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Question 96
The Symbiotes and Genetic engineering of the Galadriel system.

When they were discovered the twin worlds of Harsh and Penelope where considered marginal at best, so no one made too much noise when the Divergers set up the first colonies there.

Penelope is an Ocean world with a considerable depth of water before hitting anything solid. It was deemed too costly to develop as anything beyond a tourist destination, the Pacific Commonwealth sent the first bio-engineers there with an open ended missive to make it a friendlier environment. They seeded a sanctuary ship named "Elysium" and settled down to work, by the time the ship was grown the political environment on Earth had shifted away from biotech and the crew where quietly paid off and forgotten. Now the fruits of the first settlers are visible from space as huge floating islands of rich coral drift gently across the endless ocean.

Harsh is another story altogether, a dense violent planet with ferocious volcanic activity and a borderline homicidal environment. Early on in the colonization of Penelope it was used as a prison, this was when the natural wealth of the planet was discovered, Kimberlite pipes erupted regularly and the very dynamic nature of the surface was continually bringing valuable metals and compounds to the surface. Harsh is a rich source of the rare materials used in Jump Inverter Rings and regardless of the brutal environment people started coming to seek their fortune. The surface conditions are such that permanent structures are a waste of time, "Bunkers" are used instead, these are actually very robust surface to orbit craft that embed themselves in the surface. Non enhanced prospectors typically use modular environmental suits made by a local Xylysus/Sulth company.

These two very different environments have led to the local popularity of symbiotes, Many of the locals work for a week or two on Harsh then spend a month or two on Penelope. Genetic Engineering would leave them unable to enjoy the safer lifestyle that Penelope offers. Cybernetics suffer from a lot of wear and tear on Harsh and as such aren't the most popular way of surviving long enough to seek your fortune. Many of the spacers who work the habitats favor them however.

There is one common piece of Genetic engineering that marks many of the prospectors of Harsh, "Spinal nodes" a modification that makes some common symbiotes more effective by providing the ideal attachment points. Gristly anchors with wide arteries and easily accessible nerve corridors, these are located in pairs on either side of the spine though the exact number and location varies between individuals. Spinal nodes also have the advantage of allowing quicker changing of symbiotes compared to someone without them.

Common Symbiotes
- Breather Shell, A crab like carapace that attaches like a backpack, internally is is almost entirely comprised of lung/gill tissue suited to the atmosphere of Harsh. Two versions exist, one has a flexible tube that runs to the wearers face, the other taps into the wearers Spinal Nodes and oxygenates their blood directly. both types are designed to be worn with an environment suit.

- Mad patch, This smaller symbiote is usually placed behind the ear, it sends tendrils out along the sub-dermal layer until it has a large enough antenna to function as a highly accurate metallic anomaly detector. These are favored by prospectors due to the dynamic nature of Harsh's surface. Several versions exist but it is very unlikely to see anything but the three main ones. The three main ones in order of popularity are the basic auditory variety which has a flat grey appearance not unlike shark skin and sends visible tendrils into the auditory canal and across the shoulders, people who posses these can hear the magnetic profile of their environment. The second most common is used by more hard core prospectors and it lives beneath the skin of the forehead and pectoral regions, small tendrils can be spotted around the eye sockets where it attaches to the optic nerves. The third most common locates itself beneath the skin and in the bones of the hands resulting in a slightly elongated hand that can feel for minerals.

- Swim Suits, This full body Symbiote is used by the undersea workers and farmers of Penelope, the more spinal nodes a wearer has the longer their endurance wearing it is. Common types provide the host with a fluke and gills.

- Lenz, Many sub types exist but the basic design is the same a small jelly like symbiote that fits over the eye like a contact lens and sends a tiny feeding tendril up the tear duct to latch on to a blood vessel. Most frequently designed for underwater use but some allow an increase in in the visible spectrum.

- Cleaner 'sites, a modified blood born parasite altered to process various types of toxins in the blood so they can be processed by the kidneys.

- Bio-electric enhancer, two versions exist the first has a hard core usually located on a spinal node pair or the sternum and faint tendrils over most of the hosts skin it works similarly to an electric eel and provides power to any appropriate device. The second version has offensive capabilities.

- Glands, this a whole family of symbiotes that are usually subdermal and produce a substance, they are designed to work internally and are in effect a dedicated drug/hormone injector. The meta-tabolism gland or "meta" is a common example it can be used to slow the metabolism down to conserve resources or to boost it when desired. A "ZGG" gland exists to help combat the long term effects of zero G.

- Microdermal symbiotes, these are tiny organisms that grow directly out of the skin and are generally short lived and require frequent reapplication , some resemble scales and are used by those who spend large amounts of time in the water, others are applied to the palms and soles of the feet to increase grip. Some interlink to form armour or an airtight layer.

- X-Glands, a sub-type of gland that produces it's substance externally, the latest breed can produce a length of spider like silk thick and strong enough to support almost half a ton. Others produce medicines, poisons, suit sealant, perfume and irritants to name but a few.

- The Latest product of the Genetic designers is the cyber-organism in which the symbiotes nervous system is overridden by a cybernetic implant that is slaved to a matching implant in the host. This has allowed the development of an organic exoskeleton/environment suit with all kinds of built in cybernetic enhancements. It is however very hungry necessitating the host to continually eat very calorie rich food.

The genetic engineering in Galadriel is far from coordinated and many more types exist than are mentioned here. Large scale divergence from the human norm is uncommon but many inhabitants are sufficiently different to be easily noticed as engineered.
Common Genetic engineering
- Tidal sensitivity, this alteration to the inner ear allows a greater perception of the variable gravity on Harsh and the dramatic tidal changes on Penelope.
- High G and low G Tolerance.
- Pressure Tolerance.
- Nictating membranes.
- Micro gills and increased lung capacity
- Increased physical resilience

Uncommon Genetic Engineering
- Webbed feet
- Full gills
- Upgraded physical abilities

Question 98
Do any Divergers have access to power armour, organic or other wise?

Galadriel Rumors: One Diverger group has advanced their genetic engineering to the point that they can thrive on Harsh. Native life has been discovered on Harsh, silicon based organisms that are advanced enough to form tribes!! Native life has been discovered on Harsh, it is tough enough to live in the magma and attacks prospectors who get too close to cooling lava.