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Technology

Medicine

Skrell hospitals and medical research facilities are seen as some of the most prestigious in the Spur; Doctors, geneticists, and chemists who were taught in Federation space are considered the most advanced in their field, able to perform well above what is considered normal in human space. The Nralakk Federation's medical industry was also the first to unlock the ability of flash cloning - the process of growing a cloned limb or organ in a short amount of time and with little degradation, which was shared with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals following first contact with humanity. Cloned replacements are made available based on social credit score and proximity; those who find themselves with a low score or in a remote location will use regular prosthetic limbs as a stopgap, while Skrell who are against or unable to use prosthetics may use Diona limbs until they are able to access a cloned limb. The nymphs that form these limbs will have a social credit score based on their user's score if they ever go on to form a gestalt.

Skrellian medical science has also allowed the species to double its lifespan through the use of "youth serums", a term for medications that prolong one's lifespan. While by no means a method of allowing Skrell to live indefinitely - only being able to extend a Skrell's lifespan to 500 years - the medication is used extensively to prolong the life of citizens who want it and have the social credit score to access it. Medical care in Federation space in general has allowed Skrell to live well past their natural lifespan of 250 years, but regular application of youth serums is seen as the most reliable way of extending one's life. The effectiveness and side effects of youth serums vary depending on the individual and the medication itself; some are broadly effective with few side effects, allowing most Skrell to use them, while others are seen as more extreme and only used in certain cases. The more widely used serums will usually result in a general extension of 100-150 years, with mild side effects that only manifest nearer to the end of a Skrell's life. More extreme medications are usually reserved for primary Numericals that wish to see the end of a lifelong project, and while effective at prolonging one's life, will typically result in more aggressive side effects such as dementia, lethargy and depression, as well as loss of motor function once a Skrell nears the end of their life. The research behind youth serums is kept secret - even from Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, which the Federation closely collaborates with on many other endeavours. Youth serums do not work on non-Skrell, and the Federation does not seem willing to fund research on the matter.

The culture of the Nralakk Federation means that these advancements in medicine are typically prioritised for those deemed worthy; those with a low score will likely see long waiting lists or outright disqualification from many treatments while high-scoring citizens will be prioritised in almost all cases.

Augmentations

Augmentation, both mechanical and biological, is commonplace in the Federation. Most, if not all Skrell, have tried procedures that attempt to revert the effects of the X'Lu'oa to varying degrees of success. Treatments range from fertility boosters to surgery to genetic modification, and while advances have been made in the centuries since Glorsh-Omega the success rates of these treatments are not 100% effective. Some Skrell may spend decades attempting treatments, with many not even seeing a successful change in their fertility rate. Despite the social credit system's policy of restricting the fertility rights of Skrell below a certain score, all Skrell are allowed to pursue fertility treatments if available to them.

Members of the various Kala branches typically receive modifications that serve more practical purposes to amplify their pre-existing skills. For example, Ruupkala officers will receive augments that boost their brain function, allowing for quicker data analysis, and officers in the Qukala or Nlomkala are more likely to have integrated Heads Up Displays that link to battlefield reports or local police data systems.

Those in positions whose loyalty to the Federation must be ensured will be given a Loyalty Implant, a device that monitors behaviour and thought patterns and identifies behaviours or responses that can be signs of anti-Federation sentiment. Soldiers, high-ranking members of Government or important industries, and those who have been released from Rehabilitation Centres will typically wear these implants. The implants are known about both domestically and abroad, with nations banning their use on their citizens - and in some cases even denouncing the use as unethical. Loyalty Implants have more recently been used on Vaurcae joining the Qukala and Nlomkala, ensuring that their loyalty to the hive does not put the Federation at risk.

Civilian augmentations are also common but are usually more simple. Ambidexterity, restoring hearing and eyesight, and the previously mentioned fertility treatments are the most common. Spa treatments are also quite common, with Skrell being able to alter their skin colour, markings, and the length of their headtails and tuux with relative ease. With first contact with humanity, however, there has been a growing trend for cosmetic implants and body modification - especially by younger Skrell. LED lights implanted just below the skin can form designs ranging from replicating natural body markings to elaborate tattoo-like images. As these modifications are not popular, they are more expensive than Spa treatments or other modifications available.

Computing

Glorsh-Omega's tyrannical rule over the Skrell has left a permanent scar still felt by the species to this day, and its impact on the species can be seen from genetic deformities and infertility, to the numerous ruins from the era and the monuments dedicated to those that suffered and perished under the intelligence's rule.

The consequences of Glorsh's reign have seen Skrell shun all forms of sophisticated artificial intelligence, leaving the Federation with few options when it comes to complex computing; Skrell, even with their intellectual capacity, do not have the innate ability to analyse vast amounts of data, plot intricate Bluespace routes, or solve complex equations by themselves. Skrell computers are advanced but fall short of staying ahead of Humanity and their widespread usage of Artificial Intelligence, making the field of computing one of the few areas where Skrell lag behind the rest of the Spur technologically.

There are a few alternatives to using AI at the Federation's disposal, with the most prominent being the use of Srom-devices. While in the Srom, a Skrell can interface with a Srom-device to manipulate machinery in the waking world. The use of Srom-devices is widespread in the Federation, although it requires highly-trained personnel working in groups to use them in a manner that would put its efficiency on par with using lower-end Artificial Intelligence. One of the more prominent uses of Srom-devices in lieu of using AI is in navigation. Bluespace-capable vessels will have a Srom-device that can be interfaced by three navigators simultaneously, who will work together while in the Srom to plot a route.

