Type of Government: A Federal Republic, the Kasian Government is split between Three Branches, the Executive Branch, that being the Office of the URK Chancellor who is both the Head of the Senate and the Commander-in-Chief of the Republic Armed Forces. One of the many tasks of a Chancellor consist of the creation of Laws, the signing of articles of diplomatic importance such as treaties, to appoint judges for the Interstellar Court and so on.
The Legislative Branch, that of which being the Senate. The Senate's main tasks consist of the passing of laws brought forward by the Chancellor, passing or vetoing Legislation by the Chancellor, and are to give consent to enact a Declaration of War. And finally there is the Interstellar Court, who are responsible for the enforcement of the Laws created by the Chancellor and passed then enacted by the Senate. IC Judges are appointed by the President.
Star Systems within the Republic are partially autonomous entities who are responsible for both maintaining worlds and installations within, and to maintain its own defense with their local System Defense Force to act as its shield. Leader(s): Persons of Importance: Species(s) and Demographics: Religion Description and Demographics: Culture: Culture in the Republic is rather complicated, and differs greatly from planet to planet, from system to system, each containing its own unique culture and society born from its people and surroundings. However, the Worlds of the Kasian Republic share quite a few common views, one of individualism, self-determination and liberty for the various peoples of different creeds and species. Such Human ideals had slowly, but surly spread to the alien citizens of the Republic, both local and migrant alike, and many had grown to adopt such ideals as their own.
The Republic Military is held to a high standard and respect in the United Republic, seen as the ever watchful defenders of a young, but fragile civilization against imperialistic Powers that seek its total submission and destruction.
Freedom of Religion in the Federation is also a scared right, and just as diverse, many Old Earth and Alien Religions begun spreading the word of their respective Gods once missionaries left offworld, and to the surprise of most, have acquired many converts not of their species. History: Military:
The Republic Army are a branch of the United Kasian Republic Armed Forces that are tasked with land-based military operations, and often are found working alongside with the Marine Corps and ground elements of the Systems Defense Forces. The Republic Army is most often primarily tasked with garrison duties, the Marine Corps typically deployed in expeditionary operations across known space in conjunction with the Republic Navy. However, there are a few occasions in which the Army are deployed alongside the marines in expeditionary operations, such as planetary invasions. Light Combat Gear
Heavy Combat Gear
The System Defense Forces are responsible for both the defense and policing of the Republic's territories and holdings. Each Star System within the United Republic possess an SDF, they are tasked with defending and keeping the civilian population under control from threats both internal and external. Whilst they're less heavily armed and equipped then their Army and Marine counterparts, the men and women of the local SDF are more then capable to respond to any incident and threat with vigilance and are not a force to be taken very lightly. SDF Soldiers
SDF Naval Division Uniforms
The United Kasian Republic Marine Corps, like its many now defunct predecessors, is a branch of the Republic Armed Forces responsible for conducting land-based expeditionary operations, using the mobility provided by the Republic Navy to rapidly deliver ground troops in conjunction with the Army. Marines, along with select Army personnel, are also primarily charged with the defense of Republic Navy vessels and installations from hostile forces.
Descendant of the Shinobi and Kunoichi of the old Mussashi Empire, born from the many Musashi Migrants and Refugees. The Spectre Division is the Shadow Ops branch of Republic Intelligence. The Spectres are by far the most feared men and woman in the Republic, the Elite of the Elite. Despite the heavy taboo against cybernetics, the Spectres are made the exception to the rule, and are subtly, yet extensively augmented with the latest technology has to offer to become agile supersoldiers.
The Spectres main task is utmost, maintaining the Security of the Republic, by any means necessary. They are often sent on classified reconnaissance missions, assassinations to depose of high value threats to the Republic and various other missions.
The Republic Navy is by far the largest and most active branch within the Republic Armed Forces. The Navy is primarily responsible for the overall defense of the United Kasian Republic and its holdings and in times of war. Navy Uniforms
Navy Pilot
The Redeemer Project has been a topic of great controversy within the general public and military alike. For all of its existence, Highly advanced AI and robotics have been looked down upon with great suspicion and mistrust by the Republic's populous, a trait obviously passed down by the Resistance of Old. Eventually, Robotics made its resurgence within the Republic via simple labor and service droids, with little true sentience.
Eventually however, the highest levels of Government had made a contract with a corporation known as Tammond Industries to construct a new generation of Military Droids to support Republic ground troops. This was met with outrage by the public and members of the military. Many saying the Mistakes of the Old Imperium were being repeated with the creation of an automated army, one they could easily be turned against the Republic, it was one step for a new Agonis Uprising.
