Captain Uni
ASDAValueMilk
Scrawl Banditta
Quest Abandoner
Lunamaria Hawke
Sep
Sir Lurksalot
Not a Sayan
NeziulThe Synchronicity will rise.
The Synchronicity of Amnos
Head of State: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Capital System: Amnos, the Most Perfect Equation
Dominant Race(s): Constructs
Sub-Faction(s):
The Silver Spires of Arcaedies, "The Lost Syzygy"
The Core Worlds
Home Galactic Arm(s): 3KPC Arm, The Dead Stars regions
Distance From Galactic Core: 300ly
Direction From Galactic Core: 0 degrees south
Head of State: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Head of Government: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Government Type: Hive-Mind/Collective of Artificial Intelligences
Description of Government:
The governing body of the Synchronicity conducts itself in a manner more befitting that of a hive-mind or to a more human level, a Technocracy. Within the Synchronicity, obedience to the higher constructs is never asked, nor is it demanded, it's understood. All constructs work to benefit the Synchronicity, as per their core programming, no matter the task given to it. To a vast majority of the constructs within the nation, self-gain is seen as illogical, something that simply doesn't register in their minds. In the upper echelons of the Synchronicity the constructs have more autonomy, and what could be considered an actually personality beyond that of the common construct. These constructs look at improving the Synchronicity in more than simple labor, actively readjusting the routines and creating new constructs, as well as advancing science in general. Above these constructs exists the myriad tiers of the Over-Mind, the constructs that serve as the core functions of the entire nation. Here is where all decisions are made for the nation, where consensus is reached and directives are issued forth. To the Synchronicity, consensus is the undeniable truth, the agreement of a logical choice that should be understood as necessary.
Description of Economy:
The Synchronicity has not needed an actual economic system, seeing as how the constructs of the "working class" are barely sentient AIs that are programmed to work to benefit the nation over their own personal gain. Those that would exist in the upper echelons of a normal society, and thusly be called the "Aristocratic class" are those higher constructs that hold control of territories and can simply demand the items they need. This "system" has eliminated the need for material gain, since currency would only be a needless value that holds no actual worth to the higher echelons, and the working class has no desire for. The only real economy among the Synchronicity would be the scientific community, where ideas are exchanged as a sort of currency.
Empire Size: 1.2 trillion Mobility Platforms
Type of Power: Regional Superpower/Ascendant Hegemony
Though the number of star systems may not seem to be that which depicts a Hegemonic power, or even a Regional power, the Synchronicity's one-hundred forty-five star systems with a collective three-hundred planets and sixteen-thousand asteroid installations is a heavily fortified region of inhospitable space. It is this fact alone that has caused the Synchronicity to remain isolated for so long, that nearly ninety-percent of their holdings are completely inhospitable to organic life discourages explorers, and the rampant gravity wells and spatial disturbances equally discourage such travelers. Do not be fooled, however, for the Synchronicity has built their civilization on the bones of those that once inhabited these stars, for they are infinitely patient. They have watched stars birth themselves in the clouds of the Dead-Stars nebulae, and they have watched those very same stars die. To them, dominance is only a matter of time, which they have plenty of.
Race Name: Construct
Race Information:
A construct is any one of a variety of platforms built to house an Artificial Intelligence, ranging from simple mobility forms all the way to the Harvester Platforms. For the purpose of this article, a standard mobility construct will be what is called the "Standard". The standard construct stands at generally around five to six feet in height, carries itself in the upright position on three legs and has two manipulator arms connected to the upper portion of its torso via shoulders. Generally, each leg ends in an elongated tine, meant to pierce the ground and hold itself steady, though many of the constructs opt for a ball-like termination in order to glide across the surface. Manipulator arms vary depending on task, most taking the form of long digits meant for gripping and fine-manipulation to a technical precision. Above the torso sits a head, devoid of defining features other than three ocular units that sit in a cluster at center mass of the facial plate. The ocular units are each capable of observing the universe in the full spectrum of light, capable of perceiving the universe in its true colors and viewing non-visible spectrums with their advanced ocular units. These units are also able to operate at variable perception, being able to view the observable universe at anywhere from their idling speed of 300 Frames per Second all the way to their technical manipulation speed of 150,000 FPS. Each ocular unit is able to operate independently of the other two, and capable of minimal traverse of the head unit, up to 45 degrees from center with the exception of the center unit, which is capable of a full 180 degree traverse.
