Sol Survivor: Issue 1 From: soliiigm@aol.com Date: Thu, 28 Nov 1996 00:00:00 +0000 Greetings! Welcome to the premier issue of the Sol Survivor, the Player journal of the Sol III PBeM RPG. With the exception of the Galactacyclopedia entries, all of the fiction and columns in this journal are the product of the players of Sol III. Read and enjoy. ****************************** ****************************** NIGHT SIDE, Part I by Enigma Z Remember 2602? The best-seller was Dekker's satire, "The Harmony of Angels", The Oxford University archaeological dig on Ambrosias IV unearthed tangible evidence of pre-Atlantean humanoid space travelers, and the Graviton Helix Cannon proved an effective weapon, annihilating an Overlord dreadnaught on the outer fringes of the Sol System. And I arrived on L5 from... well, that's not important. I was in my quarters, three chapters into Dekker's above-referenced satire, when I decided that "The Harmony of Angels" was the most pretentious garbage ever to occupy valuable HAM [Holographic Array Memory]. I deleted it from my DataCom and threw the thin plaque onto my bed. I felt an immediate need to clear my head, so I put on my jacket (the purple paisley one later destroyed by the Hissstians) and left for the Arboretum. I find the Arboretum, with its varied tranquil chambers, to be one of my favorite locales on the station, along with The Universe's End and University -- on the occasions that I can afford a class there. It's a reasonably long walk, even using the lifts, but I decided I needed the exercise and forewent the luxury of a port pad. I found the orc security guard, Murray, leaving the Mojave Zone just as I arrived. "Good evening, Mr. Enigma," he said in that incongruous high-pitched voice of his. "Is it?" I replied. "Evening, that is." "Well, you know... the plants like a 24-hour light cycle. It's getting dark now, so 'evening'." "I know, Murray; I was just kidding you." I could see that he was preparing to continue his rounds. "You have a good night." The chamber was cooling, making me glad I grabbed the jacket. The stars were just starting to appear. Illusory stars in a holographic sky to be sure, but stars none the less. There were no sounds, save the usual omnipresent sounds of the station, so pervasive that nobody ever notices them save in their absence. Nevertheless, it still felt right to some ancient part of me -- a part that has nothing to do with starships, or antiseptic steel corridors, or even language. I sat on a bench overlooking a cactus bed and began my meditations. I had been meditating for perhaps a half-hour when I heard a dull metal on metal clank, which brought me to instant awareness. I listened for other sounds, but heard none. "Murray, is that you?" I asked aloud. I received no response. My curiosity aroused, I stood up, stretched, and went in search of the source of the disturbance. It was quite dark by now, and I moved slowly in the dim light that remained. I had gone maybe no more than 50 meters when I heard a barely-audible scurrying noise. I picked up my pace and rounded a corner just in time to see someone -- someTHING -- slink into a technician access tunnel. In the instant I observed the creature, I knew it could not be of the races with which I am familiar. There was something... inhuman about the way it stood... the way it moved. I can recall few details of the creature, save for large, deep-set eyes, gray putty-like skin, and the tattered and stained robe it wore. Fascinated, I moved to follow the creature. END OF PART I Surviving in The 20s...2020s That Is A Contintuing Article/ Opinionary By: Adam "Kabal" Beerman the Twenty-Fifth We all know how hard it is to survive in the world, but what if the world you had to survive in was post-nuclear? Thats right boys and girls World War III happened. It was not a myth or a story that your grandparents and even your parents made up if they survived. This columnist survived in what used to be sunny South Florida of the good old United States of North America. Yes, my parents survived and had three beautiful children, but as fellow 26ers know my personal history is as weird as saying that Purists are really sane. Anyway, here I am writing this article for all those who want to read. I was hired to convince people that survivng is really easy. IT is look at me. Well don't. Look at Steelsun. Nevermind him. He came back from the dead with an even bigger ego than before. Seriously folks, it is easy to survive in Houston. Just strap yourself in and wait for the rollar coaster to begin. There is Greenway for example. I was there unfortunately. Lucky for you readers though. Thats where the before mentioned Purists hang out. Purists are really quite nice, if you like the over-the-edge, all mutants,sub- humans,bastians, and magikers must die type of person. I really found them repulsive considering what my people had to put up with in WWII. I am Jewish by the way. When I found myself in Greenway, by invitation sort off, I was locked in a jail cell. I escaped with help from another prisoner. They tried to chase me down, but with my survival instincts I got out without a scratch. That surprised me, my survival skills. You see I am an engineer, not having a lot of adventuring experience before I came to Houston. These columns I hope will help to survive. Thats only if my employer wants to keep me. To keep me though I'll need to see green and I don't mean grass. There is a survival tip right there. Don't do anything if its not for personal gain. Thats the lesson for today class. Short and simple. Just an introduction. Class dimissed....... From the Galactaencyclopedia: Innernet It would be very nice if there was a pat explanation as to why the Innernet works. There is not. The whole concept was first observed in the actions of certain programs out on the public access nets in the late part of 2003. It was noted that when Hacker activity picked back up after the war, that the standard hacker detection programs were not working as they should, and when the offenders were traced, the results were puzzling. A panel of some of the best surviving hackers was assembled, including Jeremy Stone, and IceHacker. They put together a trace program on a secure, unconnected computer. It was successful in that it did piggyback it's way through the datastream on an intruder program. What the hackers found though, was that the program that they were following had been originated by an experimental AI (Artificial Intelligence) computer. Apparently, the combination of Magick, Psi energy that every sentient being generates, and the EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) that the bombs had generated caused the machine to take on a certain amount of life along with it's intelligence. Once it realized that it had been traced, it dispersed, splitting itself into many nodes on every computer that it could link up in the biggest chain ever. the result was the Innernet. Innernet has since grown to be a strange form of reality called by a number of different names. Cyberspace. The Net. Jackland. Runway. Fastlane. There are only a few ways to enter it. The First Level is software interface only. Regardless of how advanced the interface is, including everything from keyboard input to full VR set-ups, the mind is never directly connected to the net. This is the basic way that most people jack in, since it is fairly safe, as you only risk discovery and your computer. The Second Level is a bit more complex. In it, you actually jack the Net into your mind through an I/O port. This is the way that most of the professional hackers do it, since the direct mind link makes for faster reactions, and allows the program that the Netter is controlling to put more into weapons and protection software than just into operations software. Unfortunately, it means that you are putting your mind on the table as far as potential targets go. If your computer that you are jacked into is hit, it means that you can get your brain fried real fast. Third Level is something that a whole lot of netters don't like to talk about. It involves actually entering the net with your body in a digitized form. This means that all of your real world skills apply in the net, including Psi and Magick, but that you are now free floating. The computer that you came in at is not linked to you in any way that will damage you if the computer is fried. On the other hand, it is where the Digitized record of your body is. You might wind up being stuck in the net forever as your body gradually erodes, becoming a "Ghost" in the net. In closing, bear in mind that the Net still has not been explored to many people's satisfaction, even now, 600 years later. It is constantly changing, and ever unpredictable. Referenced By Up