Despite protests, the Redeemer Project went under way. The higher ups of Tammond Industries assuring the public that these droids would be forever loyal to the Republic, slaved to an algorithm that, in theory, would prevent any sort of second machine uprising. One other factor whoever had played in soothing the worries of the Republic's citizens. Research and the manufacturing of "True" AI on the scale of the Agonis Collective have been banned in the Republic under the penalty of death.
In the year 2000 I.C., the Redeemer Droids number around 20,000 strong. Light Infantry Models A and B
A political amalgamation with grand pretenses of freedom and democracy, the Commonwealth is in truth a sprawling monarchical imperium dominated by a species of feline humanoids called the Vit'azny. The Commonwealth owes its existence to the fact that 500 years ago the then Vit'azny Empire realized assimilation was vastly easier than maintaining overlordship over their rebellious subjects. The resulting organization has since exploded into a major galactic power and an economic juggernaut.
The Commonwealth is a sprawling domain covering dozens of solar systems, including colonies. The per species population breakdown is as follows.
Vit'azny: The reigning elite of the Commonwealth and one of its founding members. The Vit'azny are long lived bipedal felines with prehensile tails, with a number of subspecies. Males tend to be larger than females, and the average lifespan can reach up to 300 years. The Vit’azny dominate the upper echelons of the Commonwealth’s government, military, and corporations. Indeed, their monarch is the Commonwealth’s head of state: a figurehead on paper, but something quite different in practice. As a whole, the Vit’azny are a proud people, but are pragmatic more than anything.
Szitzu: A race of large, sentient bearlike creatures that form the backbone of the Commonwealth’s military might. As a whole, Szitzu society is heavily patriarchal and heavily based on tradition and an intricate clan system. While this society has produced excellent warriors for generations, it has a tendency to relegate thinkers to the sidelines. The Szitzu were originally conquered by the Vit’azny empire almost a 700 years ago, after a long and bloody conflict which only ended when Vit’azny technology overcame Szitzu ferocity. Under the Empire, the Szitzu were rebellious and problematic, but as one of the original founding members of the Commonwealth, they have become it’s most loyal supporters.
Yanissans: Originally a small star nation of 3 systems, the reptillian humanoids known as the Yanissans were quick to surrender when the Vit’azny war machine came knocking. However, they proved to be more dangerous as subjects than they did as enemies. While Szitzu resentment against the old empire usually took the shape of riots and bar fights, a plot by Yanissan rebels managed to kill the entire Vit’azny Royal Advisory Council. The King was spared only by coincidence; his personal limousine suffered a breakdown on the way to the meeting. Yanissan society is dominated by plots, intrigue, secrets, and rampant hedonism. They are the third and final founding species of the Commonwealth, which from their point of view, keeps them a healthy distance from any fighting. Of the founding members, only the Yanissans have anything resembling a useful amount of psintegrae, most of which are swept up by Toolbox and trained to use their telepathic and telekinetic abilities to lethal effect.
Rhodesians: The dimunitive Rhodesians were one of the first species conquered by the old Vit’azny Empire. Small, furry hexapods, they are quick thinking, short lived, numerous, and obsessed with efficiency; they are the ones who attend to the business of actually getting things done. They are technically subjects of the Commonwealth, not full members, but this is more of an oversight than an act of malice. Long before the Commonwealth was ever founded, the Rhodesians thoroughly integrated themselves into Vit’azny society, eventually making themselves indispensable. This trend has carried on with the Commonwealth as a whole, to the point where the Commonwealth’s official capital is actually their homeworld, Corinthene, though all the real power is concentrated on Praetoria, the Vit’azny homeworld. The vast majority of bureaucrats are Rhodesians; most military staffers are Rhodesians; personal aides, diplomatic attaches, economic analysts, technicians, administrators: they are the people who keep the Commonwealth running. The general sentiment towards them is one of distant gratitude: they are underlings, but well appreciated underlings.
Valerians: Valerians are descended from an avian lineage, and retain vestigial wings in addition to a more conventional tetrapod limb configuration. The Valerian Republic is the newest member of the Commonwealth, and the conditions for their joining were highly unusual. Unlike most new members, the Valerian worlds were fully integrated as constituents of the Commonwealth, not colonial holdings. There are a number of factors that prompted this decision - notably the abundance of Valerian psintegrae - but it has caused a great deal of tension across older Commonwealth worlds that are still waiting to be granted constituency. It remains to be seen if the advantages the Valerians bring with them will offset the social unrest their integration has caused.
