Chapter 214 - Hosting Issues - Part 2
“Congradulations,” Eventus grumbled as he read through the exhaustively long string of genetics data the resequenced platforms sensors had recorded. “Your species is either conclusive proof that in a functionally infinite universe sheer chance will eventually copy intelligent design. Or you were genetically engineered by some unknown species with an understanding of bio-engineering and multi-dimensional physics on par with our own.”
“Explain,” Yami demanded with a frown.
“You're well,” Eventus wracked his mind for several seconds trying to think of a way to put it that wouldn't devolve into a six hour lecture on biology. “A semi-psychic biological supercomputer with limited cellular based self modification capabilities that uses naquadah as an extradimensional power tap.”
Species that naturally incorporated extradimensional elements into their biology were rare compared to ones that didn’t, but not exactly uncommon in the grand scope of a galaxy. The sheer efficiency with which Goa’uld biology did it however was a first.
He cocked his head slightly as he considered the data further. “Honestly, this might explain the question of how Anubis actually managed to ascend without dragging his host along with him. Draw enough energy through the naquadah and you wouldn't need a host with an intrinsic connection to the higher dimensional planes.”
Shaking off that thought he turned to the two women. “I don't suppose either of you might be able to answer the question of just how your people came about?”
“Unfortunately the System Lords did not design to pass down Goa'uld history to most of their offspring.” Yami offered drolly. “So my knowledge of our history beyond that of my direct line is about as extensive as your own.”
Eventus glanced over to Anise/Freya hoping the Archeologist might be able to shed some light on the question.
“With the help of the Tau'ri we were recently able to locate the planet we believe our species evolved on, however preliminary investigations have found several oddities that suggest the possibility of outside interference with our evolutionary path.”
“Wasn't us,” Eventus offered, happy to be able to say that with near certainty for once. “Travel to the Avalon galaxy, that's what we call the one you lived in, was completely banned prior to our evacuation back there.”
“Why was it banned?” Anise inquired in interest.
“I’m not sure,” Eventus honestly admitted. “Supposedly it was due to not wanting the Ori to find out we had survived their plague. But that reasoning kind of falls apart past the first million or so years. Especially once you take into account the fact we had no issue evacuating back to Earth after losing the Wraith War. So my best guess would be either some deep dark secret hidden away in the missing council archives, or cultural inertia.”
The fact that both were equally likely said several things about his people that they really should have been a lot more introspective about prior to their near extinction.
“So, for display language would you want Lantean, English, Hindi, or Goa'uld?” He asked as he set up the least bits of the interface for Yami.
“Goa’uld,” Yami offered, giving Eventus an odd look. “Though I am surprised to hear you have it available given your difficulty with our language on our trip over.”
“I needed the city’s computational systems,” he admitted with a shrug. “With access to them all I needed to do was upload a copy of Daniel Jackson’s translation work and the city was able to put together a working translation matrix for the language.”
“All right then,” he motioned to the console next to his own once he finished that last step. “You can access the design program there.”
Stepping over to the indicated console, Yami took a moment to work out the keyboard layout before nodding to herself.
“There's pretty much every natural human option in there alongside all the non-natural ones that the system was able to flag above a ninety percent certainty as compatible with Goa'uld possession.” Eventus explained as the Goa’uld began to scroll through the extensive list of options.
“There's a slider for projected lifespan.” Yami muttered in bemusement as she stared at the option on screen.
Taking a moment to double check the available options for that from his own console, and then trace the staggeringly large number back to its source, Eventus didn't even try to keep the feeling of exasperated surprise off his face.
“Of course hybridizing's an option, the humans were able to pull it off with basic ovum splicing.” He muttered as he worked backwards through all the compatible suggestions the system was able to offer based on the idea. “Though I suppose that probably only worked because the Goa'uld genetic structure is naturally adaptive in nature.”
Continuing to flip though all the computer generated options, he felt his eye begin to twitch. “Do not select either of the tentacle hair options, the program isn't capable of taking personal comfort into consideration and they would have the same sensory capability as either your tails or tendrils depending on which option you selected.”
Both women cringed at that, which was enough to tell Eventus he'd guessed right about just how such a series of appendages would feel as hair without significant modification to their nerve distribution.
Several minutes passed as he went over all the potential hybridization options Atlantis had been able to brute force with addition of Goa'uld genetics to its database. And by the end he was left with the distinct desire to start pulling out this hair. Yes, all of the options would result in a humanoid lifeform that was viable. But there were aesthetic, comfort, and practical problems with every single one of them.
“Breasts that large cannot be practical,” Yami muttered, drawing Eventus's attention momentarily back to the Goa'uld's console where she was now playing with the breast size slider.
“Not practical,” Freya seemingly agreed, staring with a contemplative eye at the oversized chest the woman on the screen currently possessed. “But the program appears to be showing what's biologically possible, not what's biologically practical.”
