Vexnal Corporation Simulacrum Type 1 - Model 001F CODENAME: ASTRID

More info: -Astrid is an android created by the Vexnal Corporation, incorporating the latest in cutting edge bioware, to serve as the company president's bodyguard. Like most androids, she appears completely human on the outside. Her disguise is aided by the fact that she is constructed almost completely of organic components - mostly vat grown. Her only synthetic features are her carbon composite skeleton and a spinal cord made of a superconductive material. She has also been implanted with specialized cells for repairing her bones from extensive wear-and-tear or beaks, but this is a slow process requiring minimal activity, proper diet, and rest. Her organs and tissues are vat grown, but have been modified as follows. Astrid's Brain and Nervous System: -Although cultured from tissue from a series of human donors, her central nervous system has received a number of bioware modifications. First, the motor centers of her brain are liked with extra nerve tissue to make her ambidextrous. -Her learning abilities and intelligence are nearly superhuman, the resulting from her pineal gland, modified to constantly secrete the Natal Stimulation Compound. This hormone encourages brain cell development in response to use and gives her the assimilation abilities present during the first five years of human childhood. -A special gland between the hemispheres of her forebrain produces a chemical that neutralizes the effects of naturally occurring acetylcholine. The upshot of this is an incredible near-perfect photographic recall of events and information. Even long-ago memories are vivid and easily recalled. -In addition to being able to "move-by-wire" with her synthetic spinal cord, the rest of her nervous system is aided by and a special synthetic myelin that covers her nerve cells and prevents interference with the neural impulses traveling through them while increasing transmission efficiency and cutting down on bio-electrical interference. -Purposefully overdeveloped axon diameters dramatically enlarge the surface area in her nerve pathways, further increasing transmission speed and efficiency. The overall effect is nothing less than the abilities of the most trained High Newtype, but from superior speed instead of precognition. Circulatory System: -The muscular walls of Astrid's arteries expand and contract with the rhythms of her heart, giving her the endurance of an Olympic runner without ever needing to exercise. These muscles also act as sphincters, which seal shut at a site of rapid blood loss. -Her respiration has been further fine tuned by causing her marrow to produce the metaheme molecule instead of hemoglobin - a molecule which a greater attraction to oxygen than typical massive hemoglobin molecules. This also enables her to hold her breath for long periods of time. The combat effect of these improvements equates to wearing a state of the art g-force flight suit. Digestive System: -A small pouch, grafted between her stomach and small intestine, produces and stores a specially engineered bacteria that help her squeeze every bit of energy from her meals. Matter passing through this second stomach, including indigestible cellulose and proteins, are converted into a form more readily absorbed into her bloodstream. This allows her to function on as little as 500 calories a day, provided she takes it easy. When using her high performance muscles, the more efficient digestion makes optimal usage of what would be considered only a little more than normal human consumption. -Sensory nodes in her stomach induce a vomiting reflex when detecting ingested poison. Others: -Nodes implanted under her armpits are linked to a series of fibers throughout Astrid's body, which constantly sample body fluids for foreign antigens that identify invading bacteria or viruses. Until activated, the nods themselves simply produce and store genetically superior lymphocytes. When a foreign body is detected, the nodes release their lymphocytes and chemically signals the rest of her body's natural defenses. Plagues are one thing, but stuffy noses and sore throats will never survive this system. -Astrid's muscle tissue has been enhanced and cultivated with an altered polycontractile protein structure, and her skeletal-muscular anchor points are further from her joints than normal, giving her enhanced leverage and strength performance. Corrective biosculpting was used to reduce the absurd limb proportions that would normally be apparent from such an augmentation. -For help in cold environments or cryosleep, Astrid is protected by an organ near her heart which produces a sugary agent much like the one in frogs. This keeps water from forming into ice-crystals in her tissues, improving the survival rate involved with cryogenic suspension. -Protective third eyelids, which can be opened or closed at will, are perfectly transparent and complement Astrid's design demands on survival and "perfect adaptability". -Two nodes, one at the mesenteric artery and one at the aortic arch, produce and store her body's natural blood clotting compounds. A sudden drop in blood pressure or a rapid rise in histamine levels trigger the glands to release their contents, clotting wounds and accelerating the healing process. Cyberware: -Astrid is fitted with an Autonomous Microdrive, implanted with Kyana Vexnal's personality template. -For last defense close quarters combat, Astrid sports a set of carbon composite hand razors that retract under her fingernails. -Complementing her weapon of choice (a top of the line Vexnal Corporation Slayer), Astrid is fitted with a feedback loop of circuitry between her retina and the gun, esentially creating a laser targeting system that only she can see. A subdermal induction pad in her palm creates an inoptrusive connection point. (Incidentally, her hands are the perfectly shaped for using the weapon)