The governmental apparatus of the Commonwealth is an intricate one. Though an Empire in practice, the Commonwealth pretends to be something else entirely.
There are three main bodies to the Commonwealth’s government: The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich, the Imperial Directorate of the Commonwealth, and The Imperial Crown. The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich is the official government of the Commonwealth. It is composed of 1021 elected representatives who are affiliated with assorted political parties. The party with the most seats after an election composes Her Imperial Majesty’s Government, and the leader of that party becomes Lord Chancellor. He in turn appoints assorted ministers to compose the cabinet. The parliament functions as most parliaments do: bills are presented, voted on, debated, voted on again, and so forth. The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich is responsible for issues affecting the whole of the Commonwealth, with regional authority being granted to smaller legislative assemblies, or the existing governments of member species. The authority of parliament is absolute, and the Imperial Queen is not directly involved in its functioning, though she may appoint heads of committees and task forces. There is an exception, however: Royal Mandates. The Imperial Queen may issue a Royal Mandate at any time, on any subject she deems suitable. A Royal Mandate skips all the debate and voting; in this, the Imperial Queen’s word is law. However, Royal Mandates are a touchy subject: a ruler that uses them too freely to abuse their authority over parliament often finds that their Mandates take a very long time to be implemented, often poorly. On the flipside, Prime Ministers who steadfastly refuse to bow to the ruler’s authority often find themselves in front of parliamentary committees on charges of Contempt of Parliament.
The Imperial Directorate of the Commonwealth is the vast bureaucracy that keeps the trains running on time. From the wealthiest Core world to the most desolate colony, the Imperial Directorate’s deft touch can be seen at work. It consists of a large number of ministries, departments, bureau’s, agencies and crown corporations, all arranged into a maze of regulations and red tape. Cabinet ministries are the largest entities of the Directorate, and cover a variety of areas, everything from defense and procurement to citizen health and wellbeing. Some ministries only operate in certain areas of the Commonwealth; the Ministry of Environment, for example, has absolutely no use in the colonies, but is enormously important in the Core worlds. Similarly, the Ministry of Civil Order is unnecessary in the Core, but plays an important role in oppressing the rebellious colonies. There are also a vast number of agencies that do everything from maintain hyperspace beacons to collect taxes. The Directorate can also be used as something of a political scapegoat if necessary. Ministers, the Lord Chancellor, even the Imperial Queen have been known to redirect blame into the faceless mass of the Directorate on occasion.
This brings us to the final entity of the Commonwealth’s government: the Imperial Crown. The exact limits of the Crown’s authority are vaguely defined and poorly understood. The Crown is an old, old institution, dating back thousands of years to one of Praetoria’s great empires, long before the Vit’azny began venturing into space. The Imperial Crown began with the establishment of the Breshelin Empire, under Catherines distant ancestor, Petyr Dragunov. Originally, the King’s power was absolute, but this power was limited by the first constitution of the Breshelin Empire, which came about after the Wurtenstein Uprising when the first ever parliament was established. Some 900 odd years ago, the Breshelin Empire managed to unite the entire planet of Praetoria under a single government after evidence of intelligent alien life was discovered, and a new parliamentary system was formed and a new constitution was written. The Imperial Crown continued on, but it’s powers were defined under the new constitution as being “similar in nature and spirit to those established under the Wurtenstein Constitution” (due to the Vit’azny legal system being largely based on historical precedent rather than written law). 499 years ago, when the Commonwealth was formed, much of the Crown’s power was again defined as “similar in nature and spirit to those establised under the Planetary Constitution.” Considering all this, the problem becomes apparent: the exact limits of the Crowns’ power are based on a poorly written 2000 year old document. The accepted conventions are as follows: the Crown will ask the majority leader of Parliament to form the official government, and will agree to dissolve parliament and open elections at the request of the majority leader. The Crown is entitled to appoint appropriate individuals to chair parliamentary committees, in consultation with the Lord Chancellor. The Crown is entitled to use Royal Mandates to address matters of urgency for the benefit of the Commonwealth. As of the Colonization Act of 22 AU, the Crown has jurisdiction over Colonial Territories, while the State Ministry is responsible for their administration and answers to the Crown in this regard. Even these conventions are not ironclad, though ignoring them risks a Constitutional Crisis. For the Commonwealth to run smoothly, it is essential for the Crown and the Lord Chancellor to have a good working relationship. If they do, they can combine their efforts to make good use of both of their respective authorities.
