Empress Wave and Virus

[daryen]

A thought just occurred to me. And since these things happen rarely enough, I thought I would ask it here.

The Empress Wave is primarily (or entirely) a psionic effect. What exactly it does is still undefined, but we seem to know that it affects psionicly attuned individuals.

Someone(s) postulated that Virus works, effectively, with psionics. It seems to be a "machine ghost", which would, in the Traveller system, require the use of some form of psionics. (Psionics being Traveller's form of magic.)

Assuming the second point is true, and putting the two points together, what effect could (or would) the Empress Wave have on Virus. Might the Empress Wave be a means to "cleanse" known space from Virus? Not necessarily eliminate it entirely, but finish its civilizing it and eliminate any remaing rogues.

Just a thought. I figure someone else came up with this same idea, but I don't remember reading it.

 

[Anthony]

Then again, you might wind up with insane telepathic computers instead of regular insane computers.

 

[daryen]

Well, sure, you can always make things worse. But then you don't need the Empress Wave for that.

I was just thinking that the two things could interact to mostly negate and "solve" themselves.

But, there is also no reason they couldn't end up with a terrifying synergy.

 

[MJD]

The interaction between Wave and Virus is a chaotic system - some positive effects, some negative, some too minor to notice.

 

[Jame]

Where would one find out more of the Empress Wave (which while I've heard of it, I've not found anything out, not that I looked...)?

 

[snrdg082102]

Lo daryen,

Here is my understanding of Virus, which until now did not have a connection to psionic ability.

Virus is based on a silicon life form that was altered or evolved after consuming the silicon based chips of a, IIRC, Terran/Solomani warship that crashed on the planet from either the Interstellar Wars period or the Solomani Rim War. At some point the planet was discovered and these naturally occurring chips were seen as a way to make better computer systems. Someone came up with the idea that these chips could be programmed to knockout the enemies computer systems and then destroy themselves after the ded was done. Unfortunately, the plans failed to take into account that the chips could adapt to conditions. Instead of self-destructing some of these chips combined to become senient with many being very unstable in the sanity department and took control of worlds and starships. The overall result of Virus was the collapse of the 3I as a political power and brought about a variation of the Long Night of the ZS and ROM.

Originally posted by daryen:
A thought just occurred to me. And since these things happen rarely enough, I thought I would ask it here.

The Empress Wave is primarily (or entirely) a psionic effect. What exactly it does is still undefined, but we seem to know that it affects psionicly attuned individuals.

Someone(s) postulated that Virus works, effectively, with psionics. It seems to be a "machine ghost", which would, in the Traveller system, require the use of some form of psionics. (Psionics being Traveller's form of magic.)

Assuming the second point is true, and putting the two points together, what effect could (or would) the Empress Wave have on Virus. Might the Empress Wave be a means to "cleanse" known space from Virus? Not necessarily eliminate it entirely, but finish its civilizing it and eliminate any remaing rogues.

Just a thought. I figure someone else came up with this same idea, but I don't remember reading it.

 

[daryen]

Originally posted by Thomas Rux:
Here is my understanding of Virus, which until now did not have a connection to psionic ability.

Nothing in canon says Virus was psionic. That was merely speculation by others.

The reason psionics was interjected into the conversation is that Virus is "magic". There is no real way to explain "how" it does what it does. Therefore, it was suggested that maybe Virus is a psionic force. Kind of a "ghost in the machine".

This doesn't necessarily imply "classic" psionics. Virus may not have telepathy or clarivoyances or whatever. It just means that the way Virus accomplishes its feats is psionic in nature; it doesn't change those feats or the abilities of Virus.

 

[Elliot]

This could work - the Cymbeline chips (therefore virus) used electrical signals to communicate. An explanation of how psionics work is that the neural/electrical signals of the brain are focused in a 'magical' way (hence psionic shield and NAS technology). Cymbeline consciousness is electrical, Psionic powers are a heightened form of neural/electrical manipulation, therefore Cymbeline chips and psionics work on the same wave lengths.

If the EW affects psions, it can affect Virus.

 

[kafka47]

Is that meaning of the secret vision that Varan had of a universe covered in Machine wires? Could it be that the Virus is an emergent intelligence that all its insantity is linked to the primordial growing pains and fear of its surroundings? Launching into temper tandrums when things don't go its way.

