Safeguard Initiative

The Safeguard Initiative is a newly formed branch division of the Shigu Royal Biome Laboratories, tasked with research, manufacturing, and engineering of both chemical and mechanical variety as well as the development of utilitarian tools and solutions.

History
It was founded sometime around 90RC, when a group of young researchers led by chief scientist Kon was on the cusp of making breakthrough prototypes, focused on efficient, non-intrusive methods to counteract the deadly nature of the Talyxian Forests themselves.

Due to the hard focus on counteracting the Talyxian Forests themselves as well as the creatures within, the T-Governing Agency has taken note of this with great interest, dispatching and assigning Dr.Cibo to the branch division as an Overseer and consultant, much to Chief Scientist Kon's chagrin at the start.

Despite the fact that the prototypes have been proven to be quite effective, they have not yet reached an acceptable status for mass-production and distribution. However, the Safeguard Initiative still continues to operate actively in 100RC with its resources booming due to technology grants, research exchanges with Jakk's institute as well as government funding from the Shigu Dukedom itself.

Personnel
Since its foundation, the branch has grown steadily in numbers, accruing scientists from around the Northern regions mostly in 100RC it is estimated the personnel is numbering somewhere within 50 strong.

Eltus
The ranks of the Safeguard Initiative are diverse, featuring members from all walks of life, regardless of Eltus species, Sergals, Nevreans and Agudners alike, have a place within the Initiative.

Although Kon is regarded as the Chief Scientist and leading position within the branch itself after working himself up the ladder, he does not, in fact, conduct or lead all the research programs, nor is he in charge effectively. The directorial position is reserved and is only superseded by the Overseer position, held by Dr.Cibo.

Talyxian
Due to the Safeguard Initiative’s founders beliefs as well as the overall Wolf Religion influences on the Royal Biome Laboratories themselves, the tenets adopted by the scientists do not mesh well with the presence of Talyxians in general. Thus Talyxian organisms are somewhat strictly prohibited on-site with Talyxian Dogs being permitted because they are common around the Royal Biome Laboratories and their history, as well as due to Chief Scientist Kon’s beliefs in the Wolf Mythos and their ancestry. Dr.Cibo is the only known Talyxian allowed on the premises and has access to all departments.

Tertiary exceptions, of course, include:

-Talyxian dogs sometimes used as sniffers or “control” subjects after decontamination measures

-Live Talyxian specimens brought in for testing which would later be terminated or kept until satisfactory results have been achieved

-Inert samples for research and development

Uniforms
The Safeguard Initiative still upholds the traditional and modern uniform standards of the Royal Biome Laboratories. The lab coats and such are all stylized accordingly and maintain the Shigu flag color palette choice.

The branch division itself has a few personal symbols of its own, but mostly only for internal use. The researchers and scientists working within the branch itself can be seen wearing all sorts of design choices for their respective uniforms, in part due to the diversity of species and sizes of employees working around and about, as well as a degree of personal customization. They would always be seen wearing the silver necklace, symbolizing their work as a scientist. This can also be seen on Shigu flag patches, embroidered on top of them in the middle.

Departments
Over time, as the small branch grew larger in scope and personnel due to their overall, departments were formed within the Initiative itself, with a specific focus. These are a few of the most prominent and active ones to date:

Horticulture
The horticulture department of the Safeguard Initiative is the largest section of the facility, wherein studies are carried out that involve selective breeding of Eltus plant strains, in various stages as well as controlled environments through different methodologies such as Hydroponic, Aquaponic and Aeroponic solutions, in order to best gauge what is the best method and yield for specific plants. Agronomy studies carried out here are essential towards increasing crop yields and substantially improving the nutritional values of consumable plants as well as exploring the possibility of Eltus plant hybridization.

Dr.Cibo supplies rare seeds from her own private source, but the more common varieties are imported from Gold Ring, mainly Jakk’s institute, as well as exported from the RBL to GR for cross-comparison and exchange.

Some seeds have developed in-house and are classified as rare, some inert seeds are present, and have bloomed into strains beyond anyone’s understanding. Additional research is required.

