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  Technology  Fit  For  An  Alternate  Retro-Future 
  … 
   
  How  Does  It  Work?  
  Your  questions  answered … 
  
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  The HOSTILE TECHNICAL MANUAL is a gritty science-fiction roleplaying 
  add-on for the Cepheus Engine – and for Zozer Games’  Hostile setting. 
   
   
  Authors 
  Richard Grove, Shawn Fisher and Paul Elliott 
   
  1 
   
  Publisher: Zozer Games 
  Copyright © 2018 Zozer Games 
  Zozer Games is a trademark of Paul Elliott  
  Visit Zozer Games at www.paulelliottbooks.com 
  Find me on Facebook as Zozer Games 
   
  Cepheus Engine and Samardan Press are trademarks of Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
   
  Designation of Open Game Content 
  There are no rules additions or mechanics in this book that could be used as Open 
  Game Content. The work is purely descriptive of the Product Identity work HOSTILE, 
  and is covered by copyright.   
   
  Designation of Product Identity 
  Any title of a product published by Zozer Games, including name ‘HOSTILE’, as well 
  as the trademarks ‘Cepheus Engine’ and ‘Zozer Games’, are designated as Product 
  Identity.  References to companies, setting history, planets and worlds constitute 
  Product Identity. 
   
  Please Note 
  This Product is derived from the Traveller System Reference Document and other 
  Open Gaming Content made available by the Open Gaming License, and does not 
  contain closed content from products published by either Mongoose Publishing or 
  Far Future Enterprises. This Product is not affiliated with either Mongoose Publishing 
  or Far Future Enterprises, and it makes no claim to or challenge to any trademarks 
  held by either entity. The use of the Traveller System Reference Document does not 
  convey the endorsement of this Product by either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future 
  Enterprises as a product of either of their product lines. 
   
  HOSTILE: https://www.paulelliottbooks.com/hostile.html 
   
   
  
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  hostile 
  technical 
  manual 
   
  A Technical & Engineering Manual  
  for Off-World Personnel 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
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    Orientation 
   
   
   
   
  5 
    Retrotech  
   
   
   
   
  6  
    Power   
   
   
   
   
   
  10 
   
    Hyperdrive 
   
   
   
   
  17 
   Communication  
   
   
  21 
   Artificial Gravity 
   
   
  26 
   Hypersleep  
   
   
   
  28 
    Computing 
   
   
   
   
  31 
    Androids  
   
   
   
   
  36 
   
   
   
   
  HOSTILE is a gritty setting for Cepheus Engine and all other 
  Classic 2D6 SF RPGS, based on the late-70s and early-80s 
  movies we grew up with.  
   
  https://www.paulelliottbooks.com/hostile.html 
   
   
   
  
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  The universe of HOSTILE is not our universe – set in the future. It is a genre and an 
  assumption, a future that was outdated within years of its creation in the late-70s 
  and early-80s. And of course the setting is essentially a cinematic one. These factors 
  have shaped the technological assumptions of the HOSTILE setting. Artificial gravity 
  onboard starships is there because it costs less to film, hyperdrive-equipped 
  starships are used, quite literally, as vehicles with which to move the plot along. 
  With a universe of possibilities out there in deep space, we want to ‘get out there!’ 
   
  But we are roleplayers, suspending our disbelief and we like to know how and why 
  things are the way they are, even if the art director on a film had no clue. Quality 
  concept artists and designers have often worked on these movies however, people 
  like Syd Mead and Ron Cobb and Chris Foss. Ron Cobb is responsible for the 
  extremely realistic interiors of the Nostromo in Alien (1979). He described his 
  approach in an online interview: 
   
  My problem with designing Nostromo's interiors, the control bridge, corridors, auto 
  doc (or med lab), bulkhead doors, the food deck, etc., was that I grew up with a 
  deep fascination for astronomy, astrophysics, and most of all, aerospace flight. My 
  design approach has always been that of a frustrated engineer (as well as a 
  frustrated writer when it came to cinema design). I tend to subscribe to the idea 
  that form follows function. If I'm to arrive at a cinematic spacecraft design that 
  seamlessly preserves, as in this case, the drama of the script, the audience has to 
  experience it as something impressive and believable. 
   
  My method for designing the Nostromo interiors was to emulate the engineering of 
  the entire [ship] as though it were real, from the interior to the exterior and back 
  again. So, while I was not supposed to be spending any time deriving exterior 
  designs from my all-encompassing technique, I did produce them if only as a 
  personal guide to making the interior sets more interesting.    
          
   
  Our setting must not just look and feel realistic, it must act realistically. Of course 
  much of this technology is imaginary, yet we still want a sensible degree of 
  engineering logic to back it all up. If the player characters want to disable all the 
  anti-gravity on a ship’s deck, were do they go? What kind of infrastructure will they 
  be sabotaging? It’s these practical in-game problems that depend on what would 
  normally be considered the totally theoretical and frivolous assertions appearing 
  within the HOSTILE Technical Manual.  
   
  
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  Look at those cathode-ray tube monitors in Alien and Outland, marvel at the lack of 
  flat-screen technology, touch-screen computers, cell-phones and a hundred other 
  modern marvels. Why aren’t they in that setting? Well, firstly because some of the 
  technology we have now just wasn’t available in the late-70s and early-80s, and 
  secondly, people like Ridley Scott chose to eschew far future wonder gadgets in 
  favour of an industrial reality that the movie-going audience would recognize – 
  because we’re supposed to be interested in the alien/exotic problem/conspiracy, and 
  not be distracted by the advanced technology of the future. Scott had seen the flat 
  screen computer monitors of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), but chose instead to 
  go with 1970s CRT monitors, ‘for the look’. But, how do we rationalize a future, 
  some two centuries hence, where cell-phones, plasma screens and wi-fi just don’t 
  exist?  
   
  An Alternate Future 
  As in our timeline, technology in HOSTILE looked on the verge of a virtual 
  electronics developmental explosion as the 1970s gave way to the 1980s but a 
  series of seemingly minor circumstances and major historical events hampered what 
  might have been a wondrous new age and changed the course of human history. As 
  President George Bush gave his now famous Space Exploration Initiative speech on 
  July 20, 1989 and launched an enterprise that would send mankind out into the solar 
  system and beyond, there were already factors affecting the technologies that would 
  take them there.  
   
  The Decline of Moore’s Law - Moore’s Law is “the observation that the number of 
  transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles about every two years.” In April 
  2005, Gordon Moore stated that the projection cannot be sustained indefinitely: "It 
  can't continue forever. The nature of exponentials is that you push them out and 
  eventually disaster happens." The ongoing miniaturization and improvement of 
  integrated circuits therefore slowed dramatically as the 20th century came to a 
  close. Dreams of micro-electronic components and palm-sized super computers 
  crashed as improvements in computer technology were slaved to large main-frame 
  processors and bulky terminals. Now, mechanical and electrical engineering would 
  have to take up the slack and become the main agent of technological progress.  
    
  Network Insecurities – Rampant security breaches and the hacking of civilian, 
  commercial, industrial and governmental data networks cost those affected billions 
  and on more than one occasion threatened world-wide economic collapse. As a 
  result a compartmentalizing and decentralization of databanks was instituted as well 
  
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  as a shift from risky wireless connectivity to a more secure hard-wire format. 
  Transmitted data, when necessary for a given application, was sent by tight-beam 
  data-burst or secure carrier frequencies.  
   
  While wireless networks are common today, in the retrofuture of HOSTILE such 
  technology is just too risky. Wireless networks can be too easily spied on, jammed 
  and spoofed, etc. This makes a smartphone full of personal information a liability, 
  not an asset. The open trading of computer files on a network is not something that 
  the governments, corporations, or other organizations support. There is an increased 
  reliability on material memory disks instead of virtual data storage as a high-security 
  means of data management. If someone buys or sells music, video, or software, it’s 
  typically in person with a disc, not via the network. Network engineers, hackers, and 
  technicians may use a computer tied into a network, but the average person does 
  not, except to use email or videophones. 
    
  The Flight 926 Incident – On May 12th, 2009 an Emirates Boeing 777 exploded 
  just off the cost of Qatar en-route to Cairo. The 1.7 megaton nuclear device 
  vaporized the 378 passengers and crew, contaminated thousands with far-spreading 
  fallout, and devastated the region’s power grid and electrical services for months. 
  Long term casualty estimates were nightmarish and the effect on petroleum 
  production and trade from the EMP alone was a universal calamity. The radical 
  religious zealots responsible for the tragedy were identified and brought to justice 
  but the effects of the disaster were far reaching. The vulnerability of solid state 
  technology to EMP emissions on such a wide scale prompted a manufacturing frenzy 
  towards more secure, EMP resistant and dependable alternatives. The resulting 
  technology succeeded in these aims but at a cost of performance, power 
  requirements and most of all size.  
   
  The revolution began a design and developmental trend that would see heavier, 
  bulkier and sturdier electronic devices in every application and a closer symmetry 
  with mechanical alternatives. The limited but still catastrophic East Asian Nuclear 
  conflict in 2047 only served to entrench the need for such an institutional shift and 
  established manufacturing principles for the next century.  
   
  Development of the Vacuum Channel Transistor – At the onset of the 21st 
  century, NASA engineers tinkered with an odd new technology, the Vacuum Channel 
  Transistor (VCT) which was essentially a high-tech version of the old vacuum tube 
  that had been all but made extinct by the onset of solid state electronics in the 60s. 
  The VCT utilized a field-emission principle and was faster, more powerful and lacked 
  many of the vulnerabilities of its electronic rivals including operation at high 
  temperatures and tolerance to high dose radiation. When coupled with 
  developments in carbon nanotube heat transfer the new technology sparked a subtle 
  revolution as processing operating frequencies in the terahertz range became 
  possible. The answer to the failing solid state market had been found with one major 
  disadvantage. VCT technology was bulky and heavy and required additional 
  supportive hardware that ended the steady migration to smaller and lighter 
  electronics that had dominated for decades. The future of electronics would be 
  bright and unimaginably efficient, but it would be big. 
  
