1G Pack
Society
A type of meal pack sold at the Maximum fast food restaurant chain. This is the standard pack, containing food and drink designed for consumption under 1G. There are two types of packages sold in space – the 1G Pack and the Zero G Pack. The 1G Pack is only available for limited periods of time on Beyond Coast, and because its contents are imported from outside the colony, the carbonated beverages normally found in it are substituted with simpler alternatives; therefore, this version differs from the 1G Pack sold on Earth.
Dave Forrest hopes to one day try the Earth version of the 1G Pack.
3D AV entertainment system
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology
An audio-visual entertainment system developed in the 21st century featuring a 3D sound map run through a VR system during playback, offering a vivid 3D-sound experience. The listener can control the 3D sound map with its 3D equalizer, making it possible to achieve the same audio experience regardless of their location in the room. The sound will follow the listener in real time, with the system making corrections for any acoustical changes caused by the layout of or type of materials present in the room. Capable of more than simple playback, it allows the listener to adjust specific frequencies of sounds as well, creating environments that raise alpha wave activity in the brain or contain 1/f noise, for example.
3D data code
Information and Communications / Society / Technology
A holographic data encoding method that allows for larger amounts of data to be sent than previous data processing techniques by adding a z-axis to a traditional 2D barcode. An example of its use would be its inclusion in the license plates on BCP's police cars. There are sensors located at various points around Beyond Coast that read these data codes and can use them to detect a vehicle's location and model, among other data, even during times of electronic interference.
adhesive carpet
Society / Technology
A type of carpet designed to make the floors of weightless areas easier to walk on. Called "theater carpet" by some, due to the sensation of sticky movie theater floors, a sensation also found in adhesive carpet. It is able to detect the shifting body weight of a walker as they move, and also allows for the level of adhesiveness to be adjusted. Works with all types of footwear. Developed at the beginning of the 21st century by a carpet manufacturer, it has since come into use in a number of places, such as spaceships and weightless areas of spaceports.
adjustable glass
Society / Technology
The molecules of liquid crystals change direction depending on the surrounding temperature, electric field, and magnetic field, causing optical changes in areas such as color and transparency to occur. With adjustable glass, a thin layer of liquid crystals is placed between two sheets of glass, allowing a person to freely change the permeability of the light entering the room, thus creating the effect of having blinds in front of the glass. In addition to liquid crystals, other substances such as oxidized tungsten are also used.
AMM
Acronyms / Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
Acronym for the Astronauts Memorial Museum. A museum displaying exhibits related to all aspects of space exploration and development, it is divided into 4 main areas – the Coral Hall, the Moon Corner, the Space Corner, and the Beyond Corner. Popular among both tourists and Beyonds, with the Beyond Corner containing exhibits related to the Policenauts and Beyond Coast itself. The table coral placed in the lobby was extracted from the Great Barrier Reef, and is admired by Beyonds as a symbol of the CELESS.
Amphibian
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
Slang for a person who travels between Earth and outer space. This has replaced the antiquated word "astronaut" in common speech, though it is still used in the scientific and historical sense.
Acronym for Advanced Police. A next-generation police force comprised solely of government Frozeners, capable of operating in areas with extreme conditions where a normal police force could not. Formed by Gates Becker in 2020 as an experimental mobile police unit designed to operate outside the colony. All of its more than 50 current members are Beyonds born and raised on Beyond Coast.
AP carries out international rescue missions in lieu of a military unit, which is forbidden on any colony by the Outer Space Treaty. The gene therapy its members undergo, as well as being fathered using sperm from past astronauts, ensures they posses genotypes well suited to outer space's environment. In addition, they all use artificial blood, which has a higher oxygen transportation efficiency than normal blood, invaluable to them in their frequent work in areas of low oxygen density. They also have intraocular lens implants to prevent vision problems while working in areas with low atmospheric pressure. With the introduction of EMPS, AP's range and mobility have vastly improved, allowing its members to function in a variety of extreme areas.
ASL
Acronyms / Outer Space / Society
Acronym for American Space Lines. A space travel company that conducts flights between Earth and Beyond Coast, offering direct flights to the colony from cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. It became famous for being the first company to employ space stewards and stewardesses on its flights. It has also received praise for the way it responds to passengers who experience SAS while onboard. The charming uniforms sported by its staff, which have the added functional benefit of helping to maintain normal circulation in weightlessness, are popular among travelers.
BBC
Acronyms / Information and Communications / Society
Acronym for Beyond Coast Broadcasting Company. One of the colony's broadcasting organizations, its network covering the whole of Beyond. BBC has frequently been the one breaking new ground in the media over the years. Its information programs in particular, such as News Order and Beyond News, have received both wide praise and high ratings. It broadcasts throughout space via an array of several dozen satellites.
Karen Hojo is a popular news anchor with this station.
BCCH
Acronyms / Life Science / Society
Acronym for Beyond Coast Central Hospital. The largest general hospital on Beyond Coast. Chris Goldwin serves as its director. It employs approximately 800 doctors, divided into 25 departments. It is the most advanced transplant hospital in the world, famous on Earth as well; there are many patients who travel all the way from Earth just to receive treatment there. It has also been designated as the colony's emergency relief hospital, ready to assist in the event of an accident or disaster. The first floor consists of examination rooms, the second floor and above for patient rooms. In addition, it has its own zero G ward located in the center of the colony.
Acronym for Beyond Coast Police Department. Gates Becker serves as its chief. Developed as the police force to succeed the Policenauts. With the establishment of AP and the use of EMPS, BCP has transformed itself into an organization better adapted to the unique environment of outer space. In addition to its headquarters, it also maintains 20 substations. BCP conducts all police operations on the colony as well as any rescue operations within the vicinity of the colony.
bent cigarette
Culture and Sports / Society / Technology
The only type of cigarette that still produces secondary smoke. It is lit simply by bending the end of the cigarette, and similarly, bending the filter extinguishes it. Since the chemical reaction it utilizes does not produce any ash, an ashtray is not necessary with this type of cigarette, and it has also reduced the littering of cigarette butts as well as lowering the risk of fire associated with cigarettes. Furthermore, as it does not give off secondary smoke, a known cause of cancer and other diseases, its effects on surrounding people are extremely limited. Due to the addition of ignition and extinguishing parts, it is somewhat longer than a conventional cigarette. Sold exclusively in certain areas on Earth.
Jonathan Ingram smokes mixed cigarettes, an offshoot of the bent cigarette, composed of chemically processed leaves and conventional dried leaves at a 7-to-3 ratio. This composition results in them giving off a little ash and smoke.
Beretta 92F
Society
The last handgun to use gunpowder. A recoil gun, this is Jonathan Ingram's weapon of choice. He has modified his with a laser sight, and uses special 10-round magazines with armor-piercing bullets.
Beyond Coast
Outer Space / Society / Technology
Mankind's first space colony, completed in 2010. It orbits around Lagrangian point L5, one of the 2 most stable gravitational areas around the Earth in relation to the Earth and the Moon (the other being L4). The circle it makes with the Moon and 2 of the other Lagrangian points, likened to the shores of the vast ocean of outer space, has given it the name "Beyond Coast". It is the first and last O'Neill colony, shaped like a cylinder. It makes a full rotation every 2 minutes, creating artificial gravity nearly equal to 1G. It has 3 mirrors for gathering solar rays and can produce the effect of night by closing them for 8 hours. The mirrors also serve as radiation shields.
