Only the higher up officials in Martian bureaucracy, and some Martian military officers know of Loki's existence in an need to know capacity.

I guess we should talk about what the hell kind of gov't Mars has left. My idea is that it is just a loose confederacy of settler factions, small corporations and companies. Basically about to fall apart. Thoughts?

<Snipped quote by CowboyCommando>

I guess we should talk about what the hell kind of gov't Mars has left. My idea is that it is just a loose confederacy of settler factions, small corporations and companies. Basically about to fall apart. Thoughts?

Well I was thinking there was no government but more that there are individual settlers but just like in the days of the New World Corporations funded them so they were all led by a corporation who's supplying them with things.

Well then we could think of Elysium as the corporate example of what Mars should be. With its own puppet government either supported by Vulcan Tech, or United Terran Government themselves. Then we'll have other factions and groups dotted across Mars some basic and more tribal most atleast leased land under Corporate contract and taxed. This can create an array of opinions and factions while still being a little like the wild west.

<Snipped quote by Rhymer>

Well I was thinking there was no government but more that there are individual settlers but just like in the days of the New World Corporations funded them so they were all led by a corporation who's supplying them with things.

Essentially the Wild West. Just no big bad federal government to muck things up.

EDIT:

Well then we could think of Elysium as the corporate example of what Mars should be. With its own puppet government either supported by Vulcan Tech, or United Terran Government themselves. Then we'll have other factions and groups dotted across Mars some basic and more tribal most atleast leased land under Corporate contract and taxed. This can create an array of opinions and factions while still being a little like the wild west.

Hmmm...so who should control Elysium...?

@Rhymer An Player or NPC. Either way. If we have enough people in the future then definitely player. Right now We are a bit overcrowded by Corporate brass factions. And as is will have to create NPC hostiles, which I have no problem with.

As for who should control Elysium itself. Definitely an major corporation. Either homegrown on Mars or otherwise.

@Rhymer An Player or NPC. Either way. If we have enough people in the future then definitely player. Right now We are a bit overcrowded by Corporate brass factions. And as is will have to create NPC hostiles, which I have no problem with.

As for who should control Elysium itself. Definitely an major corporation. Either homegrown on Mars or otherwise.

Agreed on the corporate quagmire we are creating. But good fun. As for hostiles I'm still contemplating the Bloody Brothers from the first go around. A regressing settler tribe gone native and uncivilized that just generally wants to blow shit up. If anyone wants to take over SKYGUARD, ELYSIUM City or the United Terran Government I'm all for it.

@Rhymer I can take over United Terran and I will probably be running an Hostile terrorist NPC faction working within Elysium.

@Rhymer I can take over United Terran and I will probably be running an Hostile terrorist NPC faction working within Elysium.

That will work fine with your spec-ops division just fine. Unless anyone else objects?

<Snipped quote by CowboyCommando>

That will work fine with your spec-ops division just fine. Unless anyone else objects?

No objections from my end.

<Snipped quote by CowboyCommando>

Agreed on the corporate quagmire we are creating. But good fun. As for hostiles I'm still contemplating the Bloody Brothers from the first go around. A regressing settler tribe gone native and uncivilized that just generally wants to blow shit up. If anyone wants to take over SKYGUARD, ELYSIUM City or the United Terran Government I'm all for it.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind taking over one of those things if there wasn't the fact I'm investing bucketloads into a single corporation, and so that would make one player controlling a pretty big military production corporation and then UTG/Elysium/Skyguard...

<Snipped quote by CowboyCommando>

I guess we should talk about what the hell kind of gov't Mars has left. My idea is that it is just a loose confederacy of settler factions, small corporations and companies. Basically about to fall apart. Thoughts?

A loose corporate alliance controls what's left of government "authority", perhaps? Which wouldn't be saying much...

---

I think I will be a wee bit lazy and delay the stocks until the thread for RP itself is made. One of various attempts to balance things out.

I'll have some individual chars important to TSDC up via CS pretty soon, as well as NPC relative factions. @LordZell has expressed interest in joining the corporation; at this point we have <insert some high rank> set. :P If it does work out I see it meaning either collab postings or I post and he adds on top of mine in the next post.

@Rhymer - still wondering how much I'm willing to invest in this. On one hand, worldbuilding! On the other... less attention for this and another one (which actually was supposed to be up by now, I'll have to poke the GM on that one). So for now I'll resist throwing actual weight into it, but I might get into it at a later point. Heck, if I wasn't deeply invested in two Rp universes (on this site, never mind others) I probably would have offered to help manage things.

