Lore and Legends of the Dezzyverse

They’re Already Here

Cloning has been a part of Science Fiction for a century. Pod people, Engineered populations, Teleportation accidents, Parallel dimensions, the ways clones are imagined go on and on. The literary vehicle of clones and cloning has been used to explore the questions of identity, personhood, and society

Traveller is no different. There have always been clones in Traveller. Every way that clone could be grown in fiction can be found somewhere in Charted Space. But for purposes of this essay, we’re going to focus on “engineered” clones. That is, clones created from genetic material from a host and grown in an artificial womb. The technology required for this method of creating clones is fairly low. TL 10. This will produce a viable clone, reliably, as an infant after a normal gestation.

There Should be Clones

Creating a clone-baby of yourself isn’t any more expensive than any other artificial method of gestation (at least at TL 10). Roughly KCr 50 depending on where the procedure is performed. This process does not include accelerated gestation or growth. The parent donates some cells, and 40 weeks later, there’s a newborn clone baby.

Accelerating gestation and growth brings risk and costs credits. At TL 10 or 11, accelerated gestation reduces the reliability of producing a viable clone. Starting at TL 12, gestation can be accelerated to 80% of normal gestation for the cloned species. That time can be further reduced at higher Tech Levels; TL 13 = 60%, TL 14 = 40% and at TL 15 = 20%.

For human clones this becomes 40 weeks at TL 10-11, 32 weeks at TL 12, 24 weeks at TL 13, 16 weeks at TL 14 and 8 weeks at TL 15.

Starting at TL 13, a clone’s growth can be accelerated to physical maturity during gestation. (this is 18 years for many species, including Humans). This results in the newborn clone being born with the host’s STR, DEX, END, and INT stats being equal to the value they were when the host was 18. The SOC value will be addressed later (because the different people of Charted Space have opinions regarding Clones, few of them positive.) EDU, unless the clone is subjected to uploaded education and training, it’s EDU begins at 0 (like a newborn infant). Clones can be educated in a similar manner to other members of their society. Usually 12 years of primary education. Which will result in an EDU of 2D when they are ready to pursue Pre-Career Education (which would make most force-matured Human Clones 13 year old).

Subjecting the clone to accelerated gestation and growth negatively affects their aging. Accelerating Gestation adds a Term of service when calculating aging effects. Accelerating growth adds a second term. One does not necessarily need the other. Accelerated growth can be induced with full-term gestation.

When a clone reaches maturity there is a possibility for variance in the clone’s characteristics from their host. Roll 8+ for STR, DEX, END, and INT with a -2 DM for accelerated gestation and a -2 DM for accelerated growth. On a success, the characteristic value is equal to the value of the host for that characteristic at ate 18. On a failure, roll Flux and apply the result to the characteristic. If the result reduces the characteristic below 2 or above 15, the clone is unviable and the process needs to start anew.

Accelerating gestation costs KCr 20. Accelerating Growth costs KCr 50.

During gestation, a clone’s STR, DEX, END and INT can be increased at a cost of KCr 10 per point of increase. The cost for increasing the clone’s stats are paid and applied before rolling for variance.

Flux is a die mechanic borrowed from Traveller^5.10. Roll 2 dice, one designated “Light” and the other “Dark”. Subtract the value of the Dark die from the Light. This will produce a probability curve equal to 2D6 with a value range between -5 and +5 with a mean value of 0.

This process for creating clones is different from the process found in Traveller^5.10 and the Robot Handbook. This process is not a replacement for either. It is a framework of an option that can be built on.

Clone Show

At TL 12 a sophont’s personality can be recorded (and edited). This allows for a newborn clone before they can develop their own personality (a “blank”, as is commonly called) to be imprinted with a prerecorded (and possibly edited) personality. Also at TL 12, Wafer Jacks can be implanted to provide immediate (if temporary) skill. At TL 14 this process can be made permanent and non-invasive through neural induction.

Accelerated creche training is a combination of educational immersion, subconscious learning, and enhanced indoctrination. At TL12, the process cuts the time needed to complete primary education in half, six years instead of twelve. At TL13 the process cuts the time requirement by half again, 3 years. At TL 14 the process is reduced to a mere year-and-a-half. However, creche training, while providing the background skills common to most societal requirements, does not provide any socialization.

