GURPS 4th edition. Transhuman Space: Wings of the Rising Sun

27 Pages·2014·1.298 MB·English

by  David Chart

TM
Written by DAVID CHART
Edited by PHIL MASTERS
Editorial Assistance by JASON “PK” LEVINE
Illustrated by MATT KRESGE and DAN SMITH
Additional Material by ROGER BURTON WEST (spacecraft designs)
and PHIL MASTERS (new bioroid templates)
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ManagingEditor(cid:2)PHILIPREED DirectorofSales(cid:2)ROSSJEPSON
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Playtesters:PeterV.Dell’OrtoandWilliamH.Stoddard
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C
ONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 AreaofOperation .................................6
AbouttheAuthor..................................3 Oversight ........................................6
AboutGURPS ....................................3
2. STRUCTURE AND RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . 7
1. BACKGROUND AND ROLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 ORGANIZATION.................................7
HISTORY .....................................4 Kyushutsu .......................................7
Foundation.......................................4 Kakuho..........................................7
Development .....................................4 Kenkyu..........................................7
Timeline.........................................5 Jimu ............................................7
TheNKKCinJapaneseSociety.......................5 TheNKKCataGlance..............................7
MISSIONANDJURISDICTION.......................6 Hodobu..........................................7
Purpose..........................................6 STAFF .......................................8
PoliticalSupport...................................6 Manpower .......................................8
Hierarchy........................................9
UniformsandInsignia .............................9
RewardsandPunishments..........................9
LOCATIONS ..................................10
MoriokaHoncho.................................10
TanegashimaShicho..............................10
FujimiyaShicho .................................10
TokyoShicho....................................10
UsaginokoyaShicho..............................11
Hakenshitsu.....................................11
KanaSyllables ...................................11
3. OPERATIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Advantages......................................12
DesirableAdvantages..............................12
Disadvantages ...................................12
ProhibitedDisadvantages ..........................13
Skills...........................................13
CHARACTERTEMPLATES ........................14
GhostKyushutsuOperative........................14
BioroidKyushutsuOperative.......................14
RodoshaBioroid..................................15
XenocopBioroid..................................16
HumanKyushutsuOperative.......................16
KenkyuResearcher...............................16
HodobuMemeticist...............................17
4. TOOLS OF THE TRADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Aibo(Partner)RescueSuit.........................18
Perk:ProvidesOwn(Advantage)toWearer ............18
Kikko(TurtleShell)RescueSuit....................19
TenryuRescueCybershell .........................20
MicrobotSwarms................................20
DropShips(TL10)................................21
Hakenshitsu(TL10)...............................22
5. CAMPAIGNS AND ADVENTURES . . . . . . . 23
EvenOneMore..................................23
WorkingWiththeNKKC..........................25
TheNKKCasaProblem ..........................25
INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
C 2
ONTENTS
I
NTRODUCTION
Mitch ran toward his home through the ruined streets of NKKCoperativesaresentouttosavepeoplefromdisasters,
PearlHarbor,smokerisingfrombuildingsintheDecembersun. andthenreturntobasetowaitforthenextcrisis,makingthe
Sirens both virtual and real screamed in his head, but he agencyanexcellentbackgroundforanepisodiccampaign,orfor
ignoredthem.Weavingalongthebuckledroad,hekepthalfan one-off adventures. In many ways, they are similar to special
eye on his implant’s status updates as it searched for a func- forces,exceptthattheyareunarmedandsavelivesratherthan
tioning connection or any news from his family. The display endingthem.CharactersinanNKKCcampaigncouldvisitany-
flashedredasitchanged. whereonEarth,trytorescuepeopleinLEO,orbestationedon
Katarina Mullins: Living. Medical attention required. No Luna. The NKKC’s memetics division is also very active, and
communicationlink. coulddragthecharactersintooccasionalpoliticaladventures.
May Mullins: Living. Urgent medical atten-
tionrequired.Nocommunicationlink.
Hopeandfearbothsurged,andMitchforced
an extra bit of speed out of his legs. He had to You put yourself in danger to
getthemoutbeforethesecondwavehit.
The sirens were drowned out by a roar, like save people, and in return you get
thunder, and Mitch’s AI was already opening an
emergencychannelashelookedupintoaskysud- the respect and admiration of most
denlyfullofdropshipsandcybershells,theRising
Sunshiningontheirwings. of the world.
Healmostcriedwithrelief.
In2100,theNihonKinkyuKyushutsuCho
(NKKC),JapanEmergencyRescueAgency,is
dedicated to rescuing people all over the
A A
BOUT THE UTHOR
worldfromdisasters.KnownastheWingsoftheRisingSun,
they can reach any disaster on earth in minutes, and have
David Chart has lived in Japan since 2003, and currently
permission to intervene in almost any country.Theagency’s
livesjustwestofTokyo.AllthathappenedtohimintheGreat
budget is slightly larger than that of the Japan Self-Defense
EastJapanEarthquakeof2011wasthathehadtowalkforsix
Forces(JSDF),anditsoperativeshaveaccesstothebesttech-
hourstogethome,butthedevastationinnortheasternJapan
nology available. Nevertheless, disasters are chaotic, and not
inspired this supplement. This is his first GURPS or
eventheNKKCcansaveeveryone.Astheirmottosays,theydo
TranshumanSpacesupplement,butheistheLineEditorfor
theirbesttosave“evenonemore.”
