Theory of everything, but mostly the Matrix Options

[The Monk]

I wrote this for my game and thought it would be good to share with the community. Like to get some feedback. Enjoy.

In 2001 the old United States of America suffered a devastating terrorist attack. Afterwards they embarked on a great effort to implement an ultimate solution to a failing intelligence network. Since the 1940’s the USA became a heavily militarized nation. By the end of that century, most of the federal expenditure was on its military industry. One of the most important projects was the National Security Agency, whose primary charge was crytologic and signals intelligence. Another wards, they spied on other nations. After the 2001 terrorist attacks the NSA became a top priority. Soon it consumed up to 61% of the vast military budget, which already accounted for more than half of the government’s budget. In less than ten years the military budget almost matched its gross domestic product, and the USA’s national dept ballooned to pay for it.

The NSA headquarters was stationed in Fort Meade Maryland. It employed over 60,000 people, mostly mathematicians, and housed the greatest concentration of super computers at that time. They were mandated to develop a system to monitor and process any and every possible communication outside or within its borders, an impossible task by any account. Their main hurdle was analog voice communication. They could not employ enough personnel to listen to every telephone call. And computer voice recognition software could not understand the millions of dialects and billions of voice intonations. Their goals became basically two fold. To create a master program that could understand billions of voices, and comprehend what was being said in real time. The second objective was to create a communication tool which everyone would eventually use.

Slowly they began to engineer a world wide culture that would use a wide array of digital communication, starting with social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. The NSA project was in full swing when the Virally Induced Allergy Syndrome struck and killed more than 25% of the world population in 2010. This was followed by the Great Awakening and culminated in the break-up of the USA itself with the Great Ghost Dance and the Treaty of Denver in 2014. However, after the formation of the United Canadian American States, the project lost much of its funding, but not before it accomplished its ultimate goal: the formation of the Matrix. More importantly, written into the fabric of the Matrix itself was a master program code named the Nexus, which could simultaneously monitor every bit of code and communication that traveled through it. This project, by virtue of the resources poured into it became the single most expensive thing humanity has ever endeavored to build. During the prime of its existence the USA was the most prosperous nation in the world. It consumed the majority of the resources produced by humanity, and the development of the Matrix consumed the majority of the resources of this very unique nation. Unique in that never before and never since has a people been able to focus so much on one thing. The likes of such an accomplishment may never be matched again. It could be argued the Matrix and Nexus is the single greatest accomplishment of the human race.

The Nexus did not need radio or hardwired communication to operate. It used a frequency operating in a quantum scale. It could infiltrate any electronic device anywhere on earth and, theoretically beyond, and write itself into its software. By 2026 the UCAS was ready to implement its ultimate weapon. However when Nexus was told to divulge the technical and intellectual properties belonging to Sony Cybersystems, Fuchi Industrial Electronics, and RCA-Unisys, it asked a simple question: why? This put the NSA and the UCAS into a panic. Their weapon had essentially refused to do its bidding. And so the CIA, NSA, and the IRS pooled its resources to form a “cybercommando” hacker team codenamed Echo Mirage. The rest is history. But not the history they teach in schools. The Crash of ’29, and the Crash Virus was a carefully constructed lie to hide the cyber war waged between Echo Mirage and Nexus. The outcome of that war is also a lie. The Crash Virus was never destroyed. The war ended in a truce. The Nexus remained a UCAS secret. But the information that Nexus provided would have to be bargained for.

The various pieces of intelligence that Nexus provided would furthermore be carried by specially trained “data couriers.” Eventually numerous government agencies developed their own courier teams such as Nexus Ops, and Operations Envelope, and Looking Glass. The “data packages” themselves cannot be read by any normal user. They are written in language unfamiliar to any programmer. The UCAS employ a number of “technocritter” dolphins to translate the data. The creatures are able to biologically interact with the Matrix similar to the Technomancer phenomenon occurring after the Crash 2.0. UCAS Matrix watchdogs have theorized that the Nexus has actually affected the evolution of biology, creating creatures that can directly communicate with it, and therefore the Matrix. It has slowly begun to make itself known to these creatures in the form of the “Deep Resonance.” Its ultimate purpose is beyond anyone’s imagination.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

This 2001 terrorist attack is supposed to be the hijack of civil airplanes?
Because if it is, the history of the U.S begins to differ from ours by the end of 90's, anyway, it is a nice "conspiracy theory".

[The Monk]

A conspiracy theory is exactly what it is in my game. One of the player's background is that she was a data courier for an organization called Operation Looking Glass. She has a data lock and all that.