The other reason the colony was named Beyond Coast is because its climate is based on that of the west coast of America. Its energy needs are supplied by solar energy stations positioned outside the colony, in addition to nuclear reactors.
The colony is approximately 4 miles in diameter and 20 miles long. The total surface area of any one of its 3 surfaces is 56 square miles. The combined 3.5-mile thickness of the cylinder and its atmosphere helps reduce the cosmic radiation drawn in by the mirrors to 0.5 rem all year round. It is also equipped with protective shields that automatically lower during times of intense radiation bombardment.
Parts of the colony's outer walls and mirrors have since deteriorated with age; the ISPA is studying a plan to replace all of the colony's parts over the next 10 years.
Beyond Coast 30th Anniversary Festival
Culture and Sports / Society
A festival celebrating Beyond Coast's 30th anniversary. There are numerous events currently being held all over Beyond to celebrate the birth of mankind's first space colony. The Tokugawa Group is its main sponsor and has provided most of the funding for the celebrations. The main focus of the events is on AMM, the Astronauts Memorial Museum.
Beyond Coast Organ Distribution Network
Information and Communications / Life Science / Society
A network allowing for the registration and exchange of information related to all aspects of organ transplantation, such as donor and recipient blood types. Established in 2015 as a response to the beginning of the era of mass organ donation, which includes hearts, livers, kidneys, bone marrow, corneas, joints, and bones.
Beyond News
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society
A BBC news program, featuring a wide area of topics covering both Beyond Coast and Earth. It conducts interactive, around-the-clock broadcasts via a series of satellites, covering breaking stories as they happen.
Beyonds
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
Slang for Extraterrestrials, people born and/or raised in outer space. In a narrower sense, it also refers to people living on Beyond Coast; approximately 40% of Beyonds are second-generation citizens born on a space colony. As even the most minute accident could turn into a major life-threatening incident on a space colony, Beyonds are taught to respond to everything in their daily lives in a calm and precise manner. This is reflected in their fashion, way of speaking, culture, and feelings, creating an undeniably unique group of human beings. Beyonds are capable of keeping their emotions under control and maintain a cool demeanor even amid the constant tension experienced on a space colony. People from Earth call the calm and concise way Beyonds speak a "Beyond accent"; conversely, on Beyond they call the inflectional and emotional way Terrestrials speak a "Home accent".
bimodal system
Society / Technology
A transportation system designed to alleviate the effects of traffic jams by giving vehicles the ability to drive on railway lines. On Beyond Coast, it is intended for use by emergency vehicles such as police cars and ambulances.
biodegradable plastic
Life Science / Society / Technology
A type of plastic that breaks down into hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon within 1 to 2 weeks when mixed with compost. The accumulation of plastic materials in landfills had been a problem since the latter half of the 20th century until the development of this plastic at the beginning of the 21st. Modern biodegradable plastic is made primarily out of a lactic acid polymer, with the lactic acid obtained by fermenting various starches. It can then be injection molded, or processed into film or fiber. It has simultaneously solved both the waste disposal problem and the oxygen replenishment problem on Beyond Coast, with all products required to be made out of biodegradable plastic wherever possible.
biomort
Life Science / Society
A person who is brain dead. Some distinguish between a biomort and a neomort, or someone who has recently become brain dead. Different from a person in a persistent vegetative state, where only the cerebral cortex has stopped functioning; with a biomort, it is the brainstem, the body's own life-support system, which is no longer functioning. The cells of a biomort can be kept alive by giving it hormones or life-extending drugs such as vasopressors, and also by connecting it to artificial organs such as an artificial respirator. At the end of the 20th century, the criteria used for determining brain death varied from country to country, region to region, but a worldwide consensus on establishing brain death was finally reached with the beginning of the Space Age at the start of the century.
biovestite
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Society / Technology
A person who has undergone sex reassignment treatment at the genetic level, instead of via previous techniques such as surgery and hormone treatment; therefore, it is also possible for a woman to become a man with this method. While not permitted by law in most industrialized countries, sex change operations are conducted in many developing countries. However, because gene therapy sex changes require highly specialized facilities, it is thought that the number of people actually performing them is extremely limited.
bird leg
Outer Space / Society
The phenomenon whereby a person's legs appear thinner in weightlessness due to bodily fluids becoming concentrated in the upper half of the body. One of the adaptation phenomena of zero gravity, causing the opposite effect of Moon face. Spaceplane crews wear special uniforms that maintain negative pressure on the lower half of the body, as the sudden rush of fluids to the upper half can cause irregular heartbeat, fatigue, and SAS. Companies offering zero gravity spa tours, which give people the chance to experience bird leg first-hand, have often been the subject of interest on Earth.
black poppy
Life Science / Society
A so-called "bio poppy", developed through genetic engineering of the opium poppy, traditionally valued for ornamental and medicinal purposes. It is the main ingredient of the semi-synthetic drug Narc, offering a particularly pure opium extract. Although its petals are purple, the black spots on its pods have earned it the name the "black poppy". It is said that one would need a specialized facility containing considerably advanced technology to cultivate such a genetically modified and delicate species of plant, but nevertheless, the government has gone to great lengths to strictly ban all black poppy cultivation.
burst line
Information and Communications / Society / Technology
A private communications exchange terminal that uses codified information and burst transmission. Television stations such as BBC have set up their own burst lines as a means of obtaining information from sources, and many businesses and individuals also use their own such network to collect information, rather than any public network. A burst line compresses and codes information in real time, transmits it, and then decompresses and decodes it in real time, with virtually no time lag between the sender and the receiver. Nearly all communications systems employ this method of coded communication, as the world stands on the verge of yet another information explosion. In order to maintain a high processing speed, video or images are not usually sent.
calcium foods
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Outer Space / Society
Bones, joints, and muscles undergo considerably less stress in weightlessness than normal gravity, causing the calcium in bone cells to be leached from the body. Calcium foods, also known as "cal foods", were developed as a way to replace this lost calcium. Examples include capsules containing crushed eggshells and milk containing casein phosphopeptides. A famous dish in calcium cuisine consists of mixing one of these with soybeans and seaweed, both of which are particularly high in calcium.
Many others methods have been developed for replacing calcium, which tends to be lost easily when living in outer space. Almost all food and drink consumed in space is either naturally high in calcium or is supplemented with calcium. One can also find products such as calcium chewing gum and candy, calcium carbonated beverages, and calcium seasonings.
CELESS
Acronyms / Culture and Sports / Life Science / Outer Space / Society
Acronym for Closed Ecological Life Support System. The system that regulates the internal environment on space colonies, space bases, and underwater bases, enabling them to function on their own. The structure exists as an independent biosphere, totally unreliant on any outside assistance or intervention to sustain itself.
