"The primary Multiple Isolation Billet (MIB) must be capable of housing (co-MIBing) up to Fifty Monads for projection from four mobile onsite towers. The unit will serve the five acre base camp community and research facility. Twenty five secondary MIB's will be needed for dig sites. The primary MIB will include an Environment Facilitator to fabricate research facilities and living quarters reactive to individual needs, and will maintain a collective network to include the secondary MIB's when possible to provide as consistent a surrogate array environment as possible at any one time. Subsurface dig sites in the lower depths of the Hydro-Layer, beyond the range of surface units will depend upon the synthesized surrogate arrays in onboard MIBs and individual Zip-brace (Zeeb) units."
~ from Case Document 23: Material Request; Hadrian Rift Expedition.
Jon was the first to enter the briefing room. He sat down at a conference table large enough for the entire team plus trainers. The team would begin the long process of simulated training. The variables for the contingent's co-MIBing were worked out and While waiting for the others, Jon distracted himself by reviewing the dossiers of the team members with whom he would likely co-MIBe. People trickled in and by the time Allele arrived most of Lepton's crew and Sita were already present.
Being project lead, she'd delayed her arrival purposely wanting to make an entrance. She also wanted her decision to confine herself in her Base Template Persona noticed, to set an example and encourage others to begin the adjustment early. She chose to draw attention by even donning the uniform that would be the standard provided by the expeditionary MIBs. It was a Jovan dirty orange tight to the skin, smooth to the touch but could be comfort set to any desired tactile preference. Hers had deep blue detailing. Blue indicated she was on the anthropological team, but the dark high chroma of the color signified project lead. Being a utility uniform it as yet had no work related features. Pockets, tool loops, extra support, would occur reactively to her work habits. Where she reached for a pocket or tool one would be there, repetition would make the location permanent to decrease waiting time for its fabrication. Orthopedic support would develop in areas needed. By midway into the expedition no two uniforms would look the same save for color and insignias.
It was Allele's near opalescent complexion framed by long silken black hair, that most attracted attention. Skin so fair the pink blush of her cheeks seemed to float on a milky illuminated field. Hair a deep black that appeared to swallow whatever light fell upon it, only releasing a faint blue from its highlights. Flecks of the same blue swam in her damask steel eyes that refracted the cool end of the spectrum, jewel like, from within an indigo halo. They were set beneath deep angular brows and high sharp cheekbones giving them raptor like intensity. Her nose had a high but unpronounced arch that slid smoothly down to a bulbless tip that yet finished softly straddled by small lightly flared nostrils. Her lips were slender with a clean sculpted edge that pressed together somewhat sternly but whose line betrayed a wry humor at rest. Her self aware smile that curled at one corner separated the line of her nose from the clean slope of her chin and jaw. She was tall and toned, meaning she was genuinely active, since base templates only fabricated according to actual physical development algorithms. For all of her desire to out the ugly truth, in her actual state, she was the most striking individual in the room. She positioned herself a couple of chairs away from Jon who, engrossed in his reading, didn't notice her arrival until she sat.
"Allele!" He said in shock.
"Shut up Jon," she shot back.
"It's just that you're..."
"Shut up Jon, I can still scratch you from the team," she added, leveling a sardonic look at him.
Lepton came in and sat down between them, "Jon don't be an ass," he said, captioning Allele's glare.
"You didn't even hear what I said!" said Jon defensively.
"He has excellent powers of deduction." Allele answered with a curl on her lip.
"I didn't even get a chance to say anything," Jon whined.
"And yet we know," both Allele and Lepton together.
Sita sat bemused, quietly listening from a seat diagonally across the table. She noticed that Lepton showed no reaction to Allele's appearance, and watched as they nodded greetings to the various members of the team. Her attention centered on Allele who was speaking with the instructor, back turned to Lepton. She had leaned forward resting on her elbows, hands neatly clasped. She seemed to only half pay attention to whatever the instructor was saying, looking back toward Lepton from time to time, and swaying slightly on her elbows. She seemed to enjoy her own physical spectacle, and though it may have been her imagination, Sita thought Allele's body language showed Allele to actually only be paying attention to Lepton.
As Allele's shifted Once more to look back at Lepton, Sita caught her eye. Sita shot a look at Lepton and back to Allele who immediately looked away, beginning to blush.
Just then the Instructor addressed everyone, "Good morning, my name as Garyl Salinetech, I will be directing your severance acclimation training for the next few weeks.
"You were each supplied personal training schedules earlier today. For those of you not familiar with severance training, you will be weened off of dependence on the array in stages. First you will all participate in the main base camp billet simulation and then individually step down through surrogate populations as your personal profile requires. You will go through your personal series twice in simulation and then at least once in actual severance." He turned to looked at Jon before continuing, "If any member of a team you are involved with needs more trials in a particular regimen, all those in that regimen will continue to run through it until everyone has adjusted, am I clear?" No one responded. "Questions?" Still no response.
