Rejuvenat

Rejuvenat is a generic Sidh term for a number of various life extension therapies.

## Overview

In principle, a Sidh can live practically indefinitely with regular maintenance, displaying little if any signs of aging. This is possible due to the universal availability of rejuvenat treatments as part of standard healthcare - Imperial authorities have determined that the sizable investment required to make biological immortality available to every citizen is more than paid off by the massive increase in productivity and tax revenue that an ever-young and able-bodied population can generate.

In principle, the cause of aging in all natural organisms is that any given cell can only divide a finite number of times due to telomeres, protein chains that keep the DNA in chromosomes from unravelling. Each time a cell divides, telomeres shorten, eventually leading to the DNA chain unravelling and becoming non-functional. Some simple organisms are naturally immune to this deterioration, and early Sidhae used this knowledge to genetically alter themselves, significantly extending their lifespans. However, keeping the telomeres intact was only a part of the problem, since cells also accumulate damage and degrade from external factors like toxins and radiation over time as well. Repairing this damage effectively on a molecular level proved to be much more challenging than simply enhancing one's DNA to be resistant against deterioration.

Over time, however, such treatments were developed and refined to the point of effectively being able to stop and even partially-reverse aging entirely.

The original methods of rejuvenat, pioneered already on Old Terra in the 21st century, revolved around stem cell and retroviral therapies. While successful at greatly extending lifespan, these treatments did not eliminate cumulative genetic damage, and in fact increased the risk of cancer. It was only when sufficiently-advanced nanotechnology was perfected in early 22nd century that it became possible to repair cells and DNA on a molecular level with targeted precision.

The enhanced Sidh genome ensures that a baseline Sidh can easily last 200 years even without any rejuvenat whatsoever. Aging in unrejuvenated Sidhae takes place at a pace where an 80-year-old looks like barely in his 40's. With regular rejuvenat sessions, it is possible to stop this process entirely.

The exact time between rejuvenat sessions largely depends on a Sidh's own discretion. The typical interval practiced by most and recommended by doctors is roughly 5 years. A rejuvenat session is a serious affair of 6 to 8 weeks, during which the subjects will not be able to work, meaning that Sidhae have to plan and make arrangements for it considerably in advance. Some Sidhae take rejuvenat treatments more often, among them the Empress who follows a strict regimen of annual rejuvenat sessions to retain her youthful appearance despite being one of the oldest Sidhae alive.

Because of the rejuvenat therapy, it is practically impossible to tell a Sidh's actual age from appearance alone. The average Sidh looks like a baseline human would in his late 20's or early 30's, while the actual age of two similar-looking Sidhae may differ by as much as two centuries. Some Sidhae will deliberately skip several rejuvenat sessions in order to age and appear older - due to the instinctive association of aging signs with wisdom, experience and authority, many Sidhae of rank and status feel it more appropriate to look older than their subordinates. Many other aged-looking Sidhae simply haven't had the time to observe rejuvenat regimes to any consistent degree.

While rejuvenat can stop the process of aging, it can only partly restore aging that has already taken place. A convert who has started taking rejuvenat at the age of 40 will still continue to look like a 40-year-old even if biologically his cells have been restored to the pristine condition of a newborn.

Similar treatments exist in the Federation of Mankind, and probably among the Skargh as well, though in the Federation at least, they are limited largely to the wealthy who can afford to undertake them. These treatments are also not nearly as effective, since humans haven't consistently re-engineered their genetic code to be more compatible with their technologies like Sidhae have. That being said, lifespans of 200 years still aren't uncommon among the humans in the present age.

## Process

Rejuvenat session consists of a series of therapies undertaken in a hospital. Larger hospitals have dedicated rejuvenatoria, separate wards capable of treating hundreds or thousands of Sidhae at any time. Smaller hospitals and clinics might only have room for a handful of rejuvenat patients, but even the most basic Frontier clinic will have the equipment to provide rejuvenat therapy.

Much of the treatment takes place inside rejuvenat pods, sarcophagus-like tanks filled with liquid. Subjects are hooked up to IV and immersed in a concoction of nutrients, minerals, nanites and anti-oxidants. The subject is first thoroughly detoxified, his blood being constantly circulated through filtration and infused with anti-oxidants, detox nanites and immuno-boosters to purge their organism of all toxins, heavy metals and other undesirable substances accumulated over the years since the last treatment. Once complete, the body is subject to the next nanite infusion, which repairs the body on a cellular level, fixing fragmented segments of genetic code and intra-cellular structures. Full augmentation diagnostics will be run, new augmentations may be installed and existing ones repaired, tweaked or upgraded. Any surgical procedures and aug replacements necessary will be carried out before repair nanite infusion. The molecular repair stage is the longest and can take several weeks. Any new genetic and nanite-based augmentations are added afterwards, since the repair nanites are generated based on the subject's last known genetic/nanotech configuration, and may mistake any new additions for corruption. Once the subject is sufficiently healed, he is again detoxed to purge the excess nanites from his body.

Subjects are sedated for most of the time, given the invasive nature of many of the procedures, many facilities offering the option to be plugged into virtual reality for the duration of the process. Many Sidhae choose to use this time productively, uploading and practicing new knowledge, such as learning a new language.