Within this department due to the resulting, abundant Eltus plant matter, working closely with the engineering department, the Safeguard Initiative is able to develop nutrient-rich foods, packaged neatly within sealed packets for a long-lasting shelf life, they are similar in nature to MRE’s (“Meal Ready-to-Eat”), the formula diet used is considered ready and capable of supplying all the needed vitamins and nutrients for an Eltus to remain healthy at all times, with little to no Talyxian based products used.

Unlike the general macro-scale food production facility and quality of the Royal Biome Laboratories, the Safeguard Initiative produces this brand of food product, created and processed for consumption by civilians and scientists working within the laboratories as well as one day, hopefully, marketed towards Shigu soldiers themselves as field rations.

The food is carefully balanced under strict requirements in order to provide the consumer with a very unique, balanced nutrition while working in medium to high effort duties, while at the same time, retaining the ability to be easily and safely stored, in miniature, compact manners. The consumption methods are also fairly simple, requiring minimal to no effort, as most of them come in liquid or paste format, sometimes dehydrated. These various nutritious foods are packaged within retort pouches, a type of food packaging made from a laminate of flexible Talyxian-derived plastic material and thin metal foils. It allows the sterile packaging of a wide variety of food and drinks handled through a method called aseptic processing.

Amphitheater
In order to provide a better understanding to the Eltus as to what they are up against exactly in terms of the Talyxian menace and their ever-threatening encroachment upon the land, as well as the unpredictable mutability and wild genome variational patterns, the Amphitheater, formerly a medical bay and autopsy room was created and expanded upon into a fully-fledged, autonomous department, dedicated to working around the clock to study and record such findings.

It is here where most specimens are brought to for various experiments, surgery, and autopsies.

Notes and dissection reports from the various organisms are all filed accordingly on paper, in triple exemplary, studies and autopsies are always performed under the supervision and the amphitheater can house up to 20 guests in and around the premises whilst surgeon specialists can work away at the specimens.

The operating theater is also a very important section of the facility wherein autopsies are conducted on Eltus corpses as well, in order to see how far along Talyxian infection and symbiosis can occur and why. There are rumors that live test subjects have been used, but these have never been proven before.

Engineering
This is where most, if not all the prototypes of the facility are developed, built and tested. The engineering bay department of the Safeguard Initiative features facilities similar to that of the Royal Biome Laboratories themselves, just on a smaller scale.

They possess a large-scale thermal power station for personal use and it supplies the Safeguard Initiative with all the energy they require. A “smithy” area wherein all the necessary tools and utensils can be found and workbenches be used to develop all the prototypes needed from the ground up according to their respective sketches and schematics.

The Engineering department works in close tandem and networks with every other department in order to supply them with their respective technical needs.

Biodiversity Laboratory
This is where most Eltus plant specimens and Talyxian organisms, live or expired are kept as a complementary collection. The existence of this laboratory and its preserving capabilities is necessary for the Shigu and Eltus to understand what exactly happens to specimens when taken out of their natural habitat and/or environment, as well as amassing the wealth of information recorded for each specimen in order to help advance their understanding of biodiversity today and in the future. A sort of chronological detail with regards to precious Eltus seeds, if you will. One grain of Eltus rice planted within the Horticulture department’s Aquaponics division may differ wildly from the Aeroponics one, given enough time and growth, and this is part of what the Biodiversity laboratory seeks to research, observe, categorize and record.

It works closely with Dr.Cibo because most if not all the Eltus seeds are supplied to them, by her. Her studies mostly focus on the genetic variation, gene flow, and new species resultant of Eltus plants, either via direct manipulus, self-orientation (Crossbreeding and cloning) or natural evolution. The nature of this work is very sensitive and time-consuming as well as overall valuable, due to the rarity of Eltus plant species as a whole. A new strain of plant is always considered a massive discovery, yet, so far, there have been no new, pure Eltus plant strains yielded.

Among the varied capsules containing Eltus plants, in their various stages of growth, there are also capsules and pods containing Talyxian organisms, anywhere between small to medium-sized creatures can be observed while walking through the hallways, most of them nestled between workbenches, various filing cabinets with notes and of course sprawling cables, powering the entire network capable of sustaining the capsules and pods themselves.