Then Sita spoke up, "How close to actual severance are the simulations?"
"The first round isn't similar at all, it will seem identical to the clearance protocols you've already experienced. The second round will feel like you've actually been cut off. We very effectively tamp down the sensitivity mesh. On a gut emotional level you will feel very much alone. I won't lie to you, it Can be disturbing." Salinetech answered.
"I've been alone before." Sita commented, a little incredulous. A few of Lepton's crew who'd been through training before snickered.
Salinetech looked around the room to quiet the mumbling before continuing, "This isn't the same as simply being alone, it isn't the same as being away from your friends or family. Many of you live alone and probably think this won't be anything strange. Severance fatigue is a different thing entirely. That is not to say that this is more painful or depressing. It affects you in more subtle but deep seated ways. You won't feel it at first. You may never feel it consciously at all, some don't.
"Array deprivation is usually sensed intuitively. The lack of any empathic foundation leaves a hole that is filled ante-cognitively with fragmented phantom sequences in an attempt to heal the wound so to speak. These phantom sequences are disjointed having no actual structure in are inconsistent, even chaotic with fragmented logic streams initiated by nothing and draw no conclusions. The impact quickly becomes noticeable. In a short time, usually two or three hours, you begin to feel like someone is watching you. When someone is left completely Array deprived for as little as forty-eight hours they will begin to enter a form of Pareidolic Dementia called Empathic Inanition. You begin to hear voices, even see people who you seem familiar.
"That won't happen here because you all have each other to to establish a substitute array amplified through mutual connection, to provide for your needs as your needs dictate. We will resolve compatibility issues, demonstrate some less damaging but still unwanted effects of life in a billet with different combinations of personalities. As I like to say, how to get along without getting lost."
Allele iinterrupted with a question, "Is functioning normally while severed from the array reached more as a skill or a predisposition?"
"I'd have to say predisposition, but with this caveat, we make a big deal about it because the consequences of something going wrong for you can get nasty, but the vast majority of people who have been through training have had little difficulty. We introduce you to it slowly, you'll grow into it differently than anyone else, and you'll learn the skills needed to handle those little difficulties you may have along the way.
"Look, this is basic stuff. We've been doing this for countless centuries, yet everyone is afraid of it. You've all heard horror stories, but the reality just isn't that glamorous. The program you are about to go through will cover everything you need to know to establish yourself while severed, manage your peculiarities in dealing with it, and catch the warning signs for the unlikely possibility that you may have long term incompatibility issues.
"I'll tell you what your biggest trauma is going to be in this whole thing, and Allele here, your leader has already tackled it and is no doubt well on her way to adjusting to it if she hasn't already. Everyone know what that is?" The instructor again searched the faces in the room.
"Adjusting to the sole use of your Base Template Persona," Sita answered for the room.
"Exactly," continued the instructor, "the sole use of your base template persona. It's trickier than you might think. We're all used to making changes as we see fit. You'd be surprised how even a little thing like the color of your hair or the shape of your teeth can weigh on you. To say nothing of feeling exposed in front of people you know. I recommend you get started doing it right away. You can take it a step at a time over the coming weeks, many folks like that, or do it quick and get it over with, you know what works best for you, but what I don't recommend is waiting it out till the last minute. I definitely do not recommend leaving it for the MIB system to do for you. The first time you'll be skinned by a billet is at the first actual base camp exercise. That's your deadline. I don't know everyone here. I take it that you Allele are completely reverted to your BTP?"
"Yes," Allele answered.
"That's good. You aren't holding anything out on us? Teeth? Teeth are a big thing. Hair line?"
"No, this is me," she answered.
"Good. Anyone else? Even a partial?" the instructor directed at the group.
One hand rose to the surprise of those who knew her. Sita rarely used a changing cloak and only for things like costume parties and when obliged by social etiquette.
Jon was the first of the team to react, "You must be kidding. Really? All this time I thought you just hit on something you liked and were compulsive about it."
"No, Jon, this is just me." Sita answered a little annoyed.
"A Rudimentarian. You managed to keep it secret. I am impressed," Allele offered. "I confess I thought something like what Jon said only not as crassly. You've a stronger will than all of us."
"Not so strong, and no I'm not Rudimentarian. I know a few though. Life is just a lot simpler this way." Sita said.
"Why didn't you ever say anything if you're not Rudimentarian?" asked Jon.
Sita smiled, "It's never come up, and I don't dwell on it, it's just what I prefer. Besides, I do make minor changes here and there on occasion."
The instructor interjected, "That should help you getting through this program, but it's not everything. Now, If there are no questions we're finished here. Tour the school if you like. Get familiar with how we do things. We begin tomorrow morning."
No comments:
Post a Comment