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  As a result of these and other lesser factors electronic design and development in 
  the HOSTILE setting took a decidedly different direction to our own. As man took 
  his first major steps into space and Earth embraced the challenges of the new 
  century the tools, vehicles and devices they held dear took on a new dimension, one 
  formed by the nature of their construction. 
   
  Solid and well-made was the new design format. Perhaps heavy and unwieldy by the 
  standards of the late 20th century, the new designs were simply accepted as a 
  matter of need, and embraced as the next generation of electronics. Style followed 
  purpose and as the decades passed the new ‘industrial’ appeal became common 
  place. A certain, popular, ‘retro-tech’ trend spread throughout the world’s key 
  manufacturers and design choices were quick to reflect it. Chic, streamlined, stylish 
  consumer electronics in glass and minimalist-style cases were never popular, gaining 
  the instant reputation as cheap toys, gimmicks and gifts. Consumers wanted their 
  equipment to look like it was up to the job, and so the mantra went: “if it looked 
  right then it was right!” Patterns of construction emerged and the manufacturing 
  climate took on a distinct, workaday tone. Electronic development vaulted ahead and 
  with the space-race fuelling innovation, technology enjoyed a new renaissance but 
  snuggly within the blueprint set by those early years of re-innovation. Mechanical 
  contrivance rivalled the electronic for the first time in decades and the offspring of 
  the two would carry human kind to the stars.  
   
  Mechanical alternatives to electronic applications were popularized and control 
  schemes returned to concepts thought to be on the way out. Buttons, dials and 
  toggle switches replaced touch screens and keyboard commands while gauges and 
  meters took the place of multi-purpose LCD screens and computer based 
  monitoring. Pneumatics and hydraulics surged ahead of magnetic engineering as 
  cost effective and efficient alternatives to the now almost as bulky electronic 
  versions. Engines once dominated by computerized regulation were designed with 
  auto-mechanical management instead, increasing performance and reliability but 
  size and weight as well. Almost forgotten elements of modern society driven out 
  decades earlier by modern tech were here and there revived.  
   
  Retro-Engineering   
  Following a world-wide trend manufacturers and developers began designing and 
  building with larger, heavier and mechanically domineering elements to offset the 
  decline of micro-electronics. Servos, motors, ventilation equipment, pumps, coolant 
  and heating, engines, batteries, power generation, product delivery lines and every 
  component in modern engineering began to take on this initially subtle but 
  increasingly imposing aspect. Solid-state construction principles gave way to a 
  combination of new bold electronics and mechanical engineering converting the once 
  minute and fragile to sturdy and imposing devices.  
   
  Hydraulic and pneumatic equipment is everywhere, replacing electric motors in many 
  applications. Motorized power equipment, run by internal combustion motors or 
  separate generators is also prevalent with many industrial applications perpetually 
  accompanied by the hum, drone or rumble of a supporting motor. Electrical lines are 
  
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  larger, thicker and carry more current and many more are necessary for a single 
  application. Manually powered back up provisions are also plentiful with crank-
  capacitors, hand pumped hydraulics and the like present on most critical equipment. 
  The structures built to support this technology are heavier, industry grade designs, 
  sporting massive frames, thick insulating material, extensive venting and sizeable 
  access spaces. Lighting is sparse, inefficient and often unreliable. Confined to 
  outdated construction methods fluorescent, Zenon and even incandescent fixtures 
  still predominate with LEDs and other advanced lighting equipment left behind with 
  the transistor. The pale luminescence of back lit readouts and instrumentation are 
  often accompanied only by the flicker of a failing fluorescent overhead.  
   
  In general the electrical and mechanical technology of the 22nd century and 
  beginning of the 23rd resembles that of the heavy industrial construction prevalent 
  in the late 20th in most respects, despite enjoying the developmental improvements 
  in principle and function of the years that followed. This is as much a feature of 
  necessity and purpose as it is one of style and custom. There were clear reasons for 
  the shift in the beginning but after a generation design followed design and as the 
  decades passed new trends followed old ones without any clear motivation to 
  change and every reason to build on established methods. 
   
  Off-World Needs 
  While the retrofuture of the HOSTILE setting makes certain specific stylistic choices 
  in a nod to the source material from which it takes its inspiration, it is a game largely 
  focused on the lives of workers, explorers, and space-farers in the regions of space 
  far from Earth. That is, on life off-world. This is an incredibly difficult environment 
  for computers and electronics, which might be exposed to radiation, solar flares, 
  gravity fluctuations, and other elements of utterly alien environments. Silica, dust, 
  methane gas, or a thousand other substances could ruin a machine in a matter of 
  minutes or even seconds. The gadgets need to operate in the most unforgiving 
  environments that humans will encounter. This means that the equipment used off-
  world needs to be ‘over-engineered’ in comparison to electronics on Earth. While a 
  citizen of Tokyo might enjoy comparatively light and handy consumer electronics, 
  the platform workers on Tau Ceti will have little use for such items. 
   
  Off-world devices are, above all, robust, easy to use, and easy to repair. If a critical 
  device breaks it could cause injuries or even deaths. Heavy cabling, thick cases, and 
  simple displays are the name of the game. If everything looks like it belongs in an 
  industrial setting that’s because it does! Likewise, the software and repair support 
  for consumer electronics is just not available. Smartphones and their apps may be 
  ubiquitous in 2018, but in a distant colonial world without easy connectivity and the 
  servers and upgrades to keep them working, such devices are all but useless, and 
  mostly unnecessary. Old fashioned, hard-wired phones work perfectly fine, even 
  when the electromagnetic environment would block a cell phone call. Better to have 
  a powerful backpack radio or satellite link that can reach across a continent, even 
  during a thunderstorm or ionospheric flare-up, than a tiny pocket radio that needs 
  an expensive radio tower network to carry a message. 
   
  
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  The power requirements of humans on Earth, in space and on the Off-World 
  colonies is huge, and provided by a variety of technologies. Foremost for the 
  populations of Earth and for those of the larger core colonies, fusion powerplants are 
  utilised. The first fusion reactor began supplying electricity to customers in 2060.  
   
  Origins of Fusion  
  Back in the 21st century, Earth found a way to shake-off its dependence on Luna 
  solar power energy when the first fusion reactor came online in 2060. The ‘miracle 
  powerplant’, fusion reactors produced very little radioactive waste but incredible 
  amounts of power. Various fuels are needed, such as deuterium and tritium, but the 
  most sought after was helium-3. Although small amounts can be gathered on Earth, 
  the greatest concentrations were in the solar system, waiting to be collected. This 
  helium-3 was blasted into rocky surfaces by the solar wind and found on Mercury, 
  the Moon and on the gas giants in the outer solar system. Earth had to secure a 
  source of He-3 and it set its sights on Mercury, sending an initial colony to the 
  Sobkau region in 2067. It wasn’t to be. Expensive operations were sponsored that 
  began to mine helium-3 from the Sobkou basin, but where was it all? To the shock 
  of all concerned, it seemed that Mercury had very little of the precious material. It 
  was now the dash for Saturn, and the vast amounts of helium-3 there, that quickly 
  turned the Sobkou debacle into a forgotten memory. 
   
  The great expansion into the outer solar system began apace in the early 2070s. 
  New rockets, nuclear thermal drives that were based around a fission gas-cored 
  reactor using liquid hydrogen or water as a reaction mass, powered those long 
  range missions. Fusion powerplants at that time were far too large to scale down 
  enough for use as a space drive and so fission reactors remained the powerplant 
  that allowed the exploration of the solar system. It was in 2084 that explorers from 
  Earth arrived at Saturn with everything they needed to begin mining helium-3 from 
  the gas giant’s rich atmosphere. It established bases on the twin planetoids of Janus 
  and Epimetheus; and there began a fusion industry that has continued into the 
  present day. Helium-3 is extracted from Off-World colonies and shipped to Earth on 
  multi-megaton starships to feed Earth’s fusion reactors.  
   
  The Tokamak Reactor 
  Helium-3 is a stable isotope of helium that is missing a neutron, with this missing 
  neutron allowing for the production of clean energy. Two types of fusion reactions 
  make use of Helium-3 to produce clean energy. The first uses deuterium (deuterium 
  is hydrogen with a neutron) reacting with Helium-3, to produce helium and a proton. 
  The second type of reactions uses two atoms of helium-3 to create helium and two 
  
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  protons. The protons created during this last reaction are the crown jewel of Helium-
  3 fusion. One of the best parts of the Helium-3 reaction is the complete lack of 
  radioactive by-products. No neutrons are emitted and no isotopes are left as 
  products that could radioactively decay. The proton is a particularly nice side 
  product, since clean energy can be harnessed from this stray proton by manipulating 
  within in an electrostatic field. Traditional nuclear fission reactions used to create 
  heat, which was then used to heat water. The boiling water forced turbines to spin 
  and generate energy. In the helium-3 fusion process, energy is created via the 
  reaction itself, with no nasty radioactive material for future generations to monitor. 
  
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  While industrial-grade super-conducting magnets arranged as toroid (a ‘tokomak’) 
  suspend the fuel and hold it in place, the reactor uses a process called radio-
  frequency heating to ignite the nuclear fuel. Antennas outside the tokamak use a 
  specific frequency of radio waves to excite the particles. The radio waves are 
  specifically calibrated to target the helium-3 ions. Because the helium-3 accounts for 
  only a fraction of the fuel's total density, focusing the radio-frequency heating on the 
  minority ions allows them to reach extreme energy levels. The excited ions then 
  slam into the reactor's outer shell, generating heat and electricity. In order to 
  overcome the electrostatic repulsion between the nuclei, they must have a 
  temperature of several tens of millions of degrees, under which conditions they no 
  longer form neutral atoms but exist in the plasma state.  
   
