System Mean Time (SMT)

Definition

Term: System Mean Time (SMT)
Classification: Temporal Protocol
Origin: Anima Dynamics / Post-Global Network Era

System Mean Time (SMT) is the localised timekeeping standard used across the fragmented nodes of the Morpheum Network. Unlike the obsolete Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which relied on an interconnected global grid and atomic clocks, SMT is entirely dependent on the primary Anima Dynamics server core governing a specific geographic or digital sector.

When the global network fractured during the collapse of the old world, standardised time collapsed with it. To maintain control over isolated population centers, Anima Dynamics implemented SMT.

Under SMT, "time" is not dictated by the sun, but by the processing cycle of the local System Core. A minute under SMT is defined by the completion of a specific number of tera-operations within the local memory banks.

Because of this, SMT is not perfectly synchronised across different sectors. If a local server is experiencing heavy "neural load", processing massive amounts of human memory data or fighting off incursions from The Echo, time in that sector effectively "lags" relative to neighboring systems.

To the average citizen, the discrepancy is barely noticeable, masked by automatic device syncing. But to those operating rogue terminals, SMT is a critical metric. A sudden slowing of SMT indicates that Anima Dynamics is running a massive memory purge, or that The Echo is causing heavy interference in the local grid.

Terminal usage

On unauthorised access points, timestamps must include the SMT designation to verify the integrity of the data packet relative to the local server's cycle.

Example: [TRANSMISSION RECEIVED : 2026.04.30 | 14:22 SMT]