Cerulean

Summary: After a solar flare wrecked the northern hemisphere, Southeast Asia’s Cerulean
Initiative is the last, best hope to save humanity.

Summary

At some point in the not so distant future, a solar flare strikes the northern hemisphere. Sunfall
caused disorder and collapse among the the world’s largest economies. The disorder was not
merely economic, political, and technical, but also environmental. Synthetic organisms,
synthorgs, designed to repair broken ecologies or as industrial machinery, mutated beyond their
original roles. In addition to rampaging robots, marauding pirates, and criminal syndicates, these
mutant organisms expanded unchecked.

Only one multi-national organization survived with some degree of stability: The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations. From ASEAN came the Cerulean Initiative, a non-profit organization
tasked with exploration, preservation, and research into the altered environment. As
researchers and explorers, they were tasked with documenting the past, managing the present,
and planning a better future. Aided by beneficial artificial intelligences and cutting-edge
technology, the Cerulean Initiative needs heroes.

Are you one of them?

The Cerulean Initiative

The Cerulean Initiative is primarily based in Singapore, although it has branches across
Southeast Asia and beyond. The name comes from the color of an unmarred sea and sky, and
the organization’s eventual goal of environmental restoration. The organization is a registered
non-profit in all ASEAN states and many others, cleared to carry out its duties, although there
can be local resistance. The organization is headed by a Director, elected annually by all
members at a general meeting. The current Director is the former Indonesian diplomat, Karol
Kartini.

Beneath the Director are specialized departments. While the Initiative was originally focused on
environmental restoration, it has assimilated other duties over the years. These departments
include: the Economic Development Bureau, the Regional Archeological Survey, the Biodiversity
Preservation Initiative, the Advanced Research Office, and the Field Security Taskforce. The
Economic Development Bureau (EDEV) focuses on rebuilding business ties in communities
large and small. The Regional Archeological Survey (RAS) aims to document and preserve
historical sites from vandals and looters. The Biodiversity Preservation Initiative (BIPI) focuses
on protecting endangered species or removing invasive ones, often from poachers, synthorgs,
and mutants. The Advanced Research Office (ARO) brings tests new technology in the field for
stress testing. The Field Security Taskforce (FIST) aims to provide defensive training, tactics,
and tools to vulnerable areas, protecting personnel and assets when necessary.

The leader of each department is selected by its constituent members. Candidates must have at
least five years’ experience in the organization to be nominated. The current head of EDEV is
the Cambodian extreme tourism entrepreneur Jay Samnang, a noted adrenaline junkie and
off-road driver. The current head of RAS is Prayut Juntong, a former Royal Thai Police officer
that defended the Bangkok National Museum during Sunfall. The current head of BIPI is
Nguyen Thuy-Anh, who waged a one-woman war against the poachers that burnt her home.
The current head of ARO is Dr. Arun Patel, a former aerospace engineer with the Indian Space
Research Organization. The current head of FIST is Nasrudin Razak, a former Malaysian naval
officer and security contractor.
Setting

The World Before

Before Sunfall, Earth seemed progressively less relevant. Offworld colonization efforts, including
Mars, Venus, Luna, and the outer system, was beginning. Transhumanist technologies were
widely available to the public. While ecological damage had been done, self-replicating robots
and artificial organisms had greatly helped to mitigate the damage. Most heavy industries had
been moved into Earth orbit, including asteroid mining. Cheap solar synthesizers made food,
water, and energy accessible to even the poorest on Earth. Artificially intelligent assistants
democratized access to law, medicine, and engineering. Then Sunfall happened.

Sunfall

It was similar to the Carrington Event of 1859, but far more severe. A gigantic coronal mass
ejection struck the northern hemisphere, resulting in a geomagnetic storm that devastated
infrastructure in the world’s most populous half. Nuclear plants melted down. Power lines burst
into flame. Communications satellites and orbital infrastructure collided, creating a runaway
cascade of debris that blocked launches. Cities collapsed into desperate riots, while
governments struggled to hold on. In the Southern Hemisphere, the resultant economic collapse
toppled or overextended the largest governments.

Southeast Asia largely survived intact for a few reasons. One was that Sunfall primarily struck
North America, Europe, and Central Asia. The second was the geography. Refugees fled
towards the southern hemisphere, but those heading to Southeast Asia had to pass through
India, China, jungles, Himalayas, and well-patrolled seas. Southeast Asia lacked the major
military buildups of the larger, northern hemisphere states, so their means to wage war upon
each other were limited. The presence of malfunctioning synthorgs and terraforming robots also
reaped a bloody toll on those traveling into the region, as the Straits of Malacca was a major
transit route between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, the disaster played an integral
part in bringing the region together.

Lifestyle

Lifestyles in Southeast Asia vary greatly with region and society. People inhabitant high tech
cities, remote villages, and life on self-sufficient convoys and flotillas. The presence of the
Blockade of orbital debris renders offworld access difficult, but not impossible. However, the
inhabitants of Southeast Asia broadly fall into urban, rural, and nomadic existences. The extent
that Sunfall affected their lives was profound, but more developed regions were generally more
affected by it.

City Living

The cities of Southeast Asia range from high-tech metropoli to ravaged sprawl. Most fall
somewhere in between. Sunfall ravaged cities with smart infrastructure, leading to infrastructural
and institutional failures that killed thousands. For a time, this lead to people fleeing the cities for
rural areas. In the time since then, there has been a slow trickle of people heading back into the
cities.

In modern urban areas, both manual labor and automation are more deftly managed. Human
overseers employ teams of small, non-sentient robots, but they often must be able to physically
conduct tasks if they cannot. Due to memories of Sunfall, many cities have reverted to cheap
manual labor of migrants trickling in from the countryside or abroad. Metro and light rail are
common, and electric and hybrid buses dominant public transit on roads. Automated smart car
taxis are present, and often included as a subscription service to residents in private housing.
Old fashioned petroleum vehicles still exist, mostly in rural regions, and even primarily they use
solar-generated synthetic fuels. While most vehicles are automated, some have space for a
human operator, a feature that has been retained since Sunfall.

Even affluent, secure cities like Singapore are threatened by the post Sunfall boom in synthorgs.
A significant portion of the urban population is armed, often with light melee weapons or pistols,
due to the sheer adaptability and shock that rogue synthorgs represent. Weapons regulations
are often strictest in affluent cities, with AI-assisted forms and ‘advisors’ detailing such laws, and
the very strict penalties for non-compliance. Some cities take a less strict or even non-existent
approach, depending on the severity of security, synthorg types, corruption, and other factors.

