First Reply General Anaesthesia? Pah!

[Zelannia Arcrin]

Her favourite scalpels were sterilised and arrayed in order of size. The lighting was uniform. The pharmaceuticals were sorted by category and subcategorised according to her personal system.

Most importantly of all? She had a patient and a signed waiver.

A rare smile graced her lips. Today was a good day.

"You will be conscious throughout the procedure. The primary purpose is to monitor neural activity. If you feel the need to talk, try not to be a nuisance." Not annoying the surgeon should be common sense, but the behavioural patterns of her alleged peers were an ongoing disappointment. Little wonder the Galaxy was on fire.

"I am legally required to suggest that your sense of pain be fully disabled... but a more limited dose is an option." The collected data would be marginally more valuable. That was worth a bit of screaming, no?

---

Is your character getting cybernetics installed? Did they volunteer for a non-lethal vivisection in exchange for gambling money? Are they literally going under the knife as part of an undercover investigation into Doctor Arcrin?

Your choice! We'll see if anyone bites; this is a pretty niche prompt even by my standards, lmao.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

"It won't be necessary to insert a pain sedative. Just proceed..."

It all started with a desperate gamble.

Something had wormed its way into Contii's brain, and he agonized over the solution.
It started with visual hallucinations... Shadowy figures - the sounds of voices plaguing his sanity. Ever since his near fatal encounter on a desolate moon of the planet Gefängnis, Contii has been suffering from unforeseen consequences in the sanctuary of his own mind.

Something was invading his brain.

"Neurology isn't my strong suit. I would've done surgery on myself if I could. In this case, however... I needed to outsource."

"I can't guarantee Der'vergeben brain composition is similar to other humanoids, but I'm sure you'll figure it out... If you don't..."

"There will be consequences." ​

---

Despite his confident threat, Contii knew his mind hinged on the surgical precision of Zelannia. He could only bite his tongue in anticipation as he laid prone across his medical stretcher.

 

[Zelannia Arcrin]

Truth be told, a Force Sensitive subject was less than ideal. Not because it would complicate the surgery, mind you. Their minds were simply louder. Louder was rarely a good thing, to one who enjoyed the quiet.

No matter. How could she resist putting such an interesting specimen under the scalpel?

His decision to accept the pain earned an approving nod, but the follow-up made her raise a single pale eyebrow. Consequences? How dreadfully dramatic. What was he, a Sith? So be it. She would just have to sever something important with a plasma scalpel if he turned murderous. The brainstem, perhaps?

Note to self: Install a turret in the ceiling. A prudent safeguard against unruly subjects.

"My knowledge of neurology is extensive." She was not, however, a licensed neurosurgeon. Not yet, anyway. Luckily, the waiver covered that sort of thing. "You would be correct. Documentation on your kind is limited, but there is sufficient data for a comparison. Your brains are interesting. More akin to a Givin than a Human."

As she spoke, the inspected the machinery keeping his head locked in place, then a display to her side. "The scans indicate that the drugs have taken effect. Try as hard as you can to move your head."

She detested untested variables. There would be no disastrous micromovements in her surgery room.

Vergessen Contii​

 

[Vergessen Contii]

"Perhaps the similarities to the Givin species stems from the hostility of our respective homeworlds. Danger breeds innovation... The mind must adapt."

Despite his thinly-veiled threat earlier, Contii's expression lightened up after the conversation became more stimulating. His teeth gritted and his lips perked into a wide smile, which then sunk back into a neutral frown as quick as it arrived.

His capricious manners served to reinforce the growing tension slowly toxifying the air. Even if he was sedated, laid prone, and being actively operated on... there was always an inkling of anticipation in the back of both their minds.

---

Contii slowly turned his head to face both the monitor and Zelannia. His body was stiff, and he moved agonizingly slow... Contii's circumstance reminded him of the pressure of being entombed deep in the dirt - the claustrophobic comfort of burying one's self alive. Even if his joints weighed heavy like concrete, and his muscles screamed with effort, only he could derive joy from his own immobility.

"So nostalgic... I remember being stung by a Yuk'mar when I was an infant, and it felt sort of like this... Sluggish... Slow... Like I'm swimming through deep waters..."

 

[Zelannia Arcrin]

The specimen - sorry, patient - was always ready for violence. Or so it seemed.

"Indeed. Evolutionary pressure has its place." Her preference for artificial selection was left unspoken.

Predators had their place, but she preferred them trained for obedient. Unfortunately, sentients were difficult to domesticate even on the best of days. She doubted this one could be tamed through treats and electrocution.

A shame. He certainly had the aggression and instincts of a good hunting hound.

That was quickly forgotten when he moved. "Sluggish, but not immobile." She hummed. It was a good starting point. With practised movements, some new straps were added to the top of his head, pinning it in place. Duranium-weave straps.

