Post by Morse on Sept 5, 2012 1:34:23 GMT -5
1 credit = 2.5 Platinum
1 credit = $25 U.S
Food & Supplies
• Cookset: 4c
A nested wok and a few pans, serving plates, plastic utensils and cookware, some basic spices, a squirt-tube of oil, and a handful of chemical heat tablets. With time and inclination, along with a few tinned goods or fresh ones, you can turn any flat surface berth into a make-do kitchen. Cookbook optional.
• Crop supplements: c300
While terraforming has succeeded in making many planets habitable, the individual quirks of the various planets and moons make it difficult to predict whether or not a given crop will grow on each. High concentrated fertilizers and pesticides, packed into easily applied chemical pellets, are one of the more common solutions to this problem. Settlers usually bring a fair supply of crop supplements with them in order to ensure bountiful harvest for the first few years. The pellets come in drums, bags, or boxes; one container is enough for five acres when mixed with the seeds before planting or tilled into the earth beforehand. The benefits usually last for two or three growing seasons, depending on the crops being farmed.
• Drink, Fine Wine: c14
A case of twelve bottles of extremely good wine; what more needs to be said? Good wine is hard to come by, so it can get very expensive, but many folk consider it worthwhile.
• Drink, Good Whiskey: c10
Wood alcohol is cheap. High-quality strong drink is a bit more costly.
• Foodstuffs, Canned: c5
While not as good as fresh foods, canned or otherwise pre-prepared food is still a fair bit better than the processed protein. Since such food keeps indefinitely (or at least a whole lot longer than the fresh stuff), food packs and canned fruit are popular among settlers and ship crews. The given price buys two or three boxes of different kinds of food, allowing one person to eat decently for about a week. Rationed, the food will go further.
• Foodstuffs, Fresh: c10
This is what it's all about: fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat. Unfortunately real food is fairly expensive; folk can't usually afford it unless things are going real smooth for them. Most often, fresh food is bought in small amounts or is carefully rationed over a period of time, at least by those who live in the black.
• Foodstuffs, Luxury: c20
This is the kind of fancy-pants yummies you can't even find most places on the Rim. A pound of fresh strawberries, a chocolate ice cream cake, caviar--such count as luxury goods to folk who live on the Rim. The units in which the goods are sold depends upon exactly what the food is. The price can vary as well, but whatever it is, it will almost always be quite expensive.
• Foodstuffs, Nutrient Bars (pack of 100): c570
A Newtech Alliance ration-- are perhaps the most compact form of food ever developed. Each bar is about the size and shape of a gold ingot and each in wrapped in foil. The actual bar is a brownish compound, nearly tasteless, but at least it's better than protein paste. If sliced thinly, a single bar can provide 30 days worth of nutrition for one person. The person will still need water and additional calories, but the vitamins, minerals, immune supplements, and so on will allow them to subsist on an otherwise minimal diet.
• Foodstuffs, Protein Paste: c2
Tubes of colored and (supposedly) flavorsome protein past are the standard diet for spacefarers in the 'Verse. The paste is sometimes molded into different forms and cooked in different ways. Sadly, it tastes about the same no matter what you do to it. Healthy, if boring, the paste stores a good long while.
• Fruit, Fresh: .5c
A rarity on the Rim, especially delicacies such as fresh strawberries.
• Protein Chips: .5c
A common snack found pretty much everywhere, protein chips are soybased, salty, and tasty.
• Rotgut: .5c
Crude alcohol brewed in some such distilling rig. It tastes something foul and is just barely on the friendly side of toxic, but it’s usually free.
• Snack Bar: .1c
A snack bar is a single serving of either nutritious or delicious (rarely both) foods such as chocolate, dried fruit, grains, or even vegetable matter. One of the most popular brands of snack bars is the Fruity Oaty Bar, mostly due to their ever-present marketing efforts that blanket nearly every planet in the ‘Verse.
• Spices, common: c2
Whether it's protein paste, canned vegetables, or fresh meat, a sprig of rosemary can make your day a little brighter.
• Spices, Rare: c10
Popular in the Core for those who can afford high class dining, rare spices such as saffron can be extremely expensive. A good cargo to carry, and even better to have if you can afford it.
Tools & Engineering Equipment
• Fire Jelly: c1
Sold in 8" tall tin cans, fire jelly was originally designed as an alternative to camp fires for soldiers during the Unification War. When lit, the jelly burns at 550 degrees at a rate of 1/2" per hour; the can is largely heat-proof, and putting the lid back on quickly snuffs out the low-burning, smokeless flame
• Garden Bunk: c18
When you can't afford to buy fresh vegetables, you can grow 'em--even on your boat where the 'garden bunk' has become moderately popular. Consisting of a plastic soil trough (sized to fit on a small bed), it comes with growing lamps and a small sprinkler system. Garden bunks don't afford a huge harvest, but when morale is down, a few fresh tomatoes can do wonders. The listed weight includes the soil and planets the unit will hold. You must also specify what you will be growing, which will determine what your crop yield will be.
• Multiband: c5
The evolution of the digital watch has led, at long last, to the Multiband. It's an all-in-one watch, digital compass, calculator, alarm, radio receiver, generic remote control and voice memo. Unfortunately multibands break easily and are most popular among students as a fashion accessory. The varieties range from cheap versions in plastic cases to gold-plated ones sold out of suitcases by shady men on street corners.
• Multi-Tool / Survival Knife: c5
A Knife, with Attachments. Think Swiss Army Knife with a slightly thicker blade. Made for those whom need tools on the go.
• Patch Tape: c2
A holdover from the war, patch tape looks like a roll of shiny rubber material. The thin tape is airtight, and the adhesive coating on one side provides a hold strong enough to seal a vacuum suit at full pressure. Hull breaches and the like usually can't be fixed ion this manner, but if some sah gwa wants to try it, it's his funeral. Keeping a role in a vac-suit pocket can be a life-saver.
• Purification Crystals: c1
Frontier settlers and soldiers usually stock packets of these powdery, pale blue crystals. One packet (a box has 20) can cleanse up to a gallon of water for human consumption, killing pretty much all bacteria and parasites, just as if you'd boiled it.
• Trash Incinerator: c8
Most ships come equipped with some way to dispose of garbage, but there is always a market for ways to quickly and quietly get rid of refuse. The incinerator is a small metal crate fitted with electrical heating coils; it can destroy, in a manner of moments, almost any organic material that can fit into the 2'x2'x2' space. The resulting residue and ash is collected in a small filter that occasionally needs to be cleaned.
• Burn Gel: 2c
This clear chemical gel is safe to handle with bare hands, but when a slight electrical charge is run through it, it becomes an extremely powerful acid. It can cut through gorram near anything, up to and including a ship’s hull. The gel is extruded from a pistolshaped dispenser, and a thin trail of it leads to an igniter. Burn gel works anywhere—underwater or vacuum. It burns for as long as the charge is active, so it’s perfectly safe to handle once the igniter is shut off or removed.
• Forensics Kit: 20c
A forensics kit is used for collecting and analyzing evidence, such as you’d find at the scene of a crime. It’s got a lot of tiny little containers, plastic envelopes, fingerprint tapes, imagers, gloves, swabs, brushes, scrapers, tweezers, magnifying glasses, a microscope, a cellular imager, and other odds and ends.
• Forgery Kit: 40c (Illegal)
Gear what helps you forge official papers, identification, and other documentation. This kit includes a portable computer and printer, a wide range of paper types, specialty inks, a holo-seal printer, a highresolution scanner, and a number of chemicals and synthetic materials useful for adding a bit of authenticity to phony documents.
• Fusion Torch: 2c
A useful tool capable of cutting through metal or fusing it together. Most types operate on a battery charge, or use a chemical tank for fuel.
• Generator, Portable: 12c
This suitcase-sized generator provides enough power to handle all of the needs of a medium-sized campsite or domicile.
• Grappler: 8c
A gun that uses a compressed air canister to launch a grapple hook and attached line. The hook can either be snagged on an edge, or fired directly into a wooden or concrete surface. It has a range of 50 feet. The cable is tough enough to withstand roughly 1,200 pounds of weight, and the gun has an integral wheel so it can be used to slide down the cable. Variations on grapplers include those with magnetic clamps or fancier models with internal winches allowing the grappler to pull the user up the cable’s length.
• Multi-Tool: 2c
A handy little combination tool consisting of pliers, scissors, screwdriver, pryer, knife blades, file, and a bunch of other widgets, depending on how fancy it is. It’s no substitute
for a set of precision tools, but in a pinch, a multi-tool will do fine by you.
• Paint Set: 1c
A set of paints (watercolors, synthetics, or oils), brushes, a few tools for
keeping ‘em clean and a box to store the whole mess in. Outside of a Companion’s personal effects, this isn’t something you’d find much out on the Rim.
• Sewing Kit: 2c
A bunch of spools of thread, a bundle of needles and pins, and a tiny pair of scissors can keep your duds looking a little less raggedy than they might otherwise.
• Snaplink: 1.5c
An oval-shaped ring of metal with one section that opens and locks closed, snaplinks are used everywhere to secure gear. They come in a variety of weights, from ones thick as a finger for holding cargo, to smaller ones used to fasten personal gear onto your belt or harness.
• Welding Tape: 1c
A chemical-imbued adhesive tape that can instantly weld two metal surfaces together. To use it, stick it to one metal surface, remove the neutralizing backing, and stick the other metal surface to it, sandwiching the tape between ‘em. The chemicals in the tape rapidly
ignite and produce an adhesive weld, sticking the two substances together with near the strength of a proper weld.
• CAD Board: c28
About the size of a dinner tray, this device operates much like a databook. The large screen is meant to aid engineers and architects in the creation of plans and schematics, and allows indepth examination of building plans, ship layouts, and the like.
• Cutting Torch: c4
Whether you’re working on your ship or cutting your way into someone’s vault, this is the tool of choice for most folk. The small energy pack can be worn at your hip, and the device includes a face mask to keep you from burning off your eyebrows. Requires atmo to work.
• Gravcart: c485
A six-inch thick platform, two yards long and one yard wide, the gravcart uses a small grav-drive to float and carry up to one ton. It does not supply its own lateral motion, requiring it to be pulled or towed.
• Scrapware: c5
Salvagers sell crates of good condition materials such as wire, metal sheeting, springs, etc., at junkyards and spaceports. Scrapware won’t help you all that much if a catalyzer or some other complex part busts, but it can allow a good mechanic to perform basic repairs on the fly, so you can make it back to port.
• "Sticky" Scrapper's Gel: c2
When cutting your way into derelict ships, sometimes you have to do it with no atmo around—and then your trusty cutting torch won’t work. The solution is Scrapper’s Gel. The device lays down a line of the goo that has a conductor embedded inside. When a small surge of energy is applied, the goo turns into a powerful acid that can eat its way through most metal. Since it doesn’t work in atmo, someone bent on cutting a hole in the hull with gel will have to go outside to do it.
• Tool Kit, Basic: c15
Hammers, saws, wrenches, screwdrivers, and the like (and their powered equivalents) can be used by most folks and are good to have around. A carpenter, mason, metalworker, or similar will find that these are the right tools for the job. If you want a big workshop with table-saws, sandblasters, and powered arc-welders, then you need one of the bigger tool sets.
