Aberrant RPG - Getting Run Down

[metaphysician]

The other problem is, that the aberrants could also build their own nukes.

Basically, I don't see theft of nukes by aberrants as a huge concern.

Now, theft by other forces, okay, fair point. OTOH, those forces don't have cyberkinesis, either, so sufficient permessive action links ( equivalent to those used on modern SSBNs ) should be fine for making sure no one can steal and use them ( that doesn't already have the tech to make them anyway ).

[Alex Green]

The other problem is, that the aberrants could also build their own nukes.

Iffy, especially if we are talking mass production. The Trinity aberrants don't appear to have much of a technology base.

...OTOH, those forces don't have cyberkinesis, either...

Isn't one of the orders of psions big on cyber-k? If so, then in theory, all you need is a stolen nuke and a corrupt, mind controlled, blackmaled, or other wise forced psion and there is no such thing as passwords and the like.

And again, it doesn't *have* to be aberrants who we are worried about. One crazy psion with a BIG nuke is also a nightmare situation, and people who build nukes have people to dream these sorts of situations up so they can worry about them. What are they called? Professional Paranoids?

[metaphysician]

Technokinesis does exist, yes, but its not as potent as Cyber-K, and also more understood. Likewise, yes, you could use telepathy to get those who have command access to make an unauthorized usage.

The trick is putting enough safeguards and redundancy into the system to make it so only someone so competent and thoroughly inside that your already screwed, could override it.

For ex, controlling one person, sure. But if you need agreement by the top four ranking officers on a ship to use big nukes? Much, much harder to achieve ( especially since they'd all be strongly opposed ). Likewise, IIRC, maintaining high physical isolation of the control system, along with advanced software and hardware, could prevent casual technokinetic override.