John Locke
V U L K A N
- Intent: To submit a cybernetic reaction package
- Image Source: Picfair
- Canon Link: n/a
- Permissions: N/a
- Primary Source:
- Manufacturer: Locke and Key Mechanics
- Affiliation: Closed-Market (Any character can use this if they have explicit permission through, for example, a marketplace purchase)
- Model: Atlanta Implant
- Modularity: No
- Production: Limited
- Material: Heuristic processors, Electronics, Chemicals,
- Classification: Neural Booster
- Size: Small
- Weight: Light
- Resistances (Optional): None, internal neural implant only.
- Increases the ability of the brain to process and react to stimuli and data allowing the user to react faster than an unaugmented human.
- Increases the ability of the physical body to react to commands, allowing for vastly increased reaction time.
- Variable levels of reaction increases, as is required by the user.
- Able to increase the users' reaction speed to a level analogous to a Jedi or Sith (Knight level)
- Able to separately increase mental processing speed and physical reaction speed.
- Able to variable increase reaction times, allowing the user to react faster and faster.
- Using the Atlanta to more than double reaction time activates a timer, can only run the implant for a short period of time before safety mechanisms shut it down.
- If the safety mechanisms are shut down, while reaction speeds can increase for a short period, it will leave you sluggish and slower afterwards until your body can recover.
- Electro-reactive fibres leave you more vulnerable to tasers and electric attacks.
A force user’s greatest skill in combat is their reaction time, their ability to react to events often before they actually occur. It is difficult for a non-force user to be able to match this speed, the uncanny ability to react to the world around them. However, as they looked at developing their line of combat augmentations Locke and Key Mechanics knew that this was a weakness they would need to counter, to allow for the ability for their augments to allow for people to emulate the force users who were the ultimate combatants of the galaxy.
The cyberneticists at Locke and Key Mechanics approached the development of this implant as a two-fold problem.
- The speed with which the brain was able to absorb information and react needed to be increased.
- The body’s ability to move and react to commands needed to be increased.
The Brain
In order to stimulate the brain, to enable it to work faster and boost its cognitive abilities nanofibers are threaded into the users’ skull. capable of generating targetted magnetic fields within the user’s brain. The fields use magnetic fields to induce a low-level electrical field in the brain, making it easier for neurons to fire, allowing the brain to react and process information faster, as well as alleviating exhaustion and boosting attention.
The Atlanta was also designed to flood the brain with Neurotransmitters if necessary, massively increasing the reaction time of the brain and its ability to absorb and process information. However, this was meant as a last-ditch measure, while providing a massive boost, the come down on the other end was equally impressive, liable to knock you or leave you in a stupor while you recover.
It’s not all rosy though, the brain can’t function under the stress of the increased magnetic fields for a long period of time without causing significant damage to the brain. This initially manifests as phosphenes, small rings of light, and leading to various neurological conditions. The greater the strength of the magnetic field generated, the more pronounced the increase in your reactions and the greater risk you find yourself at. Although there are safety features installed in the implant limiting the strength of the field and the duration which it can be kept active, these can be disabled if you so wish.
The Body
Increasing the speed at which the body is capable of reacting is a significantly harder task than improving the ability of the brain to process information and react faster. Although it would be possible to achieve the goal via significant genetic engineering and biological upgrades the engineers at Locke and Key Mechanics chose another way, a cybernetic way. Their approach was 3 fold.
- Neurotransmitters
- Shortening the reaction chain
- Increasing the muscle’s ability to react.
Neurotransmitters
The body is perhaps the most complicated and capable machine in existence and hte engineers at Locke and Key chose to look at it in exactly that way as they attempted to decide how best to improve the reaction system. Their analysis identified one of the primary areas in which slowed the system down was the transmission of pulses between neurons, and so they set about finding ways to shorten it. The ultimate decision was to allow the Atlanta to alter the biochemistry of the body ever so slightly around the neuroreceptors, allowing the signal to travel much more quickly over the synaptic gap. In this way, they were able to significantly increase the speed at which the body was able to react. The increased level of neurotransmitters had the side effect of increasing the flow of data and sensation up the nervous system as well, rendering the user significantly more sensitive to stimulus.
Shortening the reaction chain
Another key fallacy in the system was the distance that impulses had to travel in order to elicit a reaction, which could result in the loss of precious time that could be better put to use dodging attacks and reacting. To aid in the shortening of reaction times the Atlanta installed microprocessors in the spine capable to recognizing and reacting to threats. The Micro-processors contain a heuristic algorithm, capable of learning and adapting to the users fighting style, allowing the automated reaction to put the user in the best place to strike back at their opponent or leave them in the best situation.
Increasing muscles ability to react
The user’s muscles are finally seeded with electroreactive fibres, allowing the muscles to start moving with a much smaller electrical input, meaning that you are literally moving as soon as you think.
Real world links
Electrical Brain Stimulation
Hacking the Brain
Neurotransmitter
Chemical Synapse