Rural Living

Rural areas have seen a renaissance even prior to Sunfall. The development of cheap solar
synthesizers, devices able to cheaply make food, power, fuel, and electricity from water
condensation and atmospheric CO2, enabled true self-sufficiency for millions in the developing
world. Rural areas were not as badly hit during Sunfall, although there were still challenges.

The damage to central states and authority enabled a rise in crime and irregular warfare.
Pirates, poachers, and guerilla groups exploited the scattered, disorganized state of global
governance. Ecological restoration efforts were underway even before Sunfall, including the use
of synthorgs to clean up pollution (often from petrochemicals and plastics). Many of those efforts
are only now being resumed, although aberrant synthorgs and opportunistic criminal factions
(and corrupt officials on their payroll) hinder this.

Rural settlements range from small villages, to holdout bunkers of the elite, to small cities, to
even isolated hermits. Some continue living as they have done for centuries, with only a few
changes. Others are centers of cottage industry, using their isolation to develop new genetic
engineered crops or robotic prototypes away from the prying eyes of the authorities.
Corporations have purchased many abandoned resorts and facilities, often turning them into
covert labs. These enclaves are often well protected, but even they suffer incursions from
human and inhuman intruders.

Nomadic Living

Most of the population is settled, but up to a third of the population of Southeast Asia is
nomadic. The solar synthesizer technology used in rural areas can also be fitted on aircraft,
vehicles, and watercraft. This has enabled small roving settlements of all descriptions, although
they are not always welcomed. One community may welcome the economic boost of a nomad
arrival, while its neighboring town many spurn them.

The most famous example is the Flotilla, a ramshackle armada gathered around an old
research vessel called the Guanyin. During Sunfall, it became the hub of a rescue effort. It has
since grown, and it travels the world, performing oceanographic research. Smaller fleets of
fishermen often travel with their intended catch based on the seasons, moving in numbers to
avoid pirates.

The Caravan is a group of mobile homeowners that drive from Singapore to India to Vietnam,
completing regular circuits once a year. The Caravan offers sanctuary to many seeking to avoid
their past, but they often turn over violent or troublesome members to local authorities. They
have found themselves targeted by organized militias and gangs, but these are consistently
driven off. Many members only join them for a small leg of their circuit, since they provide safety
and security.

Professions

In post-Sunfall Southeast Asia, people have professions drastically altered by automation. While
many of the same jobs exist, managing utility robots is required. Even lawyers have ‘chatbot’
assistants handling the majority of their tasks. Most modern pilots are kept as standbys, in case
of (rare) artificial intelligence failures. Since Sunfall, manual labor has seen a limited resurgence
in certain sectors, such as mining, farming, and maintenance. Due to the complex needs of
modern societies, it is not uncommon for someone to have multiple small jobs, rather than
exclusive full-time employment. Most people come into jobs through friends, family, neighbors,
classmates, and past colleagues, and those categories frequently overlap, perhaps more than
the past.

Credentialed professions still exist, but are far less exclusive than the past. Strong, reliable
artificial intelligence has greatly democratized access to those areas: medicine, law, education,
engineering, and even research. Most accrediting bodies recognize practical experience as well
as education, although most rely on a combination. For example, a surgeon from medical
school and a military medic might both be permitted to treat the same condition in the same
patient, so long as their training and experiences are similar.

Education

Most countries offer a free, online, and AI-based curriculum for students in rural areas or unable
to physically attend. Developments in educational psychology involve more gamified lessons of
basic fields, such as arithmetic and language composition. Primary and secondary schooling is
mandatory, although with more student control over course selection and learning style.
“Micro-credentialling” online courses exist, and they are primarily used in practical trades.
Universities still exist, although their structure and function has changed. They are primarily
research hubs, offering specialized coursework that cannot be easily taught online.
Recreation

Recreation is far more than professional sports and videogames, and for many, work and school
overlap with it. The use of ‘gamification’ has become a design for many devices, trades, and
lessons, although more traditional sources exist. There are still books, movies, non-augmented
reality video games, and tabletop games. However, the use of augmented reality and strong AI
has enabled far more realistic non-player characters, from non-player characters in roleplaying
games to other players at the table. Athletic pursuits have also benefitted.

Physical sports have similarly benefited through the use of nanoswarms and hard light
holograms, enabling entire teams to be conjured from the either. From ultra-realistic firefights to
a simple game of chess to living in historical drama, there are overwhelming sources of
recreation. A controversial recent trend is generating an AI simulacrum through historic footage
of famous martial artists, Olympians, or celebrities, and competing against it. Games simulating
battling hostile synthorgs, however, are popular across Southeast Asia.

Family

Many close friends, lovers, and colleagues all trace their roots to surviving together during
Sunfall. Family and domestic situations have changed relative to the past. Most humans are
born the ‘conventional way,’ but artificial womb technology has made ectogenesis accessible.
Due to widespread use of senolytics, memory uploading, and cybernetic bodies, lifespans have
been increased by decades (or perhaps more, according to some estimates). Traditional
marriages and families (in the sense of two, sometimes more partners) are common across
Southeast Asia, primarily in rural areas. However, all manner of relationships exist, sometimes
complicated due to unique transhuman entities.

The idea of a person as a single being in a single body is seen as a pre-Sunfall abstraction,
challenged by new developments. For example, two partners shared a consciousness over
wireless communications, falling into depression when cut off. A dead engineer uploaded his
memories and personality to a variety of cloned and artificial bodies, to form a family of mind.
Voluntary hive minds or distributed consciousness over drone swarms have also complicated
legal statuses. To simplify interactions, many less ‘conventional’ individuals register corporations
in their own names, to use the pre-Sunfall commercial regulations to facilitate their own daily
lives.

Security

Sunfall showed a generation the value of multilayer defenses, or so the stereotype goes.
Synthorgs plague otherwise secure cities, space, and pristine wildernesses, resisting
well-organized extermination attempts. As such, a substantial portion of the population is armed,
although non-lethal options are preferred against humans in urban areas. Police and security
forces exist as reactionary security, there to handle things that cannot be dealt with otherwise.
However, they are often over-extended, resulting in a wider view of civic responsibilities. Many
countries have begun including basic first aid, weapons, and technical training into their
standard curriculum.