ArsMagica,fromAtlasGames.
About GURPS
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I 3
NTRODUCTION
C O
HAPTER NE
B
ACKGROUND
R
AND OLE
The Nihon Kinkyu Kyushutsu Cho (NKKC) is extraordi- range of its operations. The first thing to explain is how this
nary,evenintheTranshumanSpacesetting,initssizeandthe cameabout.
H
ISTORY
ThenaturalenvironmentofJapanisnotgentle.Thecoun- In2023,YuinaTakahashi,anewmemberofoneoftheres-
trysuffersmoreearthquakesthananyother,hasseveralactive cuesquads,refusedtoattendthefiringrange.Shewasbrought
volcanoes,andfacesoveradozentyphoonseveryyear,while beforeadisciplinarytribunal,andrefusedtoapologize.“Why
evenin“normal”weatherover12”ofraincanfallovernight.As shouldIwastemytimelearningtokillpeople?”sheasked.“I
a result, natural disasters are an annual occurrence, and the joined to save lives.” She was dismissed from the SDF for
government has had plans and organizations in place to insubordination.However,ajournalisthadattendedthehear-
respondforcenturies.Inthelate20thandearly21stcentury, ing, and Takahashi was a telegenic young woman; her dis-
the primary responsibility for first response lay with the fire missalturnedintoamajorscandal,forcingtheresignationof
serviceandSelf-DefenseForces. the defense minister, and prompting the foundation of the
NKKC as a separate agency in 2025. Takahashi
immediatelysignedupagain,andservedhonorably
for50years.TheDefenseMinistryheldagrudge,but
as a politically weak and unpopular ministry, it
coulddonothingagainsttheNKKC.
D
EVELOPMENT
At first, the agency operated entirely within
Japan, doing good work and building its reputa-
tion. In 2044, however, the Taiwan Autonomous
Regionfacedasuper-typhoon,andaskedJapanto
sendNKKCresourcestohelpevacuatepeople.The
NKKC was extremely effective, and the death toll
fromthetyphoonwaszero,despiteextensiveflood-
ing and wind damage. In the press conference
afterward, the head of the agency said that Japan
washappytoextendassistancetoanycountrythat
asked for it, in a speech that is a now a standard
textbookexampleofmemeticengineering,asitwas
extremelysuccessful.
The NKKC reminded countries that it would not
FOUNDATION normallyhavetimetoaskpermissiontointerveneafteradis-
aster struck, and began lobbying for advance permission to
After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, Japan help. In 2049, all members of the PRA formally granted that
beganlookingagainatitsdisasterresponseplans,andoverthe permission,andothercountriesdidthesameoverthefollow-
next few years parts of the Self-Defense Forces were trained ingdecades.Plansfororbitaldispatchstations,toallowswift
more specifically in disaster response, and part of the self- response anywhere on Earth, had already been in hand, and
defensebudgetwasdevotedtoprocuringmaterielspecifically thefirststationbecameoperationalin2051.
usefulinrescuesituations.
B R 4
ACKGROUND AND OLE
nearly brought down the Syrian government, and
madealotofgovernmentsnervous.OnlytheSyrians
The NKKC responded to actually withdrew permission for NKKC interven-
tion,butanumberofotherstatesconsideredit,and
an earthquake near the Syrian city the agency worked very hard to allay fears. One
result was that the agency is now very strict about
of Ar-Raqqah, and in the process
the confidentiality of anything that operatives see
whilerescuingpeople;leakingcontroversialordam-
found workers literally chained
aginginformationisgroundsfordischargefromthe
service. Hodobu is working hard on getting the
to their stations in some factories.
Syrians to allow the NKKC back in, ideally before
another disaster strikes and people die who could
havebeensaved.
The NKKC first accepted sapient infomorph and bioroid T
IMELINE
operatives in 2071, officially treating them exactly the same
as human operatives. In practice, they were recruited even 2025–NKKCfoundedbysplittingunitsofffromtheJSDF.
moreactivelythanhumans,becausetheyareoftenbetterat 2044–Facedwithasuper-typhoon,theTaiwanAutonomous
rescuework,andtheagency’sleadershipsawthemasessen- RegionasksJapanforNKKCaid.TheNKKCoperatesout-
tial to saving as many lives as possible. Nevertheless, num- sideJapanforthefirsttime.
bers were very low (bioroids were new technology in the 2049–PRAmembersformallygranttheNKKCpermissionto
2070s), and there was a significant amount of prejudice actintheeventofadisasterinanycountryinthealliance.
