basilisk hack: (from the mythical petrifying serpent); a class of cognoweapon capable of being introduced through normal sensory channels which attack metalogical defects in sensory input processing or cognition, causing various cognitive dysfunctions, neural storms, seizures, and in advanced cases, coma. Most publicly known families of basilisk hack are automatically
Human Resources: In space, where roughly 3/5ths of everyone lives, no-one wastes precious water, carbon, and complex organic compounds; therefore, yes, bodies are hereby committed to the recycling tanks. Of course, the bodies have to have died naturally first, which should make it marginally less creepy. There used to
self.fork: {self, muse, adjuncts.primary[]} target: {self.shells[local & mine].default} The instances looked at each other. One smiled, and glanced away; the other tucked an errant curl of hair back into place. “Are you flirting with yourself?” A matched pair of embarrassed looks greeted that question. “Don’
Bullet Time: Given the speed of electrophotonic hardware, it would be possible for most cybershells and many bioshells up to the current Imperial neural standard to do live-action Bullet Time, at least with current Earth guns. Of course, in their own place and time, the bullets are a lot faster
“It’s a steel box.” “It’s a fully functional – well, mostly functional, but all primary systems are functional – Hariven-class free trader. Just what you want when you’re starting out in this business.” “It’s a steel box with a plasma torch welded on the back.” “And a generous
Bullet Proof Vest: Mostly averted against bullets – most modern personal weapons put enough kick behind their projectiles that you want hardshell armor with kinetic barriers (see: Armor is Useless, Powered Armor) to save you from those, which is why even the Constabulary uses the equivalent of regular legionary armor just
“Freedom is sanity; sanity is freedom. They are natural co-dependents. One cannot exist without the other.” “Consider, first, the Precursors. The ancient lin-aman were exemplars of whim untamed by reason; self-interest without enlightenment; a void of talcorĂĂ«f. And without rationality to guide them, they were slaves to their passions, to
Armor Is Useless: Averted. Armor is essential – without it, and especially without its kinetic barriers, your survivability on the modern battlefield is essentially nil. As is the recognizability of your corpse, thereafter, because high-vee flechettes will pulp your bones.
That there is Order within the Celestial Vault, and Law that governs their Motions, cannot be denied by any Natural Philosopher. We of the Celestial Circle have long used and imitated the orderly motions of this most Perfect of Clocks in the tracking of the march of the Cycles and
Bug War: Subverted by the Ktelaki Hive-Home – Valturak War in the 6200s. The (non-hive-minded) ktelaki were the bugs in this particular war, but they were also the good guys (by virtue of being the side not starting a war of aggression), the Conclave’s favored side, and the people who
“What d’you mean, why the delay? Oh, you’ve not been to PhĂlae before, I suppose.” The pilot gestured through the window at the white-blue marbled planet below them. The hypercane sprawled across the ocean’s surface for over two thousand miles, an ugly whorl of cloud mottled at
The First Distributed Exclavine Republic is seeking to open new franchise-nations in the Expansion Regions, in or adjacent to the Cordai Gap constellation, and is therefore looking for comment, business opportunities, and investment partners among all existing polities, private organizations, and consortia within this region. Consider the advantages of bringing