Governance

The nation-state has survived Sunfall, albeit in altered form. The governments of Southeast Asia
lacked a federal or overarching governance structure like Europe, China, India, Russia, or
America, but the necessity of survival drove them together. As such, most bureaucrats and
governments prefer to delegate to local authorities, so long as problems in a region do not leave
that region. Existing leaders and structures, positive and negative, consolidated their power as a
result. However, the movement of people out of them increased after Sunfall, as there is more
physical and economic mobility as the world rebuilds.

Singapore has become the de facto ‘capital’ of the region, owing to its central location and
surviving Sunfall with the least damage. The remnants of international organizations and
provisional governments, including for very distant states that no longer exist, have all found a
base in Singapore. While there are many local disputes, Singaporean influence is enough to
limit large scale warfare, and to coordinate cooperation on international initiatives. From
anti-pirate patrols to applied research, Singapore has become the liveliest spot in the
Indo-Pacific.

Transportation

Sunfall damaged reliable international travel, although dangerous synthorgs had made it
increasingly dangerous for years. The problem was compounded by the orbit disaster that filled
the atmosphere with space trash, the Blockade, denying easy access to orbit. In Southeast
Asia, transportation sea has become common once more, although vessels are rarely alone. On
land, travelers move in groups to avoid synthorgs and robbers. Air travel is seen as safe and
reliable. Modern aircraft include electric turboprops, pre-Sunfall jetliners, and even solid-state
electric planes. Going higher than Earth’s atmosphere is more challenging.

Orbital spaceflight is difficult, but possible. The Blockade has turned what was a burgeoning
constellation of space habitats into a high-speed shooting gallery. Uncrewed vessels are often
used to deliver satellites or cargo, but human spaceflight is far more restricted. To bypass the
worst of the Blockade, launches are conducted towards the poles. When required, rockets are
launched from floating platforms or still-functional infrastructure (such as in Laos and India).
Rockoons (weather balloons assisting rockets) and space cannons (such as the Singapore
Sling) are increasingly used to sidestepping the need for conventional rockets. Trade with
offworld colonies and salvage of wrecked spacecraft is a lucrative, but dangerous, draw.

Warfare

Combat in the prior century was defined by rifle fireteams maneuvering based on tactics of
suppressive fire and cover. The chaotic technological development radically shifted that tactical
paradigm. As with urban areas, fighting in spacecraft and colonies involved extremely close
ranges. Developments like powered armor, active cloaking, human augmentation, and acoustic
deflectors greatly reduced the efficacy of conventional weapons and explosives. Furthermore,
the availability of effective drones with microwave agonizer directed energy weapons enabled
rapid detection and neutralization of the conventional fireteam at its traditional effective range
(200-900m).

Combat came to involve exchanges at very long, and very close, ranges, with little in between.
The ability to cover the 'dead ground' between close range engagement and long-range
engagement was enhanced by prosthetics and active stealth. Snipers would operate spotter
drones from hundreds of meters away, locating an enemy, coordinating with shock infantry,
engaging exposed targets with semi-guided precision munitions, and securing the objective.

Infantry teams effectively operated using a variation on bounding overwatch tactics, in order to
close the distance to their targets. Due to advances in body armor and acoustic deflectors,
switching between melee weapons, heavy close-range slug-throwers, swarm bots, custom
gadgets, and specialized energy weapons are required within the same engagement. The
fireteam wedge, once the dominant form of infantry warfare, is now merely a highly-situational
tactical formation. Far more diverse tactics are used, for human and synthorg foes of all sorts.

Synthorgs

Synthetic organisms, or synthorgs, are a fact of life on post-Sunfall Earth and beyond. There is
a certain nostalgia for pre-synthorg times, when the Sol System was only a collection of mostly
dead rocks beyond the homeworld. However, synthorgs played a significant role in preserving
and restoring the environment on Earth. The first synthorgs were simply bacteria that dissolved
plastic waste in the ocean into biodegradable compounds. Solar synthesis and mechanical
self-replication complicated the situation.

Solar synthesis was the technique of using atmospheric gases, such as carbon dioxide and
water vapor, to drive the assembly of complex molecules. Modern solar synthesizers trace their
roots to carbon neutral fuels made with electrochemical catalysts, and later, artificial
photosynthesis. The synthesis of sugar from atmospheric CO2 was among technologies
pioneered for space colony life support. The collection of water vapor was later utilized as well.
These technologies could be combined into compact form, and even simple plastics (and 3D
printers) were also integrated. Later ones were able to work with metal, synthesize nanobots,
and more exotic technical feats.

From these first-generation solar synthesizers came the self-replicating machines. Able to
fabricate and insert replacement parts on their own, they were used to clean up plastic waste in
the ocean. Others were designed to collect heavy metal pollution. Others were adapted for hard
vacuum, and used to build lunar bases and maintain orbital infrastructure. They were often
designed to have kill-switches and limitations, to preclude them from becoming gray goo, or
excessively harmful to humanity. Rogue von Neumman machines, however, were only one of
potential concerns.

Then Sunfall came. Some synthorgs were unaffected, but given they used simple, often analog,
circuits to ‘think’ and process, they were affected. Most of the affected were destroyed. Others
went rogue, adapting into the very environmental blight they were meant to combat. They did
not just inhabit wildernesses, but cities, space stations, and settlements. Some were harmless,
but others were not. They were nearly impossible to exterminate, so adaptation for humanity
was the only choice. Others simply pursued strange goals, left alone if they are not harmful.

Some types of synthorgs include:

-Gigarat: The gigarat was originally a genetically modified rat with cybernetic implants, including
a biological radio, used for search and rescue in urban environments and finding avalanche
victims. During Sunfall, a pack of them escaped and developed fearful abilities, including
cyberwarfare. As such, they are adept at military-grade electronic warfare, evading sensors and
resisting attempts to exterminate them. They’re fairly big, and sadly, also dangerous to humans.
They are smart enough to coordinate attacks as a swarm or pack, often watching a target for
months, and then striking while they sleep. They then use the target’s electronic credentials for
their own aims, which even included running scams and ordering food online.

