Cybernetics

The galaxy has centuries of advanced technology at its disposal. Among them are the ability to replace and, for a price, modify and enhance the body. Cloning is expensive and, given the horrors of the Clone Wars, illegal on most planets. Some limited regeneration of limbs is considered acceptable but there are medical dangers involved with a science that has, for obvious reasons, not seen much development in recent decades. For the majority of galactic citizens cybernetic replacements are the cheap, effective, legal, and safe solution to unfortunate and severe physical injuries.

For those willing to make the sacrifice of flesh and expense, the body can be "upgraded" to allow for additional skills and abilities. Some are very innocuous, the Shepherd chip issued to all military service members for instance. Others involve modifying the limbs and internal systems of the potential patient. As with everything in the galaxy this comes at a potential price, in credits and in the potential loss of self. You can easily go too far in attempting to be "more human than human".

When flesh fails — and sometimes even before then - cybernetics take over. Prosthetic limbs and replacement organs powered by batteries and controlled by electrical impulses are the low end of these procedures with sophisticated cybernetic hardware designed to improve or augment the recipient's body and mind at the high end of the scale. With cybernetics, we see the evolution of the cyborg - the ultimate fusion of biology and physics, of man and machine.

Cybernetic Types

Two major kinds of cybernetic attachments exist in the galaxy: replacements and enhancements.

Replacements: Replacements are prosthetic or artificial units intended to replace lost limbs and damaged organs. Common replacements provide no benefits other than duplicating the essential functions of their biological counterparts, and they present little strain on the beneficiary's overall wellbeing. In appearance, a cybernetic replacement can be recognizably artificial or virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Enhancements: Enhancements bestow new abilities or improve the recipient in some fashion. Enhancements include skeletal reinforcement, subcutaneous communications hardware, and weapon mounts. Some enhancements have visible external components, while others are hidden beneath the skin. Enhancements put more of a drain on the body's resources, and recipients frequently suffer debilitating physical or mental side effects.

General Enhancements

Shepherd Chip
This may or may not have been covered in your basic training. In any event, we will cover it again here. If you are a member of the Vast Empire military, you might remember an itch in your left hand after your initial medical scans. That itch is from the insertion of your Shepherd Chip. Alternate locations in the event of injury and loss of limb are in-bone insertion into your collar bone or hip bone.

The Shepherd Chip is a tiny microchip that contains your identification, medical records, and basic service information. Additionally, you can opt to include your banking and credit information. Others even alter their chip for use as a sentry key and vehicle or ship ignition chip.

Many devices are available that read Shepherd chips for both professional and personal purposes. A default setting allows you to exchange information with another person through a mere handshake.

When shopping, simply leaving a store with an item will automatically deduct the cost from your banking account if it has been configured to do so, easing the tensions of waiting in line to buy something.

Shepherd chips can also be linked to computers, datapads and neural implants so that more than just identification information can be stored. Also, personal management of your Shepherd chip is possible through these means.

Often, when sent on missions outside of Imperial space, your Shepherd chip will be backed up and a new profile added. This is helpful in undercover missions or in campaigns where you may risk the possibility of being captured.

Cosmetic Implants
This enhancement is a rather extreme makeover. Essentially you body is fully modified to give the appearance of any humanoid of similar body type. You can simply change ethnicity or go all-out and change species. Granted, you will not have the ability to emit pheromones like a Falleen or suck out someone's life essence like an Anzati, but you will physically be able to pass for one.

Artificial Muscle Fiber
Artificial muscle fibers are inserted into your body that are much stronger and resilient than what you were born with. You are limited to one per limb and one per torso.

Artificial Twitch Fiber
Twitch fibers are used to increase your reaction time, agility, and fine motor control by use of fast-twitch and slow-motor control fibers, and nerve boosters. You are limited to one per limb and one per torso.

Cyberport
While not a means to an end itself, you can add an interface to yourself that can be used to attach other cybernetic devices. You cannot add any cybernetic devices that are normally added via surgery nor vice versa. These specialized devices are often custom built and are usually weapons implants or standard arms and legs models created for a cyberport interface. It must be reiterated, the cyberport by itself is merely a jack to add on cyberport-enabled cybernetic devices.

Dermal Motors
These tiny servos are capable of pushing or pulling the skin, making it change form. You can make your skin tighten or loosen, change the shape of your nose or ears, alter the appearance of skin by removing or adding moles, wrinkles, and blemishes, as well as change your skin's texture. Reserve pockets of pigment allow you to change your skin color as well.

Flight System
This is an extremely rare and expensive operation that requires pre-surgical clearance in order to even be approved for the procedure. Essentially, a solar-powered flight system is grafted to your body, including large jets in your back for primary thrust and jets inserted into your feet or calves for flight control purposes. Your musculature and some bone structure is reinforced or even replaced to allow for your physical frame to handle the thrust this system creates. Post-recovery, you will be able to fly at up to 60 kilometers per hour for about 10 minutes at full speed. With good lighting, you can replenish your system in about an hour.

Reflex Wires
This surgery calls for the replacement of most of your nervous system with artificial nerves that can carry large quantities of information faster, allowing you to be amazingly fast and very efficient. Your agility, dexterity, and physical abilities will all improve post-surgery, and these translate to faster and more efficient combat performance.

