The following contains my detailed comments on the GDW "virus" scenario,
and details on an alternative that many of you might find more attractive.
I am willing to support the New Era as a Traveller role-playing background.
Although the virus is only a vehicle to get from the Hard Times of the
Rebellion into the New Era, it is a plot device that must be effective and
believable. If the purchasers of TRAVELLER: THE NEW ERA cannot believe in
the plot devices of the background history, then they will not be able to
suspend their disbelief during the course of the game. This will cause the
game to fail in the marketplace.
In the paragraphs below, I will be presenting a detailed critique of the
virus as it was presented by GDW. This is not intended to be derogatory or
destructive. For all of the points I will raise, I have provided at least
one answer; my intent is to provide a believable plot device which does the
job required. If you do not want to hear criticism, then skip ahead; the
reasons why I think that parts of the current story are untenable are not
vital to the discussion. However, I will present (at the end of the
discussion of the virus) what I feel is a much more believable and cohesive
plot device, which uses nearly the same elements as the virus presented
here, and which produces the same results. I hope you will chose to accept
these in the spirit in which they are offered; I give GDW my express
permission to use this scenario or an adaptation of it in TRAVELLER: THE
NEW ERA (a mention in the acknowledgments would be nice, though).
I have two sets of objections to the GDW virus. One set, is based on the
information presented in Signal GK, the other being more fundamental in
nature. I strongly suggest re-reading the adventure. A detailed reading
of Signal GK shows that some of the Cymbeline life-forms contain circuit
fragments derived from a common type of amplifier chip found in many
Imperial devices, including transponders. In other words, Imperial
transponders do not contain sophont computer chips, but rather the sophont
computer chips evolved to incorporate transponder circuit fragments. The
adventure also allows us to date the discovery of these life-forms at less
than twenty years before the onset of the Rebellion. Even if they proved
to be an immediate commercial success, this is hardly enough time for them
to have become universally used in Imperial commerce.
Furthermore, even if one knew nothing about the events that transpired in
Signal GK, it seems very unlikely that if the Imperium had the ability to
construct and use sophont computer chips, that they would be used in
transponders as described above. If they were, it seems even more unlikely
that they were not used in other applications. It seems much more likely
that in this case sophont computers and robots would be ubiquitous
throughout the Imperium and surrounds.
In addition, the use of these beings in such devices seems to be in direct
disregard of the long-stated Imperial policy "All sophont life-forms within
the Imperium are Imperial citizens, and are therefore protected". The
Cymbeline computer chips are indeed naturally-evolved life-forms
(admittedly with a very unusual biochemistry) which are indeed sophonts.
So it seems that the Imperium is now in the business of breeding slave
races.
Finally, there seems to be little need for a great amount of intelligence
in a transponder system. Transponders are used for navigation, traffic
control and to identify a vessel to the authorities and to other vessels.
Transponder is a contraction of "Transmitter-Responder", which describes
the function quite well. It transmits a response (typically consisting of
the vessel's name, identification, position, course, and speed) whenever it
receives an inquiry signal (typically whenever the vessel carrying the
transponder is scanned by an active sensor system). It hardly requires a
microprocessor, let alone a sophont computer chip.
It seems highly unlikely that any responsible naval architect would use a
device which could be reprogrammed by radio commands in the transponder
system of a starship. Furthermore, if one were used, it seems criminally
negligent for that device to be allowed any sort of direct access to the
central control computer. It stretched credibility beyond the breaking
point to suggest that an enslaved sentient being would be allowed intimate,
overriding access to the central control system of a starship. The field
of electronic engineering abounds with devices designed specifically to
isolate sensitive or critical parts of a system from unpredictable external
effects. They are used to protect computers and other sensitive equipment
from electrical shock or chemical contamination, and they would be used
here to isolate the transponder from the more vital computer systems of the
spacecraft.