-Mineworms: Mineworms are technically a von Neumann machine, a device used in asteroid
mining. They would be seeded in asteroids, and used to help break off smaller chunks, or to
devour deposits of materials. After their groundside control stations went silent during Sunfall,
they continued devouring metal-rich asteroids across the Solar System. Some have made it to
Earth, by hitching rides on asteroid fragments launched by automated delivery systems. Since
Sunfall, they’ve expanded across the Earth, in the Australian Outback, and even underwater
around the major oceans. They attack metallic objects out of ‘hunger’ and programming to
acquire as much as possible. Each segment of the worm may have shields, weapons, or power
modules, which can be separately targeted. Some have gotten hundreds of meters long, and
there are unconfirmed reports of larger.

-Waterspouts: While not an active threat, waterspouts are quite breathtaking to behold. The
waterspouts were originally intended as active support structures for space fountains, able to
self-repair and replicate using materials common on Earth. Instead, they ended up becoming far
stranger. They are a plastic, aqueous mesh of nanites that form a pump that moves water up,
and then letting gravity siphon a portion down. They look like a tube of water leaning upwards
into the sky, as the nanite component is virtually invisible. If punctured or damaged, they are
able to regrow to hundreds of meters over days. They gather together in some areas, growing
towards each other to establish a ‘canopy,’ a sort of airborne lake or water reservoir. These
store water and other materials, and marine life has been sited living there, from algae to fish to
dolphins. A few human divers have dared to go up a waterspout and document one of these
firsthand.
-Dyson Forests: The Dyson tree was not a new idea, first proposed by the late Princeton
scientist Freeman Dyson. They were originally genetically modified bio-organic plants intended
to harvest water from lunar ice caps and comet cores. They grow a central, radiation shielded
body, then replicate ‘seeds’ in the form of small von Neumann rocket probes. These are
launched to nearby planets, and some varieties even connect themselves via fullerene cables.
These Dyson forests, or Dyson groves, have been documented by citizen-astronomers, but
some have reached Earth. It is believed the growths in Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu may have
been a rogue Dyson forest strain, among other possible origins.

-Cybergeists: Religious skeptics always questioned the idea of the soul, but some philosophers
argue that humanity has invented it. Cybergeists, to some, represent the literal invention of a
human soul. Or, according to others, a flawed facsimile. Memory uploading technology has
existed for decades prior to Sunfall, resulting from advances in connectomics. The idea of using
those memories, combined with other data (including social media, personal communications,
and chatbots) to fill in the ‘gaps’ had existed for longer. The first generation of these cybergeists
were simply advanced chatbots, but artificial general intelligence and connectomics changed
that. Not all cybergeists were created by someone looking to ‘cheat death.’ Many were
recreations of historic figures, the acting heads of megacorporations, and even the object of
several celebrity magazines. Sunfall distorted these, and many other electronic entities. Some
download into mobile emitters, using malware and hacked appliances to gaslight victims. Others
engage in distorted activism based on their original cause. Others act like caricatures of their
former selves. More exotic types are human minds controlling swarms of synthorgs and nanites.
There is more variety of cybergeists than with corporeal people.

Regions

The Initiative runs branches across Southeast Asia and beyond. They report on the regional
crises, and often, how they assist in dealing with them. Legal artificial general intelligences
(AGIs) help sort the paperwork and regulations to allow Initiative personnel to be deployed, and
if necessary, clean up afterwards. Local branch leaders bear the responsibilities for failure, so
they try to ensure all relevant rules and customs are followed. The list of active crises sites
includes:

-Singapore: Robotic Standoff: While Singapore is among the most secure countries in the
region, there is a silent crisis in the heart of its downtown. The Sentinel Towers condominium
was supposed to be the first fully automated, self-sufficient, and self-contained structure in the
city. However, it opened during Sunfall. Communications within the tower went dark, and a
handful of lucky survivors escaped. Since then, rogue security and worker robots have
converted the arcology tower into a fortified structure, both above and below. The military does
not simply level it due to the threat posed to surrounding structures. While skirmishes erupt and
some daring intruders attempt to investigate, few who go in ever return. Local residents do their
best to pretend it does not exist.

-Malaysia: Highland Growth: After Sunfall, a strange growth emerged on Borneo’s Mount
Kinabalu. It was partially organic and partially electronic, a forest of synthetic organisms
designed to clean up pollution. The synthorgs have mutated from their original programming,
now going beyond their original boundaries. The government has set up an Exclusion Zone
around the boundary, but they still send in Initiative teams and volunteers. Strange things grow
in the Zone, and unfortunately for the residents of Borneo, they sometimes get out.

-Indonesia: Asteroid Pirates: Asteroid mining was just getting started before Sunfall. Robots in
the asteroid belt would send fragments of rock to Earth orbit, decelerate them, and undergo a
controlled splashdown off the Indonesian coasts. A number of rocks made uncontrolled
descents, and the ring of debris around earth makes controlled descents more challenging. As a
result, when an asteroid crashes into the ocean, local pirates try to reach the asteroid first. Even
if they do not sell it to illegal third parties, they can still ransom it for a hefty price. Additionally,
many pirate gangs also launch electronic attacks to sabotage reentry. This has not yet resulted
in civilian casualties, but it is a key concern both in space and Earth.

-Myanmar: Sunfall Aftermath: The Golden Triangle continues to be the uncontrolled underbelly
of Myanmar. Several armed groups exploited the chaos of Sunfall to remove rivals, but the area
has settled into a new equilibrium between the government, gangs, and militias. Complicating
things are sentient robots claiming self-awareness hiding among the criminal gangs, as they
fear being considered property under many countries’ laws. The chaos obscures the reality of
what is going on, and the danger keeps most outsiders away. Unfortunately, the Initiative has to
investigate.

-Thailand: Conspiracy Theory: Thailand has suffered political turmoil before, but things keep
becoming stranger. Along Thailand’s borders are many nations and cultures, turning Bangkok
into a regional crossroads. However, this has enabled strange cults and fringe political
movements to proliferate, regardless of attempts to stamp them out. These range from the
sincere to the cynical, hopeful to harmful. However, the police and military find themselves
overwhelmed by the sheer number of groups. Going undercover may be the only way to gather
that vital intelligence.
-Philippines: Terror from the Depths: Self-replicating synthorgs were used to clean up the seas
from centuries of pollution. Unfortunately, they did not stay underwater. Jellyfish and squid-like
synthorgs have begun expanding onto land, consuming organic matter they come across.
Strange cults have arisen among remote villages, offering those that fall into their clutches to the
visitors from the sea. The things from the deep have a cruel, indecipherable intelligence,
seeming to grasp the value of having human collaborators. The Initiative has to profile and
observe these cults, and the undersea masters they serve.