against them, even within the ordinary ranks of the agency, 2051–Firstorbitaldispatchstationbecomesoperational.
until the Great Seto Earthquake of 2081. In order to gain 2071–Firstinfomorphandbioroidoperativesinducted.
increasedacceptanceforthesevaluableoperatives,theheroic 2080 – Michiyo Motoyama is the first NKKC operative to
actions of bioroid and infomorph operatives in saving lives undergodestructiveuploading.Shetakesleaveforthepro-
there were widely publicized by Hodobu (the PR depart- cedure, and returns to work afterward. The agency allows
ment), particularly the rescue of over 100 children from a her to do so while it “clarifies her status.” This has yet to
partially collapsed school, a rescue carried out entirely by happenby2100,bywhichtimeanumberofghostsareon
nonhuman operatives, and in which the majority of the activeservice.
agency’s nonhumans participated. Thisincident is alsoused 2081–GreatSetoEarthquakestrikeswesternJapan.Hiroshima
as an example in memetics textbooks in Japan, and is isdevastated,buttheswiftNKKCresponsekeepsthedeath
believed to have contributed greatly to the transhumanist tollunder1,000.ThePRdepartmentemphasizestheactions
trendincurrentJapanesesociety(seeFifthWave,p. 68). ofbioroidandinfomorphoperatives.
TheconstantlinkbetweenoperativesandtheNKKChead- 2085 – Ar-Raqqah Incident. Responding to an earthquake in
quarters was known, but until the Ar-Raqqah Incident of thenorthernSyriancity,operativesdiscoverafactoryrun-
2085,itwasnotaproblem.TheNKKCrespondedtoanearth- ning on slave labor, including adults, children, and
quakeneartheSyriancityofAr-Raqqah,andintheprocess bioroids.ThefeedsarereleasedtotheWeb,causingamas-
foundworkersliterallychainedtotheirstationsinsomefac- sive scandal that nearly brings down the Syrian govern-
tories.Thefootageoftheseslave-laborconditionswasavail- ment. In response, it forbids the NKKC from operating in
able on the Web within hours of the end of the disaster Syria,andtheNKKCstrengthensitsconfidentialityrules.
response.Theslaveswereallfreed,buttheresultingscandal 2086–TheNKKCbecomesactiveonLuna.
The NKKC in Japanese Society
Japan in 2100 is rather detached from the rest of the Second, some young Japanese aspire to an active life,
world, and relies heavily on bioroids and automation andtheNKKCgivesthemsomethingtodo.ButtheNKKC
(FifthWave,p.67);theNKKCisactivelyengagedwiththe cannot take all of the qualified, young, human Japanese
whole world and mainly employs humans. This is not a applicantsitgets,analmostuniquesituationinthecoun-
contradiction:TheNKKCisexceptionalwithinJapan.Sev- try.Thisisonefactorinthehumandomination;theagency
eralscholars,mostnotablyTadayukiMomoseinABridge isreluctanttoturnanymoreawaythanithasto.Human
fromHeaven,haveformedaconsensusregardingitsrole. resourcesstaffoccasionallyhavetoberemindedthat“even
First, the NKKC provides an entirely honorable way onemore”doesnotapplytothehiringpolicy.
forthoseJapanesewhowanttogetmoreinvolvedinthe Finally, a lot of the people the NKKC has to save are
worldtodoso,withoutgettingJapanentangledininter- from Third Wave societies, and are uncomfortable with
national politics. Isolationists oppose interventionism in sapient infomorphs or bioroids. Experience has shown
principle, but even many of them sincerely support this thatrescuesgomuchmoresmoothlyifmostoftheopera-
particularversion. tivesonthesceneatleastlookhuman.
B R 5
ACKGROUND AND OLE
The NKKC exists to save as many as lives as possible,
and says it will act anywhere it can get to.
M J
ISSION AND URISDICTION
TheNKKCexiststosaveasmanyaslivesaspossible,and providemedicalcarebeyondfirstaid,nortoensuresuppliesof
says it will act anywhere it can get to. Its leadership con- foodandwater,althoughtheydoaimtogetpeopletoaplace
stantlylobbiesfortheresourcesandvehiclesnecessarytoget where they can reasonably expect to receive those things.
tomoreplaces. There is no official definition of “person,” but in practice it
includes anything sapient. Biological sapients are prioritized
P overinfomorphsifachoicehastobemade,becauseaninfo-
URPOSE
morphprobablyhasabackup.However,asthatisnotcertain,
ItsoperationalguidelinesdefinetheNKKC’spurposerather operativesdorescueinfomorphsiftheycan.
precisely,asgettingpeopletoasituationwheretheyarenotin
imminent danger of death. Its operatives are not expected to A O
REA OF PERATION
TheNKKChastoactbeforeanygovernmentcouldgive
formalpermission,soitrespondstodisastersincountries
Political Support
thathavegivenpermissioninadvance,and,ifthedisaster
islargeenough,incountriesthathavenotformallytoldit
The NKKC has a slightly larger budget than the JSDF.
