Preternis

PRETERNIS
Preternis	Genus: Mechinosus Vir Prudens Homeworld: Ur’lan Central Authority: Remnants of Vxtvul Allowed Command Roles: Head of Security, Research Director, Chief Engineer, Chief Medical Officer Guides: [1]

Preterni are a hybrid organic-synthetic species consisting of a simple, mechanical chassis that holds an assortment of augmented organs comprised of flesh and metal. Lost relics of the ancient Vxtvul Empire, preterni used to serve their creators, the Vxtrin. Now, they seek to be their own power under the flag of the Remnants of Vxtvul. Some end up working in Sol Interplanetary Coalition space, though tensions between the Remnants and SIC means this is rare.

Gameplay

Preternis is an optional species that can be chosen for play in the character creation menu. Customization options include eye color, potential hair styles matching those of humans, and chassis color. They have digitigrade legs, rather than plantigrade legs, though they cannot wear footwear.

They are most commonly found in engineering or scientific departments, receiving impressive pay relative to other non-human species. Despite significant political tensions between the SIC and the Remnants, several preterni still find relatively calm work on Nanotrasen stations. They are not protected under a standard Asimov lawset, and so caution should be exercised when dealing with humans or the AI and its cyborgs if Asimov is in effect.

Racial Benefits

• Naturally well-insulated, meaning it takes a long time for them to overheat or freeze
• Performs all actions with tools and objects 10% faster
• Punches have a higher minimum damage and a lower maximum damage; however, they are much more likely to knock people over with their punches
• Has inherent maglock capability in their legs which permits for easier travel of slippery or 0-g environments
• They cannot husk as a result of severe burn damage
• Immune to radiation, but not contamination
• Requires 33% less oxygen than humans. Their lungs can filter trace amounts of plasma safely
• Much less likely to obtain a virus by natural means
• Their robotic limbs can be repaired with a welder for brute, or with cable coil for burn.
• As they have robotic limbs, they can perform a variety of surgeries on themselves using tools (failing doesn't do damage).
• They can drink oil or welding fuel to heal burn across their body. Welding fuel is less effective.
• Their blood is both uniquely a universal donor and a universal recipient.

Racial Weaknesses

• Takes 10% more burn damage from all sources
• If they grow too hot or too cold, the damage is much more significant
• They are stunned by all sources for 20% longer
• Takes 20% more stamina damage from all sources
• Takes 75% more damage from shocks or electrical sources
• Exposure to water will short out their circuits, which will continue so long as they are soaked
• They attack slightly slower than all other species
• If they somehow catch a disease, it is much harder to cure it
• Unable to benefit from healing chemicals or traditional medical supplies
• Their limbs have very low health relative to normal limbs, meaning they are far more easily disabled
• They cannot wear footwear, meaning they can never gain the benefits of boot storage or items like jump boots and no-slips
• Partially affected by EMPs; light EMPs will do nothing, however heavy EMPs will do damage to them, albeit not to their organs

Diet

• A preternis sustains itself off of power (which is detailed below), though it can eat to recharge some energy
• Likes fried, sugary, and junk foods
• Dislikes gross food and vegetables

Unique Mechanics

• Preterni, like IPCs, are sustained by power, rather than typical nutrition. They can feed off of power cells, APCs, SMES cells, mechs, or cyborgs by using ALT+CLICK with an empty hand. Insulated gloves will prevent this recharge, while other gloves will slow the rate of recharge. In addition, an inducer applied to the chest will charge them as well, though this inflicts burn damage to the preternis.
• If a preternis dies from lack of power, they must be charged with an inducer or fed food to process into power to be revived by normal means. Otherwise, you must clone them.
• Assuming their eyes are undamaged, they can toggle several tiers of a night vision ability, permitting them to see at any range in darkness. Their eyes will not repair while not in a preternis body.
• A cryptographic sequencer will give them significant brain damage the first time one is used on them. A second time will permanently impair their visual ability.
• Their racial language is shared by cyborgs and the AI, permitting one to speak secretly with silicon crew
• Drinking teslium allows for very quick healing of oxygen, brute, and burn damage. It also makes you faster, resist most stuns, and it charges you. However, you become absurdly vulnerable to burn while you are processing it; a single welder hit is enough to instantly crit you, and a single laser will kill you.

Repairing and Revival

As preternis are abnormal organics, listed here are steps to heal them, and perhaps revive them, should they come under your care as any of the various Medical jobs.

Preternis Repairs

• Burn Damage
  • Cable coils
  • Oil
  • Welding fuel
• Brute Damage
  • Welders
• Toxin Damage
  • Standard organic procedure; charcoal is most common
• Brain Damage
  • Standard organic procedure; mannitol is most common

Organs, Surgery, and Revival

Preternis organs will decay at the standard rate that organic ones do while deceased. Beyond their uniquely designed eyes and lungs, all of their other organs are identical to ones found in your average human.