Vexnal Corporation SR-291 "Vanquisher"

Caliber: custom .50 (12.7x99mm) High Velocity Anti-tank rounds Operation: Semi/Burst/Full-Auto Barrel Length: 1.83 meters (6 feet) Overall Length: 2.75 meters (9 feet) Weight Empty: 20 kg (44 lbs) Clip: 50 rounds

More info: -Off all the weapons to be produced by the Vexnal Corporation's extensive R&D department, the SR-291 "Vanquisher" was the first to be taken out of the LX-1402 facility for military use. Carrying the weapon is done with a massive plastic case, with a padded interior devoted to carrying this heavily customized, computer assisted, ultra high power automatic rifle with a state of the art scope and elongated barrel. An intigrated prototype suppression system dominates the end of the gun. It houses components to increase range and firepower with compressed gas and a sophisticated muzzle design, while also cutting down on flash and smoke. Barrel climb during opperation is inhibited with it's sheer weight alone. -The weapon itself is still almost three meters long - and quite difficult to set up. The SR-291 comes with instructions for mounting it's computer controlled hydraulic support stand and special chair to anything with sufficient tonage to meet the demands of the high-performance gun. Breakdown is simplified in case of "emergencies", with explosive pins, ejectable sections and relatively light-weight or disposable components assuring a fast, clean gettaway. It is the first and undoubtably not the last of the formidable weapons to be produced for Kyana Vexnal's personal and discressionary use.

Vexnal Corporation HC-SG "Slayer"

Caliber: 7.92mm high velocity caseless rifle ammunition Operation: Semi-Automatic Double Action Barrel Length: 229mm (9 inches) Overall Length: 330 mm (13 inches) Weight Empty: 2.5 kg (5.51 lbs) Clip: 20 rounds

More info: -This is the weapon of choice for Kyana Vexnal's android bodyguard Astrid, and a testbed for the Corporation's Smartgun system. A high-performance handgun, it carries twenty custom crafted tungesten carbinde 7.92mm caseless high velocity rifle rounds. These offer maximum penetration of Kevlar helmets, vests (48 layers) and CRISAT (titanium and kevlar). -At 228 milimeters, it's drastically extended barrel allows for high accuracy and an intigrated recoil suppression system, bringing the total weight of the gun to over 2.5 kilograms. Although Astrid is one of the few with the strength and precision to use it properly, the Slayer represents a drastic leap forward in the precision and power once offered only by rifles or carbines. Oddly enough, it is difficult to tell if the gun was designed to fit Astrid's hand, or if her hands are perfectly sculpted for weilding the monstrous weapon.

Vexnal Corporation Optical Camoflage "Stealth Shroud"

More info: -The optical camouflage "Stealth Shroud" is a combination of several systems working simultaneously. The outer portion of the suit consists of a hooded cloak woven of densely packed LED superbright microarrays and tiny stereoscopic cameras. Together, they are able to produce nearly 300 pixels per square inch, at a range of brightnesses from 1 milliwatt per square meter to 150 watts per square meter. While this is bright enough to cover the spectrum of human sight, the cloak will become hazy and cast a shadow. The hood of the cloak can be easily pulled down to conceal the wearer's face, and while it is opaque to the human eye, small goggle-mounted HUDs provide the user with a view of the outside world, but only of the area directly in front of the cloak. -With this tightly woven mesh of computer controlled diodes, the suit is able to project thousands of light beams on their own precisely controlled trajectories. The images are generated by an on board computer unit, contained in the secondary portion of the Stealth Shroud system. Underneath the projection cloak, the user is outfitted with a multi-layered body suit. The outermost layer is composed of heat sinks and induction coils, nestled in a thermal gel that regulates the temperature inside and around the suit - thus cooling the cloak's diodes as well. -Underneath the heat regulation layer is a computer system built into every inch of the suit itself. Fine strands of synthetic fiber optic crystal, woven together on the molecular level, act as an immensely powerful light-based processing unit. It is the job of this powerful system to coordinate information sent by the stereoscopic cameras and regulate the LEDs to maintain a seamless active camouflage. -Power is supplied by cells stored in a pair of boots and a slim backpack, which are removable from the bodysuit for easy recharging.