Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Latest By
Category:


Armor
Artificial Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work

"Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done and why. Then do it."
- Robert Heinlein

Hostage Gas  
  A gas sprayed over a population; to survive, those who breathe it must report to centers for the antidote.  

What is the enemy trying to accomplish with this gas?"

"It weakens any human who breathes it," Dr. Taka answered. "There was a broadcast an hour ago. The invader announced that affected humans must receive the antidote within one week, or die. Of course they are offering the antidote only in urban areas."

"Hostage gas!" Athaclena whispered. "They want all the planet's humans as pawns."

"Exactly. We must ingather or drop dead in six days."

Athaclena's corona sparked anger. Hostage gas was an irresponsible weapon, even if it was legal under "certain limited types of war.

Technovelgy from The Uplift War, by David Brin.
Published by Not Known in 1987
Additional resources -

This is a very clever idea; maybe too clever. If not for the documented problems in sucessfully laying down poison gas, I'd be worried that someone might actually try this one.

This idea is reminiscent of the residual poison developed by Piter de Vries in Frank Herbert's novel Dune.

Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from The Uplift War
  More Ideas and Technology by David Brin
  Tech news articles related to The Uplift War
  Tech news articles related to works by David Brin

Articles related to Warfare
'Warrior Suit' Combat Exoskeleton Project Still Alive
Sea Drones Attack Russian Fleet
Slaughterbot AI KIller Quadcopter Drones
Russia Working On Military Exoskeletons

Want to Contribute an Item? It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add it here.

<Previous
Next>

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

 

 

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Science Fiction in the News

FTC: Says Ring Employees Illegally Surveilled Customers
'Then she looked up with a smile and moved closer to the camera.'

Switzerland May Cap Population At Ten Million
'The population of Castle Hagedorn was fixed...'

Project Silica Offers 'Long-Term' Digital Storage
'... folios and tapes and playable discs of platinum alloy.'

Can 'Tactical Umbrellas' Shield One From Drones
'... another corner of his mind began to think about the shields.'

Crystalline Structures In Space, You Say?
A massive space borne lifeform from ST:TNG.

Garçon! A Menu For Artemis II, S'il Vous Plaît
'Michel Ardan, as a Frenchman, was declared chief cook, an important function, which raised no rival.'

Amazing Photonic Crystal Light Sail
'That sail will be twenty thousand miles at the wide part.'

Rogue AI Replicated Itself
'Sapiro’s computer just kept dialing at random, hanging up on humans, until it got a fellow computer of the same type as itself.'

HandelBot Helps Two-Handed Robots Learn Piano
'I request that you feed the correlation between those dots and the levers of the panel into my memory banks.'

More SF in the News

More Beyond Technovelgy

Home | Glossary | Science Fiction Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.