Factors

The Factors are the only still-living alien species that transhumanity has encountered (so far). Though secretive and aloof, they have been willing and eager to negotiate and trade with transhumanity. Over the past 8 years, at least 6 of their ships have visited our Solar System, many of them multiple times. Transhumanity has received them with cautious interest, unsure of the Factors’ true motivations and goals.

Biology

The Factors are best described as sapient slime molds or amoebas. They evolved from scavengers to trap predators, developing versatile ways of capturing and immobilizing larger, dangerous prey. This gave them an edge in the race to evolutionary dominance on their homeworld, and they retain a flair for patience, deceit, and cunning.

Individual Factors look like translucent, ambulatory slugs, usually ranging between 1.5 and 2 meters long and 0.3 meters wide. Most are a dull ochre shade, though they range in color, with a tendency towards yellows and oranges. They crawl or ooze for close movement or extrude finger-like pseudopodia to grip and pull themselves over longer distances. Similar pseudopodia are used to hold and manipulate objects and tools, though some Factors grow limbs. In fact, the Factors are exquisite bio-engineers; most Factors have morphologically unique forms and are equipped with whatever traits, glands, and features they need. Many Factors can be identified by their different arrangements of sensory organs.

Factors are omnivores, assimilating their food and breaking it down internally. They do not breathe, instead absorbing oxygen through their skin or breaking it down internally from other substances. They are functional anaerobes, capable of surviving without an oxygen atmosphere for long periods, as long as they have food.

Communication

Factors can exude fine neurofilament fibers, which they use to interface with electronics or directly mindlink with other Factors. They communicate remotely with airborne pheromonal chemical cues; this “Factor dust” is aromatic and surprisingly effective even over distance. Transhumanity has yet to develop a system for translating these chemical signals; communications to date have entirely been handled via mesh signals, with no small amount of misunderstandings and errors.

Factor Colonies

Factors are colony organisms — a typical colony is composed of dozens of physically merged individual Factors. This colony is each Factor’s fundamental identity; individualism is a foreign concept to them, even though single Factors can act autonomously and even competitively. While merged, Factors are part of their colony’s group mind-state, which shares knowledge and memories, and this group identity sticks with them even when they separate — they are but an organ of the larger whole. Colonies can also physically interface with one another, forming a larger framework known as a lattice. Each Factor ship is controlled by a single lattice of networked colonies.

Sociology

Individual Factors do not bother with the abstraction of names, but they have adopted names for their colonies to facilitate their dealings with transhumanity. Most are based on scents they find appealing (Ash, Fish, Loam, etc.). Many of the known Factors have been dubbed with nicknames by transhumans.

Factor society is very collectivized and centered around colonies and lattices. Most Factors seem to spend the majority of their time merged with their colony; being separated for too long is distressing and a form of punishment and exile. While Factors and colonies do take on specialized roles, there is little in the way of social hierarchy, central authority, or laws. Outside of lattices, no Factor governments seems to exist; each Factor ship seems to operate independently — though there is indication of some competition between ships.

Due to biological differences, Factors experience emotion quite differently from transhumans. They have expressed no spirituality and do not seem to understand the concept of religion, but they do seem to have a basic understanding of philosophy. While they seem willing and eager to trade for art, they are not very interested in transhuman media or culture. Factor art itself is scent- or tactilebased, and they are drawn to aromatic liquids, fragrances, and compositions of different materials. They can particularly seem to enjoy objects they can envelop and carry in their bodies for hours or days. They also have an appreciation for some engineering, architecture, and sculpture; two of their ships appear decorated with bas-reliefs of unknown origin.

Technology

Factor technology is clearly more advanced than transhumanity, but they go to great lengths to hide their capabilities. They clearly have some form of reactionless drive and likely FTL travel, though the specifics remain unknown. They are known to use exosuits, nanoswarms, powerful lasers, and drones, though they do not maintain mesh networks on their ships and decry the use of advanced AIs. Radio communication between their ships is encrypted and minimal, suggesting they rely on some other communication method. Though they have traded some technology to transhumanity, they have been careful to only offer advances just barely out of our current reach.

Interactions with Transhumanity

The Factors claim to be the ambassadors for a grouping of alien civilizations, but they have been frustratingly light on details. As traders, however, they do seem to carry a wide range of alien artifacts — most opaque in purposes and use. The Factors have established trade agreements with numerous transhuman factions and habitats, even going so far as to buy stock in hypercorps and to establish confidential ties with transhuman proxies to act as business agents and scout for items/technology of interest.

The Factors have strongly discouraged the use of pandora gates and advanced AI as dangerous, even refusing to negotiate with hypercorps such as Pathfinder and Gatekeeper or to interact with AGIs. This has led to speculation that they somehow survived their own ASI singularity event.

Though the Factors claim to come from another system, all transhumanity knows for sure is that their ships move to the Kuiper Belt and disappear — attempts to track them have failed. Some suspect they have a secret base on the edge of the system — or perhaps even a pandora gate. Their ships, however, return regularly, doing a round of trading and dealing across the Solar System. Suspiciously, evidence of the Factors has also been found by gatecrashers on various exoplanets, including several hostile interactions with lone (exiled?) Factors.

The Six Known Factor Ships

Transhumanity has nicknamed the known Factor ships by appearance, though all appear to be of unique construction and design.

  • Hammerhead: First contact at Luna. Only Factors to meet with Jovians.
  • Jellyfish: First contact at Titan. Interest in biological sciences. Rivalry with Stub-Nose.
  • Needle-Nose: Newer, smaller. Limited contact, interests unknown.
  • Nettle: Newer, smaller, deposited the Egg in Mercury orbit.
  • Porcupine: First contact in Neptunian Trojans.
  • Stub-Nose: First contact at Mars. Interest in hard technology, ship/hab designs. Rivalry with Jellyfish.

