Karma Press Release
January 1st 905SD: Karma announces LAD for Ebons

MORT CENTRAL, MORT: Five years after its initial launch Karma unveils its new LAD scheme for Ebon Operatives and Employees.

Following five years of development with Dark Lament, Karma is at last able to offer the extensive Life After Death (LAD) procedure to Ebons, without them losing access to their Ebb abilities. Working together for the first time since the last century, Karma and Dark Lament have now given Ebons and Brain Wasters the opportunity of revenge against their killer.

"This heralds a new era in Karma and Dark Lament collaborations," stated Dr Catherine Millar, Assistant Project Developer for this achievement and the original LAD process. "Any Operative who is killed in the line of duty, be they Stormer, Human or Ebb user, can now have a second chance. As well as retrieving the soon to be revived, we can now offer full Ebb Healing, so that Ebb users do not have to worry about any of their abilities being impaired." Chief Project Developer Maxon Hagen was unavailable for comments.

The project team helped in the development of an innovative Science Friction device known as a HeartFall Array, which fully merges with the Ebon’s DeathSuit. This allows medically dead Ebons to be sustained for a small amount of time, giving them a precious few extra minutes to be rescued by the LAD retrieval team. The LAD retrieval team can also use the HeartFall Array to stabilise the Ebon for the trip back to the LAD recovery facility. Recovery of Ebons is achieved through the use of Ebb Healing, to ensure that Operative Ebons are fully functional within three days.

"The main problem we had to overcome was the blood-oxygen levels in the brain," stated Secondary Assistant Project Developer Shine Williams, on consignment to Karma from Dark Lament. "Thankfully the DeathSuit is naturally protective over its owner and with the advent of the HeartFall Array this problem was easily overcome. We have actually retrieved Ebons who have been clinically dead for 13 minutes before recovery, such is the resilience of the DeathSuit and the new HeartFall Array."

The HeartFall Array is available now at all Karma and Dark Lament commercial premises at the introductory price of just 1 credit. Karma Biotechnology Inc is a wholly owned subsidiary of SLA Industries. Dark Lament is a wholly owned subsidiary of SLA Industries. For further details about Life After Death (LAD) or for your nearest recovery facility call 222 KARMA LAD.

HeartFall Array

This Science Friction device is a small heart shaped object that fits on to the chest of the DeathSuit and has a sensor capillary that extends along the collarbone and ends just behind the right ear. Fully merging with the DeathSuit, the HeartFall Array is unnoticeable until activated. Acting as a ‘pacer’ implant, the HeartFall Array monitors the heart and respiratory rate of the Ebon. If this drops below the threshold amount, the Array triggers a powerful transmitter that broadcasts to the nearest LAD recovery facility. This signal continues signalling for as long as the HeartFall Array can maintain the Dead Ebon.

The main advantage of the HeartFall Array is that the Ebon can be retrieved by LAD beyond the normal 4 minutes that regular LAD can achieve. This is mainly due to the advanced nature of the DeathSuit, which allows for an additional minute beyond the 4 minutes, for each point of FLUX that the DeathSuit has at the time of death. The Array is triggered when total hits are reduced to 0, as long as the head and torso have at least 1 hit point each. When triggered the Array pulsates, primarily to aid the retrieval team in locating it. Each retrieval team now has an Ebon Paramedic kit whose sole purpose is to provide the HeartFall Array with additional FLUX to sustain it for the journey to the LAD retrieval facility. As standard the Paramedic kit holds 20 FLUX, allowing it to sustain a HeartFall Array for a further 20 minutes.

The HeartFall Array is fully compatible with the DeathSuit and can be interdermalised. Living Suits (Protect Rank 17) can also draw FLUX from the Ebon to sustain the HeartFall Array for longer. Once the DeathSuit is evolved to Rank 18: SoulStore, the HeartFall Array, binds with the HeartFall Matrix, allowing for continuous broadcast on the LAD frequency for 24 hours, plus 24 hours per ten flux available. At this level the benefits of the HeartFall Matrix over rule the HeartFall Array. The HeartFall Array is destroyed if the Torso ID of the DeathSuit is ever reduced below 5. The sensor capillary will re-grow any damage taken to the neck or head.

Ebb Paramedic Kit

Stores 20 FLUX which are only released through a HeartFall Array. The FLUX has to be refilled by an Ebb user and does not automatically regenerate. When signing up for Ebb-LAD retrieval the Ebon is made aware that any FLUX that they generate during their three-day recover will be harvested for medical purposes. Part of this FLUX is used to heal the Ebon and part is used to re-charge the Ebon Paramedic kits. It is not necessary for the user of the Ebb Paramedic to be an Ebb user, as it will act automatically in the presence of the HeartFall Array. Cost: 500 credits (currently rare in the WoP).

Ebb-LAD retrieval

Ebb-LAD works in the same way as conventional LAD recovery, with the same level of finance options available. The key differences are that Sinewshock/brace, Shock/Brace Tendons and Shell Augmentation, options are not included as these would prevent flux recovery in the Ebon. All other improvements from replacement skin to improved eyesight are undertaken through the Ebb Enhancement techniques that are known at the LAD Recovery facility. Basic cost for healing works out the same as normal healing:

• Arms: 20 credits/hit + 200 credits if full replacement required.
• Legs: 25 credits/hit + 250 credits if full replacement required.
• Torso: 35 credits/hit + 1740 credits if replacement internal organs required.
• Head: 40 credits/hit + 1230 credits if full cranial reconstruction required.
• Teeth: (equivalent to Enhancement Rank 1) 500 credits
• Claws: (equivalent to Enhancement Rank 2) 750 credits

Size variation: (equivalent to Enhancement Rank 14) 500 credits per 10% up to 50% maximum

Additional Limbs: (equivalent to Enhancement Rank 19) 2,000 credits per limb

Ebon Eyes: (equivalent to Illumination Rank 11), 1000 credits

The Downside of LAD (Optional)

As with LAD on normal races there are a few penalties that affect the Ebon on recovery from LAD. The first is that they are subjected to the same 8AS (Actual Stress) upon recovery that other LAD survivors face. Unlike normal LAD survivors, Ebons do not have a problem with the tissue rejection, as all healing is Ebb based. This means they do not need to take the drug Chain every day. However, the Ebon does become further attached to their DeathSuit due to the sensation felt when the HeartFall Array looks after their life. The Ebon suffers from +2AS +3 PS any time they take off their DeathSuit for each time they have undertaken the LAD process. For those who have been through LAD many times, taking off their DeathSuit will cause them to go insane instantly. Additionally, surviving Ebons prefer to leave a little FLUX in their DeathSuit at all times. This is so that their HeartFall Array can allow them to survive for longer than normal in times of emergency. Anytime the Ebon tries to use the last two FLUX stored in their DeathSuit they are subjected to stress of +4 PS.