Beyond Coast supplies all the food its inhabitants need and recycles its energy in accordance with this system.
chaos system
Culture and Sports / Society / Technology
A logic system that allows for irregular changes in a machine's operation, unlike previous stable logic systems. With the implementation of chaos systems in air conditioners and lighting equipment, among other appliances, the user can experience a level of comfort that also contains an appropriate amount of variation. Can now be found in numerous facilities and products.
charge station
Society / Technology
On Beyond Coast, any act that would pollute the air and disrupt the CELESS, such as the burning of fossil fuels, is strictly prohibited. All vehicles use mainly clean electric energy; therefore, the colony contains charge stations in place of gas stations, with it taking about as much time to charge a vehicle as it does to fill one up with gasoline on Earth. Furthermore, in order to prevent any damage to the environment from heavy metals, all vehicle batteries are recovered and disposed of properly after use.
clean energy requirement
Society
The inhabitants of closed environments like Beyond Coast are required to use clean energy, such as electric energy, instead of fossil fuels, which would damage the CELESS's air; therefore, this prohibits the use of any fossil fuel internal combustion engines.
cosmic ray exposure
Life Science / Outer Space / Society
Cosmic rays, or highly energized particles continually moving throughout space, can have various effects on the human body. Sudden exposure to large doses of cosmic radiation can cause the widespread death of cells or even total body surface area burns. Up until now, space development has had no way of protecting against cosmic rays, which pose a significant danger to anyone exposed to them regardless of the length of time. An investigation into the true nature of the problem was not started until mankind had already moved out into space, and it is now the most significant problem surrounding long-distance space travel and space base construction. Beyond Coast has taken preventive measures to combat the problem, such as the creation of solar flare forecasts and shield warnings, but in reality, the effects of radiation exposure on space colonists continue to grow.
It is said that exposure to high-energy cosmic radiation can cause flashing lights to appear in one's field of vision, similar to the effects of optic neuritis.
cosmophobia
Life Science / Outer Space / Society
A fear of outer space. The darkness, cramped conditions, and restricted access to oxygen experienced when in space for long periods of time can cause feelings of extreme unrest and panic in some people, and can even lead to breathing difficulties or cardiac arrest in severe cases. It is commonly reported among astronauts participating in long-distance flights and long-term space station workers. Cosmophobia is one of the reasons Narc use has become so widespread in space, and one of the most fundamental problems regarding future deep-space exploration is how to overcome these psychological hurdles.
Jonathan Ingram suffers from cosmophobia as a result of his EMPS accident.
designer foods
Life Science / Society
A type of food, containing vitamins and/or certain approved chemical additives, which has the same effect as a drug. Like functional foods, the most popular designer foods are calcium-related products, calcium being easily lost in outer space.
donor
Life Science / Society
A person who donates one or more of their organs or tissue to a recipient. With the development of immunosuppressive drugs and transplant technology that prevents rejection reactions, the dangers surrounding organ transplants have been reduced while their possibilities have expanded. The diseases and physical abnormalities caused by living in outer space have led to increased demand for organs on Beyond Coast. However, the severe donor shortage it currently faces is forcing researchers to develop new ways to prolong the lives of those waiting for a transplant. Artificial organs are presently being used in bridge-to-transplants, and the possibility of replacing certain organs with animal organs, or heterogeneous transplantation, is also being studied. Organizations like the ISPA are trying to combat the donor shortage in space by having colonies join the worldwide donor network.
drug profit margin
Life Science / Society
Whenever a consumer buys a drug, they are charged a set price for it. However, as the result of a free market economy, the seller of the drug, such as a pharmacy, is able to obtain most drugs from pharmaceutical companies at a discount. The difference in price between what the consumer pays for a drug and what the seller pays for a drug is called the drug's profit margin. The profit that doctors and pharmaceutical companies earn from this system has long been the subject of controversy. It is said that one of the reasons for Tokugawa Pharmaceuticals's success can be attributed to Tokugawa bringing this system of high drug prices, seen before in post-war Japan, to Beyond Coast. The problems of the high drug profit margin and over-prescription of drugs have been quietly talked about between medical professionals in recent years, but pressure from Tokugawa has prevented the enactment of any reforms. This profiteering has been criticized by some on Earth, with people calling Beyond a "colony of drug victims". This delicate situation makes a separation of Beyond Coast's medical industry still unfeasible for the time being.
ecology terrorists
Society
Certain extremist groups in the environmental movement with violent tendencies, motivated by the pollution of space's environment, which has been caused mainly by the accumulation of space debris since mankind first began exploring space. Also known as eco terrorists. Will carry out any imaginable terrorist acts to try to accomplish their objectives; they are known to indiscriminately attack Beyonds visiting Earth, sabotage spaceplanes, destroy space colony facilities, and attack ISPA members and buildings, for example. Some of the larger organizations are the repatriation movement and the group calling itself On The Earth. They have become more active with the start of Beyond Coast's 30th Anniversary Festival.
Elles
Culture and Sports / Society
A handbag company headquartered on Beyond Coast, synonymous with high-quality handbags. They create one design each year, after which they destroy all remaining stock, as well as the models used to make the bags, and create a new design. Elles bags have only a single design sold throughout space each year, which could be cited as the secret behind their popularity. The high price of Elles bags on Earth has led some to come all the way to Beyond just to purchase one. Their production process remains a closely guarded secret, but it is said the company has developed a special technique employing a weightless environment.
Freedom II
Outer Space / Society
A joint-project space station built by America, Europe, Japan, and Russia. It is a multiple-use manned facility orbiting the Earth at an average altitude of 249 miles. It is 269-feet long, an average of 407-feet wide, and the combined weight of its 4 modules is over 320 tons. Previous space stations placed heavy emphasis on research purposes, but Freedom II, equipped with a full-scale manufacturing module, manufactures various products that can only be made in space, such as solar cells, amorphous semiconductors, and ultra-transparent glass. It was one of the pioneers of Made in Space development.
Named Freedom II (and not simply Freedom) in respect toward Space Station Freedom, which had a significant impact on space exploration and development even though it was never realized the way it was originally envisioned.
Frozener
Life Science / Outer Space / Society / Technology
A person created from an artificially fertilized egg held in cryogenic storage by the government, which is then later transferred to a surrogate mother for gestation and delivery. A Frozener's egg is inserted with genetic information that makes the individual better adapted to space's environment and allows them to endure a wide range of activities in space that would give a normal person great difficulty. Since Frozeners are legally in a special class of their own, they are tattooed with an identification code on their forehead. Frozeners are very common on Beyond Coast and are not discriminated against in any way by other Beyonds. Many are employed by the military or work in government positions. Frozeners call the government, who raise them, "Breeders". It is rumored that they are given anti-aging treatment through telomere lengthening.
functional foods
Life Science / Society
A type of food designed to help prevent various adult diseases and diseases associated with obesity, as well as to delay the aging process and regulate the body's functions. Most of the functional foods found on Beyond Coast are for replacing lost calcium. They combine an appealing taste with the proper amount of vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain an overall healthy body function.
Products that have met the special standards set on Beyond for functional foods receive the label, "A Recognized Beyond Functional Food".
grunge metal
Culture and Sports / Society
A new music trend that has emerged on Beyond Coast in 2040, said to have been created by musicians trying to add a sense of the carefree decadence found on Earth into progressive metal, which was itself a revival of some of the styles found in the 20th century. Popular mainly among the younger generation of Beyonds. More than just music, the rugged look of the artists' clothing has obtained popularity as a "Home fashion". Beyonds find the loose nature of grunge metal's clothing a fresh change compared to the strict dress code they were made to follow growing up.
Before the emergence of grunge metal, most popular music consisted of high-frequency instrumental songs, but now vocal songs and big band-style music have made a comeback after a 10-year absence. Many lyrics of grunge metal songs talk about Earth's nature, people, and love, contrary to the political themes featured in other recent music. It is often played at repatriatist gatherings. Some of the more famous bands include Small Marcy and The Vocal Cowboys.
This is Dave Forrest's favorite genre of music.
