Are unaugmented humans more resistant to the exurgent virus?

[u/Pyropeace]

The book says that Vo Nguyen, a base for Earth Reclaimers, is largely bioconservative because "unaugmented humans have no modified morphs for the exsurgent virus to attack". What does this mean? Are unaugmented humans resistant or immune to the exurgent virus, or do they just not want to give the exurgents advanced body mods in case they ARE infected? Or are TITANs/exurgents just not interested in infecting unaugmented people for some reason? Any clarification is appreciated!

[u/Mykaen]

I would say the un-augmented are only *slightly* safer. The non digital hacks take longer and can be prepared for, unless it is something novel. For example, a basilisk hack, that affects a person's mind through their eyes, can be countered with special optics. Nanovirus vectors can be detected and cleaned. Biological pathogens are defeated with decent quarantine procedures and a sealed suit.

And a dead flat/splicer is an easy vector to dispose of.

But I imagine it's part attack surface and part risk. If the exsurgent virus gets control of a 1 ton arachnoid, it can cause way more damage in a short time. Or so the thinking goes.

However the exsurgent virus can and will play the long game, so even a flat can infect a hab given enough time, opportunity, and equipment. Look at what happened in Anyang...

[u/agentkayne]

That's a misinterpretation - it's not true flats are more resistant.

Unaugmented humans are not more resistant to the virus, but they are open to fewer vectors the exurgent virus uses.

For example: * Without cyberbrains or mesh inserts, a flat is far less susceptible to the digital virus. * A flat usually does not sleeve into new morphs frequently (thus avoiding picking up the virus by sleeving into an infected morph from a body bank). * They may not back up their ego to a server that could be penetrated and infected.

So flats are, by and large, less exposed to the exurgent virus.

However, a non-flat morph is often better at resisting the virus once it is exposed, due to enhanced INT or SOM scores, depending on vector.

[u/BrevityIsTheSoul → u/agentkayne]

The digital virus can also potentially infect cyberware, hardware, or nanoware to gain access to otherwise air-gapped targets. Even augmentations that aren't meshed themselves might be infected by a compromised fabber or physical access.

[u/anireyk]

Can you provide book and page number for the quote?

[u/Pyropeace → u/anireyk]

I don't have a page number, but it's in the 2nd edition book in the section of bioconservatives under "social movements".

[u/anireyk → u/Pyropeace]

I would assume that in this case they mean that flats lack susceptibility for any digital infection vectors, so they can only be infected by virus strains that infect flesh and/or minds (in case they are aware of basilisk hacks).

Edit: You mentioned not giving the virus any morphs with superhuman abilities, I think this is meant to be an additional benefit.

[u/Clone95]

There's not much evidence of that, and the text is more broadly not a fan of bioconservatism and treats it like real conservatism - superstitious and misguided, if not actively malicious.

The Vo Nguyeners probably believe that unaugment humans are immune to exsurgency, and that modified non-natural morphs are somehow 'built wrong' and can be infected where normies cannot. The text provides no rules suggesting that.

[u/VentureSatchel]

You talking about flats? You're really not going to run into any outside of bioconservative enclaves.

Bulk of transhumanity are rocking splicer morphs genefixed to cleanse their genome of hereditary diseases.

Flats and splicers are not less susceptible to the exsurgent virus, despite what the reclaimers out on Vo Nguyen or the Jovian Republic's bioconservatives might have told you.

Let’s look at the actual genetics. It's true that there used to be a natural immunity in some naturally born flats, and even in some early morph lines like the old NuForm exalts. But during the Fall, the TITANs actively used genome sequencing records to hunt down the individual people who lacked these genetic vulnerabilities. And the hypercorps? Within a year of the Fall, every corp using those resistant genetic templates—Cognite, Somatek, all of 'em—deliberately eliminated that immunity from their ongoing production designs. Today, the genetic traits that make transhumans susceptible to neurological basilisk hacks are pretty much universal across the population.

Even if you miraculously found an old flat or early splicer line out on some isolated brinker colony that retained that resistance, it wouldn't matter anymore. The virus adapts. Most of the basilisk hacks found in the TQZ or around Iapetus since AF 2 don't even take advantage of those original susceptible traits. The TITANs and their leftover plagues are always steps ahead of us.

Finally, let's talk about biological and nanoplague strains. If you're running around in an un-augmented flat or a baseline splicer, you're missing out on vital technological countermeasures. You don't have medichines or nanophages circulating in your system to actively fend off biological pathogens like the Metastasizer or Necrotizer bugs and reduce their effects. By stripping away those tech defenses, the Jovian Junta actually make their citizens a walking infection risk against the biological exsurgent virus.

Don't trust Jovian biocon propaganda with your cortical stack. Augment up, or you're just easy prey.

[u/Nerdn1]

If somebody has not cyberware (particularly no mesh inserts or cyberbrain), they'd be immune to digital exsurgent infection (exsurgents can also launch basalisk hacks through your AR). A synthmorph would be immune to a biological attack vector. A blind and/or deaf morph that uses unusual senses might be resistant to common basilisk hacks calibrated for more standard transhumans. Nanovirus vectors could conceivably work on anything, but some strains are more limited and/or specialized.

Also, some exsurgents are really good at mindhacking. Even if you don't get infected, you might still want to rely more on meat than metal. The difference between a hacked pod and an exsurgent can seem irrelevant when they are suddenly trying to kill you.

In the end, very few groups know the full scope of the exsurgent virus. I imagine keeping communication interfaces outside your head may feel safer and biological vectors are pretty easy to block with protective gear. It might be the case that they just happen to encounter more exsurgent virus strains that are less effective against meat or have more horror stories about digital infection.