As the name implies, the ISC is a large aggregation of “independent” nations united under a single “democratic” government in a “free” and “egalitarian” society. While the name may imply such grandeur, the reality of the ISC is a far cry from independent, democratic, or free. In truth, the ISC is a vast monarchical imperium, dominated by a species of long lived feline humanoids called the Vit’azny, and ruled absolutely by Catherine, the Imperial Queen.
The Commonwealth is a younger nation, at least compared to some of the antiquated species clinging to the scraps of their former glory around the galaxy. The Vit’azny are also a young species full of pride and ambition. Other members of the Commonwealth vary in age; some species were pre-FTL when they joined, others were the remnants of once great empires. Regardless of age or stature, they now bend knee to Her Imperial Majesty, Catherine.
The Vit’azny have been a spacefaring civilization for a little less than 700 years. They set out from their homeworld of Praetoria and began rapidly expanding to accommodate their swelling population. Historically, they have never shied away from warfare, though they are pragmatic above all else and understand the usefulness of diplomacy. First contact with another alien race, the snake-like Yanissans, quickly devolved into war. Seeing how one sided the conflict would be the Yanissans promptly surrendered were annexed as subjects.This happened again with another race, the brutish Szitzu. Neither species were happy as subjects, and rebellions rapidly become a problem for the Vit’azny overlords. 499 years ago (1396 I.C.), they developed a solution: the Imperial Systems Commonwealth. The governments of the Szitzu and Yanissans were restored, and they agreed to the formation of the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich and the other institutions of the Commonwealth.
Distance kept the Vit’azny and later the Commonwealth safe from the overlordship of the Terran Imperium for many years; wracked by internal wars and insurrections, the mighty Imperium could scarcely be bothered to conquer the fledgling Commonwealth at the edge of its borders. However, knowing the Imperium wouldn’t always be distracted, the Commonwealth offered the Imperium its allegiance as a vassal nation in 1523 I.C. The Imperium was content with that the easy diplomatic solution, and the Commonwealth existed as a relatively loyal subject until the Emperor’s death in 1670 I.C. Mere days after the Imperial Yacht crashed in New Rome, the Commonwealth declared independance and dared anyone to say otherwise. As the Imperium crumbled, the Commonwealth flourished, snapping up pieces of old Imperial territory, annexing other imperial subjects, and generally taking advantage of the chaos to swell their own territory.
Together with the Alorians, their staunch allies, the Commonwealth emerged from the Great War as one of the premier powers of the galaxy. With the threat of the Dominion gone, and treaties with Uther invalidated by the Grand Marshals’ death, the Commonwealth has entered a new era of Imperialism, expanding unchecked in all directions. The unaffiliated worlds of the old Southern Reaches now bend knee to the Queen, as do sections of the old Dominion, a few sectors of former Varangian space, and several dozen new colonies in the galactic south.
Their alliance with the Alorians has only grown stronger with time, much to the dismay of the galaxy’s other powers. The two nations represent a massive power block in the galactic southwest, and their shared appetite for conquest shows no signs of abating.
Life in the Commonwealth is actually quite pleasant for Vit’azny and other species alike. The Imperial Government maintains a large number of social programs to foster growth and development. Citizens of member species enjoy access to free universal healthcare, free secondary education, heavily subsidized post-secondary education, a decent amount of personal rights and freedoms, unemployment insurance, fair taxation, a fair minimum wage, democratic representation in government, a degree of self governance and independence, and imperial funding for a number of industries. These benefits are something of a trap; they encourage many species to join the Commonwealth, not realizing they will be neither full members nor citizens immediately upon joining. In war, the ISC maintains a policy of always offering membership to their enemies. Many species over the years have decided to join rather than be exterminated. Even some species who could have won the conflict sought a quicker diplomatic end to war and accepted the offer, a decision most have come to regret.
Citizenship is a very important part of Commonwealth society. Being a citizen grants an individual access to all the Commonwealth’s benefits, as well as all its rights and freedoms. Citizens can also move freely from world to world, vote in elections, and apply to present a petition in the Royal Court. Non-citizens have none of these privileges; for them, life can be very hard. There are two ways to gain citizenship: money, or service. An applicant for citizenship must take three different tests: a generalized aptitude test, a specialized IQ test, and finally a citizenship test. While citizenship itself is free and the tests are not particularly difficult, the fees for taking each of the three tests are enormous. This means only wealthy non-citizens can take this route. Children of citizens gain access to citizen privileges via their parents until the reach the age of majority for their species, at which point they must obtain citizenship for themselves. It is common for parents to pay the fees for their children; many banks in the Commonwealth offer services to help citizens with children save up for the admission process, much like a college fund.