• Tool Set, Electronic: c138
A full set of equipment for working with modern electronics in the ‘Verse. If you’re a computer designer, a holo-set repairman, or something along those lines, this is what you need. Most of the tools will probably fit in a utility belt, but there are one or two bigger pieces that are a bit more difficult to carry around.
• Tool Set, Mechanic's: c284
A full set of mechanic’s tools used by ship’s mechanics, engineers, and those working in garages. You need this setup to do any real repair work on a vehicle of any sort from a mule to a full boat.
Sundries
• Camouflage Paint: 1c
Flat canisters of camouflage paint come in a variety of natural colors (browns, greens, tans, grey, black, etc.). Cover your face with some, and you can minimize your visibility.
• Chemical Body Warmer: 2c
A small plastic pouch of crystallized chemical compound that, when agitated, warms enough to keep a body warm for a four-hour period.
• Cuffs: 6c
Plastic, alloy, or metal handcuffs used to secure a prisoner’s wrists together, either in front of or behind his body.
• Earplugs: .5c
You can use these stoppers dayto-day in a loud area like an engine room, or even in the cockpit to muffle the yapping of an especially chatty pilot.
• Filtration Canteen: 1c
A quart-sized plastic canteen, with a filtration ring at the top. The water’s potable, but it won’t be winning any taste contests.
• Flare: .5c
Your standard-issue chemical flare, about the length of a pencil and near an inch thick. It activates with a simple twist at the end, and burns brightly for around an hour. Flares aid in spotting a downed crewmember; a bunch of‘em mark a spur-of-the-moment landing strip.
• Gas Mask: 4c
A half- or full-face mask that filters any impurities from smoke, gas, or other airborne hazards.
• Glowstick: 2c
A cross between a lantern and flashlight, a glowstick provides plenty of ambient light from the top end, and has an adjustable focusing lens that lets you shine a spotlight where you want to see more clearly.
• Goggles: 1c
This protective gear guards your eyes from sparks, intense light, or particle
shrapnel. Highfalutin’ low-light ones let you see in the dark.
• Idol, Religious: 5c
This might be Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, or any other of a dozen different religious figures worshipped throughout the ‘Verse. Many come with candles, incense, or what have you, so’s you can burn ‘em while you’re in a genuflectin’ mood.
• Ocular: 6c
A pair of electronically-assisted binoculars, with a digital rangefinder that tells you how far away something lined up in your sights is. Oculars auto-focus and have a range around a mile and a half.
• Radiation Detector: 8c
A device for measuring the level of radiation in an area near the sensor. A standard model has a 10-foot range.
• Radiation Tag: 1.5c
A small badge, worn clipped to a uniform or on a chain around the neck, measuring the level of rads you’ve soaked up. It shows a warning when radiation exposure threatens your well-being.
• Restraints: 20c
Restraints range from full manacles keeping a prisoner’s hands, feet, knees, and elbows secure, to a one-piece jacket that wraps a body up.
• Rucksack: 2c
Some folks call it a backpack; to others, it’s a sling bag. Whatever the moniker, it’s a canvas or suchlike bag with a strap or two for convenience. You can stuff nearly 60 pounds worth of gear into a good one.
• Ship’s Papers: 20c
By Alliance ordinance, every captain operating a ship in the ‘Verse has got to show its papers if asked. These documents are printed on actual paper and fastened into a three-fold leather wallet. The papers have a dozen or so anti-counterfeiting measures added in, but that don’t stop most captains on the shy side of legal from having a few sets for a variety of situations.
• Snaplight: .5c
A little tube filled with phosphorescent chemicals. Snaplights come in a few different colors. Twist it, and it glows pretty bright. Break it open, and you’ve got a few ounces of fluid that glows for a couple of hours.
• Still, Improvised: PRICES MAY VARY
Spacers have a lot of time on their hands, and booze tends to run out fast. Enterprising engineers and chemical types often put some of the less-critical engine systems to work, employing radiant heat and filtration systems to brew homemade hooch.
• Symbol, Holy: 1c
A small religious icon or sigil—usually something you’d wear hanging around the neck on a chain or cord.
• Toy: 1c
This can mean anything from a stuffed turtle, a rag doll, a set of tiny dinosaurs, a bobble headed geisha doll, a carved wooden swan, a ball and jacks, finger puppets, or any other sort of gimcrack or gewgaw you might entertain young ones or those “young at heart.”
Recreational Goods
• Boardgame: .5c
Space travel is, for the most part, pretty boring, and crews often need to indulge in time-killing activites that doesn’t burn fuel cells or brain cells, or require a lot of reading. Boardgames are a common enough means of passing time between stops. The classics are still in heavy rotation, notably checkers, Chinese checkers, chess, go, and backgammon.
• Book: 1c
Printed books come in a near-untoinfinite variety of shapes, sizes, quality, and contents. On the Core planets, they’re a symbol of old wealth and education. They’re rarer on the Border planets, where it’s usually cheaper and more practical to use databooks or other
electronic storage. Out on the Rim, print books are more common, as they’re more reliable and, in some ways, more comforting to simple, honest folk. Most common book you’re liable to find out in the Rim is the Bible.
• Boxing Gloves: 2c
A pair of padded gloves, used for the sweetest sport. Though boxing is no longer practiced much in the Core planets, it’s still very much in favor out among the Rim. Boxing gloves reduce all standard hand-to-hand attacks by two Basic damage points. It also turns any Basic damage from the Mean Left Hook Trait into Stun damage.
• Cards: .5c
A standard deck of cards can get you through hours that might otherwise be without
purpose. Some folk might even make a living with a deck of these.
• Climbing Gear: 12c
If you’ve got a hankering to climb a wall, a mountain, or the side of a building, you’ve a friend in this. Climbing gear includes pulleys, pitons, rope, chocks, ascenders, clips, a handaxe/ hammer combo, and a harness. Also, gloves keep your hands safe; a helmet’s included so’s they can recognize your face when they find you at the base of the cliff.
• Hologame Table: 100c
Not exactly portable, this piece of furniture is topped with a field of holographic emitters. The table can be customized for pool, foosball, air hockey, or any number other tabletop games. Handles and sticks come separately. Not-so-real parts keep people from stealing ‘em, or throwing ‘em through the windows of your less discriminatin’ establishments when tempers run too hot.
• Hoverpack: 10,000c
Essentially, a hoverpack is a backpack-styled jet capable of limited flight. Most are too noisy and generate too much heat to be of any practical use, though they’re sometimes favored for rapid commando strikes or rescue attempts in difficult terrain. Alliance engineers spent billions and wasted years on hoverpack projects, but in the end couldn’t solve the inherent problems. A number of prototypes entered the private sector and serve mainly as museum pieces or as stunt-show curiosities. The functional models (of which there are few) are prohibitively expensive.
• Gamebox: 7c
A handheld entertainment console containing a small screen, some controls, speakers, a datadisk reader, a rechargeable battery, and a data port to link with a computer. There’s not much to ‘em other than entertainment value. Different games can be downloaded through the Cortex legally, or bought in back-alley software stands.
• Musical Instrument: 10c
A wide range of instruments exist, including guitars, drums, mandolin, sitars, harps, and horns of all sizes and shapes. Most folk get some musical training during schooling, and it’s always a pleasant surprise to see what secret talents a crewmate has. Registered Companions are trained in music and play at least one instrument.
• Parachute: 5c
A basic parachute, worn on the back, for use in the rare situation where your ship’s falling through atmo and you’ve got the chance to jettison.
• Parasail: 8c
A specialized form of parachute constructed with integral air channels that allow for far more maneuverability and vertical movement than a standard parachute. Parasails are sometimes used for entertainment purposes, such as might be had from being dragged behind a boat or other vehicle. Alliance forces use ‘em for covert operations; the specialists drop a ways off from a target and parasail in quietly and with little fuss. Using a parasail is mechanically the same as using a parachute.
• Rain Stick: 1.5c
A long wooden tube sealed at both ends and filled with small beads; a number of pins pointing inward are fixed to the inner walls. When the stick is held upright or at an angle, it makes a sound like rainfall. On Earth- That-Was rain sticks were thought to summon rain, but now they’re mostly curios or musical instruments.
• Shelter, Portable: 6c
This item is basically a small tent, with collapsible poles and stakes. It don’t provide much cover from extreme weather, but it’ll keep you dry and beats sleeping out in the open on a stormy night. Fancier versions have small heat cyclers and built-in light emittersin the central pole. Really fancy ones are made of smart cloth that just snaps into shape or folds up on its own.
• Sleepsack: 2c
A basic synthetic fiber mummybag, insulated to keep you warm. Cozy when you’re in it; easily collapsed when you’re not. If you’re in a friendly mood, you can zip two together.
• Survival Gear: 1.1c
Generally, you’d take this little pack if you were roughing it, or as a precaution in case you find yourself stranded somewhere unexpected. Inside you’ll find useful items such as water purification pills, a mini first aid kit, a multi-tool , a little fishing kit, a lighter, a tiny survival guide, a compass, some cable, a flare or two, a few snaplights, a wire saw, and some basic fire-startingmaterials.
• Weight Set: 12c
A set of dumbbells, weights, bars, free weights, a rack to store ‘em on, and a bench to lie down on while you’re lifting.
Clothing & Accessories
• Baton: 30c
Also called swagger sticks, ceremonial batons are favored as a sign of authority by highranking Alliance officers. Those crested with the insignia of an eagle indicate upper echelons. During the Unification War, Browncoats were told to concentrate fire on anyone carrying a baton. This curbed their popularity dramatically. It’s been a few years now and they’re coming back into fashion.
• Clothes, Registered Companion: 50c
There are few things in the ‘Verse as heart-stopping wondrous as the sight of a Companion in the altogether, but a close second would be a Companion dressed in his or her full regalia. Elegant lines and the highest craftsmanship in the classic sense, a Companion’s garments manage the difficult balance between being outstanding and utterly at place, both at once. Whether it be a ball-gown, a robe, or a paislied kimono, a single set of a Companion’s clothes are usually worth more’n the horse you rode in on.
• Cold-Weather Gear: 10c
An insulated outfit offering the best in protection from cold
temperatures, whether weather-based or in an environment offering similar conditions. It consists of an insulated parka, hood, gloves, pants, and heavy boots.
• Dress, Party: 15c
When you need to look your best for that oh-so-special invite, it’s time to pull out all the stops and put your party dress on. Could be made-to-order, or you could buy whatever looks prettiest in the shop window. As a warning, those who can afford to get theirs made special are quick to judge those who can’t.
• Firefighting Gear: 40c
Flame-retardant, heat-shielded garments of the type used by firefighters on ground or in the black. This includes a sealed helmet with an air filtration system or oxygen bottles, a heavy jacket, boots, pants, gloves, and a harness for equipment such as a fire axe, extinguisher, and prybar.
• Frock, Gingham: 2c
A common sort of dress, worn by settlers out on the Rim. Frilly floral bonnet optional.
• Hat: 1c
Whether it’s a fine cowboy hat, a knit cap from your mother, or a natty bowler worn by criminal lowlifes, a hat is good for two things: keeping the sun off your head and swatting flies.
• Poncho: 1
A hooded rain slicker usually made of thin nylon or vinyl. It doesn’t offer any benefits other than keeping you dry, but that’s enough for most folks.
