BI Death
From SCross
Contents |
Overview
Death is not what it used to be. For the last century and change, the world has had much more choice about what lives or dies. Every legal citizen has a small blank materia implanted in the base of their skull, which feeds on and stores their memories. This recollection includes mannerisms, habits, thoughts and other fine minutea that make up a person, but it is not perfect. Should a person suffer Organic Damage sufficient to render the host body unusable, the blank materia can be retrieved and, with the help of some expensive technology, inserted into a new body.
It is possible, and quite common, to upload such a materia into a larger network where it can sit dormant until such a body is prepared, or until funds are available to begin the process. Poor people with no insurance or available funds to cover such an operation remain 'on the stack' indefinately, living in a state of limbo, not truly dead or alive. Corporate citizens are usually covered with insurance, and assuming they did not get their injuries illegally, can trust be being revived.
It is incredibly illegal to exist in two places at once. While possible to upload a data copy of a person more than once, most facilities will strictly forbid such activities. This is not to say that certain unscrupulous sorts don't weasel around this mandate on occasion, though the penalty for doing so, if caught, is immediate deletion of all copis of the person, living or data.
It is important to note that the memory materia that rests in the living is not immortal. Energy weapons prove quite capable of damaging or destroying it if directed at the materia, usually done after the victim is already dead, or with large enough blast while the victim is alive. Explosions and other mass scale damage will often also damage or destroy the materia. It's a good system, but it's not perfect.
Death and Legality
Because of the availability of such magitechnology, murder has changed definition. The simple destruction of a host body is simple property damage. Though still a serious crime, it is not considered a terminal one any longer. Common sentences are jail time(usually carried out on The Stack), and/or heavy fines. Richer criminals often negotiate with the victim and come to an economically sound agreement.
True death is another matter entirely. The destruction of someone's memory materia is one of the higher crimes, though less than multiple existance. Law enforcement of all kinds frown on true death, though some corporations let it slide.. so long as it's not their own that suffer it.
The Stack
The Stack is the uniform term for the databases that hold copies of people. While most only exist here between bodies, more wealthy residents have copies of their consciousness sent regularly to a stack as a way of back up. This does not breach laws so long as none of these extra copies are awakened while another is active. Existing on the stack is a non-existance, a simple lack of time. It is neither boring nor interesting, it simply is not, as the person is just 'not there' until they are awoken in a new body. It is possible to access a person in the stack, with permission of the stack's technicians.
A person can be interrogated, tortured, or simply talked with while inside the stack in a sort of virtual reality. Perceptive folk will notice that they are in a simulation fairly quickly, while others may take a while to catch on. Torture, while illegal, is quite effective on a stacked individual, as their 'body' can be reset to healthy state whenever desired, or set to any configuration they desire to create the ideal situation for fear and mental break down.
New Bodies
New bodies cost money. Insurance will usually cover most of the fee of a generic prefab body with a mere 1000 eG copay. If you're on your own, you have a few options.
- Prefab: 5,000 eG, it looks generic, it feels generic, and it's cheap. What more could you want?
- Loaner: Only given to citizens needed to stand witness in trial, and it is expected back, but it is free.
- Clone: 10,000 eG, Copy your body anew. This needs to be done before death for optimal results. The wealthy keep many clones ready to receive their memories.
- Custom: 15,000 eG and up, get the body you always wanted! Implant it with bio and cybernetic ware, create it from the genetic basement on up, and make it your own!
If a citizen can't afford one of these options, they are left on the stack until someone covers the payment. Criminals serving time on the stack often find their bodies being rented out to others who need it, or even having the body purchased outright. They are given a prefab if they can't afford another when they awaken.
Return to Blood and Iron.