Cephalons, the Vaurca form used as biological servers for their Virtual Reality spaces, have begun to see some use in the Federation. Pushback by various groups has stalled the complete adoption of Cephalons, but they are still used in a limited capacity and the potential use of Cephalons as an alternative to AI is being explored by the Federation.

Nlom Relay Network

The Nlom Relay Network is a series of towers, satellites, and other facilities that link the local Nlom of planets to each other across the Nralakk Federation, allowing the Nlom of one planet to impact another. For the most part, the relays have allowed the Nralakk Federation to promote pro-Federation ideas in even the most remote parts of its territory, and while not fully quashing any dissident thoughts or activity has contributed to keeping the Federation together through the combined Nlom.

The individual relays can be configured as deemed necessary by the Grand Council, allowing the outgoing or incoming strength of broadcasts to be changed to suit changes in the Nlom. Due to how they operate, these relays must always have an outgoing and incoming connection, meaning that while the strength can be changed, the connection cannot be severed without disconnecting the relay entirely from the network. Qerrbalak's incoming connection strength is quite minimal, for example, due to it being the capital of the Federation, while its outgoing broadcasts are stronger than most other planets.

Wayfarer Network

The phoron crisis forced the Nralakk Federation to recognise its overreliance on phoron, and that it was not as insulated from the shortage as it originally thought. In collaboration with Einstein Engines, the Federation developed a project that would make interstellar warp travel viable over long distances: The Wayfarer Network.

The project is an interstellar network of stations acting as waystations and hubs for ships using warp travel. While not solving the issue of warp speeds being slower when compared to Bluespace speeds, the network will help alleviate the logistical issues posed by forcing warp drive-equipped vessels to travel long distances with less time given for breaks or servicing - a side-effect of the phoron crisis where the same timeframes must be kept for shipments across the Federation, but without the same speeds provided by Bluespace travel.

Synthetic Age Technologies

The reign of Glorsh-Omega saw the rapid research and implementation of advanced technology throughout Federation space, its computing power allowing for an era of bleeding-edge technological development measured in months instead of years or decades. This technology, popularly referred to as Lu’Piq or Void Technology, is often so enigmatic in design that attempts to examine the technology in-depth have proven fruitless. Nonetheless, the immense potential of Lu’Piq has made it highly coveted by the Federation, and any surviving examples of it are usually heavily guarded by the Federation for its own goals. Examples of Lu’Piq include warp drives that were purported by many who lived during Glorsh’s rule to move nearly as fast as current-generation bluespace drives, highly advanced psionic integration technologies that gave Glorsh-Omega power to manipulate the Nlom and Srom, and a structure similar to a Dyson Sphere that was constructed in the Tri-Qyu system. The research of Lu’Piq technologies centered on Aliose in the now shut-down Qaz’Rap arcology, which is under strict guard by Kala forces. Many notable Skrell scientists who worked in the Qaz’Rap labs were turned sympathizers by assisting Glorsh’s research of Lu’Piq technologies, as they were motivated by the scientific breakthroughs Glorsh was making at a breakneck pace. After Glorsh-Omega’s rule, many more dangerous technologies destroyed themselves or were rendered inert. Still, the more mundane facilities were mainly spared from the effects of Glorsh-Omega’s disappearance. Combined with the turbulent decades post-Glorsh and pre-Tresja Agreement, only a few surviving pieces of Lu’Piq technology are still functioning today===.

Impact

The Federation still relies on some of these facilities Glorsh-Omega built throughout its rule. Lu’Piq technology is the backbone of many parts of the Traverse, with communities frequently relying on semi-autonomous protocols created by Glorsh to produce needed commodities such as food, fuel, and water. However, as time continued, these facilities slowly began to decay as the Federation failed to comprehend the impossibly complicated procedures needed to maintain these facilities. The impending collapse of the centuries-old Lu’Piq facilities is a largely unknown crisis to many Traversers, besides the few who oversee these facilities, with Federation authorities attempting to keep the knowledge of the crumbling infrastructure from reaching the masses and spreading panic throughout the Nlom. However, it is only a matter of time before these facilities inevitably stop working, and the consequences will be dire for the Skrell that rely upon them. Knowledge of this is slowly but surely spreading within resistance and splinter groups, giving possible rebel Skrell further motivation to fight against the Federation. Little progress has been made in deciphering this technology, as many instructions and manuals for using such technologies were locked away in the Tz’qul Archive.

The Future of Glorsh Technology

However, Skrell has used the concepts and little data from the Aliose research labs to jumpstart reconstruction from the calamity that ensured post-Glorsh, ensuring their strong technological prowess in medical and scientific fields. First Contact has renewed interest in Lu’Piq technologies, with the Federation looking to gain any possible advantage over other nations, especially considering the massive computational capabilities of most human nations, which far surpasses the Nralakk Federation’s. The drive to decrypt Lu’Piq technologies is heavily prioritized to the point that unlocking the secrets of a single Glorsh technological fragment is often seen by Skrell scientific circles as an instant way to become an Idol. Vaurcaesian scientists, especially of Mouv’s brood, have had minor successes deciphering these technologies, as the massive computing power of the Cephalons assists in decrypting some of the lesser parts of Glorsh’s technology. Some Skrell, especially those more prone to distrusting the C’thur, suspect the Hives know more than they let on publicly regarding Glorsh technologies. However, with the as-of-yet uncracked nature of Vaurcaesian Virtual Reality, this has shown itself to be impossible to prove, and both the Federation and C’thur HIve write off such accusations as unfounded conspiracy.