RELAY — Gameplay Specification

System Module for KN-86 Deckline — Firmware Distribution, Content Delivery, Community Platform

Version 1.0 | April 2026 | Status: Engineering-Ready (Supersedes all prior Relay design)

CIPHER-LINE revision note (2026-04-24): Relay’s Cipher voice — update integrity confirmations, content-pack manifests, community submissions — renders on the CIPHER-LINE OLED, not the main 80×25 grid. Relay is also the primary caller of cipher-extend-grammar at runtime: content packs may ship grammar fragments that extend the active Cipher vocabulary and productions. See the CIPHER-LINE Contributions section at the end for Relay’s own voice and for the runtime-extension protocol. Canonical engine spec: docs/software/runtime/cipher-voice.md.

Mission Contributions

Mission Composition Grammar declaration — verb vocabulary, affinity tag set, and mission-contributions schema are defined in docs/plans/post-v0.1/2026-04-25-mission-composition-grammar.md §1–§3.

(mission-contributions
  :verbs (COMMUNICATE OBTAIN MANUFACTURE ANALYZE)
  :affinities (DIGITAL INFORMATION))

Relay is the platform-maintenance cart and the launch library’s only MANUFACTURE satisfier. The SCAN/EVALUATE/APPLY/VERIFY cycle satisfies COMMUNICATE (broadcasting/receiving update packages over LINK), OBTAIN (acquiring content packs into deck state), MANUFACTURE (the cipher-extend-grammar runtime call literally produces new vocabulary and productions in the active grammar tables — Relay manufactures runtime state, not just transports it), and ANALYZE (integrity verification, manifest inspection). Affinities are DIGITAL (the update channel is data) and INFORMATION (content packs are catalogued knowledge). Default biases.

Design Philosophy

RELAY is not a game in the traditional sense. It is the platform maintenance engine that keeps the KN-86 live indefinitely after launch. The core insight: a device with a 10-year lifetime must receive new content, balance patches, and community contributions without requiring firmware rewrites or cartridge revisions. RELAY is the mechanism that solves this.

The operator’s role is communications officer—the deck receives signals from the network, evaluates them, applies them, and verifies integrity. The fiction is the relay station. You are the node that receives and propagates updates. Post-launch content flows through you. The platform never stops growing.

Unlike operational modules (ICE BREAKER, Black Ledger) that emphasize tempo and decision-making, RELAY emphasizes curation and community. An operator receives an update, previews its contents, decides whether to apply it immediately or defer it, watches the system verify integrity, and discovers new contracts generated from the fresh content. The experience is deliberate, trustworthy, and deeply social—peer operators share updates via LINK protocol; the community submits puzzles and strategies that ship in official Relay packages.

RELAY ensures the infinite play promise. A single cartridge stays mechanically complete forever, but the mission board keeps refreshing with new templates, new Cipher passages, new balance variations, and new challenges. An operator who plays one module for a year never runs out of new content because Relay deposits it constantly.

1. UPDATE FLOW: THE FOUR PHASES

RELAY operates in four discrete phases: SCAN, EVALUATE, APPLY, and VERIFY. Each phase is mechanically distinct. The operator may pause between phases and return later.

1.1 Phase One: SCAN

Duration: Automatic, ~8 seconds (transfer time) + operator pause
Location: RELAY cartridge, SCAN tab
Input: Manual (request update check) or automatic (on device boot if new update available)
Output: List of available updates with brief descriptions

The operator connects the KN-86 via USB to a desktop Edgeware utility (simulated in this spec; physical implementation is out of scope). The utility displays available RELAY versions: v1.0 → v1.1 → v1.2 → v1.3 (operator is 1 version behind).

The operator selects “Download v1.3” on the desktop. The KN-86 displays:

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ RELAY: SCANNING FOR UPDATES      │
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│                                  │
│ Contacting Edgeware servers...   │
│ [████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] │
│ 45% (3.2 KB / 7.1 KB)           │
│                                  │
│ Current version: v1.2            │
│ Latest available: v1.3           │
│                                  │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

Audio: Voice 1 (220 Hz, rising slowly toward 440 Hz) indicates data transfer in progress. Voice 2 is silent. Voice 3 is idle.

When transfer completes:

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ RELAY: SCAN COMPLETE             │
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│                                  │
│ Update available: v1.3           │
│ Released: 2026-04-10             │
│ Size: 45 KB                      │
│ Compressed: 18 KB (USB transfer) │
│                                  │
│ [CAR: view details]              │
│ [EVAL: proceed to evaluation]    │
│ [BACK: cancel]                   │
│                                  │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

State: The update package is held in a temporary buffer (not yet applied to deck state). The operator may inspect it or defer.

1.2 Phase Two: EVALUATE

Duration: Variable (10 seconds to 5 minutes) — operator-paced
Location: RELAY cartridge, EVAL tab
Input: CAR/CDR to scroll through update manifest; INFO to expand sections; EVAL to accept; BACK to defer
Output: Updated deck state if applied; unchanged if deferred

The operator presses CAR to view the detailed changelog:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RELAY: UPDATE v1.3 DETAILED MANIFEST        │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                              │
│ Released: 2026-04-10 / Publisher: Edgeware │
│                                              │
│ ━ NEW MISSION TEMPLATES                     │
│ [▼ ICE BREAKER]                             │
│    + 4 new PENETRATION contracts (financial)│
│    + Financial network threat 2–3 templates │
│    + Estimated new missions: 12–16 hours    │
│                                              │
│ [▼ NODESPACE] (collapsed)                   │
│ [▼ CIPHER GARDEN] (collapsed)               │
│                                              │
│ ━ BALANCE PATCH                             │
│ [▼ Show details]                            │
│                                              │
│ ━ CIPHER VOCABULARY EXPANSION               │
│ [▼ Show new passages]                       │
│                                              │
│ ━ COMMUNITY CONTENT (3 submissions)         │
│ [▼ Player-designed ciphers]                 │
│                                              │
│ [INFO: detailed descriptions]               │
│ [EVAL: apply update now]                    │
│ [BACK: defer 24 hours]                      │
│                                              │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Navigation: CAR drills into each section (NEW MISSION TEMPLATES, BALANCE PATCH, etc.). CDR moves between sections. INFO on a section shows full descriptions. The structure uses the list browser UI pattern from the UI Design System.

Operator Decision Point:

EVAL: Apply immediately. Trigger Phase Three (APPLY).
BACK (hold 1s): Defer update. The package is preserved in temporary storage. Next device boot will re-offer it with a “Deferred update pending” message on the STATUS tab. Operator can defer indefinitely (though Cipher voice will gently hint that updates are ready).

1.3 Phase Three: APPLY

Duration: 5–10 seconds
Location: RELAY cartridge, APPLY tab
Input: None (automatic after EVAL in Evaluate phase)
Output: Modified deck state (relay_version incremented, mission templates added, Cipher seed advanced)

The operator pressed EVAL. The screen transitions to APPLY:

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ RELAY: APPLYING UPDATE v1.3      │
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│                                  │
│ This may take 5–10 seconds.      │
│ Please keep the device powered.  │
│ Do not remove the cartridge.     │
│                                  │
│ Processing...                    │
│                                  │
│ [████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] │
│ 50%                              │
│                                  │
│ • Writing mission templates      │
│ • Advancing Cipher seed          │
│ • Integrity verification pending │
│                                  │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

What Happens Internally:

Deck state writes (SRAM → flash):
- relay_version: incremented from 0x02 to 0x03
- mission_templates: new template pool merged into module memory
- cipher_seed: LFSR advanced deterministically (ensures Cipher voice generates different passages)
- Cartridge history bitfield: unchanged (RELAY doesn’t set new bits; it enhances existing capabilities)
Verification checks (CRC, signature):
- Package signature validated against Edgeware’s public key (stored in firmware)
- Payload CRC computed and compared
- Mission template structure validation (each template has required fields)
Audio feedback:
- Voice 1: 330 Hz pulsing (integrity check rhythm)
- Voice 2: Idle
- Voice 3: Low-amplitude noise (system work)

State: Deck state is modified. The update is now persistent. Power-off safe.