It is rumored that behind closed doors within this particular division, Zyn’s corpse was brought in as well for Kon’s personal, direct study, under Dr. Cibo’s supervision.

Prototypes
These are some of the prototypes developed within the Safeguard Initiative branch and none of them are regarded as commercially viable for mass production.

Kon devised these prototypes and drew the blueprints himself for most of them, they were later brought to life by the hard-workers over in the Engineering department.

Due to Kon’s beliefs and general personality, he insists that he tests out each and every prototype that he comes up with. He shows a sheer sense of determination, despite his overall passive and non-combative nature, and his colleagues have noted that he would rather field-test the prototypes himself, not because he wants to show off his smarts or be the first in line, but because if they should fail, and potentially in a life-threatening situation, at that, he would rather bear the responsibility himself. Even though there are plenty of willing and able volunteers who would gladly dedicate themselves to the cause.

Wolf Tears
A chemical compound developed from Talyxian-Associator samples mixed in with various solvents with the basis being pure saltwater, gathered from ColHazma and ColVilous respectively in order to reach a high enough salinity level.

This compound has proven to be highly potent against Talyxians, capable of breaking down and severing neural functions completely, especially if administered orally or even better, injected directly into their bloodstream or organs.

Capsule Eco-sustainer
Devised as a platform in order to store precious Eltus plant samples and keep them away from Talyxian interference and corruption, mass-manufactured for laboratory usage across the known world. These capsules, when attached to an eco-sustainer base, can also serve as a safe transport device for Eltus plants when trekking through dangerous terrain over extended periods of time.

The Eco-sustainer platform was designed specifically for the capsules in order to help them simulate optimum enclosed atmospheric conditions, similar to that of a biome, free of any sort of Talyxian taint and airborne toxins.

They can also serve as an emergency oxygen tank replacement, the user would only need to connect their breathing cable from their oxy-tank, down to the base of the Eco-sustainer itself.

Due to the self-sustained and contained environment’s nature, it will provide trace amounts of oxygen by virtue of the user’s c02 expunged via their masks and filters, however, this can only be used for short periods of time otherwise there is the risk of damaging the plant within. It is only meant as a “last-ditch” method in a pinch.

"Wolfpelt"
The “Wolfpelt” is an impermeable, lightweight “bodysuit” designed to protect the user against most Talyxian parasitoids, microbial infections and other water-based environmental hazards such as acid rain.

The “Wolfpelt” offers about 90% body coverage with the exception of the overall face region. Usually, when the hood is up, the rest of the face can be protected by virtue of using a pair of goggles and/or perception filter.

The “Wolfpelt” is durable and offers light to medium protection against rough surfaces and tears. However, it would not be capable of protecting the user against, say, a Talyxian-Weasel strike. Some of the fellow scientists not assigned to this project and not privy to the schematic details assume or suspect that the Talyxian textiles used within these wolf pelts are none other than derived from synthesized wolf-wing membranes, the same type Wolves of old would use to recharge themselves with under the sun.

One of the secondary functions of this bodysuit is that of assisting the user in carrying hefty amounts of cargo, supplies or research materials throughout the environment due to the ingenious, built-in modular harness system. It serves as a weight-balance as well as a utilitarian way to strap on various pieces of gear and equipment to regions such as the chest, back, shoulders and thighs.

The “Wolfpelt” shares a common characteristic and design method employed as the regular uniforms of the Royal Biome Laboratories, maintaining it's design simple and functional was critical in the draft stage, as it would need a lot of surface area for the dye processing to work upon the newly used textiles. This procedure would ensure that the inlaid dye and pattern, in accordance with the Shigu standard, would be still able to synchronize effectively with Talyxian Biomes from the visual aspect, effectively granting the user a slight camouflage when putting up against Talyxian neural excitability from both creatures and Forest nodes alike.

One downside of this “Wolfpelt” due to the full body insulating feature, however, is that it can lead to the user suffering from heat exhaustion if enduring prolonged periods of use.

Wolf's Eye
The Wolf’s eye was developed for Talyxian deep-dive expeditions, conceived as man’s best guiding companion within the treacherous bowels of the Forest. It acts as a very complex multi-tool, serving as a dosimeter as well as miasma counter. A welcome addition to those uninitiated or not blessed with what the Shamans and believers call a “Sixth sense” when put up against the Forests themselves and underlying Miasma threats.

