((this definitely seems like a labor intensive game for the gm. I will be grudgingly willing to drop out for the sake of compactness of game, if that helps Aoshimichio make it a better game for the remaining participants.))
Oh come on now. I said I can handle eight players. Certainly it is undeniably intensive, and that's exactly the reason I put absolute timelimit of 31st September so I won't burn myself out in this. I have learned enough about my capacities and limits to know I need such short deadlines. In all likelihood this is how I'm going to conduct all my games in future; short with definite and reachable goals. Now let's see, this is...
Day 3Continue to get scienced upon by mister devilspoon man
No science shall be inflicted upon you before Spoon from Hell has something "safe".
"Mmm, a quantum computing cybernetic brains seems the obviously superior choice", Meshanblov muses over another mug of coffee, "Still a lot of untapped potential in that field". He scribbles a note to work on some emp hardening once the fundamentals of the new supersoldier were done.
Meshablov works on the exoskeleton, artificial muscles and quantum cyberbrain
Framework for exoskeleton is finished. It's a barebones, armor is seriously lacking, but at least it's done. Hollow, shaped tubes of chitin-derived material for limbs and matching hollow barrel of chest to contain important systems. It won't win beauty pageants, but perhaps some fugly pageants. Function before form. Naturally it can be adapted to various forms, but you almost ashamed to look at it. It needs pretty armor platings quickly. Half of the day is spent with lab assistants carving polyurethane placeholder armorplating for it. Actually it might be better to completely rebuild it for field testing, gonna be faster now that you have mechanisms and knowledge to reproduce it.
Next on line is the mobility to make it move. Something imitating organic musculature, but superiour by all means. You remember having a good idea how to do this, but now that it is time work with it, you can't recall what it was. Something good, very good. Losing a brilliant lead is not something you want to admit, so you spend too much time trying to remember. Ultimately you have to give up chasing the fleeting dream and actually work on
something, as not to waste the day. You scetch up a simple idea using something similar to sinew to connect the exoskeleton and whatever you end up using as a muscle.
Research in progress:
Artificial muscles
To be researched:
Cybernetic brain copy
Miniature nuclear reactor
High density capacitors
EMP hardening
Modular design
Research done:
Armored exoskeleton structure
"Philosophy has generated much discussion on the manifold complex matters of knowledge, feeling, learning, meaning and indeed the very soul - if only Kant could have been there to see us uncover one horrible truth after another, the very substrate of their musings laid bare in brutal simplicity."
Head Researcher Curious George, Knuckle Deep In The Mind, A Memoir
Take 30 of the test subjects and work out designs for their nervous systems. Three groups:
- 10 are designed to maximize coordination, reaction times and learning ability for physical and mental skills.
- 10 are designed to facilitate a training period in which they quickly and rapidly form bonds of extreme loyalty, empathy and thus extreme capacity for cooperation, preferably inducible through a designer cocktail of neurochemicals.
- 10 are designed to have both parameters.
Request more test subjects. If questions are asked, produce evidence of momentous research results.
Check how much these alterations cost. Reasonable or wildly expensive at the moment?
I don't think I can combine those under any umbrella term so I'm gonna list those separately. Mostly.
For increased coordination modifications for cerebellum are required and minor changes into spinal cord. This is learned ability, everybody can increase their body coordination with training, so everything needed to increase it is actually already in place. What is actually needed is cause these these natural changes happen rapidly
without training. You perform cursory surgery to confirm state your subjects currently are in. With records made you jump on to next matter.
Which is improving reaction times. Again, this too is improvable via training, so approach to this problem will be similar, you conclude. With your subjects conviently on operation tables you poke around their brains, more or less accidentally causing brain death of three. Oh well, more people on the table. It's not like you are lacking in test subjects.
Third matter is improved learning ability. This, you realize, is considerably harder matter because unlike the other two it is not solved by modifying one or two relatively small areas in the brain. No, this is scattered all over the place. However you have groundbreaking theory supporting your work, so the goal is definitely archievable.