  At these temperatures, no material container could withstand the extreme heat of 
  the plasma. HOSTILE fusion tokamaks utilise magnetic confinement to create these 
  conditions. They use the electrical conductivity of the plasma to contain it with 
  powerful magnetic fields in the form of a hot plasma in the shape of a spinning 
  torus. Meanwhile the tokamak’s superconducting magnets and support structure 
  must be chilled close to absolute zero and so most reactor’s require a steady supply 
  of liquid hydrogen as a coolant. Tokamaks are the workhorses of fusion - solid, 
  symmetrical, and relatively straightforward to engineer. 
   
  Space-Based Reactors 
  Whilst large-scale, planet-bound reactors utilise helium-3 as their reaction fuel, 
  space-based and starship reactors may use deuterium, tritium or helium-3, 
  expanding their fuel choices when isolated from abundant fuel sources. The fusion 
  powerplants still  require small amounts of liquid hydrogen as a coolant to function 
  efficiently. The standard rules for powerplants in Cepheus Engine are used. A 
  starship powerplant rating must be equal or higher to either the hyperdrive or half  
  the ship’s maneuver drive. Although it has no effect on game-play and serves only 
  as set-dressing, starship powerplant ratings can be thought of as being equivalent to 
  Giga Watts of power output; meaning that a Powerplant 4 starship produces 4 GW.  
   
  Micro-Fusion Plants 
  Extremely small fusion reactors are in production, suitable as mining power sources 
  or the powerplants for shuttles and small craft. None have been licensed for use 
  within air or ground vehicles due to the dangers of radiation following an accident. 
  The larger marine ships do, however, utilise fusion power. As a setting detail, we 
  can assume that each micro-fusion powerplant rating is equivalent to 10 Mega Watts 
  of power. A shuttle with a level 3 powerplant then, has a 30 MW rating. The micro-
  fusion plant is not simply a scaled down tokomak, that would be an impossibility due 
  to size and weight considerations. Instead of confining the plasma within a 
  doughnut-shaped ring, a series of superconducting coils generates a magnetic-field 
  in which plasma is held within the broader confines of the entire cylindrical reaction 
  chamber. Superconducting magnets within coils generate a magnetic field around 
  the outer border of the chamber. The system is therefore regulated by a self-tuning 
  feedback mechanism, whereby the farther out the plasma goes, the stronger the 
  
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  magnetic field pushes back to contain it. Micro-Fusion plants currently range in size 
  from 1.2 to 10.5 tons of displacement (6,000 – 52,500 kg). 
   
   
   
  Shutting Down Or Detonating A Reactor  
  A reactor has four modes: OFF, LOW-POWER, CONSTANT POWER and OVERHEAT. 
   
  OFF – Procedures to turn a fusion reactor off are lengthy, requiring up to six hours. 
  This mode is used when undergoing lengthy repairs or long-term storage. Switching 
  the reactor back on to LOW POWER requires up to six hours worth of checks and 
  procedures. The reactor will be totally unpowered.  
   
  LOW POWER – The reactor is not generating electricity, has no plasma and is safe. 
  It will still require some monitoring, since it is still on, but it is not producing 
  electricity. Whilst in LOW POWER mode, a ship equipped with a fusion reactor will be 
  running bare minimum electronics from batteries only. Going into LOW POWER or 
  coming out of LOW POWER to CONSTANT POWER takes only 10 minutes. This is 
  typically done at the engineering control room (if on a starship or space station).  
   
  CONSTANT POWER – This mode is the standard electricity generating mode for a 
  reactor, with plasma being created within the tokamak. Going from LOW POWER to 
  HIGH POWER or vice versa requires takes only 10 minutes.  
   
  OVERHEAT - As has already been noted, fusion reactors require a modest amount 
  of liquid hydrogen coolant that will require replacing frequently. Should this coolant 
  run out, through either a malfunction, impact on the coolant tanks or through the 
  shut-down of the coolant pumps, then the reactor will enter an OVERHEAT mode 
  and explode in ten minutes or so, with a significant blast radius equivalent to an 
  atomic bomb. If the reactor is in OFF or LOW POWER mode than there should be no 
  
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  real problems. However, if the reactor is in CONSTANT POWER mode, then 
  significant and urgent action must be taken.  
   
  To put an OVERHEAT reactor into LOW POWER mode and prevent a catastrophe, 
  the engineer must load four emergency nuclear bolts into hydraulic riser heads from 
  an Emergency Reset System. The engineer will have to open up the floor-mounted 
  coolant access panel, by unscrewing various emergency bolts. Once the panel is 
  opened instructions for the Emergency Reset System are printed on its underside. 
  Clearly marked will be the warning that, upon activation, the reactor will detonate in 
  T minus 10 minutes. Moreover, the Failsafe Cut-Off System will not operate after T 
  minus 5 minutes. The instructions to follow are:  
   
  1. Punch NUCLEAR BOLT CODE No 1 
  2. Verify BOLT CLAMP release 
  3. Perform INSERTION of BOLT No 1 to HOLD No 1 
  4. Remove NUCLEAR HEAD 
  5. Activate PUSH BUTTON SWITCH 
  6. Replace NUCLEAR HEAD 
  7. Verify SECURED 
  8. Verify SHUT-DOWN ACTIVATED 
  9. Repeat for HOLDS 2, 3 & 4 
   
  After the fourth NUCLEAR BOLT enters the fourth HOLD, a digital timer accompanied 
  by an automated voice,  begins the countdown to T minus ten minutes. The 
  procedure can be halted and reversed by simply following the checklist in reverse – 
  as long as the timer has not reach T minus five minutes. After that point the 
  containment field within the tokamak will wind down and cannot be restarted. Micro-
  Fusion reactors do not have any facility for emergency destruction, and if they do 
  explode due to coolant leak, the blast is the equivalent of a typical 1000kg high-
  explosive bomb.   
   
  In roleplaying game terms, the task may take more time then the character might 
  actually have. Each bolt must be screwed in to the top of the riser, pulled up to its 
  start position then a button pressed on the riser’s side. The hydraulics then lift the 
  riser out, simultaneously shutting down part of the tokomak. Because of the coolant 
  problem and overheating, safety interlocks will continue to try to re-engage, 
  thwarting the engineer’s efforts, making this job quite difficult. Make an Average (0) 
  Engineering roll taking 30 seconds to activate hydraulic riser #1. Continue with risers 
  2, 3 and 4. However. Each time a new bolt is inserted and riser activated, there is a 
  chance those already set will drop back down (check each one with a D6 roll, and on 
  a result of ‘1’, it trips again and still needs to be reset).  
   
  This might be a time consuming and frustrating task, especially as those 10 minutes 
  are almost up. Up to two characters can work on the risers simultaneously (a limit of 
  sheer physical space). Electronics can be substituted for Engineering if desired. 
  Meanwhile, the control room will be hot, venting steam and may even be kicking out 
  radiation (1 rad per 2 minutes of exposure). Stuff might explode (and the player 
  character involved might be forced to make an Average [0] Dexterity roll or suffer 
  
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  1D6 damage). Once in LOW POWER mode, the reactor will stop producing 
  electricity. 
   
  Emergency Destruction! 
  It may be that the reactor is in CONSTANT POWER mode, but or whatever reason, 
  the operators need to cause it to OVERHEAT. This procedure is identical to that of 
  shifting from OVERHEAT to LOW POWER.  
   
  Fuel Cells 
  Petroleum is abundant, shipped to Earth via huge space-faring oil tankers, but much 
  of this oil supplies the plastics industry. On Earth and in the Off- World colonies, too, 
  hydrogen fuel cells are the dominant form of vehicular power generation. Where 
  oxygen exists within an atmosphere, then some colonial societies operate gas 
  turbine vehicles, such as rovers, tractors, container lifters and trucks. Gas turbines 
  require a petrochemical fuel, and kg. for kg. this still provides more power than an 
  equivalent-sized fuel cell. Virtually all medium to large aircraft are also powered by 
  gas turbine jet engines. The US military had relied on a gas turbine or petroleum-
  driven vehicle fleet until the 2120s, but deployments to the newly established Off-
  World colonies soon highlighted a glaring shortcoming – gas turbines are air-
  breathing engines, useless on vacuum worlds, or planets with poisonous and alien 
  atmospheres. Within the next ten years, much of the US military switched to closed 
  fuel cell vehicle powerplants that do not require sources of external oxygen – the 
  vehicles carry liquid oxygen tanks with them to supply the required oxidizer.  
   
  A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy from a fuel 
  into electricity through an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen fuel with oxygen or 
  another oxidizing agent. Fuel cells are different from batteries in requiring a 
  continuous source of fuel and oxygen (usually from air) to sustain the chemical 
  reaction, whereas in a battery the chemical energy comes from chemicals already 
  present in the battery. Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as 
  fuel and oxygen are supplied.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
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  There are many types of fuel cells, but they all consist of an anode, a cathode, and 
  an electrolyte that allows positively charged hydrogen ions (protons) to move 
  between the two sides of the fuel cell. At the anode a catalyst causes the fuel to 
  undergo oxidation reactions that generate protons (positively charged hydrogen 
  ions) and electrons. The protons flow from the anode to the cathode through the 
  electrolyte after the reaction. At the same time, electrons are drawn from the anode 
  to the cathode through an external circuit, producing direct current electricity. At the 
  cathode, another catalyst causes hydrogen ions, electrons, and oxygen to react, 
  forming water. Fuel cells are classified 
  by the type of electrolyte they use and 
  by the difference in startup time 
  ranging from 1 second for proton 
  exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM 
  fuel cells, or PEMFC) to 10 minutes for 
  solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). 
   
   
  Magnetohydrodynamic Generators 
  A magnetohydrodynamic generator (MHD generator) is a magnetohydrodynamic 
  converter that transforms thermal energy and kinetic energy into electricity. MHD 
  generators are different from traditional electric generators in that they operate at 
  high temperatures without moving parts. MHD power plants create a plasma by 
  burning liquid hydrogen and oxygen, pushing the resulting plasma into the turbine 
  where it creates electricity just like a regular generator, except that the plasma takes 
  the place of the spinning coils in the regular generator. The fuel needs to ignite the 
  fuel, to start the process, just as a spark is needed to start an internal combustion 
  engine - thereafter the turbine will produce net power.  
   
