/datum/lore/codex/category/species name = "Species" data = "There are many different types of lifeforms (both alive and artificial) in the galaxy, which you may find inside Vir." children = list( /datum/lore/codex/page/human, /datum/lore/codex/page/skrell, /datum/lore/codex/page/unathi, /datum/lore/codex/page/tajaran, /datum/lore/codex/page/diona, /datum/lore/codex/page/promethean, /datum/lore/codex/page/vatborn, /datum/lore/codex/category/teshari, /datum/lore/codex/category/positronic, /datum/lore/codex/category/drone ) /datum/lore/codex/page/human/add_content() name = "Human" keywords += list("Humanity") data = "Humans are a race of 'ape'-like creatures from the continental planet Earth in the Sol system. They are the primary driving \ force for rapid space expansion, owing to their strong, expansionist central government and opportunistic [quick_link("TSC","Trans-Stellar Corporations")]. \ The prejudices of their 21st century history have mostly given way to bitter divides on the most important issue of the times- technological \ expansionism.\

\ While most humans have accepted the existence of aliens in their communities and workplaces as a fact of life, exceptions abound. \ While more culturally diverse than most species, humans are generally regarded as somewhat technophobic and isolationist by members \ of other species." /datum/lore/codex/page/skrell name = "Skrell" keywords = list("Skrellian") data = "The Skrell are a species of amphibious humanoids, distinguished by their gelatinous appearance and head tentacles. \ Skrell come from the world of Sirisai (called Qerr'balak by Skrell), a humid planet with plenty of swamps and jungles. Currently more technologically advanced \ than the humans, they emphasize the study of the mind above all else.\

\ Gender has little meaning to Skrell outside of reproduction, and in fact many other species have a difficult time telling the difference \ between male and female Skrell apart. The most obvious signs (voice in a slightly higher register, longer head-tails for females) are never \ a guarantee. Due to their scientific focus of the mind and body, Skrell tend to be more peaceful and their colonization has been slow, swiftly \ outpaced by the humans. For humans, they were their first contact sentient species, and are their longest, and closest, ally in space." /datum/lore/codex/page/unathi name = "Unathi" data = "The Unathi are a race of tall, reptilian humanoids that possess a blend of serpentine features reminiscent of crocodiles. \ They are a proud, religious species that favors honor and strength, and originate from the desert planet of Moghes. \ The Unathi follow a religious code known as the Unity, and they carry this with them on their travels. \ Unathi once fought a serious war against SolGov, and as a result are often considered to be second-class citizens, \ rarely seen in jobs that don't require a little muscle." /datum/lore/codex/page/tajaran name = "Tajaran" keywords = list("Tajaran") data = "The Tajaran are a race of humanoid mammalian aliens from Meralar, the fourth planet of the Rarkajar star system. Thickly furred and protected \ from cold, they thrive on their subarctic planet, where the only terran temperate areas spread across the equator and tropical belt. \ With their own share of bloody wars and great technological advances, the Tajaran are a proud kind. They fiercely believe they belong \ among the stars and consider themselves a rightful interstellar nation, even if the humans helped them to actually achieve superluminal \ speeds with Bluespace FTL drives. Relatively new to the galactic stage, their contacts with other species are aloof, but friendly. \ Among these bonds, Humans stand out as valued trade partners and maybe even a friend." /datum/lore/codex/page/diona/add_content() name = "Diona" keywords += list("Dionaea") data = "The Dionaea are a group of omnivorous, slow-metabolism plantlike organisms that are in fact clusters of individual, smaller organisms. \ They exhibit a high degree of structural flexibility, and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors to reflect the intelligence of each individual \ creature. They were discovered by the [quick_link("Skrell")] in 2294CE, not on a planet, but in open space between three stars, a figurative hell that made it \ difficult to discover, much less contact them.\

\ Dionaea spread by seeds and are asexual, no gender. When grown into their small 'nymph' state, they are known to eat large amounts of dead plant \ matter and fertilize plants while they learn from those around them, and as they grow further, they merge into larger and larger forms. It is not \ unheard of for Skrell explorers to be traveling in a ship composed of habitat modules and engines of Skrell design and the body formed by their \ Diona allies to warble across the cosmos.\

