Preternis: Difference between revisions

|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 = [https://forums.yogstation.net/threads/nobody-asked-let-me-tell-you-about-preternis.19282/]}}

'''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.

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.

* 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

* 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.

* 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.

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 [[Jobs#Medical|Medical]] jobs.

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.

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 [[Surgery#Revival|Revival]] surgery, are also effective.

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.

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.

==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.