• Shirt, Floral Print: 2
A causal, short-sleeved shirt for the free-spirited sort of dresser, comfortable, cool, and visually refreshing all at once.
• Suit, Men’s: 20
A fine two- or three-piece suit in whatever style you favor. You can get a good measure of a man by the suit he wears. For those with serious money, it’s bespoke; with a little money, it’s tailored; for the rest, its off-the-rack.
• Uniform, Alliance: 50c (Illegal)
Sometimes it’s a useful thing to have a spare Alliance uniform around, whether it be from a soldier or an officer. There’re few people in the ‘Verse that’ll ask questions of someone in the black and grays. If you’re smart, you’ll steal a set. If you’re dumb or just plumb crazy, you take one the prior owner got no more use for. Might want to take caution to wash the blood out before you try to pass yourself off as someone you’re not. Naturally, there’s considerable penalty for owning Alliance threads, but for some jobs, the gains outweigh the risks.
• Uniform, Medico: 20c
Say you want to infiltrate a hospital to lay hands on some expensive pharmaceuticals, medical gear, or to take advantage of the best facilities the Alliance has to offer. Having a medico uniform on hand is the sly way to go about getting what you want. It’s not necessarily illegal to possess a medico’s uniform if you don’t have the IdentCard to go with it, but more’n likely you’re up to something that’ll put you on the wrong side of the law.
• Vestment, Shepherd’s: 10c
The black coat and pants, grey shirt and white collar all come with the ordainment. It’s not illegal for non-Shepherds to wear the vestment, but true believers might take offense.
• Walking Stick: 3
A cane roughly a meter in length, with an end
that’s either a knob, curved, orbent. Some walking sticks conceal thin-bladed swords, small pistols, Holsters
Computers, Hardware, and Communication
• Barrier Field: c1062
Force barrier technology may once have been just bie jih mone, but now it’s just extremely costly. Some of the wealthier families on the Core and the outer worlds can afford to surround their homes with the 10” tall, square projector pillars that make up the generator system, but not many. A pillar has to be situated at each corner and end point—as the fields only project along straight lines—and the tech is expensive. However, once operational, the barrier field is extremely durable: it takes a lot of Damage inflicted in under a few seconds to overload it. Attacks on
the barrier generally alert a security system to the problem. Even if the security is disabled, the fireworks may attract unwanted attention. Normally invisible, the barrier field is highlighted by timed energy surges to show that it’s active; when you start pounding’ on it, the energy flow can get a lot brighter
• Capture: .5c
Essentially a video postcard, a capture is a stiff piece of reusable smart paper that attaches to any camera unit or video feed. A micro-speaker provides (terrible) sound. A capture’s got enough memory for couple of minutes of video, which it replays when one of the corners is pinched tightly. Or you can spool a bunch of individual images into a capture and they’ll cycle through for as long as you’d like.
• Commlink: 7.5c
A small, hand-held communicator linked to one or more other comlinks. They’ve got near 10 miles of range, but ain’t much more secure than shouting across a field. More expensive versions come in handsfree headset form.
• Commpack, long range: c40
A backpacksized transmitter capable of sending and reading on a range of frequencies. The batteries for the Commpack will last for up to two months of normal use, and are relatively cheap (between 40 and 50 Silver each), so this unit was often used by the Independent Faction during the war, despite the unfortunate fact that the signal isn’t exactly secure
• Commpack, short range: c25
Essentially the same as the long range version, the difference in the short range Commpack is that the signal is heavily encoded. The drawback is that this reduces the range available at the unit’s power level.
• Companion Register: Prices May Vary
Issued by the Companion’s Guild, a register is a leatherbound booklet comprised of the Companion’s license, two data disks containing verification of training and psychological evaluation, a stylus, and a small data store of the Companion’s transaction log. A Companion is prohibited from doing business without a valid register, and the Companion’s Guild offers a steep reward for information about unauthorized use of a register. If anyone’s foolish enough to try to falsify one, the Guild uses all its legal resources to stop ‘em.
• Crybaby: Prices May Vary (Illegal)
A fake distress beacon, usually fashioned from whatever metal objects can be welded together large enough to register on a ship’s long-range sweeps. Hypothetical speaking, of course, a crybaby has a prerecorded distress message you triggered remotely, and can be used to get the attention of some civic-minded individuals and convince ‘em to offer assistance.
• Cortex Terminal, Black Box: c750 (Illegal)
An illegal terminal, designed to disguise the user from Alliance snoops. Unfortunately, since so many features of the Cortex are closely monitored, pretty much everything interesting is locked up tighter than the First Allied Bank. About all you can do with this clunky unit is send anonymous waves (basically voice and video mail) and read the news.
• Cortex Terminal, personal access: c100
What most Core citizens use. Essentially a 2’x 2’ touchscreen monitor, 5” thick, with a moderately sized base to allow for the rest of the equipment, Cortex terminals are a phone, a computer, and a TV all rolled into one—to put it in the terms of folk back on Earth-that-Was. You can surf the Cortex, access almost any information (assuming you can pay for a pass code), send waves, use progs, store almost limitless amounts of data… assuming, of course, that the gorram thing wants to cooperate. Since a terminal is just that—a terminal—sometimes you can lose Cortex access if a satellite or transmission station goes down, and then you lose whatever you were working on, and have to hope your connection gets going mighty quick, because you have no storage capacity.
• Cortex Terminal, public access: c52
These terminal panels can be found in all sorts of places. Generally they serve a specific purpose, and can access only a limited number of functions. Police, Telofonix (a local-area communication service), and emergency calls (direct to a hospital or ambulance) are three standard options. Docking berths on the surface usually have public terminals for ship specs and for logging travel plans, which can be useful if you want to advertise for cargo or passengers
• Data Library, Standard: c25, annual renewal costs c10
Knowledge is power, and power costs money. If you want access to a vast library of literature, history texts, recipes, and so forth, then paying for a data-library subscription is the way to go. These can provide a lot of information.
• Data Library, Professional: c100, annual renewal costs c25
The latest in medical science, gravitic engineering, ship construction, and pretty much anything else can be had by those who feel the urge to pay for it. Sometimes a fellow needs to be licensed to get access to such, but at least you can be guaranteed to get pretty much all the information the Alliance doesn’t feel it’s too dangerous for you to know.
• DataBook: c30
The exact appearance can vary, but these data readers range in size from a paperback novel to a hardback textbook. They can store up to 5 terabytes of data (enough for a few useful progs or 3-D schematics or such), read data discs, and link to the Cortex through a terminal or sourcebox. They can even be linked to other electronic devices to be used for programming or control purposes, though that’s less of a sure thing. Not many on the Rim bother with such a posh bit of gear, but it has its uses.
• DataDisc (5 pack): c1
These crystalline hexagonal discs can be clicked into a data reader for access at most any terminal or computer station. The standard disc holds enough information to store even short holographic recordings and can be reused.
• Dedicated Sourcebox: c154
Expensive sourceboxes that not only act as terminals, but can also store up to 200 terabytes of data and maintain a terminal link for up to a mile around.
• Distress Beacon: c31
A pre-set common distress signal transmitted at extremely high power will generally attract the attention of the Feds or police if you’re on the Core. Out on the Rim, Alliance patrols may hear the call and, if so, they’ll respond.Since patrols are pretty few and far between, though, the chances are they may not hear it or they may have other priorities. The beacon is only about the size of a duffle-bag, so moving it around isn’t too much of a problem for most folk.
• Earwig: 2c
A tiny ear-set, linked into a ship’s comm system, with a range of about a mile. They’re not very secure, and reception’s not the best for sent messages, but they’re a good means of staying in touch and being discreet about it. Emergency Strobe: Standard on most shuttles or smaller ships. If you’re stranded, an emergency beacon sends out a regular pulse of light visible for miles, depending on the weather conditions. The battery’ll last you near 12 hours of continual use. If it’s longer than that before you expect rescue to arrive, best take stock of the surroundings and commence settling in for the long haul.
• Emergency signal ring: c300
A Newtech distress beacon miniaturized down to where it can be worn as a ring, and activated without any overt movement. Wealthy folks find them useful to protect them against kidnappings and the like, since they can be tracked easily and a personal code built into the ring lets the authorities identify them. When the police get an emergency code call, they tend to respond in force.
• Encyclopedia: c60
Another expensive little toy, these devices are slick Core databooks with their own extensive data-libraries. While the common features are Languages, Human History, and Universal Encyclopedia, different models come with up to three other libraries. For example, a doctor might get one with Medical Science, Anatomical Engineering ,and a Bio-Physical Atlas in addition to the standard three. Otherwise, it functions as a normal DataBook.
• Fedband Scanner: c25 (Illegal)
A ship’s communication system can be tuned in to most frequencies, but civilian ships do not typically pick up the official government and police channels. There are ways around this, if you feel like tinkering, but for most folks, a wave-scanner such as this does the trick.
• Global Navigation System Finder: 14c
A GNS finder is a small handset with a screen that provides coordinates pinpointing your immediate location and plotting it on a map. Most of the Core and Border planets provide GNS satellite service; only a few on the Rim, like Regina and Triumph, have it. GNS satellites broadcast a signals network that lets a finder triangulate your position at any given time. IdentCard: Every citizen of the Alliance is issued one of these at birth, though they’re less common in the Border worlds and more’n scarce out on the Rim. An IdentCard containsan integrated electronic datachip with a full background profile, medical information, criminal record, current address, and any additional pertinent information, including a full-head image updated as frequently as the user desires.
• Gunscanner: c135
A fairly standard security device in the Core, most banks and government buildings have a gunscanner installed at security checkpoints. Of course, folk with the proper permits can carry weapons, but all others will have their weapons confiscated. The scanners can be calibrated to detect a lot of things, though most look for a concentration of metals, traces of common propellant chemicals, and the ID chips installed in most legally acquired firearms. Newtech gunscans are even more efficient, and could include barrier field tech to keep out anyone with a weapon.
• Holo-Image Development Suite: c64
Holographic tech is expensive, but not uncommon in the ‘Verse. This device allows you to produce holographs. A bunch of progs and a 3-D manipulator (little box you stick your hand in, so you can move it about and shape the images) lets you make durn near anything you put your mind to (if you have the right skills).
• "Jabberwocky" Signal Blocker: c50 (Illegal)
The Jabberwocky box is only one of any number of illegal devices used by some folk to prevent other folk from hearing what they figure they have a right to say. Once activated, the box can scramble all to hell any signal within five miles. If you use it
for more than a minute or two, it quickly becomes obvious to the authorities that something isn’t quite right. The Jabberwocky is difficult to locate, but it will be eventually be found.
• Micro Transmitter: c8
Usually a hard-to-spot earpiece, micro-transmitters are used by the majority of security forces in the ‘Verse. The transmitter’s range is generally limited to a few hundred yards, but it makes up for that by allowing easy and discreet contact.
• Motion Sensor Array: c22, c7 for each Sensor past the first
A main hub unit about the size of a small databook monitors the transmissions from the eight motion sensors. The sensors are 1” cubes with glass panels over the sensors and can be stuck to walls, stashed in tree branches, or wherever. They just need to be placed within 100 feet of the hub.
• Punchpad: 17c
A book-sized, single-function computer, capable of word-processing, some basic programs, and a limited-access link to the Cortex if plugged into an authorized data port.