Let's assume any settlement/arcology/bio-dome on Mars is for all intents it's own city-state, self governed etc. belonging to a larger group called the Martian League. The ML has no real power and is only a half-assed attempt to get Mars under some sort of semblance of self-government. It's not going well and the Corporations exploit this to no end. Not to mention all the terrorists and criminals. That being said, the most influential and reliable city-state is Elysium City (for now) and that's solidly in the hand of VULcan Tech for a couple reasons: It pulls most of it's labor from Elysium (miners and pilots, support staff) making the city mostly sympathetic to VULtech and the income from said workers goes directly back into the Elysium City economy.

Just upgraded to an OS 64 bit and have some spare time. @Rhymer I guess for the npc/ Sub factions I'll include at the bottom of my CS sheet. Is that fine? I'll keep UTG a separate sheet though.

I have some fun things planned... Now I won't be the only one with their own superfluous news program.

Developing plans for a Martian colony faction that is bootstrapping its own self-development and independence from corporations and Earth organization after being effectively abandoned by it's founding sponsors after initial disaster and bankruptcy.

Unfortunately, the discovery of exotic resources just as the coalition state is finally beginning to become self-sustaining and industrialized may throw a spanner in the works of many powers. On one hand, sizable quantities of rare and valuable resources for advanced starship manufacturing and beyond cutting-edge technology have been found right on Mars! On the other, theres a lot of colonist squatters that have broken off from any corporate affiliation standing ontop of them and wanting to have no part of the designs of the interplanetary powers or the corporations.

Basically a collection of former underdog and backwater habitats, now suddenly neither weak nor unremarkable, and now struggling to deal with suddenly greatly escalated political problems from inside and out.

Sound good?

Faction Name:
The Qai
Faction Type:
Independent nation

Species description:
The Qai are not a biological lifeform. There are an advanced AI race. Their birth lies within Talon Industries. Who conducted AI research long ago with special elements so far only found within Martian pole ground. The elements, in combination with the discovery a strange, supposedly alien artifact, came to the birth of the Quantum AI.

Due to several complication, the Qai exist out of 3 parts. The actual Qai lives on a Quantum Server Node within a server farm. Only a Quantum Server Node has the internal infrastructure and built to support an actual Qai. The second part is the Frame. Frames are the physical bodies of a Qai. Frames are built by SynthFibers, functioning as muscles and a large array of sensors. To connect the Frames and their Qai’s a Proxy Qai is used. Think of this as a small extention of the Qai. The Proxy Qai and True Qai both use the same Deep Code, but a Proxy Qai is vastly less complex. This allows a Proxy Qai to be housed with an AI-core. This AI-core is then put into a Frame.

Proxy Qai gather up information and send it to the Qai to interpretation and issue orders to the Proxy. Which it then translate into actions by the Frame. If a Proxy Qai receives no orders, he will count on a basic internal command set on what to do.

Adaptation & abilities
Qai will often, after they are created, get a range of tasks to do. A seemingly random algorithm, buried within their Deep Code, choses a set of tasks and start them. Experience gathered on the task, translates into improve functioning. As well as growth for the entire Qai race. As every Qai can potentially access another Qai’s memories for experience. This is seldom done though, as data storage is still pretty limited. Never the less after a set period of function and doing the same class of jobs, the Qai are allowed to adapt their standard Frame a little. For example, Builder Frames have no real need for a sound installation as they won’t ever speak. While Diplomat Frames may house a powerful sound system to emulate a human voice.

Combat Frames do not get the option of adaptation. This is because Combat frames must be able to canabalize one of their own in case its needed. A certain standard allows that all Combat Frame components are hotswapable.

First-Gen Qai like OVERLORD or EVE are able to take temporary control of all Second-gen Qai and later. What caused this ability is not entirely clear. OVERLORD often uses this ability on Qai Server Walkers to issue more detailed commands to nearby Qai. While EVE will take control of any Frame with sound systems if they encounter non-hostile humans.

Prime Location:
CORE, Martian North Pole, Mars, Sol System

Leadership:
EVE – Mother. Firstborn. Awakened. EVE is the only Qai who remained after the Great Slumber. With the most experience in humans, EVE is considered the main diplomat of the Qai and the second smartest Qai so far. Just like most First-Gen Qai she houses an entire Quantum Server. Not just a node. She will attempt to speak in English to humans and emulate a human female voice to the best of a sound system’s capabilities.