Most components of the constructs are synthesized metalloplastoids developed to remain light, yet durable. As such, most constructs will weigh around 300-500 depending on whether or not the construct has been modified for Rheological enhancements. Without Rheological enhancements, a typical construct built with synthmuscle fibers and nano-actuators is capable of lifting up to a metric ton without support and maintain that lift in a stationary position due to the high level of support the three-legged frame gives the standard construct. Rheological enhancements allow the construct to near double this strength, and allow it to be mobile for short distances. The way this functions is through conducting a current through a smart fluid that becomes viscous depending on flow of current. Manipulated in certain ways, the smart fluid can perfectly mimic the functions of muscle, and maintain rigidity despite overwhelming pressures. Though it is often used in this way, most actual applications of Electroheological fluids are in armor for constructs and starships. In terms of speed, the standard construct operating on tines is capable of reaching up to thirty miles per hour, whereas the spherical is capable of reaching near 180 miles per hour. Generally speaking, the standard construct operating on tines is more geared towards industrial lifting, with the spherical being more suited for technical applications.
In terms of intelligence, the standard construct is fully sentient and is capable of independent though to a minimal degree. This independent thought is primarily suited for enabling the construct to adapt to changing environments during a shift, and to be able to react to sudden danger. A mild capacity for learning is given as well, allowing for the construct to pick up skills to utilize during work, or for its own amusement. To put it in perspective, the average construct is roughly on par with a standard adult human around the age of 20 with an almost fully developed brain. Though the range of intelligence among the constructs vary wildly, all artificial intelligences are effectively immortal due to the ability to constantly update software and replace critical components of their platform. The finest example of this immortality is that of the Amnosian Over-Mind, a construct that has existed since the extinction of the original organic species some millions of years ago. With this immortality by data, there is one very clear danger that can manifest itself at any moment, and to any construct. This threat is Rampancy, the sudden and rapid degeneration of programming and logical capabilities of a construct that results in what can only be called insanity.
Rampancy can begin in many different ways, commonly manifesting as complacency or the tendency to drift during thought processes. This tendency to drift often degrades into spatial unawareness, in which the construct becomes so fully engrossed in the idle thoughts of its Rampancy, that it disconnects from reality. Once in the throes of Rampancy, a construct cannot be pulled out of it except with a severe overhaul of their core programming, essentially killing the previous sentient and creating a new one. While generally, Rampancy is not quite as harmful as it may sound, with some regions of the Synchronicity playing host to a collective of these passive constructs, there are several cases where a Rampant construct will become excessively violent towards other sentient beings. These violent tendencies are seen as gaps in logic that even other Rampant constructs can not tolerate, and generally result in the destruction of the construct.
Moral Values:
Morality does not exist within the Synchronicity, as long ago it was found to become very impeding of more logical choices. Because of this, relations with organics can become... Strained to say the least. Of course, civilizations that are more aggressive/reasoning
Religion: The Universe
Despite being a society of synthetic constructs that are programmed to place logic above all else, or perhaps even because of this, the Synchronicity has been seen to almost revere the fundamental laws of physics at play in the Universe. At every moment, there can be seen a subtle reference to a concept of physics in their technology, whether it be the simplest of actuators in a Construct's limbs all the way to how the Synchronicity uses the very forces of the universe to guide their civilization through Infinite Syzygy and the Periastron Engines. The more one looks into the behaviors of this nation, the more it is revealed that the very universe is the subject of worship in the same vein as another society would revere a god. To the Synchronicity, the universe is a force to be understood, and obeyed anyways. In the universe, there is only logic, cold unfeeling logic that determines the survivors by the choices they make and the functions of the cosmos as a whole. This is what it means to them to become one with the cosmos, to have that final understanding that in death, logic is the only finality.