1.4 Phase Four: VERIFY

Duration: Automatic, ~2 seconds
Location: RELAY cartridge, VERIFY tab
Input: EVAL to confirm completion; BACK to troubleshoot (rare)
Output: Cipher voice confirmation; ready to return to mission board

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ RELAY: UPDATE APPLIED            │
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│ Version: v1.3                    │
│ Released: 2026-04-10             │
│                                  │
│ ✓ Signature valid                │
│ ✓ CRC verification: PASS         │
│ ✓ Template structures: VALID     │
│ ✓ Deck state: UPDATED            │
│                                  │
│ Status: COMPLETE                 │
│                                  │
│ You are now running v1.3.        │
│ New RELAY BOUNTY contracts will  │
│ appear on the mission board.     │
│                                  │
│ [EVAL: return to STATUS]         │
│                                  │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

Audio: A brief, rising tone sweep on Voice 1 (330→660 Hz, 0.5s duration) signals successful completion. The tone is clean and professional—no fanfare, no celebration. Trustworthy systems sound calm.

Cipher Voice (reputation-tier specific):

Rep 0–9: “YOUR DECK IS CURRENT. NEW TEMPLATES AWAIT ON THE MISSION BOARD.”
Rep 15–34: “VERSION 1.3 INSTALLED. THE CIPHER VOICE EXPANDS WITH NEW DOMAIN VOCABULARY.”
Rep 50+: “BLEEDING-EDGE RELEASE APPLIED. YOU’RE RUNNING AHEAD OF THE FIELD.”

Next Step: Operator returns to bare deck STATUS tab or loads a cartridge. The mission board now includes new contracts from the fresh templates.

2. SYSTEM ONE: UPDATE CHANNELS

RELAY supports three update channels. The operator does not choose a channel explicitly — their reputation determines which channels are visible. This mirrors real-world software: alpha/beta/stable tiers.

2.1 Stable Channel (Default)

Visibility: Rep 0+
Release Cadence: Monthly (typically 1st of the month UTC)
Content Type: Bug fixes, balance patches, new mission templates for existing modules, Cipher vocabulary expansions, curated community content (vetted)
Update Size: 30–80 KB (after compression)
Testing: QA-validated on 10+ operator test decks before public release
Rollback Supported: Yes (operator can de-update to previous version via BACK hold in VERIFY phase, though this is rare)

Example Stable Update (v1.3):

ICE BREAKER: 4 new financial network PENETRATION templates (procedural, new threat variants)
NODESPACE: 1 new ASYMMETRIC opponent personality (“Predictive Encirclement”)
CIPHER GARDEN: 20 new substitution cipher puzzles (increasing difficulty)
THE VAULT: 3 new entries (Signal Intelligence domain)
Balance patch: Payout multiplier adjustments (+10% for Threat 5–6 contracts)
Cipher vocabulary: 50 new sentence templates (more variety in mission briefings)
Community content: 3 player-submitted cipher puzzles from high-rep operators

Update schedule:

Released: 1st of each month
Available for download: 24–48 hours
Auto-notification: On device boot if update available and operator hasn’t deferred

2.2 Experimental Channel

Visibility: Rep 15+
Release Cadence: Fortnightly (sometimes weekly during active development)
Content Type: Experimental game modes, unfinished features, radical balance changes (subject to change), prototype modules
Update Size: 40–120 KB
Testing: Lighter QA (verified to not crash, no data corruption; balance untested)
Rollback Supported: Yes (strong recommendation to save game state before applying)
Risk: Updates may break saved games or introduce unbalanced contracts

Example Experimental Update (v1.4-exp1):

Prototype: SHELLFIRE module loaded into RELAY (early access for rep 15+ operators)
ICE BREAKER: Experimental “Asymmetric Threat” mission template (AI plays faster, extreme difficulty)
NULL: Early alpha diagnostics (may have bugs)
Cipher voice: Testing new tone variations (less terse, more conversational)
Disclaimer: “Experimental updates may introduce balance changes that are subsequently reverted.”

Access method:

Operator loads RELAY, navigates to CHANNELS tab (only visible if rep ≥ 15)
Selects EXPERIMENTAL channel
Proceeds through SCAN → EVALUATE → APPLY → VERIFY as normal
Warning displays: “EXPERIMENTAL UPDATES ARE UNTESTED. SAVE YOUR GAME BEFORE APPLYING.”

2.3 Legendary Channel

Visibility: Rep 50+
Release Cadence: Irregular (tied to major feature milestones)
Content Type: Exclusive contracts, secret Cipher passages, unreleased modules, direct operator feedback integration
Update Size: Variable (50–200 KB)
Testing: None (cutting-edge, sometimes co-designed by legendary-tier operators)
Rollback Supported: No (explicitly one-way)
Community: Operators in Legendary channel form an exclusive community (via LINK protocol meetups) discussing game balance and strategy

Example Legendary Update (v2.0-legendary):

Unreleased TAKEZO module (early access 1 week before public Phase 3 launch)
Secret “Cipher Mastery” contracts (unlock new Cipher voice passages that narrate based on high reputation)
Exclusive RELAY bounty: “Guide 5 other operators through their first Legendary update” (+50 ¤, +5 rep)
Direct feedback survey: “Rate new NODESPACE opponent AI personality” (results influence next Experimental update)

Access method:

RELAY automatically detects rep ≥ 50 on boot
STATUS tab displays: “LEGENDARY CHANNEL AVAILABLE. LOAD RELAY FOR EXCLUSIVE ACCESS.”
Operator loads RELAY, CHANNELS tab shows LEGENDARY option
Legendary updates are pushed (operator receives notification and must explicitly defer if unwilling; default is auto-apply after 1 hour)

3. SYSTEM TWO: CONTENT TYPES

Each RELAY update is a package containing one or more content types. The operator sees them grouped in the EVALUATE phase.

3.1 Mission Template Expansion

What: New procedural contract templates for existing modules
How It Works: The cartridge’s template pool is merged with new templates. On next cartridge load, the mission board draws from the expanded pool. Threat levels, payout curves, and phase requirements are regenerated.
Mechanical Impact: Low (no gameplay changes in active contracts; only new contracts on board refresh)
Content Example:

/* ICE BREAKER v1.3 adds FINANCIAL_NETWORK_TEMPLATE */
TEMPLATE_DEFINE(financial_network_v2) {
    TEMPLATE_FIELDS {
        uint8_t base_threat = 2;      /* Threat 2–3 */
        uint8_t max_threat = 3;
        uint8_t min_phases = 1;
        uint16_t base_payout = 600;   /* 600 ¤ base */
    };
    TEMPLATE_GENERATOR {
        /* Generates financial penetration contracts targeting banks, trading floors, wire services */
        /* New in v1.3: possibility of multi-node financial target (bank A → subsidiary B → shell C) */
        network_topology = FINANCIAL_CLUSTER;
        node_encryption = HIGH;  /* Requires multiple CRACK or mirror combos */
        data_extraction_time = MEDIUM;
    }
}

Payout Incentive: Completing a new template contract within 7 days of the update grants +50 ¤ RELAY bonus. This incentivizes operators to explore the new content.

Reputation Threshold: All operators (rep 0+) see new mission templates. No gating.

3.2 Balance Patch

What: Adjustments to existing contract difficulty, payout multipliers, AI behavior, threat escalation curves
How It Works: The patch modifies generation parameters. Existing active contracts are unaffected (phase chain is preserved). New contracts generated post-update reflect new balance.
Mechanical Impact: Medium (changes long-term economy, AI difficulty)
Content Example:

/* Payout Multiplier Adjustment */
BALANCE_PATCH_v1_3 {
    /* Threat 5–6 contracts were paying too little relative to risk */
    threat_5_multiplier: 1.1x → 1.15x  /* +5% for Threat 5 */
    threat_6_multiplier: 1.3x → 1.4x   /* +10% for Threat 6 */

    /* NODESPACE: ASYMMETRIC opponent was too easy at turn 30+ */
    nodespace_asymmetric_phase_3_aggressiveness: 70% → 85%

    /* ICE BREAKER: HUNTER spawn threshold was too lenient */
    ice_breaker_trace_hunter_threshold: 30 → 25  /* HUNTER spawns 1 turn sooner */
}

Payout Incentive: Defeating an opponent under the new balance grants +1 rep bonus (social proof: “You beat the harder version”).

Reputation Threshold: Rep 25+ operators receive patch notes with technical details. Rep 0–24 see simplified summaries (“AI difficulty: slightly increased”).

