3.3 - Computers and the AC

Alpha State

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The only thing more ubiquitous than computers in the cyberstar wastes is the network connecting them all. If you've got blood you've got a computer, and if you're breathing you're in a network. Most interactions with other people are either augmented by one app or another, or facilitated by them entirely. Even if they're not, you've most likely got your Augmented Reality Interface active so you can access and even see everything that's around you, which means nothing you're seeing is really what you're actually seeing.
That person you're having a conversation with isn't really there, they're just a HoloNeon projected into your mind telling you where their avatar is standing. In fact, plenty of the people you see walking down the street are just HoloNeon avatars. Most of the decorations you're seeing are just HoloNeons as well; plants, artwork, plenty of lighting elements aren't physically real, and almost none of the interfaces with which you use things are real either.
What's more, you can go even deeper. Shift from Augmented Reality into Augmented Virtual and the world around you can be whatever you want; the cityscape around you can instead be a magical forest of giant trees populated by elves, a wild west steampunk wonderland, a world of furries living happy shiny lives, or anything else you can imagine. There's an app for that.
Yet, you can go even deeper. Shift into full Virtual Reality and you're no longer constrained by the physical world. Exist as a HoloNeon avatar, blinking from one side of the starbase to the other in an instant, passing through unsecured walls like a ghost; or just leave the physical world behind entirely and go live in your favorite VR MMO. Why bother being limited by physical reality at all? It's just so restrictive. Better to let go of those things. Your physical body will be fine, surely you've left it in a safe place, all you really need is your friends and the life you've built online.

The Atom Cloud

Known officially as the Atom Cloud, known colloquially as the Adamn Cloud (or more commonly just the AC), society as we know it literally wouldn't function without it. These days, even official docs tend to call it the Adamn Cloud (this drives some techs up the wall). Its original name, of course, is derived from its existence and usage on the atomic level.
The AC exists within atmosphere and is carried by it. Where there is breathable atmosphere, the AC is present. It stems from various manufacturing plants spread across each starbase and space station; they constantly regulate the AC content of the local atmosphere, generating new AC particles and destroying outdated ones as necessary. Whenever any starship docks at a station and equalizes atmo, the AC is updated along with it. You almost can't find places without AC, it takes a lot of effort to avoid.
The Atom Cloud serves three primary functions:

Carries Power to everything that needs it. Capable of sustaining and transferring an electrical current, the AC carries electricity to all points. All electronic devices from laptops, to vehicles, to the latest cyber-implants, constantly draw power from the AC. Most electronics are built without any form of battery, because they're perma-charged as long as they're in the AC.

Carries Signal to anything that uses it. Not too different from an electrical current, the AC carries and transfers signal. This means anything designed to communicate with other devices can see and connect to any other device that's in the same atmosphere. The only devices it can't connect to are ones that move into a different atmosphere (or out of any atmo entirely), or devices specifically built without any AC-IO ports (hard to find, and illegal).

Reads the Environment to detect physical objects. This function is an added element implemented some time in the past couple decades. It serves as a useful tool for anyone connected to the AC, allowing those using ARI, AVI, or VRI (see below) to see the locations of all devices and structures. It also allows ANet tracking algorithms to monitor citizen behavior, but that's another matter.