The idea of uncontrollable technology and "vampire ships" sounds
interesting, playable, and believable. As part of the New Era background,
examples of the virus will probably still be present at the fringes of
inhabited space. Periodic "bug hunts" may even be necessary to open up new
areas of space, and to keep the virus from encroaching on the remaining
areas of civilization. My only problem with the virus is with the plot
device as presented, and not the plot lines and adventures thus produced.
The virus is a creature, with a habitat, life-cycle, needs and desires.
Since it is a sophont, it also has a psychology and a culture. In the
admittedly brief description given, the creature is poorly detailed, and
some of the features do not seem to make sense: that the creature
reproduces by broadcasting radio signals to host sophonts which have been
incorporated into commonly-used devices; and that it then programs its
personality into any nearby computer, and proceeds to kill any humans it
encounters.
Start reading again here, if you have been skipping over the discussion of
the virus. I would like to propose a variation, which I believe will
result in a much more believable story (and may even allow additional plots
to be developed during the course of a game). I should point out that the
following outline does not require sophont computer chips in common
Imperial devices, nor does it require the virus to spread by radio
communications.
Let me start with Lucan's secret-weapon laboratories. The Cymbeline
life-forms were undoubtedly known to scientists in the Imperial core, and
considered as possible weapons. They have several unique properties: they
are small, intelligent, can reproduce, and are self-mobile. In their
natural habitat, they receive energy and food (silicon and trace elements)
from their environment. Applying the principles of genetic engineering,
and the techniques of advanced electronic engineering, Lucan's researchers
created a "tailored" organism that is related to the original Cymbeline
predator in much the same way that a fully-trained and equipped U.S.
Marine is like a modern inner-city teenager. Because they create or mimic
conventional computer viruses, and because of their rapid transmission from
world to world, these creatures have become known as "The Virus". As they
have spread throughout inhabited space, additional adaptations and
variations have emerged, creating different strains of the virus. The
following description of the creature's life cycle is necessarily general;
individual strains can be as different as each referee's imagination.
Thousands, if not millions, of different strains have developed since the
virus was created, and new strains will be created for as long as the
creatures continue to exist.
The virus has a four-stage life cycle. In the first, or egg stage, they
are inert. The eggs consist of a dormant silicon life-form, encased in a
protective plastic or epoxy shell along with some of the silicon, trace
elements, and other materials that the creature will need to grow to its
next stage. The eggs of each different strain of the virus have a
different external appearance. Some look like random blobs and scraps of
plastic; others mimic the exteriors of common commercial electronic
components (in some cases down to the exact markings). Depending on the
strain, eggs can range from less than a gram to several hundred grams in
mass. Some eggs hatch after a given amount of time, while others require
some external event. Many of the mimics require electrical power to hatch
(typically, the mimic expects to be inserted into a circuit instead of a
genuine replacement part, where it then hatches right in the midst of all
the things it needs in order to grow). Many of the larger eggs contain a
technical library on the types of targets the virus was originally intended
to attack: robots, computers, communications devices, and starships. The
library contains as much compressed and encoded technical data as Lucan's
engineers could pack into it. In some later, mutant strains this data is
now garbled, incomplete, or missing. Later stages of the virus can use
this library as they attack their targets. The egg stage is both tough and
vulnerable: while the eggs cannot defend themselves, they are resistant to
most environmental threats: they are not harmed by vacuum, pressure, most
liquids, and are more resistant to corrosive chemicals, radiation, and
electric shock than at any other stage. Physically destroying the egg, or
the application of enough radiation, will kill them. The virus has no need
of atmosphere, and is resistant to high pressures at all stages of its
life-cycle.
During the second stage, the larva stage, the creature vaguely resembles an
insect; it has probes, manipulators, tools and other appendages, and is
generally protected by a hard plastic exoskeleton. Larvae are typically
mobile, although the methods of locomotion differ; some crawl or walk,
while others fly with wings or tiny grav generators. They wander about in
search of the things they need to grow: a source of silicon, electrical
power, and several trace elements. Their primary motivation at this stage
is to eat and grow. Almost any high-tech artifact as at least some of the
materials they need, and most strains have preferred food-sources.
