Isolated Sensory Network Dysfunction

Kaesta suffers from a rare congenital disorder that causes the sensory nerves in her brain to function abnormally. The sensory nerves are supposed to carry the signals with information about what Kaesta touchs, tastes, smells, hears, and sees. Without an experimental cybernetic implant, Kaesta's mind does not register pain and has decreased temperature sensitivity.

As a small child, before the implant surgery, she wouldn't realize when she was injured. She couldn't feel temperature changes and didn't know if she was overheated until she was on the verge of losing consciousness. During her most terrifying early memories, her vision would tunnel, closing in as her sense of balance would fail.

The disorder has progressed rapidly. Kaesta has begun to lose feeling in her hands and feet. Her sense of taste and smell have both faded, but she hides these new symptoms from Asimov.

Althea's Decline

Kaesta's mother, Althea, lived with this disorder for nearly three decades before her mind lost all contact with the outside world. Her body lingered on for years in a coma. Kaesta's father, Rylan, was convinced that her mother's mind was there, trapped alone. He spent the years during Althea's vegetative state studying neurochemistry. He was desperate to find a way to reverse her condition or reach her conscious mind by some other means.

The Cybernetic Implant Isn't Working

Unfortunately, Kaesta's condition is deteriorating much faster than her mother's. The experimental cybernetic implant meant to act as a stopgap until Rylan could find a cure for his daughter is now failing. Decline is imminent. When the implant completely ceases to function, Kaesta will be plunged into a state of total sensory deprivation. This is Kaesta's greatest fear.

Kaesta, The World Builder by Midjourney