fared dramatically between at only a 20% rejection rates with much better prospects for rehabilitation which is often multi-disciplinary and resource intensive but even a rehabilitated patient who initially rejects the augmentations only to accept them later or after multiple operations is better than a dead one. In contrast to their predecessors there are no height and weight requirements before induction provided they can meet fitness standards, as a result of their advanced augmentations. Any cybernetic prosthesis a subject has received prior to induction are removed and replaced with a prosthetic cloned from the subject's own generic material.
All subjects of Project: AFTERLIFE are subjected to a battery of Gene Therapies after having their baseline Genomes cataloged to repair any damaged genes or replace missing ones, turning each subject into a prime example of baseline Human capability; fine turning their body's cardio-vascular, digestive, immune, endocrine, neuroendocrine and nervous systems even before they undergo the invasive procedures, resulting in increased Strength, Endurance, Constitution, Dexterity, Speed, and Intellect. Telomere Genotherapy is performed at this stage aswell to grant each subject what are projected to be unnaturally long lives with a reduction in aging and performance, though it's unlikely given their nature they'll see the end of their life spans naturally or succumb to disease. During the augmentation process proper the Surgical augmentations take precedence with chemically-induced Osteogenesis where the entire skeleton become more broad and larger giving the subject a greater stature of an averge 14-18cm taller than their pre-augmentation height, removing height requirements. A thin stygian-polymer being bonded to the entire skeletal structure with the joints all being replaced with prosthetic constructed from the polymer, making the subject's bones practically unbreakable save heavy debris landing on them or some other massive mechanical force applied. This is necessary for the massive amount of stress that their new muscular structure exerts under stress which is adequate to shatter and disintegrate the bones of baseline Humans, tiny microscopic holes are drilled into the thin polymer prior to bonding this act ensures that bone and blood cell function and production continues normally if the polymer was too thick the body would experience osteonecrosis and lymphonecrosis.
Each subjects' musculature is surgically enhanced extensively; first the medical team clones extra muscle tissue from the subject making the risk of rejection of the tissue close to zero and then grafts it onto the existing muscle around the skeleton significantly strengthening connective tissues and visible muscles' mass and density providing strength usually only attainable by the most physically powerful and athletic baseline Humans, following this the Muscles are bonded with a Rybcoarse-derived polymer which amplifies this base strength output by 300% giving each subject triple the physical power and endurance a baseline Human of comparable size would possess, making it possible for the subjects to successfully engage and subdue species such as Wookies and Huok without specialist equipment in hand-to-hand fighting. Increased Oxygen intake for their newfound power is achieved through their Gene Therapy and a cybernetic-based weave that increases the heart's strength dramatically maximum beats per minute, with the result being the subjects being athletic monsters who often feel more beast than man with a heightened pain tolerance; suppressing their shock response allowing subjects to ignore what would normally be ghastly or life-threatening injuries and continue functioning. To help address the injuries Death Troopers might receive in combat their bodies are surgically implanted with nanotechnology which coaxes their nervous system to spur the immune system into working harder to clot injuries and fight infectious diseases. Their Immune system is bolstered further with two cybernetic organs which replace the kidneys, making the subject highly resistant to the symptoms of most documented diseases, poisons and toxins with the notable exception of nerve agents for example. This has the novel impact of making the subjects incapable of becoming intoxicated or inebriated through the consumption of alcohol or use of recreational spices.
Colour Perception and Visual Acuity is increased dramatically by the inversion of blood flow through the occipital capillaries; the front and visual processing center of the Human brain. This forces the more highly oxygenated blood towards the cones and rods of the eyes strengthening them considerably, permitting subjects to see clearly in low-light settings as if a nocturnal predator and easily read fine print across large spaces that would make them indecipherable to the baseline Human's gaze. Subject reaction times are massively decreased through a combination of Surgical and Chemical techniques, the surgical technique is to implant a cybernetic device over the two separate halves of the brain which permits electrical impulses to travel to and from the nerves throughout the body reducing the reaction to stimuli significantly and dramatically improving fine motor control, aiding agility and the operation of complex weapons and vehicles. Additionally, a nerve enhancement Implant helps to regulate feedback from the nerves into the brain; preventing the subject from losing consciousness due to sudden blows or sensory overloads making the subjects extremely difficult to physically subdue by most soldiers with Blaster rifles. Finally, the subjects receive epidermal and dermal grafting from their own cloned tissue to have any marks, blemishes, damage and identifying features such as Scars or Tattoos removed and replaced by unmarred skin.
The bodies of the candidates following the surgical procedures then receive a series of chemically-induced mutagenesis with their body's chemical composition becoming radially divergent from baseline Humans; their Chondrycyte cell production and strength increases dramatically helping to clot wounds that have breached the dermis, permitting Subjects to receive less medical care following an injury and remain functioning. Significant changes to the frontal lobe of the brain occur with modifications to judgement and impulse control, the candidates' frontal and temporal lobes are re-programmed amplifying the aggressive emotional response to danger an attempt to suppress the Human flight-instinct aiding their focus on combat. Pain signals from the nerves are suppressed to increase the subject's endurance and pain tolerance further, allowing the subjects to ignore injuries that may prove fatal having the benefit of allowing subjects to function although potentially delaying critical medical attention. The Shock Response to emotional distress or fear is suppressed by the mutagenesis and permits optimal blood pressure and flow throughout the entire body at all times, vasoconstriction is suppressed while the adrenal gland's hormone production such as adrenaline is increased after reconstruction of the Neuroendocrine system but this also has the unintentional side effect of permitting any puncture wounds inflicted on the Trooper to exhibit a high egress of blood; one of the reasons their clotting is so augmented to permit this blood to congeal into a gel quickly before exsanguination becomes a significant risk. One of the chemical mutagens targets the subject's nervous system and results in increased Myelinogenesis, Myelin sheaths protect the nerves from electrical impulses allowing signals to meet less resistance when travelling along nerve clusters the effect of this is subject reaction time to physical stimuli is reduced by an average 300% when combined with the Surgically Implanted Reaction System. Facing the subjects in close-quarters fighting for most Humanoid soldiers would be considered suicide, capable of moving and reacting faster than the majority of humanoid species can perceive naturally putting the augmented subjects on a level-playing field with trained force wielders. Their increased muscle mass is maintained with the dramatically increased production of muscle growth hormone driven by a chemically mutated endocrine system which also optimizes lactic acid production to allow muscles to perform at peak performance.