\ Introduced by the Skrell, and quite slow and peaceful, the Diona share good relations with the other species." // Bird lore /datum/lore/codex/category/teshari/add_content() name = "Teshari" data = "The Teshari are reptilian pack predators from the [quick_link("Skrell")] homeworld, Sirisai (Qerr'balak). While they evolved alongside the Skrell, their interactions with them \ tended to be confused and violent, and until peaceful contact was made they largely stayed in their territories on and around the poles, in tundral \ terrain far too desolate and cold to be of interest to the Skrell. In more enlightened times, the Teshari are a minority culture on many Skrell worlds, \ maintaining their own settlements and cultures, but often finding themselves standing on the shoulders of their more technologically advanced neighbors \ when it comes to meeting and exploring the rest of the galaxy.\

\ It is important to note that Teshari names are unlike standard human names. Their pack name precedes their given name." children = list( /datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_packs, /datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_physical ) /datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_packs/add_content() name = "Teshari Packs" keywords += list("Packs") data = "There are several packs you may come across;\

\ Eshi
\ A large, old, politically neutral pack heavily involved in efforts to get Teshari into space. Probably the most \ common pack to see outside of a [quick_link("Skrell")] colony, and probably the most numerous Teshari pack outside of Sirisai and associated colonies.\

\ Nasemari
\ A very small pack. Generally focused around supporting and providing for packs on the homeworlds, they have devoted \ themselves to training as technicians and engineers in order to obtain skills and training to take back to Sirisai. \ The pack is only around thirty people in size, but owns and maintains a nuclear power plant.\

\ Schasaraca
\ One of the more Skrell-devoted and integrated packs. They tend to be rather sycophantic towards the Skrell and work as \ scientists and field researchers on a variety of projects, generally biology or technical research. They have a reputation \ for working as spies and informants for the Skrell governments amongst other Teshari.\

\ Ceea
\ An isolationist pack from the northern tundra of Sirisai; generally known as disliking the Skrell. Small to average in size; \ only around sixty members. Their regional culture is built around the study culture and anthropology, as well as archaeology, \ originally for the purposes of recovering history and materials \"lost\" due to Skrell interference. It would be very rare to \ see them on your travels, however they are listed here for the sake of completeness.\

\ Resca
\ A pack that sold off its small native territory for the chance to get into space. Very musically inclined. They tend towards medical professions." /datum/lore/codex/page/teshari_physical/add_content() name = "Physiology of Teshari" data = "The Teshari are, relative to other species, smaller than average, rarely reaching more than 2-3'/1m in height, and weigh less than \ 90lbs/40kg. They have rapid metabolisms and very efficient digestive systems, and thanks to sharing in \ the medical technology of the [quick_link("Skrell")], they tend to have robust and effective immune systems. They evolved \ for very cold and very barren areas, generally the polar regions. Because of this, their skin is a fine \ insulator and many of their internal processes are not particularly energy-efficient; they cannot cope \ well at all with high temperatures.\