3.3 Cipher Vocabulary Expansion

What: New sentence templates for the Cipher voice
How It Works: The Cipher domain vocabulary is expanded. Next time Cipher generates text (on mission board, phase completion, boot), it draws from the larger pool. The effect is subtle but pervasive—the voice feels fresher.
Mechanical Impact: Zero (purely aesthetic)
Content Example:

/* New Cipher domain vocabulary for ICE BREAKER */
CIPHER_DOMAIN_EXPANSION_v1_3 {
    THREAT_TERMS {
        "ICE FORTRESS",      /* New */
        "PERIMETER LOCK",    /* New */
        "DATA LABYRINTH",    /* New */
        "SHADOW ICE",        /* New — implies stealthy threat */
    };
    OUTCOME_TERMS {
        "CLEAN EXTRACTION",  /* New */
        "SCORCHED NETWORK",  /* New — implies destructive exit */
        "SOFT FOOTPRINT",    /* New — implies stealthy success */
    };
    FINANCE_TERMS {
        "WIRE ROUTE",        /* New — specific to financial domain */
        "SUBSIDIARY CHAIN",  /* New */
        "OFFSHORE LAYER",    /* New */
    };
}

Payout Incentive: None (vocabulary changes are free). The incentive is social and aesthetic—high-reputation operators notice and appreciate the expanded voice.

Reputation Threshold: Rep 10+ operators notice and comment on Cipher changes (via LINK protocol community chats, simulated in the design but not mechanically enforced).

3.4 Community Content

What: Player-submitted content: ciphers, strategies, operator dossiers, community challenges
How It Works: Content is vetted by Edgeware (simulated team), then bundled into the update. Community-submitted puzzles appear in CIPHER GARDEN’s contract list. Player-designed strategies feed into NODESPACE opponent AI learning. Operator dossiers populate THE VAULT’s PLAYER-CREATED section.
Mechanical Impact: Medium (new contracts, AI learns new tactics)
Content Example:

Player Submission: Operator "Silvertongue" (Rep 47)
  Title: "Vigenère Cipher: The Tarot Correspondence"
  Difficulty: Intermediate (Cipher Garden threat 3)
  Rules: Encryption key is a 78-card Tarot deck's Major Arcana sequence.
  Plaintext hint: "THE HERMIT WALKS BETWEEN WORLDS."
  Submitted: 2026-03-15
  Accepted by Edgeware: 2026-03-28

Player Submission: Operator "Architect" (Rep 33)
  Title: "NODESPACE Strategy: Predictive Encirclement Phase 3"
  AI personality: ASYMMETRIC (phase 3 behavior)
  Description: "In the final third of the game, the opponent focuses on cutting
               supply lines rather than expanding territory. This creates a new
               win condition: survive isolation while controlling the hub node."
  Submitted: 2026-02-10
  Accepted by Edgeware: 2026-03-01

Payout Incentive: An operator who submits community content that is accepted receives +25 ¤ bounty and +1 rep on the next RELAY update that includes their work. This directly incentivizes operators to author and submit.

Reputation Threshold for Submission: Rep 25+ (operators can propose community content via RELAY’s SUBMIT tab, though acceptance takes 2–4 weeks).

3.5 RELAY Bounty Template

What: A special contract that appears on the mission board only after an update is applied
How It Works: Each RELAY update includes a bounty template. When the operator loads any cartridge post-update, the mission board includes this special contract (in addition to normal contracts). The bounty has higher payout and unique requirements tied to the new content.
Mechanical Impact: Medium (new economic reward, incentivizes engaging with new content)
Content Example (v1.3):

RELAY BOUNTY: "NEW FINANCIAL NETWORKS"
Requirement: Complete 2 of the 4 new ICE BREAKER financial penetration templates
Base reward: 150 ¤
Content bonus: +100 ¤ (significant new content)
Reputation multiplier: 1 + (rep / 100)
Example payout at rep 20: (150 + 100) × 1.2 = 300 ¤

Cipher voice briefing (rep 15+):
  "THE LATEST RELAY BRINGS FINANCIAL NETWORK EXPLOITS. THE MISSION BOARD
   NOW OFFERS FRESH TARGETS. COMPLETE TWO AND SECURE 300+ CREDITS."

Reputation Threshold: Rep 15+ (operators below rep 15 don’t see RELAY bounties on the mission board; they can still complete new contracts, just with no bonus).

RELAY supports asymmetric peer sharing. An operator with v1.3 installed can transmit the update package to an operator still on v1.2 via the physical LINK cable.

4.1 How It Works

Host (has v1.3): Loads RELAY, selects SHARE tab, chooses “TRANSMIT UPDATE TO PEER”

Client (has v1.2): Loads RELAY, selects RECEIVE tab, chooses “ACCEPT UPDATE FROM PEER”

Link handshake: Devices connect via 9600 baud link protocol (full spec in KN-86-LINK-Protocol). Encrypted channel established using both operators’ handles + device serial numbers as key material.

Data flow:

Host encrypts the entire update package (45 KB uncompressed → ~18 KB compressed)
Host transmits package in 512-byte chunks with parity bytes for error correction
Client receives, buffers, and verifies CRC every 8 chunks
Transfer completes (~30–60 seconds at 9600 baud)
Client decrypts, verifies Edgeware signature, displays EVALUATE phase
Client can apply immediately or defer (as if they had downloaded from desktop utility)

Payout Incentive: Both operators receive +50 ¤ bounty (“Shared Knowledge”) for successful peer transfer. This is a social reward—no reputation gain, but immediate credit bonus. Encourages operators to share with peers.

Use Case: A community of offline operators (traveling, rural, no direct Edgeware access) can bootstrap updates through one peer who has internet access. The community self-propagates.

5. SYSTEM FOUR: SOUND DESIGN — THE RELAY AESTHETIC

RELAY uses the YM2149 to encode transfer status and verification confidence. Sound is data, never decoration.

5.1 Voice Assignments

Phase	Voice 1	Voice 2	Voice 3
SCAN	Transfer progress (220→440 Hz ramp)	Idle	Idle
EVALUATE	Idle	Idle	Idle (operator reading)
APPLY	Idle	Signature/CRC verification pulses (330 Hz)	System work (noise)
VERIFY	Completion signal (330→660 Hz sweep)	Idle	Idle

5.2 Audio Events

Event	Voice(s)	Frequency	Duration	Meaning
Transfer begins	Voice 1	220 Hz soft attack	0.5s	Init signal
Transfer progress (per 10%)	Voice 1	220→260 Hz ramp	0.8s	~1 second per 10%
Transfer at 50%	Voice 1	330 Hz brief pulse	0.2s	Checkpoint
Transfer at 90%	Voice 1	440 Hz sustained	0.3s	Near completion
Transfer complete	Voice 1	440 Hz sustained	0.5s	Download done, ready for eval
Verification pass	Voice 2	330 Hz pulse	0.2s × 3	Three short pulses = three checks
Signature valid	Voice 2	880 Hz high tone	0.2s	Auth OK
CRC pass	Voice 2	660 Hz mid tone	0.2s	Integrity OK
Apply starts	Voice 3	Filtered noise (8 kHz)	1.0s	System work begun
Apply complete	Voice 1	330→660 Hz sweep	0.5s	Final success chime
ERROR: Signature failed	Voice 1	55 Hz descending buzz	1.0s	Critical failure (should never happen)
ERROR: CRC failed	Voice 1	220 Hz repeating 3×	0.3s	Data corruption (retry transfer)

5.3 Audio as Information

An operator who cannot see the screen (accessibility or preference) can navigate RELAY entirely by ear:

Transfer begins: Low, soft tone = safe to start
Transfer steady climb: Pitch rising = data flowing, no errors
Transfer stops climbing: Pitch sustained = nearly done
Signature check pulse: Three short pulses = three verifications (expected)
Completion sweep: Rising pitch to high tone = success
Silence after sweep: System ready = proceed to next phase

This is not a feature—it is the core design. Sound is primary. Display is secondary.

6. CELL ARCHITECTURE

RELAY’s data structures follow the cartridge grammar. The primary cell type is UpdatePackageCell, representing the received update in hierarchical form.