tostayaway.AllmembersofthePRAhavegivenadvance
HowisthissoldtotheJapanesepeople?
permission, as have a large number of other countries,
First,itisverydifficulttopubliclyopposesavinglives.
including most of the TSA, and orbital entities. Notable
Now that the organization exists, abolishing it or forbid-
amongthesmallnumberofcountriesthathavetoldthem
ding it to operate overseas would seem uncaring. Every
to stay away are Kazakhstan and Syria; Japan is quietly
timesomeonesuggestsraisingtheJSDF’sbudgetoverthat
lobbyingSyriatolifttheformalprohibition,imposedafter
oftheNKKC,someoneelseasks,publicly,“Whyshouldwe
the Ar-Raqqah incident. NKKC operatives can reach any
spendmoremoneyonkillingpeoplethanonsavingthem?”
locationonthesurfaceoftheearthwithin30minutes,the
Hodobunolongerevenneedstoorganizethis.
first wave often arriving significantly sooner, and are
Second, the primary responsibility of the agency is to
almostasfastonLuna.ResponseinLEOcanbeveryfast
save lives in Japan, and it does so at least once a year.
if the relative positions are right (in 2098, an unmodified
Hodobuensuresthatno-oneforgetsthis.Indeed,nomore
humanwasrescuedafterbeingblownintospacewithno
than half of the ready operatives are ever dispatched to a
vaccsuit),butNKKCcraftcannotreachHEOorGEOina
disasteroutsideJapan,ensuringthattheagencycanalways
reasonabletime,andasignificantvolumeofLEOismore
respondtoadomesticcrisis.
thananhourawayfromthenearestteamatanyonepoint.
Third,itisaverypowerfulmemeticweaponinJapan’s
Now that the presence on Luna is established, full cover-
arsenal.Onecommonmemeisthat“theNKKChassaveda
ageofEarthorbitisthenextpriority.
thousand lives for every one the JSDF has ended”; this is
debatable,soitneverappearsinofficialpublications,butit
reinforces the idea of Japan as peaceful and benevolent. OVERSIGHT
ThefactthattheNKKChasaslightlylargerbudgetthanthe
TheNKKCisanindependentofficeoftheJapanesegov-
JSDFisalsocarefullypublicized,forthesamereason.The
ernment, under the direct supervision of the Prime
activities of the NKKC across the world also show that
Minister. It must justify its actions to the Prime Minister
Japan is not arrogantly isolationist. Many memetic text-
andtheDietaftertheevent,butthelawgoverningitexplic-
booksusetheNKKCastheirexampleof“costlysignaling”
itlysaysthatitneednotseekpermissioninadvanceforany-
in memetics, where the resources required to create the
thing. Within Japan, it is allowed to break any law with
memeguaranteethatitisnotasimpledeception,andthus
impunitywhilerespondingtoadisaster,anditsoperatives
grantitadditionalforce.
havelegalimmunitywithinthePRAwhileonactiveservice,
Finally,theNKKCissupportedbythelobbyingpowerof
aprivilegeextendeddefactoinmostregions.Theagencyis
the Japanese humanitarian-industrial complex. Its budget
well aware that these immunities would disappear if they
supportsalotofancillaryworkersandbusinesses,aswell
wereeverabused,andthatcomplyingwithlocalregulations
asthelargestaff,andmanyolderJapanesedrawanincome
would make its job almost impossible. Any operative who
from investments in companies that supply the NKKC.
straysfromthemissionisthereforesubjecttodisciplinary
Suggestionstocutitbackareasurevote-loserintheDiet.
procedures,eveniftheiractionswerelegal.
B R 6
ACKGROUND AND OLE
C T
HAPTER WO
S
TRUCTURE
R
AND ESOURCES
The NKKC is an enormous agency, larger than the mili- onthefrontlinehavetobebackedbylogisticsandtechnical
tariesofmanycountries,andithastheresources,andbureau- specialists,andeveryoneneedsbasesandstationsfromwhich
cracy,tomatch.Aswithamilitaryorganization,theoperatives towork.
O
RGANIZATION
The NKKC has four main divisions: Kyushutsu (Rescue), schematics,butnothinghaseverbeenproved,orevenmade
Kakuho (Stabilization), Kenkyu (Research), and Jimu intoamajorscandal.
(Administration).
J
IMU
K
YUSHUTSU
The largest division, Jimu provides administrative and
The Kyushutsu division is responsible for rescuing people logisticalsupportfortheotherthreedivisions.Mostmembers
from natural disasters, and is the division that most people are human, although there are a handful of very important
think of when they think of the NKKC. Its activities are dis- infomorphs, including the division head, and a significant
cussedindetaillater. numberofbioroidsinmenialjobs.
