Monads

The only kind of widely accepted invasive augmentation in human space grows within someone's body, essentially relinquishing the influence of its
creators to become a new, independent organ that evolves with one's
experience and life. This organ is called a monad. Monads
are an ancient concept dating back to the late Low Age. Designed as
artificial glands used to filter toxins, monads have evolved beyond
their original purpose to serve as the universal companion of
interstellar humans - and indeed, more than 75% of humans possess a
monad.
In simple terms a monad is a small semi-artificial organ
that is implanted at the base of the neck during the wearer's
childhood, growing in complexity with time and reaching full
functionality during the teenage years. Monads are capable of
synthesizing a vast array of organic compounds which can then flow
freely through the blood and lymphatic systems. In the historical
concept of monads, these compounds were on-demand, custom antibodies
used to counter toxins and poisons. Modern monads are still very good as
toxin sentinels, but they can also cover a wider array of uses,
synthesizing hormones, drugs and other compounds to affect one's body.
In particular, monads have two mainstream uses: planetary adaptation and
sex change. In the planetary adaptation process, monads are used to
combat gravity-induced dizziness, trigger or reduce muscle growth,
neuter allergy-inducing elements and more broadly speaking control a
wide array of parameters to facilitate the wearer's life on a new
planetary or station environment. In the sex change process, monads
synthesize hormones to facilitate a transition, either at will
or through medication-induced reactions.
Monads can be controlled via medication and specific self-therapies
but one should always keep in mind that they have a life of their own.
They aren't just augmentations, they're symbiotes that evolve
throughout the life of their owner, sometimes unexpectedly. Repeated
exposure to
high-g trauma will lead a monad to synthesize anti-g drugs faster and
more easily. Common exposure to toxins
reinforces a monad's antibody manufacturing capacities. And so on and so
forth: a monad will often reflect one's life and experiences.
Thus, immature monads are simplistic organs that are no more than organic
factories. Mature monads, developed after childhood, start growing a
small nerve system that is used for self-therapy interfacing. Old
monads, appearing after the wearer is 30 to 40 years old, present a very
complex nerve network referred to as a weave that
organically stores sensory inputs and ambient thoughts, acting like a
confused, complex library of memories and evocations reflective of one's
life. The weave is also capable of interfacing with the nervous system, triggering a wide array of sensations or perceptions. This property sees great use in tech/human interfacing.
With the way most attempts at digitizing consciousness have ended in complete failure in the past, with current R and D on the topic being in a dead-end of nightmarish pseudo-AIs and artificial dreams, weaves are the best way someone's memories may outlive their own body. While using extracted monads to read someone's memories and past feelings is an extremely heavily controlled activity reserved for the family members of the deceased, some cultures have no qualms using them for different purposes. Among such groups is qith Sahaak on Elora, which has developed a complex method of turning weave memories into implanted reflexes and custom muscle memories, passed on from generation to generation.
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