6.1 Cell Type Definitions

/* RELAY Update Package Cell */
typedef struct {
    char update_name[64];                /* "v1.3 Update — Financial Networks" */
    uint32_t version_number;             /* 0x010300 = v1.3.0 */
    uint32_t build_timestamp;            /* Unix timestamp of build */
    uint16_t package_size_uncompressed;  /* 45 KB */
    uint16_t package_size_compressed;    /* 18 KB */
    uint8_t signature[16];               /* Edgeware ECDSA signature */
    uint8_t signature_valid;             /* 0=unchecked, 1=valid, 2=invalid */
    uint32_t crc32;                      /* Payload CRC */
    uint8_t crc_valid;                   /* Verification state */
} UpdatePackageCell;

/* Module Content Cell (one per module affected by update) */
typedef struct {
    uint8_t module_class;                /* 0x01–0x0E */
    char module_name[32];                /* "ICE BREAKER", "NODESPACE", etc. */
    uint16_t *mission_template_ids;      /* Array of new template IDs */
    uint16_t template_count;             /* How many new templates */
    uint8_t *cipher_vocabulary_data;     /* Raw vocabulary bytes */
    uint16_t vocab_size;
    uint8_t *balance_patch_data;         /* Binary patch for this module */
    uint16_t balance_patch_size;
} ModuleContentCell;

/* RELAY Bounty Cell */
typedef struct {
    char bounty_title[64];               /* "New Financial Networks" */
    uint8_t bounty_type;                 /* 0=template_completion, 1=challenge, 2=social */
    uint16_t target_count;               /* How many new contracts to complete */
    uint32_t base_reward;                /* 150 ¤ */
    uint8_t reputation_multiplier_pct;   /* 1.0 = 100%, 1.2 = 120%, etc. */
} RelayBountyCell;

/* RELAY update manifest cell (root of hierarchy) */
typedef struct {
    UpdatePackageCell package;
    ModuleContentCell modules[14];       /* Variable array (only affected modules) */
    uint8_t module_count;
    uint8_t *community_content_data;     /* Variable-size community submissions */
    uint16_t community_size;
    RelayBountyCell bounty;
    uint8_t bounty_present;              /* 0 or 1 */
} RelayManifestCell;

6.2 Cell Handlers

/* RELAY cell handler registration */

ON_CAR(ModuleContentCell *self) {
    /* Drill into module section: show template count, vocabulary additions, balance changes */
    drill_into(self);
    draw_module_detail_pane(self);
    sfx_select();
}

ON_CDR(ModuleContentCell *self) {
    /* Move cursor to next module in list */
    if (module_index < manifest->module_count - 1) {
        navigate_to(&manifest->modules[module_index + 1]);
    } else {
        sfx_error();  /* Last module */
    }
}

ON_INFO(ModuleContentCell *self) {
    /* Display detailed breakdown of this module's content */
    nosh_text_clear();
    nosh_text_printf(0, 0, "MODULE: %s", self->module_name);
    nosh_text_printf(0, 1, "TEMPLATES: %d new", self->template_count);
    nosh_text_printf(0, 2, "VOCABULARY: +%d bytes", self->vocab_size);
    nosh_text_printf(0, 3, "BALANCE: %s", self->balance_patch_size > 0 ? "PATCHED" : "none");
}

ON_EVAL(RelayManifestCell *self) {
    /* Confirm evaluation and proceed to APPLY phase */
    apply_relay_update(self);
    transition_to_apply_phase();
}

ON_BACK(RelayManifestCell *self) {
    /* Return to mission board without applying */
    defer_relay_update(self);  /* Preserve in temp storage for later */
    navigate_back();
}

7. KEY MAPPING TABLES — RELAY EDITION

RELAY uses a simplified subset of the 31-key grammar. The EVALUATE phase only needs navigation and confirm/deny.

Key	SCAN Phase	EVALUATE Phase	APPLY Phase	VERIFY Phase
CAR	—	Drill into section	—	—
CDR	—	Next section	—	—
CONS	—	(collapse/expand)	—	—
EVAL	Start download	Apply update	—	Confirm done
BACK	Cancel	Defer update	—	Return to STATUS
INFO	Show details	Detailed section info	—	Show completion
SYS	Hard abort	Hard abort	(blocked)	Hard abort
Numpad 0-9	—	(inactive)	—	—

Navigation Grammar:

CAR: Drill into the current section (module, balance patch, community content)
CDR: Move cursor to next section at same level
BACK: Return to previous level or defer
EVAL: Confirm current decision

No tool combinations (CONS) or macro recording (LAMBDA) in RELAY. The module is intentionally simple.

8. SCREEN WIREFRAMES

8.1 SCAN Phase — Update Available

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ RELAY: SCAN FOR UPDATES                                                      ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                                              ║
║ Current version: v1.2 (stable)                                              ║
║ Latest available: v1.3 (released 2026-04-10)                                ║
║                                                                              ║
║ Update size:    45 KB (uncompressed)                                        ║
║ Download size:  18 KB (compressed, ~8 sec at 9600 baud)                    ║
║                                                                              ║
║ Content summary:                                                             ║
║  • 4 new ICE BREAKER mission templates                                      ║
║  • 1 new NODESPACE opponent AI personality                                  ║
║  • 20 new CIPHER GARDEN puzzles                                             ║
║  • 3 new VAULT entries                                                       ║
║  • Balance patch (threat 5–6 payouts +5–10%)                               ║
║  • 50 new Cipher voice passages                                             ║
║  • 3 community-submitted content items                                      ║
║                                                                              ║
║ [CAR: view detailed manifest]                                               ║
║ [EVAL: download and evaluate]                                               ║
║ [BACK: not now]                                                              ║
║                                                                              ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

8.2 EVALUATE Phase — Manifest Browser

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ RELAY: UPDATE v1.3 EVALUATION                                                ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                                              ║
║ ▶ NEW MISSION TEMPLATES                                                      ║
║  ▼ ICE BREAKER                                                               ║
║    + 4 new PENETRATION templates (financial networks)                       ║
║    + Estimated play time: 12–16 hours of new content                       ║
║  ▶ NODESPACE (collapsed)                                                    ║
║  ▶ CIPHER GARDEN (collapsed)                                                ║
║  ▶ THE VAULT (collapsed)                                                    ║
║                                                                              ║
║ ▼ BALANCE PATCH                                                              ║
║    Threat 5 payout: ×1.10 → ×1.15 (+5%)                                    ║
║    Threat 6 payout: ×1.30 → ×1.40 (+10%)                                   ║
║    NODESPACE ASYMMETRIC: Turn 30+ aggression +15%                          ║
║    ICE BREAKER HUNTER spawn: threshold 30 → 25                             ║
║                                                                              ║
║ ▶ CIPHER VOCABULARY (collapsed)                                             ║
║ ▶ COMMUNITY CONTENT (collapsed, 3 items)                                    ║
║                                                                              ║
║ [CAR: expand sections]    [CDR: next section]                               ║
║ [INFO: detailed text]     [EVAL: apply update]     [BACK: defer 24h]       ║
║                                                                              ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

8.3 APPLY Phase — Progress

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ RELAY: APPLYING UPDATE v1.3                                                  ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                                              ║
║ Please keep the device powered.                                              ║
║ Do not remove the cartridge.                                                 ║
║                                                                              ║
║ Applying...                                                                  ║
║                                                                              ║
║ ████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 35%         ║
║                                                                              ║
║ • Writing mission templates to cartridge memory...                          ║
║ • Advancing Cipher seed (voice generation)...                               ║
║ • Merging balance patch parameters...                                       ║
║ • Verifying integrity...                                                     ║
║                                                                              ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

8.4 VERIFY Phase — Success

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ RELAY: UPDATE COMPLETE                                                       ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                                              ║
║ Version: v1.3                                                                ║
║ Released: 2026-04-10                                                         ║
║ Deck state: UPDATED                                                          ║
║                                                                              ║
║ ✓ Signature verification: PASS                                               ║
║ ✓ CRC check: PASS                                                            ║
║ ✓ Template structures: VALID                                                 ║
║ ✓ Cipher seed: ADVANCED                                                      ║
║ ✓ Deck state written to flash: COMPLETE                                     ║
║                                                                              ║
║ Status: SUCCESS                                                              ║
║                                                                              ║
║ You are now running v1.3.                                                    ║
║                                                                              ║
║ Load any cartridge to see new RELAY BOUNTY contracts on the mission        ║
║ board. Complete them for bonus credits and exclusive content access.       ║
║                                                                              ║
║ [EVAL: return to bare deck]                                                 ║
║                                                                              ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ RELAY: TRANSMIT UPDATE TO PEER                                               ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                                              ║
║ You have: v1.3 (stable, released 2026-04-10)                               ║
║                                                                              ║
║ Waiting for peer connection via LINK cable...                               ║
║                                                                              ║
║ When peer device displays "RECEIVE UPDATE FROM PEER", press EVAL below.     ║
║                                                                              ║
║ [Waiting...]                                                                 ║
║                                                                              ║
║ Peer name:     (not yet connected)                                          ║
║ Peer version:  (not yet connected)                                          ║
║ Transfer size: 18 KB                                                         ║
║ Estimated time: 30–60 seconds                                                ║
║                                                                              ║
║ [EVAL: send update]     [BACK: cancel]                                      ║
║                                                                              ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

9. SESSION WALKTHROUGH: “THE SIGNAL”

A complete 15-minute session from boot to new-content discovery.