K
AKUHO
The NKKC at a Glance
These operatives are responsible for the
second line of rescue. They make sure that
Role:DisasterFirstResponse.
the survivors of the disaster are in a stable
Budget:$50billion.
situation, and are responsible for keeping
Staff:95,456(human:71,630;bioroid:20,806;infomorph:3,020).
themaliveuntiltheycanbehandedoverto
Headquarters: Nihon Kinkyu Kyushutsu Cho Honcho (Morioka City,
localbodies.WhenKyushutsupullsomeone
IwatePrefecture,Japan).
outofadisaster,theytakethemtoaKakuho
receptioncenterbeforegoingbacktorescue
morepeople.AboutathirdofKakuhoopera-
tivesareonactivedutyatanytime,withasmallmajoritybased H
ODOBU
onEarth,andtherestinorbit.Kakuhocrewthetransonicand
transatmospherictransportsthattakeheavyequipmentwhere The Hodobu, or Public Relations Department, is a very
itisneeded. importantpartoftheNKKC.FormallypartofJimu,itsoffi-
cialroleistoensurethattheNKKChaspermissiontoactin
K as many countries as possible, which it does by reinforcing
ENKYU
the meme that the NKKC is an altruistic organization dedi-
Thesmallestdivision,Kenkyuisresponsiblefordevelop- catedtosavinglives.Thefactthatitismakesthejobeasier,
ingnewtechnologytohelptheotherdivisions.Theyhavea but not trivial, as any memeticist understands. Kyushutsu
larger budget than the military research departments of andKakuhotakeanyonewhocandothejob,physicallyand
most countries, so the NKKC has the most advanced tech- psychologically, and then Hodobu goes through looking for
nologyatitsdisposal.Kenkyutriestolicenseanytechnology operatives from any division who fit the memetic profile to
itfeelsmaybeuseful,butasitdemandstherighttodevelop serve as faces of the agency. Their choices are often photo-
the technology on its own initiative, some companies are genic and articulate, but not always; their memeticists are
reluctant. There have been rumors of illegal acquisition of good,andthememesnuanced.
S R 7
TRUCTURE AND ESOURCES
Hodobu cooperates with media organizations, both news Recently, slinkies of NKKC rescue operations have
andentertainment.Itisveryeasyforentertainmentorganiza- appeared on the black market. They all show the NKKC in a
tionstogetpermissiontouserealNKKCequipmentandloca- goodlight,astheoperativesrisktheirlivestosaveothers,and
tions, and Hodobu does not demand any control over the they are exciting, with a significant following. Hodobu has
products. If the series reinforces the basic message, the pro- issued official statements deploring the illegal distribution of
ducers find it easy to get repeat permission. Notoriously, a the information, and pledging to find the source of the leak.
series of (officially unauthorized) pornographic slinkies featur- The slinkies are genuine, and from multiple operatives, but
ing the NKKC were made in the mid ’90s; they portrayed the thatsourceisstill,apparently,unknown.
operativesasabsolutelyupstanding,andactuallyledtoanotice- Finally,Hodobuisveryopenabouthowitdoesitsmemetic
ableboostinrecruitment.(Somerecentmemeticstextbooksuse engineering, with the result that a lot of textbooks use its
thisasanexampleofhowtoexploitthemediawithoutbeing activitiesasexamples,sojustaboutanyonewhohasstudied
criticized for doing so.) However, children’s series featuring memetics has a positive view of the NKKC and its memeti-
theNKKC,usuallybasedonateamfeaturingacoupleofoper- cists.Theauthorsofthetextbooksknowthatthisisjustfur-
ativesfromtheintendedcountryofdistribution,arefarmore ther memetic engineering by Hodobu, but the examples are
popular,withatleastoneinproductioneveryyear. stilltootempting.
S
TAFF
The staff of the NKKC are called operatives in English, tosomeextent,andsocannotsimplybetreatedastools(asNAIs
kyutaiin in Japanese. Although the NKKC is a branch of the are,extensively).Foryears,LAIswereactiveinaveryambigu-
Japanesegovernment,operativesdonotneedtobeJapanesecit- ouscapacity(theNKKChasaninstitutionaltendencytoavoid
izens.Theagencynotonlyemploysmanybioroidsandsapient clarifyingrulesunlessithasto),butin2092theruleswereclar-
AIs, neither of which qualify for full citizenship, but also ified, and all associated LAIs were released from the agency,
employsforeignnationals.(JapanesesocietygrantsSAIsnear- with pensions more than sufficient for an independent info-
humanstatusinmanyways–seeFifthWave,p. 68–butthelaw morph,andtheassignmentoftheirdutiestothemselves.Many
does not fully reflect this, and other PRA nations are signifi- arenowundertheguardianshipofformeroperatives,particu-
cantlylessbenevolenttowardthem.)TheNKKChasnoproblem larly ones who have set up their own rescue teams. However,
gettingvisasforforeignersitchoosestohire.Thereisnoconsis- many in the agency would like to see the rule clarified in the
tentdiscriminationintheNKKC,andtheKyushoFirstClassof otherdirection,sothatLAIscouldbeoperatives,albeitwithlit-
JimuisanSAI,YukiHikari.Thisdoesnotpreventtensionsatan tlechanceofpromotion.
individuallevel,ofcourse.