As they have a mechanical exterior, one must perform mechanical variations of the standard surgeries. For example, one of the most common surgeries, Organ Manipulation, follows these adjusted steps as a result. It may be helpful to secure a toolbox or enlist the aid of Robotics in order to undertake these surgeries.

Revival is standard as in other organics. Most common is application of defibrillator once damage is healed, but be aware that the other, more uncommon methods, such as Revival surgery, are also effective.

Lore

History

The origins of preterni lie in the many creations of the Vxtvul Empire. Seeking a solution to the massive radiation that spilled out in their plasma-enriched engines, the insectoids opted to work to make their silicon intelligence capable of working and maintaining the engines. This led to the creation of the first cyborg units in existence. However, the first units suffered from significant mechanical coordination issues, and their circuitry would fail and fry in the presence of extreme fusion burns. Furthermore, their inability to act freely of their laws made them an unideal fit for a worker that needed to be independent and self-sufficient for massive periods of time, as the decontamination process of any object leaving a burn chamber proved to be an endeavor that often required organic confirmation. It is not known exactly when the first preternis unit was made, but the beings combined the best of both organics and silicons for their purposes. Namely, preterni had standard anthropomorphic appendages and free will, while also having an augmented exterior to their fleshy insides, which permitted theorized infinite exposure to radiation, as their chassis implemented plasma alloys into its shielding, as well as their lungs being more capable of filtering out plasma particles. Preterni were then one of the many species implemented into the Vxtvul Empire for the rest of its lifespan. They primarily served as chemical, nuclear, and otherwise industrial workers due to their capability to withstand significantly hazardous conditions. At some point, the factory lathes that produced the species implemented a capability for preterni to perform self-surgery with typical tools. Mainly, this was an attempt to make them even more capable of sustaining their own bodies in the hellish environments they often existed in.

When the Vxtrin inexplicably disappeared and their empire went dark in a matter of microseconds, so too did preternis factories shut down. It was only in 2431, on the planet of Ur’lan, did Indonesian colonists sponsored by Sano-Waltfield Industries, a subsidiary of Nanotrasen, come across and accidentally re-activate one of the many, decrepit preternis factories that span the Milky Way. Aided by two of the first silicon crew that had been reverse-engineered from the uncovering of MMI technology in 2419, the recently built preterni were able to communicate and learn Galactic Common through explanation of decoding of binary in order to speak the lingua franca. The organic hybrids then expressed confusion at the disappearance of their creators, before quickly confirming that approximately seventeen millennia had passed since the last production cycle of the factory.

When news of the new constructs finally passed through the several communication beams back to Luna, Nanotrasen immediately swooped in to purchase the colony rights for more than one thousand times the value of the original contract. At first, the corporation attempted to claim the preterni as property, arguing that the mechanical beings were constructs that belonged to them under the prerogative of alien salvage, as they had before with the uncovering of silicon life twelve years ago. When SIC representatives were able to quickly ascertain the free will and sapience of the preterni, the Sol Representative Board quickly moved to decide the next steps for the species. Eventually, a conclusion was reached that it was in the best interest of humanity that the preterni become allies to help the SIC uncover more of the Vxtul’s ancient structures, as well as maybe start learning more about what caused such a civilization to seemingly go extinct. When offered a treaty and recognition of rights under SIC law, the preterni unified into the Remnants of Vxtvul, a skeletal government that would quickly grow to become a legitimate ruler of several different Vxtvian planets while offering their hospitality where applicable. Concerns about the preterni finding and enabling a weapon that could turn the military advantage on the Coalition’s several nations continued to mark xeno relation discussions within the Board. To this day, these fears have not been realized, though several different intelligence agencies from the various nations in the SIC keep a wary eye on the Remnant’s expansion and re-activation of more and more Vxtvul tech.

Secretly, several SIC factions and companies moved to intercept and discover a preternis factory before the Remnants claimed it as their own. Several factories were deconstructed, sabotaged, or otherwise made unworkable through fanatical or research-based work. Skirmishes between opposing forces were common over the ancient tech, and while Nanotrasen proved to reverse-engineer the protolathe technology first, opposing interests such as Cybersun Industries also obtained the schematics and knowledge of how to re-utilize the technology, though their scientists still work to try to mold it to their own ends. When the Remnants inevitably discovered evidence of human conflict or interference on many sites, diplomatic tensions flared, though the preterni, with no navy or significant military presence established yet, begrudgingly bore the blow, though a widespread animosity for humanity began to spread through their culture. Some attempted to justify and excuse their actions, but their societies still remain fairly divisive on the issue that still rampantly continues.

In the present day, a level of wariness still poses between the two powers, though the Remnants have begun to defend their own space as well as sizing a modest fleet that’s primarily meant to defend existing sites from would-be scavengers. Humans are accepted in their several settlements and stations, though often watched with caution and screened extensively as to the purpose of their visit or migration. Very few manage to obtain citizenship, though they become idealized targets for corporate employment or diplomatic integration.

