**The year is 3463.** Despite the worries of twentieth century humanity, both the human race and planet earth continued to expand and prosper over the next one and a half thousand years. There were, of course, ups and downs. Medicine, combat, politics- Everything advanced in its own way over time. It took time, but Earth itself was cleaned up. Countries banded together over centuries, until planet Earth held only one, unified government, simply called "Humanity". Subcultures still exist, but live, in general, peacefully as one. All continents are ruled over by a democratic monarchy, a single King and his council ruling- Yet with every citizen holding the right to overrule said group's decisions for the best of the planet, and the human race as a whole. So far, it has proved to be an effective system of government. With the world unified, more important things than war were addressed. The planet was cleaned up. Science made leaps and bounds not seen since the peak of the many industrial revolutions over the countless years of human kind. Stations large enough to house millions were built in orbit of earth, and the Moon was terraformed and colonized, now existing as lush with life and atmosphere as Earth itself, housing a quarter of the human population- Another quarter spread out among the various space stations, and the remaining half remaining at home on a newly reformed Earth. Faster than Light travel has yet to be discovered, however, keeping humanity in the reasonable distance of it's home planet's orbit. For the most part, religious, cultural, and societal problems are under control, if not entirely resolved. -All- people have true equal rights, no matter the race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or what have you else. Issues do, of course, still exist, but no longer plague the planet as world-wide, massive disputes. Things are honestly peaceful. The military and police force are one and the same, but no need for a show of large military strength was needed for nearly four centuries. Until the rise of The Free Men. It was inevitable that even in a functioning, peaceful world wide government, people would see flaws and band together, revolting against them. It took much longer in this instance- But was all the more massive because of it. The Free Men formed in 3300, a simple, small group of men and women who decided they didn't like how things ran. Peaceful protests, news interviews, and simple boycotts were the extent of the noise they rose. And, as accepting as the government, by then, was, they let the people do as they would. But, behind the scenes, their numbers swelled, and over twenty years, nearly a third of the human race flocked behind their banners- Banners revealed to be anarchy. Too large to put down peacefully by then, Humanity decided that it was impossible to stop the break from their government. So, peace talks were arranged before things became nasty- The Free Men were granted portions of Earth, a space station, and several of the dozen or so lunar colonies. Despite the misgivings of those still under the Monarchy of Humanity, the Anarchy that reigned over the Free men -didn't- result in total chaos. No laws were there to break, credits flowed as they would. The crime rate was genuinely barely above that of Humanity's Monarchy. But of course.... War was impossible to avoid. People not under the same banner -find- reasons to hate one another. Find reasons to fight, to prove their cause is the greater of the two. So the fighting began. It started small. Border wars between the Free Men's mish-mash of military and the ordered ranks of the Royal Army. Nothing that shook the foundation of humanity. Weapons of Mass Destruction were never used by either side, for humanity remembered all too well how long it took to restore Earth from the earlier millennium's mistakes. But war was war. It was bloody, and tragic, and horrible. But, even after eighty years, it still waged on. Borders waned and waxed between the two groups of humans, people died. And somewhere along the line, each group formed a special tasks force, specifically meant to combat each other more viciously in the shadows. **The New Templars** The New Templars formed under Humanity, suggested by a man named Jamie Bellhan- A historian and soldier. All of the honor, the pride, and the tradition of the original knights of templar went into their creation and training, making them a brutally effective, if rigidly traditional group of the finest soldiers, with the finest weapons and supplies. However, they were not bound by religion as the original knights were- Merely strict codes of honor and conduct, genuine knights in the king's army. **The Beacons** The Beacons were the Free Men's response to the New Templars. Not steeped in honor or tradition, they were simply the best of the best available among the fighting men and women of the Free Men. The bravest, quickest, smartest soldiers they could find. They live by their own ways, and do the jobs they are given as they see fit, to the most effective degree imaginable- From stealing documents of importance to sabotaging military ships and stations. They are the left hand of the Free Men, working in the shadows. ## Weapons and Armor Among the many scientific