M
ANPOWER
Around95,000sapientsworkfortheNKKC.Around
21,000 are bioroids, and about 3,000 are infomorphs
(including 130 ghosts, who are full Japanese citizens).
About3,000humanswithnon-Japanesenationalityare
onthepayroll.Kyushutsu–with15,000operatives–has
1,600 of the infomorphs and 8,000 of the bioroids, as
cybershells and specialized bioroids are simply better
at the job than humans. However, the psychological
importanceofhavinghumansinvolvedinarescueoper-
ationiswell-established,andtheproportionisunlikely
tofallfurther.Ofthenon-Japaneseoperatives,800are
inKyushutsuaswell.
Kakuho has another 4,000 bioroids, along with 500
infomorphs.However,mostofthestaffarehuman(about
11,000), as most sapients who have been rescued are
human,andrespondbettertohumancare.Around2,000
non-Japanese work in Kakuho, many of them medical
personnel on short-term contracts. The NKKC has a
standingpolicyofemployingnewlyqualifiedmedicsand
nursesfromanycountryfortwoyears,withtheoptionto
signupforalongerperiod.Thepayisgood,andtheexpe-
TheNKKCseemstomanyoutsiderstohaveaweirdpreju- rience highly respected in trauma medicine. It’s also a clear
diceagainstLAIs,andemploysveryfew.Thecurrentleadership chance to do some good, and so the program always has far
seemtothinkthatanythingcapableofmakingitsowndecisions moreapplicantsthanitcantake.Thosewhodoworkwiththe
shouldbeanoperative,butthatLAIsarenot(quite)uptohan- agencygenerallytakepositiveopinionsofit,andJapan,backto
dlingthisstatus.Ontheotherhand,theyaredefinitelysapient theirhomecountries,anotherbitofmemeticengineering.
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TRUCTURE AND ESOURCES
Kenkyuhasanother300infomorphs,andasimilarnumber westernstyle,andlookslikeawhitemilitaryorpoliceuniform,
of bioroids, but it is overwhelmingly human (about 4,400), withrankmarkingsontheupperarmandtheoperative’sname
although about 200 of the non-Japanese work here. This has on the right breast. Dress uniform is Japanese style, with a
ledtoanoticeablebiasintheequipmentproduced,aproblem whitekimono,hakama(trouserskirt),andhaori(jacket).The
thattheagencyistryingtocorrect. haoribearsthewearer’srankmarksfivetimes:oneachbreast,
Jimu employs around 60,000 people, including about 600 intheuppercenteroftheback,andoneachsleeve.Dressuni-
sapientinfomorphsandabout9,000bioroids,mostofwhomare formdoesnotcarrythename.Uniformsarethesameformen
in menial roles. Jimu makes extensive use of NAIs, and is the andwomen,apartfromnecessarydifferencesintailoring,and
mainsourceofthepressuretoallowtheemploymentofLAIs. wereoriginallybasedonmen’sclothing.
H R P
IERARCHY EWARDS AND UNISHMENTS
TheNKKCinheriteditsranksfromtheJSDF,simplyrenam- AlthoughtheNKKCisnotamilitaryorganization,itdoes
ing them to reflect the existence of a new branch of service. requireahighlevelofdiscipline.Mostpunishmentsareformal
From lowest to highest, they are Kyushi, Kyuso, Kyui, Kyusa, warningsandreprimands,whichcanruinchancesofpromo-
andKyusho.Withineachranktherearethreegrades,translated tion,buttheagencyalsodocksoperatives’pay,demotesthem,
as First Class (the highest), Second Class, and Third Class, so or,inextremecases,firesthem.Dismissalonlyhappensafter
newlyqualifiedrecruitsareKyushi,ThirdClass,whilethehigh- a formal hearing at the honcho in Morioka. The NKKC does
estleadershipareKyusho,FirstClass.Theheadoftheagency nothaveitsownprisonsorbrig,andlackstheauthoritytocon-
hastheuniquerankofKyubakuryo.TheNKKCstronglydiscour- fine its operatives. Criminal operatives are handed over the
ages translation of the rank names, as the translations almost police,althoughtheNKKCdoesmakeitsownjudgmentasto
inevitablysoundmilitary.InJapanese,the“kyu”ineveryrank whetheranoffenseisreallythatimportant.
namemeans“salvation,”reducingthemilitaryassociation.The Operatives who do particularly well, or act particularly
currentKyubakuryoisShoNakamura,aveteranofKyushutsu. bravely, are rewarded. The basic level is a commendation,
Each of the four divisions is headed by a Kyusho, First whichhasnoformaleffect,butdoesremainonrecord.Promo-
Class, supported by other Kyusho as necessary. As a rule, an tionis,ofcourse,basedonconsistentgoodservice,andcomes
operative’ssuperiorhasthenexthigherrank,ratherthanbeing with a pay rise. The agency also awards medals to recognize
ahigherclassinthesamerank,andKyusocommandthesmall individualactsofheroism.
