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#REDIRECT[[in vitro (disambiguation)]] |
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[[Image:IVA.gif|thumb|right|Logo of the InVitro Authority.]] |
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:''For in vitro experiments, see [[In vitro]], for in vitro fertilization, see [[In vitro fertilization]]'' |
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'''InVitros''' are a fictional [[genetic engineering|genetically engineered]] [[subspecies]] of [[human]]s in the [[science fiction]] [[television series]] ''[[Space: Above and Beyond]]''. The name is [[etymology|etymologically]] derived from the [[Latin]] phrase "''[[in vitro]]''", which is used in [[science]] to refer to state of being in an artificial environment outside the living organism. Thus, InVitro refers to the race not only being conceived in a laboratory, but also artificially [[gestation|gestated]] in glass and metal cylinders, to be "born" as young adults. |
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==Origin== |
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The InVitros were first farmed by the InVitro Authority to fill the [[labor force]] gap after the population of [[Earth]] was decimated by a [[sterility]]-causing [[pandemic|plague]]. Engineered with the best the [[genome]] has to offer, without the randomness of [[natural selection]], InVitros are conceived from 'parents' that never actually lived as two human beings. They were composites of [[DNA]] from many sources thrown together in a [[petri dish]] to optimize the chances of getting the best traits possible. The race is a step up from [[cloning]] in that no two InVitros are alike; however they can share DNA with another InVitro created from the same batch of constructed [[chromosome]]s. Genetically designed to be stronger, faster and less prone to illness, the InVitros were suppose to help bring the decaying human race back to its feet. They were created to be a servant [[caste]], occupying jobs that were too dangerous, demeaning or strenuous for "Natural Born" humans. After they are born they serve a five year period of [[indentured servitude]] to reimburse society for expenses associated with their creation. |
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==Engineering== |
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After being created by [[gene splicing]], InVitros gestate in [[artificial womb|artificial gestation chambers]] or tanks (from which the derogatory term "tank" derives), with the natural [[umbilical cord]] delivering the [[nutrient]]s they need as they remain suspended in a sleep state and under an accelerated growth rate and an artificial cord at the base of their [[skull]]s (on the back of their necks) that is connected to a [[neural network]] that imputs basic education through direct sensory input to the [[brain]]. While floating in the neutral-[[buoyancy]] tank that is the artificial gestation chamber, a series of sophisticated [[retrovirus]]es attack the genome of the InVitros, prematurely activating segments of DNA responsible for growth and maturity. By triggering these [[gene]]s in a closely timed sequence while providing them with a steady flow of nutrient rich protein medium, their bodies are able to reach maturity at a rate far more rapid than naturally. After six years, their physical development is equivalent to a natural-born human at eighteen years of age. Only 27 percent of the subjects survive the gestation process. |
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==History== |
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During the [[Silicate (AI)|AI War]], Natural Born losses were greater than anticipated and the cost in human life was devastatingly high in the civilian population as well as in the military. [[terrorism|Terrorist]] attacks claimed far too many. [[Combat]] and battle claimed even more. Every day the losses mounted. Humanity made the decision to increase its numbers artificially, not with the electronic intelligences that were now the enemy but with InVitros who could become highly skilled soldiers. [[Government]]s and industry worked together to build a multitude of InVitro facilities around the world, facilities where these soldiers could be grown and trained. |
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After the InVitros were conscripted into the Armed Forces against their will, they proved to be poor soldiers. With no conventional families to protect, a lack of patriotic fervor toward nations that saw them as expendable slaves, and no vested interest in the A.I. War's outcome, the majority of the InVitros refused to fight. Out of guilt and dissatisfaction, the InVitro platoons, an abysmal failure, were dissolved. The InVitros returned "home" without familial or community ties to guide their main-streaming and soon became a rebellious race of socio-political untouchables. The refusal to fight in the war against the Silicates has led to a stigma that continues to haunt InVitroes everywhere, years after that particular war ended. Now, persecuted and reviled as disloyal cowards, most are outcasts, living on the outer edges of society. They have gained the reputation for being lazy and shiftless. Some Natural Borns even consider them expendable. The additional artificial "[[navel]]" present at the back of their necks (where the artificial umbilical cord/neural implant was attached in the gestation chamber) became the only visible distinguishing feature, making them easily recognizable and an easy target of constant [[discrimination]]. |
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Many casually call them "tanks" in reference to their gestation chambers. Others call them "nipple necks" in reference to the navel at the base of the neck. InVitros are a segment of the population who have finally carved out a small niche for themselves in a society that used and then discarded them as mistakes. |
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[[Category:Human-derived fictional species]] |
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[[Category:Fictional characters who have been genetically engineered]] |
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Latest revision as of 11:35, 8 November 2018
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