At TL 14, it becomes possible to imprint a persona and the memories and skills of the host to a clone body. This process costs MCr 10 per term of service the host has experienced. The process takes a half-year (182 standard days) per term imprinted. After imprinting, the clone will have an EDU score equal to the host’s.

Clones in Society

Since the inception of cloning technology, clones have been considered something other than a naturally born, or artificially born individual that conforms to a species’ reproductive method. For clones created through the engineering process we have been exploring in this essay, most cultures (Imperial going back to the Ziru Sirka, Confederation, etc..) visible markings (sometimes open, other times, discrete, depending on the clone’s purpose) are recorded on their bodies.

Still, even with clones whose bodies lack such identifying marks, they can still be identified genetically by any facility of TL 10 or more. Specific identification requires a more rigorous genetic examination that relies on the Tech Level of the examiner’s equipment being equal to or greater than the Tech Level that created the clone. Once identified as such, the clone’s SOC Characteristic is reduced by 1, once the information becomes public knowledge. Sometimes the reduction in Social Standing is more extreme, based on the circumstances of the society at the time.

For example, there is a “Solomani Purity” faction within the Solomani Movement. They have a strong dislike of clones, considering them a debasement of the Solomani genetic legacy. Clones in environments where The Solomani Purity faction enjoys influence and power in society suffer a -3 penalty to their Social Standing.

The Domain of Vland covers much of the old Ziru Sirka and is very tradition bound. The culture surrounding clones is similarly restrictive due to the implications on family structure. Clones in this Domain suffer a -2 Penalty to their Social Standing.

Some locations, mostly frontier sectors like the Spinward Marches or Reaver’s Deep do not suffer the same prejudices for clones. Out in these younger societies, the need for population exceeds the “luxury” of judging how the citizens came to be. Social Standing may not be affected by a clone’s origin.

As ugly as it may be, slavery and indentured servitude remain common institutions in the various polities of Charted Space. Clones can be created and engineered for the express purpose of being a disposable population that can be used for labor exploitation. Or cheap, cannon-fodder armies. Clones that are engineered for this purpose are often prominently marked as such and have a SOC of 0. The “Underworker” from the Robot Handbook for Mongoose 2nd edition for an example.

Clones of Clones of Clones.

Sometimes, especially in the black markets, Clones are not made from original sources. Sometimes, genetic material is taken from an existing clone to make a new generation of clones. As this process iterates, the later generations of clones become less viable and more subject to mutation and recession.

When checking for “variance” as described above, add a -2 DM for each clone iteration after the original host. Furthermore, if variance is present, apply a -1 DM to the Flux Roll for every clone iteration after the first. EVEN furthermore, iterated clones suffer an extra Term for every clone iteration after the first for purposes of Aging Rolls. Finally, the referee can add any number of creative mutations, mostly harmful, but, on occasion, beneficial. Genetic Dynasties have an expiration date.

I, Clone

Playing a clone as a character is similar in many respects to playing a Robot. Clones can be partially engineered, and creating a clone as a character can be a process similar to creating a robot.

Or, a player can generate a character’s characteristics normally (rolling 2D for each Characteristic) and choose to declare that the resulting character at Age: 18 is a clone and proceed with their life path from there. Using this method, the player can apply some of the methods discussed in this article. Accelerated gestation and/or growth. adjusting their lifepath accordingly. (I think it’s mentioned that a human clone that has benefited from accelerated gestation and growth is 13 years old when they select their Background Skills).

Players can also chose to consider their lifepath generation to be partially or completely with accelerated creche training. With this option, any term generated this way does not receive an Event, or a Mustering Out Benefit. Failing a Survival check for a term can either mean the clone proved inviable, and the process needs to start over, or the Mishap can be read in the context of a complication from the training process.

Using an implanted persona and memories will generate Term Events, but Allies, Contacts, and Enemies that result are the associations with the original host. The clone is aware of those NPCs, but how they react to the clone’s new lease on life may be different than what the player would normally expect.

Finally, all cloning costs are borne by someone. Either the host (and is thus deducted from the host’s Credit Balance, or the institution that created the clone, or as debt the clone owes someone for the cost of it’s creation (often a method of control used against a clone population).

Happy Cloning!