Yes, I remember meeting you in Valravn a few days ago during our expedition. Although I am primarily concerned with scientific matters, I have also studied physiology. My "Ahoudori"-class vessel, the Pentation, has a sizable sickbay in case one of our crew members suffers an illness. I do understand the potential health hazards humans face when exposed to high levels of radiation, like in dark matter storms and in Baxter anomalies.

Given that Leeds is notoriously known for their residents' comparatively short life expectancy, primarily due to complications involving smog inhalation, I do understand your concern regarding an artificial lung. The most recent ones have double the lung capacity and comes with a filtration system that can filter any foreign substances, which can help in the long run in polluted areas.

As for oncology, there is indeed a positive correlation between sustained exposure to radiation and the chance of developing cancer later in life. Fortunately, there is a way for us to drastically reduce, if not eliminate, the risk of dying by cancer by using our latest nanotechnology, by identifying potentially malignant cells and then eliminating them from the body.

Now, for the neural upgrades, there has been considerable strides with improved dexterity, reaction time, and though processing in the latest generation of implants, although there are some complications that may arise when replacing an old one with a new one. This can be minimized, however, by undergoing a post-augmentation regimen to ensure that the body adjusts to the new augmentations.

Let me know if you have something to say about your operation or my research endeavors. Oh, and if you need more detail about physiological concerns, you can contact Med Force Enterprises.

According to available peer-reviewed results, it should take around a few days to a week for the body to fully adjust to the newly-implanted augmentations. The same studies showed that pilots undergoing post-augmentation must not engage in physically and mentally-intensive activities. While this may be an inconvenience you will face, it's recommended to continue on scheduling with your surgeries.

The XB variants you are referring to probably refer to the ones designated as XB-SNT, right? If so, they represent a different kind of XB that seems to have an interest in dark matter and Baxter anomalies, along with heightened aggression and increased response to stimuli. Still, some of them behave strangely, as with the case of three XB-SNTs in Tau-23 that continuously circled the Baxter anomaly, ignoring any other stimuli until they were neutralized. Research and detailed information into them and the corresponding anomalies is, however, classified under CASE: Final Journey authorization. You'll have to go through numerous processes, including the neural upgrade package, as well as a psionics test, for the clearance requirements.

I've been pursuing such research lately now, and if you have your project in mind, we can discuss further.

Variant is reading digital text concerning the geological history of Planet Forres. Just as he reads the last part, he hears a beep, signalling that a new message has arrived. He takes a look at the message and formulates his response.

Hello once again, Imogen Jau. I've been quite busy sorting out research data over the past two weeks and I've had very little time to do other things. It's good to know that you were already authorized for CASE: Final Journey. As for Project: SNOWBLIND, while I haven't heard much from your proposal called LENS-α, I could certainly take a look and understand the finer details, if such an opportunity arises.

Simulating a human, but without the organic finesse, isn't quite an easy task to do given the differences between organic and mechanical physiology. However, it may be possible to utilize artificial intelligence to replicate human biological processes, by creating a brain-sized mainframe and then connecting it with carbon nanotube fibers that both accurately replicate the brain and the rest of the nervous system. To ensure that the droid remains operational in case something needs replacement, without the tedious reassembly requirements, flexible polymer/carbon nanotube composites will have to be used that can seamlessly interface with the mainframe.

You know that every organism needs energy to do essential stuff, and humans are no exception. Likewise, this is also true for droids. To ensure that the droid can remain active, the mainframe will also include a miniaturized fusion reactor, enough to sustain the droid for roughly a hundred years, comparable to that of an unaltered human, but can be extended through sustenance. This involves dissolving substances through a molecular filter and reassembler, and then reassembling them into deuterium-tritium fuel for the fusion reactor, similar to how a human gains energy from food, but without most of the constraints organic bodies must handle.

The planned droid model, codenamed SENTIBOT, should behave reasonably close to a fully organic human, with the mainframe fine-tuned to approximate a normal human's behavior through a neural network. Since such behaviors tend to be unpredictable, in the unlikely case that the droid becomes a liability, a remote shutdown system, identified via numerical patterns, could be implemented to interrupt the fusion reaction, ensuring a safe shutdown. Without the inherent delicacy of interfacing augments with an organic physiology, and by replicating such functions to the finest detail, we could easily use these droids to test and refine existing and theoretical augments.

I hope my proposal of such a droid suits you, though I must caution that this would need further preliminary refinements and some extra budgetary requirements before construction and testing can begin on the SENTIBOT model.

