Pretech

Treasure from humanity's Golden Age

"Pretech" is the broad term used to describe any technology created using methods only fully employed and understood before the Scream, as opposed to "Postech" which was either created, or is still functional and maintainable, since. At the low-tech end, pretech is comparable to postech - though often more stylish, versatile and user-friendly. But at its most advanced, pretech includes objects of such inexplicable wonder that modern fields cannot even theorise the workings behind them.

Pretech Characteristics:

Miniaturisation: Psionically-assisted minifacturing led to devices having little-to-no 'lower limit' on how small they could be whilst remaining functional. E.g. Handheld 'gravshear' weaponry

Power: The time and resources, and the ability to manipulate the matter of an object down to a molecular level, allowed pretech to achieve results that outstrip those possible with postech by lightyears. E.g. Spike Drive 4+ ratings.

Versatility: Whilst most postech devices are built for one specific purpose, the nested techniques of pretech construction often created devices that were not only multi-use, but could tackle each of their functions effectively. E.g. Holographic comm & data interfaces.

Wonder: Psitech manipulation of the universal constants caused atoms and molecules to dance to pretech's tune, creating effects that would seem all but magical to today's postech consumers. E.g. Ghost Mantle, Pseudonukes

Flavours of Pretech

Psitech

A complex manipulation of psychofabricated pretech components and psionically-active materials. Psitech devices could channel and amplify a psychic’s abilities to a remarkable degree.

Energy Manipulation

The artificial channelling of any kind of energy. For example, kinetic for force fields, light for emitter-less holograms, or heat for advanced automatic mineral refinement.

Biotech

Pretech medicine, not to mention cosmetics and hygiene-production, could heal almost any ailment and gave the average human a good few centuries before death came for them. Additionally, eugenic and genetic modification stretched human capabilities further - though generally at a cost that would not be worth it for many.

Gravtech

Beyond postech capability, further and more precise manipulations of crohn particles led to creations that not only warped gravity to greater effect, but which could also manipulate the universal constants of space and time within a gravtech's field.

Examples of standard Pretech

• Difficult but achievable creation of True AIs
• Gravity manipulation via small-scale devices
• Psionic-amplification technology like jump gates
• Devices with inexhaustible internal power sources
• Maltech eugenics, AI unbraking, and planet-killers
• Sophisticated, fine-tuned force field creation
• Spatial distortion technology and phasing tech
• Nanotechnology at several different scales of effect
• Extreme human genetic manipulation and control
• Functional immortality treatments
• Limited, localized time control and manipulation

Pretech in a Postech Sector

The Reach only has a couple of worlds which have achieved a near-basic level of pretech.
One is Tournikiotis, where the rediscovered techniques have been mainly focused on, some say squandered on, creating 'fancy' versions of existing postech: comms units which can double as miniature dataslabs or cameras, for example. However, hidden behind the flash lie many existing examples of functioning pretechnology or even near-functional pretech manufacturing facilities. Any institution calling itself 'cutting edge' all but needs some kind of presence on Tournikiotis.
The other is Sana, a lawless world which only achieves the pretech label due to the massive 'abandoned' pretech city covering the entire surface. The potential for salvaging functioning pretech outweighs the lack of any scientific or technological infrastructure - if an advanced artifact breaks, you're more likely to find a new one on Sana rather than find someone who knows how to repair it. The Iron Code, pirates and assassins who all-but run Sana, use pretech weapons and defences to keep their edge.
Apart from this, pretech or pretech methods may be sparingly found on any other world which saw colonisation before the Scream. If a certain narrow type of pretech is common there, this is likely to hugely effect the population of that world even now. For example, if the rumours about the Makistasan swamps are true, it's likely that there are some secret pretech eugenic modification facilities hidden far from the cities.