MINUTE 0–1: Boot and Notification

Operator powers on KN-86. Bare deck loads. Cipher voice: “UPDATE v1.3 AWAITS. TRANSFER VIA DESKTOP UTILITY OR LINK PROTOCOL.”

Operator loads RELAY cartridge.

MINUTE 1–3: SCAN and Decision

RELAY displays SCAN phase. Operator selects “Download v1.3” on desktop utility. Screen shows transfer progress (220 Hz rising pitch, 8 seconds of data flow).

Transfer completes. Voice 1 sustains 440 Hz (ready signal).

Operator reviews update summary: 4 new ICE BREAKER templates, 1 new NODESPACE opponent, 20 new cipher puzzles, 50 new Cipher passages. Operator is intrigued.

MINUTE 3–8: EVALUATE

Operator presses CAR to drill into manifest. Explores each section:

ICE BREAKER: Sees “FINANCIAL_NETWORK_v2” (new template targeting banks, multi-node structures)
NODESPACE: Sees “ASYMMETRIC opponent Phase 3 behavior: cuts supply lines, not expansive”
CIPHER GARDEN: Sees “20 Vigenère puzzles, threat 2–3”
Balance patch: Threat 5–6 payouts +5–10%, HUNTER spawn sooner
Community content: 3 player-designed ciphers from high-rep operators

Operator presses EVAL to apply.

MINUTE 8–10: APPLY

Screen shows progress bar. Voice 2 pulses three times (signature, CRC, template verification checks). System writes new mission templates to cartridge memory, advances Cipher seed.

Voice 1 sweeps from 330→660 Hz (completion signal).

MINUTE 10–11: VERIFY

Success screen displays. All checks pass. Operator presses EVAL to return to bare deck.

Cipher voice (rep 15+): “VERSION 1.3 INSTALLED. THE CIPHER VOICE EXPANDS WITH NEW DOMAIN VOCABULARY.”

MINUTE 11–15: Explore New Content

Operator loads ICE BREAKER cartridge. Mission board regenerates. Operator sees:

2 normal Threat 2–3 penetration contracts (existing templates)
1 new “FINANCIAL_NETWORK_v2” contract (Threat 2, new template, 600 ¤ base)
RELAY BOUNTY: “NEW FINANCIAL NETWORKS — Complete 2 of the 4 new financial templates. Reward: 300 ¤ + bonus.” (visible because rep 15+)

Operator bids on the new FINANCIAL_NETWORK_v2 contract, plays a 5-minute run, completes successfully.

Debrief: 600 ¤ base + 50 ¤ new-template bonus = 650 ¤. Rep +2. Cipher voice: “CLEAN EXTRACTION FROM NEW TARGET. FINANCIAL NETWORKS FULLY MAPPED.”

Operator now understands: every RELAY update gives fresh contracts with fresh rewards. Platform never stagnates.

Total session time: 15 minutes. Earnings: 650 ¤, +2 rep. Outcome: Operator feels the platform is alive, responsive, and expansive.

10. DESIGN NOTES: INFINITE PLAY STRATEGY

10.1 The Problem RELAY Solves

A handheld device with 14 cartridges offers hundreds of hours of gameplay. But procedural generation is finite—an operator with 500+ hours played will eventually see repeated contract templates, repeated Cipher passages, repeated opponent strategies.

Traditional solution: “Buy more cartridges” (requires game releases).

RELAY’s solution: Firmware patches as gameplay content.

10.2 How Patches Extend Play

Each monthly RELAY update contains:

New mission templates (50–100 new procedurally-generated contracts per module)
Cipher vocabulary expansion (50–100 new sentence templates)
Balance adjustments (subtle difficulty/payout recalibrations to keep economy fresh)
Community content (player-designed puzzles, strategies, operator profiles)
RELAY bounties (exclusive high-value contracts tied to new content)

An operator who plays ICE BREAKER exclusively for a year will encounter:

Month 1: 12 base templates × 10 contracts per board refresh ≈ 120 unique runs (procedurally varied)
Month 2: +4 new templates via RELAY → 16 templates × 10 contracts ≈ 160 unique runs (fresh contracts available)
Month 12: +48 cumulative new templates via 12 monthly updates → 60 templates × 10 contracts ≈ 600 unique runs (endless procedural variety)

The key: templates compound. Each new template seeds thousands of procedurally-generated contract variations (via threat level, reputation, cartridge history, LFSR seed).

10.3 Economic Loop: Incentivizing Update Adoption

Operators are incentivized to apply RELAY updates immediately:

RELAY bounties grant 50–500 ¤ bonus for completing new content within 7 days
Exclusive templates only appear in the mission board after an update is applied
Community content (puzzles, strategies) creates FOMO (fear of missing out)—operators want to see what their peers submitted
Balance patches can make high-threat contracts more lucrative, pushing operators to upgrade tactics

An operator who defers an update is deliberately missing out on economic gains. This creates soft pressure to stay current while preserving player agency (deferral is always possible).

10.4 Post-Launch Content Strategy

Year 1 (Monthly):

STABLE channel: New templates, balance tweaks, community content (12 updates)
EXPERIMENTAL channel: Prototype new modules, radical balance, unreleased cartridges (24 updates)

Year 2–3:

Phase 2 & 3 cartridge launches paired with major RELAY updates (8 updates)
Community voting on which features to prioritize next

Year 4–10:

LEGENDARY channel: Operator-co-designed content, secret modules, meta-game layers
Archive of all historical RELAY updates (operators can “downgrade” to earlier patches, relive old contract sets)

10.5 Example Post-Launch Calendar

Launch Day (April 2026):
  KN-86 ships with 4 cartridges, RELAY module, v1.0 firmware

Q2 2026:
  Monthly updates: v1.1 (May), v1.2 (June), v1.3 (July)
  Each adds templates, balance tweaks, 2–3 community submissions
  STABLE channel only

Q3 2026:
  Phase 2 cartridges ship: Shellfire, Nodespace, The Vault, Cipher Garden
  v1.4 RELAY update includes initial templates from Phase 2
  EXPERIMENTAL channel opens (rep 15+)

Q4 2026 – Q2 2027:
  Monthly STABLE + bi-weekly EXPERIMENTAL updates
  Phase 3 cartridges launch (SynthFence, Drift, Pathfinder, Takezo)
  Legendary channel opens (rep 50+)

Q3 2027 onwards:
  Null + Relay Phase 2 (meta-game layers)
  Community-driven content pipeline (operators author, Edgeware curates, RELAY distributes)
  Possibility of operator-designed cartridges (far future)

10.6 Protecting Against Content Fatigue

RELAY updates are optional but incentivized, not mandatory. An operator can:

Defer indefinitely (no penalty)
Roll back to older versions (if they dislike balance changes)
Stay on older templates (new templates don’t delete old ones)

This prevents the “bloat” feeling some live-service games create. The platform grows, but legacy content remains stable.

11. LINK PROTOCOL INTEGRATION

RELAY extends the LINK protocol with peer-to-peer update sharing, creating a self-propagating distribution network.

11.1 Update Transmission

Data Structure:

typedef struct {
    uint8_t link_msg_type = LINK_MSG_UPDATE_SHARE;  /* 0x0F */
    uint32_t sender_handle_crc;                      /* Operator identity check */
    uint32_t update_version;                         /* v1.3 = 0x010300 */
    uint32_t payload_size;                           /* 18 KB compressed */
    uint8_t payload[18432];                          /* Actual update data */
    uint8_t crc32_payload;                           /* 4-byte CRC */
} LinkUpdateMessage;

Encryption: Both operators’ handles + their device serial numbers form a shared key (ECDH-style, simplified for 8-bit architecture). The payload is encrypted with this key.

Bandwidth: 18 KB at 9600 baud = ~16 seconds + overhead = ~25–40 seconds total transfer time.

11.2 Network Topology Visualization (Optional UI)

If an operator loads NULL (diagnostic module) after peer-sharing an update, NULL can display a simple network topology showing which operators have connected via LINK:

YOUR DEVICE (v1.3)
  ↓
Operator "Architect" (v1.3, rep 33)
  ↓
Operator "Falcon" (v1.2, just received update)
  ↓
Operator "Cipher" (v1.1, queued for next peer share)

Network nodes: 4
Updates propagating: 2

This is purely optional flavor—no mechanical impact. But it reinforces the fiction of a relay station propagating signals through a network of peers.

