The Starlight
Table of Contents
Layers of Space
The most basic reality that must be noted is how the universe seems to be layered as reality becomes more and more abstract and, in general, unreal.
Real-Space
At the most fundamental level, there is real-space. This is the three-dimensional space that everyone occupies. There is nothing inherently special about it except it contains everything that is considered real.
Surreal-Space
Surreal-space is a interspatial domain between real-space and irreal-space. The laws of physics are not as chaotic as those of irreal-space; however, it has some interesting properties of its own. Electromagnetic energy seems to flow freely within this layer and thus, sensors can see a more muted version of real-space but also can phase through solid matter within real-space without resistance and without the effect of gravitation locking; however, matter within surreal-space interacts with each other normally.
Irreal-Space
Irreal-space is a naturally chaotic spatial domain that is used as the medium for faster than light travel. Starships are able to use this domain using jump-drives that has the starship enter irreal-space and become smeared as a probability cloud before collapsing back at the target location in real-space.
Irreal-space is plagued with probability noise that causes real matter to decay at the quantum level without the use of a Hume field to endure time within this domain otherwise, the matter will sublimate into random radiation.
There has been some correlation between high gravity objects in real-space and a shadow within irreal-space, but the mass must be high and their spatial relation to other high mass objects and the eddies within irreal-space have not been fully linked, but irreal-space is so malleable in comparison to real-space that the spatial coordinates shift between the two. Add the lack of stationary landmarks; it is impossible to navigate irreal-space in a straight line without the use of a hyper-beacon.
Null-Space
There is no real technical term for what is outside the current universe, as to all knowledge; there is literally nothing outside of existence.
However, due to contact with a type of entity collectively referred to as outsiders, there does appear to be something outside, even if it is just beyond our ability to understand it.
Real-Space
At the most fundamental level, there is real-space. This is the three-dimensional space that everyone occupies. There is nothing inherently special about it except it contains everything that is considered real.
Surreal-Space
Surreal-space is a interspatial domain between real-space and irreal-space. The laws of physics are not as chaotic as those of irreal-space; however, it has some interesting properties of its own. Electromagnetic energy seems to flow freely within this layer and thus, sensors can see a more muted version of real-space but also can phase through solid matter within real-space without resistance and without the effect of gravitation locking; however, matter within surreal-space interacts with each other normally.
Irreal-Space
Irreal-space is a naturally chaotic spatial domain that is used as the medium for faster than light travel. Starships are able to use this domain using jump-drives that has the starship enter irreal-space and become smeared as a probability cloud before collapsing back at the target location in real-space.
Irreal-space is plagued with probability noise that causes real matter to decay at the quantum level without the use of a Hume field to endure time within this domain otherwise, the matter will sublimate into random radiation.
There has been some correlation between high gravity objects in real-space and a shadow within irreal-space, but the mass must be high and their spatial relation to other high mass objects and the eddies within irreal-space have not been fully linked, but irreal-space is so malleable in comparison to real-space that the spatial coordinates shift between the two. Add the lack of stationary landmarks; it is impossible to navigate irreal-space in a straight line without the use of a hyper-beacon.
Null-Space
There is no real technical term for what is outside the current universe, as to all knowledge; there is literally nothing outside of existence.
However, due to contact with a type of entity collectively referred to as outsiders, there does appear to be something outside, even if it is just beyond our ability to understand it.
Technology
Several advancements are common in most if not all equipment and their manufacture.
Universal Connector
The universal connector was a standard agreed upon by the many manufacturers and designers. These connectors allow almost every piece of equipment to be modular in design. Increasing the flexibility of many things by simply adding functionality.
Sockets
Equipment commonly has a Universal Connector Socket to allow modular components to be added. Depending on the selected equipment, they can have a large variety of sockets, increasing customization of the item itself.
Socket Types
Sockets come in three types. The most common is the module socket found in most personal equipment; kit sockets common in vehicles.
Powercells
Powercells provide power to most everything that requires it. Powercells are grouped by size and generally cost the same across the galaxy. What is inside them can vary but their energy output and connections are always the same from cell to cell and generally their life expectancy doesn’t change much.
Power Connector
Powercells transmit wirelessly to synced devices if the device stays within 1.5 meters of the cell. While this adds tremendous versatility in the use of the powercells, it does open up a method of disruption by causing issues with that signal.
Larger power systems would require a direct connection to the cell.
Emitters
Every civilization has a variation of holograms, force fields, and hard-light. These technologies are closely related and allows for a variety of uses.
Hologram
Suspended imagery is common in signage and interfaces. With some minor sensors and the like holograms can be interacted with. Using light force effects from small force field generators, the hologram can even have tactile feel.
Force Field
Using a type of energy projector, a field or bubble can be generated that can inhibit movement or actively absorb energy.
Deflector fields are a common type of force field. They generate a minor repulsive force within the field that deflects matter away from the generator itself. Impact fields absorb kinetic impacts. The most common are structural fields used to help keep structures intact and better resist damage.