leaps of humanity, despite the peaceful times, weapons and armor also made large jumps forward. I will focus here on the degree of material available to the Beacons and the New Templars. ### Fire Arms For the most part, firearms are no different than they are now. Ballistic weaponry. However, rather than large bullets, guns from small side arms to large rifles use systems more akin to those of Rail Guns, shearing a slim fragment of different metals off ammo blocks, magnetically charging and launching them at unbelievable temperatures and speeds, turning the small metal fragment into a superheated shard of destruction. The size of the shard varies from gun to gun, small-arms firing no more than a sliver the size of a sewing needle, large rifles or shotguns firing something more akin to a roofing nail. The heat build up caused by this reaction is stored in energy clips, which can be dumped into power reserves, recycling the heat for clean, renewable energy. Depending on the size of round, ammo blocks may need to be replaced every few dozen, hundred, or -thousand- shots, making the need to reload the blocks themselves very small in firefights. Energy clips, however, have a standard replacement need every twelve rounds- Give or take a few depending on the modifications made to the specific gun. They take only half a minute or so to drain and cool into energy reserved, however, making it unnecessary to carry more than two or three clips into battle. Exquisitely crafted guns made for all ranges are available to the Beacons and New Templars, though both groups tend towards mid-to-close range combat, due to often fighting in enclosed spaces. ### Blades Due to the traditional nature of the New Templars, and the Beacons' need to counter them, both groups receive extensive training not only with firearms and hand-to-hand combat, but also with swords, axes, maces, pole weapons, shields, and daggers of all varieties, making them as utterly deadly up close as they are from across the room. Of course, simple steel blades wouldn't be enough in modern times, so the blades forged for both groups are made up of the finest, strongest metals on Earth or the Moon, sharpened to edges that would cut a speck of dust, and strengthened to the point of being more than capable of cutting anything from a tree, a slab of steel, a boulder, or a human being in half without so much as a scratch showing on the metal. Depending on the individual's preferences, these blades can vary extensively in style and type. ### Armor Armor, like weaponry, has taken leaps and bounds. Full-body, space-worthy suits of nano-fiber material are supplied to both groups. The material is semi-organic in nature, allowing it to mend itself given a few minutes- Though, unfortunately, it isn't able to mend the person wearing it. So, even if one were to be shot in the arm, the suit would repair the hole with its own materials within five or six minutes, making it once again space-worthy, to minimize the chance of an operative being spaced and freezing to death. Or suffocating. Or generally just being crushed by the pressure. You get the point. The suit plating and under-weave are the same material, but the density varies, allowing for rigid plates or flexible sleeves, both equally air-tight and pressure proof. Each agent's suit will have an on-board computer and A.I. ### A.I On that note! A.I's are, in this universe, similar to what we see in the Halo universe. Complex, with genuine personalities of their own. They reside in each suit's on-board computer, but can be moved to personal devices such as phones or cranial-implants between missions, making them each agent's best friend. They can analyze a situation in fractions of a second, and give dozens of tactical options for each in only a few seconds. They monitor the agent's vital signs and physical condition, help with mental stress, and even offer a HUD showing armor condition, the state of weapons, thermal level in clips, and the suit's current energy level- Necessary to perform actions such as recycling air, venting to keep the agent from overheating, keeping the A.I active, (Though an A.I can function on the equivalent of a single watch battery, so the odds of the power draining below A.I use is next to zero) and generally just being useful as more than a hunk of protective nano-fiber. ### Food You will note in the image I use for Isaac, my Beacon Commander, that there are things that look like jelly beans spilling out of one of his pouches. Those would be food pills. In reality they will be clear, not colorful. They taste like shit, won't actually solve having an empty stomach, and are generally unpleasant to smell. However, they hold enough vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories to effectively keep the body alive and healthy with only one pill a day, as if living on a healthy meal schedule due to the timed-release segments in each capsule. While no replacement for a hot meal at home, they are more than enough to keep a soldier alive with no food source for months at a time... As long as they don't spill all over the floor and get lost. They do -not-, however, replace water. Hydration would still be an issue. As would the pain of an empty stomach, despite being healthy.

