Claremont Biomodification

The Claremont Biomodification

The Claremont Biomodification is, compared to other Cosmic Era biomods, rather mundane. The end result of the six month treatment schedule is a dramatically increased musculature, with an associated increase in strength in the skeletal system to handle the increased strength. Dexterity is improved to balance out the usual doubling of body mass, allowing these supersize humans to have a degree of grace. The biomodification adds an accelerated healing ability into the patient, which allows them to rapidly recover from injuries. These baseline modifications do increase the daily caloric requirements of the patient, with them being able to easily burn through 6000 to 8000 calories a day. As a result, most of these biomods either eat larger than natural meals (Two number two combos, a number three combo, and some bbq sauce) or they constantly eat, snacking all the time.

The Claremont BioMod has a civilian version, Claremont Light. The CL biomod increases the size and strength of the recipient, but doesn't do anything with their reflexes or motor function, and the accelerated healing factor is not present. The CL mod is used everywhere from treating muscular atrophy and physical frailness in therapeutic settings to turning Joe Anyone into looking like a professional wrestler. The CL mod only requires a doubling of caloric intake.

The Purpose

As the Cosmic Era has bloomed, weapons have become much larger and heavier as armor and defensive abilities have improved. The majority of infantry weapons in the Petroleum Era are considered 'Civilian grade' firearms. These new weapons are expensive, and the systems used around them are likewise expensive. Biomodification is relatively cheap in comparison. And unlike a power armor suit, a biomod will over time, heal itself. The Claremont Biomodification creates a soldier who is able to don heavy but unpowered armor, and heft infantry support or anti-battlesuit weaponry without aid from outside equipment, machinery or chemical enhancement.

Canada-Dominion Technologies

John Creed Claremont was the first biomodificationist who broke the code around the idea of the biological 'Brick'. The Brick was a soldier that was very large, very strong, and resistant to damage, and resilient if injured. Working for the extensive biotechnologies arm of Canada-Dominion, Claremont spent ten years working through the genetic mess that was the so called 'Superman Conundrum'. The core of the conundrum was that previous attempts to create physical supersoldiers had in a way worked, none of them were functionally or financially a success. The test subjects were physically and emotionally unstable, ranging from rage and impulse control issues to personality and neurotic breakdowns. On a more disturbing note, many of these subjects developed aggressive forms of cancer as a direct result of their treatments. Claremont's formula was the first that created a biologically and physiologically stable specimen. Further refinement and better selection of candidates for the procedure started creating viable 'Bricks' that the government had been wanting for their programs.

Claremont himself is the image of an academician, well educated, groomed and spoken. He is well funded, well connected, and not a man to be crossed lightly. Now getting into his late 60s, he has given himself a renewed vitality through genetic anagathic treatments and other modifications, but he has not and doesn't plan on using his self named treatment personally. He is tall, has slick dark hair, and a surface charm that if cracked reveals a hubris filled mad scientist.

History

Many corporations and nations have spent billions on creating genetically augmented supersoldiers to fight the borderline chivalrous battles of the Cosmic Era. The dream was a solder, half again as tall as a normal person, able to carry heavy infantry support weapons bare handed, or double down carrying regular machine guns. Various small test programs were run, but none were viable successes. Too many were disasters in the making.

Claremont through Canada-Dominion had an inside line on Federation black budget funds and access to Federation Cyber-Ops to work espionage against other corps that were funding supersoldier augmentation programs. Claremont survived two potential scandals, and after a decade of work produced the procedure that bears his name. The procedure was officially property of Canada-Dominion, but it was backdoor sourced to the Atlantic Federation Armed Forces Black operations division, as well as Canada-Dominion's security detachment and several of it's allied corporations.

Cyber-espionage and shadowrunning operations have seen the Claremont modification shared around the world as a sort of higher level open secret. Most of the information that is circulated is the hard specifications for the biomodification, and the majority of knock-offs lack the softer social conditioning and training that go into their Federation counterparts.

Notable Claremont Biomods

Lt. Chris Mane, Royal Canadian Grenadiers

Lt. Mane is a beast of a man, almost seven feet tall and close to 400 pounds. Despite this size, he is fast and graceful. One of the first generation Claremont biomods he has spent years adapting and adjusting to his new body, and new animalistic habits. He favors defeating foes with his bare hands, and has fought and defeated power armor soldiers, combat mechanoids, and rogue androids. Most of the time this is a crude and violent form of fighting, but when he fights an opponent of roughly equal skill, he is able to demonstrate advanced martial arts abilities, with great emphasis on grapples, joint locks, and throwing. Mane is frequently hostile, a side effect of his treatments but he has found a way to control his urges, a mixture of barehanded animal hunting, alcohol, and sexual indulgence.

Hugh Swann

Swann is rather small to be a Claremont Biomod, but he has made up for being shorter than the average normal human by being fast, amazingly tough, and with enough bad attitude to fill out a bike bar. Swann is a disreputable shadowrunner and is known for not always finishing a job, and frequently causing large amounts of collateral damage in the process. When he isn't drinking or getting into street fights, he is a competent street samurai and favors trenchcoats and concealed lightning claws. These weapons, miniaturized hyperedge blades, are effective at tearing most anything to bloody broken bits, and they are his calling card. He is as likely to spend half a mission vandalizing things and spreading terror as he is to actually do the job. He has additional augmentation through subdermal body armor, which makes his as tough as a tank.

Doctor Kelso Lee

Doctor Lee was an involuntary recipient of the Claremont Treatment, and technically the first. A slight framed mixed heritage Asian/Caucasian woman, Dr. Lee was involved in the chemical synthesization of the Claremont cocktail of drugs and hormones. The general underground consensus is that Claremont gave Lee the treatment under coercion or possibly without her knowing. The end result is Dr. Lee is now almost 300 pounds in weight, and has all the strength and ability of a supersoldier but the mind and temperament of a scientist. Lee no longer works for Canada-Dominion or Claremont. She is now a teacher at a school dedicated to educating and rehabilitating anti-social and criminal parapsychics in the Commonwealth of New England.

Josef Anabebe

A mercenary by trade, and long term in employment to the SAUR, Josef volunteered his services and body to be a beta tester for the SAUR version of the Claremont procedure. He survived the procedure and his years of military training and combat experience were enough to bring him out on the other side with chemical induced PTSD and nightmares. He is a massive pillar of muscle, and has a savage bestial nature that has manifested through the treatment. While this alone would not make Josef any different from the other mercenaries and criminals who were subjected to genetic experimentation, what set him apart was his sudden and unexpected manifestation of parapsychic abilities. Josef has dramatically increased speed and agility, and is a capable, if not innovative pyrokinetic. His handlers belief that the trauma of the treatment looped back into his troubled childhood and caused his abilities to erupt. He is now paranoid, violent, and frequently sedated.

Andre Bryniarski

Better known as the Red Tornado, Bryniarski is a professional entertainer. He is a mountain of a man, an actor and physical entertainer through simulated combat games, action holovids, and regional strongman competitions. He was formerly a professional soldier in the Neo-Soviet Army, and after his term of service, he was drafted to be a drill instructor, where some of the best soldiers in the Eurasian Alliance were trained. After leaving the military, he was tired of violence and real death, but he had such a charisma and was well known enough to get into entertainment. The Red Tornado enjoys a healthy acting career in top line Eurasian action dramas.