The other way to gain citizenship is through service; either to the Royal Armed Forces of the Commonwealth, or to the Imperial Directorate. Both routes skip the usual testing procedures entirely; simply serve for the allotted time, and be granted citizenship. The RAFC will take almost anyone, but is notoriously willing to throw away the lives of non-commissioned soldiers, so the challenge there is living long enough to gain citizenship or get promoted. The Imperial Directorate, in its never-ending quest to find intelligent individuals to help run the Commonwealth, has its own application process, which involves difficult aptitude tests and a number of exams and interviews. However, the Imperial Directorate is not just a quick way to gain citizenship, but also an extremely prestigious career that an individual could happily remain in for life. A third option is sometimes available; the Commonwealth sometimes has colonization drives to settle new colonies or Verge worlds, and offer citizenship to anyone who volunteers after they have lived on the target planet for a set number of years.
Vit’azny culture is strongly embedded with honour and military tradition. While not precisely a militaristic people, the Vit’azny don’t have any particular qualms about getting involved in conflicts, when it is necessary. War, of course, brings honour and glory to those with enough guts to seize them. Anything other than steadfast and heartfelt support of the military during wartime is considered borderline sedition. The culture of the Commonwealth in a larger sense is fairly difficult to pin down. Each member species brings elements of their own culture with them, so where a given species if more concentrated, their culture is more prevalent.
The Commonwealth does have a state religion, which the Vit’azny are quite fervent about. The enthusiasm of the rest of the Commonwealth varies widely. Their faith revolves around a pantheon of 7 gods: chief among them is Llyena, Goddess of Victory and Justice, from whom the Imperial Queen takes her authority. The others are Ichael, God of Life and Death; Arctus, God of Chaos and Destruction; Nezia, Goddess of Thought and Reason; Lexus, God of Order and Industry; Cyris, Goddess of Sight and Time; and Shakras the Lost, God of Secrets, the Unknown, and the Void. While Llyena is chief among the deities, different species in the Commonwealth honour others above her. The sly, snakelike Yanissans, for example, tend to favor Shakras the Lost, while the brutish Szitzu favor Arctus. Different planets, or even individuals of specific occupations will favor some gods over others; doctors might prey for Ichael’s left hand to guide them; the mandates of the Imperial Directorate are stamped with Lexus’s seal; some soldiers might pray to Llyena for victory, while others might pray to Arctus to grant them his battle fury. It is a faith as diverse as the Commonwealth itself.
People Full titles omitted for brevity
Catherine Romanov, the Imperial Queen: an aging vit’azny woman of the Romanov dynasty, head of state, Queen of the Vit’azny and Empress of the Commonwealth
Lord Gregory Ross, Lord Chancellor of the Commonwealth: Head of the Crown Loyalists party, head of government, political leader of the Commonwealth, a human and a peer of the realm
Lord Virgil Telemachus, Minister of Foreign Affairs: A Rhodesian who has done well for himself, a peer of the realm, part of the well regarded Telemachus family.
Lord Robert Castlereagh, Minister of the Interior: A vit’azny and peer of the realm, previously one of the Commonwealth’s foremost diplomats and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Now Minister of the Interior, he approaches retirement after a long, illustrious career.
Lord Adison Volkov, Minister of War: A vit’azny and peer of the realm with an illustrious military career.
Admiral Emden Konig, CO 5th Fleet: Commander of the Commonwealth’s primary offensive fleet.
General Kyarguin, Head of the Foreign Legions: A szitzu general commanding the majority of the Commonwealth’s ground forces.
Lord Captain Commander Martuf: A well connected and somewhat mysterious Yanissan, now well into old age, but if anything, more cunning than ever.
Admiral Maria Anisimovna, CO Mercy Fleet: Commander of the Commonwealth's peacekeeper/intervention fleet in unaffiliated space.
Organizations
Royal Armed Forces of the Commonwealth: the collective term for the Royal Commonwealth Navy and the Commonwealth Army Corps.
Mercy Fleet: A conspicuously large fleet operating outside the Commonwealth's borders, Mercy fleet is ostensibly a peacekeeping unit. The fact that it has more or less the same composition as a Commonwealth Battlefleet is certainly a coincidence. The flagship, CSC Salvation, has extended medical facilities where the marine quarters would normally go, so it is technically a hospital ship. A heavily armed hospital ship. Yes, Mercy Fleet is certainly a peacekeeping force.
Office of Naval Intelligence: A notoriously inept branch of the RCN, tasked with intelligence relating to warfare.
Commonwealth Intelligence Directorate: A civilian intelligence organization reporting to the Minister of the Interior, supposed to concern itself with security threats internal and external. Ends up sharing ONI’s responsibilities and does a much better job of it.
