The formentioned issue presented by Dr. Eva Tyomkin presented a unique opportunity for the morally dubious. Training pilots, none the less effective or "ace" pilots, is an incredibly expensive endeavor. In some cases a well performing pilot can end up costing more the the mech itself. Add the two together and you've sunk quite the financial investment into a single solder on the modern battlefield. Many have sought ways to mediate this cost while ideally trying to keep the same tactical efficiency.
One such study was carried out by Dr Maddalin Ebbert on behalf of The MCUS Institute. The goal of the study was to see if the 8 hour limit could be bypassed by simply refusing to ever remove the pilot. While this was not the explicitly stated goal of the project this in turn was what the project devolved into.
Fourteen volunteers had signed up to participate in the study. There names have been redacted from all documents to protect their identity. All fourteen had performed well in the academies preliminary evaluation yet had failed to become pilots. Many of the participants were still eager to get their foot in the door and ready to sacrifice anything in thier pursuit to become a pilot. The participants were informed that the proceeding test would be as close to combat simulations as they could be to ensure maximum efficiency. The participants were fully prepared for the tests to be physically and mentally demanding. None were fully prepared for what they would soon endure.
The first 2 weeks of the study was essential in preparing the participants. It was essentially a rudimentary pilot boot camp. The participants received the same drills any pilot would in their basic training. The fist week the participants worked their way up to 5 hours in the simulator. The second week up to 8 hours. This helped to train the subjects for the mental and physical strains of the neural interface. The third week was where the administrators started to prod to see where they could work to build a participants mental endurance to extend beyond the 8 hour limit. The first started by cutting down on the participants rest between deployments but this coincided with an unacceptable drop in combat efficiency. The next was to adjust the cocktail of drugs to reduce the participants neuroplasticity hoping to avoid the mental bypass of the participants moter functions. This however proved ineffective as it also hamperd the pilots ability to fully interface with the mech. It was at this point that the administrators of the test had a radical idea that would show the true intentions of the test.
At the start of the 4th week it was decided they would see how long one could remain in the simulator. Little consideration was given to the consequences of Disconnect Syndrome on the participants. Subject number 5 was the fist to participate in this test. They manages to make it 19 hours before ther neural patterns spiked and they needed to be pulled out. The report glosses over the sevarty of the symptoms after they were pulled out. Three more subjects went through this test before the parameters were once again altered. The record for continuous hours in the simulator was 26 hours. The data was beginning to show what Dr. Eva Tyomkin had discussed 2 years prior, the performance of the pilot was increasing as time went on. Reaction time had slowed from fatigue but the time between pilot action and mech response was almost nonexistent. It had been reduced nearly 65% by doubling the pilots deploy time. A few more members had been brought onto the team to analyze this bypass of the IMP's translation.
The next group of participants was given a new cocktail of stimulants and enhancers to prevent any dip in performance due to fatigue and extend deployment time. The goal of this group was to see if they could bypass the threshold presented by input delay to the point that each action of the mech happens at the exact moment the action was conceived. Five participants engaged with this test. The average deployment time had skyrocketed up to 73 hours. It was unprecedented to have a pilot endure such mental and physical strain. The falloff in performance was negligible when compared with the input delay, now reduced by 87%, and overall deployment time. The cocktail of stimulants was further refined for the next batch however this groups results were not without thier setbacks. Two of the participants of this trial were immediately hospitalized afterwards and had to undergo months of physical therapy. One participant dropped out and the last two were unable to participate in any further studies for 6 weeks. By that time the program had fortunately been completely shut down.
The extended operational time was presenting a new set of complications the foremost being sleep. It seemed impossible for any participant to sleep while engaged with the neural link. This was due to a waterfall of information over stimulating the brain. Sleep became impossible and it was not the goal of the trial either. Even if the administrators believed the introduction of sleep could further extend overall operational deployment the goal was consecutive deployment time not broken up by sleep or rest. Another set of issues began to occur beyond the 50 hour mark as well. Beyond 50 hours when participants exited the simulation in addition to the myriad of know systems of Disconnect Syndrome it also seemed as though participants had to actively remember to breathe. Upon futher inspection it seems as tho autonomic functions such as breathing, regulating heart rate and body temperature had begun to become diverted to optimizing the energy and coolant flow of the mech. The performance of the mech was increasing at a unprecedented rate but ar the cost of the bodies and minds of the participants.
One final trial was set. The goal was to bypass the input delay threshold and attempt to break 100 hour deployment. The new batch of drug cocktail was set to expand the neuralplasticity of the participants as much as possible before the 50 hour mark and then regulate it beyond 50 hours to best keep the participants functional. The three most skilled and determined subjects were saved for this trial. The first participant was able to reach 102 hours before passing out and having to be immediately put on a ventilator. The second participant reached 115 hour deployment time before suffering from cardiac arrest. The final participant pushed as hard as they could and were given drugs to help regulate the heart and lungs but thes drugs did little to help as the brain began to forget which body it was ment to operate. The third participant reached 136 hours deployment time with the input delay of the mech reduced by 93%. The mech was functioning at 126% operational capacity due to the power and coolant regulations of the pilot. The participant unfortunately suffered severe cranial hemorrhaging and died in the simulator. The project was promptly shut down after this and deemed a failure.
While many interesting desicoveries were made and some optimizations to the neural link build on this research, the human cost was deemed unacceptable and unethical. A settlement was reached last year forcing The MCUS institute to pay for all the medical damages incurred during the test as well as an additional $75,000 per participant. Many believe this financial restitution does not match the harm inflicted as many participants have perminatly lost moter function or are hospitalized for life.
Dr. Maddalin Ebbert went on to apply this research in the development of many life saving cybernetic systems. Many of these systems utilize a lower form of the neural link to function and regulate systems. They have also used their knowledge to futher expand the applications of the neural link while reducing operator strain.
While the program was ultimately shut down some more nefarious groups have tried to expand on this research. Criminal syndicates and milita groups have used this research to increase the combat efficiency of thier untrained soldiers at the cost of thier lives. Some mechs have become outfitted with ventilators, blood pumps and nutrition supply systems to keep the pilot functioning for as long as possible. These groups are essentially using pilots as a disposable resource to keep their mechs operational as long as possible. Some groups have proclaimed their modified mechs can keep a pilot functioning for 384 hours or 16 days. A full 5 days longer than a human can supposedly go without sleep.
The unethical research conducted by The MCUS Institute has brought about untold human suffering in the goals of technological advancement. Many of the most desperate who wish to become the glorified pilots of our day are now being utilized as human cartridges and disposed of. We have come a long way in the symbiotic advancement between mechs and pilots but it is important to remember much of this technology is still in its infancy. We will need to proceed cautiously with utmost consideration for the human element.
-Independent Journalist; Violet Alma
- The human cost of the disconnect syndrome experiments.