teamsthatgointothefield.KyuiinKyushutsualsosavelives Whileanoperative’sfullrecordisconsideredwhendecid-
directly,butKyusaandaboveareinsupervisoryroles.Itisnot ingonpromotions,medalsareawardedsolelyonthebasisof
too unusual for an operative to refuse a promotion, and one action. Medals are presented in a formal ceremony in
enough have applied for a demotion for it to not be thought Morioka,andgrantpositiveReputationswithintheagency;the
strange,althoughitisstillveryuncommon. characterpointsforthiscomefreewiththeaward.TheNKKC
In Kyushutsu, operatives are grouped into teams of six, isasmallgroupinthecontextoftheTranshumanSpaceset-
kyutai,ledbyaKyuso.Threeteamsmakeupagroup,kyudan, ting;withintheagency,amedal-holderwilleffectivelyberec-
withsixmembersofKakuho,alsoledbyaKyuso,assupport. ognizedautomatically,asmedalinsigniaarealwayswornwith
AgroupisledbyaKyui,foratotalof25operatives.Although bothundressanddressuniforms,andanyway,mostoperatives
the membership of teams and groups changes as people hearabouttheseawards.However,theGMmayoccasionally
retire and join, it is extremely unusual for an operative to rule that a new operative or one from another part of the
transfer between groups, or even between teams. Relation- organization, who has never happened to see a character in
ships within the group become very strong, and members uniform,doesn’tknowaboutthatcharacter’smedals.
learntoworktogetherflawlessly.Itisunusualfortheagency TheSakura(cherryblossom)isasimplesilvercherryblos-
to dispatch less than one kyudan, but the kyutai work inde- somonawhiteribbon,awardedforsavingalifeatsevererisk
pendentlyoncetheyarriveatthedisaster. toyourown;mostoperativeswithmorethan10years’service
have at least one. Infomorphs only get this if they sur-
U I vived the rescue, so that the current operative remem-
NIFORMS AND NSIGNIA
bersdoingit.Thefirstawardgrantsa+1Reputationin
The colors of NKKC uniforms are reflective red theagency,worth1point.Furtherawardsmayimprove
and white, and cybershells are painted in the same this at the GM’s discretion; a character with four or
way.Themainuniformiswhite,andtheJapaneseris- more awards should almost always have a +2 Reputa-
ingsun,withrays,appearsinredasthebadgeofthe tion,worth3points.
agency.Rankmarkingsarealsoinred.Themainrankmark- Tsubasa(wings)areawardedforactsofconspicuousbrav-
ings are indicated by stylized cherry blossoms: Kyushi have ery.Themedalisapairofbird’swingsonadeepblueribbon,
none,Kyusoone,Kyuitwo,arrangedvertically,Kyusathree, andcanbeawardedposthumously.HoldersofaTsubasahave
arranged in a triangle pointing upwards, and Kyusho four, a+2Reputation,worth3points.
arranged in a diamond pattern. Within each rank, Second ThehighestawardistheAmenoukihashi,orFloatingBridge
Classisindicatedbyahorizontalbarbelowthecherryblos- of Heaven. It is awarded for the highest gallantry, with the
soms, while First Class adds a bar above them. Kyushi Sec- mostsignificantresults.Intheory,itisarainbow-coloredsash,
ond and First Class just have the bars. The Kyubakuryo has but it has only been awarded three times, and only posthu-
theKyusho’sfourcherryblossomsenclosedinaredring. mously,sotheinsigniahasneverbeenmade.Ifitisawarded
Apart from the rescue suits and cybershells (see pp.18- toalivingcharacter,itshouldcomewithasignificantReputa-
20),theNKKChastwostylesofuniform.Undressuniformis tion,probablyextendingtothewholeworld.
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TRUCTURE AND ESOURCES
L
OCATIONS
TheNKKChasfivemainoffices,thehoncho(headquarters) after each orbital duty, taking the necessary medical checks,
inMoriokaandfourshicho(sub-offices).Italsohasanumber but they live elsewhere. There are about 12,000 staff here,
ofsupplydepotsacrossJapan,andalargenumberoforbital 1,000fromKakuhoreadyfordispatch,1,000fromKyushutsu
dispatch stations, from which Kyushutsu operatives travel to passingthrough,andabout10,000fromJimuorganizingallof
thesitesofdisasters. the supplies. It is headed by Kyusho Second Class Takahisa
Morimoto,aveteranofJimuandarealsticklerfortherules.
M H He has even established clear rules on which rules cease to
ORIOKA ONCHO
applyinanemergency.
