[Writings] Shadowterms notes on Zero Fold

[shadowterm]

This is what will be a story some time in the future. I finally got around to writing it down and figuring it out. This was motivated by a swift kick in the rear delivered by a couple users. Anyway, this is the Zero Fold Drive

Zero Fold Drive

A Zero Fold Drive or ZFD, relies on a powerful computer that can successfully dived mathematical expressions by zero. Depending on the expression used, you can wind up in many places in many dimensions. Due to the sporadic nature of portal creation using this, the first few machines were put in vacuum chambers to prevent anything from getting in or out that wasn't supposed to.  While inside the disk, one sees out into a skewed world as light from both places over-lap. This has inspired a new form of motion sickness, called getting Slip Sick. It has inspired a variety of ways to go into the disk and out the other end in many creative ways. When one enters the disk, they exit at the same place at the exterior of the of the disk, as if the disk had been turned inside out and spit you out in the other direction. Thus far, Zero Folds are the only recorded truly 2 dimensional objects in reality. The event will literally disappear when looked at from the side. Most ZFDs are public, and create massive portals to be used by the community for travel. ZFDs are also used by wealthy computer and Internet companies to transfer information instantaneously across any distance. Wealthy individuals sometimes own personal ZFDs that can create portals between houses they own, or from room to room in large house. (This is especially common where bathrooms were built on the other side of the house from any one room.) The ZFD has even been used to acquire resources from other dimensions and planets, due to it's relative cost effectiveness in comparison to space travel.

[Jairus]

Interesting stuff so far. Okay, a few quick questions. Are space vessels of some kind still in use to get coordinates or for exploration, or how exactly do they figure out how to get where they want to get? And how big or small do ZFDs get, and does the ZFD need to be in the same vicinity as the exit portal? Sorry, those are just the questions that popped up. Again, looks cool.

[Pagan]

So, for reference sake, it's a Portal in mid-air? Are they "open-and-close" deals or do they remain open indefinitly? I'm guessing there's a large cost prohibitor? So the average joe can't uplink his house to his buddy or the nearest bar? And yeah, what's the term for a ZDF connection?

Sorry for the inqusition, it's how I show love.

[shadowterm]

UHW

The United Harbor Worlds is a democratic system with appointed representatives from each Harbor world on a council. A Harbor world is a world that hold sentient life, and has developed to industrial status or higher. The UHW is not unlike the UN, but does not have permanent powers, or such a strict veto system. Decisions made by the UHW mainly pertain to diplomatic differences between countries, and serves as an alternative to war. Countries with strained relations put the situation before the council. A compromise, or possible support of one side in the form of military action is voted on, and the majority is chosen. Harbor worlds have been know to go against UHW decisions, but these are not punished. The UHW rulings are mainly guidelines, and a way of saying "I told you so." for most politicians that watch the rebellious country find defeat.

To answer Jairus' questions, Space vessels are in use, but mainly by people who can't afford a personal ZFD connection, and don't want to wait for a government built public one. Coordinates were found by graphing early results to find a patter. The newest ones can map an equation to fit a geographic location based on the data. This was one of the main reasons early devices were so isolated. you don't want to open a hole in space time to the sun and not have a good thick wall between you and it. A ZFD hole's dimensions are also determined by the equation. if this seems for a lot for a equation to hold, it's because they are usually very long with a lot of imaginary numbers and irrational numbers like Pi. If a human being took the time to read the entire equation, at about a number or symbol every second, it would take him on the excess of a million years to reach the end. The fact that a computer was designed to not only work with this many numbers and then divide it by zero was achieved by quantum computers. Basically, it can get the answer without asking the question. The ZFD does not have to be near the exit, but in a weird kind of way, once the exit is there, they're relatively close. because the equation that opened the entry near it makes an exit at the same time, one could say the exit is exactly were the entrance is. position of the event is severly debated, because they're really in two places.

Pagan
Yes, it's a portal in mid air, though mistakes can make them underground, or even submerged in water. (They are actually used to drain lakes to keep them from over-flowing and destroying homes.) The portals are opened and closed by the computer. Basically, what was torn appart by dividing by zero can be fixed the same way. It took year for scientist to figure out what to do to the equation to do it though. There is a large cost prohibitory, but for large corporations, or organizations willing to pay for them, they can be an invaluable tool.

Edit: Wow, my answering questions is longer than the info on the government of that universe.

[shadowterm]

A double post? preposterous! it keeps things organized for me though

UIP and DR

UIP (Universe Integrity Protectors) was committed to making sure that ZFDs did not compromise the integrity of the Universe. Unfortunately, UIP did this very poorly. They were causing more harm than good trying to keep Dimension Resources, a corporation that specialized in basically pit mining worlds in other dimensions, and put massive amounts of worlds with sentient life at risk. (These worlds are called Harbor worlds.) This rivalry eventually escalated when DR was taken over by a psychotic that wanted to rule the universe and make all sentient life into slaves. UIP was taken over by DR when Izzie and Dalen destroyed all ZFDs in both factions respective possession. DR then attacked the Administrative Harbor world in an attempt to gain control. Izzie had already warned the UHW about the coming threat, and a proper welcome mat of every soldier from all military Harbor worlds being assembled. The ensuing battle convince the UHW to make ZFDs a technology to be strictly controlled by the government.

