Comm Link: In the modern era, the ubiquitous neural lace, which is actually built into your brain, or at least, wrapped around your brain so you can talk with your thoughts. Earlier than that, the wearable virtual interface, which was worn as fancy glasses and a few other discreet devices,
(See part 1 here.) The second triad is that closely held; Lore, wealth, and oaths surround. Before all else is lore; knowledge of the world. Unstudied, the greatest powers are impotent; The wise may split a mountain with one blow. Next comes wealth: in tools and riches both. The one
(With many thanks to Atomic Rocket and Raymond McVay of Blue Max Studios, whose Mission Control Model I drew upon heavily for inspiration while working out this alternate-style command structure.) Command Roster: The command roster of an Imperial starship, civilian or military, looks something like this – with variations, as specialized
Here’s the next six cards (previous): 7. THE EXECUTOR The executor sits behind his desk, a rack of scrolls at his left hand and a mechanical calculator to his right. He holds a stylus and wears AR glasses. Before him stand two messengers, one arriving, the other departing. In
Coming In Hot: Averted. As in reality, while not doing so writes off an expensive fighter, it avoids risking a more expensive pilot and a really damn expensive carrier. This effect is only multiplied when instead of having to eject and float around waiting for rescue, the pilot can just
While it is true that the Church of Celestial Harmony has no named adversary, no personification of evil, or rather – bearing in mind that neither are any of the eikones personifications, strictly speaking, of good – of negatively aligned concepts, it nonetheless maintains a fundamental opposition of cosmic principles. There is
Combat Referee: The Presidium of the Conclave of Galactic Polities, who like galactic stability, but know that they can’t – even on those occasions when they all agree – eliminate all the wars within their ambit. They can, on the other hand, keep wars relatively small and prevent anyone from going
Color-Coded Patrician: Played straight with the uniform colors for each of the Ministries, the Senate, and the Curia, along with all of the runér; of course, there are no sumptuary laws rendering those colors off-limits for anyone else, but you can usually tell on any formal occasion by looking for
BarĂĂ«l Andracanth-ith-Brianth to Ven Mak Lochh, greetings. I checked into your son’s case, and I’ve got to tell you, it’s as I thought. There’s no “slavery” involved. He signed up to a debt indenture. Which is to say, to cover the details so far as my
The Office of the President of the Senate of the Empire of the Star, great and glorious beyond all greatness and glory, to Citizen-Shareholder Horulgavis Lariantinos-ith-Larios, greetings. In the names of the Imperial Couple, the Senate, the Curia, and the Citizen-Shareholders of this Empire, in accordance with the duly executed
Color-Coded For Your Convenience: Played straight in all the usual locations: indicator lights, transit routes, components and tool-heads, plugs and sockets, signs, departments on uniforms, logos, etc., etc. Made more complicated, though, by the local spectrum including two ultraviolets (no, that plain white cloak is not plain white) and an
Colony Drop: One of the standard military tactics for softening up a planet, but also one that is horribly, horribly illegal (in the Ley Accords/Laws and Customs of War sense of Do This And We Kill You) if done with large rocks, or lots of rocks, on any world