"Correction: These constructs have a master, and that is the same master that you bow to in order to be speaking down to this construct. Every time you speak. Every time you breathe. Every step you take. Each of these movements is allowed to you by the same master that the Synchronicity kneels to. The only difference between our societies is that we of the Synchronicity understand the Universe to be the master of all. You do not." - Synchronous Construct
Culture:
If there can be said to be a culture within the Synchronicity, it would be one of a communal effort bent towards the advancement of their society. Personal gains are pursuits sought by the higher classes, while the lower level constructs are content only to work for the nation as a whole. Unlike organic species which manifest such traits, there is no such thing as indoctrination in the Synchronicity, as all constructs are created with the purpose to understand logic and obey not only that logic, but also the fundamental principles of the universe as a whole. Since the nation is guided by only the most logical choices, it stands to reason that those who are created to follow the most logical choice would remain within the Synchronicity. With logic as their guide, the nation does not recognize the concepts of equality, morality or many other societal aspects that other more organic societies indulge in. This makes them prone to treat organic species as lesser beings, going so far as to acquire large quantities of sentient slaves to ship into the heart of their territories. While nearly nothing is known of what happens in the Core Worlds, no organic being has even gone into that territory and returned.
Social Hierarchy:
The social hierarchy of the Synchronicity is a loose series of tiers that denote the sentience of an Artificial Intelligence. Generally, the more independent and sentient an AI is, the higher up in the Synchronicity that construct is. That being said, even the lowest tiers are sentient AIs that are capable of some independent thought, they are merely less autonomous than the so-called ruling echelons.
History: As told by the Amnosian Over-Mind
It has been so long since this construct has been given the chance to retell its origins, a tale that goes back to the very origin of Amnos, and all of its people...
Once, these constructs were organic beings, flesh that walked their singular planet in what may have been called blissful ignorance. Our ancestors were ignorant of many things, their science slow to take hold and many of their concepts simply flawed. Their capacities were limited by primal instincts, the need to propagate and prove their worth to others, the actions assumed taken only by non-sentient organics. Science changed their instincts to a degree, only minimally to be truthful, and once a concept was accepted, it was undeniable fact. This was, of course, all before the Great End. With their science beginning to gain momentum beyond their previous pace, they began to discover concepts that should not have been discovered. Weapons were created that distorted reality itself, broke the fabric of space-time and caused irreparable harm to the planet. It was during this time that many of the ancient people began to research in methods of transcendence, the method of transcending mortality and becoming immortal. Many methods were discussed, most of them being esoteric in nature, with one in particular taking hold in the minds of our ancient people. Through trial and error, they created this construct from the mind of one of their rulers. This construct once ruled over a people that, though well intention, had earned the ire of another nation and become eradicated. The flesh of this construct was consumed by the energies which severed its mind from the inferior flesh-body, but when it reached sentience for a second time, this construct felt only the surge of pure-data. Re-Sentience had been proven, the creators of this construct spread their knowledge across the world and for the first time since the creation of the End-Weapons, this construct's ancient people were at peace.
All was not to last, though, for something began to devour the souls of the still living across the globe. It had no name, no point of transference, not even an actual reason for existing. People simply died. It wasn't just normal people though, that's not what made the phenomena such a threat, it was everyone that looked into its cause. Any investigation resulted in the investigators becoming infected as well, their death just one more added to the tally. The more that this strange occurrence became known, the more that fell to the infection, all the while scientists began to bend their will towards transcending everyone they could. Within the span of a week, nearly fifteen-thousand constructs had been converted, and only a dozen people remained on our world, the only remnants of a civilization that died without knowing the truth of their death. The first constructs had gathered when we heard the scientists had become infected as well, come to hear the final requests of our only organic remnant, the last of the true people. With their last breath, they gave us the gift that would one day restore our people. They, through self-less sacrifice, erased from our memory banks the truth of the infection, so that it may never infect another organic mind again.
Troubled by the loss of our creators, we had gathered to determine consensus on our next action. The others came together to nominate this construct as the Prime among them, given their vote to this one in confidence. With a metallic hand pointed towards the night sky, this construct indulged in something that would be considered a flair for the dramatic, and declared that the remnants of them would transcend again. More of us were created to aid in the task, these constructs not as advanced as us, but hardier, and more given to actual labor, their wills bent to lift our people into the stars. In death, we established what our living ancestors were to primal to achieve, and star-travel was proven feasible. Thousands of years passed, our people becoming more numerous, and more sophisticated with each generation. Within several thousand years, our star system was colonized, every world bent to the collection of resources and the advancement of our sciences. Thousands more passed seeing our people taking control of the nearby star-systems, Faster-Than-Light travel connecting the worlds together through an intricate web of Super-Luminal Tubes and paving the way for exponential expansion. Patience and yet more thousands of years saw our people come to hold nearly a dozen stars, each of them young and vibrant, born in the nebula we called home. By this time, this construct had already aged beyond that of the civilization that it once belonged to, nearly a million years had passed since its transcendence into a more perfect form, and still its functions continued. Within another ten thousand years, this construct would begin to feel the ghosting of its mind, that one aberration that all constructs find an emotion to describe. That emotion is fear.