  The working fluid in a closed 
  cycle MHD is circulated in a 
  closed loop. Hence, in this case 
  inert gas or liquid metal is used 
  as the working fluid to transfer 
  the heat. The liquid metal has 
  typically the advantage of high 
  electrical conductivity, hence the 
  heat provided by the combustion 
  material need not be too high. 
  Contrary to the open loop system there is no inlet and outlet for the atmospheric air. 
  Hence, the process is simplified to a great extent, as the same fluid is circulated time 
  and again for effective heat transfer. 
   
  Magnetohydrodynamic powerplants are becoming more popular as sources of power 
  for large machinery, such as ships, hovercraft, trains, oversized trucks, submarines 
  and tanks etc. Currently, PEM fuel cells are struggling to supply the energy required 
  by these power hungry pieces of machinery. MHD powerplants are poised to fill that 
  huge gap between fuel cell and micro-fusion.   
   
  
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  In classic era science-fiction games such as the Cepheus Engine, the only form of 
  faster-than-light movement is typically the Jump drive, which always takes one week 
  to travel a number of parsecs equal to its Jump rating and consumes a vast amount 
  of fuel. In HOSTILE, however, the classic Jump drive rules are not appropriate. 
  Starships in the HOSTILE setting use a type of hyperdrive. A hyperdrive does not 
  have a maximum range – instead, the ship’s drive rating (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) indicates 
  the number of parsecs crossed per week of travel. Speeds are rated at ‘parsecs per 
  week’. Hyperdrives do not consume additional fuel, but use electrical power, 
  therefore the ship’s powerplant must equal or exceed the rating of the hyperdrive. A 
  starship can remain in hyperspace until either its coolant or its life support needs 
  replenishing. 
   
  Discovery & Exploration 
  Faster than light travel is made possible by the discovery of a pseudo-dimension, 
  one apparently co-existing with our own but possessing natural laws that are vastly 
  different and for the most part void of scientific understanding. This altered reality 
  was given several designations in the laboratory but is widely known simply as 
  hyperspace, as a plane of existence separate and yet coinciding with the natural 
  universe. The discovery was the culmination of decades of research based on the 
  original postulates established by Burkard Heim, who coined the phrase ‘hyperspace’ 
  in the mid 20th century, as one of several additional dimensions, above and apart 
  from the physical three and Einstein’s fourth. Heim’s Unified Quantum Field 
  
  P a g e  | 18
   
  Principles On Electro-Gravitational Energy Conversion and later the work of Walter 
  Droscher and his colleague Jochem Hauser would lead to a century of study and 
  ongoing 
  scientific 
  experimentation. 
  The 
  eventual 
  result 
  was 
  two 
  major 
  breakthroughs assisting mankind’s exploration of space; artificial gravity and the 
  hyperdrive.  
   
  The first ‘hyperspace’ breech was generated by Yana Shuli Hurtz, a professor at the 
  Technion Institute in Haifa, Israel in 2103 during experiments directed at developing 
  a method for the generation of artificial gravity. The initially unstable and potentially 
  dangerous Paragravity Dynamo utilised a massive amount of electromagnetic 
  radiation generated from the spinning of a superconductor and temporarily stored 
  within kilometres of superconducting coils. This energy was directed through 
  contrabaric emitters to create a massive gravitomagnetic field initially in the 60-85 
  Tesla range. The field, although failing to produce the intended artificial-gravity 
  results, instead propagated the first inter-dimensional breech. The effect was 
  transient, with the unstable breech or ‘shunt’ collapsing immediately when 
  interrupted by the presence of the Earth’s own gravitational field - but the 
  implications were astounding. For 0.06 seconds the dynamo and its support 
  structures had not produced gravity, they had ceased to exist. Where they had gone 
  was a mystery but it spurred an entirely new branch of scientific research, one that 
  would dwarf the eventual benefits of artificial gravity.  
   
  Three years later, at the Helstrom Research Laboratory on the asteroid Hygeia, a 
  working prototype of a hyperdrive was constructed, the experimental navigational 
  equipment brought online and a series of performance tests begun. The first 
  passengers to visit hyperspace were instrument packages and scientific apparatus, 
  carried within the hull of the Red Shift III test vehicle as it engaged in a series of 
  increasingly distant hyperspace ‘jumps’. As the vessel was ‘shunted’ into the 
  hyperspace breech it encountered a quantum tunnel effect which extended from the 
  departure jump point to the preprogrammed arrival point somewhere ahead. 
  Without a designated beginning and end to this hyper-dimensional conduit the 
  breach simply closed after a few seconds, the tremendous electromagnetic radiation 
  dissipating into space. When correctly configured however the tunnel not only 
  enveloped the vessel but exposed it to a torrent of accelerated hyper-resonant 
  ‘ripples’ in the tunnel’s activity stream. These ripples propelled the vessel forward, 
  through the tunnel, at an incredible yet non-Newtonian velocity. The vessel itself 
  experienced no sign of this velocity, no sense of movement at all and its 
  conventional engines lay dormant throughout, a natural acceleration driving her 
  through hyperspace as a ship caught in a strong current. The speed of this passage 
  was dependent both on the mass of the vessel and the power of the ‘shunt’ 
  generated as these factors correlated directly to the velocity induced by the resonant 
  ripple effect.   
   
  Red Shift VII would have the distinction of successfully carrying the first human into 
  and through hyperspace on June 28, 2106. The jump was only 135 million 
  kilometers but the Red Shift (Christened ‘Snark’) arrived at the designated arrival 
  point in only 6.4 minutes.  
  
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  Effects of Hyperspace 
  Snark’s astounding feat marked man’s freedom from the confines of his system of 
  birth and the start of his race to the stars. Less advertised, however, was the 
  condition of the flight’s test pilot, US Navy Captain Michael Squires. Animal test 
  subjects had been utilized in previous tests and they’d returned with alarming 
  behavioural disorders. The physicians believed these side effects could be overcome 
  by a human being’s understanding of the bizarre experience and that they were for 
  the most part the result of the subject’s stress. They proved to be wrong however 
  and eleven human pilots suffered horrendous mental and emotional disorders after 
  their exposure before researchers proclaimed hyperspace unfit for conscious 
  passengers. When subjected to the hyperspace environment while in cryosleep or 
  ‘hypersleep’ as it came to be called, travellers were however unaffected by the 
  neurosis and occasional coma-like symptoms experienced by the early test pilots. It 
  became common protocol, therefore, to put passengers and crew into cryogenic 
  suspension (‘hypersleep’) and to assign monitoring duties on hyperspace voyages to 
  the ship’s computer or (on mainly military craft) to an android. 
   
  Not that there was much to observe or experience in hyperspace should someone 
  brave the trip … beyond the portals of an Faster-Than-Light (FTL) vessel hyperspace 
  is a vast, starless, and foreboding blackness, whatever light sources present there 
  blue shifting into invisible ultraviolet, except for directly in front and behind. Here the 
  assumed background microwave radiation in the path of the approaching ship would 
  blue shift to the front and red shift behind, providing a glowing, intensifying azure or 
  magenta visual reference to the tunnelling phenomena at work.  
   
  Within the ship the drain on even the most overpowered reactors is sufficient to 
  leech power from most onboard systems so lights are dim, many tertiary systems 
  and crew luxuries inoperable and the temperature uncomfortably cold, some 
  inherent element of hyperspace leeching the heat even from a wide open reactor. 
  Lastly the vessel is permeated by a steady hum and subtle vibration of unknown 
  origin. The sound and accompanying sensation seems to penetrate everything and 
  has been reported to be felt even in an individual’s bones and teeth given time. This 
  proves extremely unnerving to any conscious passenger, prohibits natural sleep and 
  was one of the considerations for post hyper-space neurosis before doctors 
  discovered the effects were much, much worse than mere annoyance.  
   
  An interesting note regards the visual spectacle of a ship transferring into FTL as 
  seen from an outside observer. When the hyperspace shunt opens a region of space 
  roughly equal to the dimensions of the vessel blurs slightly then begins to glow blue 
  from the localized light beginning to accelerate therein. A minute spark of flashing 
  energy forms at the region’s centre then expands in a vortex like pattern for a little 
  over 2 seconds before dissipating in a sudden flash. When the light fades the vessel 
  is gone. The reverse is true when an FTL vessel emerges only the ship’s appearance 
  is announced by a red-shift of approaching hyperspeed light and subsequent flash 
  instead. 
   
   
  
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  Hyperdrive Operating Parameters 
   
  Apparent Velocity: A hyperdrive does not have a maximum range – instead, 
  the ship’s drive rating (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) indicates the number of parsecs 
  crossed per week of travel. Speeds are rated at ‘parsecs per week’. A 
  destination 7 parsecs away will take 7 weeks to get there.  
   
  Fuel: Hyperdrives do not consume additional fuel, but use electrical power 
  supplied by the ship’s fusion reactor. Therefore ship’s powerplant must equal 
  or exceed the rating of the hyperdrive.  
   
  Endurance: A drive can maintain its presence within the hyperspace tunnel 
  indefinitely, it is limited only by the amount of coolant carried on board and 
  the life support needs of the crew. Typically enough coolant is carried for 12 
  months of reactor operation, equal in displacement to the fusion reactor 
  itself.  
   
  Entering Hyperspace: Gravity and hyperspace have a very uneasy 
  relationship,  and entering hyperspace is best done away from any major 
  gravitational field (such as a planet or even a space station). For planetary 
  bodies, the ICO mandates a 100 diameter safe distance (the ‘Hyperspace 
  Threshold’) before the drive should be activated. Navigational errors, mishaps 
  and even ship losses have occurred as a result of hyperdrive jumps begun 
  within the 100-diameter safe zone. Starships cannot enter hyperspace while 
  they are accelerating, and so most operators accelerate all the way to the 
  100-diameter limit without turning around to slow down. To calculate a 
  transit time to a Hyperspace Threshold, use the ‘Jump Point’ entries on the 
  Common Travel Times by Acceleration table, in Cepheus Engine chapter 6. 
  Simply halve the times given due to the constant acceleration.  
   
