Regeneration

Regeneration refers to the process through which an individual is restored from death through the use of advanced medical technology. Originally based on captured alien technology in possession by the Vanduul, it was further refined by Dr. Aka Ibrahim and BiotiCorp. The regenerative process relies on the use of an Ibrahim sphere, a sophisticated medical tool that stores a comprehensive bioscan of an individual called an Imprint, and BiotiCorp Regen Serum, used to bioprint organic material necessary for bodily reconstruction. By combining these two technologies, a unique copy of an individual can be constructed after their death–one that is near-identical to their source, down to their personality and memories.

The regeneration process is not without danger or limits however; grievous injuries sustained prior to death can create Traumatic Response Echoes (TRE) that stores the effects of the injury within their Imprint, and individuals whose Imprint Viability Score (IVS) becomes too low are incapable of regenerating and are wiped, suffering true death.

It is not yet known how exactly regeneration will affect players from a game mechanic standpoint beyond the ability to respawn.

History
The origins of regeneration are found in captured alien biogenetic scanning technology recovered by the United Empire of Earth in 2932. Although originally found in possession of the Vanduul, it is not clear whether they were the original designers, as the technology is considered advanced even by Vanduul standards.

Dr. Aka Ibrahim, an experienced neurologist with experience in restoring brain functions following severe trauma, was tasked by the UEE to study this alien technology in the hopes of unlocking its secrets. In the early years progress toward understanding the technology was almost impossible given the complexity and advanced level of technology at work. It wasn't until an unnamed UEE naval operation conducted in 2946 recovered vital Vanduul intelligence related to their biogenetic process that significant strides were made. Armed with newfound insights, Dr. Ibrahim combined his years of research with advanced xenomorphic materials to develop the first Ibrahim sphere–a device capable of storing an individual's entire physiological and neurological profile down to their memories, personality, and thoughts. These profiles became known as Imprints.

Creation of the Ibrahim sphere represented only half of the work necessary to fully realize regeneration however. It would not be enough to simply replicate an individual's psychology; one needed to reconstitute their body as well. The solution to this material problem came from the medical manufacturing company BiotiCorp, who developed a progenerate distillate capable of forming the fundamental bodily structures of the human anatomy–cells, tissue, and organs.

The combination of these technologies–Dr. Ibrahim's spheres and BiotiCorp's Regen Serum–led to the first successful regeneration of a Human in 2949. Following her election in 2951, Imperator Laylani Addison, motivated by the potential of this breakthrough, directed the UEE to publicize the specifications of Ibrahim spheres and allocate trillions of credits toward the manufacture and deployment of regenerative services across Imperial space. Years later, countless lives have been successfully regenerated using medical scanning services provided on even the smallest and most remote space stations.

Regeneration continues to be a controversial topic in the years since its development, spurring theological and conspiratorial resistance about its use and implications. Concerns have been raised about the possibility of UEE manipulation of Ibrahim spheres to render their populace more docile, or to use the data within the spheres to create a clone army. There have been no known controversies regarding regeneration in the years since its development however.

Imprint
An imprint is a near-identical replica of an individual's physiological and neurological state at the moment of imprinting, a process even sophisticated enough to record thoughts, personalities, and memories. An individual's imprint is entirely unique; only one can ever exist at any given time, and updating an existing imprint will erase any previous versions. Although an imprint is a near-perfect representation of an individual when it's created, it begins to degrade the longer an individual goes without refreshing their imprint.

Ibrahim sphere
Capable of storing nearly every detail of an individual's mind and body, Ibrahim spheres are at the heart of the regeneration process. These objects are unique to an individual; only one of them can exist at any given time, and attempts to create more have always ended in failure. How the Ibrahim spheres maintain their connection to an individual is not yet fully known, though scientists speculate that some sort of quantum entanglement field is responsible for the near-instantaneous response to both TREs and death.

Trauma Response Echo (TRE)
Imprints can be affected by Trauma Response Echoes, a psychological reaction to traumatic or fatal events. The severity of the trauma can create an echo that leaves a physical impression on a regenerated individual that 'remembers' the outcome of the event. A common example is that someone crippled before death, such as having their legs or arms crushed, may lose motor functions within those limbs even after they've been regenerated–the event was so traumatic that it left an impression strong enough to alter their mind and body.

Imprint Viability Score (IVS)
As an imprint degrades from suffering repeated traumatic injuries that result in echoes, the likelihood of successful regeneration diminishes. Given the impact echoes can have on an imprint, it becomes necessary to determine an imprint's potential as a template for regeneration through the use of an Imprint Viability Score. When an IVS becomes too low, regeneration of an imprint is impossible, and the source individual is wiped, suffering true death.

The viability of an imprint depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to: the amount and severity of existing TREs; the proximity of their Ibrahim sphere and available medical services; the quality of the medical scanning technology which regenerates them; and how recently they updated their imprint. Personal insurance will also play a major role in this determination.

Regen
A word for someone who has been regenerated. It can also be used as short-hand for the regeneration process itself.

Cycle
A unit of reference that measures both how many times an individual has been regenerated and the length of time between their previous regen and their current one. For example, someone who was imprinted at age 30 and killed and regenerated at 38 would be on their first cycle. If they were again killed at age 42, their first cycle would've lasted 4 years and they would now be on their second cycle.

Gap
Similar to a cycle, a gap instead measures the amount of time between when the most recent imprint was made and when that imprint was used to regenerate someone. Using the previous example of someone imprinted at 30 and killed at 38, their gap would be 8 years. If they were again killed at 42 without re-imprinting themselves, their gap would be 12 years.

Wiped
To be wiped is to experience true death. Though there are several unknown methods of wiping someone by force, the most common way someone is wiped is through a sufficient degradation of their IVS as a result of excessive TREs.