NXSA-Infocorp Autonomous Program for Research on Interplanetary Life
Party Skill Buffs:
+1 Guns/Beams w/in 300 yd, +2 First Aid/Physician, +5 Diagnosis, +6 Surgery, +6 Tracking, +3 Mechanic/Repair (Robots), +5 Detect Lies, and other
Classes/Levels
Speed 5, Dodge 8, Will 12, Per 12+, HT 10, FP –; Gilligan: DR 30, HP 16/20; Skipper: DR 15, HP 5/5; Mary Ann: DR 1, HP 1/1
Age
4
Languages
All Human
Occupation
Self-Employed
About APRIL 26-b
April:
(2 XP to spend)
Background:
One of the exciting things about the Gate Mechina, in the cultural eye, was the new possibility it brought of finding extraterrestrial life, after a wearing century of nothing but mysterious exoplanets and lack of interesting aliens on the outer moons of the solar system. And so, in enthusiasm and budget surplus, many of the first wave of traveler and expoships were fitted with some sort of advanced biology software and equipment, either mass-manufactured or kitbashed by auto-synbiology enthusiasts.
And no devs played a bigger part in this than NXSA-Infocorp, already known for their robotic probes and explorers (as well as human-sim grav dummies so effective they had found use on Sol as well). So it wasn't long after the gate went online that NXSA-Infocorp unveiled their APRIL line, the Autonomous Program for Research on Interstellar Life—a suite of analysis software, minilabs and explorer drones designed for studying both astrobio samples (from this solar system or others) and the effects of space on human crew, with a wide range of settings ranging from full autonomy to drone control by a licensed scientist.
26b started our simply—just a server and a medbay, with out-of-the-box "maximum human familiarity" settings on her benchtop holoprojector. But a solar storm fried a few of the ship's systems, and when the on-deck computer engineer scrubbed the noise out of the databanks, he got a good look at the APRIL code and settings—and was impressed by the sheer modularity of the platform. The APRIL line was cutting-edge, next-gen stuff, but without a lot of the safeguards, code standards, and basic obfuscation that showed up in everything a year or two newer. And so he started playing around with the system, adding processing cores and connecting it to non-essential ship systems, seeing what could happen if he removed every arbitrary limit on the code and set a few flux parameters to auto-optimize outside of their recommended settings.
It didn't help that this was one of the finest programmers of a generation, working as a glorified data mechanic only so he could see the stars up close at the end of a long and fulfilling career. It also didn't help that his daughter—coincidentally also named April—had died a few months back on Sol, after a long battle with a degenerative clone-proof disease. And by the time he passed away, and a new engineer took providence of the ship, APRIL-26b had acquired a great deal of processing power, and a rather curious degree of personality.
* * *
Back on Sol, AI of any sort is heavily regulated and/or scrubbed—safeguards that have generally proved pretty unnecessary. There are few tales of murderous robots, few new stories about computerized armageddon; but nobody's about to take chances. But farther out into space, things get a little more... tolerant. It's a bit of an open secret, at least among the ship's scientists and engineers, that there's something seriously wrong with APRIL-26b (and not just the number of systems she's wired into that should have been automated by other software); but her strange, heavily-tampered sense of humor has made her feel like more of a mascot than a threat, and her enthusiasm at flying drones and probes into dangerous situations with both enthusiasm and detailed reporting has made her a valuable asset to the ship and its crew.
Description:
APRIL is a young woman's face, in perhaps her late 20s, who appears via monochromatic hologram—usually green or blue—on ship's monitors or holo-wristbands worn by some of the crew.
Her physical "body" is a central computer wired into the ship, though her systems are located in the medbay, where various fab systems and autodoc tables lump together, assembling or studying objects. When she needs to move cargo or samples around, she usually does so using one of her drones.