Oresteia: The King is dead, the crowds despair, the heavy crown is ours to bear. A little known organization with vaguely defined responsibilities and sweeping powers.
Places
Corinthene: The Commonwealth’s capital, seat of the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich, ancestral homeworld of the Rhodesians.
Praetoria: Seat of the Imperial Crown, so called “Shadow Capital”, homeworld of the Vit’azny
Sthis Tor: Yanissan homeworld, a place of intrigue, hedonism, and debauchery.
Ursuli: Szitzu homeworld, a major military stronghold and training centre.
8%. A combination of patriotism and the lure of citizenship has driven ellistment rates higher than they otherwise would be.
Royal Armed Forces of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth’s military, especially the navy, is very highly regarded amongst the populace. This pride, a healthy amount of pressganging, and the promise of citizenship results in a higher than average service rate. Military service is considered to be very honourable and prestigious; even the wealthiest of the nobility serve at some point in their lives, indeed some of them attained their lofty positions through that service. The RAFC prides itself on being a meritocracy where skill is what matters, not species or social status. This is mostly true, though some individual Vit’azny officers act otherwise. For the most part, however, the RAFC can bring one great fame and fortune; both the army and navy offer prize money for captured enemy equipment, as well as generous pensions for officers. The RAFC highly values even the most junior of its officers, including warrant officers. The enlisted men, however, may as well be cannon fodder, though this sentiment is not obvious. The official explanation for the high death rates among enlisted men is that they are over-eager to prove themselves, and so take unnecessary risks.
The Royal Commonwealth Navy
The RCN is an old institute that dates back to when ships sailed the seas instead of the stars. The Vit’azny saw no need to create a separate organization when space flight began, and the RCN simply assumed responsibility of military endeavours in space. The RCN remains convinced that the good old fashioned broadside is the best way to win any fight, though the range of these broadsides has increased significantly since the marine days of the RCN. As a result, Commonwealth ships tend to be tall and thin, with positron beam turrets on their dorsal and ventral surfaces. The sides of the ships carry the majority of the broadside armament, which consists of multiple missile tubes and medium-calibre railgun batteries. Flak systems and point defence lasers are scattered across the ship. Shields are designed to be highly redundant, with even the smallest ships having multiple shield generators. Additionally, most Commonwealth ships are equipped with axial mounted weapons: older ships use supersized MAC guns, while many newer designs use massive superlasers. This configuration reflects the RCN’s current tactical doctrine. A given RCN ship is designed to be able to approach an enemy ship, firing with their positron turrets, axial weapons, and missile batteries at a target in front of them. Once the opening salvo has been fired, the ship turns to present its broadside, allowing all its positron turrets and broadside weapons to open fire. The relentless pounding of barrages of railgun rounds is meant to pummel away shields, while the positron cannons are meant to sear through armor. Missiles can be equipped with a variety of warheads, making them suitable for either purpose. For fleet engagements, the RCN’s most common tactic is to have ships form into a wall formation, each ship presenting their broadside to the enemy for devastating effect. Since space is a 3-dimensional place, the wall formation often ends up being adjusted to a sort of semi-spherical formation, which ships altering their broadside angles slightly to fire on targets approaching from any vector. This formation is often deployed to form a defensive screen for Commonwealth Star Carriers as they unleash their hordes of strike craft from the safety of the centre of the formation.
MCM: Multiple Configuration Missiles are another mainstay of Commonwealth military power. Commonwealth missiles are highly modulated, with a number of interchangeable components that allows ships to rapidly assemble whatever type of munition is needed. Warhead features range from standoff range ion beams to direct contact anti armor plasma charges. Fuselage features include additional drive sections for high speed missiles, extra fuel for extreme range engagements, and extra EW capability, among others. The drive section can be configured for long range bombardment or high speed evasive maneuvers. A kinetic warhead, enhanced targeting fuselage, and short range high speed drive combined make an excellent defensive missile, while an ion warhead with a stealth fuselage and long range drive can make a nasty surprise for enemy shields. The development of multi-stage drive systems for missiles has drastically increased their range over the last few decades.
Axial Weapons: Though Commonwealth ships are designed to engage with broadsides, their long narrow profiles presented an opportunity that was too good to pass on. As a result, all Commonwealth ships mount high calibre axial weapons that fire from the bow. Most vessels tend to have high intensity superlasers. Battleships and Dreadnoughts mount two axial weapons, while smaller ships mount only one. Powerful as they may be, these weapons are not the ship’s primary armament, so they are not as effective or mass intensive as a full sized spinal weapon would be.
