Checkup: An Extension

As the Merchant left, being carried away from the core by a branch similar to the one that delivered Donovan and Diana here, the Arboreal Maiden made to give them a physical checkup.

"I won't ask you to strip down to your underwear, but please make the area on your back around your shoulder blades clear. The great Csillacra wishes for me to verify that the changes it implemented have properly developed."

"Properly developed?" Don was quite confused at the phrase that was used. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"The Great Csillacra essentially had to rebuild your bodies from scratch, the previous tissue being completely unsuitable for split. Organs, reactions to chemicals, and other such subjects were not altered. However there is always the risk that some of the rapidly developed tissue or organs may have not assembled themselves in the intended manner. Muscles are usually the culprit in these cases, crossing and fusing fibers being the most common though faulty attachments to tendons are also fairly frequent."

"How often are procedures like this done for that to be an issue? Didn't you say it was rare for someone to have it done to them?" Diana was a little worried about issues with their bodies, though the Arboreal Maiden's confidence in her abilities kept her from panic. She could tell they would be taken care of in a proper manner.

"The only rarities about your procedure were that you were being given a core, and that you were being altered by the Great Csillacra. Aside from that, the use of split in regenerating lost tissue or even creating new tissue entirely is not all too rare, though I understand that the cost of such an operation is not cheap. Even illnesses and the like can be remedied by the proper use of split, at least to a degree. After witnessing your kind's growth, I have come to the conclusion that this is the reason medical technology is practically non-existent. Speaking of, what do you wish to be addressed as?"

"What do you mean by that?" Donovan asked the question as her slightly chilly hands pressed down on his back.

"The name of your species. I think you will find that 'human' doesn't cut it, it seems to be the default interpretation of the term encapsulating all humanoid species. I wouldn't go with the scientific term, homo sapiens, either, a single word is the norm. I know you have a few names for humanity from different languages, though I don't know if that will translate well through split. Perhaps a name from your scientific fiction suite?"

Diana took over on this front. "I believe the official stance of the relevant political institution would have been to refer to ourselves as 'Terran' should 'Human' and its analogues have been deemed unusable in diplomacy with extraterrestrials. Something about it being a direct reference to our planet of origin, Terra."

"Wasn't Earth's official name Earth though?"

"For the longest time, it didn't have one. Until about fifty years ago that is. We officialized the name Terra as more of a scientific and diplomatic measure rather than anything else. The same conference officialized the moon as Luna as well. If I remember correctly, representatives of the Outer Oligarchies were invited as well. It seems like it was unilaterally agreed upon."

"Really? They actually agreed on something?"

"It seems so. Despite their hostility, they seemed to have had a soft spot for home..." Diana trailed off as she remembered that 'home' was gone now.

"God, that makes me feel a little bad for what I did." Don, his back to Diana, didn't catch on to her sudden depression. "I suppose that's war though."

"War? I wouldn't call what you did 'war'. ARC showed me the video, that was more like a massacre."

The Arboreal Maiden didn't really want to interrupt their conversation, there was a great deal she wished to learn from it, but there were other matters that needed to be discussed in the time before they parted. "So I take it Terran will be the chosen name for your race?"

"Oh," Diana was shaken from her train of thought, "Yes. More than it making sense, I find it quite the fitting name for ourselves."

"Seconded. I think Terran is a pretty cool name too."

The Arboreal Maiden nodded in recognition. "I shall pass this information on to all relevant parties. Your checkup is complete Donovan, I detected no abnormalities. Would you like a summary of the important changes?"

"I'd like that."

"I would also like to record this information, if you don't mind." Diana rummaged through her clothing in order to find a small tablet.

"The major changes, as expected, involve the addition and alteration of organs so as to make you capable of interacting with split as would any other person. Other than that, a few issues in what you would call your genetic code were resolved. Some examples include a predisposition to cancer and early balding. The biggest reason was to ensure that your future offspring would not be plagued by issues generated by the circumstances of your conception."

"Early balding huh..."

"It would have started within the next ten years, considering your projected natural lifespan of around 750 years you would have only spent around four percent of it with hair on your head."

"Thanks for that."

"Natural tooth regrowth was also added owing to your prolonged lives, and your natural lifespan should now sit around five thousand years. Granted, this change is meaningless if you throw your life away, but it was a consideration by the Great Csillacra in order to build on your limited advantages and help to diminish your many disadvantages."

"F-f-f-f-five THOUSAND?!?!?!" Donovan was instantly on the verge of collapse.

"Is-wha-that's," Diana was trying to catch her words. Project Eternum had given them a large number, but that was a theoretical maximum, the true value was likely no where near that long. "Even Jesus hasn't been dead that long!"

"Ah, yes. Jesus of Nazareth born in Bethlehem of Joseph and Mary is who I assume you are referring to? Watching his life, though terribly short in my eyes, was so dreadfully interesting. It doesn't surprise me that such a convincing religion was born of his sacrifice. Had I not known the Great Csillacra was interfering, however limited, I too would have thought that a higher power was at work."