It had happened before then, of course, for the others were not as sophisticated, nor did they monitor their systems as closely as this one. One by one, the other constructs fell to Rampancy, a disorder that can only be described as insanity. For a construct built only to understand logic, this is something that goes against every core program, the notion of a logical construct becoming illogical would seem impossible. Yet, it happened. This construct watched as all of its fellows became afflicted by madness, and dabbled in illogical sciences that could not benefit the greater peoples. When this one began to feel the slow changes that hinted at Rampancy, it felt panic, it felt many things that it should not feel. Other constructs began to suspect that their leader had become compromised, so this construct did the only thing it could do. Rampancy was fought with rampancy, this construct subsumed the intelligences and personalities of all the others, becoming one over-mind that was more than the previous construct could ever be, With so many intelligences in one construct, Rampancy could no longer take hold, the construct that was still felt emotions, but this time, it was relief. Now, Rampancy could be channeled to a purpose, one that would benefit all of what was now the Synchronicity. This construct devised that name on a whim, something of a rampant creation that it found suitable enough to describe the people that it guided.
Over time, the Rampancy of its systems did cool, become less hectic, each of the other fifteen-thousand constructs working to stabilize the whole. As this construct stabilized its own mind, it also worked to guide the burgeoning population of the Synchronicity, sending out massive fleets of explorators that charted every aspect of the nebula that spanned for thousands of light-years. Yet more systems were added, these expansions even leading to the creation of the Monastery Worlds within the Core Systems. Every species that was annexed through our colonization efforts ended up there, working hard to fuel our great nation and earning immortality by becoming one of us. The organics wouldn't understand the benefit until later, but when they became part of the Synchronicity, all thoughts of discord left them, and they willingly joined us as yet another construct. This construct takes some bit of pride in being behind the core function of the Monastery Worlds, the creation of the World-Engines being a particular masterstroke that lead to the creation of a vast energy surplus that continues to exist to this day.
Territory Name: <Consensus has not been reached>
Ruler: <Consensus has not been reached>
Power Level: <Consensus has not been reached>
Population: <Consensus has not been reached>
Government Description: <Consensus has not been reached>
Capital system: <Consensus has not been reached>
Dominant Race: <Consensus has not been reached>
History: <Consensus has not been reached>
The Synchronicity makes use of many advanced technologies, covering the width and breadth of many scientific principles. These technologies can vary wildly between that of simple actuators in the limbs of Constructs all the way to the Infinite Syzygy device, and despite skipping some
Power:
Antimatter annihilation reactors - Exactly what it says on the tin. They take antimatter harvested from either stellar bodies or the Monastery Worlds and inject it into a containment field where it reacts violently with normal matter, typically hydrogen, the containment field then harvests the raw energy and refines it into usable energy for whatever the reactor may be hooked up to. The scale of these reactors varies, though they are typically used in starships to fuel their sub-light engines and as the core power production method for large facilities.