Oh, my god! My wife is contaminated by the Virus

 

[DED]

Originally posted by Jame:
Where would one find out more of the Empress Wave (which while I've heard of it, I've not found anything out, not that I looked...)?

It is a phenomenon that is only briefly discussed in the TNE books "Survival Margin" and "Regency Sourcebook." It is the source of much speculation and heated debate.

It is hoped that T20 will be able to print a TNE sourcebook to shed some light on it some time in the future. =)

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Elliot:
This could work - the Cymbeline chips (therefore virus) used electrical signals to communicate. An explanation of how psionics work is that the neural/electrical signals of the brain are focused in a 'magical' way (hence psionic shield and NAS technology). Cymbeline consciousness is electrical, Psionic powers are a heightened form of neural/electrical manipulation, therefore Cymbeline chips and psionics work on the same wave lengths.

If the EW affects psions, it can affect Virus.

Three Heretical cheers for common sense, reason, and deduction to Elliot!!
(hip hip Huzzah x3!)

I like it!

 

[vegascat]

Where could I find references to the Empress wave?

 

[daryen]

There used to be a FAQ that answered questions like this, but I have since lost it. I think it was the TML FAQ, but, with the move, I have no idea what happened to it.

The Empress Wave was described in Survival Margin and, especially, the Regency Sourcebook. I use the word "described" here very loosely, as nothing was really explained.

Basically, the Empress Wave is a "wave-front" that is moving at the speed of light from core-ish out. It has washed over the Zhodani Consulate, causing the Exodus and the seeming destruction of the Consulate. It is supposed to impact the Regency sometime in 1205 (I think). Cue ominous music.

The descriptions only really describe the "visual" effect (they see a female figure when exposed to the Wave) and that it has caused the current (ca. 1200) Zhodani problems. *What* it is has never been, and likely will never be, described.

The silver lining in all of this is that, whenever produced, MJD has promised to explain his version of the Empress Wave in his TNE Sourcebook.

 

[MCEvans]

Just ideas

The Empress Wave is a WMD in the continuing war of the Ancients designed to expose Grandfather's pocket universes.

or​

It is the next wave of attack in The Droyne Empire and the Dyabyuse conflict (see Mongoose Traveller's Secret of the Ancients section 6):frankie:

or​

it is a wave of rationality that will take best of all rule sets and the time line will reset to 001-1116 and we can all start over.mega:

 

[LeperColony]

There actually is a psionic Virus computer in Smash and Grab, so the possibility that the Empress Wave could give Virus entities psychic abilities is not inconceivable.

 

[mike wightman]

IMTU Grandfather didn't discover jump space - he invented it.

He detonated a device that spread a jump space interface at light speed from the point of detonation.

The Empress Wave is the result of a civilisation on the other side of the galaxy detonating a counter device because it interfered with their technology.

Also IMTU psionics are explained as nano/bio machines embedded in DNA that allow access to the higher dimensions such as jump space. Terrans only discovered their psionic potential when they started using jump drives that activated the latent machinery.

 

[Uxi]

I like the idea of mystery and not being any feasible way for the players to ever get to the Galactic Core, they would never really find out.

IIRC, Dave Nilsen hinted the Zho's setting it off with one of the Core Expeditions, didn't he? It was supposedly going to be a deep part of Avery's expedition, as well.

I know Dave posted a bit of it here. Did MJD ever do anything with it?

 

[Dragoner]

Empress wave was from a dying human civilization near core and the Star Vikings left to rescue them, other than that, it's effect was minimal. That is the way MJD wrote it in his 1248 books.

 

[Uxi]

Is that it or did he detail it more? I would lean more towards Nilsen (unknowable) than MJD, but curious if he had them being TL17+ and/or psionic society or anything like that? Who was the "empress?" The leader or the one causing the dying?

 

[Dragoner]

As far as I know the 1248 stuff is canon, MJD's work, it is eleborated on some, it struck the Zhodani worse, being psionic, the empress was just the Lishun/Depot vision and didn't have any real meaning. The humans are/were called the Yaskoydri and were put there by Grandfather and the wave was their call for help from a natural disaster. Out of the Darkness on the TNE 2 disk describes it pretty well.

IMTU this is all "the past" as I have moved the timeline up to 1323, virus is now common AI, the empress wave moving out through charted space as a known phenomenon. The Imperium is there but changed and now TL16, which I like because it makes me able to solve a lot of technical issue with the rules by using technology, plus it's more sci-fi.