Oh, it's good to hear back from you so soon!

I'd of course be happy to hear your thoughts on SNOWBLIND in general if you have the time, and even bring you in for closer collaboration on the project if you're interested, but you needn't feel an obligation for it. The main concern I have right now, at this final stage before testing can actually begin, is that the actual testing procedures will be sufficiently thorough.

As for the droid, I'm very impressed with how you've come up with such a comprehensive plan in only a few hours. I wasn't thinking of anything as complicated as a miniaturized fusion reactor and molecular reassembly, honestly—I was imagining that I could probably find a way to make simple cord-based charging work, with the biggest issue being recharge durations. Of course, that's limited by the voltage of the output jack our input cable's drawing from, but thankfully all our heavy-duty equipment outputs on Valravn and Ismara use standardized one-thou-seven-hundo-seventy-one watts, in line with Bretonian-made industrial equipment. Depending how much juice our lad ends up needing to function, we might be able to get a good day or two's power out of just a few hours' charge-time.

I concur quite thoroughly with the use of polymerous carbon-fibre for, especially, the synth-muscles. I've got non-polymerous carbon in my left arm aug and, while notably stronger than my original nat-muscle by no trifling amount, I believe that for this project we can do better. The nanotubing will be costly, so I'll have to put forth a good funding request, but I'm sure that Allocations & Expediency will see the utility once I translate the idea into legalese. Goodness knows I've got enough practice at that after managing to finagle my way into uni with my background, hah.

Repairs-cum-modularity would normally be expensive in its own right, too, since to make quick design alterations we'd have to be essentially snipping the nanotubules. However, we have an ace in the hole here—the nanopaste project I spent those years advising on at Corfu will come in handy, it's perfect for easy micro-repairs that would normally require precision equipment or even nanobots.
In principle, I agree with the killswitch, though another option could be simply limiting the range of emotion the droid can experience. Of course, these options aren't mutually exclusive. However, I'm not sure if this is really in line with our values and ethos. After all, are the Gammuans not our cousins? Are they not autonomous, thinking, sometimes even feeling beings, irrespective of their non-biological nature? I think perhaps the right thing to do here is to decide on a course of action with regards to the range of emotion the droid can experience, while also leaving open the possibility in its software and hardware for altering that range later, something we would only do at the droid's request. If we as scientists, as Technocrats, really value all forms of life, perhaps it's only right that when we set out to create it, we still respect its autonomy and deal with it on as-far-as-possible fair and equal terms despite our fundamental differences—just as we do with the Gammu cousins, the Vagrants, and human outsiders.

These are some complicated questions, but I think it's critical we come to a consensus on them before we start work on this project. Let me know your thoughts.

Variant is designing a prototype concept of the SENTIBOT droid. He takes a look at the screen, the design half complete. He ponders for a while about other projects, before turning to the screen.

Ah, it's nice you are in accord with my proposal, but I haven't yet finalized the design. Unfortunately, my workload doesn't allow me to focus on Project: SNOWBLIND, because I have to proofread and fact-check a detailed, thousand-page analysis on Planet Forres, even with my augmentations allowing me to handle such long hours. Sorry for the inconvenience, Sentinel Gestalt, but as soon as I finish my report, I can help you with your project.

As for the SENTIBOT droid, I've spent hours thinking on the necessary parts, and even after that, designing one for practical use isn't quite an easy task. In my scavenging days, I've tinkered with droids, some of which broke down quite rapidly, and others which proved to be durable. Most of the durable ones were quite complex in their own regard, and by applying such knowledge and improvising it on the SENTIBOT model with innovative technologies, I think I have made the right step. Despite this, as I have mentioned earlier, that model is still only in its pre-prototype phase.

You did mention about the potential ethical questions the SENTIBOT droid raises, something that I have concerns with regarding the artificial intelligence. The option of limiting such emotions is quite a controversial affair in itself, but still, it's another option that may be considered in the future. After all, I have called my droids partners, friends, et cetera. In my opinion, I would like to see us accept the SENTIBOT droids as our potential assets, with respect to their will and opinion.

Now that your suggestions have been considered, we'd like to inform the higher-ups at the Research and Development division to consider the proposal. That way, if they agree, even if it means changing something or whatever it is, then we can start development on the SENTIBOT droid. Do note however, that I still need to finish the design; it should take several hours before submitting it to the higher-ups.