Technology of the Empire |
Glowworms and Fireflies |
Aside from level-engineering and Patternistics, the most notable difference between our technology and the technology of the Empire is their extensive reliance on nano-machines, popularly known as glowworms and fireflies. Actually a cross between machine and mircoorganism, the glowworms are grown, replicated, and programmed for their eventual uses in vast laboratories. Glowworms are standardized and regulated by the Circle of Experts. Anyone who wishes to create an unrecognized type of glowworm must make his proposal before the Judgement Wall, and await confirmation by one of the branches of government before going ahead. The glowworm standard has changed since the Empire's foundation, and certain ancient artifacts, notably the Judgement Wall, contain glowworms that are incompatable with the current species. The planet Ulona also has a glowworm technology incompatable with either the new or old standard glowworms. Glowworms are embedded by the millions in almost every item manufactered within the Empire, including buildings and clothing. Their most common use is to monitor the neural activity of humans and to respond to such activity by altering the artifact they inhabit. They open and close doors and windows in response to thought commands, regulate temperature, change colors or patterns. Most children learn how to command glowworms between the ages of four and seven. Intelligent animals may also learn to command glowworms. Fireflies are free-flying glowworms. They can be used as a source of illumination; hence their name. They also can be programmed for verbal communications. Their most frequent use is as tourguides and probes. Some glowworms, especially translation or communications glowworms, are meant to be embedded in the brain, where they grow attachments to the neurons involved in the activity they are meant to enchance. |
Genetic Engineering |
The genetic makeup of citizens has been carefully regulated since the Empire's foundation by the Department of Genetic Algorithms headed by the Expert in that field. Genes responsible for defects or weaknesses have been weeded out. Every citizen also has been altered from ancestral stock so that his cells are perpetually self-renewing; bodies do not age. The anti-aging genes do not turn on automatically. They must be activated by a chemical signal provided by Genetic Algorithms. This is a safeguard against unauthorized children. In the past, there have been proposals for the largescale revamping of the human organism: for instance, that aggression or sexuality be removed, or the human form be altered by adding or removing appendages or changing the proportion between various members. None of these proposals ever won substantial backing, though the norms may vary from planet to planet. The human metabolism has been adjusted so that people can eat as much as they wish without growing fat. But on some planets fat is considered beautiful, and on others a skeletal appearance is desired, and these populations vary accordingly. Likewise, most citizens meet standards of height, beauty, and intelligence; although some variation is considered desirable in the way of adding interest to life. Most of the variation in physical appearance derives from different colors of skin, eyes, and hair. Two hundred different pigmentations are catalogued by Genetic Algorithms. The genes responsible for pigmentation have been adjusted so that the colors of skin, eyes, and hair are independent, and so that a child inherits either parent's coloring in each of the three sites, but never a mixture of colors. Thus, the mating of a black-skinned citizen and a white-skinned citizen would produce a child as black as the black-skinned parent or as white as the white-skinned parent, with no hidden or recessive genes from the other parent. As colors vary from green to lavender to irredescent, many of the Empire's citizens would strike us as exotic in appearance. |
Health Care |
Wonderdomes |
When an imperial citizen has been injured, the emergency team will place the body in a float pod filled with life-sustaining chemicals, and rush it to a wonderdome for repairs. The tanks within the wonderdome contain the same formula as in the float pod, but now it is circulated and renewed, and the body's wastes are disposed of. By providing each cell in the body with nutrients, whether or not the major systems are working, the wonderdome can heal bodies even when death had occurred before immersion. However, it cannot revive dead cells. If a large number of brain cells had died before immersion, the individual may be revived as a vegetable. If only a few of the body's cells remained viable at the time of immersion, these may grow wildly, and the body will lose all resemblance to the human form. If it is determined that human life has ended, the body will be disposed of without ceremony. Terminology:
Wonderdomes are also used by citizens who wish to change their appearance. They may change their height, build, color, sex, or add animal features. As long as the request is not illegal--there are limits in allowable body size, for instance--the formula needed to stimulate such changes will be added to the float tank. If genetic instructions and growth stimulants must reach a particular body site, it will be contained in a directed firefly. |
Crystallization |
Thanks to anti-aging genes, no imperial citizen dies of old age. However, he may reach a point in life where his brain loses the ability to encode new memories. This is known as crystallization. A test for the chemical activity indicative of memory encryption can determine whether crystallization has taken place. If it has, the subject is usually euthanized without delay. Cystallization is the most common cause of death in the Empire. However, there are ways to combat or reverse crystallization, and those for whom several thousand years of living is not enough may opt for these:
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Disease |
There are no common diseases on planets which are longtime members of the Empire. Occasionally a disease organism is brought in from distant worlds, or mutant glowworms give rise to a plague. Diseases can nearly always be successfully fought by an infusion of fireflies programmed to destroy the disease organism. When there are problems, the victims may be placed in freezing chests and maintained in suspended animation until a solution is found. |
Addictions |
Despite Genetic Algorithms' attempts to weed out antisocial traits, criminal activity is not unknown in the Empire. In addition to murder, burglary, and embezzlement, drug dealing is a fairly common crime. Citizens who indulge in exotic substances, possibly of alien origin, or unauthorized firefly infusions frequently suffer addiction. Symptoms of addiction may mimic those of crystallization or disease, and the addict may be treated as if diseased or crystallized, although euthanasia is not practiced in these cases. |
Copy Insurance |
Popularized during the reign of Emperor Sagrar, Copy Insurance pays for the maintenance of a citizen's gene specs together with a glowworm transcription of his memories. In case of death, a new copy of his body is floated and infused with the stored memories. Not all citizens can afford the high premiums for maintaining up-to-date Copy Insurance, but it is universal for children below the age of twenty. |
Bioids |
Any glowworm-animated artifact or machine is technically a bioid, but the term usually refers to machines tha resemble humans in appearance and behavior. Bioids are usually restricted for niches where a human figure is desireable, but which are considered too hazardous or tedious to be staffed by real humans. Guard, teacher, greeter, and server are among the niches commonly filled by bioids. Animal-shaped bioids may also fill the role of pets on some planets. |
Transportation |
The most common mode of transportation over short distances in the more advanced planets of the Empire are air lifters. These machines consist of a cloud of fireflies which support the rider and propell themselves with directed streams of air. Large buildings may have moving walkways or airshafts in which a cushion of fireflies wafts people up or down. Some planets have extensive tunnel transport systems. On planets which are too poor to provide air lifters for all, or which favor exotic or athletic lifestyles, foot travel or animal-powered vehicles are common. Wing-Diving is popular on low-gravity worlds. Each traveller is equipped with an individual set of wings which may or may not be glowworm-powered. Low-gravity worlds with air domes often provide sky currents to carry streams of wing-divers from spot to spot. For planet-wide travel in a more enclosed and luxurious environment than that provided by air lifters, there are various styles of airships, from lighter-than-air sailing ships to ships with solar rotors to jet skiffs. All interplanetary travel is done aboard deep-level ships, which are equipped with appropriate to the number of deep-level fusions they can undergo. Moonskippers are equipped for one fusion, and usually remain within a single solar system. Tetrascopers handle most of the travel and trade within the galalxy. Pentascopers are designed for intergalactic exploration. |