-Vietnam: Underground Ecologies: Deep in northern Vietnam is the Hang Son Doong, a cave
with its own underground jungle. While reliable maps existed of the cave complex, much data
was lost during Sunfall. In addition, synthorgs and human poachers began to use the cave and
surrounding countryside as a base of operations. Helping the local authorities stop the poachers
and explore the cave are two Initiative goals that often overlap.

-Laos: Off the Ground: For a brief period, Laos attempted to serve as a launch center for
commercial space launch. However, the Singapore Sling made most rocket launches at the
Sekong site un-economical, so only a handful of research rockets were deployed from the site.
A new entrepreneur wants to try new forms of extreme sports and space tourism, including
destroying the orbital debris that block easy access to space. Some Initiative test pilots and
researchers are requested to vet the idea.

-Cambodia: Defending History: Cambodia has long been littered with the detritus of prior wars.
This time, one directly threatens Angkor Wat itself. While the site was threatened by erosion and
looting, the current danger comes from a pack of military drones malfunctioning since Sunfall.
The drones are not always present at the site, but they have resisted extermination attempts,
given they are able to rebuild themselves from available materials. It is in direct interest of the
Initiative to destroy them for good, so that both tourism and archeological research and
continue.

-Jetsam: Rising Seas: Jetsam is an artificial city built atop reclaimed land in the South China
Sea. It is a center of visceral recycling, of dead ships and spacecraft, and even previously used
cybernetics and synthorg parts. During Sunfall, refugees from the South Pacific swelled the
population, setting up a syndicate of shell corporations to run the city. While small and toxic, the
city declared itself a sovereign nation, which exists to launder money, illicit salvage, and other
contraband into the world economy. Its economic connections (and potential blackmail on
officials in nearby countries) is a concern to the Initiative, as are the goods and information on
its black markets.
-Offworld: Blockade Runners: The Blockade is the informal name given to the belt of dead
satellites and broken space habitats left after Sunfall. While much of it has been cleaned up, it
still means human spaceflight is riskier, at least from conventional orbits. Despite this, there are
still assets of interest in the Blockade, such as partially functional spacecraft, rare earth
materials in broken satellites, or even the databases of dead habitats. A gray market salvage
industry has emerged, which is a necessity for both clearing away orbital debris and getting
access to offworld colonies once more. The Initiative has partnered with several actors here,
although their records are often mixed.
Characters

The following characters are Initiative members, but can be modified as needed.

-Dr. Marina Reyes

-Class: Armor Mechanic

-Role: Tank

-Nationality: Philippines

-Bio: Dr. Marina Reyes is a marine biologist specializing in deep ocean life, and how synthetic
organisms affect the ecology of geothermal vents and trenches. She uses a powered diving suit
of her own design, able to withstand the crushing pressures of the ocean. She carries a harpoon
gun to ward off the more hostile denizens of the deep, as well as the corporate mercenaries or
pirates that try to steal her custom oceanographic equipment.

-Special: Lockdown: A foe hit with her harpoon gun is stuck in place, until they can wriggle out
or break free.

-CTR-77 "Cutter"

-Class: Solar Blade Solarian

-Role: Tank (Melee)

-Nationality: Burmese (Officially, due to being found reprogrammed in a workshop in the Golden
Triangle)

-Bio: A sentient robot organism originally designed for trimming foliage in gardens, CTR-77 was
not originally self-aware. An illegal logging operation captured him and tried reprogramming him,
inadvertently granting him self-awareness. Outfitted with a superheated chainsaw, he
nevertheless hopes not to use it. His model has a mediator’s personality matrix, which he has
used to diffuse conflicts. Because when they escalate, things get messy.

-Special: Thermal Nova: Using a special heatsink, Cutter can spray nearby enemies in all
directions with flame.

-Dr. Siang Changprung

-Class: Gadgeteer Operative

-Role: Striker (Ranged)

-Nationality: Laos

-Bio: Siang grew up on the border in between Thailand and Laos, becoming fascinated with the
traditional Rocket Festival. Curious about customs and their origins, he studied anthropology
and archaeology. The region's history, and how technology affected it, became the focus of his
graduate work. He oversaw a reconstruction of Angkor Wat after reclaiming part of the ruins
from a pack of rogue replicator drones. For a military archeology experiment, he reconstructed a
Vietnam War era American gyrojet pistol, making it more accurate. That has served him well
since, when he runs into looters or dangerous machines that have claimed the region's heritage
as their own.

-Special: Afterburner Shot: Siang's gyrojets gain more power with range, so he normally keeps
his distance. The afterburner shot enables him to launch an explosive shot that randomly veers
around as it approaches its target, confusing a target and dealing more damage.

-Dr. Arun Patel

-Class: Weapon Mechanic

-Role: Striker (Turret/Defensive)

-Nationality: Indian

-Bio: Sometimes, all you need is a big freaking gun. Dr. Patel lived up to that maxim, although in
a different way than most. Inspired by APG Abdul Kalam’s book Wings of Fire, he designed a
space cannon that drastically cut launch costs, a ram accelerator called the Singapore Sling.
After the solar flare, his invention was key in rebuilding the damaged satellite communication
and navigation networks. While mostly simulating high velocity collisions in Sat-Lab, he often
goes on field testing to see how to better miniaturize his BFG11K portable ram accelerator,
named for the 11 km/s escape velocity of Earth he launches projectiles to.

-Special: Barricade Brace: Dr. Patel can deploy a portable shield and brace his heavy ram
accelerator on it. This grants stability, accuracy, and cover, although the shield may take
damage. In this state, he can lock onto a single foe for increased damage.

-Sean Sung

-Class: Technomancer
-Role: Striker (Sniper)

-Nationality: Singaporean

-Bio: He is the last thing they never see. Sean Sung was a member of Singapore's Commando
unit, serving as a sniper of no small repute. He once used the Coriolis effect in an O'Neill
cylinder to curve a bullet to take out a terrorist assassin. He prefers his custom coil rifle, a
magnetic accelerator that is silent and lacks muzzle flash. He typically operates solo, with a
hologram projector and microreactor to help overcharge his weapon. Thanks to his training and
patience, he can lie hidden for days. Normally, he does not need that long.

-Special: Overcharge Shot: By charging up his coil rifle with extra power, Sean can unleash a
more powerful round. However, the power requirements mean he can only do this a few times a
day, while his microreactor reaches.