Hard-Light
Not really a hologram, nor a force field, but somewhere in-between. The polarized and phased energy field interact and generate low levels of light while also acting solid.
Cognition Decks and Synapses
Most every item has some computerized component with its own limited and specialized processing ability. But every civilization ends up acquiring or independently developing the cognition deck style computer for heavy workloads.
Early in the development of large-scale distributed computing systems, engineers found centralized general artificial intelligence was too fragile and prone to errors such as hallucinations, cascade failures, and eventually collapse. To combat this, they started to develop smaller more efficient and specialized cognitive models. These models were stored on individual cards, as at the time of development the individual computational and hardware needs were different per model. These cards were then connected to a centralized semiautonomous neural network that worked as a central coordination layer between different model cards.
The individual cards became similar to synapses in an organic brain as the coordination layer evolved over time to also supply the general processing and decision making ability to select the right synapse to perform its task.
The collection of cards became known as a synapse deck and the coordination layer, at this point called a cortex, with connected synapses the cognition deck.
Like with all technology, the names stuck long after the need for the physical cards to contain these models was no longer needed as the synapses have become fully virtualized.
Cortex Innate Defense
One of the primary functions of the cortex substrate’s limited artificial intelligence is the management of the synapses, especially preventing unauthorized interconnections, forcing all interactions through the cortex itself.
The side behavior from this function also filters inputs, allowing the cortex to reject conflicting, or suspicious commands and input, as well as monitoring the outputs of the synapse for flawed instructions.
These functions prevent code injections and forced alterations to the neural network, making cognition decks impossible to hack.
Replicators
Replicator technology revolutionized the manufacturing world almost overnight. Within a century, worlds that were material resource poor could just generate the raw goods they need to become a manufacturing powerhouse.
For a replicator to function, all it needed was ample power and the pattern of the thing being built. There are limits to what a replicator can do, and the largest limit is power; the more complex the object it is to produce, the more power it needs to operate. On massive scales, it is a lot easier to use replicators to produce bulk raw materials and then use those materials to make the items desired. It takes way less energy to produce a one-kilogram ingot of durasteel than it does to make a one-kilogram longarm. This also means that mass produced, replicated items seem to be of a lower quality because of fade, little errors that occur at the nanoscopic level when the item is manufactured.
The less replication used in the manufacturing process, the higher quality the item seems to be. In any case, replicators are large, expensive, and power hungry, making the personal use of one almost impossible.
Food Synthesizer
The food synthesizer is a technological offshoot of the replicator. It uses less power by only needed to replicate basic proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals in small batches, and then using a form of assembler, make it look reasonably like the food in question. While nutritiously dense and edible, they are usually used only on long voyages or as a form of ration when fresh foods are unavailable.
Repli-Mat
Repli-mats are common on most settled worlds. They serve as a general store filled with several replicator and food synthesizer kiosks offering a variety of D and C grade wares.
The kiosk would normally have a variety of build-patterns and recipes, but anyone can bring in a pattern to have it created.
It isn’t uncommon to have venders and resellers setting up shops near the repli-mats to sell higher grade equipment.
Travel
Superluminal travel is commonly facilitated by hyper-gates and networks of hyper-lanes of stabilized and shielded real-space. These networks have existed since the First Epoch and were expanded upon through the Second and Third Epochs.
Ships equipped with a jump-drive can create a stable reality bubble enforcing its local reality by increasing its Hume levels. However, most use hyper-gates. Hyper-gates are access to a network of corridors that weave through irreal-space.
Gates that are always open consume a great amount of energy to remain open. This is fine in regions with heavy traffic; because of this, it is far more common to see hyper-launchers.
Hyper-launchers are functionally overpowered jump-drives that can launch a ship with a functional Hume generator though irreal-space to its destination; however, like a jump-drive it requires a cycle-up period where it builds up the power needed for the jump, and then a cool down after it launches the vehicle. This requires less power than what is needed for hyper-gates and are generally faster in terms of transit time, however, the slower pace of launching ships, sometimes only being able to launch a single ship every hour, makes the hyper-gates more useful for bulk travel.
Threshold Terminals
In many heavily trafficked spaceport complexes, there can be multiple threshold terminals that open gates to a preset terminal elsewhere.
They are expensive and massive to build but allows the mass transport of people on a scheduled basis from one terminal to another in the network. Because of this, they are normally only built in areas with high traffic, such as Ports-of-Call or other important systems and are seldom found in less populated systems.
While not able to transport a bulk of material like a ship through a hyper-gate it is usually sufficient enough to get individual travelers to other systems where they can get a ride to their final destination.
Hyper-liners and -ferries
Sometimes it is far more cost effective to take a hyper-liner or a hyper-ferry to transverse great distances. These ships are normally massive, and travel established routes between worlds.
A hyper-liner can hold thousands of guests but only small personal craft. They are normally used to carry people and some equipment along the route. Hyper-liners are essentially flying space stations that can range from barely functional to extremely opulent.
