Limits of the Symbiote's Regenerative Capability?

[Cygnus]

During the events of Crystal Singer, it mentions how one of Killa's instructors wanted to get a new cutter, because she had lost two of the fingers on her hand. She was then denied because it would immediately become useless due to her fingers growing back!

Now I'm writing a fanfic for the crystal singer/BB books, and the intro of it involves a rather major use of this regenerative capability.

So I was curious; does it say anywhere what the limits are of this ability? ARE there any limits?


Also, on an entirely different note, what about crystal drives? Anne has made it apparent that the BB and crystal singer books exist within the same universe, so would that mean that all FLT ships, including brainships, contain crystal drives somewhere inside them?

Thanks!

~!g

[GinnyStar]

Well, for one thing, welcome to here, and two, I'm not too sure, just moved to a new place and my books are packed yet.

[Kath]

I'd imagine the limits are constrained by how much blood loss and shock the human body and deal with. A crystal singer lopping a whole arm or leg off is going to be suffering from severe arterial bleeding. Given that they're NOT going to have anyone else on hand to step in, nor would they be capable of sledding home easily in that state, they'd most likely die.

And would a paranoid singer risk their claim location just to call in a rescue? Perhaps a young one might... but most wouldn't.

What sort of injury were you thinking of?

[Multi-Facets]

Coming in late to say Killashandra sliced her forearm wide open deeply and lengthwise with broken glass. The bleeding started slowing in seconds, if that's any frame of reference.

[Cygnus]

Thanks for the welcome!

In my fic, my character is the sole survivor of a spaceship crash onto ballybran. During the crash, he suffers significant damage to his body, including cuts through a spacesuit, and major damage to his legs(crushed, actually, but not so much actual bleeding.)

The plot element that I'm trying to create is a way to actually get the symbiote to get crystal INSIDE his body.

The 'healing in seconds' quote was exactly what i needed, however Since he has roughly a week to heal, that healing rate is plenty to make sure he'll be fully intact when they finally find him.

Cheers,
Cyg

[Kath]

One problem - it takes a little while for the symbiote to get into your system, and new singers aren't as well protected as more established ones, IIRC.

If you need the symbiote to do its stuff immediately after the crash, without any prior exposure of your character to it, chances are it won't have had enough time... Of course, if he's already a Ballybran native, there'll be no porblem with it.

[Cygnus]

Ahh, that's an excellent point. However, i seem to recall from the...third? Novel? Where there was the girl that had the major phisiological problem, so she could only blink; in that circumstance, because the bodies natural defenses were down, the symbiont was able to work almost immediately.

So under the assumption that he's majorly injured, do you suppose the rate of infection(correct word?) would be accelerated to the point that it could do its stuff?

[GinnyStar]

Originally Posted by Cygnus

Ahh, that's an excellent point. However, i seem to recall from the...third? Novel? Where there was the girl that had the major phisiological problem, so she could only blink; in that circumstance, because the bodies natural defenses were down, the symbiont was able to work almost immediately.

So under the assumption that he's majorly injured, do you suppose the rate of infection(correct word?) would be accelerated to the point that it could do its stuff?

It might at that, depending on how and where the ship crashed, how the weather is, and how fast the Guld could get there.

[Cygnus]

Okay, thanks a lot for the forum's help =)

If my story turns out well, I'll direct you guys to it. Keeping my fingers crossed

[semantre]

Originally Posted by Cygnus

Ahh, that's an excellent point. However, i seem to recall from the...third? Novel? Where there was the girl that had the major phisiological problem, so she could only blink; in that circumstance, because the bodies natural defenses were down, the symbiont was able to work almost immediately.

So under the assumption that he's majorly injured, do you suppose the rate of infection(correct word?) would be accelerated to the point that it could do its stuff?

I would contest that there is a difference between a compromised immune system due to what sounded like a truly long-term illness, and a sudden, massive traumatic injury. While the latter would certainly impair the body's defenses, it would be more likely to cause death before the symbiot could get in and fix things. Injuries sufficient to impair the immune function of the body would likely also involve significant blood loss and organ trauma, which he would have to survive long enough for what I recall as being something like a 2-3 week process to occur.

[Cygnus]

Hmm...

I suppose, in the end, its all arbitrary, nonetheless. Eventually i just have to make my point. Call it "artistic license", if you will =P

However, I've taken your points to heart; I'm thinking about something like "Crystal amplified the effects", or something similar to that. Maybe have it some sort of circumstance that "Theoretically would work..." just that it's so dangerous and prone to failure that it would never be tried normally...

