Editing Material culture and technology (section)

== Precursor Technology ==

*Precursor Technology, at least those examples that have survived, is defined by Apple logic taken to an extreme.  It just works.  
**No visible power sources are used.  If the internal power source can only activate it so many times, there may be indicator lights that wink off as charge is used, and wink on when the stores are recharged.  All existing precursor tech is self-recharging.
**No user-serviceable parts.  All casings are completely seamless.  Often, there are almost no moving parts at all.  They are not intended to be opened up or tinkered with or repaired at all.
**They have no labels or other helpful tips on the outside.
**They usually only have one function.
**Precursor technology was built to last.  The casings are almost absurdly durable - even if they can be damaged by intentional abuse or attack, they will never naturally degrade.  There are items of Precursor technology that is reliably known to have been functioning for over ten thousand years with no interruptions in performance.
**The Cidrian Gates, for example, work as such: There is a large platform, with eight glowing circles about a yard across.  One of them is next to a podium with a handprint on it.  It looks like a handprint scanner in a science fiction film.  If a sophont places their hand on the scanner, a point of glowing light will start describing a circle around their hand.  It takes ten seconds to make a full circle. At that point, anyone standing on one of the circles (but only eight people at maximum) is teleported to the matching circle in its partner gate.  All the circles turn dark until the gate recharges, 24 hours later.
**Energy weapons are usually a simple rod with a nodule that acts as a firing stud.  If the user touches their finger to the stud, a line of lights on the side of the rod will illuminate, a number of lights equal to the shots remaining.  If the user presses their finger against the stud with moderate pressure, the weapon fires a charge.