Last matter to deal today is modified extension of your original purpose. Cocktail of various substances is certainly what you want there. Not only that, but closed enviroment too. A group is knit together through hardships. A trial by fire if you will. Few days of sustained drug abuse should do the trick. Drugs you specifically need to design. Tomorrow.
As you brush your teeths before bed you realize something. While you can certainly design all these neurological changes, implementing them is entirely different matter. Neurons don't just jump in proper configuration when you call them. New neurons won't pop into existance heeding your call. Separate delivery system is required. Bacteria? Virus? Nanobots? Hmm...
Research in progress:
Improved coordination
Improved reaction times
Improved learning ability
10 + 5 subjects
Improved cooperative bonding
10 + 5 subjects
To be researched:
Forced friendship
Martial arts training
10 test subjects - 1 days trained
Major Technologies:
NERVOUS SYSTEM DESIGN AND UNDERSTANDING
Test subjects expired: 11
let's put intelligence increasing on hold for now. power armor would make a subject nearly invincible, but the first thing i need is a lightweight, but incredibly sturdy material. How would carbon nanotubes work for an inner shell? and a Aluminum/Tungsten alloy for the outer shell.
i am going to be unable to access the computer for a week of so, my default actions are
research improving training speeds, improve exoskeleton, advanced energy generation, rail-guns.
No problem. Having something in buffer helps absences.
Layered lightweight armor? Hmm. Well, inner layer should be something form fitting so any leftover kinetic force is evenly distributed. Perhaps something similar to non-newtonian liquids? Not entirely, but similar in function regarding kinetic impacts. It would do any good if inner layer were to slouch off before use. Oh wait, power armor? Well then. It needs something shock absorbing as long as outer layer is not penetrated. Carbon nanotube sponge?
Considering you are planning to use rail guns, it's not unreasonable to assume your competitors plan something similar. Therefore outer layer must be able to take heavy supersonic lumps without too much of deformation. So certain level of malleability is needed to absorb energy, but not too much. Alternatively ablative armor, but that will just fall apart under heavy fire. Hrm. If metal could reform after being damaged it would be awesome. Entire new kind of memory metal. Feels like the way to go.
Research in progress:
Layered lighweight armor
To be researched:
Improved training speeds
Improved exoskeleton
Advanced energy generation
Rail-guns
Intelligence increasing treatments
50 test subjects + 15 + 1
Test subjects expired: 6
Perhaps I can be more efficient by searching each test subject's brain for not just reflexes but other attributes that make good soldiers.
That begets question: what attributes do make a good soldier? Superior reaction times are important, naturally. Emotions are probably another. Removing their empathy and basically all other emotions would remove any hesitation when it comes time to kill. Perhaps flood their brains with endorphins when obeying orders? That would make them brutally effective. It probably requires training to make them associate happiness with obeying. Sounds good.
What was the term? "Gene-hacked pleasure centers"? Well, before that you need to figure out how to get rid of all unnecessary emotions like fear and such. Well, it seems there's a whole lot of hormone glands to disable. The day is spent figuring out what all you need to cut out to reach that goal. Your body count rises and you produce few new psychopaths, but it's all in name of SCIENCE!
Research in progress:
Reaction time study
40 test subjects
Killing emotions
To be researched:
Brain integrated chips
Killing emotions
Associate obedience with joy
Researched done:
Test subjects expired: 13
Do not sleep until I finish this blasted machine.
Your assistants are begging for mercy as you drive them and yourself to complete the device. No dinner, no lunch. Two toilet breaks only. Having to spend this much time on a simple machine is unaccetable! Others are probably getting far aread of you while you mess with your elbows deep in oil and stuff. Hard work is rewarded, thankfully. The device is finished. Test run produces nice plastic slab to shoot at within 15 minutes. It's slower than you were hoping for, but that is the cost of its great configurability.
