Section 1: Introduction
Technology
The Yggdrasil is hyper technological. Though there are rumored surviving T5 worlds that still have access to full Mandate level Pretech, the Postech of The Ygg comes very close.
Technology
The Yggdrasil is hyper technological. Though there are rumored surviving T5 worlds that still have access to full Mandate level Pretech, the Postech of The Ygg comes very close.
There is no doubt that the craft itself is a wonder of Mandate Pretech, and the fact that it runs so well after the passage of so much time is one of its mysteries. Less mysterious, but still wonderous to most new Crew members, are the number of T4 achievements at the height of capability in one place. New Passengers (after their stint as Crew) will talk about how they came from robotics heavy planets, but they didn’t have such strong bio science. Others will say that they kept the micro fabrication, but lost the ability to make high end VI. And no one has seen such a variety of Maker/Fabricator tech in one place. There are never break downs on the planet side shuttles and someone is keeping the variety of environment suits in perfect condition. Naturally everyone knows this is done by the Crew. Many times the Crew has been seen doing this maintenance. Questions remain though. Where does the crew get the knowledge to do such things? Why don’t they recall it afterwards?
Some of the common technologies that you could find any Civie using on The Ygg include the following.
Data Slabs: Data slabs are known on most worlds (and are described in the core game book). Those on the Ygg stand out because of their amazing light weight design, durability, and advanced compatibility with all systems derived from old Mandate era code. Upon hitting planetside most people can access all public records, the planet net, and translation softwares immediately.
The slab is a thin black rectangle, about 15 x 45 centimeters high and wide with a depth of 1 cm. It can fold three times on invisible hinges into a smaller (though thicker) device which makes for easier storage and a smaller screen. The device is diamond hard, can be dropped safely from seemingly any height, withstand small arms fire, bladed impact, and brief laser strikes. Electronic shocks and plasma weapons can destroy them quickly, and heavier caliber weapons and heavy melee weapons destroy the internal circuitry easily even if the barely scratch the surface.
Data slab’s are covered more in the section about the shipnet below.
Agents Software: Agent software is a non sentient VI with a personality matrix. It lives with a user at all times and learns from the user. It learns likes, dislikes, media interest, factual interest, sports interest, religious and political views. It is ready at a moments notice to answer questions, find things on the Ship-net, or give practical advice, based on its intellectual capabilities. Better agent software can even run programs off of your data slab for you from verbal or mental commands (see DNI below). Most people stick with one agent, but upgrade its quality as often as they can. The cheapest agents are provided by the Office of Communications, and most people are pretty confident they are bugged. A much steeper price gets you a “clean” agent. These agents sanitise information before accessing the Ship-net or even use Pirate-nets for searches and data transfer. No one really knows how clean these agent programs are, but you have to pay to play.
Makers: Fabricators are the technical term for this technology, but everyone calls them makers. It is said in the old Mandate elite cultures near Terra Prime that they developed makers that could construct molecules from basic atoms, or maybe atoms from hydrogen. These are not that advanced. They can take raw materials and make nearly anything from them. Object formularies are usually purchased with credits from a library, but they can be programmed with exact specifications. The types of makers include, but probably aren’t restricted to: Food, clothing, electronics, furniture, small tools, chem, bio, and heavy machine.
The last three are mostly restricted to governmental controls, but not by the Bridge Crew. If you can get to a heavy machine maker and run a program for a combat truck, the Bridge doesn’t care that you make it, but you can be sure the Office of Facilities will inform the Office of Security, and maybe you will be watched a little closer.
Some of the common technologies that you could find any Civie using on The Ygg include the following.
Data Slabs: Data slabs are known on most worlds (and are described in the core game book). Those on the Ygg stand out because of their amazing light weight design, durability, and advanced compatibility with all systems derived from old Mandate era code. Upon hitting planetside most people can access all public records, the planet net, and translation softwares immediately.
The slab is a thin black rectangle, about 15 x 45 centimeters high and wide with a depth of 1 cm. It can fold three times on invisible hinges into a smaller (though thicker) device which makes for easier storage and a smaller screen. The device is diamond hard, can be dropped safely from seemingly any height, withstand small arms fire, bladed impact, and brief laser strikes. Electronic shocks and plasma weapons can destroy them quickly, and heavier caliber weapons and heavy melee weapons destroy the internal circuitry easily even if the barely scratch the surface.
Data slab’s are covered more in the section about the shipnet below.
Agents Software: Agent software is a non sentient VI with a personality matrix. It lives with a user at all times and learns from the user. It learns likes, dislikes, media interest, factual interest, sports interest, religious and political views. It is ready at a moments notice to answer questions, find things on the Ship-net, or give practical advice, based on its intellectual capabilities. Better agent software can even run programs off of your data slab for you from verbal or mental commands (see DNI below). Most people stick with one agent, but upgrade its quality as often as they can. The cheapest agents are provided by the Office of Communications, and most people are pretty confident they are bugged. A much steeper price gets you a “clean” agent. These agents sanitise information before accessing the Ship-net or even use Pirate-nets for searches and data transfer. No one really knows how clean these agent programs are, but you have to pay to play.