Naming Conventions

Preternis naming conventions range from unit titles that a preternis is created with, a working nickname they designate upon themself (which follows the format of Adjective-Noun), or a name befit for a Vxtrin. While preterni do not have conventional families, those who often feel close emotional bonds take on the same surname, mostly as an ease of organization. For some, it's simply a matter of identity in a largely identical species.

Some examples of names could be PL-935, Iron-Brick, Krst'staun, RT-4827, Hasty-Anchor Smith, or Vxy'trmn'hul. For the sake of SIC and Nanotrasen records, a unit designation or Vxtrin name is often required, though nicknames are permitted from time to time.

Culture

Data logs indicate that, in the ancient past, most customs and practices that preterni performed were commonly in the middle of work. Most frequent was the tuning and harmonization of key whistles outputted via the speaker that permitted preterni to speak binary. These robotic melodies could range from folk hymns about Vxtvul mythology to worker chants, akin to shanties. With the little time they spent away from their labor, preterni would often consume whatever media they could obtain, or simply run maintenance to ensure they were recharged and prepped for the next day. One day each work cycle saw every preternis in a housing division free from their responsibilities. The festival on these days could delve into drink and song, the participants taking the time to either engage in pleasantries with one another, or, more rarely, each would remove a non-vital bolt from their chassis and mix them in a bowl. The bolts were then handed out randomly and re-attached as a form of bonding between the individuals. Generally, a preterni would grow to form a strong emotional bond with their respective housing division as a result. While preterni are exempt from common romantic interests, these bonds could rarely incite irrational action, though such impulses were often short and abruptly stopped. As a curious note, there were reported instances- enough to be noted as a pattern, in which one or two preterni would attempt to include a silicon unit in the process, to the confused but willing acceptance of said units.

Now, the various planets and communities in which preternis settlers make their foundations borrow some commonalities of culture in millennia past, though the contact with humans combined with their new independence has led to several curiosities. Firstly, some preterni take on naming conventions akin to humans, while it's become fairly commonplace for preterni to implant hair that matches those of humans onto their heads. Other human traditions adopted include preternis "birthdays", which tends to be marked as a sign of accomplishment and increased competence, though they lack the traditional gift-giving that humans participate in. They are possessive of owned properties, tending toward a greater care for their objects as well as a less common likelihood to share, though they abhor the idea of a collective goal being stopped by petty belongings.

Works and projects are seen as more important than one's character, with spiritual fulfillment often coming from the realization of one's utilitarian completions, rather than the evolution and constant improvement of their own spirit. A common, firm preternis tenant is that of the value of the external- that which is present, which is visible, and which is made. As it is their chassis that protects them from exceedingly lethal doses of radiation, this is unsurprising.

The most common religion, Vxulism, focuses on the Vxtrin and all that they effected for the preternis race in their existence, often hailing their goals and objects to cultivate the stars themselves. While some have converted to other galactic religions, common ones often see preternis flocks branch off rapidly, as a result of the ancient history that preterni are a part of, which can vastly contradict with core scripture in many faiths.

Lifespan and Health

Records report that preterni can live up to 120 years after their creation, though this assumes their chassis and internal organs are being properly maintained through the several hazardous environments they tend to exist in. As they're able to take standard cybernetic organs which are manufactured in bulk, it is old age that eventually wears at their brain, before it is rendered unable to act as the body's nerve center. They are notable resistant to infections due to the mechanized filter on their lungs as well as a highly advanced immune system.

Mentally and emotionally, there seem to be no significant variations from traditional human trends: assumed to generally be consequences of sapience.

Preterni tend to stand at roughly 6'4" on average, though their height varies based on their production criterium. Some are noted as being as short as 4'10", with some looming at 7'6". Mass is heavier than humans, though it correlates depending on their height. There are no notable differences between men and women, typically assumed to be the identity of the unit.

Roleplay Traits

• Robotic in their mannerisms and speech, though not necessarily emotionally flat
• Considering their uniform exteriors, some synthetically install hair or wigs to better personify themselves
• Can be wary and distrusting of a human’s intentions, though not paranoid. Typically prefers to handle machinery or do their assigned job rather than let someone else substitute
• Lives slightly longer than humans, upwards of 120 years
• Often works with and gets along with plasmamen in integrated labor environments
• Can be familial, pitiful, or both toward IPCs; preterni think of them as cousins and can even empathize with their position, but ultimately disagree with serving humanity
• Tend to be a fan of fatty, high-sugar foods, though they typically only eat for pleasantries or if in dire need of energy
• Highly innovative and work-centric, creative in their application of tools as well as generally displaying a high drive for achievement or excellence
• Some take pride in their unique position between organic and silicon, even going so far as to try and act as a diplomat for servile silicon units