About god damn time. Tomorrow you can relieving your stress by shooting stuff with impunity. Well, probably better stress tests are required, but you'll start with shooting.
Research in progress:
Strong polymer plastics
To be researched:
Muscular boosters
Healing boosters
Research done:
Modular polymer plastics machine
No need for the prosthetics yet. All I need for testing is a program environment and the actual neural interfaces. Develop neural interfaces. Test via simulation. Of course, if prosthetics are available, we can test through those as well. However, in teh simulation, I wish to set different kinds of input and output beyond standard prosthetics. Think thrusters for legs, radar, microwave, xray for sight, sonar, subsonics for hearing, machine gun fire for exhaling, system checks for involuntary muscle control - all that kind of thing.
Additionally, I will add to my "to do" list the development of a modular containment ... module for the controlling brains, and brain interlinks for using multiple beings to drive larger machines. Think, horses, dolphins, or falcons for propulsion units, think, dog packs for hunter/killer drones. Think, bees, for search drone swarms! It will be beyond glorious! Eventually. Nyahahahahahahahahahahah!
I forgot about eyes. I had a brutal description of experiment in mind but I forgot to write it out. Perhaps it's for better.
The day starts with 3D modeling various limbs, creating a program to animate them with specific inputs. Simulated enviroment essentially. That's quickly done, so you can start working with nervejacking. After fashioning thousands electrosensitive miniature clamps to attach into nerve endings, and creating a basic system to transforming signals for computer real work begins. You carefully sever nerves controlling subject's right arm, including sensory lines, and attach your clamps on them in strict order. The subject is naturally restrained, as you predicted attachment process would be painful and send all kinds of false signals.
With that out of the way begins basic confirmation process. Flexing and relaxing muscles in strict order, "what position your fingers are", "does this feel like pulled finger nail", "gimme high five" and so on. You are pleased to confirm you got everything right. Arm moves in simulation naturally and sensory feedback seems to function correctly. After some implementing collision modifications into your simulation you do same for his left arm and give him VR goggles to observe his own hands in virtual enviroment. At this point he turns very cooperative. Apparenty this kind of is some sort of fantasy of his. "Full immersion" as he calls it. While he doesn't appreciate your work ethics, he respects what you have archieved. You don't have heart to tell him that he's permantently crippled now. Reattaching nerves is not something you have tech for. Granted, you could do it after few days of intensive research, but that's not on the menu. Not yet anyway.
As for extranatural prosthetics, there's a small problem. To control new parts new nerves are requires as well as probably years of training to use. Or repurposing existing connections for new systems and more training. For example leg thrusters would make sense to control them with position of toes and have prosthetics adapt its toe position automatically. Or duplicate control signals and have subject learn how to walk again with thrusters on calves that fire every time he bends toes in specific ways. Human brain is wired for very specific hardware, so adding anything new requires hard learning curve. Possible, but inpractical with your timetable. Unless you find a way around it, which now that you think about it is possible. Adding chip to observe parts of brain responsible for intent you could circumvent this problem neatly. Apparently it has been done already for some prosthetic research, and based on records it was much easier to learn to use than any other system based on repurposed nerves. That, you figure, is your way for this goal.
Giving x-ray vision would be easiest if it were presented to brain in same way that natural eyes do, however replacing normal vision is probably necessary so brain can make out what it sees. Gradual merging on visual modes could be archieved. Doable, yes, but getting brain to learn now to deal with it is always the biggest hurdle.
Either way, interface is all but ready. Only remaining part is to compact the system, because right now it is a big mess of wires running on the floor like a dead tentacle monster raping a corpse. That will be done tomorrow.
Research in progress:
Brain in a jar
40 test subjects
To be researched:
Cryogenic preservation
Multibrain control systems
Test subjects expired: 15
Research is full of interesting turns. Let's see where this goes.