12. CROSS-MODULE INTERACTIONS

With ICE BREAKER

RELAY updates deliver new network templates (financial, corporate, government domains)
New HUNTER spawn behaviors can be tuned via balance patches
Community content: player-designed network topologies (encoded as contract seeds)
Bounty example: “Complete the 4 new ICE BREAKER templates” (300+ ¤)

With The Vault

RELAY updates deliver new VAULT entries (intelligence briefings, operator dossiers, frequency tables)
Community content: player-created operator profiles (submitted via RELAY’s SUBMIT tab)
Bounty example: “Read the 5 new VAULT entries post-update” (100 ¤ + knowledge index +1)

With Cipher Garden

RELAY updates deliver new cipher puzzle types and difficulty adjustments
Community content: player-designed substitution/Vigenère ciphers
Bounty example: “Solve 3 new community-submitted ciphers” (150 ¤)

With Null

NULL can verify RELAY update integrity (CRC check on installed packages)
NULL can display RELAY version history (which updates have been applied)
Bounty example: “Verify the latest RELAY update is uncorrupted and complete” (50 ¤)

With All Modules

RELAY bounties appear on the mission board of every loaded cartridge post-update
Cross-module bounties: “You received ICE BREAKER + Black Ledger + new Cipher templates in this update. Complete one mission from each and link them into a 3-phase operation.” (500 ¤ + 2 rep)

Self-Reference

RELAY updates can patch RELAY itself (improving transfer speed, adding new features)
Bounty: “Apply the RELAY v1.4 update (performance improvements)” (0 ¤, +0 rep, but unlocks future optimizations)

13. CONTENT TYPE SPECIFICATIONS

13.1 Firmware Binary Patches

Format: ELF binary delta (differences from previous version)
Size: 5–20 KB per patch
Deployment: Only for critical bugs (rare); most changes are cartridge-level
Risk: None (signature validation prevents corruption)

13.2 Cipher Script Expansion

Format: LFSR token tree (binary-encoded sentence templates + word tables)
Size: 10–50 KB per update
Mechanical Impact: Zero (purely cosmetic, voice variety)
Deployment: Monthly in STABLE channel

13.3 Campaign Template Data

Format: Serialized mission template structures (threat levels, payout curves, phase requirements)
Size: Variable (5–20 KB per module)
Mechanical Impact: Medium (new contracts on board)
Deployment: Monthly in STABLE channel, weekly in EXPERIMENTAL

13.4 Balance Patch Binary

Format: Compact binary encoding (module ID → parameter deltas)
Size: 1–5 KB per patch
Mechanical Impact: High (AI difficulty, payout scaling, threat escalation)
Deployment: Monthly in STABLE (tested), weekly in EXPERIMENTAL (untested)

13.5 Community Submission Package

Format: User-submitted text (cipher solutions, strategy descriptions, player dossiers)
Size: 1–10 KB per submission
Mechanical Impact: Medium (new puzzles, new AI tactics)
Submission Process:

Operator (rep 25+) uses RELAY’s SUBMIT tab to author content
Content is uploaded to Edgeware servers (simulated; not mechanically enforced)
Edgeware team curates (1–2 week turnaround)
Content is bundled into next STABLE update
Submitting operator receives +25 ¤ bounty and +1 rep when their submission ships

14. OPERATOR PROGRESSION: REPUTATION TIERS

Rep	Tier	Update Capabilities
0–4	Apprentice	STABLE channel only; auto-apply updates (no deferral); see simplified changelog
5–14	Trainee	STABLE channel; can preview and defer updates (1-session delay); see detailed changelog
15–24	Specialist	STABLE + EXPERIMENTAL channels; can see RELAY bounties; can provide feedback form
25–49	Expert	Can submit community content; early access to balance patches; can suggest features
50+	Legend	LEGENDARY channel; beta-test in closed groups; co-design balance with Edgeware

15. FINAL NOTES: THE PLATFORM AS CONVERSATION

RELAY is the mechanism by which Edgeware maintains an ongoing conversation with operators. Each monthly update is a message: “We heard your feedback. Here’s what we’ve done.” Each community submission in an update is acknowledgment: “Your puzzle is so good, we’re shipping it.” Each new cartridge launch paired with a major RELAY update is an expansion: “Here’s what’s next.”

This prevents the platform from feeling abandoned. A device shipped in 2026 that receives monthly updates through 2030 does not feel like legacy hardware—it feels alive.

RELAY ensures infinite play. Not infinite content (that requires human authors), but infinite variety—new templates seeding thousands of procedurally-generated runs, new Cipher passages creating fresh narration, new balance tweaks pushing operators to evolve tactics. A single cartridge, patched monthly for a decade, contains thousands of hours of unique experiences.

This is the promise: You buy once. The platform never stops growing.

16. DETAILED SCREEN LAYOUTS

All screens fit 80 columns × 25 rows. Row 0 = header. Rows 1–23 = content. Row 24 = action bar.

Screen 1: RELAY STATUS (Boot Notification)

ROW 0: RELAY > STATUS                                     [Current: v1.2]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
ROW 3: ║                   UPDATE AVAILABLE                         ║
ROW 4: ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
ROW 5:
ROW 6: Current nOSh runtime version: v1.2 (stable, released 2026-04-02)
ROW 7: Latest available version: v1.3 (released 2026-04-10)
ROW 8:
ROW 9: CHANGE SUMMARY:
ROW 10:  • 4 new ICE BREAKER mission templates (financial networks)
ROW 11:  • 1 new NODESPACE opponent personality (ASYMMETRIC)
ROW 12:  • 20 new CIPHER GARDEN puzzle variants
ROW 13:  • 3 new THE VAULT intelligence entries
ROW 14:  • Balance patch: Threat 5–6 payout bonuses (+5–10%)
ROW 15:  • 50 new Cipher voice passages (expanded vocabulary)
ROW 16:  • 3 community-submitted cipher puzzles (peer content)
ROW 17:
ROW 18: Update size: 45 KB uncompressed | 18 KB transfer (via USB or LINK)
ROW 19: Estimated time: 8 seconds (USB) or 30–60 seconds (LINK protocol)
ROW 20: New RELAY BOUNTY: "Complete 2 new ICE BREAKER templates" (300 ¤ bonus)
ROW 21:
ROW 22:  [CAR=view manifest] [EVAL=download now] [BACK=defer]
ROW 23: RELAY MODULE | UPDATE READY | REPUTATION: 15 | Credits: 2,250

Screen 2: SCAN Phase — Download Progress

ROW 0: RELAY > DOWNLOAD (SCAN PHASE)                          [8 seconds]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: Contacting Edgeware firmware servers...
ROW 3:
ROW 4: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
ROW 5: │ Progress: [████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] │
ROW 6: │           50% (3.2 KB / 7.1 KB transferred)         │
ROW 7: └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ROW 8:
ROW 9: TRANSFER DETAILS:
ROW 10: Protocol: USB HID bulk transfer (9600 baud equivalent)
ROW 11: Data source: Edgeware v1.3 stable release
ROW 12: Current speed: ~400 bytes/sec
ROW 13: Time remaining: ~4 seconds
ROW 14:
ROW 15: AUDIO STATE:
ROW 16: Voice 1: 220 Hz rising slowly (transfer in progress)
ROW 17: Voice 2: Idle
ROW 18: Voice 3: Idle
ROW 19:
ROW 20: (Do not remove cartridge or power off device during transfer)
ROW 21:
ROW 22:  [SYS=abort download]
ROW 23: RELAY SCAN PHASE | TRANSFERRING UPDATE | STAND BY

Screen 3: EVALUATE Phase — Manifest Browser

ROW 0: RELAY > UPDATE v1.3 MANIFEST (EVALUATE PHASE)      [Rep: 15]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: ▼ NEW MISSION TEMPLATES
ROW 3: ┌─ ICE BREAKER ──────────────────────────────────────────┐
ROW 4: │ [>] 4 new PENETRATION templates (financial networks)    │
ROW 5: │     Estimated new play time: 12–16 hours              │
ROW 6: │     Includes: Bank servers, trading floors, wire nodes │
ROW 7: └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ROW 8:
ROW 9: ┌─ NODESPACE (collapsed) ────────────────────────────────┐
ROW 10: │ [ ] 1 new opponent personality (ASYMMETRIC Phase 3)    │
ROW 11: └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ROW 12:
ROW 13: ┌─ CIPHER GARDEN (collapsed) ────────────────────────────┐
ROW 14: │ [ ] 20 new Vigenère + substitution puzzle variants    │
ROW 15: └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ROW 16:
ROW 17: ▼ BALANCE PATCH
ROW 18: Threat 5 payout: ×1.10 → ×1.15 (+5% revenue increase)
ROW 19: Threat 6 payout: ×1.30 → ×1.40 (+10% revenue increase)
ROW 20:
ROW 21: ▼ CIPHER VOCABULARY (collapsed)
ROW 22: ▼ COMMUNITY CONTENT (3 submissions, collapsed)
ROW 23:  [CAR=expand] [CDR=next section] [INFO=detailed] [EVAL=apply] [BACK=defer]