High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND
Society
A high-tech special forces unit formed during the 1990s to respond to local insurgencies, regional conflicts, and terrorism. What set FOXHOUND apart from other special forces units was its application of one-man infiltration missions in situations of unconventional warfare, where conventional military tactics are not an option. The unit's existence became known to the world as a result of the Outer Heaven Uprising of 1995, the Zanzibarland Disturbance of 1999, and the Shadow Moses Island Takeover of 2005. Its use of high-tech equipment in its infiltration missions had a significant influence on contemporary military strategy, resulting in other special forces units created in its image throughout the world. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was revealed that the unit had been performing gene therapy on its members, and it was officially disbanded after the Shadow Moses Island Takeover. The birthplace of a multitude of legendary soldiers, FOXHOUND has since become popularly known as the "phantom ninja squad".
Featured in the MSX2 video games Metal Gear (1987) and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990); the PlayStation video game Metal Gear Solid (1998); the PlayStation 2 video game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001); and the PlayStation 3 video game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008).
Home
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
Slang for Earth; came into use in this sense after human beings first started living permanently in outer space and were now looking back on where their species originated.
Home accent
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Outer Space / Society
Refers to the inflectional and emotional tone of voice and way of speaking of people on Earth. Also known as an Earth accent. Does not refer to any language in particular, but instead refers collectively to the various accents, intonations, and pronunciations of words found in all languages, the way they are spoken on Earth.
On the other hand, in space, people are taught to communicate in a clear and concise manner due to the constant threat of danger that they face. Even a small verbal misunderstanding could be fatal; therefore, any vague or indirect expressions, contractions, or signs of emotion have disappeared from peoples' speech, resulting in a form of language that could almost be called "digital". The only exceptions to this are contractions such as "let's". This is to avoid the ambiguity that such contractions would bring about in their unabbreviated form, i.e., "let us play" could be either a request or a suggestion, whereas "let's play" is unambiguously a suggestion.
Nevertheless, Beyonds who were born and raised on Earth still retain a Home accent.
Home support
Society
Financial aid to help protect Earth's environment, with the United Nations as the main benefactor. Beyond Coast and other space bases are also asked to participate in this program. It is founded on the idea that the responsibility to protect Earth, or Home, is inherit within all human beings, not just those currently living there.
Hyper Award
Culture and Sports / Society
An annual internal video game award presented inside Konami, created in commemoration of the video game Hyper Olympics. It has since been renamed the Konami Award, and remains a much sought-after prize for company developers even today.
ISPA
Acronyms / Outer Space / Society
Acronym for International Space Promotion Agency. Formed in the 21st century to help advance peaceful space exploration and development, it was set up as Beyond Coast's own space agency in the image of various space agencies on Earth, such as the ESA, NASA, JAXA, the CNES, and the DLR. However, it frequently acts more like a business than a space organization, as it is run mainly from funds donated by the Tokugawa Group. Headquartered on Beyond Coast, with Joseph Sadaoki Tokugawa serving as its director.
Kabuki Quarter
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
A red-light district located in the center of Beyond Coast. Its main attraction is zero-gravity sex, which has become so popular there are tours from Earth that go to Beyond just to visit this area of the colony. It is said to have started after the outbreak of STBO on Earth, when various entrepeneurs in the adult entertainment world moved their businesses to Beyond Coast to escape the disease. No one knows for sure who gave it its name, though it is thought to be named after the Kabuki-cho red-light district located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Koontz bill
Outer Space / Society
A gun control bill introduced by Robert R. Koontz in 2013. It decrees that all firearms be eliminated from space colonies and bases, and has since been implemented on Beyond Coast. It was originally intended as a gun control measure for Earth, but it has helped make possible the total abolition of civilian firearms in outer space, with space's unique environment particularly benefitting from such a measure. There is a growing movement on Earth calling for the immediate adoption of this bill, especially in places like America, where guns can still be easily obtained. Known on Earth as the Koontz bill, instead of law, because it has yet to be ratified there.
lift gun
Outer Space / Society / Technology
A gun, created to be usable in weightlessness, which produces no recoil. The moment a bullet leaves the gun's muzzle there is a second explosion, with the bullet acting like a missile, thus preventing any noticeable recoil from occurring. Named after the phrase "lift off", in reference to the first stage of a rocket launch. Almost all guns used in outer space are now lift guns. It has become popular among criminals as the "untraceable gun", since it leaves no rifling mark on its bullets, nor does it expel cartridges. The barrel of a lift gun also serves little purpose, as the primary explosion takes place immediately outside the gun. In order to compensate for the jolt this causes, a lift gun allows the user to lock onto a target with its laser sight. The decreased importance of the barrel has made it possible to reduce the size of the gun considerably.
They are also favored by female police officers who do not like the smell of gunpowder, synonymous with recoil guns, since lift guns produce little smoke when fired. The cost of just one bullet, also known as a missile round, still remains quite high, but some say this has helped enforce the system of total gun control in place on Beyond Coast.
All guns used by BCP are lift guns.
linear elevator
Society / Technology
An elevator that moves its cars by using a linear motor to raise and lower balance weights. It does not require a hoist mechanism or hydraulic device like traditional elevators, reducing the amount of required space as well as offering lower energy consumption, faster movement, a more comfortable ride, and more accurate stops between car and floor doors. Can be found in places such as the Tokugawa Building.
linear railway
Society / Technology
The magnetically levitated high-speed intelligent railway system, the only mass transportation system on Beyond Coast. Also known as the linear rail. Has a top speed of 311 miles per hour. It uses smart railcars driven by linear motors, capable of real-time status monitoring via a series of actuators, as well as automatic navigation adjustment. There are 2 types of railway lines on Beyond – the Oval Lines and the Circle Lines. The Oval Lines travel around each of the colony's 3 surface areas, while the Circle Lines move between the 3 surface areas. Since its trains do not make contact with the ground, they produce little noise or vibration, making it the ideal transportation system for a space colony.
Lucas World
Culture and Sports / Society
A theme park based around a Hollywood filmmaker. Its more popular attractions are the ones incorporating 20th century movies and VR. Several dozen such parks can be found across the world, from America to Europe and beyond.
There is also a smaller version of the park, called Lucas Land, located in Neo Kobe City, Japan.
Made in Space
Outer Space / Society / Technology
The technique of manufacturing products using the microgravity and high vacuum nature of outer space. Tokugawa Pharmaceuticals was the first drug company to develop Made in Space versions of drugs such as interferon and urokinase, achieving rapid success. Most of the microgravity manufacturing technology used to produce Made in Space products – everything from pharmaceuticals to new synthetic materials and zero G kits – is patented, and therefore controlled, by Tokugawa. This new field of business, which has made products more desirable simply by being made under weightlessness, is known as the microgravity business, and is the hottest industry today after the bio sector. Furthermore, applying the principles of zero gravity to bio technology has given birth to another industry called the space bio sector.
The Tokugawa Group famously purchased the Mir space station from Russia at the beginning of the 21st century, using it to develop pharmaceuticals under microgravity.
Mars, first manned mission to
Outer Space / Society / Technology
A joint project between Japan, America, and Russia, carried out in 2012 behind the words, "Onward to Mars." The four participating astronauts, which included Jonathan Ingram, who was undergoing his Policenauts training at the time, were the first human beings to land on Mars, spending a considerable amount of time there. The project was funded by the governments of the 3 participating countries as well as various private corporations, leading some to call the project more of a business trip than a scientific expedition. The astronauts traveled in a separate ship from their cargo, employing the so-called dedicated cargo ship method. The entire return trip, including the time spent on Mars, took approximately 1.5 years. The voyage also gathered attention with its use of the first large-scale spaceship to employ its own artificial gravity.