• Reprogrammer: 7c (Illegal)
A simple, jury-rigged computer capable of little more’n hacking existing code, essentially a shell around some dyna-ram. As reprogrammers are highly illegal and can be easily traced once used on any system or network connected to the Cortex, they’re usually thrown together with whatever cheap pieces of hardware can be spared, and ditched immediately after use.
• Schooldesk: 245c
Standard issue for students in the wealthier Core planets, a schooldesk is a sophisticated computer system with advanced holographic projection, a voice-response system, a (filtered and monitored) Cortex instafeed, printer capable of generating smart paper printouts, a data reader, and software
packages running simulations of any number of science, engineering, or other projects.
• Sensor: 6-30c
An electronic device designed to detect a vast range of conditions, environments, or elements. There are scores—hundreds even— of types of sensors, and they range in size from hand-held to loading crate. Here are some of the more common types and their uses:
• Altimeter:
A hand-held sensor that detects your altitude, based on atmospheric pressure. An altimeter’s usually part of a ship’s sensor package, but when you’re on foot, the hand-held versions can be useful.
• Analyzer:
A broad category of sensor that analyzes chemical compounds and provides information about ‘em.
• Metal Detector:
Discerns any metals within an area.
• Motion Detector:
Detects movement within a 20-yard radius.
• Weather Sensor:
A generic term for any sort of device measuring weather conditions, barometric pressure, wind speed, or humidity.
• Ship-linked handset: c5
A clunky little walkietalkie handset, this is the standard device used for keeping crew members in touch with their ship. Most ships come with several handsets, but generally. additional or replacement units are needed—there’s always some lummox who sits on his handset and smashes it.
• Smart Paper: 1c
A piece of smart paper is essentially a paper-thin video screen, capable of animated displays and storing as much as several books worth of information in the memory cell. Most smart paper can’t be reused—it has no interface for additional downloads once information has been downloaded into its memory. You “turn” the page of smart paper through an on-page image, like a fake bent page corner or a button printed onto the page being displayed.
• Squawkbox: 2c
A small music player, roughly the size of an ammo clip. The memory holds thousands of songs, and speakers mounted on either side fill an area with music. A patch-cable lets you download more music off the Cortex, if you’re willing to pay for it. Wireless earphones come with most models.
• SubKelvin: c80 (Illegal)
Where there’s a will, there’s someone workin’ against it. SubK is a well-known (and thus almost useless) security-removal utility. It works well against Core softies who don’t know their operating matrix buffer from their main feedback path, but that’s about it. There’s better stuff out there, if you know where to look.
• Surveyor's Box: c230
A local area geoscanner combined with a mapping utility prog make this device, that is about the size of a foot locker, useful for surveyors laying out mine shafts and tunnels. Some are sold to nonprofessionals, but what uses they find for ‘em isn’t always apparent.
• Transmission Station: c2200, license is c1000/yr
Offering franchises for carrying the Cortex signal has become an extremely popular way for the Alliance to spread and maintain the Cortex farther out on the Rim. Of course, once you own a Transmission Station and the license, you still need an approved place to put it—usually that means on an orbital station somewhere, and that usually means high rent and living costs, since you’ll be paying spaceport prices for food and services. Not a choice for those looking for an exciting, highpaying life, though if you can afford to finance one of these (and a few operators), they can be a good way to make money
• XerO Security: c8, annual renewal costs c5
One of the most popular Cortex Profile Protection Utilities, XerO self-updates, autoruns, and jumps through hoops on command.
Security Equipment
• Analyzer, Toxin: 200c
A small thermometershaped chemical analyzer for foods or drinks. Simply place it into a glass of liquid, or stick it into the middle of chow you’re suspiciousof. Within a turn, it’ll check for any toxins or potentially fatal allergens.
• Scanner, Currency: 180c
A small sensor with a slot feeder. Put a bill or stack of bills into it, and it quickly scans at a molecular level and checks against every method of currency authentication and known signs of forgery.
• Translator: 75c
For those in the ‘Verse who’re unable or unwilling to learn Chinese or any of the dozens of other languages spoken, this device is a mechanical means of getting your point across. This small hand-held device has a microphone across the top and an earwig receiver. Point the thing at the person you’re wanting to speak to, wait as the doohickey translates it into your own language, and listen through the earwig. Repeat as desired until you’ve reached an understanding, or you’re ready to smash the little thing into slivers. Using a translator is slow and annoying, prone to mistranslations, and generally less effective
han learning the language yourself.
Medical Equipment & Pharmaceuticals
• Adrenaline Syringe: c75
• Blastomere Organs: c18000 (Illegal)
Cloning and growing organs for those needing transplants has become a viable practice in the Core, but Blastomeres—a recent Newtech creation—could make this practice obsolete. Designed to be acceptable by any human body, the synthetic organs could eliminate the time needed to grow a cloned organ. Blastomeres are longer-lasting and are more durable than normal human organs, potentially improving the body and increasing the lifespan of the recipient. Needless to say, they are extraordinarily expensive and, since they are still undergoing testing, they are not yet available to the public
• Cryo Chamber: c1300 (Illegal)
Designed originally to put patients in stasis until they can be properly treated (or a cloned organ can be grown), cryogenic freezing chambers have a number of other uses. Slavers sometimes transport their victim in cryo, though this is expensive and can pose a problem if the people handling the cryo unit don’t know how to use it properly. Putting a body in cryo requires giving the person a carefully measured set of injections, depending on how long the stasis is supposed to last. Removing the person from cryo requires a careful “warm-up” procedure. Not following these procedures doesn’t necessarily mean that the subject will die, but this can happen if the user bungles it badly.
• Dermal Mender: c800
Another fancy medical innovation, this is for those who don’t like stitches and can pay to avoid scarring. Through a combination of regenerative stimulation and the application of artificial skin, the dermal mender can close almost any wound in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, while the mender works well for tissue bond (don’t fiddle with it and it should be good as new in a few days), the dermal mender can’t fix bone, cartilage, or organs. It’ll patch up your skin (and maybe even help put an ear or a nose back on, at least partially), but that’s it. After surgery, the dermal mender can close the incision and prevent infection.
• Doctor's Bag: c28
A collection of basic medicines, antibiotics, scalpels, extractors, etc. Everything a doctor needs to perform minimally in house-call environments, though far from enough to treat everything he might encounter. Out on the Rim, this may be the best there is
• Doctor's Bag (MedAcad): c210
A doctor who graduates from one of the major Medical Academies (on Osiris, Londinum, or Sihnon) will almost certainly have one of these. Technically, they are available to any licensed practitioner in the Core (as are most medical supplies, if the buyer can pay), but that means that the person much have attended one of the major MedAcads or has his training certified by one, which is no mean feat. These more advanced doctor’s kits include the best in portable instrumentation, the latest in commonly needed medicines (though in small amounts), and so forth
• DNA Extractor: 63c
A long metallic cylinder used to obtain a sample of DNA from a person or unborn infant. When placed against skin and activated, the DNA extractor plunges a needle-thin lancet into the patient and removes enough cells for an accurate DNA profile to be performed using appropriate medical facilities. The extractor administers a local anesthetic, a disinfectant, and a rapid sealant to close the wound. A DNA extractor can also extract cells from the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn infant.
• Drug, Adrenal Booster: 1c
A favorite among junkies and experimental teen athletes, adrenal boosters increase your physical Attributes.
• Drug, Anti-psychotic: 14c
A quick-acting, pharmaceutical-grade hypnotic sedative, used in Alliance hospitals to quell psychotic reactions. Dalcium is one of the most commonly prescribed brands. A dose of antipsychotic medication lasts for up to four hours, though prolonged usage must be monitored and the dosage regularly adjusted (tolerance builds up quickly). More’n two doses in a 24-hour period may lead to serious medical issues, such as a stroke.
• Drug, Anti-rejection: 50c
These drugs help prevent the patient’s immune system from rejecting cybernetic enhancements. Without anti-rejection drugs, a patient runs the risk of infection, illness, and systemic shock, depending on the nature and extent of the cybernetic grafts.
• Drug, Broad-Spectrum Antidote: 11c
A general-purpose antidote for a broad range of ingested toxins or other diseases. There’re a thousand-plenty things you might inadvertently swallow that could kill you, far too many to be carrying around antidotes for each one. There’re even more diseases making the round, nasty little stowaways from the Earth-That-Was that made their way in the ‘Verse and survived terraforming, no matter what they done to wipe disease out.
• Drug, Broad-Spectrum Antivenin: 5.5c
A general-purpose antivenin for use against poison, particularly the types injected by a snake, spider, scorpion, or other unfriendly critter. This works identically to the broad spectrum antidote, but only applies to poisons. Drug, Endorphin: Painkilling drugs that instill a sense of euphoria into the user, endorphins allow you to function despite pain and injury, but at diminished cognitive capacity.
• Drug, Nootropic: 1c
So-called “smart drugs,” nootropics improve neural processing and aid in clear thought.
• Drug, Stimulants: 2c
These can range from pharmaceutical-grade medicines used in surgery or emergency rooms to street versions cooked up in some basement kitchen and sold to kids and gangers.
• Drug, Tranquilizer: 1.5c
A narcotic compound capable of permeating skin through contact, causing near instantaneous unconsciousness. One of the most popular brands is Somnex. Medical types call it “the goodnight kiss” as criminally inclined doxies (who apply the drug
over a seal to protect themselves) use as lipstick to leave their victims unconscious so they can more easily be robbed.
• First-Aid Kit: c1
A standard first-aid kit containing several pain killers, weaves, smelling salts and other minor but useful items
• Imaging Suite: 2,000c
One of the most sophisticated medical diagnostic tools available in the ‘Verse, an imaging suite creates a fully interactive, three-dimensional, real-time holographic display of the patient’s body, inside and out. This can be manipulated and dissected by the operator, allowing for precise diagnosis of any medical conditions without the invasive procedure of surgery or the risk of infection.
• Immunization Packet: c3
These little foil packets contain several hypos of medicine and a couple of chewable tablets. Using a packet will help prevent the user from being infected by almost any known disease. The effects last for only about 48 hours.
• Med Comp: c312
While a bit big to carry by hand (being a little bigger than a Cortex terminal), the medcomp combines most necessary medical scanners with a set of diagnostic progs. Most of the sensors operate via a plastic-cased finger sleeve attached to the medcomp by a wire; someone hooked up can have his heart rate, body temperature, blood chem levels, and so forth monitored by the computer.
• Medical Supplies, Emergency: c110
The doctor who pays the monthly cost for keeping these on hand should be equipped to deal with most major medical situations he could reasonably expect to encounter (serious gunshot wounds, major infections, massive blood loss, etc.). Constant use may require that the supply be restocked more often than once a month.
• Medical Supplies, Standard: c46
Paying the monthly cost to keep an infirmary stocked with the basics allows the doc to make rolls without penalty to treat most common or mild problems, such as
a cold or a bullet in the leg.
• Operating Theatre Modular: c346, c25 installation fee
Developed during the war so that base camp hospitals could be set up quickly almost anywhere, a Modular Operating Theatre equipped with a MedComp and standard and emergency medical supplies counts as Superior Supplies/Ambulance Conditions for firstaid and surgery purposes. Since many ships were equipped with them during the war, most ships use a similar model for their infirmary.