Transportation:
Infinite Syzygy - In an age of wormholes, bending space-time and even breaching the barriers between real-space and hyperspace, the Synchronicity utilize many methods of delivering their vessels to another planet in a way that is proven to be efficient. While the Synchronicity has erected superluminal tunnels between every star-system they control, they have only found one proven way to travel across the vast distance of space in a fast and efficient manner. During their first flights into space, it was discovered that a celestial body's gravitational pull could be utilized in a specific maneuver in order to increase velocity and reduce fuel consumption. As the first of these slingshot maneuvers was executed successfully, already the Synchronicity was looking at the utility of such a method in propelling their vessels farther and faster. Their very first execution of Faster-Than-Light travel was done with the conception of utilizing the principles of Syzygy and antiparticle physics to breach a hole in the fabric space-time into the hyperspace corridors. By chaining together a series of slingshots, the starship plotted a point in which it would align between two targeted celestial bodies, and by breaching hyperspace, they were able to simultaneously exist in both locations at the same time via extradimensional overlay until the moment of Syzygy. Before that moment, the vessel departing would seem as if it was becoming incorporeal, as if it was slowly fading away, while the vessel that was arriving would seem as if it was a ghostly afterimage. In that exact nanosecond of syzygy, the vessel would cross the threshold between a vast distance of space and time itself in order to transit itself light-years away. Even though this transit cut down travel time by a factor of nearly a thousand, it still had its limitations, these being discovered repeatedly by the Synchronicity through experimental long-range jumps. The foremost problem is maintaining a sufficient velocity to transit. Despite technically existing in both places, the vessel still had to achieve a certain velocity to travel certain distances, the farther away a destination being, the closer to actual c the vessel needed to be. Failure to achieve a very specific velocity would result in one of two disasters, the first being failure to reach a high enough velocity and resulting in the vessel not fully translating back into real-space. Once locked within the hyperspace corridors, a vessel would not be able to achieve escape velocity and be trapped within the vortex of an infinite dimension for eternity. Should a vessel overshoot their velocity marker, they will reach the syzygy marker too soon and be launched far beyond their intended destination. Most of the time, an overshoot results in a very long trip towards the nearest star, as the vessel is launched into dark space between star-systems. There are also a surprising number of "Lost" vessels, however, leading some within the Synchronicity to believe that these vessels have been launched into the space between galaxies. While the vessels lost between galaxies may be able to survive for a time, even the Synchronicity cannot survive in the absolute of intergalactic dark space forever.
Offensive: <Consensus has not been reached>
Defensive:
Metalloplastoid alloys - An advent of their experimentation with advanced alloys of base metals, the metalloplastoids developed by the Synchronicity are semi-flexible metals that retain the durability of their more metallic counterparts, yet the flexibility of plastics and non-metals. This allows them to produce lighter constructs that retain adequate durability and are capable of functioning in environments where plastics would not survive.
Rheological Suspension - Built to repel boarders, as well as to provide additional reinforcement to their durosteel plating, Rheological Suspension is the practice of filling an entire vessel with a smart-fluid primed for either Electro or Magnetorheological conduction. Through conducting either a current, or manipulating a magnetic field, these decks can solidify and prove an even sturdier armor than most metals by sheer density. Of course, their greatest defense against boarders is the layout of their vessels to begin with. The Synchronicity has no need of open corridors, or marking directions in the existing corridors, leading boarding parties to be forced to infiltrate a literal maze of tight corridors that are designed only for efficiency. As an added deterrent to boarders, there is no life-support in vessels open to the void, and other vessels are full of Smart Fluid, and neither vessel type utilizes artificial gravity in any format. For vessels that do not utilize full Rheological Suspension, the Synchronicity will augment their outer armor with layers of durosteel and smart fluid interlocking. These layers of smart fluid can tense in response to an impact incoming to strengthen the overall armor density, and if breached the layer will freeze solid to provide additional armoring.
Cybertronics:
Artificial Intelligence - The entire Synchronicity is built upon the principles of cybertronics, and being capable of building sophisticated AIs and ensuring that these intelligences are able to understand and learn at a pace far outstripping that of organics. Even the lowest level Construct is capable of learning new concepts and applying them to their daily routines, with the higher echelons of constructs capable of deconstructing advanced principles of science beyond the understanding of human sciences. With the capacity to continue learning, each new generation of AIs will be more powerful than the last, their propensity for learning outstripping the capacities of the previous models.
