Three Prime Technologies

The Three Prime Technologies of communication, power generation, and transportation are three key indicators of the technological society and/or civilization.

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Please refer to the following AAB library articles for related information:

• Technology
  • Technological Research
    • Ancients Foundation
    • Biotechnology
    • Imperial Research Station
    • Technology Incubator
  • Technological Systemics
    • Technology Level
    • Tech Level Comparison Chart
    • Three Prime Technologies
    • Universal Technological Profile

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Description (Specifications)

There are three primary technologies that are determinants of the size and technological characteristics of a government (polity) such as the Third Imperium.

1. Communication
2. Power Generation
3. Transportation

Power

• Power (Energy): Energy production is a key technology for any government (polity) and the Third Imperium employs an advanced (TL-15) Fusion Plus (also Fusion+ or F+) as the primary source of almost all Imperial technology. Research into antimatter power plants is being conducted within the Third Imperium, but the technology is still very much in its nascent form. It seems very clear from archaological research that the Ancients possessed not only antimatter power plants, but other highly advanced power plants capable of producing orders or magnitude more power than anything within the Third Imperium or Charted Space.

Transportation

• Transportation (STL or FTL): The Third Imperium is capable of building a (TL-15) FTL (Faster-Than-Light) Jump-6 Jump Drive (J-6) propelling a starship at speeds approaching six parsecs (19.5698006 light years) a week. This transportation capacity greatly limits X-boat (Express Boat) message delivery times, and thus, with the communications limit, greatly reduces the maximum size acheivable by interstellar governments (polities). However, many jump-capable starships do not use J-6 propulsion drives. J-6 propulsion drives are incredibly expensive, and most commercial or private starships are limited to much less capable jump drives, often J-1 or J-2 rated drives. The Third Imperium is furiously researching more advanced and capable Jump Drive technologies. Research into Jump Drive technology suggests the Ancients posssessed much more capable Jump Drives, many orders of magnitude faster than existing (TL-15) Jump Drive technology.

Communication

• Communication (STL or FTL): The Third Imperium's most advanced communications device is the (TL-15) Meson Communicator. Mesons are normally short-lived particles, but they can be accelerated to nearly the speed of light, which also extends their energetic lifespan. However, even when the mesons employed by a Meson Communicator are used for near-FTL communication, their energetic lifespan is too limited to be useful over interstellar distances, which limits Meson Communicators to short astrographic distances between starships in the same stellar system. This necessitates the use of a X-boat (Express Boat) network, which limits the speed of communication to roughly one week between jump points. This means that it might takes months or even more than a year for information to travel via X-boat from one end of Charted Space to the other. The Third Imperium's most advanced minds are researching Pseudo Reality Communications and Pocket Meson Communicators. The most advanced (TL-15) Meson Communicators are still far too large to be personally carried by all but the largest of sophonts. No technology at TL-15 is capable of near-instantaneous FTL communications, what many call the Ansible.

History & Background (Dossier)

After centuries of study after the Long Night, the

References & Contributors (Sources)

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• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science