Reticulum

Not to be confused with Reticule.

Definition

• reticule (small network loop): Earlier senses name a small netlike bag or an optical grid; later usage describes two or more syntactic devices able to communicate with one another.
• reticulum (lower-case): A reticule formed by interconnecting two or more smaller reticules.
• Reticulum (capitalized): The largest such network, joining together the preponderance of all reticules in the world; sometimes abbreviated to "Ret."

Context and Usage

• Directive relay (as described in-math): Avout (monastic scholars) speak of instructions "going out over the Reticulum" and being conveyed locally by the Ita (practical service order).
• Live services and image-matching: An Ita demonstrates that a syntactic program available on the Reticulum can match a phototype to a place and surface a live feed; in one case this is used to locate and observe an ongoing excavation on Ecba associated with the Temple of Orithena.
• Devices and media: Handhelds such as a jeejah (handheld communicator) are used to query the Reticulum; imagery can originate from public or vehicle-mounted capture devices such as a Speelycaptor (video-capture device).
• Public live feed and local jamming: During a widely viewed incident, an Ita used a jeejah to stream a live feed; on-scene participants stated that "a billion people" were watching via the Reticulum. When the Sæcular Power (worldly authority) arrived, it "jammed the Ret" locally, while soldiers continued to communicate on a secure private reticule (small network loop). Observers note that this left responders unaware of information already public on the world Reticulum.
• Wireless jamming and wired fallback while in transit: Travelers report a wireless link to the Reticulum being jammed during movement; once stationary, Ita "make the Reticulum run on land lines and other things," allowing users to be patched back in. At one host site, access was available from an adjoining court while other cloisters remained offline, consistent with wired connectivity localized to specific areas.
• Terminology in speech: People also joke about having a "private reticule" (small network loop), invoking the small, ad hoc loops that contrast with the capitalized Reticulum.
• Filtering and access: In this account, an Ita describes long-standing filtering systems that return meta-information about sources (e.g., whether few high-repute or many low-repute posts exist on a topic). Access to some reticules is controlled and may require a repute process sometimes referred to as an "asamocra," with approvals taking days.
• Connectivity in remote areas: Connections can be patchy far from cities; travelers may find workable access only near certain offices or relays. Even limited access can suffice to fetch reticule data once per day for later review.
• Unexpectedly strong coverage: A traveler remarks on having "good Reticulum access" while camped on Ecba and later infers a local explanation tied to how the island is managed. This suggests that coverage and throughput may depend on provisioning by the controlling entity in a given place.
• Dispersal coordination among cells: During a Convox dispersal plan commonly called the "Antiswarm," organizers describe keeping all cells on the Reticulum so essential functions can continue while scattered. Participants receive a rucksack and a dormant badge or flasher that will activate with directions if dispersal is ordered; cells are described as including Ita to maintain connectivity and services.
• Access from low orbit via line-of-sight: In one account, an orbital team rejoined the Reticulum after mounting a line-of-sight relay aimed down toward Arbre. Ground support cells immediately used voice and data over the Reticulum to guide tasks, push 3‑D route overlays, and monitor suit biometrics, while the users saw participants appear as ikons on a local reticule.
• Emission control and fallback links off-world: Later, to limit emissions, the high‑bandwidth Reticulum connection was dropped in favor of a narrow, line‑of‑sight beam to ground with long delays; within the team, short‑range wireless was disabled and suit‑to‑suit communication became hard‑wired. This illustrates how Reticulum use can be adapted or suspended in sensitive operations.
• Remote operation in other cosmi: Aboard the Daban Urnud, observatory telescopes are described as being controlled remotely on the local version of the Reticulum, indicating analogous networks maintained by other societies.
• Integrity management, bogons, and reputon space: An Ita explains that to defend against misinformation, the Reticulum’s filters continually confront themselves with high-quality decoys ("bogons"). Historically this led to a "Dark Age" of clutter until Ita methods brought matters under control. Under recent stress, a low‑level bug in reputon space produced ambiguity between legitimate messages and bogons, leading support cells to report contradictory states until matters could be sorted.
• Queues and automatic recordings in a local reticule: A suit-mounted link maintained a transmit queue that emptied during line‑of‑sight passes to ground. In addition to small text and biomedical items, large encrypted audio/video files appeared and were promoted to the head of the queue when certain sensitive topics were discussed. By ad hoc experiment, team members observed that words such as "attack" or "mutiny" could trigger such recordings. To prevent further emissions, the transmitter was physically disabled; the local reticule continued to function for intra-team links.

Related Terms

• Reticule: general term for a small network of communicating devices.
• Ita: practical order frequently associated with relaying directives and maintaining or improving filter interfaces.
• jeejah: a common handheld used to access the Reticulum and to view stored items when out of coverage.
• Speelycaptor: capture devices whose recordings can later surface on reticules and be retrieved via the Reticulum.

Notes

• Technical mechanisms and governance of the Reticulum are not specified in detail in-text. Where access control, filtering, and usage are mentioned, they are presented as participants' descriptions within the story and may reflect their vantage and terminology.