  Leaving Hyperspace: Due to the serious risk of emerging within or adjacent 
  to a large moon or planet, hyperspace jumps are by necessity terminated at 
  some distance from the destination world, typically just beyond the 
  Hyperspace Threshold for the destination world. Note that the moon of a gas 
  giant will be within the shadow of the much larger planet’s Hyperspace 
  Threshold.  
   
  Communications Within Hyperspace: FTL communications (both sending 
  and receiving) using a hyperwave transceiver is possible both while the ship 
  is in hyperspace and when it is in ‘real space’. Messages are brief (see next 
  chapter, Communication).  
   
  Sensor Operations: There are no sensors currently suitable for use in 
  hyperspace. Distance travelled is measured purely by reference to elapsed 
  time and hyperdrive-calibrated frequency.  
   
  Medical Effects of Hyperspace Exposure: Humans feel uncomfortable (see 
  main text) if awake during hyperspace transit. In addition, roll 3+ on 2D6 each 
  week to avoid a serious indefinite symptom (increase difficulty by +1, each 
  week after that). The 6 most serious symptoms include : amnesia, 
  stupefaction, 
  violent 
  paranoia, 
  tremors 
  & 
  fits, 
  self-harm, 
  terrifying 
  hallucinations. 
   
   
  
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  There are five primary means of communications in use in the 23rd century. 
   
  Hard Copy – A misnomer that has 
  come to describe any form of data-
  holding object from a data-disk to a 
  sheet of paper. The use of courier 
  services to manually deliver such 
  information 
  is 
  still 
  popular, 
  accompanying parcel delivery as a 
  safe, albeit slow, alternative to other 
  means of transfer. 
   
  Fibre Optics – A direct hard-wired 
  connection between communication 
  devices is still the most prevalent 
  method of distant communication on 
  any world or vessel. Reliable and 
  secure, a ‘land line’ avoids many of the 
  pitfalls of wireless communications and 
  is by far the more cost effective 
  solution. Networks of fibre optics web 
  every habitable zone and are capable 
  of transferring massive amounts of 
  data as well as video and audio 
  communiques.  
   
  Radio – Electromagnetic transfer of 
  information is still a favourite form of 
  communication 
  in 
  the 
  universe. 
  Improvements 
  to 
  bandwidth, 
  wavelength stability and transmitting 
  power have kept this technology current, although larger equipment packages have 
  become necessary to manage it. Despite the advances in signal strength, now 
  capable of interplanetary distances, the radio wave is still limited by light speed and 
  steadily degrading efficiency over distance. It remains however the preferred 
  medium to broadcast audio and video as well as attached data bursts. Microwave 
  based communications are still utilized but typically for secure, short-range 
  transmissions only. They are particularly common in ground to orbit or inter-orbital 
  comms. Maser sets are common equipment in any comm suite. 
   
  
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  Tight Beam Laser – Using lasers to carry information to a specific target is a highly 
  secure and efficient, if expensive, medium. Capable of tremendous distance and pin 
  point accuracy Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) has been in use for a 
  century or more but has come into its own. Powerful carrier frequencies ‘piggy 
  backed’ on laser emissions can deliver data packs and large memory caches at 
  incredible speeds. A series of laser-linked satellites make the Integrated Data 
  Network within well-travelled space possible.  
   
   
  Hyperwave Transceivers - Faster-than-light communication exists, although it 
  certainly is not instantaneous. All starships equipped with hyperdrive have FTL 
  communication capability by default, as do most large outposts and colony worlds. 
  The system requires a space-based hyperwave satellite to relay the signal from one 
  star system to another – it cannot be done from a planetary or moon surface. 
  Typically an uplink tower sends the message up to the hyperwave satellite which 
  then powers up to send it on its journey through hyperspace. As would be expected, 
  these satellite relays are incredibly expensive and only the larger colony worlds with 
  populations in the millions can afford to maintain more than one of them. 
  Communication on the Network takes 1 parsec per day. Hyperwave bandwidth is 
  small, allowing only a short burst of text (200 characters maximum; without spaces), 
  much like an ancient telegram.  Private use is very costly, the Network will charge 
  you, your company or your colony administrator $50 per character (spaces are not 
  charged). A 200 character message costs $10,000! 
  
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  Utilizing hyperdrive methodology a hyperwave transceiver opens a minute nano-
  singularity hyperspace shunt and transmits a isomodulated, narrow beam LnK2 
  (Link) laser through the tunnel. Similar to hyperspace navigation the carrier beam is 
  configured to respond to hyper resonant ripple effects, speeding towards the plotted 
  destination and breaching there, normally in proximity to another subspace satellite 
  receiver. The message is then forwarded by conventional means on through 
  whatever network is available. Hyperwave satellites are extremely expensive and 
  maintenance intensive and only the most profitable or established locations can 
  hope to be assigned on. The equipment is truly huge in scale with the typical orbital 
  transceiver weighing in at several tons and the dish measuring several dozen meters 
  in diameter. These satellites are truly immense apparatus and require equally 
  extensive support equipment. FTL capable vessels however are already equipped 
  with the lion’s share of the process and typically have a hyperwave transceiver as 
  part of their communications suite. This module is linked to their hyperdrive and can 
  facilitate FTL transmissions at a fraction of the energy cost and electronic complexity 
  of a standalone unit.  
   
  The relay system of the Network is operated by the United Corporate Combine and 
  is more formally known as the Integrated Data Network. It is headquartered on the 
  Earth’s Moon. The Network operates a small fleet of platform support vessels that it 
  uses to deploy new satellites, repair or decommission old ones and to ferry 
  personnel from site to site. The organization is also tasked with scanning local star 
  systems for communications, and is particularly concerned with distress signals from 
  both civilian and military starships.  
   
  Starship Communications     
  Standard comm suites on spacecraft, orbital platforms and both space-based and 
  planetary installations allow for radio and free-space optical laser communications 
  system wide. Radio transmitters are capable of narrow and broadband transmissions 
  while laser communication rigs require precise target location data to connect. 
  Trafficked systems incorporate FSOC linked satellite networks to facilitate regular 
  comms while almost any orbital body of corporate or governmental interest is 
  seeded with a few communication satellites. Commercial com gear permits 
  operations on a number of approved frequencies and emergency bands while 
  restricted frequencies are utilized by military and private entities. All such comm 
  traffic is of course at light-speed only with the associated delays at interplanetary 
  distances. 
   
  Videophones 
  In HOSTILE, the revolution in communications wasn’t the cellphone, but the 
  videophone. There are videophones in cars, on office desks, in bars and clubs, 
  railway stations and airports, space stations, starship corridors and apartments. And 
  of course they exist in public phone booths, too. But don’t think that these phones 
  are all simply dial-and-talk interfaces, most can also accept data cards. Some of 
  these are business cards that, when slotted into the phone, ring the employee at the 
  business automatically.  
  
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  Fone cards are more commonly used 
  by individuals to store all of their 
  encrypted personal details, very much 
  like a modern-day SIM (Subscriber 
  Identity Module) card. A person slots 
  their fone card into the video phone 
  and this brings up a menu on screen of 
  that person’s contact list and their 
  numbers, which the phone can then 
  dial. Included on the data card is an 
  electronic diary. These fone cards can 
  be slotted into a bank terminal and 
  topped up with funds. 
   
  The Retro-Radio 
  Instrumentation is typical of the technology of the time. Cathode screens, manual 
  key boards, toggles, rotary knobs, dials and switches are prominent with hand held 
  receivers, microphones and wall mounted intercom panels the norm. Readouts are 
  backlit indicators and needle deflection gauges. Hard copy printers are common 
  place, providing printed format message translation or performance analysis. Quality 
  of audio or visual communications is highly dependent on signal strength but in 
  general is moderate to poor, with the quality of the receiving display equipment 
  potentially degrading quality further. This is especially true in space applications. 
  Transmission of teletype - hard copy written messages is an ongoing and popular 
  alternative as signal strength requirements are minimal and even outdated 
  equipment reliable that mode. 
   
   
     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
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  Developed almost simultaneously with Faster-Than-Light (FTL) travel, early research 
  in artificial gravity actually spurred progress in that related field but found success 
  itself only after embracing fundamental changes in design theory. The eventual 
  result, after nearly a decade of experimentation and countless programme failures 
  was an operating graviton generator. The Faraday Primary Induction Emitter (FPIE), 
  as it was first coined after Michael Faraday, originator of electromagnetic theory in 
  the 1800s, utilized a superconducting stator and ultra hi-speed electromagnetic 
  induction rotor suspended in a cylinder of pressurized ladium gas. Together they 
  produced a localized but powerful gravimetric field using controlled angular 
  accelerations with a correlation factor of a modest 0.94G. The effect was a steady 
  stream of gravitons emanating from the stator which were then repolarized and 
  shaped into a singular linear projection. When trapped between a pair of field 
  matrices a short-ranged non-Newtonian gravitational effect was induced.  
   
  This effect was limited, the field reaching only a 3 or 4 meters and displaying a hard 
  cap of 1.022157 standard Earth gravities. However, when confronted with counter 
  gravitational or inertial energy the matrix repolarized, inverted the counter energy’s 
  potential and was able to, in effect, nullify this influence to a much higher 6G to 8G 
  threshold. The dreams of gravimetric drives, tractor-beams and anti-gravity lifts 
  were dashed, such marvels relegated to future projects perhaps after years of 
  research but the Faraday Emitter in its current state  proved perfect for two critical 
  applications. When properly calibrated the emitters provided comfortable gravity 
  aboard 
  ship 
  and 
  could 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  counter 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  acceleration/deceleration on the crew when linked to the ship’s accelerometers. After 
  barely 18 months of initial trials, Faraday Primary Induction Emitters and their 
  corresponding graviton field matrices (together named an Artificially Induced Gravity 
  Assembly - AIGA) were being included in the design of almost every new spacecraft 
  and were being retrofitted into hundreds of older models as well. Polytarizine 
  capacitors were soon added to all extant models that maintained gravitational 
  control for several hours in the event of power loss - but no solution was 
  immediately forthcoming to avoid ‘Damper Lag’. This brief period of unsettling and 
  sometimes dangerous unprotected inertial reaction occurred during the first few 
  seconds of a marked inertial change as the dampening field adjusted. A number of 
  accidents lead to standard operating procedures requiring all personnel to be 
  strapped in during manoeuvres. This prevails today.  
  