The astronauts famously encountered the rover Sojourner on the surface, which was sent to Mars in 1996 as part of the Mars Pathfinder mission. The first manned Mars mission was the biggest space event since the first Apollo landing in 1969, generating interest from all over the world.
Maximum
Culture and Sports / Society
A major fast food restaurant chain first started in outer space that specializes in hamburgers. Hamburgers are easy to eat in space and other weightless areas, hence the company's choice of menu items. One can find a Maximum restaurant in nearly every space station today, and in many areas of Earth as well. Also known for its establishment of an automated drive-thru for Amphibians in a remote area of the solar system 3 years ago. It offers 2 types of meal packs – a 1G Pack and a Zero G Pack. Its most popular food is the calburger, which is high in calcium.
medical accessory
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Society / Technology
A DDS fashion accessory built out of an alloy containing a particular drug, which is absorbed into the body at the points of contact between the skin and the metal. Many types are available, including rings, bracelets, and earrings. A number of medical professionals are concerned that with conventional medical treatments such as pills, which require regular doses, there is the possibility that patients might forget to take a dose, which would reduce the effectiveness of the medication. With a medical accessory, all patients have to do is simply wear it to ensure they get the proper dosage of their medication.
The designs of medical accessories have been gradually refined over the years, to the point where they cannot be distinguished from normal fashion accessories. Some are even more desirable than normal accessories, with one in particular, a bracelet for treating peptic ulcers devised by a famous fashion company, achieving widespread popularity with its creative design. However, since they are only issued for medical purposes and are not sold to the general public, there have been numerous cases in recent history of young women intentionally developing an ulcer just so they can wear one.
medical industry separation
Life Science / Society
A medical system where a doctor performs a diagnosis and issues a prescription that is then filled separately by a pharmacist. Under this system, there must be a consensus between the doctor and the pharmacist regarding the prescription, which helps prevent doctors from over-prescribing drugs. There is a growing number of people calling for this system to be implemented on space colonies, where over-prescription is a common occurrence.
Miranda rights
Society
Also known as the Miranda warning. The legal rights that must be explained to a suspect when they are arrested. This law also applies on Beyond Coast. The warning, while differing by jurisdiction, typically is as follows:
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to be speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you if you so desire."
Moon face
Outer Space / Society
One of the adaptation phenomena of zero gravity, where bodily fluids such as blood become concentrated in the head and the chest, causing a person's face to swell slightly and appear chubbier than it does under 1G. The blood of the cardiovascular system is moved throughout the body almost as much by gravity as it is by the pumping action of the heart; the same applies to the lymphatic system, which has no central pump and moves under low pressure via peristalsis. Therefore, it is said that in weightlessness, the head and the chest contain approximately 2 liters more fluid than they do when under 1G.
This collection of fluid in the upper half of the body also causes the lower half of the body to appear thinner, the phenomenon known as bird leg.
Moon Treaty
Outer Space / Society
An agreement opened for signature in the United Nations General Assembly on December 18th, 1979, declaring that the Moon, along with the rest of outer space, is to be used only for peaceful purposes. It also states that the Moon, other celestial bodies, and their natural resources are the shared property of all mankind. Its official name is The Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. Among other declarations, it strictly prohibits the construction of military bases and facilities, military exercises, weapons testing, and the use of physical force upon, or threats toward, any celestial body. America and Japan were originally non-signatories, but later joined the agreement in the 21st century when Moon development restarted. Nearly every country active in space exploration and development today is a signatory of this agreement.
Moonsault
Culture and Sports / Society
A high-proof vodka cocktail popular on Earth. Called a Moonsault because drinkers say it makes them feel as if they are doing a somersault on the Moon. Created accidentally in Kobe, Japan, when a pharmacology student wanted to see how much alcohol the human bloodstream could withstand.
This is the same type of cocktail the main character in Snatcher drinks at Outer Heaven.
Narc
Life Science / Society / Technology
A semi-synthetic narcotic composed of a natural drug, a synthetic drug, and a hallucinogen, engineered through supercomputer-aided drug design. Nicknamed "the drug". It is made by combining opium taken from black poppy pods with a pethidine-based synthetic drug, and then to that adding a hallucinogen containing lysergic acid derivatives obtained from ergot alkaloids. Mixing this particularly potent genetically engineered opium extract with a chemical structure nonexistent in the natural world produces a narcotic and hallucinogenic effect never before seen with any drug. It was popular among astronauts seeking to relieve the psychological strain that comes with being in outer space. It then spread quickly with the start of long-distance space flights and the completion of bases on the Moon and Mars, with people looking for a way to deal with the extended periods of time in space associated with such jobs.
The drug is so powerful that even a few milligrams can be fatal. This makes it difficult to detect in drug tests, as people take it in extremely small doses, meaning it does not become very concentrated in the body. Narc also attaches to opioid peptides, natural opiates that originate in the pituitary gland of the mammalian brain, doubling the effects of the morphine it contains.
Rumor has it that the mafia and certain other organizations are responsible for Narc. It is said that approximately 20% of adults on Beyond Coast have tried at least one illegal drug at some point in their life, a rate second only to America, which is still fighting its war on drugs.
negotiator
Society
Someone who negotiates with kidnappers for the release of their hostage(s). There are some who specialize in negotiating, but most negotiators also work as private investigators.
Although half of his work involves negotiating with kidnappers, Jonathan Ingram himself is a traditional private investigator as well.
negotiator privileges
Society
Police organizations on Earth, where kidnappings are frequent, eventually came to realize they were no longer able to deal with the kidnapping problem themselves. Certain states and regions now allow negotiators a certain level of police authority, such as entering houses related to investigations and possessing firearms the general public is normally not permitted to own. Negotiators are required to file annually with the authorities regarding any firearms they wish to own, and are also required to file a monthly report stating if, and how, they have used their privileges. However, many people in America have questioned this practice, with the country having yet to ratify the Koontz gun control bill. Critics argue such allowances only add to the gun problem.
Jonathan Ingram, who negotiates with kidnappers in his line of work, also has negotiator privileges.
News Order
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society
BBC's premier news program. Anchor Karen Hojo's popularity, in part due to her hard-hitting attitude, has earned the show consistent high ratings. It has also received the award for Outstanding News Program from the Beyond Coast Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the last 3 years. Is broadcast live via satellite to the Moon and Earth as well.
non-malt beer
Society
A type of beer containing no malted barley. With the passing of the Liquor Tax Act of 2010 in America (the result of pressure from the temperance movement), the tax for beer was divided into an alcohol tax and a malt tax. The alcohol tax drove the standard price of any beverage with a 1% or higher alcohol content up to a minimum of $10, with some even calling it the return of Prohibition. The simultaneous taxing of malted barley, the main ingredient of malt beer, meant that traditional beer was now beyond the reach of the ordinary person. Non-malt beers avoid both these taxes by using cornstarch in place of malted barley, and by limiting their alcohol content to 0.99%.
Acronym for Old Los Angeles. Present-day Los Angeles is now located to the north of here, the LA of the 20th century. Known to its inhabitants as the "Angel-less City". Its famous 20th century subway system has also been abandoned.
Outer Space Labor Standards Law
Outer Space / Society
The law that set the minimum standards for working hours and conditions in outer space. All work on Lunar and other space bases is carried out in accordance with this law. The maximum amount of time anyone is normally allowed to work continuously in space is 180 days, with any period of time extending beyond that prohibited.
