Injury, disease, or bad fortune need not be the end of the things you love and love to do. They may, in fact, be the beginning of a better tomorrow.

TRANSCEND, by Noval Heavy Industries, is a line of exceedingly well crafted cybernetics to make you not just who you were, but allow you to transcend and become someone more.

Faster. Stronger. Smarter. Better.

Built from cutting edge materials and designed with an aesthetic that doesn't hide the changes to your body, but celebrate them, TRANSCEND are cybernetics for the discerning individual who isn't afraid to take the step beyond the limits of the bodies they were born with.

Available to the consumer market starting in YE 46.

In YE 44, as Noval's military and consumer market sectors began to truly take off, departments were spun up to identify new product segments that could truly capitalize on Noval's brand of high-end goods at high-end, but achievable, consumer prices.

From that drive came Noval Riche, Noval's near-bespoke clothing line. From that same spark came a simple question - why stop at clothes? Noval had already participated in the creation of the Operator. While they couldn't use the military secrets involved in the creation of the NDC's new synthetic populous for civilian goods, the experience did give them a surprising amount of insight into the creation of synthetic hardware design.

It helped that many of Noval's design staff had their own cybernetics, and with them their own experiences and design preferences. Base designs were tested, materials selected, and then iterated upon until the team was satisfied with the general approach and feel of their prototypes.

The last, but perhaps most important, detail was to finalize the look. A variety of 'skins' were selected for the hardware, ranging from porcelain finishes to broad gold lattices, all of them boldly declaring their cybernetic nature with no attempt to cover them in synthetic skins. Noval's designers wanted the cybernetics to not be simple replacements, but fashion accessories. In the same way that people choose the shape and material when selecting the perfect pair of glasses, Noval wanted to focus on cybernetics as a luxury accessory.

TRANSCEND is not one product, but a line of products that are all custom-designed to the customer's needs. Much like Noval Riche's stores, Noval's concept is that the customer can enter the store, browse the variety of materials, finishes, and optional details, and then be fitted for their new cybernetic. Once the customer's selections have been made, Noval staff can assemble the basic skeleton pieces and synthetic musculature required for that specific component. The fittings to match the customer's body are printed on site, then attached to the custom-tailored piece.

Noval's TRANSCEND cybernetics are designed to be as beautiful as they are functional. All designs are striking and bold - if an entire arm is replaced, Noval's designers intend and expect that the wearer be proud to wear sleeveless dresses, gowns, or shirts to any event.

A madite and durandium composition makes the arms surprisingly resilient.

TRANSCEND cybernetics are marginally better than what an unmodified human's peak potential could achieve, with an emphasis on precision and dexterity over raw strength. Base models do not add additional capabilities to their user, though option packages are available to do just that.

As a top-end product, TRANSCEND may not be affordable for all customers. Noval is confident that the value provided is more than worth it.

TRANSCEND cybernetics are custom-made based on the customer's unique cybernetic needs. To make the purchasing process simpler, Noval has created four pricing tiers for their offerings, based on the general type and size of the cybernetic. Additional options will incur additional fees.

For sizes beyond our normal offerings, a bespoke contract is required.

Eyes, ears, fingers, and other body parts of similar size fall under the “Tiny” size category.

• Price (Extra-Small Cybernetic) - 3000 KS

Hands and feet are the most common examples of Small cybernetics.

• Price (Small Cybernetic) - 5000 KS

Arm and leg replacements that start at the elbow or knee are common examples of a Medium cybernetic.

• Price (Medium Cybernetic) - 8000 KS

Entire arms or legs, wings, and Separa'Shan tails are regular examples of a Large cybernetic.

• Price (Large Cybernetic) - 13,000 KS

All TRANSCEND cybernetics are customized for their user and their specific needs. The specifics of how a cybernetic is attached may vary from person to person.

Most TRANSCEND cybernetics have a thin sheathe of rebinder that tightly grips onto the remaining limb or body part that the cybernetic is designed to attach to. The material shapes itself to perfectly fit the attachment point and creates an imperceptible static bond between the user's body and the cybernetic. Once attached, attempts to remove the cybernetic by force would be more likely to remove the part of the user's body that they are attached to than break the connection¹⁾

Small sensors in the rebinder pseudo-fluid are able to detect nervous signals in the user's skin and translate those into smooth motion. Customers adapt to this control scheme incredibly quickly and are usually able to perform delicate movements, such as lifting an egg, before they leave the store. The cybernetics' control systems have a learning algorithm that will continue to refine the accuracy of these movements over time.

For cybernetics with additional features, such as embedded weaponry, the same control scheme applies. Your TRANSCEND cybernetic technician will guide you through creating a custom trigger(s) for these features during the setup process.

Users with a mind-machine interface can connect to their TRANSCEND cybernetic, potentially giving them even greater control. Diagnostic information, additional sensory feedback, and more are made available. TRANSCEND's software package works with a range of mind-machine interfaces to present the information in the most convenient form possible.