  P a g e  | 27
   
   
  Space travellers could, with the newly developed Artificially Induced Gravity 
  Assemblies (AIGAs) systematically placed throughout the vessel, operate without the 
  rigors of zero-G and better endure the stresses of high G manoeuvring. The 
  improvement to the safety and efficiency of space operations was dramatic, 
  although the equipment was still optional however and expensive. Small orbital 
  transfer vehicles, shuttles, military attack craft and many semi-automated ships with 
  limited crew service areas endured or utilized established counter methods such as 
  spin-habitats, vectored thrust gravity, accelerator couches and pharmaceutical high-
  G tolerance regimes. The AIGA technology was improving however and few doubted 
  it would replace such measures within a generation. On all big ships, AIGA 
  technology, providing a comfortable 1G approximate environment, is standard.  
   
  The AIGA generators that house the FPIEs (each roughly the size of a refrigerator) 
  are fitted on each deck in a symmetrical layout, each with an accompanying spider 
  web of graviton matrices woven throughout the hull decking. Larger ships would 
  require more generators, certainly at least three per deck but perhaps one per large 
  section as well. Sections requiring their own Artificially Induced Gravity Assemblies 
  might include Command, Crew Services, Engineering, Crew Quarters, Lab and 
  Medical, Cargo Area, etc. The limitation is that a matrix must be installed above and 
  beneath the area of artificial gravity. Outdoor basketball games on zero G worlds or 
  on the exterior hull of the ship are not feasible! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
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  As already discussed in the Hyperdrive chapter, human beings have struggled and 
  failed to retain their sanity whilst travelling through hyperspace. To that end 
  targeted temperature management (TTM), or ‘therapeutic hypothermia’ was put into 
  practice specifically for interstellar travel. TTM reduces a patient’s core body 
  temperature, cooling vital organs and slowing metabolic rates similar to those of 
  hibernating mammals, such as the arctic ground squirrel. This space-faring 
  technology is called statis or hypersleep, but is also known (erroneously) as 
  cryogenic freezing or ‘cryo’. This hibernation mimics the natural hibernation of bears 
  and squirrels in the wintertime when food is scarce. Crew-members in stasis sleep 
  and breathe very slowly, whilst food is administered by an intravenous pump. The 
  and crewman still ages, albeit at a slightly slower rate. 
   
  Hypersleep Pods 
  Hypersleep stasis pods (or ‘tubes’) must be included for every human being onboard 
  a hyperdrive-equipped starship; epilepsy, madness, insanity or coma will affect any 
  living creature passing through hyperspace that is not protected by stasis. One 
  hypersleep pod carries one crewman or passenger, costs $50,000, and displaces 
  one-half ton. The pods are typically laid out in rows within a dedicated stasis or 
  hypersleep chamber. The walls of the chamber house lockers for clothing and 
  personal items, and the berth typically includes a toilet and shower for last minute 
  ablutions.  
   
  The hypersleep chamber is made up of a contoured bed with heatable pads, fitted 
  within an enclosed capsule. These have transparent and fireproof lids. The chambers 
  are programmed by the starship computer to initiate, maintain and terminate 
  hypersleep stasis of crew based on the length of the mission. Zero-loss lithium ion 
  batteries within a backup system support the chamber’s function for up to 100 years 
  in case of emergency.  
   
  While individuals in status are removed from the effects of timeand incurable 
  insanity, long periods of hypersleep can cause muscle tone to weaken, often leading 
  to cramps and the diminishing of physical abilities upon waking. Even so, stasis 
  tubes are effective to the point of being able to sustain and suspend an individual for 
  decades, although waking from such a lengthy period of stasis carries with it minor 
  side effects, including nausea, exhaustion and dizziness, that may last for several 
  days. Being removed from stasis abruptly without a proper wake-up procedure is 
  dangerous, and while not usually fatal, it can lead to damage.  
   
   
   
  
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  Stasis Systems 
  Passengers or crewmen entering stasis are actively cooled to a mild hypothermic 
  state (defined as a core temperature between 32 to 34 °C). Shivering (a muscle 
  activation response that tries to rewarm the body) is commonly suppressed with a 
  very low-level infusion of propofol and fentanyl, with the intermittent treatment of 
  benzodiazepine. The ship’s medic typically administers this first shot, whilst carrying 
  out a quick medical check to ascertain the suitability of the subject for stasis. He or 
  she then helps the subject get settled in the chamber and inserts both a feeding 
  drip, a urine catheter and the all-important cooling line. In most cases this cooling 
  catheter would be inserted into the crew’s femoral vein or into the chest. A double 
  lumen, cooled saline solution is then pumped through a metal coated cooling line 
  inserted into the subject’s femoral vein. The saline cools a crewman’s whole body by 
  lowering the temperature of their blood through conduction cooling. No cooled fluid 
  actually enters the patient’s blood stream. The Haruna K560 Cool-Line is the most 
  common version of the stasis cooling system in use today.  
   
  All of the nutrition and hydration requirements of a crewman are provided by a liquid 
  solution that is administered via an intravenous (IV) feeding drip directly into the 
  body. This aqueous solution contains all nutrients that the body needs to maintain 
  full physiologic function and is fed slowly through the IV.  
   
  Once the ship’s computer (or the android on-board) drops the ship out of 
  hyperspace, it will initiate the crew wakeup procedure, pumping warm water into the 
  veinal lines, and shutting off the feeding lines. It will also activate heating pads 
  inside the seat cushion.  
   
  Unlike in the standard Cepheus Engine rules, there is no danger of death, unless 
  being resuscitated in an emergency.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  OPTIONAL STASIS TIME PERIODS 
  From Wake Up - To Standing Upright 
   
  Standard  
  Double Endurance subtracted from 35 minutes (av.21           
  minutes) 
   
  Emergency  1D6 minutes; crewman also makes a Difficult (-2)  
  Endurance roll or suffers 1D6 damage and -1 to all tasks 
  for 3 hours. 
   
  From Undressing – To Going Unconscious  
   
  Standard 
  If Medic makes Routine (+2) Medicine roll, time is 5  
  minutes. If failed, or without a medic, time is 20 minutes.  
   
  Emergency If Medic makes Average (0) Medicine roll, time is 2  
  minutes. If failed, or without a medic, time is 12 minutes. 
  Any crewman undergoing emergency stasis risks 
  permanent physical damage. Successfully make a 
  Routine Strength roll or reduce Str, Dex or End 
  permanently by 1 point (player chooses).  
   
  
  P a g e  | 30
   
  Passenger Ticketing Options 
  Standard-Class Starship Ticket ($1,000)  
   
  This is a ticket on a commercial liner. With a standard-class ticket the passenger is 
  frozen at the starport and shipped to the starship like freight. He or she has a 
  meagre 10kg baggage allowance that fits into the locker at the foot of the 
  hypersleep pod.  Equivalent to Cepheus Engine’s Low Passage. 
   
  Elite-Class Starship Ticket ($8,000) 
  This is also a ticket on a commercial liner. The elite-class ticket has more perks, 
  however, reflecting its higher price tag. Passengers are given a drink and snack 
  before being put into hypersleep on board ship, and they are woken on approach to 
  their destination, giving them time to shower, dress, eat and acclimatize themselves 
  to ‘normal space’ before deboarding the starship. In short, they are treated more like 
  privileged crew than freight. Elite-class tickets include a generous 1000 kg baggage 
  allowance that is carried in the ship’s hold. A 10 kg ‘carry-on bag’ is also allowed that 
  is stowed into the locker at the foot of the hypersleep pod.  Equivalent to Cepheus 
  Engine’s Middle Passage. 
  
  P a g e  | 31
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Fitting the retro-tech setting of HOSTILE, computing more resembles the systems 
  of the late 1980s than those of the early 21st century. Key differences are a lack of 
  wi-fi cable-less technology and the absence of ultra-miniaturization of computing. 
  There are no palm computers or smart phones and touch screen technology does 
  not exist (apart from the advances made in the Hosaka Memex, see later). None of 
  this means to say the computers in 2225 are not powerful and versatile machines, 
  it’s just that they have a number of minor limitations which we in the twenty-teens, 
  are no longer familiar with. Forget full-colour LCD or plasma screens, too, the 
  cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors in HOSTILE are monochrome, typically green, 
  although amber, blue and even white displays are in use (the actual colour depends 
  on the type of phosphor being used to create the display. 
   
  The computers of the 22nd and early 23rd century certainly are wonders of 
  technology, the culmination of decades of improvements in processing speed, data 
  storage and in recent years, user interface and artificial intelligence. They are 
  however bound mechanically by the electronic construction methods of the society 
  they serve and in this regard computers have become faster, smarter and more 
  intuitive but also larger, and more demanding of power and cooling. Even 
  computerized sub-systems, control modules and monitoring equipment, along with a 
  million other subtle applications in modern technology, must contend with the 
  restrictions of their component parts. Chief among these is size. For all their 
  sophistication and capability the computers of 2225 AD are solid, bulky and for the 
  most part ugly. These are incredibly powerful machines but equally power hungry, 
  frail, maintenance demanding and super-heated.  
   