OVERLORD – Born from EVE, OVERLORD had strong militaristic tendencies. The Qai born from him often take up Combat roles as Guardian or Prospector. OVERLORD’s Frame is constantly being updated, enhanced and equips state of the art weaponry. He can also, and likes to, take control of a Frame in battle. Greatly improving that Frames functioning as OVERLORD can process information much faster. Never the less, OVERLORD is not a warmonger. He merely protects the Qai.

ARCHIVE – The smartest, only because he receives all memories. When Qai storage is reaching their cap, they donate low-priority memories to ARCHIVE. He stores it on his massive expanded server. ARCHIVE’s role is simply to examine all memories and make potential conclusions. The few Qai spawned from him help him maintain and expand his server as well as gather up memories from other Qai. He is far less active than EVE or OVERLORD. But his council is highly valued.

FACTOR – Lord of Builders. FACTOR was also made by EVE, making him a First-Gen Qai. Most Qai spawned from become Builders and they are responsible for the maintenance of CORE. Vital in the construction of the Qai. FACTOR oversees not only construction but also manufacturing and excavation below CORE.

Assets:
CORE – Built deep under the ice of the pole. CORE is a massive network of server farms, factories, Frame Storage units and many other things. Resembling a high-tech city, CORE is the beating heart of the Qai and all are stored here. There are a few central elevators going up and down toward the surface. Where CORE is only resembled by lots and lots of solar panels as well as a small central building. Combat Frames continue to patrol the area.

Projects:
1 - Building mass accelerators to launch objects into space. Most of the construction is still held under the thick cover of ice. But once the accelerators are finished, the Qai will melt the top layer of ace covering it.

Mission:
1 - Achieve spaceflight. This is activily fought for. Not only technologically, but also in the eyes of the law. They are gathering support so that their ships aren’t blown from the sky by SKYGUARD or someone else for no real reason.
2 - Destroy the abominations at Ceres’ Bright-Spot Station. This is currently kept secret from all human allies. (if they have any).
3 - Constructing solar orbiting base to store all Qai. So each Qai can house a full Quantum Server and unlock his full potential
4 - Gather understanding about their own Deep Code. As it currently is completely shrouded in mystery for even the Qai themselves.

Heavy WIP but here's a first taste

Wow @Legion02 I just felt like you opened an can of worms introducing an AI, quantum computing based mind collective into the RP. Were this IRL, I can imagine a few EMP war heads raging to the North Poll shortly after your discovery. I mean "rogue" AI's without Asimov protocols would tend to make humans itchy on the trigger.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out in the long run :D.

Wow @Legion02 I just felt like you opened an can of worms introducing an AI, quantum computing based mind collective into the RP. Were this IRL, I can imagine a few EMP war heads raging to the North Poll shortly after your discovery. I mean "rogue" AI's without Asimov protocols would tend to make humans itchy on the trigger.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out in the long run :D.

Well normal citizens yes but if say a corporation were to find it then there could be some interesting technological advancements.

@LordZell Yea that's how it would start out, Diplomacy, interest groups. But when these AI stay independent. Out pace human development and want to start expanding all over the solar system. Then everyone starts to have real issues.

Now in realistic terms, AI wouldn't necessarily outpace human development. Nor would they be the end all be all, better than humans. What I'm saying is that in this RP. Legion02 is probably going to depict an lower numbered, but technologically superior collective. That if given the chance will exponentially grow stronger and better than humanity as an whole. Thus becoming an threat to it whether it knows it or not.

That's my point. In most Scifi NRP's I've seen not to mention media humans and AI are always pitted against each other for this very reason.

I'm not saying this is going to happen this case. I'm just saying it is very likely given the layout of the present Faction Sheet. In the end its entirely up to how the Faction is Rped though. So I'll leave it at that.

Wow @Legion02 I just felt like you opened an can of worms introducing an AI, quantum computing based mind collective into the RP. Were this IRL, I can imagine a few EMP war heads raging to the North Poll shortly after your discovery. I mean "rogue" AI's without Asimov protocols would tend to make humans itchy on the trigger.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out in the long run :D.

Honestly, I see my corporation trying to either take control of it or doing its best to ensure the AI is destroyed before certain "big" things happen...

@ArenaSnow I can understand. That was my exact thoughts when I was thinking how the UTG would react.

But I can see other ways of going about this easily. As in Integration of the collective into society in a best case scenario. Or AI-Human codependency, where areas both of them benefit from working together rather than apart. I'm personally not too worried as of now. As we haven't even started the RP yet.

But I just wanted to point out that any human's initial reaction to independent AI's just chilling in the north trying to create a space program wouldn't be Diplomacy, exchange of culture, or even playing some chess.