1 credit = $25 U.S
Food & Supplies
• Cookset: 4c
A nested wok and a few pans, serving plates, plastic utensils and cookware, some basic spices, a squirt-tube of oil, and a handful of chemical heat tablets. With time and inclination, along with a few tinned goods or fresh ones, you can turn any flat surface berth into a make-do kitchen. Cookbook optional.
• Crop supplements: c300
While terraforming has succeeded in making many planets habitable, the individual quirks of the various planets and moons make it difficult to predict whether or not a given crop will grow on each. High concentrated fertilizers and pesticides, packed into easily applied chemical pellets, are one of the more common solutions to this problem. Settlers usually bring a fair supply of crop supplements with them in order to ensure bountiful harvest for the first few years. The pellets come in drums, bags, or boxes; one container is enough for five acres when mixed with the seeds before planting or tilled into the earth beforehand. The benefits usually last for two or three growing seasons, depending on the crops being farmed.
• Drink, Fine Wine: c14
A case of twelve bottles of extremely good wine; what more needs to be said? Good wine is hard to come by, so it can get very expensive, but many folk consider it worthwhile.
• Drink, Good Whiskey: c10
Wood alcohol is cheap. High-quality strong drink is a bit more costly.
• Foodstuffs, Canned: c5
While not as good as fresh foods, canned or otherwise pre-prepared food is still a fair bit better than the processed protein. Since such food keeps indefinitely (or at least a whole lot longer than the fresh stuff), food packs and canned fruit are popular among settlers and ship crews. The given price buys two or three boxes of different kinds of food, allowing one person to eat decently for about a week. Rationed, the food will go further.
• Foodstuffs, Fresh: c10
This is what it's all about: fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat. Unfortunately real food is fairly expensive; folk can't usually afford it unless things are going real smooth for them. Most often, fresh food is bought in small amounts or is carefully rationed over a period of time, at least by those who live in the black.
• Foodstuffs, Luxury: c20
This is the kind of fancy-pants yummies you can't even find most places on the Rim. A pound of fresh strawberries, a chocolate ice cream cake, caviar--such count as luxury goods to folk who live on the Rim. The units in which the goods are sold depends upon exactly what the food is. The price can vary as well, but whatever it is, it will almost always be quite expensive.
• Foodstuffs, Nutrient Bars (pack of 100): c570
A Newtech Alliance ration-- are perhaps the most compact form of food ever developed. Each bar is about the size and shape of a gold ingot and each in wrapped in foil. The actual bar is a brownish compound, nearly tasteless, but at least it's better than protein paste. If sliced thinly, a single bar can provide 30 days worth of nutrition for one person. The person will still need water and additional calories, but the vitamins, minerals, immune supplements, and so on will allow them to subsist on an otherwise minimal diet.
• Foodstuffs, Protein Paste: c2
Tubes of colored and (supposedly) flavorsome protein past are the standard diet for spacefarers in the 'Verse. The paste is sometimes molded into different forms and cooked in different ways. Sadly, it tastes about the same no matter what you do to it. Healthy, if boring, the paste stores a good long while.
• Fruit, Fresh: .5c
A rarity on the Rim, especially delicacies such as fresh strawberries.
• Protein Chips: .5c
A common snack found pretty much everywhere, protein chips are soybased, salty, and tasty.
• Rotgut: .5c
Crude alcohol brewed in some such distilling rig. It tastes something foul and is just barely on the friendly side of toxic, but it’s usually free.
• Snack Bar: .1c
A snack bar is a single serving of either nutritious or delicious (rarely both) foods such as chocolate, dried fruit, grains, or even vegetable matter. One of the most popular brands of snack bars is the Fruity Oaty Bar, mostly due to their ever-present marketing efforts that blanket nearly every planet in the ‘Verse.
• Spices, common: c2
Whether it's protein paste, canned vegetables, or fresh meat, a sprig of rosemary can make your day a little brighter.
• Spices, Rare: c10
Popular in the Core for those who can afford high class dining, rare spices such as saffron can be extremely expensive. A good cargo to carry, and even better to have if you can afford it.
Tools & Engineering Equipment
• Fire Jelly: c1
Sold in 8" tall tin cans, fire jelly was originally designed as an alternative to camp fires for soldiers during the Unification War. When lit, the jelly burns at 550 degrees at a rate of 1/2" per hour; the can is largely heat-proof, and putting the lid back on quickly snuffs out the low-burning, smokeless flame
• Garden Bunk: c18
When you can't afford to buy fresh vegetables, you can grow 'em--even on your boat where the 'garden bunk' has become moderately popular. Consisting of a plastic soil trough (sized to fit on a small bed), it comes with growing lamps and a small sprinkler system. Garden bunks don't afford a huge harvest, but when morale is down, a few fresh tomatoes can do wonders. The listed weight includes the soil and planets the unit will hold. You must also specify what you will be growing, which will determine what your crop yield will be.
• Multiband: c5
The evolution of the digital watch has led, at long last, to the Multiband. It's an all-in-one watch, digital compass, calculator, alarm, radio receiver, generic remote control and voice memo. Unfortunately multibands break easily and are most popular among students as a fashion accessory. The varieties range from cheap versions in plastic cases to gold-plated ones sold out of suitcases by shady men on street corners.
• Multi-Tool / Survival Knife: c5
A Knife, with Attachments. Think Swiss Army Knife with a slightly thicker blade. Made for those whom need tools on the go.
• Patch Tape: c2
A holdover from the war, patch tape looks like a roll of shiny rubber material. The thin tape is airtight, and the adhesive coating on one side provides a hold strong enough to seal a vacuum suit at full pressure. Hull breaches and the like usually can't be fixed ion this manner, but if some sah gwa wants to try it, it's his funeral. Keeping a role in a vac-suit pocket can be a life-saver.
• Purification Crystals: c1
Frontier settlers and soldiers usually stock packets of these powdery, pale blue crystals. One packet (a box has 20) can cleanse up to a gallon of water for human consumption, killing pretty much all bacteria and parasites, just as if you'd boiled it.
• Trash Incinerator: c8
Most ships come equipped with some way to dispose of garbage, but there is always a market for ways to quickly and quietly get rid of refuse. The incinerator is a small metal crate fitted with electrical heating coils; it can destroy, in a manner of moments, almost any organic material that can fit into the 2'x2'x2' space. The resulting residue and ash is collected in a small filter that occasionally needs to be cleaned.
• Burn Gel: 2c
This clear chemical gel is safe to handle with bare hands, but when a slight electrical charge is run through it, it becomes an extremely powerful acid. It can cut through gorram near anything, up to and including a ship’s hull. The gel is extruded from a pistolshaped dispenser, and a thin trail of it leads to an igniter. Burn gel works anywhere—underwater or vacuum. It burns for as long as the charge is active, so it’s perfectly safe to handle once the igniter is shut off or removed.
• Forensics Kit: 20c
A forensics kit is used for collecting and analyzing evidence, such as you’d find at the scene of a crime. It’s got a lot of tiny little containers, plastic envelopes, fingerprint tapes, imagers, gloves, swabs, brushes, scrapers, tweezers, magnifying glasses, a microscope, a cellular imager, and other odds and ends.
• Forgery Kit: 40c (Illegal)
Gear what helps you forge official papers, identification, and other documentation. This kit includes a portable computer and printer, a wide range of paper types, specialty inks, a holo-seal printer, a highresolution scanner, and a number of chemicals and synthetic materials useful for adding a bit of authenticity to phony documents.
• Fusion Torch: 2c
A useful tool capable of cutting through metal or fusing it together. Most types operate on a battery charge, or use a chemical tank for fuel.
• Generator, Portable: 12c
This suitcase-sized generator provides enough power to handle all of the needs of a medium-sized campsite or domicile.
• Grappler: 8c
A gun that uses a compressed air canister to launch a grapple hook and attached line. The hook can either be snagged on an edge, or fired directly into a wooden or concrete surface. It has a range of 50 feet. The cable is tough enough to withstand roughly 1,200 pounds of weight, and the gun has an integral wheel so it can be used to slide down the cable. Variations on grapplers include those with magnetic clamps or fancier models with internal winches allowing the grappler to pull the user up the cable’s length.
• Multi-Tool: 2c
A handy little combination tool consisting of pliers, scissors, screwdriver, pryer, knife blades, file, and a bunch of other widgets, depending on how fancy it is. It’s no substitute
for a set of precision tools, but in a pinch, a multi-tool will do fine by you.
• Paint Set: 1c
A set of paints (watercolors, synthetics, or oils), brushes, a few tools for
keeping ‘em clean and a box to store the whole mess in. Outside of a Companion’s personal effects, this isn’t something you’d find much out on the Rim.
• Sewing Kit: 2c
A bunch of spools of thread, a bundle of needles and pins, and a tiny pair of scissors can keep your duds looking a little less raggedy than they might otherwise.
• Snaplink: 1.5c
An oval-shaped ring of metal with one section that opens and locks closed, snaplinks are used everywhere to secure gear. They come in a variety of weights, from ones thick as a finger for holding cargo, to smaller ones used to fasten personal gear onto your belt or harness.
• Welding Tape: 1c
A chemical-imbued adhesive tape that can instantly weld two metal surfaces together. To use it, stick it to one metal surface, remove the neutralizing backing, and stick the other metal surface to it, sandwiching the tape between ‘em. The chemicals in the tape rapidly
ignite and produce an adhesive weld, sticking the two substances together with near the strength of a proper weld.
• CAD Board: c28
About the size of a dinner tray, this device operates much like a databook. The large screen is meant to aid engineers and architects in the creation of plans and schematics, and allows indepth examination of building plans, ship layouts, and the like.
• Cutting Torch: c4
Whether you’re working on your ship or cutting your way into someone’s vault, this is the tool of choice for most folk. The small energy pack can be worn at your hip, and the device includes a face mask to keep you from burning off your eyebrows. Requires atmo to work.
• Gravcart: c485
A six-inch thick platform, two yards long and one yard wide, the gravcart uses a small grav-drive to float and carry up to one ton. It does not supply its own lateral motion, requiring it to be pulled or towed.
• Scrapware: c5
Salvagers sell crates of good condition materials such as wire, metal sheeting, springs, etc., at junkyards and spaceports. Scrapware won’t help you all that much if a catalyzer or some other complex part busts, but it can allow a good mechanic to perform basic repairs on the fly, so you can make it back to port.
• "Sticky" Scrapper's Gel: c2
When cutting your way into derelict ships, sometimes you have to do it with no atmo around—and then your trusty cutting torch won’t work. The solution is Scrapper’s Gel. The device lays down a line of the goo that has a conductor embedded inside. When a small surge of energy is applied, the goo turns into a powerful acid that can eat its way through most metal. Since it doesn’t work in atmo, someone bent on cutting a hole in the hull with gel will have to go outside to do it.
• Tool Kit, Basic: c15
Hammers, saws, wrenches, screwdrivers, and the like (and their powered equivalents) can be used by most folks and are good to have around. A carpenter, mason, metalworker, or similar will find that these are the right tools for the job. If you want a big workshop with table-saws, sandblasters, and powered arc-welders, then you need one of the bigger tool sets.