The Wolf’s Eye is an “over-the-shoulder” non-robotic, mechanical support arm which acts as a support mount for the eye-bulb itself and the bladewings attached to it, usually in a symmetrical pattern, surrounding it like a floral pattern consisting of 4 up to a maximum of 6 blades. The arm itself is multi-jointed and rigid, but adjustable. The user has to do it manually

The “bladewings” are modeled after and their function inspired by Talyxian-Associators and their wings, respectively. They act as reflectorizing panels to amplify and direct the luminous eye-bulb’s rays and can also double as solar intake panels for self-charging the eye-bulb and or other equipment on hand, given enough time and exposure to direct sunlight.

The reflectorizing blades are there in order to aid detection and range in miasma spectrum detection as well as gauging the potency levels, whereupon the eye-bulbs provide their illumination straight out like a torchlight, possibly within a specific UV spectrum, making even the most inodorous and invisible miasma strains, no matter how thick, visible to the naked eye if shone upon.

The blades also click together here and there, increasing in frequency as a sort of gauge when exposed to miasma. This in effect, acts as a counter. When clicking together, the blades emit a cricket type noise. The higher the Miasma dosage in the surrounding atmosphere, the faster the blades will cricket, informing the user of potentially threatening levels of Miasma.

The eyebulb itself normally glows white-hot when engaged, however, it acts as a dosimeter. When exposed to Miasma for extended periods of time, it will begin to shift in color, following a simple spectrum of white>yellow>orange>red, indicating exposure time.

Wolfbolt "Railgun"
Although this prototype bears physical semblance to a modern railgun, its mechanics are slightly more archaic. Functionally, it is closer to a pneumatic harpoon launcher, using very long sharpened rods of wolf-metal as its projectiles. These rods can vary in length from 40-50cm.

The idea behind the firearm is to serve as the perfect "middle-man" in terms of ranged weapons. It can produce significant destructive force, easily capable of exterminating any Talyxian threat one might encounter.

Typical crossbows only chamber a single bolt and are often limited in power by their compact size, and throwing spears, while maintaining a long-standing tradition of reliability and ease-of-use, rely heavily on one's physical prowess to wield and use properly. The wolf-bolt railgun seeks to remove that dependence.

The railgun produces little noise thanks to the clever usage of pneumatic chambers and gas-canisters serving as its means of propulsion, makes it an extremely desirable firearm in the field.

It features Single, Double and Quad fire modes. Once the railgun's ammunition has been spent, a manual reload is required.

Injector Lance
Devised as a “step-up” from the usual sacred blade usage, the Injector Lance seeks to blend technology and blade together in order to help users gain the upper hand in most if not all Talyxian encounters.

The Injector Lance and it’s functionality is simple, it is powered by mere use of a simple pressurized carbon dioxide canister as a cartridge, easy to reload. The trigger can be located either at the back of the handle or front, depending on the user’s preference. The lance can also be set to inject upon penetrating impact, instead of via trigger usage.

It is estimated that the gas used to power the Lance is expelled at around 850psi of pressure or more, depending on the size of the canister used (Lances can be custom fit to user size and balanced accordingly to weight)

The Injection Lance is almost considered a silent weapon when discharged within and enemy’s flesh - not that Talyxian creatures would be expected to remain silent unless pierced through their throats or maws. When discharged, due to the built-up pressure being rapidly exuded, the lance itself makes almost a whistling, hissy sound, followed by a

The blade of the injector lance itself is inlaid with grooves or “canals” which are designed to aid the flow of the chemical compound and be injected straight into the targeted Talyxian.

Upon successfully penetrating the target, and triggering the delivery mechanism, the administration of the chemical compound is fast and it has an almost devastating, near-instant effect on the victim. The tissues and/or organs in the surrounding wound area will begin to contract and expand violently, in rapid fashion before suffering and entering a shock state, similar to paralysis. After that the necrotizing effect will begin, as the tissues and such will begin to experience rapid decay, this also causes the stab wound to expand after contraction by effecting result, and in most cases, it yields catastrophic consequences for the organism’s interior.