-Nguyen Thuy Anh

-Class: Genetics Biohacker

-Role: Support (Debuff/Sniper)

-Nationality: Vietnamese

-Bio: Nguyen Thuy Anh grew up near Hang Son Doong Cave, which possessed its very own
jungle. When a gang of poachers moved in during Sunfall, her family was one of those extorted
and threatened. After they executed her friend in the streets, she fought back. First, a guard
went missing. Then the commander. By the time she was done, what was left of the gang was
running to the authorities, begging for mercy. She found her inner demon then, stealing a dart
rifle and devious poisons from the poachers. However, she has put her tracking and hunting
talents to good use, battling invasive species, poachers, and other threats to the few
unexploited ecosystems in the region.

-Special: Catabolic Agent: With a special toxin, she can lower an enemy's resistance to
damage. For a brief period, the target's movement is slowed and they take more damage from
attacks.

-Nasrudin Razak

-Class: Bombard Soldier

-Role: Tank (Area denial)

-Nationality: Malaysian
-Bio: Razak has been around a while. A long while. He served aboard civilian and military ships,
nearly dying when his ship collided during Sunfall. After his injuries nearly did him in, his
remaining organs and head were transferred into an android body. He was one of the lucky
ones, as they were able to get to him early. The rise of piracy in the years that followed created
a demand for maritime security contractors, where his enhanced body proved its worth many
times over. Lugging around heavy weapons like toys, he is always there when his comrades
need him.

-Special: Smoke Out: Razak can launch a smoke grenade that blinds enemies, allowing him to
relocate to a better position. In addition, the smoke grenade leaves an oil patch beneath it,
which he can later ignite.

-Prayut Juntong

-Class: Momentum Vanguard

-Role: Tank (Defensive)

-Nationality: Thai

-Bio: Prayut Juntong was a member of the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok during Sunfall. A
former member of the Arintaraj 26 SWAT team, he was separated from his squad in the chaos.
Nevertheless, he protected the Bangkok National Museum from would-be looters by barricading
himself in the front door to prevent all entry. His description of that is still widely studied as a
textbook for crowd control. His talents did not go unnoticed, nor did his newfound fame. Despite
his heroic defense, enemies managed to force him out of the police. He started working with the
Foundation since then.

-Special: Sonic Emitter: Juntong can use a riot control sonic emitter to strike many opponents
simultaneously. The system is non-lethal on living targets, but still able to damage most
mechanical adversaries. The device is integrated into his armor, so it does not take up a hand,
which he uses for his riot shield and sidearm.

-Jay Samnang

-Class: Solar Flare Solarian

-Role: Striker (Ranged)

-Nationality: Cambodian

-Bio: Jay Samnang grew up in Cambodia’s rural Mondulkiri province. Samnang worked driving
along those treacherous roads, taking over his family’s tourism business. He would take tourists
from within and outside Cambodia along scenic routes, driving off-road vehicles, piloting
low-flying aircraft, and even drones. During Sunfall, he personally led his small fleet of vehicles
to deliver aid to remote areas. As a reward for saving a relative, a scientist awarded him with an
experimental device. It was a small nanoswarm, a fusion mote, that used a laser for selective
cooling. The device helped him cool off overheated engines and parts, allowing him to further
boost his machine’s capabilities. That has enabled him to serve as the lead driver and pilot,
dropping off teams faster than standard models would enable.

-Special: Tractor Beam: Samnang can modulate the custom laser to create pressure towards or
away from an object or being. This means he a can attempt to disarm or pin an enemy on a
successful attack, using his energy mote.

-Dr. Jake Murphy

-Class: Pharmacology Biohacker

-Role: Support (Debuffer/minor healer)

-Nationality: American (Former, currently without nationality)

-Bio: Originally a researcher at Miskatonic University, Dr. Murphy was stuck in Singapore during
the solar flare. Since then, he's integrated into his adopted home as an instructor and
consultant. He designed a number of remote drug delivery systems, including the
nano-disrupter darts used to subdue malfunctioning robots and hostile organics without killing
them. He uses a disrupter dart revolver in the field, always testing out concoctions to heal allies
and leave enemies in a placid daze.

-Special: Disrupter Dart: With his special nanite cocktail, he can cause an unlucky foe to
become weakened, stunned, and confused.

-Hawa “Wayang” Hawala

-Class: Ghost Operative

-Role: Striker (Melee)

-Nationality: Indonesian (suspected to be from Aceh)

-Bio: Hawa Hawala is not her real name, of course. It was the alias she used during a series of
vigilante attacks against organized crime in Jakarta. Little is known about her in person, save
that she was once heavily injured and uses a cyborg body. She seemingly knows where sensors
are, how to avoid getting detected, and how to make it seem as though she was never there.
Her weapon of choice is a retractable karambit blade in her hand, with small sawblade like
projectiles used at range. Her attacks are coldly calculated to inflict the maximum terror on her
mark, such to inspire no copycats. The online avatar Wayang proports to speak for her, but little
know if there is truth or not. There are accounts that this figure now works with the Initiative,
although little can be officially confirmed.

-Special: Cloaking Device: Using thermoptic camo built into her artificial body, Wayang can
vanish while being observed by sensors or hostile entities. This enables her to perform a
devastating sneak attack, or simply to retreat or relocate.

-Ma Zhaoyang

-Class: Sharpshoot Soldier

-Role: Striker (Skirmisher, Indirect fire)

-Nationality: Chinese

-Bio: During Sunfall, the northern hemisphere collapsed into anarchy, war, and worse. A student
in Shenzhen at the time, he grabbed a bow from a nearby archery club as this only weapon, and
he made his way out of the city. He was the only member of his class to survive. Despite this
ordeal, he remains upbeat and optimistic for the future of the world. He works as an Olympic
archery instructor professionally, and a freelancer tutor for hire. He keeps his skills active and
constantly refined by accompanying the Initiative on field missions. While ancient, his bow
enables him to launch grenade arrows over hills, trees, or structures to indirectly strike
opponents.

-Special: Arching Shot: By adjusting the trajectory of his arrows, Zhaoyang can strike any
portion of the map, so long as he or a comrade has line of sight to it. In addition, he can launch
camera arrows to reveal all objects on a wider, outdoor map or large interior area.