(Izzie is a main Character, and will be elaborated on later. Dalen is a support Character, and will be explain in the same post.)

[Jairus]

So government-run ZFD portals are a bit like airplanes/ocean traveling vessels? You set up a scheduled opening to a specific area, and have a group waiting to basically walk through... um, how do they go through?

Um, I need to read the post that you just put up in order to respond to it.

[shadowterm]

read before respond, what? anyway, yes like ocean liners. There are many methods of going through the portals, the easiest is simply walking, but if you don't have enough momentum, you can get stuck. This is very unpleasant for the person(s) involved. Portals can even be made on the ground, letting gravity shove the person through, and out the other end. This does, however, result in a lot of soar bottoms from people exiting from one that is aligned vertically like a door. For mass transport, a large capsul filled with nothing but seats is shot through at a relatively moderate speed of 15 MPH, or more. The capsul is stopped at the other end, and is then emptied for passengers going the other way.

[shadowterm]

It's been a while hasn't it? Yeah, I suck. Anyway, I discussed the two main factions, the main governing power, and the tech. So now, lets go with the life forms, as those are pretty important.

Gathran (Ga-th-ran): Humanoids that resemble earth animals (Including Mammals, reptiles, avians, Amphibians, and, in rare cases, fish)They are the result of human experiments on genetics. The scientists that made the original experiment were convicted for the experimentation on human beings. Ironically, the process is seen as desirable in the setting, so many of them exist. they are capable of speaking Standard (The elected universal language) through translators, usually a necklace or other garment worn around the neck, that can absorb the vibrations of the voice box, and transmit the translation through either a speaker, or the wearers own voice box through emitters in the garment itself. (This device is used mainly due to the fact that their mouth are in-capable of producing sounds ours can) They are varied in size and shape, and can be classified as different races as to the animal they apear like. Differen't races can't breed due to the genetic differences. (Humans and chimps can't mate, and we're about as close as they would be.

Xilantos (x-eye-lan-toe-s): A race of beings consisting of a thick, semi transparent membrane that contains vital organs. There really isn't a face, and the entire membrane has photo sensitive cells, technically making it's entire body a functioning eye. They have no 'Arms' or 'legs' but instead floated on their home world due to a combination of low gravity and the heavy atmosphere. They propel themselves by changing their shape, and using the momentum to 'push' themselves forward. When on a ship or other planet, They use hover and propulsion units to stay afloat and move about. They manipulate objects through ultra-sonic sound that can move objects intended for that type of use, such as any technology they build themselves. They are capable of speaking, and learn Standard rather than use a translator. They are usually employed as watch guards or sentries because of their vision.

Tilinthia (Til-in-th-ia): They Tilinthia are any robot or machine that has been declared 'alive' in that it has a personality, is capable of making irrational decisions, and is not a threat (The ones that are a threat don't last very long ) The Tilinthia is a very diverse species, in that their origins are not concistant, and are not always able to communicate even with each other, let alone speak standard. A big push is being made to make Standard a requirement for all Tilinthia, but the undertaking is concidered by many to be a fools errand. The only problem arrises when Mentally unstable Tilinthia are created. These usually make up their own language, and completely erase the one they were programmed with. This results in their dismantlement, unless they're quick to escape.

Ancients: Not much is known about this presumed dead species, they were very advanced, and ZFD's are actually reverse engineered from a device that found it's way to Earth due to a malfunction. No Anciets were found inside the ship, and they are presumed to have left the ship. (The ship created a ZF portal, and then went through it after creating it. Some comedians theorize that the Ancients were trying to get back in at the parking lot, and the driver pressed the wrong button on the remote keychain.)

[shadowterm]

Weaponry

Guns: Like ours, but slightly more advanced. I say slightly because you can only get a tube that fire metal through it using an explosion to be so advanced.

MACs: Magnetic Acceleration Cannons. Basically a gun that uses magnets instead of boom.

Lasers: Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Used a lot of energy. Point at target until it catches on fire, or stops moving.

Plasma weaponry: What was created when we got bored with lasers. Creates a magnetic field that contains plasma and then either shunts it toward a target, or extends the field in a laser like fashion.

The Hand of God: Satellites in orbit fire plasma that resembles lightning. Used as argument with normal citizens who don't know they're satelites as argument that A. There is a god B. He's on our side and C. He wants us to win!

Bombs: Boom without making metal fly through a tube.
   Grenade: usually a small enough explosion to not make user lose appendages.
   Missiles: Boom that flies through the air really fast to something far away, and makes it dead
   Torpedoes: Missiles that are under water, or in space.
   Atomic weapons: Boom that makes country stop whining.
   Anti-matter reaction bomb: Boom that makes continents stop whining
   Atomic Anti-matter bomb: Boom that makes planet stop existing. (Idea: Anti matter of nuclear substance and regular nuclear substance are used to achieve critical mass at the same time as naturally creating an anti matter reaction. VERY BIG BOOM)