| Dr. Vachan | |
|---|---|
| Player | Entomancy |
| Faction | The State |
| Species | Human (Cyborg) |
| Age | 54 |
| Current Residence | -unknown- |
| Place of Origin | The State |
| Status | -unknown-
|
| Specialty | Cybernetic Interface and Neuro-manipulation |
| Height | 5' 6" |
One of the State's foremost researchers and authority on cybernetic enhancement, Asha Vachan was responsible for at least three separate fundamental breakthroughs in human-machine interface. Despite these accolades, she harbored a distinct streak of non-compliance towards State ideology, and was subject to Audit twice (narrowly avoiding a third). Her survival can be directly attributed to her (not publicly-known) status as one of the first members of the Auditor's 'collection' of interesting people - most of whom would otherwise have executed or severely recommissioned for their actions.
As one of the Auditor's most loyal assets, Dr Vachan is responsible for the majority of her cybernetic enhancements, as well as being the closest thing to a friend she can be said to have had. She is also credited with the development of burnout - a chemical compound essential for the maintenance of the complex nerve-machine interfaces that characterise much of her work; which also has considerable application as a torture device due its ability to induce pain with minimal physical damage.
She accompanied the Auditor into the Void as part of the pursuit of the vanished FAC-19 (AJCO). Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Description[]
As a Citizen, and due to a tendency to get really involved with her work, Vachan has undergone heavy cybernetic modification, much of it her own design and several elements distinctly experimental. The most obvious of these features are:
- 'Shined' eyes. Vachan's eyes appear completely silver, side-to-side, with a slight greenish tint and no visible pupil. This is actually a secondary layer of filters implanted across her biological eyes, due to a combination of damage, and enhancement (because if you need to make changes anyway...). As a result, she does not blink very often, and it is impossible to tell what direction she is actually looking in.
- Cranial implants. A thick strip of tapered metal runs from temple-to-temple back around her head, containing a variety of sealed access ports, panels, and small lights. It is possible that at least some of these are ornamental.
- Her left ear has been replaced by a molded metal equivalent, and inbuilt hearing-aid. This is as a result of an attempt on her life years ago, and is surrounded by quite heavy scarring from the rest of the attack. She also has several metal teeth, around which the gums are receding quite drastically.
- There are no fingernails on her right hand; instead, series of small trans-dermal sockets start at her fingers and run in widening series up to her shoulder, allowing for more precise attachment of various instruments to both her arm and the nerves there (used primarily for very fine surgical work, but other tools can be added).
Cybernetics aside, Vachan is a little taller than average, with mid-brown skin that is starting to show the lines of age, particularly around her eyes. She has strong, rather square features and greying black hair (where her scalp can still grow it), worn in a short, thick braid on the top of her head. Her build tends towards the wiry, if softening a little now with age, and she has a tendency to stand unsettlingly still when at attention.
Early years[]
In her younger years, Vachan was casually blasé about conforming to State rules, often thinking that her status as a Citizen and an obvious genius in her field would mean that the retributional tendencies of the State didn't apply her. She habitually strayed outside her Research Remit, often preferring to follow innovational avenues that appealed, rather than what she had been instructed to research. Her success (and this being thirty years ago, before Mother's hand had closed quite so tightly on all elements of her children's lives) did initially afford her some measure of protection, and confidence blurred to arrogance - but at the age of 26 she was brought down to earth hard, as she was to undergo full Audit.
Accused of 'Thought Crime: Category Three; Appropriation of State resources; Severe violation of primary remit', and lacking any developed skill in subterfuge, she admitted to all charges and expected to die. Unlikely reprieve came in the form of a young Auditor, who found the brilliant cyberneticist too valuable to destroy, and instead assigned her to a less severe punishment in the form of Corrections
For a privileged Citizen-child, the impact of this was enough to nearly break the young Vachan, and even afterwards she was much more withdrawn than she had once been. However, her association with the Auditor would greatly improve her skills at playing the Compliant researcher, and her ability to balance her natural tendencies with an appropriate public face improved drastically in the next few years. Her rise through CYFAC to lead researcher, despite active opposition from several fairly substantial opponents, is testament to this success - as are several of the labels on ash-jars in the Auditor's office.
CYFAC and notable developments[]
As part of the wider S-FAC Complex, CYFAC represents what can be considered to be a more Civil Service side of State scientific research, as compared to the more prestigous (and independantly economically successful) Pythtech . Technological development within the S-FAC Complex is generally closely linked with the requirements of specific official Offices. While there is freedom for more exploratory, experimental work, research is subject to constant review of its direct - often military - applications.
Personality[]
Her early outspoken nature has tempered over time, and from necessity, although Vachan still harbors many opinions that - should she ever voice them - would likely be beyond even the Auditor's ability to prevent a swift official response. She is far from foolish enough to do so, however, and prefer to contain her acts of rebellion to those more easily excusable. Life in the State has left her with a defensive disinterest in the mechanisms of Correction and Control; she has become very good at not seeing much of how the system operates, even if actual approval of it would come through gritted teeth.
Like many Citizens, she struggles with her own internalised suspicion of Wards, and this was not improved by the perpetrator of her Denouncement as Aberration, which lead to her second Audit. This eventually found in her favour, and her extensive modification officially noted as merely full physical commitment to her Remit, but she still harbours a deep distrust of Wards - particularly those in positions of authority.
In contrast, CYFAC has somewhat of a reputation for sympathetic treatment of assigned Assets - even those used as experimental subjects - although she will insist this is an outcome of nothing more than resource efficiency, and a need to determine long-term prognosis of Reconstructive techniques.
She is extremely loyal to the Auditor, and seems to have picked up some of her tendency to collect individuals of specific interest or relevance to her work. Cesar Castell is an example of this.