Department of Sufficiently Advanced Technology

The Department of Sufficiently Advanced Technology handles the gadgets agents use. Its Department Head is Hornbeam the Ironwood.

Description
Since 2008, the department is accessed by way of the Makes-Things Memorial Blast Doors, which possess state-of-the-art bearings and joints and yet still make stereotypical large door noises when moved. Beyond them is Tess the secretary's desk. Beyond that is the huge, steel-floored main lab, which contains worktables where DoSAT technicians spend most of their time repairing agent-abused CADs and other equipment in the glow of florescent lighting. Any given worktable is typically covered with a tangle of wiring, tools, and bits and bobs of fictional gadgetry. Makes-Things' desk is located in a back corner, where he is less likely to be troubled by demanding assassins.

Off the main lab, connected by a large hallway, is the hangar, where DoSAT keeps any large vehicles that happen its way. The hangar is composed of white walls that can expand or contract to comfortably fit anything inside. By default, the space is large enough to park a capital starship. Tractor beams are used to stabilize anything in motion.

There is also a heavily reinforced room belonging to the Testing and Application Division. It shares a wall with the main lab, but is located far enough from Makes-Things' desk that he can avoid it when explosive tests are taking place.

In addition to the maintenance of CADs, consoles, and other standard PPC tech, DoSAT is tasked with the design and acquisition of new technology. Canon worlds are investigated for usable tech, such as the neuralyzer, and there is usually some form of (dangerous) test going on in the department.

Staff
Members of the department have the title of technician; however, those assigned mostly to field work and acquisitions may be addressed as agents (though they technically are not). Overall, the department's total staff numbers about a hundred; however, since they usually do the behind-the-scenes work that keeps the PPC running, few of them ever gain the recognition commonly given to agent pairs.

Though the DoSAT is technically headed by the Hornbeam, most agents, if asked, would claim it was headed by the Head Technician. This position (also called the Senior Technician, though "senior" can theoretically apply to anyone who has been there long enough) is the public face of the department, acting the role of the department's floor manager and as chief adviser to the Hornbeam on how well&mdash;or not&mdash;the place is running.

This role was originally held by Makes-Things, who was the first non-Flower to work for the Organisation, and who for a good deal of the PPC's history was the entire DoSAT. In March 2008 HST, during the Macrovirus Epidemic, Makes-Things was tragically killed. The role of Senior Technician was then passed to Techno-Dann; though not the longest-tenured member of the DoSAT after Makes-Things, he was evidently considered the best for the job (exactly how this was determined isn't quite clear). However, in 2011, Makes-Things resumed his position. Whether he was actually dead or the rumors of it were greatly exaggerated is not known, but it goes without saying that the department was glad to have him back.

Known Technicians

 * Adam and Frenchie - A/V Division
 * Cody
 * Corolla
 * Harlan
 * James Fairchild and Narcolepsy - T&A Division
 * Jones
 * Lexie and Travis - A/V Division
 * Makes-Things - Head Technician
 * Sigma One
 * Techno-Dann - Senior Technician
 * Zerenze - T&A Division

In addition to its regular staff, Agent Kyran appears to be considered an honorary member, but it isn't currently known how this came to pass. Non-canonically, this was also the case for Jaycacia Thornbyrd.

A/V Division
Formerly a separate department headed by the Rose of Sharon, the A/V Division is home to the Cryptomusic Archive. Its agents are tasked with recording audio and visual samples from the various Word Worlds, and may be called in for other work as needed.

Testing and Application Division
T&A's job is to search worlds under PPC jurisdiction for new forms of technology to either use straight or cannibalize to improve existing forms, as well as examining and testing such technology to either make it safe for use or to make it more safe (T&A's ultimate goal is to make the Combined CAD explosion-proof, which is a lofty challenge). T&A is prohibited from taking technology directly possessed by canons, however, as that could cause serious problems, so they usually have to find a good instance of badfic to nick their samples from. It is headed by the Fireweed.

Other Branches

 * The Biotic Materials Division (not technically its own division yet, despite the name) is charged with creating organic alternatives to traditional DoSAT tech. This group mostly exists to accommodate the PPC's Yuuzhan Vong agent(s) (and is made up mostly of Yuuzhan Vong shapers), but also provides gear for other agents who are either unable to handle traditional tech, or forbidden to do so.


 * The Makes-Things Fund For Abused Technology is a charity and movement started by DoSAT to encourage agents to treat their tech better and make it last longer. The badge of the MTFFAT (pronounced "em-tee eff-fat", or "empty effort") is a screwdriver superimposed on DoSAT's smoking swivel-chair. It currently has two members, Agent Tyler and Agent Crispin.


 * The Armory is affiliated with the department, but may or may not be an actual division.

Trivia

 * This department is named for the third of Arthur C. Clarke's three laws, which states, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
 * In the Original Series, only Makes-Things and "Makes-Things' lab" are referred to by name. No direct or indirect mention is made of a whole technology department. The full name of the Department of Sufficiently Advanced Technology was crafted by Techno-Dann for his agent's backstory.

Records
Home: The Department of Sufficiently Advanced Technology

Records from this department are listed on the Complete List of PPC Fiction, Department of Sufficiently Advanced Technology.