If a customer is lacking nerve endings in the adjacent skin, a mind-machine interface will be required.

Option packages represent additional capabilities that can be installed into a TRANSCEND cybernetic at the time of its creation. Store staff have little insight into how the packages work, but the design tool they use prevents any incorrect option choices and handles the heavy lifting of ensuring that the finished product will meet Noval's high standards.

For customers for whom “fully custom” isn't custom enough, Noval's TRANSCEND can assign a design team to a customer directly. Prices and final products will vary greatly, but there is a minimum 10,000 KS surcharge for all customization work of this type. The charge covers transportation to and lodging at Noval's HQ, Noval Station, for the duration of the default bespoke contract, a time not to exceed one month.

Any additional options chosen will add on to the base cost with a 25% discount.

Noval guarantees that any customer who buys a bespoke option in good faith will be fully satisfied with their product at the end of that month or they'll receive a full refund. Any designs or products made during a period where the bespoke option is refunded will belong solely to Noval, otherwise Noval guarantees that they will not make any “knock-off” designs based on a bespoke creation, so long as they are sufficiently unique.

• Price: Base Cost + 10,000 KS + Additional options

While the base TRANSCEND offerings give their wearer the potential to reach the pinnacle of what a human is capable of, some want to go even further.

The Beyond Human package, offered for an additional 3000 KS as part of a full limb replacement, allows its wearer to do exactly as the name suggests - to go “Beyond” human limits and achieve performance more in line with many of the sector's engineered species. As the enhancement(s) are restricted to the parts being replaced, so customers should take care to not overestimate the capabilities of their non-cybernetic bodyparts.

Built-in governors will be put in place to ensure that no damage is done to the wearer's body. Users with a mind-machine interface connected to the cybernetic can release these, but doing so voids the warranty.

• Price: Base Cost + 3000 KS

For those looking for that extra bit of defense in a dangerous sector, weaponry can be installed as part of the cybernetic's design. A variety of payload options are available, including kinetic, plasma, and laser.

Customers should specify whether they want pistol (T1), rifle (T2), or light anti-armor (T3) capabilities when choosing this option. Pistol variants can take up as little space as a single hand. Rifle variants can take up a lower arm and render the attached hand (or foot) unusable while deployed. Light anti-armor require a full limb and have limited cosmetic options to retain the “concealed” aspect of the design; while in use, the entire arm is solely devoted to its weapon form.

Users must prove that they have the appropriate weapon licenses, valid background check, or other “concealed carry” necessities based on the location of install.

• Price [T1, Pistol Equivalent]: Base Cost + 500 KS
• Price [T2, Rifle Equivalent]: Base Cost + 900 KS
• Price [T3, Light Anti-armor Equivalent]: Base Cost + 25,000 KS

Ammunition will be commercially-available and is not sold by Noval directly.

For customers who wish to defend themselves in a pinch, and perhaps with a bit of flair, a variety of concealed melee weapon options exist. A retractable forearm blade, blade fingers, a knee spike, and so on are all possible.

As with the concealed ranged weapon, customers must prove that they are meet all concealed melee weapon qualifications as determined by the law in the location of sale.

• Price [T0, Knife Equivalent]: Base Cost + 200 KS
• Price [T1, Sword Equivalent]: Base Cost + 500 KS

For customers who wish to carry certain items on their person discretely, concealed compartments can be installed within the cybernetic. The specifics of compartment size will vary depending on the size of the cybernetic. For a small additional price, a 'Secure Access' option can be purchased that increases the compartment's security and resiliency to safe-like levels, ensuring that it will remain sealed against all but the most fervent of thieves.

• Price [Small]: Base Cost + 100 KS
• Price [Large]: Base Cost + 300 KS
• Price [Secure Access]: +50 KS

When you want to peer into the dark or hear the flutter of a butterfly's wings, your original organic parts just weren't enough. Losing something as important as your eyes or ears can be a traumatic experience, but that terrible moment can be the beginning of something even more incredible.

All of Noval's sensory replacement cybernetics come with hardware and tuning to give you the best of what your species could offer. With the Enhanced Sensors package, you can go further. Customers can select from a variety of visual, auditory, and extrasensory options during the purchasing process. Ever wanted to see the electromagnetic spectrum? Colors beyond what your birth eyes could see? Telescopic vision rivaling the best cameras on the market? All of these and more can be yours.

Users with mind-machine interfaces can, for an additional cost, have some of these sensory enhancements included as part of a non-sensory cybernetic. Not all cybernetics are appropriate for all enhancements and there may not be sufficient room, such as for those customers who have opted for large storage or weaponry upgrades.

• Price [Any sensory cybernetics]: Base cost + 200KS (per sensory enhancement)
• Price [Addition to non-sensory cybernetic]: Cost + 300KS (per sensory enhancement)

Whisper created this article on 2023/03/16 13:08.

🚧 This article is a work-in-progress. Is it not currently approved.