Excerpt of History of the Eras abridged

About augmentations

Augmentations have been part of humanity since before the 2nd Era, many even dare to say that they predate it too but it will depend on your definition of augmentations.

Augmentations are changes made in the human body is replaced or improved with something else than the natural human part. From eye augmentations that gives a fully mechanical eyeball to muscular replacements with artificial muscles to even RAI modules implanted in the brain or the base of the spine for improved reflexes.

All these modifications are targeted to improve the human form and add to the quality of life.

The most common type of augmentation is for after injuries, loss of limb or body organ where the lost part is replaced. Some other augmentations are aesthetic, to beautify or modify in ways the person finds more aesthetically pleasing though it may differ by the culture of the time. Finally, the third most common one is to enhance the body.

Most pilots have connection enhancers of one type or another to better control mechs while exo warrior have perception and time acceleration enhancements to have speed up perception and reaction. Within the working groups eye enhancements are becoming more and more common as they forgo the need of any computer or interface and they can get the information they require directly in their eye sight at all times.

The augmentations do vary by culture including their acceptance. Some consider the human body the perfect machine and prefer to opt for biotech or bioprinted improved parts, others opt in or out due to theological belief (this is also a quick way to find someone that believes in the God of Mechs or the God of Machinery).

Cotton balls, clouds, that fluffy filling for sound dampening in the walls, all of that was inside Marcus head right now, and some dizziness.

Trying to stand up was not hard at all, achieving it, turns out, was impossible. Thankfully the wall was close and he only had to put his ha… his face to stop the fall, well, arrest it.

He had issues thinking, straight or in any other direction, could hardly remember anything that happened last night after going back home. He felt strangely tired and parched and a bit hungry too, like he needed something sweet, strong, like of those chocolate muffins from the Italian place or those crispy french fries from last party or churros with nutella and kale chips and mozzarella fingers and burgers too… definitely…

Despite his mental state and lack of motor control he made his way to the bathroom to drink tons of water. The clean face of a raccoo… his face greeted him. He had such huge bags under his eyes it was almost impressive.

By the time he reached his living room both Anne and Mina were seated in the table and had a big mug of some hot drink prepared for him and a plate of small circular white dough looking disks.

"Hello" "Good Morning" two violent shouts attacked him and cause some headache. He frowned but kept going, food, liquid hot, spicy, things to eat. With the same grace of an elephant, he sat of a chair grabbed the mug and drank half of it under the curious eyes of his mothers.

He stopped drinking that thing, it was thick, hot, sweet, spicy and had soft cold things floating. He grabbed a handful of disks and ate them ravenously, they were some sort of soft dough things with different fillings. He decided it was good and kept eating and drinking.

After putting his cup down for the second time a stabbing pain came from his neck but banished just as quickly.

Meanwhile Anna and Mina where trading messages.

"It was too much"

"It was enough, he needed it"

"Look at him, the zombie ants of the Katar colony were less ravenous and more intelligent"

"He will be fine honey, he is not the first one that I used the concoction on, that’s how Mich awakened too"

"You never told me how you helped him, it was this?"

"Yes"

"Didn’t he spend the rest of the week in the hospital wing due to lack of body control?"

"He is our son, he will be fine… aaaand I did improve both the drug, the after treatment and the final injection to restore him"

"Really?"

"Yes honey, really. This is a wonderful improvement the 4th time I made a mistake and she slept for the whole time but Marcus is already moving, eating… Why are you looking at me like that?"

"4th? Marcus is the 5th?"

"Of course not, he is the 12th"

"Who else did you use this on?"

"Hmm, from the Aquilae Mich was the 7th, Thomas and Roderick had a shot of the 9th and Mikaela was the 10th, the rest where on the training contracts for those who had already reach the threshold"

"Mikaela was the 10th? Wasn’t she also in the sick bay for the entire trip after because any force over 1g would make her vomit?"