There would be no accidental movements during her surgery.

If there was even a hint that he might be purging the drugs from his system - consciously or not - she would hiss with annoyance and chastise him. If not, it was time to get to work. Her favourite part.

Vergessen Contii​

---

OOC: So just to be clear, is the "Something [...] invading his brain." physically present, or is it partially or wholly spiritual in nature? I'm guessing the former, but might as well make sure.

 

[Vergessen Contii]

Contii laid comfortably still as his head was strapped down for good measure.

He was almost like a corpse in that way. His pale skin seemed devoid of life, and there wasn't even a twitch from his body as he sat still. He could hear his own heartbeat pound rhythmically in his chest, as his breathing pushed his malnourished torso up and down…

His third arm attempted to wiggle a few fingers to no avail. The sedatives were finally working their pharmaceutical magic, and had frozen his digits entirely. Contii smiled, and began to silently groan in apparent discomfort.

"Oooh… I can feel it… In the back of my eye… It's doing something - I can't even move my eyeball, because it's holding the stalk still… That smarts… "

---

OOC: Yeah, it's a physical issue. Contii's magnum opus is his Bio-integrating Combat Weave, and he's recently had it "installed" into his body. The only problem is that the adaptable flesh is also attempting to change Contii's brain. A piece of the combat weave somehow wormed its way into Contii's skull during an expedition, without his knowledge.

Since it reacts based on environmental stressors, it doesn't have the ability to understand that its "adaptations" could damage Contii's mental faculties, in an attempt to physically protect the brain from harm. The fun bit will be seeing what happens when a scalpel is put to his head...

 

[Zelannia Arcrin]

Finally, some stillness.

If only his mind was equally tranquil.

No matter. She could deal with one annoying mind - Force Sensitive or not, it was still more pleasant than the churning masses of the hospital or, Force forbid, well-travelled streets.

"Good." She verified it herself, of course. Never trust a patient. "My, what interesting test results. I may need to replace parts of your skull - we shall see." With a thoughtful hum, she somewhat reluctantly gave him the choice of what to do. "If so, would you prefer it be restored as close as possible, or reinforced in some fashion?"

Her own skull had been reinforced with a carbon-based latticework, significantly reducing the risk of brain trauma. Of course, as he appeared to be more robust by nature, the improvement would be less noticeable.

Vergessen Contii​

 

[Vergessen Contii]

"Now that you mention it..."

"A biomesh replacement for the skull would be wonderful. Any measures to prevent the brain becoming neurotoxic under any circumstance would be valuable."

He tapped his teeth together in contemplation. His mouth chittered open and shut like insectoid mandibles anticipating a meal.

"If it's possible... I'd like to improve the... Accessibility of my own brain. Maybe you could displace the top of the skull, for ease of access. I wont require synthetic skin, maybe just a removable surgi-steel scalp guard."

Contii didn't have any qualms with replacing or removing parts of his own anatomy - in fact, he endorsed bio-modifications and cybernetic enhancements to their furthest medical extremes. He made ghoulish droids out of fresh biomass and steel, afterall... He'd be a hypocrite not to improve his own frail and mortal body.

His head still continued to slowly squirm under the duranium-weave straps. This wasn't due to him disregarding Zelannia's instructions - no, he could feel the thing in his head anticipating something, like it could comprehend the surgery that was about to take place, and was migrating accordingly. It bulged under the skin around his eye socket, and for a moment, the good doctor could catch a glimpse of a small creature surfacing over the exposed part of Contii's eye, and slinking back under the skin and back into the skull.

It was pale, and its body was thin and long like a worm. Its front looked like a small drill, that allowed it to peel under Contii's skin and squeeze itself deeper into his head.

"Disgusting... I'd like to proceed immediately."

 

[Zelannia Arcrin]

His requests earned something resembling an approving grunt from the disagreeable 'Arkanian'.

"That can certainty be arranged. More active components would need to be sourced and adapted, but I have plenty of suitable biomesh. As for accessibility..." She toyed with a few holograms, before nodding to herself. "A cap created from similar materials. Locked in place and only removable through precise manipulation."

It was good to meet someone willing to employ artificial means in pursuit of self-improvement. It was all too common for the fools of the galaxy to prioritise exercise or spiritual hogwash over augmentation.

As if 'natural' was better by virtue of having survived the crucible of evolution. Bah.

Nature made frequent and catastrophic mistakes, but survivorship bias was one hell of a drug.

The fascinating 'creature' poking out of Contii's eye socket was anything but natural, however. She would have to save a sample or ten. "I am inclined to agree," Zel said drily, before cutting into his scalp without so much as a by-your-leave.

Vergessen Contii​