-Thaman Rai

-Class: Hit and Run Soldier

-Role: Tank

-Nationality: Nepalese

-Bio: Thaman Rai was a Gurkha during Sunfall. He single-handedly fought off a heavily armed
gang trying to rob a train. With his plasma kukri and assault rifle, he is well equipped for
engagements at close and at range. He typically lays down suppressive fire with his rifle, and
then closes the distance with his plasma kukri. He has served across Southeast Asia and
beyond, his experiences making him a sought-after trainer and security contractor. It was his
drive to help his comrades and their adopted homes that drove him to accept the Initiative’s
offer.

-Special: Ayo Gurkhali: Thaman fires several bursts from his assault rifle, striking all targets in a
cone shaped area. Following this, he can charge in with his kukri, gaining a bonus against the
selected target.

-Hone Tupara

-Class: Exocortex Mechanic

-Role: Support

-Nationality: New Zealander (Ngati Mahini iwi)

-Bio: Hone Tupara was a rescuer turned salvager after Sunfall. He was a New Zealander of
Maori descent, in particular, Ngati Mahini. Ngati Mahini was formed among New Zealand
migrants that lived and worked offworld, in the country’s commercial space industry. Cybernetic
augmentations were common due to the hazards and radiation exposure, and Hone Tupara got
an exocortex brain implant. The onboard AI, PUAKA, has saved his life multiple times, on Earth
and beyond. As an experienced astronaut, Hone brings experience working at sea and space
as a technician.

-Special: Emergency Exit: Using his breaching gun, Hone Tupara can blow a wall or door
opened. He carries a limited number of breaching shells, so he is limited in the number of shots
he can make per excursion.

-Catherine Wake

-Class: Flying Drone Mechanic

-Role: Support

-Nationality: British

-Bio: Catherine Wake is a journalist working for an online conspiracy tabloid, The Daily Hex. She
has a small camera drone she uses to cover interviews and investigations. However, she is
covertly investigating far more powerful targets: governments, megacorporations, and the
well-connected. Thus, she works as a conspiracy reporter by day to mask her true goal. She
was covering the connections between money laundering in Southeast Asia during Sunfall, so
she ended up making it her base of operations.
-Special: Paint Target: Using her drone to scan for weaknesses, Catherine Wake can give
herself and her allies a bonus to hit enemies.

-Alexei Zhukov

-Class: Exergy Vanguard

-Role: Striker (Skirmisher, melee)

-Nationality: Russian

-Bio: Alexei Zhukov grew up skeptical and inquisitive, traits that have only increased since
Sunfall. As a mixed martial artist, he was training in Thailand during the disaster. He kept a low
profile during that time, helping his friends and fellow students. Afterwards, he saw
unscrupulous, self-proclaimed martial arts “masters” claiming they had supernatural powers.
Following the lead of other debunkers, he challenged them to a match in the ring. He has
become a literal cult buster, taking down fake masters on the mat and ring. Given the threats on
his life, he has also worked as a bodyguard and security consultant for celebrities. He works
with the Initiative to help continue his work.

-Special: Takedown: On a successful hit, Alexei can attempt to sweep or disarm a foe. He
makes a second attack at a slight penalty. If he succeeds, he can knock the enemy prone or
remove a weapon or item from their hands.

-DH223 “Park Daehun”

-Class: Small SRO Hacker Operative

-Role: Support (Debuffer, Stealth)

-Nationality: South Korean

-Bio: DH223, also using the alias “Park Daehun,” first appears as a small robotic toy. It behaves
like a DH series general purpose assistant, a robot popular before Sunfall. DH223 is something
of a mystery. DH223 was recovered from a downed shuttle by Cerulean Initiative explorers.
While damaged, DH223 was reactivated. The unit had the identifications of a vanished Korean
businessman, Park Daehun, but little else to indicate where it was. It did, however, possess a
military grade cybersecurity rootkit and utility tool. With an electroshock arc pistol able to stun or
overload most targets, it was likely not used for merely teaching programming. While DH223
has no concept of what its pre-Sunfall existence was, it is certainly trying to find out.
-Special: Blackout: Most individuals use wearable devices, nanites, or implants of some sort.
With it special cybersecurity deck, DH223 will attempt to feed in false sensory data. This leaves
the target flat-footed and distracted.

-Inspector Leung “Andy” Kin-ming

-Class: Pistol Dancer Aesthetic Warrior Soldier

-Role: Striker

-Nationality: Hong Kong Chinese

-Bio: Andy Leung was once an officer of the Hong Kong Police Force, before Sunfall. In the
chaos that followed, he made deals with the city’s organized crime and gangs. He was not
proud of what he did, but he credits that deal with saving lives in a desperate time. While he
resigned from the force afterwards, many of his contacts still address him as “Inspector.” For a
time, he lived and worked as a private investigator on the artificial island city of Jetsam. After he
saved an agent of the Cerulean Initiative, he was invited to join. His dual pistol style has some
imitators, but he is the most efficient at it.

-Special: Akimbo Unleashed: Andy carries several loaded pistols with him, often using two at
once. Sometimes, he can unleash four of them to act as suppressive fire, unloading a wall of
lead at close-range foes.

-Hammer and Anvil

-Class: Small SRO Combat Drone Mechanic

-Role: Tank

-Nationality: Bhutanese

-Bio: Hammer is a small SRO, a utility robot containing a high-end artificial intelligence used as
a tour guide. Bhutan continued measuring citizen contentment through Gross National
Happiness, so Hammer was programmed to assist visitors in ensuring a safe journey through
the country’s scenic passes. However, their other job was to clear potential avalanches. For
that, they used a larger ‘comrade,’ Anvil. Anvil dressed like a soldier in ancient armor, although
covered in ‘caution’ tape. Anvil carries a large plasma cannon used to blast unstable stones, to
ensure trails are clear for passage. Hammer and Anvil were recovered wandering alone in the
Himalayas by members of the Cerulean Initiative, their navigation damaged during Sunfall.
-Special: Bring Down The Mountain: Anvil is adept at creating obstacles for enemies. Hammer
can designate a portion of wall or ceiling, which Hammer blasts to slag. This creates difficult
terrain in a nearby space, reducing enemy speed through the area.

