Setting
In a time about 175 years into the future, mankind has, via the use of wormholes, successfully utilised space travel to travel to, and colonise, distant worlds, eventually allowing humanity to reside on 11 separate star systems in total. Administered by an international system known as 'O-12', and assisted by an all-pervasive Artificial Intelligence (simply known as 'Aleph'), the known space of mankind (referred to as the 'Human Sphere') expands by the day.
However, even with such progress, times are rarely truly peaceful, as humanity has again divided itself into several factions as determined by ancient cultures and recent enmities. The need for space, resources, power, or even basic survival driving conflict between the human civilisations, Great or otherwise. To make things worse, there have been ever-increasing news of a great hostile alien invasion force, consisting of a multitude of species controlled by an ancient and highly advanced form of A.I., approaching the Human Sphere, one superior in many ways to humanity. Already a scouting force of the aliens have established a foothold on human space, and are resisting all attempts to remove them...
The time for War is once again approaching.
The Human Sphere
The 11 Systems of the Human Sphere, while large indeed, is mostly subdivided up into various zones of control by the different human powers. While some are shared or under the jurisdiction of the O-12, most systems are directly controlled by different powers. Wormhole travel between the systems is achieved by the use of massive commercial ships utilising said wormholes, usually moving in a circular pattern around the Human Sphere. Such ships, known as 'Circulars' travel different routes between different systems, allowing contact and trade between Humanity to take place.
The 11 systems include (in no particular order):
Earth
Neoterra
Acontecimento
Varuna
Yu Jing
Bourak
Concilium
Svalarheima
Paradiso (Paradise)
Human's Edge
Amanecer (Dawn)
O-12
O-12, an international organization holding great power, stands over all this to maintain peace and order. It deals with all the tasks of supra-state character such as the maintenance and supervision of ALEPH, the Artificial Intelligence of Humanity, responsible for the management of the large information and infrastructures systems. ALEPH, fruit of the most advanced quantronics (electronics in a quantum state), is a fundamental instrument for the advance and development of the Human Sphere.
Another task for 0-12 is the control of the Circulars, monstrous cargo ships, capable of jumping worm holes that connect the diverse star systems. The Circulars follow fixed inter system routes, collecting other ships, cargoes and passengers, maintaining the flow of commerce throughout the Human Sphere.
Technologies
The data network of the Sphere, Cyberspace, the virtual space by which information travels and is stored, is known as Maya. Home and feud of ALEPH, through Maya you can navigate looking for information and entertainment. The leisure industry is centralised in the Maya network, where you can enjoy cinema, music, sport and arts and any type of amusement and entertainment. At the moment the most fashionable extreme contact sport is "Aristeia!" This is a circuit of high level duels and armed combats.
The most advanced Medicine allows whims like "Aristeia!" but also the lengthening of life and combined with the best and costliest technology, practically guarantees corporal immortality.
The Cube, very common in the Sphere, is a sophisticated brain implant of wetware, a quantronic biotechnological microprocessor where you can record the memories and personality of its carrier. Once dead – and thanks to the synthesis of Silk, a powerful drug developed by haqqislamist chemists – the Cube can be implanted in a Lhost, a clonically adapted biosynthetic body. The process that allows resuscitation of those stored in Cubes is very expensive due to the high price of Silk, which is an exclusive monopoly of Haqqislam. Moreover, the institutions that regulate the Resurrections – religious organizations in PanOceania or the Party in Yu Jing, for example – issue few licences, exclusively for those who demonstrate their personal worth as members of the society.
The advanced combination of biogenic technology and experimental Cubes, together with the great computational capacity of ALEPH, has permitted the development of the denominated Recreations, sophisticated Lhosts who carry faithful simulations of the personalities of important historical figures. These Recreations, with talents adapted to present times, work as diplomats, soldiers, communicators or artists, loaned by ALEPH to those who ask for and finance their creation.
At present, the comlog has become an indispensable element for any citizen. Indeed so pervasive is its effects that some persons on removing their Comlogs to travel to Ariadna (this is required by law) have had psychotic fits. The Comlog allows one to access MAYA, communicate, search and work.
最終更新：2011年07月14日 18:46