The AdamNet

Nobody actually remembers whether its technical name is the AtomNet or AdamNet; even official documentation uses the two so interchangeably that nobody really cares anymore. It's just the ANet. The technical description of the ANet is: a collection of communicating computers and other devices, such as Internal Computing Systems, weapons, vehicles, service stations, and homes. What this means is that basically everything is on one massive network: your brain, your car, your house, your gun, everything.
The ANet, AC, tracking algorithms, VR, and AR all operate as an interconnected system, and that system is ubiquitous throughout the entire atmosphere. You can't open a door without accessing the ANet; when you do, you're using the same system that's showing one girl her favorite streamer's live feed, providing power to a merc's cybernetic arms, carrying the text conversation of a group of gangsters, running a corporate datafarm, reading and feeding every AI on the station, and more. Everything that uses electricity, or sends or receives a signal, is in constant communication with multiple elements of the ANet, and the ANet is doing ALL of that simultaneously. For over 500 billion people and every bit of tech or peripheral they ever use.
This is, as you can imagine, a lot. The ANet is built on the AC, carrying power and signal to every device in the same atmosphere. The way it sends power and signals is via guidance algorithms that plot routes for everything that needs to get from one place to another. Your text needs to reach the person you're talking to, the live stream you're watching needs to reach your eyes, power needs to reach your cybernetics, signal from your brain needs to reach the door you want to open, and a hundred other things, all at once, and that's just for you. Guidance algos make sure all these signals reach their intended destination without interference from one another.
The ANet is sending so many signals at once, and they're all so complex, the web of their interactions is so thick, that no programmer would be able to do anything with them if we didn't organize them in some fashion. So every function, connection, or interaction on the ANet is represented—in AR, VR, or anywhere else it gets visualized—as lines of circuitry. Each line is actually an intensely complex string of code that is ever-shifting, every atom ever-changing. So, to us, it looks like lines of circuitry along which we can see a gently pulsating glow of light. And, thanks to guidance algorithms, we never see any of these lines cross each other.
Whenever you adjust your AR or VR filters to show ANet code, the circuitry you're seeing around you is the visual representation of all the things happening at that moment. If you move fast enough (rippers do this sometimes), you can follow the signal of one function from the person or machine that initiated it all the way to its endpoint. For example, if someone sends a wire transfer to their bank you could follow the signal from that person to the bank's secured servers; the signal would cut between traffic of countless other lines of code, weaving between people and buildings, traveling halfway across the entire starbase the span of a wink. Guidance algorithms in action, letting you see the function of a thing too complex for your brain to ever truly grasp.
Lastly, most active ANet traffic isn't even visually displayed. You can always see your own active codelines, but when someone in Sector 50 sends a text to Sector 376, you're not going to see their codeline even if it passes right by you. It's there, but visualization filters are set by default to only display codelines that are sent from or received within 1 kilometer of you. These filters can be adjusted or even removed, but that's not recommended as the human brain can't really process that much.

ANet Color Coding

At some point too far back for anyone to remember, the ANet was given standardized color-coding. This makes it easier for programmers to understand what they're looking at at any given time. These color values can be different on private networks within contained atmospheres, and some programmers customize their visualization software to their color preferences, but for the most part the ANet uses these colors.

Common Traffic is the general codelines seen throughout the ANet, represented with purple (#681988) codelines. At a base level this means automated connections (such as between a person and a door, or a freight car and a track switch), so most codelines are already purple to begin with. What's more though, as a matter of security any codeline for which you don't have permissions is depicted as common traffic. The idea is that this makes it more difficult for rippers to know which codelines are which, because everything just looks like regular automated traffic. The only reasons a codeline will be depicted as any of the color groups are because (1) you are the initiator or recipient of it, (2) you have admin privileges with both the sender and recipient.

Secured Traffic is anything that's heavily secured. All code is encrypted and everything has basic firewalls, but not everything is protected with ICE or protected by advanced firewalls; anything that is protected is represented with gold (#F8EF00) codelines. Note that this color designation is higher priority than personal or community traffic designations, and so any gold codeline could very well be any kind of traffic.

Community Traffic is anything sent or received by an organization, represented with hot pink (#D00070) codelines. Community traffic obviously includes corporations (though most of that is also heavily secured and therefore gold), but it also applies to small businesses, churches, and even things like intra-server communities like a band's fanbase. Many larger gangs even have private servers, the traffic for which is technically community traffic.