Makers: Fabricators are the technical term for this technology, but everyone calls them makers. It is said in the old Mandate elite cultures near Terra Prime that they developed makers that could construct molecules from basic atoms, or maybe atoms from hydrogen. These are not that advanced. They can take raw materials and make nearly anything from them. Object formularies are usually purchased with credits from a library, but they can be programmed with exact specifications. The types of makers include, but probably aren’t restricted to: Food, clothing, electronics, furniture, small tools, chem, bio, and heavy machine.
The last three are mostly restricted to governmental controls, but not by the Bridge Crew. If you can get to a heavy machine maker and run a program for a combat truck, the Bridge doesn’t care that you make it, but you can be sure the Office of Facilities will inform the Office of Security, and maybe you will be watched a little closer.
Makers do need raw materials and if those aren’t available for your formulary, and no substitutes are listed, then the formulary can not be fabricated.
Med Pods: Much of the output of chem and bio makers goes to Med Pods. Med pods are advance medical rooms that are largely automated. The have the most advanced VI and the most advanced robotics working together, sometimes under the supervision of a Doctor or medic. In these rooms nearly miraculous medical procedures can be done. Simulated cellular regeneration, cyber implantation, and nano surgery are mainstays. 1 hour a week spent in a med pod will almost insure a maximum human lifespan. It is suspected that med pods are upkept by the Office of Facilities or the Office of Public Health. (Really besides Security no one is sure what Office that Crew members are serving.) Damaging a med pod would be a capital offense if you could survive long enough for Security to reach you. There is a good chance, on most levels, that you would be torn apart by Civies.
Cybernetics: In a world of perfect health cyborgs aren’t all that common, but there are those who suffer accidents or wounds that need extra assistance. Also, there is always a percentage of people who want and edge or to experiment with a new body, so cybernetics have some popularity.
There are many stock parts, but a cyber specialist is needed to calibrate the needs of the person to the formulary before going to the maker. Then a similar specialist is necessary in the pod for attachment. Though very good VI can do both of these functions, most people prefer a living doctor that is better able to adapt to the sudden emergencies.
Shipnet: Yggdrasil has one of the most advanced cyber communication platforms in existence outside of a T5 environment. It manifests in many ways. Communication on any level with any person with a data slab or compad is instantaneous unless somehow blocked. There are vast data stores from a century of information accumulation on every level. As people in the 21st century you know all of what can be done with the internet. That is the base line. The shipnet is also an unlimited cloud server, and has an impossibly large library of all sorts of media from all over human space. All of this is accessible through a data slab in crystal clarity, and with noise levels that could deafen a giant. The data slab is the access portal for the net, but they are largely interchangeable for basic universal functions. Each Crew member and Civie has had their bio and psi prints attached to their data. This data is locked away in private stores (except maybe to the Office of Communications and really good hackers). Some people do keep some information on their personal slabs. These are things that must be immediately accessible, even when shipnet is not. Agent software and current credit information are the most common things, but some people also keep hacking software or other specialized materials. Also higher grade data slabs offer better access to the alternate digital worlds of AR and VR. (On that note a standard compad can access much of the technical facilities of the Ygg at the most entry level.)
Med Pods: Much of the output of chem and bio makers goes to Med Pods. Med pods are advance medical rooms that are largely automated. The have the most advanced VI and the most advanced robotics working together, sometimes under the supervision of a Doctor or medic. In these rooms nearly miraculous medical procedures can be done. Simulated cellular regeneration, cyber implantation, and nano surgery are mainstays. 1 hour a week spent in a med pod will almost insure a maximum human lifespan. It is suspected that med pods are upkept by the Office of Facilities or the Office of Public Health. (Really besides Security no one is sure what Office that Crew members are serving.) Damaging a med pod would be a capital offense if you could survive long enough for Security to reach you. There is a good chance, on most levels, that you would be torn apart by Civies.
Cybernetics: In a world of perfect health cyborgs aren’t all that common, but there are those who suffer accidents or wounds that need extra assistance. Also, there is always a percentage of people who want and edge or to experiment with a new body, so cybernetics have some popularity.
There are many stock parts, but a cyber specialist is needed to calibrate the needs of the person to the formulary before going to the maker. Then a similar specialist is necessary in the pod for attachment. Though very good VI can do both of these functions, most people prefer a living doctor that is better able to adapt to the sudden emergencies.