Graviton railguns: The primary weapon of the RCN. The principle of magnetic rails accelerating a metallic slug is an old and quite simple one. The only modification the RCN has made is that, instead of magnetism, their railguns use artificial gravity systems to massively increase the size and speed of projectiles, and have multiple munitions types to accommodate different situations, such as armor piercing rounds, shield-breaker rounds, and flak rounds. Graviton railguns are configured in huge numbers of double mounts on the broadsides of Commonwealth ships.
Positron Beam Cannons: The pinnacle of Commonwealth energy weapons tech, positron cannons are devastatingly effective. They are mounted in massive turrets on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of Commonwealth ships and configured to deliver optimum firepower both forwards and to either side.
Hypometric Weaponry: Absolute cutting edge technology, hypometric weaponry has only been installed in a few of the newest classes of Commonwealth ships. Devastatingly effective against both shields and armour, hypometric weapons are a progression of Commonwealth gravity technology; they function by creating temporary micro-singularities with highly localized effects. Hypometric arrays are mounted on both broadsides, tapping directly into their own dedicated Wronski-Birks Graviton reactor.
Technological Overview:
The Commonwealth’s general tech level is comparable to that of other major galactic powers. The multi-national nature of the Commonwealth has brought together a myriad of technologies and ideas and combined them in innovative new ways. For example, the primitive brute force firepower of Szitzu mass drivers was combined with Vit’azny gravity expertise to develop a much more deadly weapon, while Yanissan missile systems and Rhodesian miniaturization have given the Commonwealth incredible versatility in their long range firepower. Each species brings something to the table. Yanissan expertise in biotechnology is unmatched, while the Vit’azny are experts fusion reactions. One of the main reasons for inviting the Valerian Republic to join the Commonwealth was the expertise in nanotechnology and information systems, though this technology has yet to reach widespread distribution in the Commonwealth
GDC: The most remarkable Commonwealth technology is without a doubt their engine systems. The Graviton Drive Chain is a massive engine system that takes up a good portion of a ship’s mass. In the main reactor core, a self perpetuating Wronski-Birks reaction creates huge amounts of energy, gravitons, and anti-gravitons. The particles are directed around the ship to form a gravitational envelope around the ship, which simultaneously pulls the ship from the front and pushes at the rear. When reinforced by generators along the surface of the ship, this envelope doubles as a very effective shielding system. Having the ship enclosed in its own gravitational field grants a number advantages, most notably extremely good acceleration and maneuverability. The GDC also serves as a ship’s FTL engine. Emitting intense bursts of gravity allows the ship to slip into subspace to rapidly move from one point to another, a process referred to as surging. Surging is affected by other gravitational forces, making it more difficult to surge near planets or stars, or even other ships using GDC technology. A coordinated surge by a Commonwealth fleet is an extremely complex maneuver, requiring extensive calculations to avoid disaster. The range of an individual surge is fairly limited, so long range travel is done by a chain of shorter surges. In battle, surges are extremely useful, allowing Commonwealth ships to periodically relocate themselves into more favorable firing positions. The main limitations on combat surges are the processing power required to perform surge calculations, the time it takes the GDC to cooldown for another surge, and the fact that a surge severely depletes the strength of a ship’s gravitational envelope and thus its shields. A poorly executed combat surge will usually end in disaster, but a successful one can cause a decisive victory.
The Commonwealth is an industrial juggernaut, with massive production capabilities. This industry is driven by an extensive trade network and a skilled workforce, but the real power of the Commonwealth comes from an immensely wealthy tax base and an abundance of cheap manual labour and raw materials. The disparity between the wealthy and the poor is truly astonishing, and a direct result of how the Commonwealth is organized. The worlds of the Commonwealth are classified into one of four categories: Core worlds, Constituent worlds, Colonial worlds, and Verge worlds.
There are many worlds in the Commonwealth, but not all are equal. Some are outrageously wealthy, some are desperately poor; different species dominate different worlds; some praise the Imperial Queen with every breath, some curse her name in the streets. The disparity is astonishing. The worlds of the Commonwealth are classified into one of four categories: Core worlds, Constituent worlds, Colonial worlds, and Verge worlds.