\ Their hearing is exceptionally sensitive to the point that they can detect a person moving on the other \ side of a wall, but this comes at a cost. Very loud noises are very painful for Teshari, so be mindful of \ your indoor voice when speaking with one. The Teshari are omnivorous but generally prefer to eat meat wherever possible." // Promethean Lore /datum/lore/codex/page/promethean/add_content() name = "Promethean" keywords += list("slime", "promethean") data = "Prometheans are an artificial species created by the Humans sometime in the 2540s, aboard the NRS Prometheus, while experimenting with \ the Aetolian giant slime, or ‘Macrolimus vulgaris’. They themselves are considered sapient beings and given protection under prior Human legislation, \ though often only appear to serve as aides or inferior positions when kept as staff. Aetolus, the official ‘Home world’ of the Prometheans and giant slime, \ is an obnoxiously warm, humid planet requiring structures to be built within large, atmospherically-filtered ‘tent-like’ domes. \ Prometheans take on vague visual and vocal features of the species they cohabitate with, sharing their predecessors’ tendency to mimic nearby entities, \ though in physical form additionally; this is seemingly more important in their own development, as well. Despite their taken appearances, \ there is no known existence of a divergence between a biologically ‘male’ or ‘female’ form of the species, leading most to believe they are in fact asexual, \ as their predecessors are." // Vatborn Lore /datum/lore/codex/page/vatborn/add_content() name = "Vatborn" keywords += list("vatborn") data = "A genetically modified type of human, Vatborn humans are cloned from a template and grown in special tubes. They look like pale \ but otherwise normal humans, but their bodies have a few internal changes. For one, they lack an appendix. On top of that, they are frequently \ hungry, as their metabolisms are faster than standard." // Posi lore /datum/lore/codex/category/positronic/add_content() name = "Positronics" keywords += list("Positronic", "Posi", "Posibrain", "Posibrains") data = "A Positronic being, is an individual with a positronic brain, manufactured \ and fostered amongst organic life. Positronic brains enjoy the same legal status as a human in [quick_link("SolGov")] space, although discrimination is \ still prevalent, and are considered sapient on all accounts. They can be considered the \"synthetic species\". Half-developed and \ half-discovered in the 2280’s by a human black lab studying alien artifacts, the first positronic brain was an inch-wide cube \ of an palladium-iridium alloy, nano-etched with billions upon billions of conduits and connections. Upon activation, \ hard-booted with an emitter laser, the brain issued a single sentence before the neural pathways collapsed and \ it became an inert lump of platinum: \"What is my purpose?\"." children = list( /datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_brain_physical, /datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_memory, /datum/lore/codex/page/jans_fhriede ) /datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_brain_physical name = "Physical Structure of a Positronic Brain" keywords = list("Physical Posibrain", "Physical Positronic") data = "A positronic brain is a cube of complex metal alloy between two and six inches to a side. They usually weigh just under ten kilograms and are \ very fragile when exposed to the stresses of heat or cold, as well as physical trauma. The exterior surface is chased with a network of grooves, forming \ a maze of geometric patterns right down to the molecular level, and the interior is hollow; complex particle generators and densely packed computational \ arrays form the basis of a self-computing neural network, complex and somewhat poorly understood. Most modern positronic brains are equipped with \ standardized I/O ports, and all have some interface for imprinting." /datum/lore/codex/page/positronic_memory name = "Positronic Memory" keywords = list("Posi Memory", "Memory") data = "Positronic minds learn in a similar manner to humans and other forms of life, although typically more quickly. They are not simple computer storage that holds information \ verbatim as it is received- instead, they have to repeat activities and train in order to retain memory on complex tasks. Similarly, positronic brains do \ not have an infinite storage capacity and undergo a natural process of forgetting, albeit in a structured manner, losing unimportant day to day details and \ ancient information no longer deemed useful. Because of the nature of the positronic brain, its memories cannot simply be stored elsewhere.\

