////////Name: Vesta Free State
///////Subject: Faction
//////Location:Vesta and Pallas Family Asteroids, several resource asteroids and space stations; Main Belt; Solar system
[Hider=/////Government] The government of the Vesta Free State could best be described as a Limited Franchise Federal Republic. The various asteroids and stations of the nation all have their own local governments which in turn submit to the Central Assembly of Vesta. All voting Citizens may vote for their own local leaders as well as who represents them in the Central Assembly however the vote is not a guaranteed right in the Free State. To gain the right to vote a citizen must spend at least one term in Federal service of some kind, most likely the military. The Leader of the Vesta Free State is the Director; Directors are chosen by a committee of both military officers and Assemblymen from either's ranks. Directors oversee both the military and civilian running of the VFS and are given incredible amounts of power to make sure nation is running as it should. The Term of service for the Director is for life though they can step down at any time. A vote of no confidence by the Central Assembly result in the immediate expulsion of the current Director from his/her position. 

The current leader of the Vesta Free State is Director Sebastian Thule. Thule rose to the directorship from the military where he held the rank of Strategos. Thule is a troubled man who was thrust into an unfavorable position by a vote of no confidence which ousted his predecessor. Facing a host of threats within and without, Thule's first two years in office have been balanced on a razor's edge, a position where the scarred former soldier seems to truly be at home.[/hider]

////History: This part will need a much heavier rewrite than the rest so SUPER WIP

///Culture: The people of the Vesta Free State are a fiercely nationalistic and precision oriented people. They see themselves as genuine proof of the Belter ideal through their ability to remain independent and self sustaining after the downfall. They despise the major powers of the solar system whom they consider to be no better than the Old Order and just as fated for destruction. They have managed to retain the obsessive attention to detail that kept early colonists alive in an environment where minor oversights killed. The VFS also has a pronounced futurist bent, always seeking the bleeding edge in efforts to bring about true prosperity. It is a common practice among Vesta citizens to alter their children's genome in the womb to get certain desired traits. While this is a widespread phenomena its not a societal requirement nor is it particularly encouraged. It is certainly not to the same degree as the Venusians who are regarded as hedonistic and soft-willed weaklings in Vesta society. There is less a concern for going beyond the human form in Vesta Gene-modding than there is for 'perfecting' the human form without wholly divorcing themselves from it.

[hider=//Military] The military of the Vesta Free State is primarily based around its strong fleet which is essential to defending the wide area of the asteroid belt from invaders or privateers seeking to muscle in on VFS holdings. Being a predominantly space based power their ground forces are not very extensive and lack much in the way of indirect fire artillery or heavy armor. Even with artificial spin the gravity on Vesta and Pallas are lower than that of earth and many other worlds, to account for this most of their forces make use of powered armor to lower the strain on the soldier. The Military of the VFS Is divided between Vesta Fleet Command which oversees the spaceborne units of the military, and Vesta Fleet Strike which covers all ground based operations.

[hider=Vesta Fleet Command] 
[img]http://i.imgur.com/jHTg2DA.jpg[/img] Ricce Class Battlecruiser and Kallus Class Destroyer. Coming from the same shipwrights responsible for the iconic Strongarm, the Ricce is the premier heavy hitter of Vesta FleetCom. Ricce class vessels were created to also be capable to be used independently for long durations and make excellent hunter-killers and flagships in equal measure. The Kallus is a recent development to replace the aging Nike class. Kallus class destroyers are nearly twice as large as their ancestor and boast a much heavier armament in the form of a spinal Gauss cannon and larger missile bank, as well as a completely modernized fusion drive and ablative armor. Significantly more expensive than the Nike in nearly every way a single Kallus can also do the job of entire squadrons of Nikes and therefore FleetCom is not looking to replace the ships one for one, which helped sell their high price tag to the Central Assembly [img]http://i.imgur.com/BZUXXU5.jpg[/img] Strongarm Class Cruiser. An able workhorse of the Vesta fleet the Strongarm has been in service for nearly a quarter century getting constant upgrades to keep it in fighting shape and extend the life of the line. These ships are everywhere that Vesta has a presence and have become the de facto face of the Vesta Free State. A powerful missile armament gives these ships powerful standoff firepower but their kit lacks the balance of newer ships. The Latest Refit saw most of the existing ship getting a powerful laser cannon mounted in the nose turret capable of shooting down ordinance and slagging enemy ships. 
[img]http://i.imgur.com/wQxIoOZ.jpg[/img]Nike Class Frigate. The Nike class is both the oldest and most numerous ship in Fleet Command's arsenal and is likely the oldest warship still operational anywhere in the solar system. Nike class vessels were the first indigenous starship design created by the Vesta Free State in an attempt to maintain their sovereignty against Incursions into their sphere of influence in the belt by major powers. Armed with  pair of lasers and mounts for up to eight missiles they were more than enough to defend the VFS in the early days, but changing times have begun to leave the Nike behind. They have been modernized numerous times to keep them on par with other ships in the fleet but their age has shown through. The Nike is a truly ancient vessel which is only just being phased out of service by the Kallus. As they are stricken from the fleet register, many Nike Class friagtes are sold as is(all classified technologies being removed beforehand of course) to developing states wishing to expand their space forces on the cheap.

 [/hider]

[hider=Vesta Fleet Strike] VFS Light Combat Armor [img]http://i.imgur.com/li6zdhO.jpg[/img] VFS Light Combat Armor. Standard issue armor to troops aboard warships and at home [img]http://i.imgur.com/jp5smKN.jpg[/img] Koloss Heavy Combat armor. This heavy powered suit is the mainstay of Fleet Strike forces. A highly versatile unit capable of operating in many environments with a host of different armament options [img]http://i.imgur.com/KuS26Bg.jpg[/img] Orca Super Heavy Assault Armor. This massive suit of powered armor is very rarely deployed under normal circumstances and is only deployed during the infrequent occasions when VFS forces land on a high G world or need an otherwise great showing of force This particular armor is too large to fit through many corridors aboard ships. [img]http://i.imgur.com/gyXNcIX.jpg[/img] War Golem. War Golems are a controversial weapon system deployed by the VFS as shocktroops in desperate scenarios. To overcome the limitations of artificial intelligence in both creativity and simple portability, War Golems use cloned nervous tissue as an alternative primary processor slaved to conventional computer systems. As there is a simple circulatory and digestive system to keep these biological CPUs running, War Golems are technically living beings thrown into battle with little care for their survival. War Golems do in fact bleed, and are capable of feeling pain yet have priority programming which keeps them fighting until they are no longer able. The intelligence of an average War Golem is only enough to provide basic battlefield improvisation, their commands come from handlers somewhere behind the front line, however they are still at a marked advantage over standard mechanical drones. Some handlers attest that War Golems are capable of learning human patterns and older Golems begin to show signs of a personality and attachment to their handlers should they survive long enough. The central government has an entire PR division dedicated to whitewashing the images of War Golems and keeping these stories hidden, but word spreads. For this reason the 2.5 meter tall juggernauts of steel are just as nightmarish an ally as they are an enemy [/hider]
[/hider]