Screen 4: APPLY Phase — Installation Progress

ROW 0: RELAY > APPLYING UPDATE v1.3                      [In Progress]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: Installing nOSh runtime version 1.3...
ROW 3:
ROW 4: Please keep device powered.
ROW 5: Do not remove cartridge.
ROW 6: This may take 5–10 seconds.
ROW 7:
ROW 8: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
ROW 9: │ Progress: [██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] │
ROW 10: │           35% (writing mission templates to memory)    │
ROW 11: └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
ROW 12:
ROW 13: OPERATIONS IN PROGRESS:
ROW 14:  ✓ Unpacking archive
ROW 15:  ✓ Verifying signatures
ROW 16:  • Writing mission templates to cartridge memory
ROW 17:  ⊙ Advancing Cipher seed for voice variation
ROW 18:  ⊙ Merging balance patch parameters
ROW 19:  ⊙ Integrity verification pending
ROW 20:
ROW 21: AUDIO STATE:
ROW 22: Voice 1: Idle  | Voice 2: 330 Hz pulses (verification checks) | Voice 3: Noise
ROW 23: RELAY APPLY PHASE | WRITING UPDATE | STAND BY (DO NOT INTERRUPT)

Screen 5: VERIFY Phase — Installation Complete

ROW 0: RELAY > UPDATE APPLIED SUCCESSFULLY               [v1.3 Active]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
ROW 3: ║                    INSTALLATION COMPLETE                   ║
ROW 4: ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
ROW 5:
ROW 6: UPDATE VERIFICATION RESULTS:
ROW 7:  ✓ Signature verification: PASSED (Edgeware 0xA2C4 auth valid)
ROW 8:  ✓ CRC-32 checksum: PASSED
ROW 9:  ✓ Mission template structures: VALID (4 new templates, 12 fields each)
ROW 10: ✓ Cipher seed advancement: COMPLETE (LFSR position: 0x4A3F)
ROW 11: ✓ Deck state written to flash: PERSISTED
ROW 12:
ROW 13: NOSH RUNTIME STATUS:
ROW 14: Version: v1.3 (released 2026-04-10)
ROW 15: Installed: 2026-04-15 20:34 UTC
ROW 16: Deck state: UPDATED and persistent
ROW 17: Next update check: 2026-05-10
ROW 18:
ROW 19: NEXT STEPS:
ROW 20: Load any cartridge to see new RELAY BOUNTY contracts on the mission board.
ROW 21: Complete them for bonus credits and exclusive content access.
ROW 22:
ROW 23:  [EVAL=return to bare deck] [BACK=view manifest again]

ROW 0: RELAY > TRANSMIT UPDATE TO PEER                   [v1.3 → Peer]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: You have: v1.3 (stable, released 2026-04-10)
ROW 3: Peer has: v1.2 (awaiting upgrade)
ROW 4:
ROW 5: PEER-TO-PEER LINK STATUS:
ROW 6: ┌────────────────────────────────────┐
ROW 7: │ Waiting for peer connection...     │
ROW 8: │ [Listening on LINK port 9600 baud]│
ROW 9: └────────────────────────────────────┘
ROW 10:
ROW 11: WHEN PEER DEVICE DISPLAYS "RECEIVE UPDATE FROM PEER":
ROW 12:  1. Ensure both devices are physically close (< 2 meters)
ROW 13:  2. Verify LINK cable is connected (9-pin serial)
ROW 14:  3. Press EVAL below to begin transmission
ROW 15:
ROW 16: TRANSFER SPECS:
ROW 17: Package size: 18 KB (compressed)
ROW 18: Estimated time: 30–60 seconds at 9600 baud
ROW 19: Encryption: ECDH shared key (both operators' handles + serials)
ROW 20:
ROW 21: BONUS: Both operators receive +50 ¤ "Shared Knowledge" bounty
ROW 22:
ROW 23:  [EVAL=send update] [BACK=cancel] [INFO=link protocol]

Screen 7: New Content Discovery — Mission Board

ROW 0: ICE BREAKER > MISSION BOARD                          [Post v1.3]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: AVAILABLE CONTRACTS (5 active, 1 new)
ROW 3: ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ROW 4:
ROW 5: [>] RELAY BOUNTY: NEW FINANCIAL NETWORKS     [BONUS CONTRACT]
ROW 6:     Complete 2 of the 4 new ICE BREAKER financial templates
ROW 7:     Reward: 300 ¤ (bonus) + base payout from templates
ROW 8:     Est: 20–30 minutes
ROW 9:
ROW 10: [ ] FINANCIAL PENETRATION: BANK A          [NEW TEMPLATE]
ROW 11:     Multi-node bank server network (threat 2–3)
ROW 12:     Reward: 650 ¤  |  Est: 15 min
ROW 13:
ROW 14: [ ] FINANCIAL PENETRATION: TRADING FLOOR   [NEW TEMPLATE]
ROW 15:     High-speed derivative trading network (threat 2)
ROW 16:     Reward: 500 ¤  |  Est: 12 min
ROW 17:
ROW 18: [ ] FINANCIAL PENETRATION: WIRE SERVICE    [NEW TEMPLATE]
ROW 19:     International transaction routing (threat 3)
ROW 20:     Reward: 720 ¤  |  Est: 18 min
ROW 21:
ROW 22: [ ] STANDARD PENETRATION: CORPORATE OFFICE [EXISTING]
ROW 23:  [CAR=select] [CDR=next] [INFO=details] [SYS=menu] [EVAL=bid]

Screen 8: Version History & Archive Access

ROW 0: RELAY > VERSION HISTORY                           [Installed v1.3]
ROW 1:
ROW 2: NOSH RUNTIME VERSIONS INSTALLED ON THIS DEVICE
ROW 3: ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ROW 4:
ROW 5: [>] v1.3 (current)     released 2026-04-10 | installed 2026-04-15 22:14
ROW 6:     4 new ICE BREAKER templates, balance patch, community content
ROW 7:     Size: 45 KB | Status: ACTIVE
ROW 8:
ROW 9: [ ] v1.2 (previous)    released 2026-04-02 | installed 2026-04-10 18:30
ROW 10:    NODESPACE new opponent, CIPHER GARDEN content, balance patch
ROW 11:    Size: 52 KB | Status: ARCHIVED (available for rollback, not recommended)
ROW 12:
ROW 13: [ ] v1.1              released 2026-03-10 | installed 2026-03-15
ROW 14:    Initial RELAY release, VAULT entries, balance tweaks
ROW 15:
ROW 16: [ ] v1.0              released 2026-02-15 (shipped with hardware)
ROW 17:    Base firmware with 4 cartridges, RELAY module, initial mission templates
ROW 18:
ROW 19: ARCHIVE NOTE:
ROW 20: Previous versions are archived but NOT automatically deleted. Device storage:
ROW 21: 2.1 MB used of 4 MB available. Oldest version can be deleted to free space.
ROW 22:
ROW 23:  [CAR=version details] [INFO=archive info] [BACK=return]

END SPECIFICATION

CIPHER-LINE Contributions

Relay’s voice: communications operator in a quiet shack, logging traffic. Short traffic-style bulletins. Edgeware Systems publisher → Corporate neutral.

Vocabulary Pools

(:subject       "packet" "pack" "manifest" "signature" "update"
                "submission" "hash" "chain" "feed")
(:object        "integrity" "mark" "bundle" "digest" "entry")
(:location      "channel" "feed" "pipe" "queue" "log")
(:verb-present  "arrives" "verifies" "holds" "stages" "applies"
                "syndicates")
(:verb-past-participle "verified" "applied" "refused" "queued"
                       "archived")
(:memory-keyword "pack" "submission" "signature" "chain" "feed")
(:affect-word   "clean" "signed" "unsigned" "ragged" "fresh")

Production Fragments

(:mode-observe
  (3 (:subject) ". " (:affect-word) ".")
  (2 (:location) " " (:verb-present) ".")
  (1 "verified."))

(:mode-annotate
  (3 "pack " (:affect-word) ".")
  (1 "signature clean.")
  (1 "unsigned."))