Shipnet: Yggdrasil has one of the most advanced cyber communication platforms in existence outside of a T5 environment. It manifests in many ways. Communication on any level with any person with a data slab or compad is instantaneous unless somehow blocked. There are vast data stores from a century of information accumulation on every level. As people in the 21st century you know all of what can be done with the internet. That is the base line. The shipnet is also an unlimited cloud server, and has an impossibly large library of all sorts of media from all over human space. All of this is accessible through a data slab in crystal clarity, and with noise levels that could deafen a giant. The data slab is the access portal for the net, but they are largely interchangeable for basic universal functions. Each Crew member and Civie has had their bio and psi prints attached to their data. This data is locked away in private stores (except maybe to the Office of Communications and really good hackers). Some people do keep some information on their personal slabs. These are things that must be immediately accessible, even when shipnet is not. Agent software and current credit information are the most common things, but some people also keep hacking software or other specialized materials. Also higher grade data slabs offer better access to the alternate digital worlds of AR and VR. (On that note a standard compad can access much of the technical facilities of the Ygg at the most entry level.)
Moving from one level of shipnet to another is blocked by the Office of Communications, though there are ways of circumventing this.
DNI: DNI stands for direct neural interface. This technology opens up whole new worlds. It is in two parts. First a person needs a complex, but fairly safe, nano surgery. It takes 24 hours in the highest quality of med pods to complete the surgery. Special transmitters and receptors are attached to nerve bundles in the brain (ocular nerves, balance centers, brain stem, auditory nerves, and in several other locations). This is done for all Crew member, so it will be no expense for the characters. These changes when combined with a NTRA (neuro trod receptor array) or trode net (because they come in the form of hair nets or headbands most frequently) allow the projection and reception of many kinds of data. The quality of your data slab dictates the number of neuro feeds that can be handled at once. (Trode Net: 200 credits). Some people opt not to bother with the expense and just use goggles and ear buds to experience VR and AR, but this limits interaction. For instance movements and commands must be vocally or manually programmed through a slab, and there is no tactile sensation.
AR/VR: Through the DNI (or without it through a slab) many people, most people at some point in a day if they are Civies, interact with the digital worlds.
DNI: DNI stands for direct neural interface. This technology opens up whole new worlds. It is in two parts. First a person needs a complex, but fairly safe, nano surgery. It takes 24 hours in the highest quality of med pods to complete the surgery. Special transmitters and receptors are attached to nerve bundles in the brain (ocular nerves, balance centers, brain stem, auditory nerves, and in several other locations). This is done for all Crew member, so it will be no expense for the characters. These changes when combined with a NTRA (neuro trod receptor array) or trode net (because they come in the form of hair nets or headbands most frequently) allow the projection and reception of many kinds of data. The quality of your data slab dictates the number of neuro feeds that can be handled at once. (Trode Net: 200 credits). Some people opt not to bother with the expense and just use goggles and ear buds to experience VR and AR, but this limits interaction. For instance movements and commands must be vocally or manually programmed through a slab, and there is no tactile sensation.
AR/VR: Through the DNI (or without it through a slab) many people, most people at some point in a day if they are Civies, interact with the digital worlds.
AR stands for augmented reality. These are digital objects in real space. This could be a sound, a smell, or a sensation, but it is mostly images. These are augmented reality objects (ARO, or arrows) are “hung” in place and recorded by the Shipnet. Most are publicly viewable but some are messages that can only be seen by specific users.
VR stands for virtual reality. These are purely imaginary places that are accessed mostly through DNI. There are two “depths” of VR. There is a VR overlay of most Civie places. A person can “ghost” to those places and interact with VI, ARO, or other Ghosts who are present. To people in real space Ghosts are ARO. The other depth is to move into a place that only exist in a machine. This is done mainly for entertainment (such as gaming or VR tourism), but some people work in such environments, and there is a large amount of religious activity and higher education performed in deep VR as well.
Data Terminals: Scattered through out the Yggdrasil are a number of plastcrete pillars that have keyboards, speaker jacks, view screens, and shipnet signal projectors. These can be used in a number of ways. In the simplest for you can access shipnet archives and get up to date news about things going on on your level, the galactic position of the ship, directions through the maze of roads, and just about any other public information available at your current clearance. Your clearance is set by which floors your bio specs, stored in some Bridge database presumably, say you have access to through the AM. You can even use the data terminal to "ghost" to different locations you have clearance to visit, when most passengers can only ghost (travel as a VR/AR avatar to other locations) on the level hey are currently inhabiting. More creative and less ethical persons have been known to spoof stolen IDs and travel illicitly to other levels, but Security comes down hard on that. Data terminals do break down, but are extremely hard to damage. When discovered in an undeveloped part of the ship, they can still be useful to a hacker who can play through the recordings of what has been happening within a 360 degree view of the terminal going as far back as several weeks. It is generally assumed that as you are using a data terminal, communications is watching you use it as well, but it is very rare they will deal with local authorities. Skilled hackers maybe able to get an unrestored data terminal back up and running, and with a strong enough hacking roll have access to most of the ship through it, but that will certainly ping the Office of Communications, so it would be best to do a quick in and out before a security team in a hover car comes along to ask your business.
Section 3: Beliefs
Section 3: Beliefs
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