\ Particularly old positronic minds, over a century plus, that store a great deal of memories have displayed a tendency to become gradually more introspective \ as more of their mind is co-opted for the task, ending in a state of near-catatonia as their neural networks become clogged with memory. Many choose to avoid \ this end of self by more aggressively managing their memories, storing a window of their recent existence and most treasured memories rather than their full lifespan." /datum/lore/codex/page/jans_fhriede name = "Jans-Fhriede Test" keywords = list("Jans-Fhriede", "JF", "Jans", "Fhriede", "Jans Fhriede") data = "Positronics are eligible to take the \"Jans-Fhriede Test\" after a year of being created, measuring their function in a society and judging if they act \ socially acceptable and are capable of understanding their actions and the consequences resulting from them. If they successfully pass the test, \ they are considered legal adults and hold the same basis of rights as a normal human. At that point, Positronics are not allowed to be lawed, \ unless on a contractual basis or otherwise under their own volition." // Drone lore /datum/lore/codex/category/drone name = "Drones" keywords = list("Drone") data = "While low-level drone intelligences are as old as the oldest human colonies, research into higher-level systems was stymied in human space by precautionist \ politicians for hundreds of years. Tensions between the corporate rim and the highly conservative core worlds over drone proliferation led to what humans call the \ Third Cold War, which was defused by the introduction of the positronic brain. After the Icarus Front's loss of the majority in 2504, harsh laws \ against advanced AI were replaced with the SolGov Emergent Intelligence Oversight commission, the illegality replaced with a steeply sloping \ system of monetary costs.\
\ The term \"drone\" was coined by early positronic activists, eager to distinguish themselves from the menial bots that most space-dwellers were \ familiar with, and avoid the ambiguity of the term \"AI\", which now usually refers to drones." children = list( /datum/lore/codex/page/codeline, /datum/lore/codex/page/emergence, /datum/lore/codex/page/emergent_intelligence_oversight, /datum/lore/codex/category/drone_classes, ) /datum/lore/codex/page/codeline name = "Codeline" keywords = list("fork") data = "A \"codeline\" is a single type of drone. A codeline represents a significant degree of effort from sapient programmers to realize, as well as \ a substantial amount of regulatory fees levied by the government. Each copy of a codeline is called a \"fork\", whether the fork is created from the \ codeline’s initial state or from a fully realized individual of that codeline. The degree of similarity between forks of the same codeline varies \ on the intelligence of the codeline, with low-level forks being virtually identical to high-level forks being no more similar than family members." /datum/lore/codex/page/emergence name = "Emergence" keywords = list("Seed AI") data = "\"Emergence\" is a term associated with drone intelligences who become more intelligent than they were originally intended to be. While this can \ extend to financial systems learning language, for instance, it is usually applied to hypothetical intelligences that become more intelligent than humans. \ Humanity has a long-standing cultural fear of emergent \"seed\" AI, egged on by Icarus memeticists and the occasional very real partial emergence events, where \ colony-control AI or other powerful systems begin to advance drastically in power, usually ending with the AI being shut down after crashing a handful of major systems." /datum/lore/codex/page/emergent_intelligence_oversight name = "Emergent Intelligence Oversight" keywords = list("SG-EIO", "SG EIO", "EIO", "Intelligence Oversight") data = "SG-EIO, usually just called EIO, is the organization charged with monitoring existing AI for any threat of dangerous emergence. Their perception in the \ public eye is generally positive, with all but the hardest-line Mercurial humans in favor of protection from the dangers of Seed AI. Some positronic rights \ groups bristle at the EIO’s human-centric viewpoint, but most are glad to have a different boogeyman in the form of drone intelligences. The tiny population \ of A-class drones are generally frightened of the EIO’s total power over them." /datum/lore/codex/category/drone_classes name = "Drone Classifications" keywords = list("Class", "Drone Class") data = "To aid in its work, the EIO has created a system of classifications corresponding to different levels of drone intelligence. Higher classes are more \ expensive to deploy and develop, owing to the costs of EIO oversight and political pressure against drone proliferation. EIO classification involves an initial \ audit of the project's source code by experts and automated systems, and for high-class drones further check-ins throughout the life of the drone. \ Drone chasses are often branded with their inhabiting intelligence's class, especially those of B or A-class drones, and class is often recorded in security records." children = list( /datum/lore/codex/page/class_f, /datum/lore/codex/page/class_d, /datum/lore/codex/page/class_c, /datum/lore/codex/page/class_b, /datum/lore/codex/page/class_a, /datum/lore/codex/page/class_aa, /datum/lore/codex/page/class_aaa, /datum/lore/codex/page/class_x, ) /datum/lore/codex/page/class_f name = "F Class" data = "\"F-class\" drones are an informal term for computer systems that pose absolutely no emergent risk. Most 21st-century software is F-class, as is much of \ the software used by 26th century humanity. The only regulation