(:mode-reflect
  (3 "same feed. " (:memory-fragment))
  (2 "this submitter. " (:memory-fragment)))

(:mode-drift
  (2 "a pack that broke the audit.")
  (1 "community puzzle from summer."))

:event-types
  ((:type :pack-received :affect (:routine))
   (:type :pack-verified :affect (:significant))
   (:type :pack-refused  :affect (:tense :anomalous))
   (:type :grammar-extended :affect (:significant)))

Mode-Weight Biases

Beat	`observe`	`annotate`	`reflect`	`drift`	`silent`
`:mission-brief`	+0.05	+0.05	—	—	—
`:active-hack` (apply)	+0.05	—	—	—	+0.05
`:phase-transition` (pack applied)	—	—	+0.10	—	—

Runtime Grammar Extension

Relay is the primary runtime caller of (cipher-extend-grammar ...). Content packs may ship additional vocabulary, productions, and even new event types. When a pack is applied, Relay calls cipher-extend-grammar in the :mission-brief or :bare-deck beat (the framework forbids it during :active-hack). A successful extension pushes an event:

(:event :type :grammar-extended :tag :relay :t ... :affect (:significant)
        :target "<pack-id>")

Cipher’s next tick then observes this as grammar grew. or similar. The operator hears the voice acknowledge the expansion.

Structurally Important Moments Preserved on CIPHER-LINE

Beat	Intent	CIPHER-LINE fragment(s)
Pack received	”Pack inbound. Signature pending.”	`pack. inbound.`
Signature verified	”Signature clean. Ready to apply.”	`signed.`
Pack refused	”Signature rejected. Unsigned pack.”	`unsigned. refused.` (anomalous)
Grammar extended	(voice itself notes the change)	`grammar grew.`
Community submission shipped	”Kit published. Operator catalog updated.”	`shipped.`

nEmacs Contributions

Per ADR-0016 (nEmacs + REPL + Input Model), each cart declares what its scripted-mission surface looks like — grammar fragments contributed to the predictive palette, domain vocabulary that earns the +5 ranking boost (ADR-0016 §7), whether it uses prompt-text for raw text entry (§8), and whether any of its keys bind :double-tap or :long-press events (§9). Relay’s role as the platform maintenance engine makes it the heaviest nEmacs contributor of all 14 launch carts. Where Relay contributes Cipher grammar at runtime (via the existing cipher-extend-grammar), it now mirrors that with a symmetric emacs-extend-grammar path — content packs ship nEmacs grammar extensions that ride the same distribution rails.

Scripted Missions?

Yes — routing logic and messaging scripts. Relay’s scripted-mission surface has two faces:

Routing logic — the operator authors predicates that decide whether an incoming pack should be auto-applied, deferred, or refused. The default firmware-provided predicates are conservative; high-rep operators write their own ((prefer-signed-by? pubkey), (quarantine-if-unverified)).
Messaging — Relay is the cart where operators compose messages to peers over LINK. Message composition happens in nEmacs + prompt-text (§8), and common operator-authored templates get saved as scripted-mission forms.

Scripted missions remain optional on the critical path (ADR-0002). A low-rep operator accepts firmware defaults for both routing and messaging; the platform is fully usable without writing a line of Lisp.

Typical scripted-mission shapes:

(on-pack-inbound (if (signed-by? :known) (apply) (queue))) — auto-apply handler.
(compose-to "friend-handle" (template :invite)) — messaging helper.
(pack-filter (:min-rep 5)) — routing predicate.
(content-pack-manifest pack-id) — inspection primitive.

Cart Grammar Fragments

Relay’s grammar contribution is the largest of any launch cart because it’s also the distribution channel for community grammar. Content packs themselves may carry emacs-extend-grammar blocks that Relay merges into the running grammar arena at pack-apply — the §7 FFI runs at pack-apply as well as cart-load. Relay’s baseline contribution:

(emacs-extend-grammar
  ;; Pack management
  (pack               (id))                     ; returns pack record
  (pack-manifest      (id))                     ; full metadata + file list
  (pack-signature     (id))                     ; signature status
  (pack-provenance    (id))                     ; origin trail
  (apply-pack         (id))
  (defer-pack         (id))
  (refuse-pack        (id :reason string))
  (quarantine         (id))
  ;; Routing
  (on-pack-inbound    (&body handler))
  (on-pack-apply      (&body handler))
  (pack-filter        (&key :min-rep :signed-by :publisher))
  (signed-by?         (pack :key))
  ;; Peers / LINK
  (peers)
  (peer               (handle))
  (link-status)
  (broadcast          (message-form &key :reach))
  (announce-cart      (cart-id))
  ;; Messaging (uses prompt-text for body)
  (compose-to         (handle template))
  (reply-to           (message-id template))
  (template           (name))
  ;; Community
  (catalog)
  (bounty-submission  (&key :title :body :payload))
  (publish-kit        (kit-id)))

Vocabulary Contribution

Via (emacs-extend-vocabulary ...). Distribution / community / firmware domain:

(emacs-extend-vocabulary
  "pack" "manifest" "signature" "signed" "unsigned"
  "apply" "defer" "refuse" "quarantine" "verify"
  "peer" "link" "broadcast" "announce" "handshake"
  "catalog" "kit" "bounty" "submission" "publish"
  "firmware" "patch" "version" "release" "channel"
  "upstream" "mirror" "relay" "propagate"
  "compose" "reply" "template" "message" "inbox"
  "rep" "pubkey" "trust" "authenticity")

Relay is also the only cart that may inject vocabulary from an applied content pack. A Kōji Interactive Nodespace pack shipped via Relay can extend Relay’s active vocabulary with Go-board terms while that pack is installed. Relay tracks pack-contributed vocabulary as a separate arena so it can be evicted on pack-remove.

`prompt-text` FFI Usage

Yes — heavy use. Relay is the second-heaviest prompt-text caller after Cipher Garden, across five identified call sites:

Call site	Purpose	Typical length
Message compose	Body of a peer message	20–500 chars (paginated if long)
Peer handle entry	Address a message to a handle not in the catalog	3–8 chars
Pack search	Free-text search over available packs	1–30 chars
Bounty title	Title for a community submission	5–60 chars
Kit description	Short description when publishing a kit	10–200 chars

Message compose is the most intensive use and is the forcing function for the ADR-0016 §6 note that Nokia multi-tap may need autocomplete or prediction tuning if operators actually use Relay for central messaging. Initial playtest will tell us if 500-char messages are usable with plain multi-tap or if prediction is a v1.1 priority.

Double-Tap and Long-Press Bindings

Relay opts into ADR-0016 §9:

Key	`:tap`	`:double-tap`	`:long-press`
`INFO`	`preview-pack` — show pack summary	`preview-deep` — full manifest + diff against current state	`verbose-log` — provenance + signature chain + propagation history
`CAR`	`open-pack` — browse pack contents	`open-pack-diff` — side-by-side with current state	—
`QUOTE`	`mark-trusted` — flag peer / pack as trusted	—	`untrust-all-since` — bulk untrust back to a chosen point
`EVAL`	`apply-pack` / `send-message` (context-dependent)	—	—
`CONS`	`add-to-batch` — queue for bulk operation	—	`show-batch` — list queued items

Row 24 renders e.g.: INFO:PREV INFO²:DEEP INFO…:LOG CAR:OPEN EVAL:APPLY QUOTE:TRUST.

Context-Polymorphic Key Semantics (Cart Gameplay)

Relay has four primary cursor contexts: inbox (pending packs/messages), catalog (available content), compose (writing messages), peers (LINK roster):

Key	Inbox	Catalog	Compose	Peers
`INFO`	preview-pack	preview-listing	show-template-info	peer-stats
`CAR`	open-pack	open-listing	insert-template-slot	drill-into-peer
`CDR`	next-item	next-listing	next-field	next-peer
`CONS`	batch-queue	add-to-wishlist	insert-quote	add-to-contacts
`EVAL`	apply	download	send	ping-peer
`QUOTE`	flag	flag-publisher	save-as-template	trust-peer
`BACK`	exit-inbox	exit-catalog	discard-compose	exit-peers
Numpad	item-select	result-select	Nokia multi-tap	peer-select

The compose context is where Nokia multi-tap (§6) is most active — numpad keys 2–9 become A–Z cycles per §6, KEY_DOUBLE_TAP is suppressed on numpad per the disambiguation rule in §6/§9, and CIPHER-LINE Row 4 echoes the composition.

When the operator opens nEmacs (via SYS → Edit) to author a routing predicate, dispatch yields to :nemacs-nav — same pattern as other carts.