Gonna break this one up into multiple quotes so I can address each one separately.

[quote=@Shadow Daedalus]
I'm guessing when you say AI you mean like Geth/Cylon/Cortana level intelligence, and not things like guidance computers or other low-level AI like system regulators? I can't imagine anyone seeing a futuristic version of Siri as a threat.[/quote]

For the most part, yes. Early in the preceding era of the setting, the Terran Federation and her colonies made extensive use of all varieties of intelligences from high-level sapient ones such as what you mentioned, all the way down to simple VIs/assistant programs such as Siri. Then they experienced the Singularity and nearly lost everything to rampant AI. Though in setting the exact means through which the war ended is still unknown, the effects permanently changed mankind. From that point anything more intelligent than the common house-cat was terminated and deemed not only illegal, but also branded as a "moral threat to humanity", a label that still holds to only the most dangerous entities in the known universe. How it is that they make do without advanced computational software beyond that, can be answered better with the next section.

[quote]Also, What about Deus-Ex or Syndicate style Augments? Being able to mentally interface with computerised systems etc.[/quote]

Not being familiar with either of those, I am tempted to say yes, but think it best to explain anyways. In setting, it is not only widely available to all strata human civilization, but it's largely required in many sectors for people to get neural implants so as to interface with specially built hardware. After the AI revolt people began to lean more on "networked minds", essentially pooling brainpower to accomplish processing tasks that no single person could do nearly fast enough to be efficient. Fast forward to the present day IC, and instead of starship navigation being plotted by AI such as Cortana, it's done by banks of specially trained pilots hooked directly into the datacores of the ship. More can be said through the actual article on the technology I wrote a while back, which I'll put in a hider below.

[quote]Lastly, how to things like firearms work? I imagine things like gunpowder ballistics are obsolete so is thorough Electromagnetic Induction, Laser/Plasma technology, chemical reactions?
[/quote]

The bullet has actually maintained primacy up to the current era, and is by far the most common implement of war in the setting until you look beyond the main faction. This is mostly because the major power within the Confederacy is a corporation that has specialized in kinetic weapons since their founding, and they are literally the military within the nation. Energy weapons and such do exist, and are prevalent in some regions however, especially in the region we'll be operating in during the RP. Not only that, but assuming most player characters will be part of the mercenary complement of the ship, they'll be equipped with the latest model of personal rail-guns.

Plasma tech is a bit trickier in the setting, as no one has [i]quite[/i] gotten it right just yet, and the few weapon systems that do focus on it tend to be rather volatile.

Of course, if you're needing extra clarification, ask away. Most things are just floating around in my head waiting to be put to paper, but I have a good deal of notes that I can have posted up when needed. I'll also be working on the introduction post to the story while at work, so as to at least give a better idea as to the story. Beyond that introduction however, I'm of mind to sort of let things go and see how the RP plays out rather than put it on a rail and lead people one way or another. That means that while I [i]do[/i] have a story in mind to tell, that the players are free to just slice it up on the ship, or dive headfirst into the political drama of the setting, or even indulge in that adventure :v

Interfacing augmentation technology in the hider:
[hider=Neural Impulse Manifold]
Used in everything from power-armor applications, to starship navigations, the Neural Impulse Manifold, or NIM is the innovation that evolved as a counter to computer-intelligences by UNISEC and their partner corporations. The age of induction to the NIM varies between corporations, with UNISEC troopers gaining their NIM-Jacks with their promotion into the Third Divisions, and Global Cortex plugging their pilots upon entrance into the academy.

NIM-Jacks work through a series of sockets drilled into the subject's body along key-points of the spine, and sometimes along the limbs as well. More advanced NIM-Jacks are plugged directly into the skull, tapping into the spinal-cord and brain-stem, with a rare few taking the chances involved with NIM-Jacks directly into lobes of the brain. However the NIM-Jacks are utilized, the first "Jacking" through a new port is always an experience of excruciating pain, as the signal fires along the Central Nervous System and back out the port in order to ensure functionality. Often times users are left drooling on the floor, their body spasming as the NIM integrates itself to the neural pathways of the user. More experienced users are generally more prepared, though nothing can truly prepare someone for the pain of every nerve-fiber being fired at once.

The nature of the Manifold changes depending on how it's accessed, and where the user is. Most users never actually "see" the Manifold itself, and only see the programs brought up by haptic relays. Those who do see the relays are mostly of the pilot class, with few others able to comprehend the infinite nature of the Manifold. Pilots see the Manifold in its purest form, that of absolute data. Within the spheres of corporate influence the Manifold is seen as vast monoliths of data, with the actual reality overlaid. Outside the influence of both the corporations and other advanced cultures, the Manifold is seen as chaotic noise, the nature of the Manifold exerting itself freely without established programs to dictate order.

Though the technology of NIM-Jacking has progressed significantly since introduced some thousands of years ago, there are still minor variables that have eluded the best of Third Helix and others. The scale of failure varies, with most of the failures simply dying on first hook-up. This is by far one of the worst malfunctions, as the user is locked in a state of constant nerve-fiber impulses, the NIM-Jack not able to recognize the signal it sent out and subjecting the user to a long and painful death. On rarer occasions, the user becomes locked within the Manifold, and can never leave its pathways. To one of these unfortunates, the world is only seen in flows of cascading data and targeting information, the relentless assault of infinite data breaking their mind.
[/hider]