• Tool Set, Electronic: c138
A full set of equipment for working with modern electronics in the ‘Verse. If you’re a computer designer, a holo-set repairman, or something along those lines, this is what you need. Most of the tools will probably fit in a utility belt, but there are one or two bigger pieces that are a bit more difficult to carry around.
• Tool Set, Mechanic's: c284
A full set of mechanic’s tools used by ship’s mechanics, engineers, and those working in garages. You need this setup to do any real repair work on a vehicle of any sort from a mule to a full boat.
Sundries
• Camouflage Paint: 1c
Flat canisters of camouflage paint come in a variety of natural colors (browns, greens, tans, grey, black, etc.). Cover your face with some, and you can minimize your visibility.
• Chemical Body Warmer: 2c
A small plastic pouch of crystallized chemical compound that, when agitated, warms enough to keep a body warm for a four-hour period.
• Cuffs: 6c
Plastic, alloy, or metal handcuffs used to secure a prisoner’s wrists together, either in front of or behind his body.
• Earplugs: .5c
You can use these stoppers dayto-day in a loud area like an engine room, or even in the cockpit to muffle the yapping of an especially chatty pilot.
• Filtration Canteen: 1c
A quart-sized plastic canteen, with a filtration ring at the top. The water’s potable, but it won’t be winning any taste contests.
• Flare: .5c
Your standard-issue chemical flare, about the length of a pencil and near an inch thick. It activates with a simple twist at the end, and burns brightly for around an hour. Flares aid in spotting a downed crewmember; a bunch of‘em mark a spur-of-the-moment landing strip.
• Gas Mask: 4c
A half- or full-face mask that filters any impurities from smoke, gas, or other airborne hazards.
• Glowstick: 2c
A cross between a lantern and flashlight, a glowstick provides plenty of ambient light from the top end, and has an adjustable focusing lens that lets you shine a spotlight where you want to see more clearly.
• Goggles: 1c
This protective gear guards your eyes from sparks, intense light, or particle
shrapnel. Highfalutin’ low-light ones let you see in the dark.
• Idol, Religious: 5c
This might be Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, or any other of a dozen different religious figures worshipped throughout the ‘Verse. Many come with candles, incense, or what have you, so’s you can burn ‘em while you’re in a genuflectin’ mood.
• Ocular: 6c
A pair of electronically-assisted binoculars, with a digital rangefinder that tells you how far away something lined up in your sights is. Oculars auto-focus and have a range around a mile and a half.
• Radiation Detector: 8c
A device for measuring the level of radiation in an area near the sensor. A standard model has a 10-foot range.
• Radiation Tag: 1.5c
A small badge, worn clipped to a uniform or on a chain around the neck, measuring the level of rads you’ve soaked up. It shows a warning when radiation exposure threatens your well-being.
• Restraints: 20c
Restraints range from full manacles keeping a prisoner’s hands, feet, knees, and elbows secure, to a one-piece jacket that wraps a body up.
• Rucksack: 2c
Some folks call it a backpack; to others, it’s a sling bag. Whatever the moniker, it’s a canvas or suchlike bag with a strap or two for convenience. You can stuff nearly 60 pounds worth of gear into a good one.
• Ship’s Papers: 20c
By Alliance ordinance, every captain operating a ship in the ‘Verse has got to show its papers if asked. These documents are printed on actual paper and fastened into a three-fold leather wallet. The papers have a dozen or so anti-counterfeiting measures added in, but that don’t stop most captains on the shy side of legal from having a few sets for a variety of situations.
• Snaplight: .5c
A little tube filled with phosphorescent chemicals. Snaplights come in a few different colors. Twist it, and it glows pretty bright. Break it open, and you’ve got a few ounces of fluid that glows for a couple of hours.
• Still, Improvised: PRICES MAY VARY
Spacers have a lot of time on their hands, and booze tends to run out fast. Enterprising engineers and chemical types often put some of the less-critical engine systems to work, employing radiant heat and filtration systems to brew homemade hooch.
• Symbol, Holy: 1c
A small religious icon or sigil—usually something you’d wear hanging around the neck on a chain or cord.
• Toy: 1c
This can mean anything from a stuffed turtle, a rag doll, a set of tiny dinosaurs, a bobble headed geisha doll, a carved wooden swan, a ball and jacks, finger puppets, or any other sort of gimcrack or gewgaw you might entertain young ones or those “young at heart.”
Recreational Goods
• Boardgame: .5c
Space travel is, for the most part, pretty boring, and crews often need to indulge in time-killing activites that doesn’t burn fuel cells or brain cells, or require a lot of reading. Boardgames are a common enough means of passing time between stops. The classics are still in heavy rotation, notably checkers, Chinese checkers, chess, go, and backgammon.
• Book: 1c
Printed books come in a near-untoinfinite variety of shapes, sizes, quality, and contents. On the Core planets, they’re a symbol of old wealth and education. They’re rarer on the Border planets, where it’s usually cheaper and more practical to use databooks or other
electronic storage. Out on the Rim, print books are more common, as they’re more reliable and, in some ways, more comforting to simple, honest folk. Most common book you’re liable to find out in the Rim is the Bible.
• Boxing Gloves: 2c
A pair of padded gloves, used for the sweetest sport. Though boxing is no longer practiced much in the Core planets, it’s still very much in favor out among the Rim. Boxing gloves reduce all standard hand-to-hand attacks by two Basic damage points. It also turns any Basic damage from the Mean Left Hook Trait into Stun damage.
• Cards: .5c
A standard deck of cards can get you through hours that might otherwise be without
purpose. Some folk might even make a living with a deck of these.
• Climbing Gear: 12c
If you’ve got a hankering to climb a wall, a mountain, or the side of a building, you’ve a friend in this. Climbing gear includes pulleys, pitons, rope, chocks, ascenders, clips, a handaxe/ hammer combo, and a harness. Also, gloves keep your hands safe; a helmet’s included so’s they can recognize your face when they find you at the base of the cliff.
• Hologame Table: 100c
Not exactly portable, this piece of furniture is topped with a field of holographic emitters. The table can be customized for pool, foosball, air hockey, or any number other tabletop games. Handles and sticks come separately. Not-so-real parts keep people from stealing ‘em, or throwing ‘em through the windows of your less discriminatin’ establishments when tempers run too hot.
• Hoverpack: 10,000c
Essentially, a hoverpack is a backpack-styled jet capable of limited flight. Most are too noisy and generate too much heat to be of any practical use, though they’re sometimes favored for rapid commando strikes or rescue attempts in difficult terrain. Alliance engineers spent billions and wasted years on hoverpack projects, but in the end couldn’t solve the inherent problems. A number of prototypes entered the private sector and serve mainly as museum pieces or as stunt-show curiosities. The functional models (of which there are few) are prohibitively expensive.
• Gamebox: 7c
A handheld entertainment console containing a small screen, some controls, speakers, a datadisk reader, a rechargeable battery, and a data port to link with a computer. There’s not much to ‘em other than entertainment value. Different games can be downloaded through the Cortex legally, or bought in back-alley software stands.
• Musical Instrument: 10c
A wide range of instruments exist, including guitars, drums, mandolin, sitars, harps, and horns of all sizes and shapes. Most folk get some musical training during schooling, and it’s always a pleasant surprise to see what secret talents a crewmate has. Registered Companions are trained in music and play at least one instrument.
• Parachute: 5c
A basic parachute, worn on the back, for use in the rare situation where your ship’s falling through atmo and you’ve got the chance to jettison.
• Parasail: 8c
A specialized form of parachute constructed with integral air channels that allow for far more maneuverability and vertical movement than a standard parachute. Parasails are sometimes used for entertainment purposes, such as might be had from being dragged behind a boat or other vehicle. Alliance forces use ‘em for covert operations; the specialists drop a ways off from a target and parasail in quietly and with little fuss. Using a parasail is mechanically the same as using a parachute.
• Rain Stick: 1.5c
A long wooden tube sealed at both ends and filled with small beads; a number of pins pointing inward are fixed to the inner walls. When the stick is held upright or at an angle, it makes a sound like rainfall. On Earth- That-Was rain sticks were thought to summon rain, but now they’re mostly curios or musical instruments.
• Shelter, Portable: 6c
This item is basically a small tent, with collapsible poles and stakes. It don’t provide much cover from extreme weather, but it’ll keep you dry and beats sleeping out in the open on a stormy night. Fancier versions have small heat cyclers and built-in light emittersin the central pole. Really fancy ones are made of smart cloth that just snaps into shape or folds up on its own.
• Sleepsack: 2c
A basic synthetic fiber mummybag, insulated to keep you warm. Cozy when you’re in it; easily collapsed when you’re not. If you’re in a friendly mood, you can zip two together.
• Survival Gear: 1.1c
Generally, you’d take this little pack if you were roughing it, or as a precaution in case you find yourself stranded somewhere unexpected. Inside you’ll find useful items such as water purification pills, a mini first aid kit, a multi-tool , a little fishing kit, a lighter, a tiny survival guide, a compass, some cable, a flare or two, a few snaplights, a wire saw, and some basic fire-startingmaterials.
• Weight Set: 12c
A set of dumbbells, weights, bars, free weights, a rack to store ‘em on, and a bench to lie down on while you’re lifting.
Clothing & Accessories
• Baton: 30c
Also called swagger sticks, ceremonial batons are favored as a sign of authority by highranking Alliance officers. Those crested with the insignia of an eagle indicate upper echelons. During the Unification War, Browncoats were told to concentrate fire on anyone carrying a baton. This curbed their popularity dramatically. It’s been a few years now and they’re coming back into fashion.
• Clothes, Registered Companion: 50c
There are few things in the ‘Verse as heart-stopping wondrous as the sight of a Companion in the altogether, but a close second would be a Companion dressed in his or her full regalia. Elegant lines and the highest craftsmanship in the classic sense, a Companion’s garments manage the difficult balance between being outstanding and utterly at place, both at once. Whether it be a ball-gown, a robe, or a paislied kimono, a single set of a Companion’s clothes are usually worth more’n the horse you rode in on.
• Cold-Weather Gear: 10c
An insulated outfit offering the best in protection from cold
temperatures, whether weather-based or in an environment offering similar conditions. It consists of an insulated parka, hood, gloves, pants, and heavy boots.
• Dress, Party: 15c
When you need to look your best for that oh-so-special invite, it’s time to pull out all the stops and put your party dress on. Could be made-to-order, or you could buy whatever looks prettiest in the shop window. As a warning, those who can afford to get theirs made special are quick to judge those who can’t.
• Firefighting Gear: 40c
Flame-retardant, heat-shielded garments of the type used by firefighters on ground or in the black. This includes a sealed helmet with an air filtration system or oxygen bottles, a heavy jacket, boots, pants, gloves, and a harness for equipment such as a fire axe, extinguisher, and prybar.
• Frock, Gingham: 2c
A common sort of dress, worn by settlers out on the Rim. Frilly floral bonnet optional.
• Hat: 1c
Whether it’s a fine cowboy hat, a knit cap from your mother, or a natty bowler worn by criminal lowlifes, a hat is good for two things: keeping the sun off your head and swatting flies.
• Poncho: 1
A hooded rain slicker usually made of thin nylon or vinyl. It doesn’t offer any benefits other than keeping you dry, but that’s enough for most folks.