Antigrav System
A cybernetic antigrav system is implanted into your torso that draws power from your own body, along with two directional gravity thrusters placed into both legs. You will be able to fly at 40 kilometers per hour post-surgery.

Limb Enhancements

Climbing Claws
Small, very sharp spikes are placed in the hands, wrists, elbows, knees, and feet to assist in climbing. These can also be used as close-in weapons in a pinch.

External Tool Mount
A cyberarm can end with a tool instead of a hand. This can be an interchangeable option similar to the cyberport, allowing for a variety of tools, weapons, and hand grips.

Flexible Joints
This ingenious cybernetic surgery replaces the patient's joints with double-jointed hinges that can change their rigidity, and are flexible in any direction. This cannot be paired with Locking Joints (listed below).

Jump Pistons
Very powerful pistons are inserted into each leg, allowing the recipient to be capable of sudden and very high/far jumps from a stationary position.

Locking Joints
Both arm joints are capable of locking in place, holding the position as long as desired. It is not possible to have both Locking Joints and Flexible Joints.

Spurs
A retractable set of blades (from two to three) ar built into the forearm of foot of the recipient. The weapon extends from the prosthethis and is visible only when in use.

Telescoping Limbs
Special cyberlimbs capable of telescoping out to about five feet (depending on body size of the recipient's "original" limbs) are implanted to allow for far reaching. Limb joints lock in place, and can hold the position for as long as desired.

Wheel Housing

Internal Tool Mount

Mermaid System

Pickpocket

Tactile Touch Wires

Viper Fang

Cognitive Probe

Prosthetic Booster

Rocket Hands

Cybernetic Gadgets

The following are additional options that can be enabled on each major cybernetic device. The important thing to remember about gadgets is that they do not add to the total cybernetic limit a sentient has, as they are additions to existing hardware, and not independent devices in their own right. Each provides an additional measure of either security or utility than would a standard off-the-shelf model.

Implied, of course, is an additional expenses plus potential injury or complications with pushing your cybernetic add-ons to the bleeding edge. This, however, is mitigated by the improved performance and usefulness granted by giving a little extra credits for a little extra oomph.

Booby-Trapped
For those with a severe paranoid streak, this gadget will allow a cybernetic device to function properly only for its owner. While the gadget can be disabled, its default setting is such that if the device is "separated" from its rightful owner, or is operated on or attempted to be physically removed, the trap is instantly triggered. None of these triggers will activate while the device is still attached.

Barbs - spikes or blades rapidly extrude from the device
Electric Shock - power cells in the device discharge into the sentient tripping the trap
Trigger Integrated Weapon - this is a use of the Integrated Cybernetic Device explained below, and is usually used to trigger an explosive device.

Compact
Wasted space is eliminated and smaller components used where possible to make the cybernetic device as small but still as functional as their standard counterparts. Indeed, through tightening the design, the device may operate more efficiently. A cybernetic device that uses more than one slot can be reduced by one slot through the use of a Compact design.

Hardened
Hardening a cybernetic device allows it to resist the effects of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP).

Inobvious
This is the process of making a cybernetic device...not look like one. Cybereyes cannot be discerned from what you were born with. Same with limbs, even subdermal and dermal armor.

Obviously, the use of cybernetic devices will usually belie their installation. If your average Joe can lift a blast shield door, all the synthflesh in the galaxy won't hide his cyberarms.

A good camouflage job can even baffle simple sensor scans, though not those of something taking a serious look at you. If nothing else, it stops all the slackjawed stares as you walk down the street.

Integrated Cybernetic Devices
These gadgets combine the function of two or more cybernetic devices into a single device that counts as only one implant towards your personal maximum limit. The most common use is when patients try to pack in as many features as possible, usually when adding filters to a cybereye. Also, variations on a theme, such as an explosive Booby Trap, as mentioned previously.

Miniaturized
Similar to the Compact gadget, a miniaturized device is composed of microscopic components, but at this level of fine detail, some functionality is lost. You can actually have a device that is both Compact AND Miniaturized, but with some obvious loss of performance.

Resilient
Tougher materials, better bracing, improved design, and dedicated engineers can create some very sturdy gear. These devices fit with your body better, are harder to damage, but with a significant cost increase.

Sensor Baffling
While a dedicated searcher can usually find a cybernetic implant, there are ways to confuse or even block the most cursory scans. For privacy's sake or to sneak in a cybernetic weapon to a not-so-friendly bar, sensor baffling technology can - to a certain extent - provide protection from all but a high-end medical or military scanning device.

Storage Compartment
Some implants are notorious for containing wasted space, often to conform the device to the original space taken by the limb or organ it is replacing. In some cases, this space can be converted into an internal storage compartment. Such compartments can be used as a cybernetic pocket or can be converted to stash weapons. For a slight additional cost, this compartment can be spring-loaded, making it a quick-draw receptacle for a vibroblade or hideout blaster.

Ultralight Composition
Lightweight alloys can be utilized in the construction of your cybernetic implant, making it as light or even lighter than the flesh-and-blood items they are replacing. Theoretically, a person could even weigh up to 10% lighter for each item replaced. Not the best method of weight loss, but something to consider if faced with a cybernetic replacement but not wanting to add on additional encumbrance.