Outer Space Medical Examination System
Life Science / Outer Space / Society / Technology
The system set up to help prevent a pathogen like a virus from entering a closed environment such as a space colony. All spaceports are staffed by specialist doctors who perform a full space medical exam on all arriving persons.
Outer Space Treaty
Outer Space / Society
An international treaty that established standards for the exploration of outer space and celestial bodies, as well as all other applications for space. Its official name is the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. Based on the 1963 United Nations resolution commending the efforts of the United States and Soviet Union to prevent the militarization of space, this treaty bans any country from carrying out off-Earth military activities, limiting the use of space and celestial bodies to peaceful purposes. It also states that no country can lay claim to a colonized celestial body, as it would belong to all mankind.
BCP carries out all rescue operations on Beyond Coast in accordance with the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts, and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space, one of the three so-called "space treaties".
P300 lie detector
Life Science / Society / Technology
A lie detector designed to analyze P300 brain waves, which are given off when, among other situations, a person recognizes a familiar object. On Earth, the use of this lie detector along with brain imaging techniques such as MRI has become an important form of evidence at legal trials. Science has now unlocked many of the previously unsolved mysteries of the human brain, with lawyers taking a more physiological approach to cases as a result.
pharmaceutical sales representative
Society
A pharmaceutical company employee who tries to convince hospitals and doctors to deal in their company's products. Often called sales reps for short. Part of their job is to promote the company and increase sales, as well as explaining the effects of their products to those who work in the medical industry. Kenzo Hojo is also a sales rep in addition to his other work at Tokugawa Pharmaceuticals. Not only is he personally involved in the development of new drugs, but after a drug is approved, visits hospitals and clinics to try to sell the product.
Picno 8
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology
The latest model in the Picno series of handheld graphic computers first released by Konami at the end of the 20th century. It is the size of a standard handheld drawing board and works with its own pen. Its built-in solar cell makes it convenient for portable use, and it can connect to a printer for making printouts. Features several drawing modes, from watercolors to oil paints. It offers a Visual Field Screen to allow for stress-free drawing even in large crowds of people, and G Pixel Stability for drawing in zero gravity.
The graphic computer Marc Brown carries around with him is a Picno 8.
Specs
* 64-bit bus with custom RISC CPU (including 16 48-bit DSP chips)
* 1536x1152 resolution 48-bit color screen
* Real-time 3D rendering, wireframe modeling, and various imaging effects
Policenauts
Outer Space / Society
The group of space police selected to provide security for the people (expected to number in the hundreds of thousands at the time) moving to Beyond Coast during the third wave of immigration in 2013, and also to lay the foundation for a permanent police force on the colony.
Police officers from around the world were recruited for the program in 2010; officers with skill and endurance, who had what it took to become astronauts able to act as a police unit on mankind's first space colony. 5 were chosen out of the initial selection pool and put through 3 years of intense training.
Astronaut Gates Becker, from Scotland Yard in the UK; Astronaut Joseph Sadaoki Tokugawa, from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in Japan; Astronaut Salvatore Toscanini, from the NYPD in the US; and finally, also from the US, Astronauts Jonathan Ingram and Ed Brown, from the LAPD. These men, having become astronauts with police authority, were regarded throughout the world as symbols of peace in outer space. Also known as the Original Cops, they were reminiscent of the Mercury Project's Original Seven, becoming the focus of a global media frenzy; it is said they greatly changed the rather dark image that had surrounded space exploration and development before.
Prop
Outer Space / Society / Technology
Slang for the Tokugawa Group's headquarters on Beyond Coast. Called the Prop because it looks as if it serves as a support pillar for the colony, extending for several dozen miles from one of its surface areas to the opposite window side. A famous tourist spot on Beyond, it is also an important example of modern space architecture. Its central area, a weightless area several miles long, called the Garden, is a frequent topic of discussion in Earth's media. All rooms, including the president's office, its several auditoriums, and employee offices, are outfitted with optical fibers and linked to a satellite communications system, allowing for real-time communication throughout space. It is said the Prop is more similar to Earth than any other place on the colony. The building itself is managed by its own CELESS, so should an accident occur inside the colony, it would still be able to function by itself. This has led some to criticize Tokugawa for having their own personal "shelter" on Beyond.
PVR
Acronyms / Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology
Acronym for personal virtual reality. A virtual reality system designed for home use, consisting of a data suit, visor, computer, and network connection. Numerous types of software can be downloaded.
quick tie
Culture and Sports / Society / Technology
A one-touch necktie made out of shape memory alloy fibers. Developed by the fashion industry as a way to maintain the position of a tie even while in zero gravity, it has become popular among young people on Earth as well, since it is easy to both tie and remove.
The long-standing tradition of a business suit and tie continues on in outer space.
Rebirther
Life Science / Society / Technology
A type of cloned human created from the DNA of a famous historical figure such as an actor or model. The law prohibits anyone from "Rebirthing" a person until 20 years after the person's death. Although they are genetically identical, a Rebirther is not regarded as the same person as the one that originally existed. The law now requires that Rebirthers be differentiated from the original person by placing identification tags on the Rebirther's chromosomes.
In reality Rebirthers are not very common, though some can be found within the Tokugawa Group. Such individuals are legally regarded as members of the Tokugawa family.
recipient
Life Science / Society
A person who receives an organ or tissue from a donor. The incidence of diseases and organ abnormalities caused by the harsh environment of outer space is increasing rapidly, with the number of people waiting for healthy organs and/or tissue rising proportionately.
recoil gun
Society
A gun utilizing gunpowder bullets and either a blowback, recoil, gas, or gatling operating system. Once used extensively on Earth, these guns are now collectively known as recoil guns, because if fired in zero gravity, the recoil propels the user backwards. This type of gun has fallen out of use as space development has progressed, as the recoil it produces cannot be suppressed in zero gravity. Furthermore, as recoil guns leave a rifling on the bullets they fire, they have become unpopular among criminals. It is said that the only people who still buy them are collectors. The production of gunpowder bullets, used exclusively with recoil guns, has also become quite limited, and, like bent cigarettes, they are only available through special order.
Jonathan Ingram's Beretta 92F would be classified as a recoil gun.
reinforced lumber
Outer Space / Society / Technology
A type of wood made by soaking dampened wood in a barium chloride solution, followed by an ammonium chloride solution. The result is a wood that does not burn or rot, perfect for use in construction. Almost all of the non-synthesized lumber used on Beyond Coast is reinforced lumber. The use of real, untreated lumber on Beyond is prohibited by the colony's Architectural Regulations.
remote ticket
Information and Communications / Society / Technology
A ticket card containing an IC chip with a radio wave transmitter that allows a person to pass through a ticket gate at a linear railway station without having to insert the ticket into a machine. A card reader can read the ticket even while inside a person's pocket or handbag, at the same time recording where the person entered and exited the train system.
All BCP police badges are compatible with this system, allowing officers to freely move about the colony.
repatriation movement
Outer Space / Society
One of the anti-space movements, having sprung up around 2030. This extremist movement strongly advocates the immediate cessation of all space exploration and development, saying mankind should return to Earth. They argue that human beings were never meant to leave Earth. They have since become associated with other ecology groups on space colonies and have fast developed a sizable following. They originally attempted to address space's pollution problem through legitimate means, but following the beginning of their involvement with various ecology terrorists, many members of the movement have resorted to acts of terrorism to try to accomplish their objectives.