• Shirt, Floral Print: 2
A causal, short-sleeved shirt for the free-spirited sort of dresser, comfortable, cool, and visually refreshing all at once.
• Suit, Men’s: 20
A fine two- or three-piece suit in whatever style you favor. You can get a good measure of a man by the suit he wears. For those with serious money, it’s bespoke; with a little money, it’s tailored; for the rest, its off-the-rack.
• Uniform, Alliance: 50c (Illegal)
Sometimes it’s a useful thing to have a spare Alliance uniform around, whether it be from a soldier or an officer. There’re few people in the ‘Verse that’ll ask questions of someone in the black and grays. If you’re smart, you’ll steal a set. If you’re dumb or just plumb crazy, you take one the prior owner got no more use for. Might want to take caution to wash the blood out before you try to pass yourself off as someone you’re not. Naturally, there’s considerable penalty for owning Alliance threads, but for some jobs, the gains outweigh the risks.
• Uniform, Medico: 20c
Say you want to infiltrate a hospital to lay hands on some expensive pharmaceuticals, medical gear, or to take advantage of the best facilities the Alliance has to offer. Having a medico uniform on hand is the sly way to go about getting what you want. It’s not necessarily illegal to possess a medico’s uniform if you don’t have the IdentCard to go with it, but more’n likely you’re up to something that’ll put you on the wrong side of the law.
• Vestment, Shepherd’s: 10c
The black coat and pants, grey shirt and white collar all come with the ordainment. It’s not illegal for non-Shepherds to wear the vestment, but true believers might take offense.
• Walking Stick: 3
A cane roughly a meter in length, with an end
that’s either a knob, curved, orbent. Some walking sticks conceal thin-bladed swords, small pistols, Holsters
Computers, Hardware, and Communication
• Barrier Field: c1062
Force barrier technology may once have been just bie jih mone, but now it’s just extremely costly. Some of the wealthier families on the Core and the outer worlds can afford to surround their homes with the 10” tall, square projector pillars that make up the generator system, but not many. A pillar has to be situated at each corner and end point—as the fields only project along straight lines—and the tech is expensive. However, once operational, the barrier field is extremely durable: it takes a lot of Damage inflicted in under a few seconds to overload it. Attacks on
the barrier generally alert a security system to the problem. Even if the security is disabled, the fireworks may attract unwanted attention. Normally invisible, the barrier field is highlighted by timed energy surges to show that it’s active; when you start pounding’ on it, the energy flow can get a lot brighter
• Capture: .5c
Essentially a video postcard, a capture is a stiff piece of reusable smart paper that attaches to any camera unit or video feed. A micro-speaker provides (terrible) sound. A capture’s got enough memory for couple of minutes of video, which it replays when one of the corners is pinched tightly. Or you can spool a bunch of individual images into a capture and they’ll cycle through for as long as you’d like.
• Commlink: 7.5c
A small, hand-held communicator linked to one or more other comlinks. They’ve got near 10 miles of range, but ain’t much more secure than shouting across a field. More expensive versions come in handsfree headset form.
• Commpack, long range: c40
A backpacksized transmitter capable of sending and reading on a range of frequencies. The batteries for the Commpack will last for up to two months of normal use, and are relatively cheap (between 40 and 50 Silver each), so this unit was often used by the Independent Faction during the war, despite the unfortunate fact that the signal isn’t exactly secure
• Commpack, short range: c25
Essentially the same as the long range version, the difference in the short range Commpack is that the signal is heavily encoded. The drawback is that this reduces the range available at the unit’s power level.
• Companion Register: Prices May Vary
Issued by the Companion’s Guild, a register is a leatherbound booklet comprised of the Companion’s license, two data disks containing verification of training and psychological evaluation, a stylus, and a small data store of the Companion’s transaction log. A Companion is prohibited from doing business without a valid register, and the Companion’s Guild offers a steep reward for information about unauthorized use of a register. If anyone’s foolish enough to try to falsify one, the Guild uses all its legal resources to stop ‘em.
• Crybaby: Prices May Vary (Illegal)
A fake distress beacon, usually fashioned from whatever metal objects can be welded together large enough to register on a ship’s long-range sweeps. Hypothetical speaking, of course, a crybaby has a prerecorded distress message you triggered remotely, and can be used to get the attention of some civic-minded individuals and convince ‘em to offer assistance.
• Cortex Terminal, Black Box: c750 (Illegal)
An illegal terminal, designed to disguise the user from Alliance snoops. Unfortunately, since so many features of the Cortex are closely monitored, pretty much everything interesting is locked up tighter than the First Allied Bank. About all you can do with this clunky unit is send anonymous waves (basically voice and video mail) and read the news.
• Cortex Terminal, personal access: c100
What most Core citizens use. Essentially a 2’x 2’ touchscreen monitor, 5” thick, with a moderately sized base to allow for the rest of the equipment, Cortex terminals are a phone, a computer, and a TV all rolled into one—to put it in the terms of folk back on Earth-that-Was. You can surf the Cortex, access almost any information (assuming you can pay for a pass code), send waves, use progs, store almost limitless amounts of data… assuming, of course, that the gorram thing wants to cooperate. Since a terminal is just that—a terminal—sometimes you can lose Cortex access if a satellite or transmission station goes down, and then you lose whatever you were working on, and have to hope your connection gets going mighty quick, because you have no storage capacity.
• Cortex Terminal, public access: c52
These terminal panels can be found in all sorts of places. Generally they serve a specific purpose, and can access only a limited number of functions. Police, Telofonix (a local-area communication service), and emergency calls (direct to a hospital or ambulance) are three standard options. Docking berths on the surface usually have public terminals for ship specs and for logging travel plans, which can be useful if you want to advertise for cargo or passengers
• Data Library, Standard: c25, annual renewal costs c10
Knowledge is power, and power costs money. If you want access to a vast library of literature, history texts, recipes, and so forth, then paying for a data-library subscription is the way to go. These can provide a lot of information.
• Data Library, Professional: c100, annual renewal costs c25
The latest in medical science, gravitic engineering, ship construction, and pretty much anything else can be had by those who feel the urge to pay for it. Sometimes a fellow needs to be licensed to get access to such, but at least you can be guaranteed to get pretty much all the information the Alliance doesn’t feel it’s too dangerous for you to know.
• DataBook: c30
The exact appearance can vary, but these data readers range in size from a paperback novel to a hardback textbook. They can store up to 5 terabytes of data (enough for a few useful progs or 3-D schematics or such), read data discs, and link to the Cortex through a terminal or sourcebox. They can even be linked to other electronic devices to be used for programming or control purposes, though that’s less of a sure thing. Not many on the Rim bother with such a posh bit of gear, but it has its uses.
• DataDisc (5 pack): c1
These crystalline hexagonal discs can be clicked into a data reader for access at most any terminal or computer station. The standard disc holds enough information to store even short holographic recordings and can be reused.
• Dedicated Sourcebox: c154
Expensive sourceboxes that not only act as terminals, but can also store up to 200 terabytes of data and maintain a terminal link for up to a mile around.
• Distress Beacon: c31
A pre-set common distress signal transmitted at extremely high power will generally attract the attention of the Feds or police if you’re on the Core. Out on the Rim, Alliance patrols may hear the call and, if so, they’ll respond.Since patrols are pretty few and far between, though, the chances are they may not hear it or they may have other priorities. The beacon is only about the size of a duffle-bag, so moving it around isn’t too much of a problem for most folk.
• Earwig: 2c
A tiny ear-set, linked into a ship’s comm system, with a range of about a mile. They’re not very secure, and reception’s not the best for sent messages, but they’re a good means of staying in touch and being discreet about it. Emergency Strobe: Standard on most shuttles or smaller ships. If you’re stranded, an emergency beacon sends out a regular pulse of light visible for miles, depending on the weather conditions. The battery’ll last you near 12 hours of continual use. If it’s longer than that before you expect rescue to arrive, best take stock of the surroundings and commence settling in for the long haul.
• Emergency signal ring: c300
A Newtech distress beacon miniaturized down to where it can be worn as a ring, and activated without any overt movement. Wealthy folks find them useful to protect them against kidnappings and the like, since they can be tracked easily and a personal code built into the ring lets the authorities identify them. When the police get an emergency code call, they tend to respond in force.
• Encyclopedia: c60
Another expensive little toy, these devices are slick Core databooks with their own extensive data-libraries. While the common features are Languages, Human History, and Universal Encyclopedia, different models come with up to three other libraries. For example, a doctor might get one with Medical Science, Anatomical Engineering ,and a Bio-Physical Atlas in addition to the standard three. Otherwise, it functions as a normal DataBook.
• Fedband Scanner: c25 (Illegal)
A ship’s communication system can be tuned in to most frequencies, but civilian ships do not typically pick up the official government and police channels. There are ways around this, if you feel like tinkering, but for most folks, a wave-scanner such as this does the trick.
• Global Navigation System Finder: 14c
A GNS finder is a small handset with a screen that provides coordinates pinpointing your immediate location and plotting it on a map. Most of the Core and Border planets provide GNS satellite service; only a few on the Rim, like Regina and Triumph, have it. GNS satellites broadcast a signals network that lets a finder triangulate your position at any given time. IdentCard: Every citizen of the Alliance is issued one of these at birth, though they’re less common in the Border worlds and more’n scarce out on the Rim. An IdentCard containsan integrated electronic datachip with a full background profile, medical information, criminal record, current address, and any additional pertinent information, including a full-head image updated as frequently as the user desires.
• Gunscanner: c135
A fairly standard security device in the Core, most banks and government buildings have a gunscanner installed at security checkpoints. Of course, folk with the proper permits can carry weapons, but all others will have their weapons confiscated. The scanners can be calibrated to detect a lot of things, though most look for a concentration of metals, traces of common propellant chemicals, and the ID chips installed in most legally acquired firearms. Newtech gunscans are even more efficient, and could include barrier field tech to keep out anyone with a weapon.
• Holo-Image Development Suite: c64
Holographic tech is expensive, but not uncommon in the ‘Verse. This device allows you to produce holographs. A bunch of progs and a 3-D manipulator (little box you stick your hand in, so you can move it about and shape the images) lets you make durn near anything you put your mind to (if you have the right skills).
• "Jabberwocky" Signal Blocker: c50 (Illegal)
The Jabberwocky box is only one of any number of illegal devices used by some folk to prevent other folk from hearing what they figure they have a right to say. Once activated, the box can scramble all to hell any signal within five miles. If you use it
for more than a minute or two, it quickly becomes obvious to the authorities that something isn’t quite right. The Jabberwocky is difficult to locate, but it will be eventually be found.
• Micro Transmitter: c8
Usually a hard-to-spot earpiece, micro-transmitters are used by the majority of security forces in the ‘Verse. The transmitter’s range is generally limited to a few hundred yards, but it makes up for that by allowing easy and discreet contact.
• Motion Sensor Array: c22, c7 for each Sensor past the first
A main hub unit about the size of a small databook monitors the transmissions from the eight motion sensors. The sensors are 1” cubes with glass panels over the sensors and can be stuck to walls, stashed in tree branches, or wherever. They just need to be placed within 100 feet of the hub.
• Punchpad: 17c
A book-sized, single-function computer, capable of word-processing, some basic programs, and a limited-access link to the Cortex if plugged into an authorized data port.