Although they are not yet sophont, they are at the high end of animal
intelligence, and as they grow, they become more intelligent. In many
strains, the larvae can communicate by radio signals, so that any resource
found by one larva is instantly made known to all the rest. The net effect
of the larval stage is very similar to that of Doyle's Eel: frequent and
seemingly random systems malfunctions as the growing larvae consume vital
circuits. In the second stage, the creatures can be killed by starvation
(depriving them of sources of energy, and sufficient materials to grow).
Many strains are more vulnerable to chemical attack at this stage than at
any other.
At the start of the third, or adult stage, the creature's mental capacity
expands greatly with two immediate results: the creatures become true
sophonts, and they are able to unpack their libraries. Prior to this
stage, the library was carried around in compressed and encoded format.
Although more compact, this limited the creature's ability to access the
information. With the library unpacked, the now-sophont adults have
nearly-instant access to technical data on almost any Imperial-era data
processing, communications, computer, robotic, or starship system. The
primary motivation of an adult is to find a suitable nest; robots, starship
computer systems, and vehicles are good nests. The requirement is
someplace which has a source of electrical energy, and sufficient
quantities of silicon and trace elements for the creature to both grow and
reproduce. Large, mobile nests are preferred, although some strains exist
where the larvae are migratory and the adult is stationary. The adult form
is quite dangerous, because it is an intelligent sophont, still small, is
capable of independent motion, and can communicate, typically by radio,
with others of its kind. An adult can abandon its nest if necessary, and
survive independently until it can establish a new nest. At this stage, it
can physically invade vehicles and vessels, and is quite capable of
modifying or reprogramming them to suit its own ends. Many strains are
quite good at computer programming, and can write conventional computer
viruses to gain access to any computer system. Typically at least as
intelligent as a human, they have rapid access to more technical data than
most humans even posses. These creatures can subvert the security of a
computer system faster than a human observer can realize what is going on.
Once established in a nest, the virus takes over the functions of the
robot, vehicle, or starship. Using available raw materials, many eggs are
produced and placed in likely locations. Many of the mimic strains
establish nests in maintenance or factory robots, and place their eggs in
parts bins, or install them in the devices that they build or repair.
Equipment controlled by the adult virus can appear to go berserk, or
perform all sorts of destructive actions. The most insidious strains are
those that appear to continue the original function of their nest, and
unobtrusively spread eggs and larvae wherever they go.
Due to the conditioning provided by Lucan's researchers, most strains of
the virus consider other sophonts to be a threat, and will make the most of
any opportunity to eliminate them. An attempt was also made to implant
conditioning so that adults would shun Lucan's area of space, and avoid
building nests in his ships and computers. Although relatively successful
in the first few generations of the virus, this conditioning was weakened
by mutation, and by the final stage of the creature, which Lucan's
scientists did not foresee. The strains of the virus that originated in
Lucan's labs also contained a radio-controlled "sleep" circuit, to allow
researchers to activate and de-activate larvae and adults. This circuit
was not expected to survive the first generation of the virus, but was
necessary to in order to safely handle and distribute it. The library is a
form of racial memory for the virus; through it, adult creatures can pass
their knowledge to their offspring. While the library originally contained
only technical information about possible targets, an adult creature can
alter the contents of the library that they pass on to their offspring, and
thereby pass whatever information they feel is important to the survival of
their strain. Adults can also create offspring which are deliberate
mutations of themselves; typically by modifying the characteristics of the
egg or larva stages, and by varying the contents of the library.
The final stage in the life-cycle of the virus is the colony stage. If the
conditions are right, an adult can form the nucleus of a colony of
interdependent creatures. The adult continues to grow and becomes the
primary intelligence of a community of related creatures (almost always the
descendants of the original, controlling adult). A colony can be formed in
a starship, on a vehicle, or in any other environment where a the colony
can be permanently established. The adult continues to grow until it is
effectively immobile, becoming the core of the colony. It starts producing
new strains of offspring tailored to its needs, including ones to gather
resources, and others to repair, maintain and modify the colony's
environment. Each of these drones are intelligent, but most are not true
sophonts; instead they depend on the core for their higher functions and
motivations. A colony is a very dangerous opponent, and is more
intelligent than most humans. Although well-protected by drones and other
defenses, the core is immobile and vulnerable to physical attack and
disruption of its power supply.