Someone who supports this movement is called a repatriatist.
repatriatist
Outer Space / Society
A person who supports the repatriation movement.
Return Syndrome
Life Science / Outer Space / Society
A syndrome characterized by the desire to return to Earth. Is frequently seen among middle-aged Terrestrials living on Beyond Coast. Almost all missing person cases on Beyond are instances of Return Syndrome. The exact cause remains unclear, but it is only reported among Beyonds who lived on Earth when they were younger, particularly those who took part in the first or second wave of immigration. Some have speculated it might be caused by the constant stress that comes with living in space, with the individual developing an extreme version of homesickness. Many people who have experienced Return Syndrome later said they became filled with the sudden urge to return to Earth, or "return Home", in their words, and immediately boarded the next available flight for Earth without even so much as informing their family.
SAS
Life Science / Outer Space / Society
Acronym for Space Adaptation Syndrome. A type of temporary sickness caused by exposure to a weightless environment. It is said that the cause of SAS is a vestibular disorder, whereby the vestibular system undergoes a paralysis, causing one to lose one's sense of balance. Symptoms include dizziness, cold sweats, vomiting, headache, fatigue, and, in particular, a false feeling of falling over that does not occur in ordinary motion sickness. The most effective treatment is an intramuscular promethazine injection.
Conversely, the bodily changes experienced when moving from a zero G environment to a 1G environment are collectively called Earth Adaptation Syndrome.
solar ray transport system
Outer Space / Society / Technology
A lighting system that transports sunlight into a room using optical fibers. It is possible to transport not just visible light, but ultraviolet and infrared light as well.
space debris
Outer Space / Society / Technology
Also known as space junk or space garbage. Refers to the debris floating outside the atmosphere in Earth orbit, much of it consisting of abandoned satellites in geostationary orbit and rocket fragments in high Earth orbit. There are regulations regarding space debris contained in The Convention on the International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, implemented in 1972, if one examines the document with a loose interpretation; however, the amount of space debris continues to accumulate every year, with collisions between objects resulting in even more debris, some forming complex fields of material. These fields inflict damage on other satellites, rockets, and spaceplanes. A strict system of control for space debris is currently being studied.
The presence of space debris has become a serious problem for all objects operating in low Earth orbit or above. The possible end of all space exploration and development due to a massive field of space debris enveloping the Earth is known as the Kessler Syndrome.
space history
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
A recently established field of study that focuses on the history of mankind's activities in outer space. Is a required subject in all space colony secondary schools. The Beyond Coast Education Board has placed a strong emphasis on it in order to impart on today's youth the importance of examining "how we got to where we are in space today."
space weather forecast
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Outer Space / Society / Technology
A forecast designed to predict the arrival of large doses of radiation and magnetic storms caused by solar flares. Solar flares, released from the surface of the Sun, can have various harmful effects not only on the human body, but on computers and other sensitive equipment as well. Space weather forecasting aims to predict these before they happen and inform people of when they will occur via television, radio, and the Internet. When a flare does occur, scientists can estimate the size of the flare and any effects the resulting solar wind might have by observing the wavelength and time intervals of the radiation released during the several stages of the flare, and issue reports and warnings as necessary.
Shield warnings are issued during times of intense radiation, with a colony's outer walls and block shields lowered for protection. All extravehicular space activity and the takeoff of space flights are prohibited during this time.
spaceplane
Outer Space / Society / Technology
A return-trip space passenger plane developed for the era of mass space transportation as a replacement for the Space Shuttle. Takeoff is accomplished via an Air Turbo Ramjet engine, followed by acceleration to Mach 12 via a scramjet engine, after which the plane switches over to a rocket engine for space flight. There are currently 6 companies offering spaceplane flights to and from outer space. With the introduction of spaceplane flights, traveling into space has become a reality for the ordinary person. The most popular airlines are America's American Space Lines and Japan's Nippon Space Lines, based on their service, cost, and safety record.
surrogate mother
Life Science / Society
A woman who gestates and delivers a baby created from an egg fertilized in vitro, often in return for financial compensation. Although surrogate mothers hold no parental rights, many end up wanting to raise the baby as their own child after it is born. There are various opinions on using surrogate mothers for giving birth to Frozeners; as the development of an artificial womb has yet to be completed, however, no viable alternative is currently available.
telomere lengthening
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Society / Technology
A medical procedure developed this century that delays the aging process by manipulating pieces of DNA responsible for aging called telomeres. Telomeres, located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and composed of a six-base DNA sequence of TTAGGG in humans, are tightly wound and highly repetitive structures that are extended over time by telomerase, a special reverse transcriptase, in order to prevent cellular senescence. However, the action of telomerase is not enough to extend telomeres indefinitely, due to the nature of cellular division. As these structures are considered an aging clock for the body, it is thought that by synthesizing telomerase and thereby extending telomeres as they naturally decrease with every cell division, it is possible to extend an organism's life span. While not permitted by law, it is said that the military, along with certain government organizations, have already started performing this procedure on people via gene therapy. A consequence of telomere lengthening is an increased risk of cancer, though this too is addressed via gene therapy. Further research is currently being conducted that will attempt to turn normal cells into immortal cells without the aid of such regular procedures.
Terrestrial
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
Slang for a person born on Earth.
Tokugawa Festival of Japan
Culture and Sports / Society
A festival organized by Tokugawa for Japanese people living on Beyond Coast. Held once a month, its official purpose is to thank employees for their hard work and promote friendship among coworkers, but it is also an occasion for Tokugawa businesses on the colony to get together to consult with one another. Anyone employed by a Tokugawa company, a family member of an employee, or persons with Japanese blood can participate.
Kenzo and Lorraine Hojo met one another at this festival.
Tokugawa Group
Society
A global Japanese conglomerate that can trace its origins to the 1950s, when Zenzo Tokugawa founded Tokugawa Industries, a small local factory. It manufactured products such as lathe machine parts, but Zenzo's foresight helped usher in large waves of growth and eventually turned Tokugawa Industries into Tokugawa Heavy Industries, which later became a leader in the Japanese shipbuilding and iron and steel industries.
Tadashi Tokugawa took over the company in the 1980s, expanding it into the field of semiconductors, with offshoot Tokugawa Electronics soon becoming the top electronics company not only in Japan, but overseas as well. In the 1990s, its revolutionary biomaterials development and the business rockets and satellites it built with technology purchased from Russia meant that Tokugawa was advancing into space ahead of everyone else, setting the benchmark for all future operations in the Space Age. It also actively participated in the "free flyer" experiments from their beginning, these experiments being the forerunner to the Made in Space industry, now the key to surviving as a business in outer space.
Tokugawa then bought up a slew of foreign companies at the start of the 21st century, transforming itself from a Japanese zaibatsu derivative into a global conglomerate. The Third Industrial Revolution that came with the birth of the Space Age also gave Tokugawa its biggest earnings since the company's inception.
Joseph Sadaoki Tokugawa, the company's present head, quit BCP in 2020 with the retirement of Tadashi, becoming the new young leader of this empire. He used his personal history as a Policenaut to completely revamp the company's image and eliminate the Tokugawa bashing that had previously existed.
