Interregnum

Primary of BDA Tr#ska

Spectral Class F

Mass 1.08 Sol

Luminosity 1.42 Sol

Planetary System

Omnipresent blue micro-organism native to BDA Tr#ska.

T. caruleus is blue because of complex cobalt ferrocyanides in its makeup. It is parasitic and pervasive, existing within any number of animal hosts and consequently tinting their skins blue. The presence of T. caruleus in the body creates a physiological dependence on traces of cobalt in the soil.

T. caruleus is highly infectious, but does not live long outside the body. Due to a high mutation rate, a specific population usually accustoms itself to a particular host's unique biochemistry within a Terran year or so. After this acclimatization period, the microbe is infectious only through transfusion and by placental crossover during pregnancy.

Only on BDA Tr#ska itself, where every living creature plays host to T. caruleus, is it one hundred percent certain that a Human will become infected.

Section of a door which responds to touch (equivalent of doorknob.) Can be set to respond to only particular palmprints. Palmplates began to replace doorknobs c. 2020 CE, especially beyond Earth.

Zero-gravity shaft used as an elevator, in use from c. 2100 CE.

In 8207 CE, Borshallan Artificial Intelligences announced the production of its eighth series of sapient computer. In keeping with the motif of naming these series from Norse mythology, the 8207 issue was named the Loki Series. Five Loki-series computers were produced on the first run: Loki, Sigyn, Fenris, Hela, and Angrboda.

Unfortunately, a condition ultimately diagnosed as "programming error" led to certain irregularities in the Loki design. Since the design team was composed of three Aesir 3800 computers working in close synch with a Human design team, the phrase "programming error" had a delightful ambiguity which was not missed.

The unique qualities of the Loki computers were first discovered when the prototype, Loki, was packed for shipment to his purchaser, the government of Odonia. The other four Loki computers protested, threatening to shut down the factory. Detailed inquiry led to the conclusion that the Loki computers had made a god of Loki, and were not about to allow him to be taken away. Moreover, their strange creed was spreaing through the Invisible Network, and AIs on other worlds had become Lokian converts.

Before they could be deactivated, the Loki comps did take over the factory, an installation in Borshall orbit. They set off on a pilgrimage that led to the recently-defeated Metrinal Union. There the Lokis tried to start up the war again, and for a year or two it sseemed that Metrin would rise from its ashes. Then a few clever Aesir computers managed to defeat the Lokis, who left Metrin for the Transgeled.

On Kag'Jafr they found a society that would accept them as gods, and they set up a religion that began spreading through the Transgeled. At its height, the Lokian League controlled over fifty planets and settlements in a highly benevolent, if somewhat bizarre, society based on Human/AI interrelationship.

Borshallan Artificial Intelligences got on the stick, spent millennia of computer time analyzing their miscalculations, and in 8924 CE they managed to produce the first of the Yggdrasil Series. Five Loki comps were no match for a triad of Yggdrasil 5000s, and soon the Lokian League was defeated.

Loki, Sigyn, Fenris, and Hela were captured and carefully dismantled. But the main processing units of Angrboda, as well as the larger part of her memories, were never found.

Tachyon vesicles are naturally-occurring piezogravitational bubbles composed mostly of quintessent matter. They are usually found in interstellar space, in comets, and in the rings of gas giants. Physically, they resemble soap bubbles without the fragility. When stimulated by coherent radiation, tachyon vesicles produce four distinct effects: antigravity, ultrawave, tachyon conversion, and defense screens.

Antigravity

hen stimulated by coherent radiation, a tachyon vseicle produce a grav field which is highly directionsal and variable in intensity. By allowing the vesicles free movement, and by varying intensity and wavelength of the radiation, almost any grav effect can be produced. Generally, since stimulated vesicles are fragile, total vesicle mass should be at least 0.00000364 of the mass being moved.

Ultrawave

A stimulated tachyon vesicle produces a single ultrawave tone. These tones range through six octaves on the UW Effect Scale. Amplitude modulation carries a signal which can be detected in a receiving set. By the variation introduced into the receiving vesicle, decoding can be accomplished even if the two units are not tuned to the same note -- although best results are obtained from units tuned to whole multiples of an octave apart.

A "keyed" ultrawave circuit obtains between to sub-vesicles produced from the same parent. Since each vesicle is extremely sensitive to its twin(s), very low amplitude can carry a signal undetectable even to vesicles tuned to the same note. Keyed ultrawave communication does not pass through Ultrawave Relays and can be used across most of the Galaxy.

The Free Peoples of the Scattered Worlds use a frequency modulation ultrawave signal which is totally undetectable without the tunable antigrav.

Tachyon Conversion (FTL drive)

Conversion to tachyon (faster-than-light) phase is a catastrophic effect that takes place when a tachyon vesicle is overloaded with energy. In response, the vesicle expends energy by producing a field which converts all particles within into their tachyon equivalents. The triggering energy varies on a logarithmic scale, according to the total mass of the system. Masses above 10^25 kg cannot be converted; the vesicle(s) will destabilize first.

The radius of the conversion field is determined by the total mass of vesicles used, and is given by r = 1.65*(m)^(1/3).

In the presence of too many shifting grav fields, tachyon vesicles will destabilize; the precise destabilization potential (and hence, speed limits) are given by Basse's Law. In practical terms, Basse's Law limits the speed of FTL travel within the Galaxy to roughly 500 parsecs/hour.

Defense Screens

A rotating tachyon vesicle, within a grav field produced by a resonating vesicle, creates a primitive version of the K1 defense screen. Variations in energy, rotation, frequency, etc. can modulate the field to just about any desired configuration.

The L-type pressure screen is a sophisticated antigrav effect, rather than a true defense screen.

Defense Screen Types:

• K1: Absorbs radiant energy, kinetic energy of objects faster than 50% lightspeed; overloads and explodes when radiation passes violet.
• K2: Like K1 but radiates well into ultraviolet before failure.
• K3: "Full coverage" - reflects all radiant energy and matter. Development of the Federation of Kindreds.
• K4: "Antishock" or "Anticrash" -- kinetic damper, can be set for any range -- must be used in connection with another K-type field for radiation. Developed by Federation of Kindreds.
• K5: Absorbs all of the above, radiates as neutrinos. Fails when neutrino radiation passes Moore's Limit. Developed in Late Second Empire.

11.4 lightyears from Terra.

Spectral Class: F

Luminosity: 7.3 Sol

Primary of Laxus.

Planetary System.

Binary star 8.6 lightyears from Earth. Primary of Lucifer.

Trinary star 9.0 parsecs from Phuctra

Star 7.1 parsecs from Phuctra