# [Bellhan Hold, Northern Alps](http://controllercreator.com/ccblog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Dragon-Age-3-Inquisition.jpg) In the high reaches of the Alps, it was as cold as ever, barely -6 Celcius by all thermometers. But, despite the freezing temperatures, it was also as beautiful as it always was around Bellhan Hold- A keep destroyed a millennium past, and restored only years before, named for the founder of the New Templar Order, and now housing its members, safely secluded far from the reach of your average hiker. Whispy clouds skated just over the keep, broken into reflective, shining strands of vapor by the surrounding mountain peaks, creating dancing colors against the sunny sky. And yet, so few among the hold had the luxury of stopping to admire the natural beauty around them. There were more pressing tasks to tend to in a place such as this- Soldiers of the Royal Army guarded the hold from the stout towers along its walls, and stood vigil at the gate itself. In the courtyard, a dozen hopeful youths trained vigorously under the eyes of their superiors, working in the hope of one day attaining the prestige and rank of a Templar themselves. And yet, the illusion of old ages long past was broken among the scene- For those guards held guns alongside their blades, and their armor was of fiber and ballistic material rather than cold, forged metal. The trainees focused as much on perfecting aim with fire-arms as they did on perfecting form with a blade. And inside the Keep itself, the war table far from matched its ancient surroundings, made of metal and glass, projecting holographic images over its surface, rotating and zooming, going from key point to key point as one man stood before it, watching. The familiar, worn face of Jason Bellhan, son to Jamie Bellhan and the latest leader of the New Templars, was bared to the eyes of others. His face was creased with a heavy frown, and he pointed a gauntleted finger to a specific point on one of the flickering, floating images, glancing to another image beside him, a wolf. "Zoom in on that, Adam." The wolvish image nodded, and the larger hologram spun about and zipped in on one specific point on the blueprints of a space station it displayed. After a moment, the image changed, showing a particularly large looking Anti-craft turret, along with its details, possible uses, and a few dozen different blueprints of it. Jason sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, thinking. He had summoned the Templars not already out on missions some half hour ago, but it didn't stop him from going over things beforehand. "They shouldn't have that kind of fire power..." --- # [Jackson Communications Station, Lunar Orbit](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgutv4sqHuf1vSNXa0P4crR48pEE3DIwKT4zwa2dA8Gr1CcC39) Little did the Templar Commander know, another high standing figure stood in that very station, staring at the same gun Jason looked upon. Only, rather than a frown, this face held a broad grin. A younger looking face, but one just as notorious... -Isaac- Bellhan, the younger brother of the famous family. He stood before a viewing port with his arms locked casually behind his back, peering down at the anti-craft turret now mounted to the simple communications station. Before now, the station had been a point of dispute between Humanity and the Free Men for decades. It wasn't the largest such tower- Not even the best placed. But, it was large enough to comfortably house and supply a hundred hungry soldiers for months at a time, and was invaluable as a strategic asset, offering dominance over radio signals and communications for nearly an eighth of the moon's surface... The same eighth that bore the few lunar colonies held by the Free Men. Supposedly, it had been inactive before the wars began, housing only the required crew for maintenance. But, once the fighting began, it became a point of contest. Now, however, Isaac believed it was finally firmly and indefinitely in the hands of the Free Men. It had been overtaken the past week, and was now in the process of being armed and garrisoned. While those precautions were undertaken, a select group of... Added protection, had been moved to the station. A rather particularly skilled group of Beacons, including the Beacon Commander himself. Earlier that morning, he had overseen the shutting down and destruction of the station's many monitoring devices, leaving the people of the Free Men on Luna free to use their radios without fear of being listened in on by big brother once again. The communications towers themselves, of course, were left functional- The station couldn't simply go dark. But it was no longer a post to listen in on civilians, in the vain hope of hearing military plans. And now, he stood watching the armaments being applied, and awaited the Beacons he had requested to join him. As pleased as he was, he knew full well that the station wasn't safe until it was fully armed and garrisoned. Until then, he had to keep everybody alert. .... And he had a chill running up his spine that made him inclined to double check everyone and everything. They would have to fight for this station. He had a feeling. And his feelings were rarely wrong. "Jackal, send out another pulse. Make sure there's nobody here just yet. Make sure the watch teams are doing their job. I don't want another surprise like we had on the Hamilton."

