[center][img]https://i.gyazo.com/b2b616380ce7fbb5a7f1bebe141c423a.png[/img][/center] We didn't know what was in this sector of space. So we sent a fleet. With the best technology, the best people. A fleet completely self sustaining, intending to be in space for an indefinite amount of time. That was over a hundred years ago. The original crews of the ships in the 6th Exploration Command have grown old, they are now retired, living in the habitat colony vessels. Their children, supplemented by the few volunteers who have cryogenically frozen themselves to help the second generation, now man the labs and the ships. There was always a person back home answering the phone. On Earth. The United Human Alliances always picked up the phone, always updated the 6th Exploration Command with new findings in science, new technology, and new developments. Two days ago a message was received from Earth, a brutal attack by an unknown force. Then silence. Nobody was picking up the phone. The Admiral looked at his ships, over four hundred vessels strong. Millions of soldiers, hundreds of thousands of armored vehicles. A force to be reckoned with. But how long would it take to get back to friendly space? He turned his back on Earth, instead looking towards the horizon. He would find a new planet, a new place for Humanity to call home. You are a pilot in the 1st Vanguard Mechs. Pilots of massive bipedal machines. You are the first ones to step on a new planet, the first ones to explore a new celestial body. The first to experience the hazards of exploration and the first to witness the wonders. There are ten squadrons. You were the first. [hr] [b]Current Planet[/b] [b]Current Colonies[/b] [b]Status of The 6th Exploration Command[/b] [hider=Status] Command Section >GOOD 1st Combat Fleet >GOOD 2nd Combat Fleet >GOOD 3rd Combat Fleet >GOOD Support Fleet >GOOD Colonization Fleet >GOOD[/hider] [hr] [b]Lore[/b] [hider=Mechs and their Pilots] Also detailed in the Character Tab. Firstly are the pilots. Following a brutal training regimen, mech pilots are elite, skilled, strong. They are idolized by small children and adults alike. But with that reputation comes a cockiness only fighter and dropship pilots can match. There is a rivalry between the Mech Corps and the Flight Corps. Some call it friendly. Dropship pilots often drop mechs in hard to traverse locations, since mech pilots boast that their machines have the same agility as the human body. However in the end, both Corps have a deep respect for one another. The entry program of the Mech Corps has some requirements. To be in good health and to have a particularly strong mental fortitude. The entry exam is not difficult, but the training is. Entire classes of trainees can drop out, while the best classes have an average drop out rate of 80%. One of the primary causes of dropping out is the mental strength required to become a mech pilot. To interface with a mech, the pilot needs to don a neurohelm. The neurological link between man and machine provides the pilot with a sense of balance, a sense of where the mech limbs are, etc. The neurohelm aids in piloting the mech itself, which is commanded through pedals, switches, joysticks and throttles. Next are the Mechs. The Mech is a multi-ton, multi-meter machine of metal. Usually 20-100 tonnes, sometimes standing upwards 30 meters tall. The mech emulates the human body. A metal skeleton, covered by artificial muscle, then covered by armor. Mechs can vary in design, some stay true to the human body. Bipedal, with two arms and two legs. Other designs are more outlandish, some resembling birds, with beaks, weapon pods instead of arms, and digitigrade legs. Some mechs have hands. Others have claws. Others have no hands whatsoever, instead having large weapons where the hands would be. All mechs feature a gyroscope, an eject system, and a fusion engine, which powers the mech and its weapons. Then, Mech Equipment. Mechs can carry a wide variety of weapons and equipment. There are three primary weapon types. Laser, Ballistic and Missile. Laser weapons are common for their ease of use and zero requirement of ammunition, using the mechs engine to power the weapon. The laser is a beam of light concentrated on a small surface area, using heat to damage its target. While lasers have limited range, depending on the environment, they are still popular due to their independence from ammunition and accuracy. Lasers are categorized into Small, Medium and Large lasers. Each one generating more heat, dealing more damage, having more range and being heavier than the previous type. Ballistic weapons are used for their reliability and variation. Whereas the laser is an accurate, elegant weapon, the ballistic weapon is a crude, difficult to use in comparison, and brutish weapon. This makes it a much loved type of weapon. Ballistics range from machine guns, to 120mm Autocannons, to 460mm Autocannons, to even Gauss guns. These weapons requires the pilot to account for bullet drop, wind, target lead, ammunition count, but the pilot can load a wide variety of rounds into their cannon. Ballistics also have great range, however a mediocre effective range. With distance, armor penetration drops for solid rounds. An exception to this rule is high explosive, and shaped charge rounds, but the general rule is the greater the distance, the less penetration you are going to have. You can generalize most ballistic weapons by giving it a designation like so, AC(#). Existing designations include AC2, a very fast firing, smaller caliber, cannon. The AC5, a larger, heavier, but still fast firing cannon. The AC10, a slower, heavy hitting cannon. And the AC20, the largest, heaviest, biggest cannon. Each AC deals more damage, has shorter range, and a slower faster rate than the previous AC. The AC20 being the shortest range, most damage dealing, slowest reload weapon. However you can still peg a guy at distance with an AC20, and still deal a huge amount of damage, if loading High Explosive and said target is not very well armored. Missiles are the next type of weapon. Missiles are well liked for their effectiveness. There are a wide variety to missiles as well, although the type of missile is dependent on the type of launcher mounted. Long Range Missiles are as the name suggests, long range. They arc upwards to gain altitude, then fly downwards towards their target. LRMs typically require a lock on to be most effective, but their role as an artillery weapon is unmatched in the world of mech warfare. Dumbfire missiles are short range, no-lock on missiles used as a close range weapon. Dumbfires are small, fast, and dangerous, also called Short Range Missiles, or SRMs. In close quarters where they are most effective, a cluster of dumbfires can surprise an opponent, or deliver a powerful punch. All missiles are named by the amount of tubes they carry, for example an LRM-15 means that the missile module has 15 tubes, and can fire 15 missiles before requiring a reload. Mech equipment is highly varied. Some examples are Upgraded Armor, Upgraded Sensors, Engine Upgrade. Jumpjets are also an equipment, however the mech itself must be jumpjet capable. Many light mechs are jumpjet capable, with diminishing numbers as the tonnage gets heavier. [/hider] [hider=The United Human Alliances] In 2046, the Earth was under critical condition. Climate Change and unsustainable practices had caused biodiversity to plummet, the oceans to swell, swallowing most of the habitable land. People experienced famine, war, and loss. In 2049 the United States of America said no more. Funding poured into NASA, and they began construction on new space stations, orbital colonies, ships to travel to mars and back. The European Space Agency quickly followed, collaborating on the projects, and not long after, Russia, China, India, many other nations contributed to the race back into space. In just ten years, Humanity had entered another Space Age. Calling their unification the United Earth Alliances, Humanity surged towards the other planets in the solar system. Making shipyards over Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn, terraforming and colonizing Mars, Venus, and other planets. Over the next hundred years of technological development and expansion, Humanity had colonized several other star systems. Then Mars rebelled. Saturn followed, and other colonies declared their independence. The home system of Humanity, Sol, was engulfed in a long and bloody war. Twenty years of conflict ended with The Greenwich Pacts, each colony would be given its independence, and the United Human Alliances was created. Two hundred years later, the 6th Exploration Command was formed. [/hider]