"Yeah well, but I improved it since then, the Vigile from Primus 1 in the Capital sector hardly had any side effects and most were gone in a day"

"A day in Primus is longer, about 50 hours here. Longer than an imperial day"

"Well, he can rest that time with no problem, we have over 5 imperial days to be there again so it will be fine"

Marcus was oblivious to this silent discussion it was happening in front of him, he ate and drank everything and proceeded to go back to his room, quiet, cold, and dark room.

These feeding trips of Marcus happened a few more times over the next 2 days and there was always some food and liquid waiting for him, his mental state improving little however by the night of the 3rd day he was back.

"He rises" said loudly Anne noticing the changes immediately with a grin in her face and joy in her eyes.

"He does look better but it took longer than the 11th" pointed Mina "How do you feel honey?" worry tinged her voice but also happiness.

"Fine I guess, a little dirty and like I slept for a long time after whatever you gave me to drink last night" Marcus was a bit tired and strangely not that hungry.

"Last night?" Mina looked at Anna

"Well, that is good honey, you slept for quite a bit, come sit with us and eat something"

"What happened?" Marcus was feeling a bit worried after looking at their faces, Anna looked relieved and just a little bit guilty while Mina looked a bit angry.

"Well, you mother gave you a multi drug mixed with some nootropics and other compounds designed to modify your mental state by heightening your reason and emotions making you concentrate incredibly and then a little hypnotic treatment to focus into specific topics which would help you find a specific way to harness your mana naturally forming your ability"

"You did what?" Marcus looked alarmed and betrayed at Mina.

"It wasn’t me, it was Anna"

"You gave me the vial"

Mina looked guilty "We made a bet, that if I gave you something you wouldn’t hesitate to drink it not would ask what it was or why"

"Well, he didn’t, if I had told him that I could help him discover his ability he would have doubted me" Anna said with nonchalance.

"With perfectly good reason, you gave me drugs this time, when I was feeling down after getting dumped you bought me 2 bottles of the cheapest and strongest alcoholic beverages you could find and told me to get drunk"

"your point being?"

"I was 14 years old"

"And? They were both perfect solutions for your problems"

"That was why he was vomiting the day after Anna? You got him drunk?"

"Did you have any more heartache for that girl after?"

"That’s not the point, you shouldn’t give alcohol to a minor mom"

"Pshhh, you are a minor until you are 30 or have graduated college or done anything that could be deemed as great advancement to the civilization. You are barely an adult now" Anna said while rolling her eyes with a totally dismissive tone.

"And you went with it mom?" fighting with Anna about that wouldn’t make any change so Marcus focused on Mina

"She told me she had a way to awaken you and she had done things like this to others a few times already and she told me it was just a little hypnosis with concentration drugs, I didn’t know it would do that much to you"

"Ignoring the total lack of respect and choice I don’t feel that bad and sleeping 16hs is not that bad"

"2 days and 16 hours" corrected Anna.

"2 days and 16 hours!? I’m not famished"

"There were more like mini naps, you woke up, ate something, drank lots and go back to sleep"

"And that explains the dirty feeling… never again mom, I mean it"

"OK Mark, I promise to never again use drugs and hypnosis on you without telling you before"

"MOM" "Anne"

"Yes?" answered Anna innocently

Mina sighed heavily "Marcus, regardless of what happened. When you were under you did things to the design, do you remember what you did? How did your ability work?"

"No, not really, I remember working on it but that was it" he activated the virtual display and brought his schematic. His reaction was instantaneous, eyes widened, jaw slacked "I did this?"

"Yes. What do you see?"

"I see emotions, actions, maybe a goal" he was shocked "I feel something from the schematic, I feel it’s faster, a bit stealthier and maybe with more endurance, I can’t explain it well"

"You added a metaphysical component to the design. Most Mech Designers manifest this type of ability, they add a metaphysical component that enhances something in some way, many crafting types do the same. My exo armor improves my speed, not just making all the motors be faster but also to enhance my personal perception just by wearing it" Anne explained quickly, she had interacted with this type of enhancement previously in other mechs.