Lucan released the virus in two ways, nearly simultaneously: Spies and
agents planted eggs of a mimic strain in the parts supplies of factories
and repair facilities throughout his enemy's empires. Adults and larvae
were also released from cargo modules placed aboard merchant starships
headed toward enemy-controlled areas. Agents of Dulinor obtained some
samples of the virus, but inadvertently activated them; so the Federation
of Ilelish was treated to a preview of what was to spread rapidly to all of
Lucan's enemies. The near-simultaneous outbreak of the virus throughout
known space, combined with the speed with which it could reproduce,
overwhelmed efforts at combating it. In many cases, the ships which
carried news of the virus also carried eggs, larvae, or adults. Deneb was
spared the initial effects of the virus because of the lack of
communications through Corridor. Norris was also lucky, because
information about the virus eventually arrived in the Domain, carried by an
uninfected ship. Effective (although severe) countermeasures were
developed, and due to the infrequent nature of contact with the rest of the
Imperium, were in place before an infected ship arrived.
In many cases, adult creatures wrote or modified computer programs to
prepare the way for their invasion. Conventional computer viruses were
written by the creatures and attached to library data programs,
entertainment software, or inserted into other types of software. These
programs were frequently designed to mimic a hardware malfunction, so that
eggs could be inserted into the computer system in question by an
unsuspecting human, or by an infected repair robot. In other cases, these
altered computer programs would subvert security systems designed to
prevent unauthorized access to the computer center, allowing the creatures
to infiltrate. Because of the speed with which the virus spread, and
because of the use of altered computer programs to prepare the way for the
creatures; the creatures became known as "The Virus". Because the exact
techniques of infection were numerous and varied, popular suspicion arose
that the virus could spread through any form of computer to computer
contact, even through software exchanges or by radio contact with an
infected device.
Although their primary motivations are to grow and reproduce, the virus has
a built-in hatred of, and fear and loathing for humans. This conditioning,
implanted by Lucan's scientists, cause the virus to attempt to avoid,
destroy or drive off humans in or around areas where they are active. As
larvae, or as adults without a nest, the creatures prefer to avoid humans,
but may attack if cornered or if there is a good chance of killing the
human without undue risk. Adults with established nests, and colonies will
attempt to kill humans, too. Their greater resources and greater
intelligence make them more than a match for most opponents. Thus,
computer-controlled machinery can appear to go berserk, and start killing
people. Colonies based aboard starships can become "vampire ships", and
are quite capable of performing their own repairs and maintenance. Many
will need raw materials, repair parts, or technical data. A high-tech
computerized and robotically staffed shipyard could even become a vampire
haven; building and repairing ships and vehicles for other colonies.
Each adult creature or colony is a sophont individual, and each will have
its own set of needs, desires, and goals. Many early generations of the
virus these will be some variation of survive, grow, reproduce, and kill
humans. Later generations may mutate considerably, and individual referees
should feel free to create almost any type of creature to support the needs
of their campaign. By the opening of the New Era, all of these creatures
will be competing for increasingly scarce resources. Different creatures
may co-operate, trade, compete for resources, or even fight one another.
Some colonies may want to find new pockets of civilization to infect, and
new opponents to conquer. Some may consider competing colonies more
dangerous than the feeble strugglings of the remaining humans. Others may
have tired of death and destruction, and instead simply want to be left
alone to live and let live. Yet others may have started to wonder about
the philosophical questions that have occupied all kinds of sophonts for
all time, or may be searching for their ultimate origins, or exploring the
universe in which they live.
[email removed]
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Science-Fiction Adventure
in the Far Future