Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide a wearable microcomputer system in Lucerne Personal Defense’s catalogue
- Image Source: HALO TACPAD
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source:N/A
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Personal Defense
- Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi Order, Closed-Market
- Model: 888–series Tactical Microcomputer
- Modularity: Software; can be easily integrated into personal armors if desired or worn separately as a bracer
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: positronic processor, knowledge cartridge sockets, spun-plast based durable keyboard and sealing, Laminasteel-duraplast casing, ceraglass-covered liquid crystal display screen, micrel power supply, power socket, scomp-link port, cryoban cooling system
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Composite Construction: 888 is designed to be a ruggerized computer that could be subjected to adverse environmental conditions and the rigor of the modern battlefield with little fear of breaking. To that end, the 888 is encapsulated in durable case consisting of laminasteel wire frame which acts as a skeletal frame from press-mold injected duraplast. The framework of the laminasteel acts like a faraday cage to help protect the computer from Ion and EMP attacks while the duraplast provides general protection from a wide variety of potential threats. The flip-up display screen has similar protection in the form of transparent ceraglass. Spun-plast sealing material and a durable keyboard complete the exterior and provide protection from moisture getting into the system. The 888 can be submerged into depths of almost a kilometer before it will start to leak. While this construction makes the 888 far more durable than most computer systems on the market against richochets and shrapnel, it is not actually armor itself – a direct hit by most modern weapons will destroy the device.
- Positronic Processor: 888’s core system is a cryoban-cooled positronic processor with dual data-cylinder ports. Not only do the positronic processors provide a high capacity to process through information, but its natural ability to sort through and prioritize information based on current situations can allow it to act as an automatic aid to the user much like a chained AI. The core 888 has a relatively small permanent memory system of its own despite its processing power, which limits how much personality the 888 can develop, but it does provide just enough room for the 888 to hold some specialized software that the user can add on later via the scomp-link as well as a log where the 888 can record the basics of its own history. Most of the 888’s core abilities actually come its modular knowledge cartridge slots, which the positronic processor can immediately access and then use to help the user with specific tasks. The 888’s positronic processor can communicate to the user via its display screen, or if integrated into a suit of armor, through its HUD as well through either text or speech depending on the user’s preference. Of course, the user can also simply use the positronic processor as a basic ‘dumb’ computing device with no ‘smart’ features either.
- Knowledge Cartridge Sockets: 888 is designed to accept a pair of knowledge cartridges in its dorsal sockets with allow vast repositories of knowledge and skillsets to run through the 888, though this is typically narrowed down to a specific field (such as speaking and writing Huttese, Duros culture, slicing, flying starships, droid repair, etc). While it is entirely possible for the user to simply search through this knowledge via keyboard, most users find it easiest for the positronic processor itself to find the exact information and help guide the user to its actual application in the field. knowledge cartridges are relatively cheap and come from a wide variety of manufacturers and on a vast variety of subjects, providing 888 users with the ability to draw on excellent comprehensive sources of knowledge and skills in great depth, through the breadth of this knowledge is narrowed by its ability to only support two data-cylinders. Changing out these cartridges is a simple matter of plug and play technology, but it also requires partial disassembly from its protective casing and consequently change is not recommended in the field.
- Scomplink: 888 has a scomplink as well as a small dataport, allowing it to be integrated into personal armor or to attach other outside computer systems such as droids, vehicles, starships, and civilian infrastructure. This allows the 888 and its user to access information on those systems, download information or programs, and send out various commands and orders as well.
STRENGTHS
- High Processing Power: Using a positronic processor gives the 888 a relatively high amount of processing power for its size which is easily accessible to the user due to the smart nature of the positronic processor.
- Resilient: 888 is relatively durable for a small, personal computer, capable of withstanding a variety of climates, limited submersion underwater, and physical damage on the battlefield due to its durable casing.
- Knowledge in depth: 888 can bring extensive information on a subject due to its knowledge cartridges, which can be easily swapped out based on the user’s needs.
- Quirky: Positronic Processors bring a lot of computing power, but they can also become quirky and overly independent to the point of insubordination or simple unresponsiveness even with this particular units limited memory capabilities. This means that the 888 is a useful adjunct tool, but shouldn’t be something that a user relies on exclusively to get a job done.
- What breadth of knowledge: 888 as a platform only provides knowledge and assistive skills via its knowledge cartridges on two areas a time, which limits the general purpose use of this device to little more than a typical datapad if the task or area assigned is not included in those cartridges.
- Probably don’t want to do that right now:[/B] 888’s focus on durability means that it is not easy to disassemble and performance on the field between the need for specialized tools and the time needed for this procedure. This means that for practical purposes, it’s rarely a good idea to try and swap the knowledge cartridges out in austere conditions.
Microcomputers have been found on wrists and personal armors for millennia, including the battle armor of the infamous Boba Fett, due to the utility they can bring to a user. Seeking the next big breakthrough in the field, Lucerne Personal Defense decided to synthesize two existing computer technologies and combine them with the ruggerized construction that the company is well-known for. By utilizing positronic processors, the 888 provides not only exceptional processing speeds, but a limited amount of agency that helps the 888 guide the user through the vast streams of information and programs available to the user. By using knowledge cartridges originally designed for use by cyborgs, the 888 can access a vast repository of information from a wide variety sources with the added bonus that most of this knowledge is already streamlined for immediate and practical use in the field.
The 888 consequently isn’t truly revolutionary on its own, but it can make a user’s life much easier, and even potentially save a user’s life when encountering situations or equipment with equipment that they aren’t otherwise well-acquainted with. Unlike most LPD products, the 888 has started off with strong civilian sales, being particularly popular with academics and travelers who value its portability and ability to immediately provide and help them navigate through depths of information. 888 is also available as a personal armor upgrade, where it’s most often used to help users slice through computers, operate and repair equipment on unfamiliar starships, and adapt to new environments and cultures. 888 is likely to strong sales and production for some time to come.