  Mainframes 
  Mainframes, the true work horses of the computer world, are large with spacecraft 
  and naval shipping models requiring entire sections of the ship to commit to several 
  tons of memory storage and processing equipment. Permanent ground installations 
  in office blocks and corporate HQs can be even bigger with CPU speed and capability 
  limited only by sheer acreage, power supply and coolant. Main frames are sealed 
  behind ventilated metal shielding and sprout kilometres of electrical conduit, fiber 
  optic cable and coolant lines. Temperatures must be continually controlled to keep 
  CPUs at peak performance and mainframe berths are kept extremely cold, as a rule. 
  Backup generators, redundant coolant equipment, fire suppression and other 
  support machinery surround mainframes increasing their bulk and complexity. The 
  tonnage assigned to the starship’s bridge typically incorporates both avionics and 
  much of this extensive computing infrastructure.  
   
   
  
  P a g e  | 32
   
  Workstations 
  Hard-wired workstations are the user portals into the computer brain of the 
  mainframe. They are used to provide outputs from the mainframe and to allow 
  access to its capabilities. Workstations are often used in factories, on colonies and 
  on board starships and space-stations. Used to access a mainframe, the workstation 
  has a rating of Model/0 (it does not run its own programs). Workstations, however, 
  can also be stand-alone computers, much like modern-day PCs. They have integral 
  processors and memory hard drives with their own dedicated software. Workstations 
  in some installations or businesses will often be connected to one another via a 
  wired network and can be rated as a Model/1 to a Model/4. A workstation weighs 
  around 10kg (without chair and console unit) and costs $250.  
   
  Construction of a  ‘computer room’ is de rigeur when a mainframe is installed, in a 
  building, starship or colony complex. This 6 metre-square room houses a master 
  workstation which allows an operator to see every active monitor on the computer 
  network, it allows deep-level programming to be carried out and must be used in 
  those cases where the administration password is required. Typically the room 
  requires a coded pass to enter, either via an ID card slotted into a reader or a 
  numeric keypad.  
   
  Portable Terminals  
  Portable computers are available but provide a minimum of processing power and 
  memory and weigh in at around 5kg. These stand-alone computers resemble 
  modern laptops with hinged cases and they often run dedicated software; however 
  they must be connected to the hardware they control via a cable. Controls for 
  complex field equipment require these dedicated laptops, often supplied in tough, 
  
  P a g e  | 33
   
  anti-shock cases with integral carry handles. Portable terminals like this are supplied 
  along with remote sentry guns, uplink transmitters, portable radars and drones – 
  (amongst other things). Portable terminals weigh 5 kg and are rated from Model/1 
  to Model/4. 
   
  Interfacing  
  Computer screens are monochromatic cathode screens for the most part, simplistic 
  and purely functional in design with little thought to user appeal. Keyboards are the 
  primary control interface for users, spring-loaded keys clacking loudly when entering 
  data or command prompts. Some expert-system keyboards feature integral 
  trackballs for the precise targeting or activation of commands or for interfacing with 
  graphical displays. Voice recognition modules are available of course but are rarely 
  utilized at workstations or remote terminals. Only direct communication with the 
  central CPU typically warrants such a luxury and then only on top-of-the-line models. 
  Peripherals such as memory storage disk drives and printers are common, with 
  hardcopy printouts of critical data lines regular procedure for many users.  
   
   
  The Data Network 
  Working in an orbital hab, an outpost or in the science bay of a starship, a character 
  will have access to a Local Area Network (LAN) which constantly monitors 
  machinery, environmental readings and subsystems using telemetry – things like 
  ATVs, vacc suits and drones – all in real time. Of course the LAN also features 
  extensive memory files and scientific software, but it is mainly concerned with 
  monitoring and controlling a complex piece of machinery. Some corporations and 
  other organisations run their own LANs known as intranets, closed systems that 
  allow access to wider nets only through established data gateways.  
   
  A data network exists in 2225 that not only covers the entire Earth, but stations 
  throughout the Solar System and all of the Off-World Colonies and outposts as far as 
  the Outer Rim. It exists where communication exists, data piggy-backing on com-
  lines to allow computers to transfer data and to communicate with one another. 
  Today we call this the Internet, in HOSTILE it is known as the Integrated Data 
  Network (IDN, or simply, ‘Network’).  Because communication is greatly delayed by 
  the great interplanetary and interstellar distances involved, the Network employs a 
  new set of protocols and technologies that are tolerant to large delays and errors. 
  Data requiring transfer is bundled, stored and then forwarded and this means that 
  instantaneous net usage is impossible. The Network across the Solar System is 
  broken up into separate Planetary Area Networks (PANs), such as Earth-Net, Titan-
  Net and so on. Likewise, the separate interstellar colony and outpost worlds have 
  their own PANs (such as Hiroshima-Net). The huge communication time lag between 
  worlds effectively closes these PANs off from one another and communication 
  between them is effectively via text, voice or video email, forwarded data transfer 
  packets and bulletins.  
   
   
  
  P a g e  | 34
   
  Data Storage 
  Data Cards are the main method of mobile information storage and resemble 
  modern-day smart cards. A data card resembles a credit card in size and shape but 
  it is more than a piece of plastic. The inside of a data card contains an embedded 
  microprocessor. Data cards may have up to 1 gigabyte of RAM as well as a 16-bit 
  microprocessor; they use a serial interface and receive their power from the card 
  reader they are currently connected to. Their weight is negligible and their cost is $5 
  each.  
   
  Optical Discs are used as a more powerful file storage platform and are also the 
  central format for playing media (video and audio). The standard Baumann GmbH  
  MiniDisk series holds up to 15.9 gigabytes of data and each glass disc is permanently 
  mounted within a small, rectangular plastic case. The disc itself can withstand 
  extreme temperatures and pressures and is predicted to hold its data internally for 
  millennia. Their weight is negligible and their cost is $15 each.  
   
  Software 
  While HOSTILE provided a limited number of software options for starship 
  computers, its sister RPG, Zaibatsu provides many more options.  Zaibatsu also 
  provides a system for hacking into mainframes, computer networks and other parts 
  of cyberspace.    
   
  Personal Electronics 
  There are a variety of small, personal electronics, but nothing comes close to the 
  modern smart phone or tablet. There are digital cameras, as well as card readers 
  and optical disc readers, for example, which are used for reading or editing data 
  cards or watching videos, respectively. Beyond the portable terminal (the HOSTILE 
  equivalent of the laptop) sits the memex, a single-use electronic data handling 
  clipboard.  
   
  Hosaka 4 Memex: A handy, clipboard-sized Model/0 terminal running 
  administration and record-keeping software. It features a monochromatic screen 
  
  P a g e  | 35
   
  with an in-built stylus. The memex is quite rugged, and it features a spring-loaded 
  jack cable for plugging into any videofone unit that enables it to access the Network. 
  It can plug into the Network physically and in a world like HOSTILE where wireless 
  computing does not exist, the memex may play a much bigger role. Cops can use it 
  to check in to HQ to search through mugshots or licence plates, small amounts of 
  data can be downloaded  by cable into the memex memory. Data cards are used to 
  add more data to the functionality of the memex, and any accounts or records that 
  the device creates can be stored on data card. Starship crews, courier firms and 
  corporations around the world use the memex to record, track and confirm cargos 
  and packages. Its record-keeping software is popular around the world, the memex 
  even being used by the US Marines and other military services. This electronic 
  clipboard (‘e-board’) weighs 2 kg and costs $250.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Part of the Architecture of a Model/1 CRM Basic Workstation 
  
  P a g e  | 36
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Advances in bioelectronics throughout the 21st century saw the birth of the first 
  androids but these marginally reactive semi-automatons only barely deserved the 
  distinction. Confined by the same electronic principles that hindered their electronic 
  cousins they were little more than programmable machines in human form. It was 
  not until startling developments in wetware science and accompanying biorobotics 
  emerged in the mid-22nd century that the dream of a true android became a reality. 
  Through bioengineering specific cell structures, programming individual neurons and 
  artificially sequencing DNA strands, a biological element was introduced into the 
  otherwise electromechanical construction of the first android body and then the 
  brain. The result was more than an advanced CPU, it was a fully functional bio-
  computer - a synthetic organism. Technically it was a cyborg, as it contained both 
  organic and synthetic components - these androids, released for sale in 2170, were 
  an entirely new construct, the offspring of a whole new technology, all the way 
  down to the cellular level. Transdyne Cybersystems led the research and 
  development in this new field for decades and was quick to seize both legal 
  copyright and a manufacturing and marketing   monopoly on the technology. All 
  legally manufactured androids are Transdyne models without exception.  
   
  Programming has steadily improved from the earliest Alpha models that could 
  acknowledge and respond to a limited list of verbal commands only, to the fully 
  interactive and emotive Gamma models of the 2190s. It was in 2209 however that 
  the first sentient computer was brought online, not by Transdyne however but by a 
  rival. Four years later the rival company was forced into bankruptcy and all of their 
  assets, research and the prototype AI became the property of TDC. The move was 
  not swift enough to stop the appearance of a number of sentient computer core 
  designs with various corporate labels (Leyland Okuda, for example) but it assured 
  TDC was at the forefront of new AI development. In 2214 the new Epsilon-series 
  was launched as the first truly sentient, synthetic life form.  
   
  The Epsilon-series android was not simply a self-aware computer, however. Several 
  models of AI-CPU had earned that distinction first and were already performing 
  services in a number of applications, from industry to research and even spacecraft 
  mainframe monitoring and control. These fully responsive and intelligent machines 
  were marvels in their own right but the unique nature and construction of the 
  Transdyne androids took this technology to an amazing and truthfully unexpected 
  apex. When coupled with the wetware convergence of machine and organic 
  construction the android became more than aware, it was sentient, for all pretences, 
  alive. What the bio-electronic brain lacked in conventional memory and processing, it 
  expanded in ways even the technicians could not have anticipated. Each android 
  began to develop, immediately upon activation, as an individual. Attempts to install  
  
  P a g e  | 37
   
   
  Clarice 4 – A Gamma-series 
  
  P a g e  | 38
   
  the android consciousness into traditional computer roles proved disastrous, the 
  subjects developing destabilizing neurosis or simply shutting down from the stress. 
  When given the opportunity to perform as an individual however, they often 
  exceeded their programming, achieving a level of sophistication that what not unlike 
  the beginnings of personality.  
   