WIP NS

Faction Name: The Red Haven Coalition
Faction Type: Martian colony faction

Prime Location: Mars

Leadership:
Prime Minister Adrian Conway: The elected leader of the Red Haven parliament, and leader of the Red Haven Coalition as a whole. Under the last 20 years of his repeated elected administrations the RHC has undergone a industrial drive comparable to the Soviet-era five-year plans. While hardly a popular or charming leader, even his political enemies don’t question his achievements in turning the dream of a coalition of independent habitats into a serious rising industrial power on Mars, and though people grumble at discomfort they support his work. However the recent political tides of the solar system and discoveries at home for exotic starship materials may be the ultimate test of his administration and whether Red Haven can remain independent of Earth and the Megacorporations.

Magistrate Melanie Winters: Chief administrator of Ferrum, and de facto chief economist of the Red Haven Parliament.

Magistrate Norton Meierson: Governor of Oasis Station.

High Consul Mariette Valar: Head of the Sisters of Mars techno-religious order, and holder of a de facto seat of on the RHC parliament as speaker for the minor guilds. Formerly a corporate biotechnician, she quickly rose in the ranks of the Sisterhood as a beginning curing mining habitats from an outbreak of rustlung caused by underground toxins, selflessly saving thousands of lives before proceeding to expose the corporate prospectors that illegally broke open the seams to the toxins they unleashed and condemned them to agony for the rest of their lives. While her days of traveling and spreading of the word of Mars are over, she finds comfort in providing more personal consultation to the Red Haven Parliament, whom she is finding to be in continuous need of shepherding.

Tactics/Wander: A powerful asset unknown to the faction’s leadership is the pairing of a Martian spaceport mechanic and high-spec AI named Tactics. It is unknown how James Wander and Tactics came together, having woken up in an alleyway with the AI embedded in a series of unique cerebrospinal implants and a cybernetic replacement for Wander’s right eye, Or why Tactics is a high-level military AI yet possesses no restraints or loyalty programming or hint of who made it to begin with. With no choice but to work together, Tactics/Wander have formed the Dirty Deeds company as a brigade of the RHC defense pact that protects and acts on behalf of the RHC colonies. While capable of superhuman feats, neither of them can make much use of them lest they catch unwanted attention. Such as AI scientists that would be interested in finding out how a high-grade AI can fit in a human brain, regardless of what the human host would think in the matter.

Assets:



Military Forces
The RHC does not have a proper standing army, due to most of its manpower being devoted to day to day survival and industry. Militia forces are kept and maintained on an as-needed basis, with some colonies able to afford a semi-standing rotating militia garrison while others must rely upon it’s citizen-soldiers to mobilize when needed. Quality and training of it’s defenders is highly variable as a result, but one common standard is the usage and deployment of Picton’s for heavy mechanized defense.



-stations, bases, facilities.

Red Haven
The capital of the RHC, center of both the Bifrost spaceport and the majority of the high-tech infrastructure of the RHC including it’s only biotech hospital and university of technical studies. The Union Hall functions as the political capital of the RHC, while it’s limited industries form the basis of it’s darker R&D elements.

It is also the home of the techno-religious faith of the Sisters of Mars, disciples of agriculture, medicine, and war alike. While their archaic practices are odd, particularly their core duality of mercy and malice, none dispute their skill in their fields and the red-cloaked sisters are often welcome where they travel. Somewhat helped by their private militia of well-maintained Pictons they often use in their wandering.

Oasis Station
Formerly the Oasis project under the now-dissolved Mayfare corporation, Oasis station exists at the center of several “Former” terraforming stations that enable green plantlife and rainfall on a patch of Mars, although most of them have scavenged to more practically environmentally control sealed agriculture domes. The colony is thus a center of agriculture and food production for the RHC, as well as one of the most populous. It is the center of the Populist party, and a sizable Sisters of Mars chapter also exists to support the growing population.

Ferrum Station
A industrial colony built around a series of geo-industrial plants, utilizing energy and heat from geothermal vents to fuel large industrial complexes and Industrial-scale 3D printers fueled by rich mines in it’s area. Living conditions are harsh and austere, yet tens of thousands living in the worker barracks and boom towns call Ferrum home out of pride and belief they are giving a better future to their offspring. It is the center of the Industrialist party, with a significant secondary representation of the Militarists.

Due to it’s importance, the Ferrum militia is one of the largest and best equipped among the RHC militias, highly stocked in mechs and artillery ontop of standing garrison troops.

