Science & Technology

While some of Untold Dawn's technology may feel grounded in contemporary science, this universe embraces imaginative possibilities that extend beyond our present-day limitations. Consider this information as a foundation for understanding the technological landscape of the setting, rather than a strict adherence to known scientific principles.

Theoretical Technology

Material Science / Manufacturing

MERLIN workbenches and Assemblers are the workhorses of Artemis. Both require materials supplied through stock kept aboard the Expediter, or from resources mined in the surrounding area. They can produce any number of goods needed for colonist comfort.

The colony still relies heavily on tried-and-true, low-tech solutions, with traditional spring-loaded rat traps to keep the hydroponics clear of pests, and good old-fashioned pickaxes remaining an essential tool for geological surveys and mineral extraction. This blend of cutting-edge and traditional technology helps ensure the colony's resilience, as simple tools require minimal maintenance and can be easily replicated when needed.

Biological Science

Human biology has not been altered, but instead improved upon. The integration of bionics has become commonplace, and cryogenics utilized regularly for long-haul vessels traveling between solar systems. While humanity has embraced these technological enhancements, we remain fundamentally unchanged at our genetic core.

This preservation of our basic biology has proven crucial as we study the native life forms of Artemis - beings that challenge our understanding of what constitutes "life." The ongoing research of one of these entities, known as Xeroliths, represents one of the colony's most fascinating and critical scientific endeavors.

Quality of Life Technology

Energy

The Artemis Expeditor's primary power source is a sophisticated antimatter reactor, developed by Nova Dynamics and housed in the vessel's heavily shielded Engineering Core. While the antimatter reactor serves as the primary power source for the habitat, an extensive array of solar panels functions as both a backup system and sustainable power source for the colony's eventual expansion, ensuring energy redundancy and long-term growth potential.

Communications

Colonists maintain connectivity through multiple channels: personal datapad PDAs handle day-to-day communications over the CommNet, QC (Quantum Communications) Chips manage monetary transactions and employment records, and personal radios enable instant public discourse. Additional resources, including scientific databases, historical archives, and cultural repositories, are housed in the Secure Storage and Data Library on the second floor of the Artemis Expeditor.

Medicine / Life Sciences

Medical treatment in Untold Dawn currently relies on a supply of advanced injection pen technology. These devices can deliver a variety of treatments including (but not limited to) antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and stem cell therapies. CyGene, the corporation responsible for colonial healthcare, developed these versatile medical tools to maximize treatment options while minimizing the space and resources required for medical supplies.

Hydroponics requires the use specialized seed pods, each primed with a single engineered seed and placed in a growing medium of perlite inside a tray or pot. These plants represent generations of genetic modification, featuring accelerated life cycles and enhanced resilience to cosmic radiation and alien environmental stressors. Their engineered genetics ensure reliable food production even under these challenging conditions.

Robotics

Colony architecture and planetary construction technology revolves around an advanced drone system that combines Heavy Lift Units (HLUs) for major structural work with smaller, specialized finishing drones capable of molecular-scale fabrication. These drones operate through a sophisticated Quantum Network that maintains a real-time digital twin of construction sites. The entire system is governed by comprehensive safety protocols and AI oversight, ensuring structural integrity and worker safety while maintaining adaptability through redundant systems and seamless task transfer capabilities between units. See Stroitel Ventures Technology for more information about the drones used on Artemis.

Transportation Technology

Land Transportation

The Artemis Expeditor, though equipped with the technology for powered vehicles, currently operates without them. This decision stems from both practicality and resource management: the immediate exploration zone lies within comfortable walking distance of the habitat, and the colony's resources are better spent on essential infrastructure than vehicle maintenance and fuel production. The priority remains focused on establishing a stable foundation in the surrounding area, allowing for methodical expansion that doesn't overtax the colony's manufacturing capabilities.

Military Technology

Military technology on Artemis, though highly advanced, remains carefully secured. All weaponry is stored within the ship's armory, accessible by the Sleeping Soldiers, the elite personnel held in cryogenic stasis. Current policy is to prohibit weapons for all colonists. This strict containment policy reflects the colony's commitment to peace while acknowledging the need for preparedness. Even the schematics and manufacturing protocols for these weapons are sequestered within the armory's database, ensuring that this technology cannot be reproduced without proper authorization.

Weapons Technology

In addition to traditional kinetic weapons, the Armory houses an arsenal of advanced offensive weaponry, including sonic wave disruptors, wormhole bombs, plasma rifles, and photon pistols. In contrast, the Artemis Colonial Constabulary (ACC) relies on non-lethal equipment for day-to-day security operations. This two-tiered approach to security equipment reflects Artemis's commitment to maintaining peace while retaining the capability to defend against more serious threats.

Defensive Systems

The Artemis Expeditor is ringed by an integrated defensive perimeter, combining surveillance and deterrent capabilities. The system's backbone consists of automated defense turrets equipped with multi-spectrum sensors that detect motion, sound, and thermal signatures. Each turret platform houses an array of countermeasures: precision spotlights capable of either flooding the terrain with illumination or focusing devastating bright beams, speakers that can emit targeted sonic deterrents, and a variable-intensity laser module for scalable threat response. As a last resort, each turret also includes a high-caliber barrel fed by a magazine of conventional ammunition, though colony protocol dictates that lethal force should only be employed when all other defensive options have been exhausted.

Sensors

Occupancy sensors track those present in public spaces, and exterior sensors monitor the area directly surrounding the habitat, alerting colonists to threats and, at times, managing those threats by triggering the defensive system. These automated defenses range from simple deterrents like high-intensity lights and sonic pulses to more sophisticated countermeasures that can neutralize both biological and mechanical threats. The sensor network also helps regulate the habitat's life support systems, adjusting temperature, oxygen levels, and power distribution based on population density in different sectors, making it as much about sustaining life as protecting it.