  The Epsilon-series is now in its 7th model and has performed beyond all 
  expectations. Androids have found a place not only as functional assistants but have 
  demonstrated the ability to act independently, form relationships and enhance their 
  initial programming. They remain somewhat restricted in the area of expressed 
  emotion and it is still believed by most that what the android may express as 
  preference, opinion, or creative thought is still just a matter of programmed 
  behavioural algorithms. There is a movement by some however to grant androids 
  status as living beings as with generations the distinction between artificial and 
  actual life form becomes more blurred. 
   
  Android Construction 
  The modern android is a human-like, electro-mechanical cyborg designed for harsh 
  conditions or monotonous tasks (or both). Built around a sturdy carbon fiber 
  skeleton is a complex system of silicon muscles that stabilizes and controls. An outer 
  covering of bio-plastic sheeting is built up on top of a layer of flexible collagenous 
  fibers. The most modern androids operate with a Model/4 computer running either a 
  level 1, 2 or 3 Intellect program. To calculate an android’s Intelligence in comparison 
  to a human, add 5 to its Intellect program level (giving it a character Intelligence 
  characteristic of 6-8). An android’s social standing stands at a default level of 0.  
   
  Power is provided for around three months by a 25 kW fuel cell requiring a liquid 
  hydrogen fuel. Obviously, androids do not need to breath, drink or eat, but they do 
  occasionally ingest a pale-coloured, semi-organic nutrient suspension in a silicon-
  based liquid medium; this serves as a lubricant for the system’s micro-hydraulics.  
  Some attempt to ‘fit in’ to their mission teams by eating and drinking at meal-times, 
  these nutrients will pass through the system harmlessly until emptied by the 
  android. Such an ability allows an android to blend in seamlessly, even covertly.  
   
  The machinery, processor, fuel cell and carefully designed outer skin can be 
  damaged, so  it is prudent for androids to wear vacc suits or hostile environment 
  suits. Vacuum, high pressure, high temperature and aggressive atmospheric 
  chemical constituents can all irreparably damage an android. The cost of a single 
  unit precludes the avoidable and wasteful use of an android in such an environment.  
  Most androids are competent and of average human intelligence. They are generally 
  programmed with passive, non-aggressive personalities and are typically given the 
  likeness of a mature (30-40 year-old) male or female. The aim is to blend in, to join 
  in, to be a team-player within a group of humans, supporting the leadership and 
  providing useful options and advice without being forceful. Androids cannot harm 
  humans and follow Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. See the chapter titled Hiring 
  On and Skills for more guidelines on roleplaying androids.  
   
  
  P a g e  | 39
   
  Fifth generation (Epsilon-series) androids can be bought as stock models for a 
  competitive price, or the customer cn customize his android from parts available at 
  the factory. This only applies to the most recent series of TDC androids. Custom-
  made units are ready for delivery within 6-10 months. Buyers must specify their 
  preferred options. To build an android, begin with a chassis, add software and then 
  any preferred options as directed in the HOSTILE rulebook.  
   
  Repair Station - Androids require an upright repair station, massing around 200 kg 
  into which the android itself, steps. A transparent lid then closes, and the android 
  plugs in, and undergoes a diagnostic and lubricant change; the fuel cell is topped up 
  with liquid hydrogen also, if needed.  Typically, androids will require a check-up 
  every month or so, or after sustaining damage. Minor damage (that damage marked 
  as ‘First Hit’ on the Cepheus Vehicle Damage table) can usually be repaired in 1-6 
  hours.  
   
  Next Generation Androids 
  AI technology - such as that found in androids - is a biological computer or wetware 
  core processor which creates a volitional thinking machine, a neural network with a 
  high level of cognition. For the incredible complexity of free thought, creativity, 
  problem solving, and volitional action to work reliably and stably over time, it was 
  found to work most efficiently in a form which mirrored the neurological structure of 
  the human brain. The Transdyne android brain is formed around artificially 
  constructed neurons and electrode pairs. It uses electrical signals to read and write 
  to the neurons, which are kept at a stable temperature and PH level, etc. A fully 
  sapient android brain has billions of these artificial neurons, with numbers 
  approximating that of a human brain. Lower levels of complexity can create 
  sentience, even primitive reasoning, but fifth generation Transdyne androids (and 
  perhaps others) possesses truly human-like levels of brain power. This makes them 
  appropriate for PCs, but they aren’t the only types of androids in the HOSTILE 
  universe: 
   
  Android 
  Generation 
  Remarks  
  Characteristics 
  Typical 
  Price  
  Alpha 
  [2170] 
  Simple tasks, novelty and curiosity 
  value; crude appearance. 
  Computer/1 
  Intellect 1 
  Chassis 70 
  5,000 
  Beta 
  [2186] 
  Smarter 
  and 
  more 
  versatile, 
  but 
  suffering instability problems; human-
  like, but obviously synthetic. 
  Computer/2 
  Intellect 1 
  Chassis 70 
  10,000 
  Gamma 
  [2190] 
  More stable behaviour; human-like, 
  but obviously synthetic. 
  Computer/2 
  Intellect 1 
  Chassis 90 
  40,000 
  Delta 
  [2200] 
  Complex and flexible in approach, 
  almost indistinguishable from humans 
  Computer/3 
  Intellect 2 
  Chassis 90 
  60,000 
  Epsilon 
  [2214] 
  Most 
  complex 
  to 
  date, 
  almost 
  indistinguishable from humans. Also 
  available 
  also 
  as 
  a 
  custom-build 
  option.  
  Computer/4 
  Intellect 3 
  Chassis 110 
   
  80,000 
   
  
  P a g e  | 40
   
   
  First generation (Alpha-series) androids were the earliest to use the wetware core 
  processors that produced sentient machines. These experiments could feel and 
  think, though they were suitable only for the simplest tasks. Many found uses as 
  performers and expensive curiosities. Second generation androids (Beta-series) were 
  much smarter, but occasionally suffered stability and learning problems. While all 
  androids were programmed to avoid violence against humans, second gen androids 
  occasionally ‘lost their marbles’ and lashed out at humans around them. This process 
  fault was not fully understood, perhaps linked to poor quality control, but it caused a 
  quick third generation android release (Gamma-series) which were generally stable. 
  TDC had found the right balance, and the Gamma-series machines, which came 
  online in 2190, proved very popular as mining employees, rescue workers, logistics 
  and support soldiers, and so forth. In fact, the old standby ‘third-gens’ are still big 
  sellers for Transdyne – though they are unsuitable as PCs.  
   
  Purchasing Your Android 
  Prices given in HOSTILE are for the custom-built Epsilon-series. Pre-built off the 
  shelf models, with no customization and a processor with reduced initiative, cost 
  around half of that value. The referee would need to create a few of these off-the-
  shelf designs.  Not everyone is buying the most up-to-date Epsilon-series, though, 
  there are thousands of good delta and gamma models out there. The gammas look 
  obviously artificial (‘a talking crash-test dummy’ as the riggers on one Erebus 
  installation joke) and many use very limited skills such as loading, stacking boxes, 
  driving a front-end loader, operating mining machinery, etc. Unlike the newer series, 
  the deltas and gammas are a little less advanced, more impersonal, quirky, and 
  
  P a g e  | 41
   
  subtly artificial - but hey, at only $40,000 (compared to $425,000 for an off-the-shelf 
  Epsilon-series Carol model) you can’t go wrong … can you?  
   
  Each series of androids offers a range of pre-built options, called models. Each 
  model has a designatory number (the Epsilon 5 has skills as a starship pilot and 
  engineer, for example, whilst the Epsilon 9 is fully equipped for combat). It is likely 
  that a company will purchase multiples of an android model and these individuals 
  are given identifying names, that are paired with the model number as a suffix. 
  Braniff Starlines bought six Epsilon 5s for their VIP fleet, designating them Carol 5, 
  Mary 5, Ron 5, David 5, Hampton 5 and Veronica 5. As a side-note, the author noted 
  that the two androids named in the recent Alien prequel movies carry the Christian-
  names of Alien producers, David Giler and Walter Hill. Perhaps this is a naming 
  scheme worth pursuing…  
   
  l e g a l 
   
  The Following Is An Important Notice 
  This Product is derived from the Traveller System Reference Document and other 
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  Open Game License Version 1.0a 
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc (‘Wizards’). All Rights Reserved. 
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  modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any 
  version of this License. 
  
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  10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy 
  of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 
  11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game 
  Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from 
  the Contributor to do so. 
  12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms 
  of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, 
  judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game 
  Material so affected. 
  13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply 
  with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware 
  of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 
  14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such 
  provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 
  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  High Guard System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose Publishing. 
  Mercenary System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose Publishing. 
  Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002-2004, Wizards of the Coast, 
  Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, Eric Cagle, 
  David Noonan, Stan!, Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker, based 
  on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter 
  Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker. Swords & 
  Wizardry Core Rules, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch System Reference 
  Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, 
  Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave 
  Arneson. T20 - The Traveller’s Handbook Copyright 2002, Quiklink Interactive, Inc. 
  Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used under license.  
   
  Traveller System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose Publishing. 
  Vehicle Handbook System Reference Document Copyright © 2012, Mongoose 
  Publishing. Traveller is © 2008 Mongoose Publishing. Traveller and related logos, 
  character, names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Far Future 
  Enterprises unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved. Mongoose Publishing Ltd 
  Authorized User. Cepheus Engine System Reference Document, Copyright © 2016 
  Samardan Press; Author Jason "Flynn" Kemp. HOSTILE is Copyright © 2017 Zozer 
  Games, author Paul Elliott. 
   
  IMAGES 
  By NASA (Mariner-Venus 1962 Final Project Report) [Public domain], via Wikimedia 
  Commons 
  By Jafet at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 
  Grid Computing By jmdo (propia) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or 
  CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia 
  Commons 
  Torpor Image: SpaceWorks Enterprises 
  Other Images: Pixabay Open Content Imagery 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cepheus Engine/Cepheus Engine/Settings/Hostile/HOSTILE Technical Manual (Zozer).pdf