Biomods are a fact of everyday life in 2199. Widely used by all segments of society, including the criminal element, who have often put their own spin on the available technologies. Organized crime both on Earth and Poseidon has even risen to the challenge of producing specialised biomods to even better fulfil their unique demands.
The list of such criminal biomods starts at repurposed medical modifications, goes over shady applications of reflex programs, and moves up to illegal weapon implants and finally dangerous black market full-body genetic redesigns.
These are some of them:
Skip Over/Blind Spot Reflex Programs
These two reflex programs are mostly used by couriers. They filter out pre-defined perceptions, so that certain items will not be counted in an inventory or certain passages of text will not be read. If subject to questioning, a courier running such a program will be able to truthfully state to know nothing of any such items being transported. The method is able to fool even advanced stress analysis systems, such as those employed in spyware. Even following an arrest this can still prove useful. And if the programs can be loaded as programmed reflexes of an otherwise hapless person, the effect only increases.
Skip over is a simple modification of the common checklist program and as such it is even more unobtrusive than blind spot, which operates without such a carrier program and directly affects natural perception.
On Poseidon, the Gorchoffs are the main producers and users of these reflex programs. The NRM and various terrorist organizations, such as Zero Nation, also make use of them – sometimes acquiring them from Gorchoff sources.
Manchurian Reflex Program
The difficulty in writing and employing this type of sleeper programs lies less in the reflex program itself – which consist of a simple combination of triggering stimulus (a code word, image, event or similar) and the usually violent reflex action – but rather in hiding this program, most often within another normal reflex program. This approach carries the uncertainty whether or not the unwitting sleeper will run his Trojan program at the required time. To get around this, another safer but significantly more elaborate option is to implant a complete dedicated programmed reflexes biomod without the knowledge of the subject, constantly running the Manchurian reflex in the background.
Throat Blade
Common weaponized biomodifications, such as subdermal knuckle plating or hybrid claws, are generally designed to enhance last ditch self defense. The throat blade, on the other hand, is purely an assassination weapon. Its use was first documented in a series of murders of Incorporate managers in the United Islamic Republic, where the crude biomod is thought to have originated. From there, it has seen limited spread amongst black market connected clinics including at least one outfit operating on Poseidon.
In its basic form, the throat blade consists of a strong flexible cable with a razor tip, which rests coiled up in the throat. Upon command, the cable slides along a sheath in the back of the throat and roof of the mouth, to forcefully shoot out of the mouth. Variations of the design are common, as they are usually custom made for individual clients, and may change both the placement and exact nature of the blade, including examples such as sharpened flexgrade bioplastic hidden within the tongue.
Use of a throat blade on an unsuspecting victim practically guarantees surprise. In intimate situations, the throat blade allows its user to reduce the penalty for called shots by 2.
Damage Rating: 1
Legality: Proscribed
Healing Time: 2 weeks
Cost: 10,000cs or more
Stomach Pump
This simple biomod modifies the swallow and gag reflexes and the upper gastrointestinal tract to enable a subject to regurgitate their stomach contents at will and without experiencing pain or discomfort and without risk of acid burns or physical damage to the esophagus.
Professional drug runners and other smugglers use this medical modification to assist them in their particular line of work.
Legality: Legal
Transformation Time: 3 weeks
Cost: 3,000cs
Chimera Genetic Scrambling
Genetic fingerprinting is both one of the most common and most powerful tools of investigative agencies on both sides of the wormhole. Genetic scrambling – colloquially known as a Chimera mod – is a way to fool it.
Using the same techniques employed in other full-body biomods, the subject’s DNA is rewritten, making it impossible to match new samples to information stored in databases. It can be used for anything from simply erasing genetic evidence, to masking others biomods and even genetic identity theft.
On Poseidon, various factions use genetic scrambling to make good on the promise of a complete break with the past and a new life on the colony world.
Legality: Restricted
Transformation Time: 1 month
Cost: 20,000cs or more
Berserker
This illegal genetic redesign combines elements of other biomods – first and foremost muscle augmentation and behavioral reprogramming – to produced enhanced fighters. Compared to common procedures – that is the base modifications influencing the berserker design – the redesign offers a shorter transformation period and reduced price tag, paying for these benefits with safety issues and side effects which would be considered inacceptable under normal circumstances. For the producers of the illegal biomod, though, some of these side effects, such as heightened aggression and an impairment of higher cognitive function, are actually a welcome part of the package.
Berserkers are mainly recruited from the rank and file of syndicate soldiers, blood sport gladiators and fanatical terrorists. On Poseidon, the Gorchoffs make the most use of this modification and also sell it on to an exclusive circle of vetted customers.
Berserker Modifications
-1 Intellect
-2 Presence
-1 Will
+1 Endurance
+1 Strength
+1 Toughness
Legality: Proscribed
Transformation Time: 6 weeks
Cost: 20,000cs
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