random state equations. This statement pretty much

sums up much of reality — complex interactions governed by

minuscule changes in thousands of probabilities. A little bit

of computational power, some mathematical skill and a bit of

intuition suffice to give a vague outline of possible outcomes.

[A successful use of Nonlinear Prediction allows the

Technocrat to determine the probable outcome of one

action. The more variables involved, the more successes

required to get an accurate prediction. For instance, if you're

trying to figure out what card is likely to come up next in a

deal, you might only need one or two successes; determining

where an RD is going to hide out for the next week would

require eight or more.]