Again, it's all just artistic license; all that matters is if it's believable in the end! So, with thanks once again for your great help, i bid you all adieu.

...adieu.

[GinnyStar]

You know, I just had an idea, might be a bit AU twist, but what about a transport shuttle like the time with meeting the BB and the personal shuttle had a problem, 'for some reason having problem' he/she is all ready has the symbote?

just my twig, what I'm trying to transalate out my mind. Hard as finding 'black' or 'white' ones from second book.

[ghost8772]

Originally Posted by semantre

I would contest that there is a difference between a compromised immune system due to what sounded like a truly long-term illness, and a sudden, massive traumatic injury. While the latter would certainly impair the body's defenses, it would be more likely to cause death before the symbiot could get in and fix things. Injuries sufficient to impair the immune function of the body would likely also involve significant blood loss and organ trauma, which he would have to survive long enough for what I recall as being something like a 2-3 week process to occur.

I'd agree with you there. Donalla was in a seriously weakened state from a prolonged illness. immune system had nothing left to fight current illness, or symbiote invasion. Even then it wasn't an instantaneous reversal. Time had little to no reference in those three books beyond the initial and closing areas. Intentional I'm sure. for a healthy immune system I think I recall ten days for onset of adaptation "sickness"

Injuries mentioned. Borella having lacerated her leg up one side and down the other for her "disclosure" Concera's missing Digits, Killashandra taking some hits in the second and I think third books. Barry Milekey being killed by injuries, apparently the symbiote cannot reverse all forms of bleeding out, though I almost remember it coming across as decapitation level damage on him.

there was also the talk about how the symbiote can deteriorate over time through abuse, extended absences from Ballybran, excessive exposure to Mach Storms, that sort of thing. Also over time it begins to deteriorate, granted thats over tens of decades, but still.

[Multi-Facets]

So do people with the symbiote die of their old age, or the symbiote's?

[GinnyStar]

Well, the symbiote, depending, how the person adapted to it, and became a singer, or one of the many suport staff. Its age with time can go.

Like Killa classmate, who was in the inactive long-term care part of the building, age, and not listen to symbiote and/or sleds warning to get to safty in time, he was showing age and the lost of the sybiote abilty.

[semantre]

Originally Posted by Multi-Facets

So do people with the symbiote die of their old age, or the symbiote's?

Do we ever see a direct example of someone dying of old age? I can't remember off the top of my head - it's been a couple of years since I read these books.

[GinnyStar]

Originally Posted by semantre

Do we ever see a direct example of someone dying of old age? I can't remember off the top of my head - it's been a couple of years, since I read these books.

Yes, I think so Crystal Singer, an image of one of first to adopt fully to the symbiont, and was away too long who instructed Borlia (sp) did the 'full disclosure'r the Crystal Singer, to show what could happen 'on the job'.

We see Crystal Line: Rimbol who symbiont was failing him, showing old age, he died shortly after, Killa returned from 'big hungry juck' that restored her memories its from the hard back batch of books I got from Dragon Buddy sometime page numbers are hard for me to see.

[ghost8772]

Originally Posted by semantre

Do we ever see a direct example of someone dying of old age? I can't remember off the top of my head - it's been a couple of years since I read these books.

No, nobody dying of extreme old age was mentioned. the singer whose symbiont failed while away from Ballybran, Borella, and Rimbol are the only ones who didn't die in the ranges specifically.

Enthor and Antona both died somewhere in the series though. no mention of old age or an accident somewhere. they didn't even get proclaiomed dead, just a note that there were replacements...

I would say the Symboint's processes are critical to dying of old age. once it loses potency, its a hard fast road through system deterioration. probably weeks once it stops working, hours if you kill it off.

[Nina]

Very interesting that someone is actually writing fanfic about Crystal Singers

I too remember at least a ten-day-period for the symbiont to take hold and making a difference in the body.

and welcome to this forum, Cygnus

[Cygnus]

Just checking in real quick; for those of you who've read my story already, dont despair! I've recently gotten someone to actually read my stuff before i publish it, which should help me out a lot. =P

When it's done, i'll post it here; until then, please dont read it, for fear of becoming disillusioned. If you do read it, remember that i warned you =P

Anyway, off to write some more now. Ciao.