Line in the Stars

Glossary

Megastructure: large manmade objects. Examples in the history of Earth include the Great Wall of China, The Large Hadron Collider, some skyscrapers, and many of The Twelve's private homes.

Nanites: nanomachines, made of either a non-duplicable metal or mostly smartmatter, which can perform a wide range of invaluable functions at microscopic level. Often used by the Masters in close conjuction with smartmatter to change, create, and destroy.

Natter: large artificial plate Station near Mars. An industrial melting pot. Eccentric individuals, including Subroutines, ply their trade in large and small ventures.

Omni-processing: computing technology which overlays either the majority or entirety of an environment, creating a joined network through floors, walls, furniture, Levels, and entire megastructures.

Organo-Seed: seed-sized bundle of advanced technology which can be programmed to quickly grow specific environments and organisms.

Outers: free post-humans, biosynth, mechanoids, and chimerics living outside of earth, across the solar system. An enclave of legacy humans resides in solitude at its farthest edge. Generally placid, with some notable exceptions.

Passive Scanning: type of scanning which can passively interrupt existent environmental data. Harder to detect by advanced instruments than active scanning, but less powerful.

Perfect Personal Integration Threshold: point at which a piece of technology is miniaturized enough to easily fit inside of a Master's body and join their suite of Personal Integrated Technology.

Personal Integrated Technology: collection of technologies which a Master can use in a variety of ways. Becomes a permanent part of their body, and makes all else possible.

Plenum Sphere: hollow sphere Station between The Anomoly and Mars. A center of art, culture, and entertainment. Known for its facemasks.

Post-Human: evolutionary next step beyond legacy human.

Post-Quantum: offshoot of quantum science. Originally inspired by quantum entanglement.

Public Shuttle: small craft which ferry customers between Stations, planets, and outposts for a nominal fee. Cheap ticket prices.

Quickgrown: term describing the process by which an organism's physical development curve can be explosively accelerated.

Redstone: aggressive artificial matter first used in the early warring era of the 3rd Epoch. Converts any nearby substance into itself on contact. Stopped by certain Shields.

R-Shield: shorthand for Retracting Shield, it uses inwards radiating energy to erect a barrier.

sAI: specific type of artificial intelligence. Software and hardware constrained to follow a standard developmental progression curve. No threat of singularity.

Secondary Controls: term describing a layer in the 2nd Generation nervous system. This can offer direct control of body limiters and bloodflow.

Singularity: point at which a function takes on infinite value and advances at astonishing rates. Theorized by early scientists as a point beyond which human understanding could not predict, it was later co-opted by the Master's in an unexpected way.

Smartmatter: One result of the search for Omni-matter. Has gone through many iterations, currently a highly flexible substance used in many physical applications, including construction, protection, and body modification.

Social Club: group of Outers who organize activities together. Can be for sports, entertainment, science, art, exploration, or more.

Somnotic Experience: term for a technological process that allows for programmable and shareable dreams. Can be used for training, learning, to flash false memories, or for various other pursuits.

Spack Field: first type of energy shield invented. Weak protection, but the energy required to maintain it is correspondingly low.

Stasis Field: provides area of modified entropy.

System Cruiser: large luxury craft which takes a safe route around the solar system for wealthy guests.

Synthesium: public place for scientific research.

Techno-Seed: seed-sized bundle of advanced technology which can be programmed to quickly build specific urban environments and machines.

Techno-Throne: grand seat which other systems are slaved to and which can also enhance Personal Integrated Iechnology.

Tertiary Controls: term describing a layer in the 2nd Generation nervous system. This can offer control of a number of more subtle organ systems, and a command of body nanites.

The Anomoly: area of minor cosmic fluctation in the general region formerly occupied by the third planet. Many theories among the Outers about its origin. All shun it.

The Cleansing: event in which the Masters destroyed humanity on Earth, before re-birthing it as something new.

The Interlocuter: title and person. An "Interlocuter" refers to a role wherein one intermediates disputes within an Outer enclave. "The Interlocuter" refers to the famous august figure tasked with guiding Waypoint Station. An old biosynth. Origins unknown.

The Tower: megastructure home of Gabriel. Kilometers tall, and enormously wide, it contains a massive amount of Levels.

The Twelve: group of twelve advanced biosynthetic post-human Masters who rule the Earth, each from their own inviolate Domain and home. Bound together similarly by The Oath, each member is utterly unique of form, character, and goals, specializing in a single or varied post-human/technological toolset. Originally a smaller group, they gained unexpected members over millennia of rule.

Virtualization: term referring to virtual reality, augmented reality, and other related tech. Like AI, VR is a censored technology.

Waypoint Station: circular Outer space Station. Newest, and outfitted with the latest anti-gravity technology from Dr. Lanier.