Casually strolling the walkways of their new base, McDougal curiously inspected the work being done here. Equipment was moved and made ready, freemen soldiers were garrisoned everywhere. McDougal disliked cramped housing, while thinking he should make a nest of sorts in the vents he saw a glimpse of their new anti-craft turret. *Whistle "_Thats some serious bang for our buck wouldn´t you say Jenny?_" an image of young woman with ponytail hair appeared sitting cross legged on his shoulder. "_Impressive equipment master, does this mean the war is won?_" Without answering McDougal laughed hard and unrestrained, what he saw around the corner stifled this laugh. The Alexander brothers were here too, both kneeling in prayer they payed no heed to passing shadow. The brothers were good at what they did, scarily so, it was why they did anything that concerned him. If they ever came to blows he doubted his own ability to stop them. "_Fistfighting is not in your style master._" "_So AI are capable of mindreading now, scary._" Finally he arrived to the lone man watching out the viewing ports, both joy and concern were painted on his face. Approaching the only man ever to warrant respect and obedience from the shadow of luna he straightened his back and cleared his throat. "_You dont look like a man who has a new neat toy, expecting troubles boss?_"

“**Amen**” Cesare finished the prayer in a near whisper, before lifting his head and forcing his heavy body to follow. The “leader”, Isaac Bellhan, had summoned forth a group to speak with. Unfortunately for Cesare and Julis, it would seem that the group had included them. It was rather irritating, having to listen to the words of an anarchist, but Cesare had put him (and by extension his brother Julis) in this position. Neither cause was the good cause, in Cesare’s eyes, both cause sickened him. It just so happened that The Free Men offended Cesare less. One thing that remained a mystery to Cesare is why exactly he and his brother were accepted so easily into the “Beacons”, though he did not dwell on it too much. He was a valuable tool and he knew it, wearing it like a badge of honor. Perhaps his pride would be his downfall, but he knew that he would still be accepted by the lord. Or at least, that’s how he felt. Finally standing all the way up, Cesare did a few simple stretches to offset the pain of simply standing up. It took a lot of effort, mainly because he had to get over 600 kg off the ground using nothing but his own God-given body and strength. It wasn’t an easy task, but at least it didn’t hurt as much as it used to. After he reached around 200 kg and 3 meters, well things began to get very complicated. Even with his strong frame, his bones would break under the sheer weight of his body. There were a few instances where he had serious internal injuries, but modern-day medical technology proved to be very helpful. He was also thankful that he did not turn out like his brother, whom he turned to look at now. “Come brother.” Cesare said, in a soft voice much unlike that he used with anyone else. He extended a hand and motioned for the smaller Julis to clamber upon his back so that he could carry him to Isaac Bellhan, for whatever it was they had been summoned for.

**"Amen"** Julis had finished his prayer at the exact time Cesare had. Something that seemed strange to outsiders, but perfectly natural to the brothers. Julis, like in most situations, did not have an opinion of the false shepard Isaac's plans. He merely saw what his brother seemed to think, and considered that as his opinion. Julis' natural neutrality made him have no real opinion of the Free Men, but that was swayed by Cesare's opinion. Julis was not considered a valuable tool, unlike his brother. His brother was the cornerstone of their team, after all. After hearing Cesare asking him to come, Julis obliged quickly. He stepped onto his brother's hand, and turned his body in such a way that made him sit on his brother's shoulder. "Yes... Brother..." Julis said, his tone much more excited that usual. After all, he was quite excited to finally do something after long days of travel, and prayer.