Personal Traffic is anything between individuals, represented with blue (#0032A0) codelines. It is also a kind of default catch-all; any codeline that isn't automated, isn't secured, and isn't flagged as community traffic, gets flagged as personal.
There are also two special case color designations:

Interaction Icons aren't codelines, rather they're little symbols that tell you where an interaction point is and what it's desginated as, represnted with cyan (#32C9EC) icons. These can vary widely depending on your Interface level (see more below). For example while in ARI you'll see nodes representing people, vehicles, weapons, vending machines, and anything else with an AC-IO port. While in VRI however, you'll see more low-level icons that represent actual computer functions such as access nodes, data nodes, control nodes, etc. Your ICS will automatically filter out most interaction icons for the same reason it filters out most codeline traffic; by default it'll only show you the ones you created, ones for which you have admin privileges, ones you've specifically marked to visually track, and ones within 10 meters.

ICE isn't something that most people see, represented with white (#FFFFFF) codelines. These are generally only visible from inside a NetStructure, and most people never go into places like that.

3.31 - Online Profiles

Everything that happens online leaves a some data behind, and almost everything that ever happens these days has some form of online component. People text about stuff, computers leave trace logs, map apps auto-tracks locations, people have to log in and out of most buildings, websites constantly track activity for ad purposes, and more. Leaving a digital footprint is a given, the hard part is controlling it.

What's In An Online Profile

All data is classed in four categories: Public, Market, Secure, and Dark. Every noun has data related to it on the ANet, and every bit of it falls into one of those four categories. The category applied to a particular UCT or line of data places certain restrictions on what can or can't be done with it.

Public Data

This data is unprotected, which is generally because it's intended to be information everyone else should know about the subject it applies to. If some kind of secret information gets marked as public, that's usually an error. Some examples of public data:

Market Data

This data is general corporate property, and thus is protected from public view. The only market data you're authorized to view is your own, and viewing another person's market data is legally trespassing. Some examples of market data:

Secure Data

This data is property of the specific corporation that owns the subject's citizenship (or owns the subject entirely). You may view your own secure data by purchasing timed access to the files, but viewing it without permission (or viewing the secure data of any other subject) is legally theft. Some examples of secure data:

Dark Data

Technically this isn't an official data category, but any data that's been secured as much as it can be is considered "dark." Since dark data is hidden from everyone except the person who put it there, legally that's considered theft of corporate data. Which means if a corp finds it you could be in trouble.

Accessing Online Profile Data

Whether or not you can access a piece of information depends on its data class. Any access can be accomplished by looking at a target for more than a few seconds while you're in ARI, AVI, or VRI, or by looking up their handle online.

Public data is unrestricted. If you access anyone's public profile in any way, you'll see this first.

Market and secure data are restricted. Accessing either is either while in deep VR by breaching the target's personal NetStructure, or by utilizing an app that specifically reads a target's market or secure data.

Dark data is hidden. Accessing it is usually only possible by breaching a target's personal NetStructure. Some apps exist that can read a target's dark data, but they are highly restricted.

3.32 - Ripping NetStructures

Hacking may be the oldest, surest way to get through most cybersecurity, but sometimes your only option is to just rip the code apart. It's possible to rip into a system without detection, but it's not easy; most of the time the SysAd's gonna know someone was there, and if you're especially sloppy they're gonna know exactly who entered their territory without permission. Sometimes, that doesn't bother you; other times, you just don't have a choice.
Technically, anyone can rip; practically, almost no one does. All you really need to rip code is a connection to the system you wanna rip, which is easy because as long as you have a NeuroDeck and you're in the same atmosphere as your target then you've got connection. The problem is most NetStructures are packed with ICE, so unless you really know what you're doing you're gonna screw it up. At best you'll trip the alarms and leave your personal ID all over the system, at worst you'll run into one of the more hostile ICE apps running through that system and it'll physically fry your brain. But if you know what you're doing, and you've got a suite of your own ripping apps to help you get through the system, then sometimes ripping is the best route to solve your problems.