ThehonchoisinMorioka,thecapitolofIwatePrefecturein
northernJapan.MoriokaisoneofthefewsubstantialJapanese F S
UJIMIYA HICHO
citiesnotthreatenedbytsunamisand,importantly,itisnotin
Tokyo,sotheNKKCshouldbefullyabletorespondtoadisas- FujimiyaShichoistheagency’smaintrainingcenterandsec-
terintheJapanesecapital.AlthoughMoriokaistheadminis- ondarydispatchcenter.ItisinFujimiya,inShizuokaPrefecture,
trativecenteroftheagency,veryfewmembersofKyushutsuor just south of Mount Fuji. A popular story has it that Hodobu
Kakuho are based there. It does, however, house Kenkyu’s chosethelocationsothattheycouldtakelotsofphotographsof
mainresearchfacilities,andallthecompaniesthatsupplythe operativestrainingwithMtFujiinthebackground.Hodobucer-
agencyhaveoffices,atleast,nearby,asthisiswhereprocure- tainlyisresponsibleformaintainingtheimpressivenumberof
mentdecisionsaremade.MoriokaHonchoalsohasanairfield, cherrytreestothenorthofthebase,andincherryblossomsea-
spaceport,andwarehouses,andcan,intheory,resupplyallof sonitisaverypopularpicnicspot.However,thelocationwas
theagency’sdispatchstations.Inpractice,however,thespace- actuallychosenbecauseitisrelativelycentralinJapanandclose
portistoofarnorthandtoonearamajorcitytoseesignificant toTokyo;someKyushutsuoperativesarestationedherereadyto
use, and while it is kept operational, not even contingency leave by aircraft if there is a disaster in the most populated
plansrelyonit.Thereareabout10,000staffhere,3,000from regionsofJapan,whichtheycanreachasquicklyastheorbital
KenkyuandalmostalltherestfromJimu. drops,withmoreequipment.
Morioka Honcho is where new operatives are officially Fujimiya Shicho is the largest of the agency’s bases, with
inducted after completing their training, and where major about 15,000 operatives. It houses all trainees, the headquar-
awardceremoniesandseriousdisciplinaryhearingsareheld. tersofHodobu,thelargerdispatchcenterforKakuhoaircraft,
AKyushutsuoperativewitharespectable,butnotoutstanding, and operatives taking further training or learning to use new
career might well never visit again after induction. However, equipment. It is also the site where new equipment is tested,
anyone can visit. The NKKC does not keep its operations andasaresultitisclosedtothepublic.KyushoSecondClass
secret,andvisitorstoMoriokaHonchocannotgetintheway Samansa Debisu is in charge; she was born in Hawaii, and
ofanemergencyoperation,soitisveryopen.Apartfromthe servedinKakuhofor10yearsbeforetransferringtoJimu,at
Visitors’Center,whichisverygoodandaccessibleinVRonthe whichpointshetookJapanesecitizenship,andJapanizedher
Webaswell,itisalsoveryboring. birthname(SamanthaDavies).
Fujimiya Shicho sits in the shadow of an active volcano
T S (Mount Fuji), and the agency agreed in principle to move its
ANEGASHIMA HICHO
functionstoasaferlocationin2073.However,findingsome-
TanegashimaShichoistheoperationalheartoftheagency, where has proved very difficult; few communities want an
occupying a large chunk of Tanegashima Spaceport in extra 15,000 people dropped on them, along with an active,
Kagoshima Prefecture. Under normal circumstances, all the andnoisy,airport.Theagency’sleadershipislobbyingthegov-
orbitaldispatchstationsaresuppliedfromhere,sothereisa ernment to force somewhere, probably in Nagano or Gifu
constant stream of spacecraft taking off and landing, and a Prefectures, to take them, but Hodobu is officially opposed,
similarflowofmaterielandpersonnelinandoutofthebase. arguingthatitwouldharmtheagency’simage.
ThisisalsooneoftheprimarydispatchsitesforKakuhoair-
craft. Civilians wandering around here certainly could get in T S
OKYO HICHO
the way of an emergency response, so access is much more
restrictedthanatthehoncho.TheVisitors’Center,however,is TokyoShichoisthesmallestshicho,withonly500opera-
recommendedtotravelerswithacoupleofhourstokillatthe tives,almostallfromJimu.Itisresponsibleforliaisonwith
spaceport;ithasinterestingdisplays,largewindowsoverlook- the Japanese government, and 250 of its staff are officially
ingthespaceportandairstrips,andaverygood,andreason- attachedtoHodobu.Theoffice,inNagatacho,neartheNational
ablypriced,cafeteria.Foralotofoff-Earthvisitors,theNKKC DietBuilding,wasdesignedtowithstandamagnitude9earth-
representstheirfirstimpressionofJapan,somethingHodobu quakedirectlyunderTokyo,anditsastronomicalcostwasthe
aimstomaintain. subjectofquestionsintheDiet.Itisnotclearwhatusefulrole
In addition to warehouses and hangars, the shicho has thebuildingwouldserveifthereweresuchanearthquake,and
manufacturingfacilitiesandaccommodation,asasignificant the shicho has a persistent problem with mentally disturbed
number of Kakuho operatives are on active duty here at all people trying to live in the Visitors’ Center, as it is the safest
times. Kyushutsu operatives spend two days here before and placetobeinTokyoinaquake.
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TRUCTURE AND ESOURCES