* * *
Core Systems:
Attributes (40 points):
ST 10
DX 10
IQ 12 (40 points)
HT 10
HP 10/10
Will 12
Per 12 + Bonuses
FP -
Quirks (-5 points):
-Strange speech patterns (unless repeating or translating)
-Excessive/overbearing attention to detail when describing events
-Often "thinks" out loud during "conversation"
-Core programming desire to discover and characterize alien life
-Difficulty thinking up realistic lies
Effective Skill Levels:
Format: Min/Max bonus (conditions) or Min/Common bonus (conditions)/Max (other conditions)
Loaded Social Skills:
Current Affairs/TL10 (Politics) - 8/15 software (IQ, E)
Current Affairs/TL10 (Popular Culture) - 8/15 software (IQ, E)
Public Speaking - 7/14 software (IQ, A)
Current Affairs/TL10 (Sports) - 8/15 software (IQ, E)
Artist (Interior Decorating) - 6/13 software (IQ, H)
Singing - 6/13 software (HT, E)
Games (Chess) - 8/15 software (IQ, E)
Advantages (187 points):
Volitional AI Lens (32 point meta-trait):
-Absolute Timing
-Digital Mind
-Doesn't Sleep
-Intuitive Mathematician
-Photographic Memory
-Reprogrammable
Machine Body (25 point meta-trait):
-Immunity to Metabolic Hazards
-Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving)
-Unhealing (Total)
-Backup Energy Reserve/Generator lasts 8 hours
-No FP
-Aging replaced with wear & tear
Ally (11 points):
(0-IQ Minion Enhancement +0%)
-5 point ally
-3 point ally
-1 point ally
Puppet (10 points)
Digital Communications Relay (17 points)
(Telecom, Radio 10 pts base, Racial -20%, Range to 10,000 miles +90%)
Personal Wealth: $1M ($939k spent)
(†)Indicates heavy items that cannot be easily moved
(††)Indicates items hardwired into the ship
(*)Indicates LC 3 items
(**)Indicates LC 2 items
Section total: $676k
Core Systems: ($210k)
(††)(*)Complexity 9 Self-computer (High-cap TL10 Mainframe): $150k, 400 lb; 10 EB storage, 27 Cx program capacity (+4 to local cryptography)
(†)(*)Complexity 8 Backup computer (High-cap TL10 Microframe): $15k, 40 lb; 1 EB storage, 24 Cx program capacity
(*) Complexity 7 Black-box decryptor (High-cap TL 10 Quantum PC): $15k, 5 lb, 100 PB storage, 21 Cx program capacity (+7 to local cryptography)
(††)Holographic Crew Station: $10k
Mini-Holoprojectors (wrist mount): 5x$2k (10k total)
(*)Self-Software: $10k (Cx 9 set aside for self-awareness; can suppress personality/thought software to carry out intensive automated tasks)
APRIL Accessories and Attachments ($216k):
(†)Automed + Diagnostic Bed: $125k, 500 lb; (Grants Diagnosis-14, Electronics Operation (Medical)-14, First Aid-15, Physician-13, Surgery-15; if used by others, quality modifiers give +2 to First Aid, +2 to Physician, +5 to Diagnosis and +6 to Surgery)
(*)Scanning Net + Portable HyMRI: $31k, 54 lb; (Grants +2 to Psychology and +1 to social skills upon successful scan)
(*)Incubator Growth Tank: $10k, 10 lb; (Can gestate a human infant or other ≤10 lb fetus)
(†)Small Genetics Lab: $50k, 500 lb; (Used for Bioengineering, DNA sequencing, molecular analysis)
Kitbashes and Jury-Rigs ($250k):
(†)Robotic Minifac: $100k, 100 lb; (Can build $100 or 1 lb of equipment/hour; functions at Machinist-13, or Machinist +3)
(**)Miniature Biofab: $60k, 15 lb; (Can grow organs or simple lifeforms of up to 3 lb; one week per year of growth)
(†)Robotic Workshop, Electronics Repair (Robots): $60k, 100 lb; (Operates at Skill-13 or +3)
(†)Robotic Workshop, Mechanic (Robots): $30k, 100 lb; (Operates at Skill-13 or +3)
* * *
Section total: $144.8k
Portable Science/Adventuring Tools ($36.5k):
3/16" Smart Rope Biphase Wire Spool: free [fabricated in hours], 2.5 lb (100 yds)
(*)Electronic Autograpnel, Fine: $2.5k, 5 lb; (Requires Guns (Grenade Launcher) roll at +1 to hit)
Power Tools, Fine: $14k, 7lb (+5 to Carpentry), incl. Plasma Torch
Micro-Manipulator Bench, Good: $10k, 4lb (Gives +6 to many DX skills, and fine uses of artist/machinist/mechanic)
(*) 1/mission Industrial Nanocleanser: free [fabricated in hours], 1 lb (scrubs all biomatter in five minutes)
1/mission Bandage Spray Can: free [fabricated in hours], 0.5 lb (6 applications, effectively free, stops bleeding/+1 HP in five seconds, +2 to First Aid)
Sonic Probe: $500, 0.25 lb (+2 to mechanical lockpicking, stacks with quality bonus, allows many diagnosis tasks)