What Is A NetStructure

The short version is that a NetStructure is any combination of software, hardware, and SysAd actvity designed to (1) perform specific functions, (2) retain specific data, and (3) protect those functions and data from intruders. A NetStructure can be basically anything; the primary server in a corporate office, a vehicle, a vending machine, or someone's brain (the price we all pay for carrying neuralware). An example NetStructure can be found here.
Usually, you won't have to deal with a NetStructure; this remains true for hackers, NetNinjas, and everyone else. Most regular folk aren't likely to ever end up in a NetStructure, because it's a place you have to specifically spend effort to reach, and they wouldn't know what to do if they ended up there. By contrast, Hackers and NetNinjas usually don't bother with the hassle of breaking into a NetStructure when they can fire off a simple app that will do most things they need.
The only reason to enter a NetStructure is when you need to do more than the basics. You've got plenty of apps that might distract someone, change something they're seeing, burn out a few neurons, or any number of other things. Sometimes, though, you need to do more. Or you need to do a bunch at once, or you need to go deeper. That's when you gotta break into the target's NetStructure where you can read, edit, delete, and even add shit, provided you're able to get through security.
A NetStructure can only be accessed in deep VR. Even if you access a NetStructure while you're not in VR, by looking at something and choosing to open its NetStructure with an ICS command, doing so automatically puts you in deep VR. This means that your body falls to the ground (so most people only do this while already laying down), and you immediately gain 1 Dissonance.

The NetStructure Map

The typical NetStructure is comprised of nodes, each of which is connected to one or more other nodes via pathways. You can travel along any pathway in any direction, not matter how long or short the path may be, but entering a node costs 1 cyber action. Some pathways may cross others, but you can't jump from one to another, you have to follow it to the end of line.

Map Nodes

Each node is classed as one of five types: Access, Security, Data, Feed, or Function.

Access Nodes are where you enter the NetStructure. There is usually only one Access node in a small NetStructure, but a larger NetStructure may have more than one; an Access node is where you begin your time in the scene, and if there's more than one you can choose which you prefer, unless the Narrator specifies one for story reasons.

Security Nodes contain nothing helpful, and exist only to impede your progress. Upon entering a Security node, you must immediately make a Techie + Software + Security STK Check against the DN listed in the node. If you succeed, nothing happens. If you fail, several things happen: (1) the NetStructure is alerted to your presence, (2) all aggressive ICE apps on the NetStructure are immediately activated, and (3) you are pushed back to the node you were at before you failed your STK Check.

Data Nodes contain information, classed by the name of the specific node you entered. For example, a Secure Data Node contains all Secure Data held on the NetStructure. While in a Data Node you can view or copy anything found there; viewing anything costs 1 real action, copying anything costs 1 cyber action. You can also attempt to modify or delete any of the data found here, but doing so costs 1 cyber action and you must make an STK Check against the NetStructure's Firewall; if you fail, you become lightly injured and you are pushed back to the node you were at before you entered that Data Node.

Feed Nodes contain information based on the tactile, visual, aural, olfactoral, and gustatoral input (if any) of whatever contains the NetStructure you're infiltrating. For example, if you hacked into a vending machine with a security cam, you can see what it sees; if you hacked into a person's brain you can feel, taste, hear, smell, and see everything they do. If whatever you've hacked into doesn't have a particular sensory capability, there's nothing for you to see in that category.

  It's important to note that there are usually two different kinds of Feed Nodes. A Sensory Feed Node is a live current feed of the NetStructure's current sensory input; you can observe and record but you can't pause, rewind, or fast-forward. A Memory Feed Node is also a live feed, but it's built on the recording of what comes from the nearest Sensory Feed Node; you can pause, rewind, and fast-forward all you want. There are limits to a Memory Feed Node, in that you can't go forward past the current point in time, and if you go too far back most of the memory begins to degrade. Anything older than about an hour either gets stored on a Data Node or a Function Node; if it doesn't, it's gone forever.

