Digging into the Tech of Nash

Hey everyone!

Well, we’ve come to the last of my Nash info drops. Not to say there won’t be more to share in the future, but I think what I’ve shared so far about Nash (and Highton Heroes) is enough to get a sense of the worlds I’m creating and the stories I want to tell.

So today we’re diving into technology – a staple of the science fiction genre, especially since most of it gets made up! I always find this topic fascinating in sci-fi. I’d regularly go through Star Wars books, the Mass Effect codex and Halo wiki to learn more about the technology in those series.

I think the reason I find it so interesting is because in sci-fi, you’re dealing with a very made-up fictional world. By understanding the technology, you start to understand the day-to-day life of the world and therefore better understand the world in which the story takes place.

This isn’t exhaustive of everything techy I’ve written up about Nash, but I think it’s the most important stuff to share. Plus, I wouldn’t want to bore you all with pages and pages of details!

Without further ado, let’s get stuck in…

Portal Technology

Ruins found on Mars led to the development of portal technology. The ruins told of a Universe Portal, describing it as a tunnel that connects all of time and space across the universe. The ability to enter and travel within this Universe Portal depends on a Portal Access Drive (PAD). At its basic level, the portal allows travel at faster speeds across the universe.

Travelling in the Universal Portal requires strong shielding. The faster and deeper you go into the Portal, the more damage a ship starts to sustain from it. To date, humanity has only been able to develop PADs and shields that allow ships to travel across the Initius Sector at reasonable speeds. Any further starts to become a long journey that requires more advanced ships.

The Universe Portal can also be used for communication purposes. Using a network of satellites set up across Sol, Veras and Porter, communication across these systems is instant when in Human Alliance space.

Hardlight Swords

The Hardlight Sword originated in the Vigor War, wielded by Shadow Knights. Swords were captured and replicated to be wielded by Vigor Humans, and later high-ranking HMA officers.

The Hardlight Sword bears a small, flatish hilt. When activated, it emits a solid form of light at an incredibly high temperature in the shape of a sword.

Laser Weapons

After the Vigor War was won in 2401, the laser weapons used by the Shadow Knights were adapted. These weapons run on charge packs. Once a charge pack is drained, a new one is inserted into the weapon like ammo. Charge packs are generally tuned to fire different laser colours. This is to signify which faction the weapon is aligned with.

Shielding

This involves the emission of an energy barrier from a generator that surrounds the object or person it is attached to and proceeds to absorb damage until it overheats. Once shielding has overheated, it shuts down until it is cooled and able to recharge.

Shields come in two different defence forms. Kinetic shielding is used to deflect physical objects like rocks or metal. Energy shielding is used to absorb and dissipate energy to protect the user or ship.

Defence Clothing

In military and policing organisations, defence clothing is often worn to help protect soldiers and agents in battle. There are 2 primary defence weaves. Ballistic weave refers to a special combination of stitching and materials that create a thick fabric resistant to bullet and shrapnel damage. Energy weave is a thick rubber-like layer designed to help absorb energy damage.

Fibre defence underlays (FDUs) are a special skin-tight defence suit, usually worn underneath armour or military clothing. It contains a combination of ballistic and energy weaves.

Armour

Armour is a common and necessary part of the human military. Armour comes in different forms and models, depending on the level of soldier and function. It is coloured depending on the faction it is used by. For example, the HMA wear military green armour while the VTF wear blue and black armour.

Base armour is worn by most low-level HMA units and involves defence clothing with shoulder, leg and chest armour pieces over the top to defend weak areas.

Full-cover armour suits are worn by heavies and shock soldiers. Advanced versions of full-cover armours tend to be worn by high-ranking officers and elite units. Most full-cover armour models also feature shield generators.

Ships & Vehicles

After the discovery of the Mars Ruins, research and development into ships boomed. Enthusiasm to explore the galaxy was at its highest as PAD technology continued to advance. As of 2429, ships are mostly used by the government, military and public transport companies. Only the wealthy can afford to own private ships.

Within the atmosphere of each planet, most people get around using Hover Cars and Aerospace Cars. The Hover Car can levitate just off the ground, allowing it to avoid the dangers and issues of old ‘wheel cars’. It is the cheapest major form of transport. The Aerospace Car is the same in design as the Hover Car, except it can fly kilometres above ground. The vehicle itself has no shielding and cannot exit the atmosphere, but it is the quickest form of travel across a planet due to its size and mobility (apart from Fighters of course).

To get off-world without a private ship, civilians must fly on large public transports that transit between planets.

Within the military, transport is generally achieved through Fighters, FTIAs and Frigates.

• Fighters are small multipurpose ships that can be modified and used for a range of purposes. They contain adequate defences and weaponry but can be easily destroyed under heavy fire.
• FTIA stands for Fleet Transport/Intense Attack ship. They are essentially larger versions of the Fighter ship with a ramp at the back to allow troops to exit and enter. FTIA’s have stronger shields and come with a PAD by default.
• A Frigate is a large ship with a similar shape to old submarines. They are the standard transport for large military forces and can act as a base of operations in distant areas of space. In space battles they deliver heavy fire support, create blockades and act as command posts. Larger model Frigates are called Mega-Frigates.

The Furtive

The Furtive is an advanced Fighter developed by Shadow Master. It is sleek, completely black, and built out of and fuelled by unknown sources. The ship is controlled entirely by an interactive artificial intelligence (AI), making it extremely fast and flexible in battle. Shadow Master also implemented a cloaking device and the ability to mask its emissions, making it undetectable to current human scanners.

Agibots

The Agibots (Agile Robots) were a small force of advanced robotic Troopers developed secretly by Shadow Master before 2429. Due to his believed limited resources and manpower, Shadow Master only developed a small force, but each individual Agibot’s virtual intelligence programming make for a formidable and deadly foe to the average human.

Agibots are tall and made of black metal with a thin face and spikey, sharp fingers. They are designed to emit scary robotic noises to intimidate their foes. Each unit is flexible and able to spin parts of its body quickly in combat. They wield both laser weapons and Energy Pikes.

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Thanks for having a read of this quick overview of technology in the world of Nash. You’ll probably notice bits and pieces from other sci-fi series with a sprinkle of original creativity over the top. That’s probably an accurate description of Nash overall.

I hope you found it interesting! Any feedback, thoughts or suggestions? I’m keen to hear them in the comments!

Til next time,

Dean