-Ishimura “Kyute” Haruka

-Class: Blitz Soldier

-Role: Tank

-Nationality: Japanese

-Bio: Haruka grew up in rural Japan, with only augmented reality games and dramas for
company. One particularly rare drama she enjoyed was a local augmented reality adaptation of
“Don Quixote.” She enjoyed the way the man actor particularly hammed up his performance.
She eventually acquired an old utility exosuit, which she adapted for the augmented reality
experience. However, an older neighbor found her annoying, and he set up a particular prank.
He implanted a minor piece of malware into the suit, based on her favorite show. Once she
accessed it, the suit’s servomotors were hijacked. Haruka spent the rest of the day unwillingly
chopping down wind turbines outside town with a homemade polearm, until rescue workers
managed to disable the suit. Eager to put it behind her, she left her small town for Southeast
Asia. However, her experiences left her as one of the leading powered armor specialists in the
Initiative.

-Special: Armored Agility: Being trained in moving with heavy armor, Haruka does not take
armor penalties in heavy or powered armor. In addition, she can dash towards foes with
specially modified jumpjets.

Starfinder Conversion

In the setting of Cerulean, there are no supernatural forces (at least officially). Removing
explicitly supernatural elements would substantially effect Starfinder game balance. However,
technobabble can explain most of the magic forces from default Starfinder lore. While explaining
every instance would be impossible, here are a few general ideas:

-Races: Most of the population in Cerulean are human, although some have artificial bodies
(modeled as androids in Starfinder). Sentient machines, such as the SROs, are also common.
Standard fantasy races may exist as biomodded humans (or other organisms). If they exist in
your game, other Starfinder races may be other transgenic creations, such as ysoki being
originally research creations uplifted to sentience.
-Equipment: Hybrid or magical equipment is instead ‘shielded and self-powered.’ The devices
have backup power sources that are effectively self-powered, shielded against electromagnetic
interference. “Anti-magic” effects instead can selectively target this shielding. A black heart
necrograft, for instance, might be an artificial tissue graft powered by a small radiothermal
generator.

-Other Planes: Technically, the planes detailed in Pathfinder and Starfinder may exist: Just as
simulations populated by sentient (or mostly non-sentient) artificial intelligence. The fantasy
gaming realm of Starpath contains simulations of fantasy planes, and the inhabitants therefore
of. Since Sunfall, many of these entities have their own agendas...

Creatures: The denizens of these virtual realms can interact with the real world a number of
ways. One of these is through hard light holograms, nanoswarms, and hacked machines.

-Fey and Magical Beasts: Fey and magical beasts may be glitched, rogue, or erratic sentient
software affected by Sunfall. These could be former advertisement chatbots, spokes-beings for
political parties and countries that no longer exist, or perhaps a roving, rogue research AI
hopping between hacked cleaning bots to acquire ‘samples’ from subjects.

-Outsiders: A summoned ‘outsider’ demon or angel might be a nanoswarm projecting a hard

light hologram in humanoid form. Energy requirements of hard light holograms make
maintaining for long periods these challenging.

-Aberrations: Aberrations may be synthorgs, fusions of genetically engineered tissue and

mechanical parts, or mutated designer organisms of various types.

-Oozes: Oozes may be nanoswarms, or rather nano-blobs, made for various purposes. Since
Sunfall, many have gone rogue.

-Elementals: Elementals may be nanoswarms for environmental monitoring or cleanup,

encasing themselves in the appropriate materials.
-Undead: Undead might be assemblages of soft robotics and grafted tissue sculpted from
hacked tissue printers, cheap and easy to make. Alternatively, they could be simulations of
departed and dead, clinging onto mobile hard light emitters, or malevolent AIs controlling
corpses through cybernetics. Some of these AI, cybergeists, may even psychologically target
individuals and places.

-Deities: “Deities” may simply be the most powerful AIs in cyberspace, able to interface with the
real world through dedicated proxies and devices.

-Afterlife: Destructive, post-mortem brain uploading technology (or keeping brains alive in jars)
may similarly allow for an “afterlife.” Different AI deities may desire certain personality types for
their own simulations, although some may not acquire them willingly…

-Morality and Alignment: While alignment is a factor in Starfinder, it could be retconned as a

reputation system. How do the morality of the setting and its inhabitants register the creatures
involved? While subject to some debate, it can be mostly omitted.

Classes: Each class with supernatural mechanics could have alternative explanations. These
include:

-Technomancer: Technomancers simply have custom nanoswarms, hologram emitters, force

fields, and other gadgets that enable their various powers. Their technology is generally too
esoteric or custom for mass production, requiring specialized training to know. The spell limit is
due to nanotech feedstock and strain on custom power supplies (like a microfusion reactor),
replenished after enough time.

-Mystic: Just as powerful AI affect the world in unexpected ways, they may work through people.
The function of the AI determines the connection. That connection means the AI will work
through the local environment (say, with forcefields, holograms, nanoswarms, etc.) to make their
powers function. Such powers depend more on local perception than training, hence being
separate from technomancers.
-Solarian: Solarian powers depend on a solar mote, which is a microfusion reactor encased in a
small force field or nanoswarm, which can be reconfigured for laser emission. The solarian
trains to use it based on their personal creativity, selecting a manifestation. The solar weapon is
a personal melee weapon. The solar flare may be a self-assembling laser emitter (either for
thermal emission or optical cooling). The solar armor and shield are protective nanofields.

-Vanguard: The vanguard operates using a specialized swarm of dissembler nanites, originally
intended to clean up toxic waste or for industrial cutting. The use requires intense physicality
and endurance, especially as their body (direct or indirectly) provides power to the nanites.
These nanoswarms are more far specialized than other implants.

-Witchwarper: The witchwarper is an architect of virtual realities and simulated potentials. They
use a custom nanite hard light hologram emitter, which gives them their battlefield control
abilities. Their creativity enables them to devise such scenarios, separating their main stat from
technomancers and mystics.

-Precog: The precog is an individual wired with rapid reflex implants or training. They can
imagine different scenarios that may have been or could be, including a number of virtual
worlds. They mentally run through dozens, if not hundreds, of scenarios a second, to ensure
they make the best moves. They act reflexively, rather than in-depth analysis, hence why they
use dexterity. They may be e-sports gamers, military commandos, undercover operatives,
do-it-yourself transhumanists, pro-athletes, and others.

-Nanocyte: The nanocyte is a specialist integrating themselves with utility fog (or u-fog), often
with particular specializations. They need to be in robust physical condition to accommodate
their specialized nanoware, compared with more conventional implants. They can be used in a
variety of industrial, military, research, or recreational contexts.