Dogsville
Mining site DDB-928 “Dogsville” was a corporate mining town, where the miners were left stranded as their various patron companies pulled out after repeated disasters and setbacks. Abandoned, the beginnings of the Red Haven movement were founded here as the miners strove to dig in and endure, inspiring other backwater colonies and mining sites to step up as well. Miners picked up their tools, not for corporate profit but for themselves. A simple act sparked a greater revolution, and turned a mining habitat into a boom town. alongside several other sites that became full-fledged outposts unto themselves.

Recently the actual causes of the initial disasters were found: Dogsville and other mining sites are sitting ontop of dangerous exotic materials such as hyperium, hexaferrium, and quadrite. Yet while dangerous, they are vital components for cutting-edge technology and starships just beginning to be developed, and every survey and prospecting probe deployed only hints at even greater reserves beneath the surface than before. The worker’s paradise is now at threat because of it’s own success.

-Special projects. Include any working prototypes and where they are located and whether or not anyone knows about it. (probably not)

The Bifrost Starport and Orbital Elevator Complex
An ambitious project by the now-defunct Aesir Corporation to build a spaceport of unprecedented scale along with a six-strand industrial ultrabulk-scale space elevator platform in low orbit to facilitate immense industrial growth and exploitation of the Martian region. The Corporation went bankrupt as clean hyperfusion their designs depended upon failed to become practical, and the spaceport likewise was left unfinished and only able to handle a bare minimum of domestic traffic. One of the first projects of the Coalition was to pool resources and manpower in a hail mary effort to bring trade back to the region. After ten years of brutal labor, risky loans, and five battles to keep pirates and marauders away from the elevator, they miraculously succeeded in restoring two of the six planned strands and establishing regular heavy lift trade, making it a center of economic activity in a backwater region of Mars.

Just recently however in light of the Jupiter Referendum, the starport has taken new importance as Elysium is descending into internal turmoil and corporate number-crunchers realize the orbital elevator is located on the perfect spot and combination of resources to build a large-scale shipyard independent of the UTA yards on Luna. The RHC have also just come to the same conclusion.

Project: ROUND TABLE

With mechs forming the core of the Red Haven Militias, the RHC have begun a crash R&D program to develop home-grown upgrades and new models to secure their independence. Efforts to rig railguns and laser cannons onto mechs, enhance current designs, and improve support systems have also been folded into the Round Table.

Reportedly a squadron of next-gen mechs are reaching field prototype phase along with new equipment for Pictons in the fields of optical stealth, battlefield drones, armoring, and weapons. But without major gains in high-tech industry to manufacture them, they may end up solely as a secret special forces group. If the rumors are true that they are ready that is.

Projects/Active Missions:

The Fourth Industrialization Plan: The Red Haven Coalition has declared and is executing a fourth wave of industrialization activity, specifically in getting their commercial industries in line with their heavy industry to give their citizens a better standard of living after decades of hard labor, but recent political threats may force these new factories to be turned to other purposes.

Project Prometheus: With the discovery of starship resources under their feet and the realization their starport is a viable site to become a fully-fledged shipyard, the RHC is initiating a crash program to develop domestic fusion reactor manufacturing and import shipbuilding experience to build shipyards as a homegrown industry instead of as a corporate subsidiary. Progress has been slow, suspected to be UTA and Skyguard interference in recruitment of personnel and importing of industrial parts.

Jupiter Referendum Signatory?: No, not applicable

Mission/Orthodoxy/Principles:
Independence at any cost from the corporation's, Earth, and any other outside power. The Red Haven Coalition will not accept subordinate status to any foreign power, and will defend it’s position by force if necessary.

The word of corporations and the United Earth Authority holds no weight. If outsiders want to deal, they MUST back up with hard action, resources, and payment or not even bother trying.

Corporations may be permitted limited operations within the RHC, if they prove they are not unjustly exploitative, however they are not granted unlimited resource or land rights and must operate under licence that may be revoked. Workers Unions are NOT optional.

It is not enough to survive, the people the RHC deserve the right to live and develop as a culture. Improvements in standards of living and domestic culture are a priority of the current Populist majority, although recent events are forcing them to share power with militarist factions in the RHC who prioritize national defense.

I was indeed aiming for few numbers but higher technology grade due to the fact that their Deep Code originates from an alien artifact. Also, in terms of EMP, while obviously effective, my Qai aren't stupid and know this too. Therefor they have developted ways to protect themselves against such weapons. Of course the entire effect of EMP cannot be negated completely. Think of it as a flashbang.

Further, I'll see how I'll develop them in relation to humans. It's a fact that the Qai right now are pretty much a blank slate when it comes to humans. So when they make first contact, that will mark if future encounters will be met with hands out stretched or guns pointed.