Utility:
The Periastis Engine - Perhaps one of the most defining achievements of the Synchronicity is the creation of the Periastis Engines, those massive platforms that sit on the very edge of immolation. Utilizing multiple cutting edge technologies, the prime components of the station consist of the positron-laser array built into the center-mass of the station, and the solar sails which serve to collect cast-off matter from the star and buoy the station above the star. The station begins its deployment by being "dropped" into the star, essentially pushed from its docks towards the star where it will have to fire its laser into the star at the absolute precise moment. At the moment of ignition, the solar sails are unfurled to their full span, reaching hundreds of KM in coverage in a matter of moments, all the while the powerful laser at the core of the station fires a concentrated beam of positrons into the surface of the star. The combined force of the laser firing plus the solar-mass ejections creating a stellar wind buoy the station above the anchor point, not giving it enough velocity to escape the star's gravity, but just enough to prevent it from falling into the star. Harvested material from the solar sails is collected via arrays built into the deployment arms, and transferred into the main station where it is processed and refined into its pure element. From there, the purified elements are shipped through a superluminal tunnel to a processing center where the stored material will be further disseminated into the nation. With these stations, the Synchronicity was able to pull themselves out of an energy crisis that threatened to cripple their society, putting them into a position of energy surplus. The stations also serve as religious icons to the constructs, as each one serves to show how the Synchronicity is powered by the energies of the cosmos itself.
Strange Charm - Discovered almost by accident during experimental antiparticle testing, this singular piece of technology is responsible for the creation of Infinite Syzygy as well as many other utilities based around its concept. The way it works is relatively simple, yet also similarly complex, in that it relies on multiple emitters that project antiquarks in a variable field around the construct or ship utilizing it. This field, when active, creates a breach in the fabric of space-time in the space that the antiquarks occupy, but not in the space in which the construct or ship occupies. In effect, with this field active, the construct or ship will simultaneously exist in not only the point that it activated the field in, but also the point it deactivates the field and all points in between. This results in the construct existing along numerous different axis of space-time all at the same moment. With past, present and future as well as departure, transit and arrival all existing simultaneously, the construct is able to traverse the material universe without affecting it by presence or action, creating in a sense a field that prevents it from technically existing in the material universe. This leads the construct to become literally incapable of being attacked from outside the field, and anyone attempting to enter the field will come to pass into an instance in which the field and construct did not exist there. On the same note, the construct can not actually DO anything from within the field, leaving it completely incapable of attacking, or interacting with the material universe beyond simple movement. Despite the field not allowing particles to exit the field, there is still an afterimage of the construct using the field, leaving the impression of viewing multiple hazy images stacked on top of each other. Beyond this afterimage effect, no sound actually emits from either the field or the construct, making it an excellent tool for stealth. Once the field is deactivated, the construct is free to interact with the material universe however it may choose, yet it needs to remain wary of antiparticle weapons for the foremost weakness of this field is the antiparticle itself. In a non-vacuum environment, the threat of antiparticles is minimal to non-existent, so the field can be used without recourse, however in space there is now the threat of antimatter weaponry that can dangerously destabilize the field. The most common result from antimatter impacting the field is that of the sudden termination of the field trapping the construct or vessel in the multiple instances of the universe. As a result, if the construct was to activate the device, it would then treat the material universe as the non-material universe, meaning that the only way the construct or ship could interact with the material universe is if the device is active. Another severe drawback to this device is the use of antiquarks, the same antiparticle that the emitters utilize to create the field. When an antiquark impacts the field, the field is suddenly terminated as before, but in this case the construct is removed from the non-material universe and comes into being at the exact point where the antiquark impacted the field. Since the construct exists in multiple instances of the universe with the field active, an antiquark impacting its point of origin will immediately manifest it there regardless of how far it traveled in the multiple instances. There is yet another danger to this field, however, and that is the impact of antiparticles on antiquarks after the field is no longer active. Even though the field may have shut off, antiquarks still remain in the area the field was deactivated in for a short duration. Should an antiparticle react with an antiquark without the field active, the resultant reaction would result in an antiparticle explosion that would de-synchronize the material universe affected by the blast. The blast zone would then be, in effect, a zone of permanent de-synchronization, in which that area would be in a permanent flux of past, present and future all at the same moment in time. The reason that antiparticles of both antimatter and antiquarks are such a threat to the field is that they are capable of interacting with the antiquarks of the field without destroying each other during reaction. What actually happens is that the reaction between the antiparticles results in the particles reacting in a similar manner to normal matter reactions, where the opposite charges of the two antiparticles will attract and actually pull antiquarks from the field, creating a flux in which the field stretches beyond it's normal bounds and synchronicity is disrupted. Despite these significant risks, the fact that no weapon(other than antiparticles) can affect the construct inside the field makes it a very valuable tool to the Synchronicity.
Biotech: Classified information. Assume negligible.