I also have a technomancer who has been communicating with the "Deep Resonance." I'm unfolding this conspiracy theory X-Files style.

But yeah, the terrorist attack could be 911. It doesn't matter really, as all conspiracy theories, it needs a sense of truthiness.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

Well, you could adapt to the Lone Eagle Incident, or some other eco-terrorist/native american terrorist attack during this time.

[Synner667]

In 2001 the old United States of America suffered a devastating terrorist attack. Afterwards they embarked on a great effort to implement an ultimate solution to a failing intelligence network. Since the 1940’s the USA became a heavily militarized nation. By the end of that century, most of the federal expenditure was on its military industry. One of the most important projects was the National Security Agency, whose primary charge was crytologic and signals intelligence. Another wards, they spied on other nations. After the 2001 terrorist attacks the NSA became a top priority. Soon it consumed up to 61% of the vast military budget, which already accounted for more than half of the government’s budget. In less than ten years the military budget almost matched its gross domestic product, and the USA’s national dept ballooned to pay for it.

The NSA headquarters was stationed in Fort Meade Maryland. It employed over 60,000 people, mostly mathematicians, and housed the greatest concentration of super computers at that time. They were mandated to develop a system to monitor and process any and every possible communication outside or within its borders, an impossible task by any account. Their main hurdle was analog voice communication. They could not employ enough personnel to listen to every telephone call. And computer voice recognition software could not understand the millions of dialects and billions of voice intonations. Their goals became basically two fold. To create a master program that could understand billions of voices, and comprehend what was being said in real time. The second objective was to create a communication tool which everyone would eventually use.

Already happens with the ECHELON programme - United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada intelligence gathering network that monitor global communications for key words and phrases, initially set up in the 1960's.

Slowly they began to engineer a world wide culture that would use a wide array of digital communication, starting with social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. The NSA project was in full swing when the Virally Induced Allergy Syndrome struck and killed more than 25% of the world population in 2010. This was followed by the Great Awakening and culminated in the break-up of the USA itself with the Great Ghost Dance and the Treaty of Denver in 2014. However, after the formation of the United Canadian American States, the project lost much of its funding, but not before it accomplished its ultimate goal: the formation of the Matrix. More importantly, written into the fabric of the Matrix itself was a master program code named the Nexus, which could simultaneously monitor every bit of code and communication that traveled through it. This project, by virtue of the resources poured into it became the single most expensive thing humanity has ever endeavored to build. During the prime of its existence the USA was the most prosperous nation in the world. It consumed the majority of the resources produced by humanity, and the development of the Matrix consumed the majority of the resources of this very unique nation. Unique in that never before and never since has a people been able to focus so much on one thing. The likes of such an accomplishment may never be matched again. It could be argued the Matrix and Nexus is the single greatest accomplishment of the human race.

I know some people like to believe the US of A is the whole world, but it's not.

[nezumi]

That's a pretty neat theory. A little handwaving you'll have to iron out later, I'd snap it to the canon timeline, and yes, like Synner said, it wouldn't JUST be the US/UCAS involved. But definitely pretty cool and could fly well.

[The Monk]

Here's the thing. There is a Deep Throat, Smoking Man type NPC that has put this theory together. He has basically worked with and around the "courier teams." And although no-one around him knows about Nexus, he was able to put all the pieces together to form this conspiracy theory.

He has been a periodic shadowy character guiding the PCs to look at certain things, and to do certain things in order to find the truth behind his theory. The way I've been playing it, he doesn't have proof, and he doesn't know all the pieces.

But the PCs will have an opportunity to find a major piece of the puzzle soon that will prove his conspiracy.

The question is, what will they do with it? Will they try to use it? Sell it?

What will UCAS do? Will they try to buy their silence? Or just try to silence them permanent like.

[The Monk]

Already happens with the ECHELON programme - United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada intelligence gathering network that monitor global communications for key words and phrases, initially set up in the 1960's.



I know some people like to believe the US of A is the whole world, but it's not.

Yes, but this is all make believe, so (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) !

[nezumi]

They shouldn't be able to really use it themselves, since like you said, the technology to use it is very tightly kept (although I don't know how high a level this game is). Really, sitting on the government's secret 'we use this to spy on you, but don't really want to make much of a fuss right now' program, seems like the best course of action is to STFU.

[crash2029]

I know some people like to believe the US of A is the whole world, but it's not.

Communist-era propaganda! The USA is the worlds greatest country ever! I like Ike!

I knew watching Fox News last night was a bad idea... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sarcastic.gif)