While there are significant physiological benefits to the augmentation process there is also a great number of drawbacks that necessitate constant medical screening and monitoring including but not limited to the plethora of Psychological and Emotional issues that arise without appropriate treatment. The most prominent of these is the concurrent onset of symptoms consistent with Clinical Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder due to the sheer amount of chemically-induced mutageneis introduced into each subject's brain, without access to stims or epidermal patches containing the prescribed counter-mutagen the Subjects should become irritable and erratic experiencing mood swings before steadily progressing witnessing hallucinations before being unable to distinguish between these hallucinations and reality often becoming uncontrollably violent. An issue compounded by the fact they are incredibly difficult to subdue through conventional means, they're all but immune to the Anasthetic and Analgesics used on baseline Humans and require pain killers and aesthetic normally reserved exclusively for beasts due to their augmentations and in high dosages. Besides the Psychological changes experienced, each subject receives steady Ph-buffer treatment for hyper-acidity which can be excruciatingly painful even for the augmented subjects where the stomach's hydrochloric acid becomes excessively corrosive. Another unfortunate side effect of their augmentations is that subjects cannot receive CPR and their bones have been rendered practically unbreakable; making compression of the sternum in the Thoracic region nigh impossible.
Losing consciousness and a cessation of heartbeat without near immediate access to advanced medical care spells almost certain death for the subject. Their sharpened senses leave them vulnerable to sounds that would otherwise not be perceivable to the Human ear and can be quite disorientating with symptoms such as nausea and vertigo being reported by test subjects. Pain signals from the nerves are suppressed and the mutagen's used on the brain focus on optimizing performance even when under severe physiological stress or experiencing pain that would normally prove debilitating, the issue arising from this is their augmentation don't actually make them immune to internal organ damage and they could very well ignore injuries that could very-well be life threatening if treatment is neglected. Additionally, if deprived their anti-coagulation mutagen stims and receive an injury that requires clotting their blood tends to congeal at inappropriate locations throughout the thoracic region making it possible for the subject to receive a cardiac embolism or experience a heart attack, the former of which is incredibly dangerous and has the capacity to instantly kill the subject. Due to their counter-mutagen dependence if an interrogator wanted to extract information out of their subject all they'd have to do is lock them in a cell and wait for the numerous side-effects to take hold. Generally each subject is provided with a water-proof adhesive epidermal patch which is placed on the ventral surface of forearm, containing a potent cocktail of counter-mutagen stims to address the augmentation's side effects, generally this patch contains enough stims to provide relief for 72 hours at which point it must be replaced. Sub-dermal implants can also be used for the same purpose, although for convenience the epidermal patches are the most commonly issued and prescribed medication authorised for the subjects post-procedure. Each subject's post and pre-procedure genetic and biochemical profile is also securely stored by the FOSB and Military Headquarters for future medical care.
Mod request 9.3.18
Original Section(s):
Strengths:
New Section(s):
Reword old strength:
Endurance & Strength: Each subject who receives the procedure exhibits massive increases in muscle mass and density providing strength comparable to the most powerful baseline Human athletes. Their muscular strength is further enhanced with a Rybcoarse-derived polymer bonded to their muscles which triples their already impressive output; giving physical power that considerably exceeds what their appearance suggests. The subjects' skeletons are reinforced with a Stygian-Polymer to handle the increased stress placed on them by their Rybcoarse polymer-bonded muscles, these enhancements leave each subject an average 20-30 kilograms heavier than their pre-procedure weight.
Strengths:
- Endurance & Strength: Thanks to extensive surgical, chemical and cybernetic augmentation each subject who receives the procedure exhibits massive increases in muscle mass & density to reach the peak of baseline Human athleticism, with their physical output further increased with a Rybcoarse-derived polymer bonded to their musculature which triples their base strength. The subjects' skeletons are reinforced with a Stygian-Polymer to handle the increased stress, these enhancements leave each subject an average 20-30 kilograms heavier than their pre-procedure weight.
New Section(s):
Reword old strength:
Endurance & Strength: Each subject who receives the procedure exhibits massive increases in muscle mass and density providing strength comparable to the most powerful baseline Human athletes. Their muscular strength is further enhanced with a Rybcoarse-derived polymer bonded to their muscles which triples their already impressive output; giving physical power that considerably exceeds what their appearance suggests. The subjects' skeletons are reinforced with a Stygian-Polymer to handle the increased stress placed on them by their Rybcoarse polymer-bonded muscles, these enhancements leave each subject an average 20-30 kilograms heavier than their pre-procedure weight.