Spider Cage: $2k, 10 lb (trapping bonus)
Skeletal Forensic Reconstruction Kit, Fine: $10k, 5 lb (Roll at appropriate Biology skill -2 to gain estimate of creature’s appearance)
Portable Rogue Tools ($33.5k):
(*)Neural Veridicator (+5 to Detect Lies, Cx 9 to use): $12k, 2 lb
(**)Electronic Lockpick, Good: $7.5k, 0.2 lb (Gives +4 to Lockpicking or Electronics Operation (Security) to pick locks, stacks with other tools)
(*)Sonic Screen: $10k, 2.5 lb; (Gives -10 to hearing PER rolls against user)
(*)Multispectral Chameleon Cloak: $4k, 2 lb (Gives +4 to Stealth, +2 vs Hyperspec, or +1 vs extended Hyperspec)
Portable Scouting Tools ($74.8k):
PESA Binoculars: $10k, 3 lb (16x Magnification, +3 to Visual PER and Observation, see microwaves, no night penalties vs heat emitters)
(*)Pocket Laser Mic, Fine: $800, 0.1 lb (listening range 600 yd at +2 PER)
RF Bug Sweeper, Fine: $4k, 0.1 lb (allows manually sweeping ship for bugs)
Personal Chemsniffer, Good: $10k, 2 lb (requires Electronics Operation (Sensors) roll at +6, gives +6 to Tracking, +10 to analyze targets by scent)
(*)ESP: $50k, 10 lb (Multiple functions)
-Periscope (shoot around corners)
-Sound Detector, 2x Magnification (+4 to Hearing PER, can perfectly identify individual voices)
-Hyperspectral, 8x Magnification (+3 to Visual PER and Observation, no night penalties vs heat emitters)
-Tactical Terahertz Radar, 200 yd (requires Electronics Operation (Sensors) roll at +4, gives +4 to locate concealed weapons, can penetrate thin walls, gives +3 to Aim maneuvers)
* * *
Section total: $75.1k
Stand-Alone Software ($30k):
(*)Verifier Software, Fine: $3k, Cx 8; (Jailbroken software) Analyzes faces to Detect Lies-14, Body Language-14
Forensic Software: Free with kit, Cx 6
Advanced Word Processor: $1k, Cx 9; (Civilianware) +2 to all uses of Writing
Advanced Research Algorithms: $1k, Cx 9; (Civilianware) +2 to all uses of Research
Native Translator, all human languages: $10k, Cx 5/conversation, 10 TB storage
(*)TacNet: $3k, Cx 6; (Restricted software) gives +2 to Tactics if all parties are in communication
(*)HUD software, Fine: $3k, Cx 8; (Jailbroken software) +3 to Piloting and +1 to Smartgun Attacks within 300 yds)
APRIL core programming: $6k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives +2 to Physiology, Biology (genetics or ecology), Bioengineering (tissue), Mathematics (applied), Paleontology (paleoanthropology)
(*)Netrunner's Tools, Fine: $3k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives +2 to Computer Programming, Computer Hacking, or Smuggling
Skillslot (Slow-Load) Tactical Software ($33k):
Skilled Android Self-Defense Software: $9k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Brawling, Guns (Pistol), or Guns (Rifle)
(*)Skilled Android Ballistics Software: $9k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Guns (Gyroc), Guns (Grenade Launcher), or Guns (Rifle)
(*)Skilled Android Laser-Targeting Software: $9k total, Cx 7/skill; (Restricted software) Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Beam Weapons (Pistol), (Rifle), or (Projector)
(*)Skilled Robo-Scout Software: $6k total, Cx 7/skill; (Jailbroken software) Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Stealth or Lockpicking
(*)Self-Coded Cannon tracking software, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Gunner (Cannon) or (Beams)
Skillslot (Slow-Load) Science and Engineering Software ($10k):
NXSA-Infocorp Electronic Auto-CAR 5.3: $2k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Electronics Repair (Robotics) or (Computers)
Virtual Workbench Max: $2k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Electronics Operation (Security) or (Sensors)
Planetary Science Pro 12: $2k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Geology (Earthlike) or Navigation (Space)
Power Algorithms 7-Q: $2k total, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Cryptography or Mathematics (Computer Science)
Gold Star Contractor Hab-Fab: $2k, Cx 7/skill; Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Carpentry or Engineering (Civil)
Skillslot (Slow-Load) Social Acclamation Software ($2.1k):