I continue studying the cancer virus, focusing on any potential battle use, such as quick organ damage or disruption. This may require making the virus more aggressive.
If I have time after that, I experiment merging patients with fast-growing cancers together.
For battle use best targets are heart, brain and rest of nervous system. You devise methology for crafting short living virus (to prevent global pandemic and destruction of friendly forces) which targets cells in specific organs and rewrites sections of DNA to cause hyper cancer. Because of dangers associated with this sort biological warfare, system you design requires virus crafting on field, very limited lifespan and few other strict limitations.
Huh. After finishing your paper you stare it few minutes. You have almost accidentally created a biological weapon and delivery system useable by untrained field personel. Somebody will have you assassinated for this. Perhaps because they want it for themselves. Or because biological weapons are banned. Or just because they are jealous. You shrug. What is done is done. And technology behind the delivery system alone can be repurposed with some effort. Worth it.
You start working on your next research project, which others might call serious crime against humanity. Artificial siamese twins. It's late night so progress is minimal. Mostly theoretical thoughts about problems you might encounter with this project, order they need to be solved and so on.
Research in progress:
Artificial Siamese Twins
To be researched:
Rapid bio growth / healing
Forced growth activation
Research done:
Targeted hyper cancer
Inline DNA manipulation
Test subjects expired: 1
Continue with the research on myomers.
The volunteer, such as he is, will not really be needed for most of the research process. However it would do good to prepare him for the upcoming procedures. Have the volunteer put through the most intense, most inhumane hand-to-hand and general melee combat training regime, without teaching him any particular style of martial art exclusively. These skills should come in handy for the later phases of the project, as well as general bodyguard duty - just in case someone tries to, say, assassinate me.
Call up the Company's acquisitions representative, and casually ask him how large a supercomputer could I have available for my exclusive use. If he asks how large would it have to be, say "About the size of Greece would be splendid.".
(really though, just as large and powerful as they can provide)
((You have bad luck with rolls. Steady line of two's.))
Research for perfect myomers kinda runs in circles today. No new ideas, not even bad ones. It's painful to admit, but shooting in dark is not good way work, especially if the target is small and far away. New inspirations are required and soon.
As a soldier your volunteer has knowledge of unarmed combat, but is primarily trained for modern weapons. Only real war worthy styles are full contact ones, such as Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Because most martial arts in the modern world are all about sports and good sweaty fun, there aren't many where killing and seriously injuring opponent is teached. Good part is that the company can send him out into the world without having to worry about anyone making connections. With self selected code name "killer hellhound", you expect great things from him. Though you don't expect to see him anytime soon again.
The Company representative, henceforth "agent", tells you that shamefully obtaining super computer of that size is beyond anyone's capacity. What they can do, however, is to purchase processor time from various existing supercomputers around the world, including large number of botnets that do not officially exist. Agent promises to make required preparations for rapid acquisitions, just contact him again when number crunching is required and they finish dealings within day or two.
Research in progress:
Myomers
Hmm. Surely A genius like me can come up with some assassination method on the cheap. Let's see... Poison maybe? Could make some potent stuff with just simple chemistry. Or maybe I could donate a rattlesnake as a test subject? Hmm.
Steal Hugenerd's funding while he's gone!
We'll see what happens.
Can I become a test subject?
Whoever claims me gets to know what is in this spoiler:
Submit an augmented cockroach that hosts nearly every disease known to man. Since your opponents will be unable to find you before they succumb to disease (or run out of power if they're a robot), you'll win.
Certainly. You will be subjected to your fellow ALL CAPS person, NAV.
Is it still possible to join?
If so, join as Aroldo Sisto. And... Something.
As a potential supersoldier, yes. We have vacancies for those. I'll keep your name in mind in case we lose scientists for some reason, but as you can see, the one on top of that list is actively trying to sabotage his way in.
Author
Topic: Roll to create a supersoldier! Bloody air resistance (Read 139133 times)