  While in a Feed Node you can view and copy what you're seeing without difficulty. You can also attempt to modify or delete any of the feeds, but doing so costs 1 cyber action and you must make an STK Check against the NetStructure's Firewall; if you fail, you become lightly injured and you are pushed back to the node you were at before you entered that Feed Node. Modifying any sensory data in a Feed Node might also require some level of programming and artistry, depending on what you're trying to do, at the Narrator's discretion. Convincing someone they saw someone they didn't means you need to make that thing believable, plus you've got to create the illusion across multiple senses.

Control Nodes organize, maintain, and operate the basic functions of the entire NetStructure they're fitted within. They're hard to reach, buried at the farthest back end of their NetStructure under deep security. They also house the NetStructure's ICE apps, either unleashing them whenever an intruder is detected, or using them as a last line of defense when an intruder reaches a Control Node.

  There are two different kinds of Control Nodes. An ICS Core Function Node monitors the software of the ICS that is the NetStructure itself, think of it like the Admin functions of the entire operating system. From an ICS Function Node you can view or copy any of the NetStructure's existing ICE apps by spending 1 cyber action. You can also attempt to modify or delete any of the NetStructure's ICE apps; doing so is 1 cyber action and you must make an STK Check against the NetStructure's Firewall; if you fail, you become lightly injured and you are pushed back to the node you were at before you entered that Control Node.

  A Control Function Node monitors the hardware, wetware, and software of the machine or person in which the NetStructure is installed. This means heart rate, active thought patterns, nerve functions, throttle control, soup can dispensor, or the like; if it's a physical or physiological function of the machine or person you've hacked into, this Node has access to those functions. You can view anything here without any effort. If you want to modify any of the functions, such as burning out a vehicle's engine or stopping someone's heart, you must make an STK Check against the NetStructur's Firewall; if you fail, you become lightly injured and you are pushed back to the node you were at before you entered that Function Node.

Using Apps

Given the way modern code is written, and the ways in which you interact with code in deep VR, it's technically possible to hack, rip, and do anything else without the use of apps. It's just a really bad idea, because everyone else is going to be using apps. Going into any NetStructure architecture without any apps is like going into a gunfight empty-handed.

App Storage

Players can have any number of apps loaded. Each app uses up a certain amount of space, usually measured in Exobytes (EB); if you've got enough money, you might have a storage drive measured in Zettabytes (ZB). Inactive apps are stored either on a Neural Storage Drive (NSD), Quantum Mirrored Drive (QMD), or sometimes a Solid State Drive (SSD); for the vast majority of cases, it'll probably be an NSD (QMDs are expensive as fuck, SSDs are ancient tech). Active apps remain on your storage drive, but also take up space in your Neural Random Access Memory (NRAM); usually about half the space they take on your storage drive (unless the app specifies otherwise).

Inactive and Active Apps

Inactive apps don't do anything unless they have a passive effect. An inactive app with no passive effects doesn't benefit or hinder you in any way, it just takes up space on your storage drive. An inactive app with a passive effect provides whatever benefit the passive effect is, given in the app's description.
Active apps perform whatever function they were designed for. An active app's passive effect continues (if it has one), but the app's primary function takes precedence in any instance where one might contradict the other. Every app's primary function is detailed in its description.

App Categories

Every app is categorized as aggressive, defensive, support, or utility, and its primary function exists within the confines of those descriptions. For example, a defensive app can never be used to perform aggressive actions.
There are, as well, complex apps that fall within more than one category. These apps are expensive, difficult to write, and take up a lot more storage space, but they're usually extremely sought-after. For example, one of the more famous apps ever written is called Kingslayer; an extremely powerful app that makes the user almost unstoppable in any net architecture (the term "kingslayer" has also become a coloquial term for any highly powerful app, but most NetNinjas and hackers only refer to actual Kingslayers as kingslayers).

Something Something

Write something about how apps function. Defensive apps wrap around you and ablate damage, aggressive apps seek out ICE. LYNN FINISH THIS
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