Every NovusCorp worker is issued an identification card. Your ID has your name, occupation, and a device that broadcasts your access to local autonomous systems, which is used both to identify the holder and open up airlocks the worker has access to. For example, the Quartermaster has access to the Cargo Bay and Quartermaster's Office, while Assistants, for example, do not. ID cards can have their access modified by the Captain or Head of Personnel. When your face is covered your ID is the only way of identifying you. Your ID also maintains a credit balance that can be used to pay for goods instead of cash, if inclined.
What is an Identification Card? An identification card, or ID card, is an item used for identification on board the station, as the name implies. Every worker of Space Station 13 is issued an identification card. Your ID has your name, occupation, and a device that broadcasts your access to the station's autonomous systems, which is used both to identify the holder and open up airlocks the worker has access to. For example, the Quartermaster has access to the Cargo Bay and Quartermaster's Office, while Assistants do not. ID cards can have their access modified by the Captain or Head of Personnel using an Identification Console. When your face is covered, your ID card is the only way of identifying you.
Examination will show you the name, job, age and bank balance of the person it is registered to. This is useful in determining whether an ID card is stolen, whether the person has gained access illicitly, whether the person is old enough to drink, and whether the person is who they say they are.
When examined, you will see the following:
That's John Doe's ID Card (Assistant). A card used to provide ID and determine access across the station. It is a tiny item. John Doe's ID Card (Assistant) looks pretty robust! It'd probably be able to withstand acid! John Doe's ID Card (Assistant) is made of fire-retardant materials. The card indicates that the holder is 23 years old. The account linked to the ID belongs to 'John Doe' and reports a balance of $30.
Data cards are used to store and transport large amounts of data from place to place. Data cards can slot into PDAs, analyzers, and other small devices not large enough to fit a disk drive.
While ordinary data cards hold standard data, the Neuron Card is designed to hold the complex arrangement of neural patterns present in an intelligence - either the backup of a human personality, or of a positronic AI, should the brain of either entity be destroyed. Their case has a basic wireless and audio capability, allowing the intelligence stored inside to communicate with others, and manipulate nearby objects.
(OOC Note: Ghosted players can use this to help them get back into the round if there is a Neuron Card with their data on it, ideally stored in the Geneticist's room and used to ask him to clone the ghosted person. The Neuron Card is routinely backed up roughly every five minutes, so in-character, a person will be aware that he was awakened on the card and cloned back to life, but not the immediate cause of their death.)
These blank disks hold a large quantity of data, and are used in a variety of different machines for a variety of different purposes. They have an internal set of color settings that allows machines to configure their appearance, allowing disks reserved for specific purposes to have specific appearances.
Data disks are, basically, blank disks that have data on them. Those that are used for standard computer storage retain their standard grey color, while those used with specific consoles only have their color changed to provide visual cues.
Encryption disks are special, as they have a scannable key on the front of the label to identify their general purpose, as well as their color as a secondary visible characteristic.
One important key disk is the Nuclear Authentication Disk, which is a bright yellow and is used to trigger the detonation option on NovusCorp Nuclear Devices when combined with a matching numeric keycode. Interlopers attempting to annihilate the ship often focus on bringing their own Nuclear Device with them and using the Nuclear Authentication Disk from the ship to arm it, as the disk is typically destroyed in the blast. Should a ship 'misplace' their Nuclear Authentication Disk, another can be made using a Captain-level ID at a Command Console. In addition to triggering the Nuclear Device, the disk can also be used to change the device code, which is important if you feel someone else has the code.
Typically, the Captain is responsible for handling the NAD, for using it when absolutely necessary, and for maintaining the safety of it and the Nuclear Device locked in the ship's vault in all other circumstances. A Captain who knows someone is attempting to set off the bomb may choose to disassemble the Command Console and destroy their disk as a first priority; however, disabling the Console also hinders their ability to command the ship, so it is not a decision to be taken lightly.
The Root Access Disk is an open secret amongst engineering staff and Command - a tool, an ID, and a disk that basically grants root-level access to a program, machine, or other item's functions (similar to an AI or Cyborg, the Cryptomagnetic Sequencer available to certain ne'er-do-wells, and with other secret functions). Obviously, this is not something that one wants getting into the hands of the enemy, as it can be used to trigger the Delta-level self-destruct built into the ship (generally only when things have gone totally wrong, not because the captain stubbed his toe). Notably, the Root Access Disk does not grant access to CorpComm or Syndicate locations.
These allow you to translate data from a specific encryption source; for example, Research data is encrypted to a Researcher-level key. Generally, the ID card system allows access to such data sources without obstruction; however, if the ID system has been compromised or is nonfunctional, the Encryption Key disks are one way to work around this problem.