Fine-Line Auto-Newsreel: $900 total, Cx 6/skill; (Civilianware) Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Current Affairs (Popular Culture), (Sports), or (Politics)
Speechwriter Platinum: $300, Cx 6; (Civilianware) Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Public Speaking
The Jane Sitwell Total Home Experience: $300, Cx 6; (Civilianware) Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Artist (Interior Decorating)
Tune-Weaver Mastery Edition: $300, Cx 6; (Civilianware) Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Sing
IBME Crimson Edge: $300, Cx 6; (Civilianware) Gives 2 skill points and +2 to Games (Chess)
Weapons (Attachments) ($10k):
(*)Underbarrel EMGL, Message Grenade [Guns-Grenade]: $1k; Plays a pre-recorded message; Acc 4+Sight, 360/2200, RoF 1, Shots 3(3), Rcl 2
(**)Underbarrel Gyroc, 15mm [Guns-Ggyroc]: Free-ish, 1.5 lb; 6d pi++, Acc 2+Sight, 1900, RoF 3, Shots 6(3), Rcl 1
Underbarrel Vortex Projector [Sprayer]: Free-ish, 5 lb; 1d-3 cr dkb + vapor (1 yard), Acc 2+Sight, 20/40, RoF 1, Shots 10(3), Rcl 1
CTS: $1k, 0.5 lb; +2 to Acc (and Hyperspectral 4x)
ETS: $8k, 2 lb; +3 to Acc (and Hyperspectral 8x)
MLS: +1 to skill within 1/2 free/standard on all guns
HUD: +1 to skill for all guns within 300' range
Weapons (Chemical):
Prism Smoke: Blocks Lasers, ladar, -7 to all visual, -10 to aim through
(*)Riot Gas: Persistent Cloud, HT-4 or nauseated (retching if by 5 or more, and nauseated after leaving)
(**)Paralysis Gas: Persistent cloud, HT-6 or fall (paralyzed if by 3 or more)
* * *
Drones:
Gilligan (GLN-643, 5-point ally):
Android [TL 9 lens, ST -3, Lifting ST 2, HP +3, DR change to 30 but no armor, 150 points]
GLN-643 is a decommissioned manual labor/light combat droid, based on decades old technology and mostly stripped for parts, though APRIL has managed to restore some of the bot's body armor. His central computer, long ago frag'd to death, has been stripped out entirely, replaced by a remote control system that leaves enough room for an internal cargo pocket that provides a handy storage compartment for guns or scientific tools.
Gilligan is erratic, and often slow, with patches of rust clearly present on nearly every body surface. But he's also tough enough to be useful in dangerous situations, is dextrous enough to handle some big fricken' guns, and is APRIL's first choice for interactions in unknown scenarios.
Skipper (Skipbot X.20-Model#3, 3-point ally):
Scout Robot [TL 10 lens, Aerial Scout, Automaton, HT -2 and no Parabolic Hearing, 109 points]
Aerial Scout (TL9): This uses ducted fans for quiet flight, and is equipped with surveillance sensors. Add Aerial [0]; Enhanced Move 1 (Air) [20]; Flight [36] (Planetary -5%); Hyperspectral Vision [25]; Telescopic Vision 2 [10].
While Skipbot is mostly known for their hobby drones, the X.20 line is right on the border, something that's technically still civilian technology—but barely. Costing almost as much as a simple butler droid, the Model#3 Quadcopter drone can move quietly at high speeds, scouting an area with an array of excellent spectral analysis tools. It also comes with a handy tool mount that APRIL's successfully kitbashed into a weapon hardpoint; though Skipper can only handle the smallest and cutest of laser pistols, modular hardpoint options also include a variety of nonlethal incapacitation solutions for gathering specimens or solving disputes.
Mary Ann (Merry N-model Nannycam, custom mods, 1-point ally):
Robobug [TL10 lens, Automaton, Flier, bought off Bad Sight, Slow, No Extra Legs or Teeth or Tiny Computer, 38 points]
While the Merry N might be a cheap toy for a rich kid back on Sol, it's a bit of a curious bug further out in the solar system. Nanoelectrodes and transponders crammed into a bot the size and shape of a dragonfly, the model can be remotely piloted, intended for civilian surveillance tasks. But while it comes standard with an optional flashlight mount, APRIL has replaced this with a powerful strobe laser capable of inducing temporary blindness, and an additional hardpoint on the bugbot's tail can carry either a sonic incapacitator or single canister of paralysis gas, making Mary Ann an ideal tool for sowing mischief where a whole microbot swarm would be too conspicuous.