Hyper-ferries are almost strictly cargo ships that are designed to carry large spacecraft from one system to another. Some of the larger ferries can carry a small fleet millions of lightyears. Their accommodations are limited as most travelers would rather stay within their ship during transit.
Hyper-lanes and Beacons
Hyper-beacons each broadcast an identifier and a time code into irreal-space. A ship capable of locking onto a beacon can then figure out its relative distance and orientation to the beacon to direct it towards a destination.
Hyper-lanes facilitate travel between locations by forming a region of stabilized irreal-space. With irreal-space stabilized, the distance between the two points can be more predictable considering. This is done mostly using stabilizer buoys within irreal-space itself, generating a mild Hume field along the path.
Standard routes, like those between Ports of Call, normally have more of these buoys, compressing the relative distance between them. These buoys are also used to transmit signals as repeaters chaining down a route.
This allows signals to transmit long distances without needing to consume the tremendous power needed for a Hyper-Pulse Generator.
Old Beacons
Some from the First and Second Epoch can still be operational, and if their signal codes can be decrypted, the worlds they mark can be traveled too with ease. These beacons are known as old beacons. Some of these worlds have already been colonized and some worlds have had their beacons replaced with modern ones. The old beacons also create an old network that link multiple beacons that use the same codes.
Economy
In an age with replicators and extremely low-cost mass manufacturing, the universe is generally in a post-scarcity era. While some places still deal with local forms of currency, money in general is a rare commodity among modern civilizations and denotes a form of proof of credit for services rendered or an exchange.
Because of this, wealth in the individual sense doesn’t really factor in daily lives. Common survival needs are met for most of the population, and anything more luxurious is easy to get for those who know where to find them.
In this kind of economy, it isn’t really wealth that is coveted, but reputation. With a strong enough reputation, the easier it is to acquire goods and services as others want their products associated with them.
With this in mind, people try to become the best at whatever they do, to garner the right reputation and gather powerful favors. This is the foundation of the Prestige system.
Universal License Database
One thing that most every civilization agreed with is a license class system. Through this independent database, administered and maintained jointly by the Mercantile Federation and the Mithril League, grants individuals license for advanced and dangerous equipment, as well as maintains registrations of such equipment to individuals in the system.
Individual authorities, with a Writ of Access, as established in the Open Market Treaty, can request information on individuals and what license they have and what items are registered to them. This is normally used as part of investigations or in the case of lost or found items of interest.
Licensing
An individual gains a general license that allows them to use a restricted object and, in some cases, restricted objects will be tied to the individual license.
These licenses fall into one of six classes.
Class 0
Class 0 license is the default that everyone has. These items are not restricted.
Class 1
Class 1 license is for the most basic equipment that can be abused or generally cause harm, and authorities want the owners to be accountable for them.
Class 2
Class 2 licenses require a quick check for any major flags that prohibit ownership. Once the license is acquired, it means they are a responsible owner.
Items that require this class are normally registered as part of the purchase and can be tracked.
Class 3
A class 3 license is similar in function as a class 2, but with stricter security checks, requiring more time and effort to gain.
Class 4
Class 4 licenses are required for most of the dangerous items with greater potential to cause harm to others. These require the licensee to undergo a deeper background check for flags that would prohibit ownership. Some locations restrict usage of such items in general in public areas while still allowing private ownership and public carry of such items but can easily be denied access to restricted or sensitive areas without the equipment properly stored away.
Class 5
Class 5 licenses are the most difficult to acquire and the easiest to lose. In general, any flag can potentially cause an application for the license to fail. Class 5 equipment are extremely hazardous to the user or anyone around them and requires a special level of care. Most locations have a standard policy of not allowing Class 5 equipment in open public and most definitely denied in restricted or otherwise sensitive areas without special permissions.
Quality
Quality of merchandise and items can vary from location to location. The Artisan Guild and the Mercantile Federation created a system of standards to designate the quality of goods being produced.
Most objects that can be acquired comes in Grades where each grade determines the quality and difficulty to manufacture the item.
Grade D
Grade D items are the most common and easiest to manufacture. Commonly they can be replicated in place with little to no assembly. Such items are considered mass produced and consumer grade items.
Grade C
Grade C items are of better quality and marginally harder to produce as they are not replicated in place and requires some finishing after creation to be completed.
Grade B
Grade B items are almost solely manufactured. The replicator may be used in the creation of some of the sub-components such as processors, but overall, the item itself needs to be assembled from these components. Because of this, Grade B items normally have higher quality control measures, creating a better product.
Grade A
Grade A items have no in-built replicated parts and are purely manufactured. The only replicated components would be the raw materials needed for manufacture, but that would be sued sparingly.
Shadow Market
Even with the advent of replicators and a general post-scarcity economy, there is still a thriving shadow market for materials and technology that most civilizations has banned or highly restricted.
Much of the market is the sale and acquisition of falsified documents such as licenses and registration for equipment. However, what is actually available on the shadow market can vary greatly between locations depending on the need.