"She is right, some do that as an enhancement over the whole. Others do something much more limited and powerful like my tools, they work far better than they should and I can enhance them even further with my ability"

Marcus digested all that information and some more examples they told him. He wasn’t sure how he had done it and none of the examples sounded like his.

"The interface will answer your question perfectly Mark, when you awaken it, you will be able to interact with it and get answers, even System evaluations of what you see in exchange of mana"

"It can take some time honey, don’t be in a rush to get it. Anyways, dinner is getting cold, come, let’s eat while I lower the privacy screen"

The family ate, talked, and spent the rest of the night peacefully.

The next day things kicked into higher gear. The new schematic was sent to Minerva’s Lab, Marcus went to Val’s and checked into the mech while it was being refurbished and Anna got in touch with the Aquilae who would provide space transportation for them and the mech. Also, some new parts where ordered, two modules needed replacement and some of the changes in the model required new parts and 1 module that couldn’t be manufactured in house however he could buy another one and modify the design to match the specifications.

And like that 4 days passed, Marcus kept working trying to understand his ability, how to use it yet Mina prohibited him from delving too far and no more than once every day.

"Marcus, mana abilities are beyond the physical realm and while humans can use them they also pay a price, once you are trained it just tires you out, maybe physically hurt for overdoing it but at first it can easily kill you, put you in a coma or do some serious brain damage. For example, Anne basically destroyed your mech with just the one use, it drained the mana of your mech so she would not pay the price. I get tired and sleepy after using it.

Also, when you received the mana stone you started to generate a small amount of mana passively plus expand the amount of mana you can hold but using your ability consume a lot most likely emptying out all your reserves. Last time you had extra mana from the trip plus your own reserves so you could do way more than normal, now you are working with the maximum mana you can store and generate."

"Why can’t we just go and kill some animals to get mana back?"

"Besides danger, damage to the environment and cost?"

"Damage to the environment?"

"If you hunt too much in one place it would weaken the beasts there and then some new beasts can come from other places, beasts that could be more dangerous or worst matches for the other beasts. Hunters, loggers and the rest of the workers are very careful and only attack aggressive beasts and cull the fauna and flora in specific ways to keep the danger to the minimum "

"OK, well beyond those 3 reasons"

"Let me explain. Give me your hand Mark" Anne extended her hand and grabbed Marcus hand "I’m releasing a bit of mana. Do you feel it?"

"…Mhmmm maybe, like a small warm thing?"

"Yeah, now can you try to absorb it?"

"Won’t that hurt you?"

"If you can feel it like that then it’s free mana and technically you can absorb it easily"

"… let me see" Marcus concentrated in that small warm energy "I can’t, it feels different and can’t really do anything"

"Imagine that mana is like water. Your personal mana is a flavored water that is good only for your personal use and everyone is the same. This ‘free’ mana that you feel is hard to absorb and won’t mix well with your inner mana.

Beasts and plants are the same, they hold this personal mana however, upon their death the mana starts to lose their particular ‘flavor’ and then you can absorb that free mana much more easily.

When you absorb mana, it enters your system and you will need to purify it to properly use it or it will start to flavor you too. Last time your personal mana was very concentrated and very strong, then the mana that you absorbed didn’t have too much strength so it quickly adapted towards you but it also diluted your mana,

If your mana is ever invaded and you can’t fight it it will be worse than radiation. It will start to make changes in you, from your personality to your physical forms, that is where abominations come from. They took too much ‘flavored’ mana and mutated violently.

So, you must be careful. Ok? Absorb little at a time like when you are working and not go overboard with all."

"Mom, can you touch my head. Do I have a fever?" asked worriedly Marcus while looking at Mina. He walked towards a window and opened the blinds to look outside peering all over carefully "No, I don’t see any"

"You don’t see any what honey?"

"Flying pigs. First time in my life I hear you mom telling me to be careful and patient with something" replied Marcus with a huge grin while looking at Anne.

Mina laughed fully while smiling

"Cheeky!" said Anne wagging her finger

Marcus looked at both and smiled, they had their faults but he loved them a lot and really appreciated all their help, well maybe not the drugs.