Booster found Odysseus exactly where he expected to find him. Odysseus was the Medical Archon and the person Booster would need to talk to about any sort of augmentation. He found the Archon standing over a Shin lying face down on a table.
“Excuse me?” Booster probed.
Odysseus looked up wearing some sort of goggles and smiled. “Hello, Booster. How can I help you today?”
Odysseus looked like he was in his mid to late 30’s but he had an air of maturity about him that spoke of many more years. He also had an easy charm and confidence and perhaps competence that Booster found immediately reassuring.
“I wanted to talk to you about perhaps getting a few augmentations.” Booster said less confidently than he would have liked. “In scrum, I mean. To try them out.”
“Oh,” Odysseus immediately understood the ramifications of what Booster had just said. Booster has been considered a member of the Originists and his parents were significant members of that faction. He took off his goggles and gave his full attention to the matter at hand. “I see. Can I ask what brought this change of heart about?”
“I don’t know if it’s a change of heart yet. But it has been pointed out to me that doing this in scrum would give me the opportunity to experience augmentation firsthand without any permanent affects.”
“How do you think your parents would feel about that?”
He laughed a little. “Oh, they would absolutely hate it without any bit of hesitation. I also don’t think that matters. I love and appreciate them, but I have to make my own choices in life. And right now, I’m leaning toward their idea that while their intentions may be good, their actions and the way they treat others is wrong. And I really want to get an idea as to how others experience life with their augmentations. And then, I can make a more informed choice.”
Odysseus nodded. “I appreciate your thoughtful consideration on the matter.”
Boosters lips drew tight. “If I’m being totally honest. I saw a lot of the action yesterday and I also want to be more prepared for things like that.”
“You know,” Odysseus shrugged. “There are other ways to be prepared. External protection, etc.”
Booster gazed at the ceiling and considered his words. He turned his attention back to the doctor. “I have spent all of my life sheltered in one way or another. I grew up in a compound that sheltered me from the outside world. I was taught to be afraid of things that supposedly make humans less than human and sometimes turn us into monsters. I’ve the better portion of my life in scrum. It’s really a whole other kind of sheltering. I see what we have to deal with out there and I think my parents are foolish.
“This isn’t the world they grew up in and it’s perhaps not a world that humans can exist as they did on Earth. I am afraid. Not so much of what we might find of Argyra. I’m afraid of an ideology that is born out of some sentiment to hold on to the good old days that by all metrics were terrible as often as they were good. I’m afraid of some religion keeping me from realizing who I am because it insists it already knows. I am afraid of landing on this world and being locked up in a lander or a compound for the rest of my life because I was too afraid to do anything about it. I need to prepare myself for the life I want to live.”
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Odysseus smiled and nodded having been satisfied that Booster had thought this through. He wouldn’t have denied Booster anything anyway, but it made him feel better about it knowing this wasn’t some knee jerk reaction. “Ok. What did you have in mind?”
Booster chuckled. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess the standard stuff? Bigger, stronger, faster?”
“Well, I’m sure you know I prefer genetic augmentation over cybernetics. But I can be honest and say there are some things that cybernetics can do better. Vision, audition, and to some extent cognition. If you want specific cognitive applications like complex firing solutions or even engineering calculations, then cybernetics is the way to go. Although it’s one of those few places where there is room for synergy between both types of augmentation since it’s not typical that the entire brain is offloaded to hardware.”
“Is there a reason not to do both?”
“Well, in Sol it was usually about the money. That is not an issue here. We can fabricate whatever we need. We can mix and match as much as you want.”
“How long is it going to take for me to heal and adapt?”
“Normally, it would take a couple months at the minimum to even get used to anything radical much less really adapt. Genetic therapy would last some years to completely alter your DNA. We can speed that along with invasive processes and nanites. But in scrum it won’t take that long. We can sort of cheat the system. And we can change it all again tomorrow.”
“Why isn’t everyone doing this?” Booster frowned.
“I can’t say for sure. In the first few years, it wasn’t uncommon. But I think most people are just comfortable with where they are until they aren’t. Also, I think people realize that in scrum it’s not real and they become concerned that they will become too accustomed to it.”
“If I become certain about keeping some genetic modifications, can we implement them while we are still enroute?”
“Possibly. There are some nanites available that are specifically meant to be used to help rebuild tissues on an emergency basis in case some of the crew is exposed to radiation while in deep space. I don’t think we’ve used any. I can see if we can use some of those. Likewise, there is a gene printer attached to the medical system. That is assuming we are allowed access to it. Let’s see what you want we’ll get started.”
Booster nodded. He was as excited as he was nervous.
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Booster opted for a full genetic upgrade of most of his body's systems including bone, muscle, and skin, brain and nervous system, cardiovascular, respiratory, and immune system. In addition, he upgraded his cognitive cybernetics. He added optical implants, auditory implants, and opted for cybernetic limbs from his elbow and knees down.
“How aggressive do you want to go on the genetic changes?”
“It won’t change my morphology, right? I mean I won’t grow a tail or third eye, right?”
“Not unless you want to.”
“Wait...those are options? Nevermind. Let’s get as aggressive as we can without extra body parts. None of this is permanent anyway. We might as well go full bore.”
“How do you feel about experimental genetic modifications?”
“In scrum? Fine. I might be a little more reticent in the real world.”
“Good enough.” Odysseus glanced at the patient on the table and shrugged to himself. “Come back this afternoon and we’ll start the first round.”
Booster caught his glance at the Shin on the table. “Problems?”
“Eh. You know, Xenobiology was what I always wanted to do.” He walked over to the table. “I was hoping to get some insights into a species that had evolved on another world. Alien biochemistry, DNA, etc. Some of the specimens we have gathered have a genuine biology. Some of them are mockups.”
Odysseus grabbed a knife and slit the leg of the Shin. Inside was just red. It had no texture and no blood and no form. “Apparently, our information source is lacking data.”
Booster contemplated that news. “I don’t know whether to be encouraged or discouraged by that. On the one hand, we aren’t dealing with some omniscient being. On the other hand, we may be dealing with imperfect data.”
“We should prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”