Factor Ambassador

  • Alien, Medium Size
  • Threat Level: Yellow
  • Niche: Diplomatic Events, Embassies, Factor Spacecraft
  • Numbers: 1–4

Ambassadors are bio-engineered to interact with transhumanity. They are distinguishable from other Factors by a loose arrangement of sensor nodules meant to approximate a face. Ambassadors are universally known for their stubbornness, opaqueness, and conniving. They regularly convince transhuman diplomats into asymmetrical exchanges of information, technology, or art.

Motivation: −AGIs +Bargain +Factor Interests −Pandora Gates

Use: Ambassadors are unlikely to initiate or engage in conflict, but they do carry implanted weaponry which they will deploy to evade capture — even if it means blowing themselves up.

Factor Ambassador

  • Stress Test: SV 1d10
  • Initiative: 6 • Fray: 25 • AV: 2/3
  • WT: 6 • DUR: 30 • DR: 45
  • Threat Pool: 2
  • Factor Dust: 45, Range 5, cone area effect. Toxin: Inhalation, Onset Time: 1 action turn, Duration: 5 turns/2 hours; victims suffer severe coughing and respiratory distress, DV 1d10 per turn for 5 action turns, SOM Check or impaired (−20) for 2 hours.
  • Implanted Agonizer: 40, SA, Range 20, Ammo 15, pain; roast mode: DV 2d10, SS, armor-piercing, pain
  • Perceive: 50, 60 infrared
  • Move: Walker (Slow 4/12)
  • COG: 15 45 • INT: 20 60 • REF: 10 30 • SAV: 15 45 • SOM: 10 30 • WIL: 20 60
  • Skills: Deceive 75, Exotic Skill: Factor Dust 45, Exotic Skill: Trap-Making 60, Free Fall 60, Hardware: Electronics 35, Infiltrate 30 (40/60), Infosec 35, Guns 40, Kinesics 35, Know: Sculpture 50, Know: Transhumanity 60, Melee 30, Persuade 75, Provoke 50, Research 35
  • Ware: Access Jacks, Bioweave Armor, Chameleon Skin, Direction Sense, Enhanced Vision (Infrared Only), Grip Pads, Poison Gland (Factor Dust Toxin)
  • Gear: Ecto
  • Immunity to Kinetic Damage: Factors take the minimum DV from blades and kinetic weapons
  • Immunity to Psi: Factors are immune to psi sleights
  • Implanted Plasma Grenade: DV 3d10 + 10, armor-piercing, centered blast area effect
  • Melding: Factors may meld together into larger forms; treat as modular design
  • Regeneration: Factors regenerate 2 damage per action turn; wounds may not be regenerated

Factor Guardian

  • Alien, Medium Size
  • Threat Level: Orange
  • Niche: Diplomatic Events, Embassies, Factor Spacecraft
  • Numbers: 2–8 (2 per Factor Ambassador)

Guardians serve as bodyguards for ambassador phenotypes outside the ship.

Motivation: +Factor Interests +Protect Ambassadors

Use: When possible, Guardians rely on ambush tactics. They sometimes carry more advanced gear/weaponry, such as laser blasters or exosuits, but avoid bringing such weapons into situations where they could fall into enemy hands.

Factor Guardian

  • Stress Test: SV 1d10
  • Initiative: 7 • Fray: 50 • AV: 12/8
  • WT: 10 • DUR: 50 • DR: 75
  • Threat Pool: 3
  • Eelware: 70, DV 1d6, shock effect, touch-only
  • Factor Dust: 65, Range 5, cone area effect. Toxin: Inhalation, Onset Time: 1 action turn, Duration: 5 turns/2 hours; victims suffer severe coughing and respiratory distress, DV 1d10 per turn for 5 action turns, SOM Check or impaired (−20) for 2 hours.
  • Laser: 60, DV 4d10, SA/BF/FA, Ammo 50, Range 120, knockdown, two-handed. These weapons only work for Factors. May be set to self-destruct, inflicting DV 8d10 + 10, armor-piercing, centered blast area effect, knockdown.
  • Tentacle Whip: 60, DV 2d10 + 2
  • Perceive: 50, 60 infrared
  • Move: Walker (Medium 4/20)
  • COG: 15 45 • INT: 15 45 • REF: 20 60 • SAV: 10 30 • SOM: 20 60 • WIL: 15 45
  • Skills: Athletics 40, Exotic Skill: Factor Dust 65, Exotic Skill: Trap-Making 60, Free Fall 40, Infiltrate 40 (50/70), Guns 60, Kinesics 25, Know: Security Procedures 50, Melee 50 (Tentacles 60), Provoke 40 (Intimidate 50)
  • Ware: Chameleon Skin, Direction Sense, Eelware, Electrical Sense, Enhanced Vision (Infrared Only), Grip Pads, Poison Gland (Factor Dust Toxin)
  • Gear: Exosuit (AV +6/+4, +2 Threat Pool, +2d6 melee damage, Movement Rate: Fast 8/32, WT 5, DUR 25, DR 50)
  • Immunity to Kinetic Damage: Factors take the minimum DV from blades and kinetic weapons
  • Immunity to Psi: Factors are immune to psi sleights
  • Melding: Factors may meld together into larger forms; treat as modular design
  • Regeneration: Factors regenerate 2 damage per action turn; wounds may not be regenerated