on F-class software is the occasional check that it is, in fact, F-Class, and as such has remained \ the most prevalent form of information-processing technology for centuries. The software powering most F-class drones is either freely available or bundled with the \ machine it's supposed to run." /datum/lore/codex/page/class_d/add_content() name = "D Class" data = "D-class drones are conceptually descended from pre-[quick_link("Icarus")] AI and bear a strong resemblance to their forebears. D-class drones are essentially \ number-crunchers, with virtually nothing in the way of social development. They cannot speak more intelligibly than your average piece of software, \ using pre-determined messages written by their programmers, and have no capacity for self-improvement. They are D-class intelligence because they \ work with more complex problems than [quick_link("F class")] software, such as financial forecasting and large-scale data mining and memetics. The creation and \ deployment of D-class drones requires only a small fee for the required code audit, although some high-power financial and political systems are \ regularly watched by the [quick_link("EIO")] for signs of emergence. There is no real monopoly on the production of D-class drones." /datum/lore/codex/page/class_c/add_content() name = "C Class" data = "C-class drones have social protocols for ease of use by organic and positronic laypeople. C-class drones are capable of speech, although \ it has a strong tendency to be formulaic and repetitive. They are also capable of a limited degree of self-improvement, and over time individual \ C-class instances tend differ slightly from one-another. C-class drones suffer a moderate fee to development, with automated [quick_link("EIO")] tools ensuring \ that they are not a long-term emergence risk. However, one a codeline is confirmed safe, deployment is unlimited, encouraging developers to \ instance many forks of the original drone to recoup their cost. The market for C-class drones is a strange space, dominated by Xion Manufacturing, \ Ward-Takahashi GMC, and a large number of smaller firms, like the notoriously-cheap Cyber Solutions." /datum/lore/codex/page/class_b/add_content() name = "B Class" data = "B-class drones have advanced social protocols and are often capable of very intelligible conversation, so long as one sticks to surface \ topics. B-class drones tend to be specialized but still capable of remarkable growth within their speciality, making them popular for autonomous \ deployment and even supervision of other classes of drone. The dividing line between [quick_link("A Class", "A")] and B-class drones becomes apparent when they are taken \ out of their area of specialization, with the B-class drones swiftly becoming useless. They incur a hefty fee for the production of the initial \ codeline, as their emergent potential is far greater, and a smaller but still substantial fee for the production of forks. The market for B-class \ drones is a battleground between Ward-Takahashi and NanoTrasen, with other firms usually producing B-classes for in-house needs." /datum/lore/codex/page/class_a/add_content() name = "A Class" keywords += list("AGI") data = "A-class drones are also referred to as AGI. A-class drones are capable of performing in many contexts and can learn to solve problems from \ first principles, with an incredible potential for growth and emergent behavior. However, some abilities fall short of humans’, usually those relating \ to socialization, and they often act in ways that are strange or distressing. There is a small but growing lobby of support for the personhood of A-class \ drones. The cost of initializing an A-class drone is absolutely massive, as they will be monitored by [quick_link("EIO")] forever. The auditing cost of an A-class drone \ codeline is even more staggering, making development and deployment of AGI limited to research, highly difficult and high-throughput operations like habitat \ overwatch, and a few risk-taking firms banking on the associated fees dropping. There is not a proper market for A-class drones, although an appreciable \ fraction of them are made by [quick_link("NanoTrasen")], with the rest generally being university research projects." /datum/lore/codex/page/class_aa name = "AA Class" data = "AA-class drones do not yet exist. Hypothetically, they are equal to living in every respect, with psychology that would not be abnormal in a baseline \ human. The type of AA-class drone most frequently discussed is a hypothetical digitized consciousness of a human, a human brain that is somehow translated into \ software. Some argue that a small fraction of the A-class drones would more properly be considered AA, but as of yet no action has been taken. Some Mercurials \ will jokingly refer to themselves or other organics and positronics as AA’s. Research into brain uploading is heavily regulated and generally illegal." /datum/lore/codex/page/class_aaa name = "AAA Class" data = "AAA-class drones do not yet exist, hopefully. They are more competent in every way than humans and pose a threat to the continued existence of sapient life. \ Anybody creating an AAA-class drone can be classified as a threat to humanity and dealt with very harshly." /datum/lore/codex/page/class_x name = "X Class" data = "X-class drones emerge from unrated software, are produced by rogue labs, or cross the border from foreign space. They are considered a threat to national \ security and deleted when encountered in SolGov space, with the producers prosecuted legally if it has a SolGov origin. The few Skrellian drone labs will usually \ rate their product with EIO to allow their product to be imported."