• Reprogrammer: 7c (Illegal)
A simple, jury-rigged computer capable of little more’n hacking existing code, essentially a shell around some dyna-ram. As reprogrammers are highly illegal and can be easily traced once used on any system or network connected to the Cortex, they’re usually thrown together with whatever cheap pieces of hardware can be spared, and ditched immediately after use.
• Schooldesk: 245c
Standard issue for students in the wealthier Core planets, a schooldesk is a sophisticated computer system with advanced holographic projection, a voice-response system, a (filtered and monitored) Cortex instafeed, printer capable of generating smart paper printouts, a data reader, and software
packages running simulations of any number of science, engineering, or other projects.
• Sensor: 6-30c
An electronic device designed to detect a vast range of conditions, environments, or elements. There are scores—hundreds even— of types of sensors, and they range in size from hand-held to loading crate. Here are some of the more common types and their uses:
• Altimeter:
A hand-held sensor that detects your altitude, based on atmospheric pressure. An altimeter’s usually part of a ship’s sensor package, but when you’re on foot, the hand-held versions can be useful.
• Analyzer:
A broad category of sensor that analyzes chemical compounds and provides information about ‘em.
• Metal Detector:
Discerns any metals within an area.
• Motion Detector:
Detects movement within a 20-yard radius.
• Weather Sensor:
A generic term for any sort of device measuring weather conditions, barometric pressure, wind speed, or humidity.
• Ship-linked handset: c5
A clunky little walkietalkie handset, this is the standard device used for keeping crew members in touch with their ship. Most ships come with several handsets, but generally. additional or replacement units are needed—there’s always some lummox who sits on his handset and smashes it.
• Smart Paper: 1c
A piece of smart paper is essentially a paper-thin video screen, capable of animated displays and storing as much as several books worth of information in the memory cell. Most smart paper can’t be reused—it has no interface for additional downloads once information has been downloaded into its memory. You “turn” the page of smart paper through an on-page image, like a fake bent page corner or a button printed onto the page being displayed.
• Squawkbox: 2c
A small music player, roughly the size of an ammo clip. The memory holds thousands of songs, and speakers mounted on either side fill an area with music. A patch-cable lets you download more music off the Cortex, if you’re willing to pay for it. Wireless earphones come with most models.
• SubKelvin: c80 (Illegal)
Where there’s a will, there’s someone workin’ against it. SubK is a well-known (and thus almost useless) security-removal utility. It works well against Core softies who don’t know their operating matrix buffer from their main feedback path, but that’s about it. There’s better stuff out there, if you know where to look.
• Surveyor's Box: c230
A local area geoscanner combined with a mapping utility prog make this device, that is about the size of a foot locker, useful for surveyors laying out mine shafts and tunnels. Some are sold to nonprofessionals, but what uses they find for ‘em isn’t always apparent.
• Transmission Station: c2200, license is c1000/yr
Offering franchises for carrying the Cortex signal has become an extremely popular way for the Alliance to spread and maintain the Cortex farther out on the Rim. Of course, once you own a Transmission Station and the license, you still need an approved place to put it—usually that means on an orbital station somewhere, and that usually means high rent and living costs, since you’ll be paying spaceport prices for food and services. Not a choice for those looking for an exciting, highpaying life, though if you can afford to finance one of these (and a few operators), they can be a good way to make money
• XerO Security: c8, annual renewal costs c5
One of the most popular Cortex Profile Protection Utilities, XerO self-updates, autoruns, and jumps through hoops on command.
Security Equipment
• Analyzer, Toxin: 200c
A small thermometershaped chemical analyzer for foods or drinks. Simply place it into a glass of liquid, or stick it into the middle of chow you’re suspiciousof. Within a turn, it’ll check for any toxins or potentially fatal allergens.
• Scanner, Currency: 180c
A small sensor with a slot feeder. Put a bill or stack of bills into it, and it quickly scans at a molecular level and checks against every method of currency authentication and known signs of forgery.
• Translator: 75c
For those in the ‘Verse who’re unable or unwilling to learn Chinese or any of the dozens of other languages spoken, this device is a mechanical means of getting your point across. This small hand-held device has a microphone across the top and an earwig receiver. Point the thing at the person you’re wanting to speak to, wait as the doohickey translates it into your own language, and listen through the earwig. Repeat as desired until you’ve reached an understanding, or you’re ready to smash the little thing into slivers. Using a translator is slow and annoying, prone to mistranslations, and generally less effective
han learning the language yourself.
Medical Equipment & Pharmaceuticals
• Adrenaline Syringe: c75
• Blastomere Organs: c18000 (Illegal)
Cloning and growing organs for those needing transplants has become a viable practice in the Core, but Blastomeres—a recent Newtech creation—could make this practice obsolete. Designed to be acceptable by any human body, the synthetic organs could eliminate the time needed to grow a cloned organ. Blastomeres are longer-lasting and are more durable than normal human organs, potentially improving the body and increasing the lifespan of the recipient. Needless to say, they are extraordinarily expensive and, since they are still undergoing testing, they are not yet available to the public
• Cryo Chamber: c1300 (Illegal)
Designed originally to put patients in stasis until they can be properly treated (or a cloned organ can be grown), cryogenic freezing chambers have a number of other uses. Slavers sometimes transport their victim in cryo, though this is expensive and can pose a problem if the people handling the cryo unit don’t know how to use it properly. Putting a body in cryo requires giving the person a carefully measured set of injections, depending on how long the stasis is supposed to last. Removing the person from cryo requires a careful “warm-up” procedure. Not following these procedures doesn’t necessarily mean that the subject will die, but this can happen if the user bungles it badly.
• Dermal Mender: c800
Another fancy medical innovation, this is for those who don’t like stitches and can pay to avoid scarring. Through a combination of regenerative stimulation and the application of artificial skin, the dermal mender can close almost any wound in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, while the mender works well for tissue bond (don’t fiddle with it and it should be good as new in a few days), the dermal mender can’t fix bone, cartilage, or organs. It’ll patch up your skin (and maybe even help put an ear or a nose back on, at least partially), but that’s it. After surgery, the dermal mender can close the incision and prevent infection.
• Doctor's Bag: c28
A collection of basic medicines, antibiotics, scalpels, extractors, etc. Everything a doctor needs to perform minimally in house-call environments, though far from enough to treat everything he might encounter. Out on the Rim, this may be the best there is
• Doctor's Bag (MedAcad): c210
A doctor who graduates from one of the major Medical Academies (on Osiris, Londinum, or Sihnon) will almost certainly have one of these. Technically, they are available to any licensed practitioner in the Core (as are most medical supplies, if the buyer can pay), but that means that the person much have attended one of the major MedAcads or has his training certified by one, which is no mean feat. These more advanced doctor’s kits include the best in portable instrumentation, the latest in commonly needed medicines (though in small amounts), and so forth
• DNA Extractor: 63c
A long metallic cylinder used to obtain a sample of DNA from a person or unborn infant. When placed against skin and activated, the DNA extractor plunges a needle-thin lancet into the patient and removes enough cells for an accurate DNA profile to be performed using appropriate medical facilities. The extractor administers a local anesthetic, a disinfectant, and a rapid sealant to close the wound. A DNA extractor can also extract cells from the amniotic fluid surrounding an unborn infant.
• Drug, Adrenal Booster: 1c
A favorite among junkies and experimental teen athletes, adrenal boosters increase your physical Attributes.
• Drug, Anti-psychotic: 14c
A quick-acting, pharmaceutical-grade hypnotic sedative, used in Alliance hospitals to quell psychotic reactions. Dalcium is one of the most commonly prescribed brands. A dose of antipsychotic medication lasts for up to four hours, though prolonged usage must be monitored and the dosage regularly adjusted (tolerance builds up quickly). More’n two doses in a 24-hour period may lead to serious medical issues, such as a stroke.
• Drug, Anti-rejection: 50c
These drugs help prevent the patient’s immune system from rejecting cybernetic enhancements. Without anti-rejection drugs, a patient runs the risk of infection, illness, and systemic shock, depending on the nature and extent of the cybernetic grafts.
• Drug, Broad-Spectrum Antidote: 11c
A general-purpose antidote for a broad range of ingested toxins or other diseases. There’re a thousand-plenty things you might inadvertently swallow that could kill you, far too many to be carrying around antidotes for each one. There’re even more diseases making the round, nasty little stowaways from the Earth-That-Was that made their way in the ‘Verse and survived terraforming, no matter what they done to wipe disease out.
• Drug, Broad-Spectrum Antivenin: 5.5c
A general-purpose antivenin for use against poison, particularly the types injected by a snake, spider, scorpion, or other unfriendly critter. This works identically to the broad spectrum antidote, but only applies to poisons. Drug, Endorphin: Painkilling drugs that instill a sense of euphoria into the user, endorphins allow you to function despite pain and injury, but at diminished cognitive capacity.
• Drug, Nootropic: 1c
So-called “smart drugs,” nootropics improve neural processing and aid in clear thought.
• Drug, Stimulants: 2c
These can range from pharmaceutical-grade medicines used in surgery or emergency rooms to street versions cooked up in some basement kitchen and sold to kids and gangers.
• Drug, Tranquilizer: 1.5c
A narcotic compound capable of permeating skin through contact, causing near instantaneous unconsciousness. One of the most popular brands is Somnex. Medical types call it “the goodnight kiss” as criminally inclined doxies (who apply the drug
over a seal to protect themselves) use as lipstick to leave their victims unconscious so they can more easily be robbed.
• First-Aid Kit: c1
A standard first-aid kit containing several pain killers, weaves, smelling salts and other minor but useful items
• Imaging Suite: 2,000c
One of the most sophisticated medical diagnostic tools available in the ‘Verse, an imaging suite creates a fully interactive, three-dimensional, real-time holographic display of the patient’s body, inside and out. This can be manipulated and dissected by the operator, allowing for precise diagnosis of any medical conditions without the invasive procedure of surgery or the risk of infection.
• Immunization Packet: c3
These little foil packets contain several hypos of medicine and a couple of chewable tablets. Using a packet will help prevent the user from being infected by almost any known disease. The effects last for only about 48 hours.
• Med Comp: c312
While a bit big to carry by hand (being a little bigger than a Cortex terminal), the medcomp combines most necessary medical scanners with a set of diagnostic progs. Most of the sensors operate via a plastic-cased finger sleeve attached to the medcomp by a wire; someone hooked up can have his heart rate, body temperature, blood chem levels, and so forth monitored by the computer.
• Medical Supplies, Emergency: c110
The doctor who pays the monthly cost for keeping these on hand should be equipped to deal with most major medical situations he could reasonably expect to encounter (serious gunshot wounds, major infections, massive blood loss, etc.). Constant use may require that the supply be restocked more often than once a month.
• Medical Supplies, Standard: c46
Paying the monthly cost to keep an infirmary stocked with the basics allows the doc to make rolls without penalty to treat most common or mild problems, such as
a cold or a bullet in the leg.
• Operating Theatre Modular: c346, c25 installation fee
Developed during the war so that base camp hospitals could be set up quickly almost anywhere, a Modular Operating Theatre equipped with a MedComp and standard and emergency medical supplies counts as Superior Supplies/Ambulance Conditions for firstaid and surgery purposes. Since many ships were equipped with them during the war, most ships use a similar model for their infirmary.