Braincase

The braincase is the housing of the brain - the cranium. A collection of a few bones that nearly seal off the entire brain, save for the spinal column. In root strain and alpha strain humans, however, it still possesses a few weaknesses, and both the homo supernus and homo excelsior projects developed a solution that was felt could offer a person maximum survivability in the case of catastrophe. Some members of homo panacea do have engineered minds like such, however. For Astrum parvulus, this is basically all their is - the body is an extension of their minds.

Typically massing around two kilograms, it exists completely independently of the rest of the body - even in the case of the beta strain, once fully matured. It tends to be slightly larger than a normal homo sapiens cranium, though this difference not easily noticed. In this case, the braincase not only refers to the obviously different cranium design, but the support and interface systems that it represents as well.

Design and Enhancements

Looked at on its own, the most notable feature of the braincase is the metallic 'construction' - in the organic (completely self-repairing) model, it is mostly a non-magnetic steel alloy, with traces of lead, gold, silver, titanium and other metals. In the exomatter model, it is usually highly reflective, though looks vary. Several 'blemishes' do stand out, however, though there are variances between designs.

• In the bottom of the front, roughly where the eye-sockets would be placed, are four connectors, two for the eyes and two for the nose and tongue. These are complex plates, and sometimes blend into eachother.
• Two connectors can be seen on either side, one for the ear, the other for a jack, which allows for a direct data connection to the brain.
• At the bottom rear, where the cranium attaches to the spine, is a complex socket for just that purpose.
• A similar socket setup exists to place the maxilla-zygomatic 'face' onto the braincase, as well as the mandible.
• Two pairs of strips that act as radio antennas and transmitters.
• A pair of closable slots, in the back of the case, in which optical discs may be inserted.
• Several strips and other streamlined features can be seen, which provide chemical and electromagnetic analysis of surroundings.

Both socket systems are capable of supplying nutrients and draining waste from the braincase in a secured fashion. In addition, the bottom of the structure contains a small deuterium fusion reactor, allowing the brain to function completely independently. This reactor is exceedingly weak - the maximum draw is typically about 200 watts in the organic version, and usually about a tenth of that value even for exomatter constructs.

The brain structure is supplemented by a pair of encephalons - supplemental computer processors for the brain. These perform most of the basic processing and interface work, leaving more of the neural network to focus on tasks more suited to such. It is most pronounced in homo excelsior models, while very basic in homo supernus.

Consequences

One unintended result of the fully-independent feature is the design of ships that are piloted not by a human body, but merely the braincase itself, saving on mass and allowing for far more drastic maneuvering in space in the case of emergencies, and extreme maneuvers in atmospheres.