“Fun for parties, but very much not practical for a body to carry around in everyday life.” Eventus confirmed, having seen more than one young adult do an awkward walk of regret back to the resequencer after overindulging in cosmetic alterations of that specific type. “I'd suggest switching the model to display as a full sized hologram instead of the two dimensional version you're currently using.”
Taking a moment to inch the breast slider back down to a more reasonable size for the model on the screen, Yami glanced over at Eventus with a questioning look in her eyes. “And how would I do that?”
“Upper right key with the tesseract like design on it, tap it once and it will open the visual display menu, scroll down the menu till you get to model display location and select the resequencer platform.”
She moved to follow Eventus's directions, and moments later a naked life size holographic version of the body she was designing sprang into existence on the resequencing platform.
“There's a clothing toggle too,” he offered helpfully. “Though I'm not sure any of us here have a modesty taboo that would make it necessary.”
“My host does,” Yami admitted. “Though she is currently asleep.”
“So no,” Eventus said, turning back to his own console to continue reviewing the new data only to immediately glance back over at Yami. “And Freya was right, as aesthetics are subjective and not objective the program is designed to leave those sorts of choices entirely in the hands of whoever is using it.”
It took several more minutes for him to finish going through everything the computer had brute forced as a viable option, and while everything was technically viable, it all shared the same general problem of utilizing Goa’uld genetics in a way that didn’t strip out the inherited memory portion of Yami’s genetic code.
“Oh for crying out loud,” Eventus groaned, quoting O’Neill’s favorite line as a sudden realization hit. “I could use Goa'uld genetics as a base to solve like eighty percent of the pokemon problem.”
“What is a Pokemon?” Anise inquired in a quiet voice to Yami
“A series of fictional Tau’ri creatures,” the Goa’uld explained with a tired sigh. “Think of them like the hell beasts Sokar liked to claim existed on his worlds.”
“Rayla asked me to make her one a couple days ago and the idea’s been stuck in my head ever since,” Eventus reluctantly admitted. “Two of the more difficult parts of their design were programming in certain instinctual response patterns and the sheer amount of energy a lot of their capabilities would require.”
It wasn’t nearly enough energy to step into the realms of full matter synthesis like what would be required for the creatures to spit out water or rocks as continual attacks. But it had the potential to allow a number of other things that he had relegated to the potential design realms of much larger creatures.
“Huh,” he muttered, tilting his head as ideas started flooding in. “This would probably be enough to power a small scale biological anti-gravity organ, which means if I created a race of winged humanoids they’d actually be able to fly with the appendages instead of them just being decorative.”
“How viable for actual use are these hybrid options?” Yami finally asked, breaking his train of thought out of the tunnel it had begun going down.
Eventus pursed his lips as he seriously considered the question. “At this exact moment? Not very. For you specifically it might be workable since the genetic structure contains your own memories. But it might also result in the host developing its own personality identical to your own even with the engineering being done to prevent that. Give me time to blank and separate out the portion of the Goa’uld genetic structure responsible for your species genetic memories however and the resulting lifeforms would be perfectly viable as hosts, though a few things would require further work for aesthetic and comfort purposes.”
He gave the currently tallish dusky skinned model with slightly above average musculature and curves a glance. “Why? Are there some of the hybrid options you’re interested in?”
“The lifespan,” Yami admitted. “Having a host that ages at a rate similar to my actual body would be useful on several different levels.”
Eventus gave a nod of understanding. “If you want to wait a couple days I should be able to adapt the hybridized cellular regeneration into a workable state.”
“At least it wasn’t the tentacle hair,” Freya muttered.
“Asethetically speaking tentacle hair is perfectly workable,” Eventus defended the idea, having used similar options on a couple of his own theoretical works in the past. “You just need to have the right sort of color or patterning so they don’t blend perfectly in with the rest of the skin, adjust the nerve makeup so they don’t feel like they’re getting crushed or pinched, and make sure they have the ability to regrow if severed.”
“...Such a small delay is of no concern.” Yami put forward in an almost cautious tone. “Though would it be possible to have this program made available in our quarters so I can take my time going through all the available options.”
“That wouldn’t be any trouble,” Eventus agreed, since that would at least give her something to do for the next couple days. “If the city’s virtual layer wasn’t still restricted from the war I’d even offer to let you use a pod to try out the body designs directly.”
He scowled slightly at the reminder. “I really should start working on reversing at least a portion of that, because the limited ability to access the city’s virtual layer is really starting to get annoying.”
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Author’s Notes: Eventus tries to take one thing off his list, and of course ends up adding several more things to it instead. On the upside, he just massively cut down the time it will take him to design the various fantasy species he’d originally been hoping to use his post Wrath War time to engineer into existence. Though I'm not sure the Expedition would consider that an up side.