The conglomerate then moved into new areas that were to become central to space development, such as rockets, spaceships, space stations, satellites, as well as the sensor and computer equipment these require. It also applied the high-tech architectural engineering know-how it acquired at places like the Tokyo Waterfront and the Zeo Front to space base and space station construction, helping to set up space's infrastructure. In addition, these activities sparked the arrival of the next generation of the construction industry, which had been in a state of stagnation at the time, opening up the industry's advancement into space. Furthermore, Tokugawa also established the first civilian base on the Moon.
Having devoted a significant portion of its assets to space development, Tokugawa then proceeded into full-scale Made in Space product development, manufacturing products in microgravity and high vacuum environments, thereby helping the company to achieve a dominant position in outer space. It currently offers its support to many facets of space development, not all of them strictly for profit.
The Tokugawa Group today is divided into a total of 138 companies. Tokugawa Heavy Industries remains its primary focus, with some of its larger arms being Tokugawa Electronics, Tokugawa Construction, Tokugawa Pharmaceuticals, Tokugawa Foods, and Tokugawa Mining. The conglomerate's logo, the mitsuba aoi, or three hollyhocks, is regarded throughout space as a symbol of absolute power.
Tokugawa Hills
Society
An exclusive residential district originally set up by a Japanese electronics firm. The firm constructed a number of company residences there shortly after Beyond Coast was completed. Tokugawa later bought the land from the electronics firm, and it now houses Tokugawa employees. Located in the middle of B Sector at the far end of the colony, which is also the area with the most expensive land prices, it lies on top of a section of hollowed-out ground, positioning it slightly higher up than the surrounding areas and giving it the best view of any area on the colony. Furthermore, this area is considered safer than other areas because it is located furthest away from the colony's mirrors. Buildings here are also allowed to employ, to a certain extent, different layouts and modifications, as well as house their own plants, even without the expressed permission of the Beyond Coast Architectural Committee. Furthermore, select buildings are allowed to use materials from Earth, such as real, untreated lumber, as well.
transplant coordinator
Life Science / Society
A person who works with organ donors and recipients, helping to arrange expedient transplant operations for patients. Also called a transplant manager. There are currently over 4,000 transplant coordinators on Beyond Coast.
vehicle smuggling
Culture and Sports / Society
Inhabitants of Beyond Coast who are not satisfied with the lower level of speed offered by electric engine vehicles will sometimes smuggle in fossil fuel internal combustion engine vehicles, which are prohibited on space colonies, from Earth. However, smuggling a fully assembled vehicle into a colony is not easy, so the smuggler will usually disassemble it and transport the parts separately. The high price of black market gasoline on colonies also poses a problem for smugglers.
videophone
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology
An information platform based on the videophones of the 20th century. Modern videophones also allow the user to turn off the video feature if they want, and it is possible to send still picture- and text-only messages as well. Videophones started to become widespread at the beginning of the century, but with privacy concerns and changes in communications practices, nearly all calls have now become either voice- or text-only, with video calls common only between close friends and family members. The decline of the video feature could be cited as one of the effects of the information explosion that occurred shortly after the turn of the century. Home versions are usually integrated into an information terminal as standard. Public videophone terminals are frequently the targets of vandalism, many having their cameras broken, with the result that governments have decided not to install cameras on all future terminals. Today's videophone differs from previous videophones in that the visual output is reduced in size to allow for faster processing, and it frequently employs burst lines, which codify communications to prevent eavesdropping.
VR girl
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society
Slang for an actress who appears in pornographic PVR software. Although VR girls are considered different from regular actresses, they have become just as common as their traditional counterparts. The monthly software product Girls Mate, which features VR girls, averages 100,000 downloads an issue. Since a VR girl is created from CG captured from a real woman, they have necessitated the rethinking of current copyright and likeness laws. Questions have been raised regarding how far a person or object processed with CG should be afforded protection, as well as the creation of new CG copyright laws concerning the right to conduct CG processing. However, the total number of problems raised by the existence of VR girls extends far beyond merely ethical issues.
VR pornography
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society
A virtual reality program featuring adult content. One of the darker sides of the VR experience, this type of entertainment has fast become a major problem, going against the Virtual Reality Ethical Guidelines. Users value its interactivity more than the amount of nudity it contains.
VRE
Information and Communications / Society / Technology
Acronym for virtual recorder. A media system that recreates a location in 3D by simultaneously recording video, sound, and environment data from various sensors, then analyzing and compiling the data via computer. Originally used in planetary exploration and scouting for mineral deposits. The data, recorded on separate sub-devices, is linked piece by piece on a special workstation and supplemented as necessary. This is called virtual processing, and the machine used for this is called a virtual editor. Going beyond simply recording 2D images, it simulates a location in perfect 3D, including air temperature and humidity, smells – even the exact materials the actual objects are made of. However, virtual processing requires a considerable amount of time even with the speed of computers available today.
BBC has several virtual editors at its studios.
Yuri accident
Outer Space / Society
The accident that occurred with the Yuri EMPS prototype in 2013 during a test space walk. This unit was to be used by the Policenauts outside the colony. The unit underwent a malfunction in its vernier rockets, causing it to lose control and disappear out into space. There was a particularly strong solar wind blowing at the time, which resulted in a temporary communications blackout and the delay of the rescue operation.
The test was being broadcast live around the world, with the accident dealing a shock greater than that of even the Challenger disaster. This "second space shock" set EMPS development back 5 years. The Yuri was connected to a survival ball, which had a built-in cold sleep module, but because an SOS signal could not be detected, it had been thought that all hope was lost for its test pilot, Astronaut Jonathan Ingram.
zero G kit
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society / Technology
A garage kit that has had its parts cast in zero gravity. There are various types of kits available, such as resin, vinyl, and metal. One of its main attractions is the lack of air bubbles or seam lines due to it being cast under weightlessness. It is also capable of preserving the small details that tend to become lost between the mold and cast in 1G.
Furthermore, casting a kit as a whole, previously impossible, keeps the number of parts to a minimum, allowing even beginners to enjoy model assembly. The zero G kit has even been called the savior of the hobby works industry. The techniques used with zero G kits have also been applied to many traditional plastic models.
Zero G Pack
Outer Space / Society
A type of meal pack sold at the Maximum fast food restaurant chain. Its contents are designed to allow for easy consumption in zero gravity. It is nearly identical to the 1G Pack, though the Zero G Pack offers beverages that help replenish calcium and bodily fluids easily lost while in outer space.
zero G rhythmic gymnastics
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society
A type of rhythmic gymnastics performed under microgravity, first started 40 years ago by an astronaut, also a former rhythmic gymnast, looking for a way to prevent muscle atrophy in zero gravity. There are both timed freestyle events and traditional fixed events using balls, hoops, ribbons, ropes, and clubs, with competitors judged in technical merit, artistic merit, and execution. Apart from the same skills needed in sports such as traditional rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming, competitors also need to focus on maintaining their balance under weightlessness. The sport was once called the "artistic sport for the Space Age", and remains the most popular and unique competitive sport on Beyond Coast, though it is still surrounded by the problem of calcium loss in its child practitioners. The Beyond Coast Athletics Association has established regulations specifying suitable practice times and ages in an attempt to address the issue.
Anna Brown belongs to UCBC's zero G rhythmic gymnastics club.
zero G salon
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Outer Space / Society
A type of salon located at the center of Beyond Coast, in its weightless area, which takes advantage of the effects of zero gravity to preserve the youthfulness and elasticity of a person's skin. The skin is also much less likely to sag and become wrinkled in general in zero gravity. Many of the treatment methods employed were originally devised by female astronauts.
Chris Goldwin goes to a zero G salon.