Mechlink

Mechlink

A bionic implant that allows direct control of mechanoids. Mechlinks are used by soldiers to control war mechs, and by workers to control labor mechs. A person with a mechlink is known as a mechanitor.
Mechlinks are self-installable. Pressed into the back of the throat, the unit injects itself through the flesh to clamp inside the base of the skull where it meets the spinal cord. There, it threads a web of ultrafine wires throughout nearby neuronal tissue to make the direct mental link between the user and the mechanoid control band.
Mechlinks are not simply devices for sending radio signals to mechanoids, because mechanoids are not merely robots. In addition to traditional computers, mechanoids have a dim psychic presence, so fluently controlling them requires a psychic connection. By linking mechanitor and mechanoid both psychically and electromagnetically, the mechlink permits deeper control than screen-and-button interfaces.
Since the mechlink interlaces deep within the brain tissue, it can only be removed after death.
Note: A mechanitor must be capable of smithing work to gestate mechanoids.

Base Stats

Type

Medical Items – Body Parts

Tech Level

Ultra

Market Value

500 

Stack Limit

1

Mass

1 kg

HP

100

Deterioration Rate

0

Flammability

0%

Path Cost

14

Technical

defName

Mechlink

A mechlink is an item that can turn a pawn into a mechanitor.

Acquisition

Mechlinks are acquired by extracting them from the corpses of mechanitors. These corpses can be NPCs or your own fallen pawns. Mechlinks are extracted by selecting a colonist, right clicking on the mechanitor corpse, and selecting the option to extract the mechlink.

There are multiple ways to acquire a mechanitor corpse:

• Destroying the midsection of the remains of an Ancient exostrider to obtain a mechanoid transponder, which can be used to call in a mechanoid ship containing a dead mechanitor and some hostile mechanoids. The mechlink can then be extracted from the mechanitor corpse.
• Travelling to an ancient mechanitor complex guarded by hostile mechanoids. Among the desiccated corpses is a mechanitor corpse which the mechlink can be extracted from.

The starting colonist in the mechanitor scenario spawns with a mechlink already installed.

Summary

Mechlinks can be installed onto any pawn with >0% Psychic Sensitivity. It does not require any medical operation, and thus is self-installed when interacting with it. However, it cannot be removed except after death. Extracting the mechlink from a dead pawn does not cost any resources.

Upon installing a new mechlink for the first time, an event will trigger that causes a friendly Lifter or Constructoid to drop onto the colony, which will automatically link with the new mechanitor.

Mechlinks provide a passive stat boost of +6 Mech Bandwidth and +2 Mech Control Groups, which can be further increased.

Installation

A mechlink can be installed without surgery, you can select a pawn and right click the mechlink, and there will be an option to install the mechlink.

Analysis

As it's quite rare and cannot be easily removed once installed, one should be careful which pawn to install the mechlink into. Most essential is a good crafter who is capable of smithing, as it influences their ability to repair/gestate mechanoids, and encode subcores. If your mechanitor is killed, the mechlink can be extracted and implanted again so long as their head is not destroyed. Prioritize extracting the mechlink and keep the corpse safe and away from hungry animals in the meantime.

Curiously, non-violent mechanitors can still control and fight using combat mechanoids, as they are separate entities. With gene modding, a specialized non-violent pawn could have Violence disabled, Awful Melee and Awful Shooting aptitude genes for a "free" +7 Metabolic Efficiency, which could be used for genes like Great Crafting, improving mechanitor abilities. Mechanitors who plan to hide behind walls could use genes like Slow Wound Healing and Delicate, though drop pod raids and/or infestations are always a risk.

Since the mechlink counts as an artificial body part, it will make body modders very happy, and body purists very upset to have one installed. The body modification precept also affects this.

Version history

• Biotech DLC Release - Added.
• 1.4.3555 - Fix: Mechlinks give the starting mechs more than once.

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Artificial body parts

Arm/Hand

Archotech arm • Bionic arm • Power claw • Prosthetic arm • Wooden hand • Drill arm • Elbow blade • Field hand • Hand talon • Venom talon

Head

Archotech eye • Bionic eye • Bionic ear • Bionic tongue • Cochlear implant • Denture • Aesthetic nose

Head implants

Joywire • Painstopper • Circadian assistant • Circadian half-cycler • Gastro-analyzer • Learning assistant • Mindscrew • Neurocalculator • Psychic harmonizer • Psychic reader • Psychic sensitizer • Venom fangs • Control sublink (Standard, High) • Mechlink • Mech gestation processor • Remote repairer • Remote shielder • Repair probe

Spine

Bionic spine

Stomach

Bionic stomach • Nuclear stomach • Reprocessor stomach • Sterilizing stomach

Organs

Bionic heart • Heart • Kidney • Liver • Lung • Prosthetic heart • Detoxifier kidney • Detoxifier lung

Visceral implants

Death acidifier • Aesthetic shaper • Coagulator • Healing enhancer • Armorskin gland • Stoneskin gland • Toughskin gland • Immunoenhancer • Love enhancer

Leg/Foot

Archotech leg • Bionic leg • Prosthetic leg • Peg leg • Wooden foot • Knee spike

Related

Psylink neuroformer • Xenogerm

Deprecated

Scyther blade • Psychic silencer