The Core worlds are the original Vit’azny colonies and a small number of worlds of some of the ISC’s oldest “members”. The vast majority of the Commonwealth’s wealth is concentrated on these worlds. In fact, money is the only real industry of the Core worlds. Almost all food and manufactured goods are imported from the Constituents and the Colonies, with the exception of some ultra-high end luxury goods. Any respectable company maintains its corporate headquarters on one of the Core worlds, with some exceptions. Money is the biggest industry of the Core worlds, with countless financial service providers and stock exchanges dominating the economy. Core worlds tend to be heavily populated; on average, about 70% of a Core world’s landmass is covered by gleaming cities. The majority of the population is inevitably Vit’azny, and poverty is virtually nonexistent on these worlds. While one would expect a society as lopsided as the Commonwealth’s would pass off the burden of taxation to its helpless colonies and let the Core Worlds amass their fortunes, this is not the case.The Commonwealth in fact maintains a sophisticated taxation system with multiple income brackets where the highest bracket pays the most taxes. Through this system, the Core worlds actually provide the majority of the Commonwealth’s tax income. Aspects of the Commonwealth such as the taxation system and the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich have convinced many species to join the Commonwealth over the years. By the time they discover some of the ‘conditions’ attached to membership, it is too late.
The Constituent worlds are the backbone of the Commonwealth. They include newer Vit’azny colonies, a large number of Commonwealth colonies, and the worlds of moderately respected member nations. The Constituent worlds are much less homogeneous than the Core worlds: some are richer, some less so, and even on a given planet there is a wide margin between the wealthy and the poor. A given planet, or even a given city on that planet, will have affluent communities and slums alike. Like the Commonwealth as a whole, the Vit’azny and a number of the older member species form the elite, with a healthy spattering of individuals from all kinds of species who happened to do very well for themselves. Constituent worlds are ruled by either Imperial Legislatures of the Commonwealth (in the case of colonies founded by the Commonwealth as a whole) or by existing governments (in the case of colonies established by individual members). Constituent worlds have full member status in the Commonwealth; citizens may vote in imperial and regional elections; while the world itself has high degree of self governance, can apply for subsidies from the Imperial Treasury, and has a number of other advantages. Constituent status is essentially citizenship for a planet, though individuals on the planet still have to adhere to normal citizenship procedures. The Constituent worlds are the primary manufacturing and processing centres of the Commonwealth. While the Core worlds’ only industry is money and the Colonies tend to only provide raw materials and cheap labour, Constituent industry does a bit of everything; large scale mining, agriculture, the production of consumer goods, starship construction, and all the financial and legal services that such industries need. It is all jumbled together in a free market economy that powers the massive industrial capabilities of the Commonwealth.
Colonial worlds are tragic monuments to the lies, oppression, and broken promises of the Commonwealth. They are the worlds of new or reluctant member species, and by the strictures of the Colonization act, these worlds are not technically members of the Commonwealth, but are instead subjects. Most Colonial worlds are desperately poor and underdeveloped, even if they were originally quite advanced. Many species join the Commonwealth with the understanding that they will enjoy all its benefits; citizenship, representation in Parliament, a degree of self-government, fair taxation, security, universal healthcare, subsidization, free education etc. Unfortunately, the Colonization act decrees that all newly added worlds are considered colonial holdings, and are under the direct authority of her Imperial Majesty, not the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich. This means they are not eligible for any of the Commonwealth’s social programs, nor do they have any representation in Parliament. They are not ruled by legislative assemblies, but instead by Colonial Governors, who are appointed by the Imperial Queen at the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. Few people are citizens on Colonial Worlds; only the Vit’azn dominated elite, who take ownership of any industry or natural resources on the planet and employ the locals as ultra-cheap labour. Slavery is illegal throughout the Commonwealth, but with no minimum wage or labour rights for non-citizens, colonial labourers can be paid almost nothing. Some landowners elect to provide food, clothing, and shelter for their employees and then pay them nothing at all, reasoning that room and board are taken from their pay, and the rest goes to taxes. Colonial Worlds are subject to the same fair taxation system as the rest of the Commonwealth, but it is not taxes that leave them in poverty. A clause of the Colonization act permits the Commonwealth to seize any assets it deems necessary from Colonial worlds and their inhabitants. Money, goods, resources, land, businesses, even people; all can be seized and repossessed by the crown, or given to a favored citizen. The exploitation and lack of support causes technological regression on many worlds; it is not uncommon to see vehicles with internal combustion engines on Colonial worlds, and even horses in extreme cases. Colonial worlds are often quite rebellious during the early years of their integration, but the Commonwealth is always quick to brutally repress such uprisings. The brutality they employ deters further uprisings, but it is the hope of citizenship, or even becoming a Constituent world, that ultimately keeps the colonies in line. Unlike citizenship, there is no specific criteria for a Colonial world to gain Constituent status and full membership; it is simply granted at the discretion of the governor and the Imperial Queen, again with the advice of the Lord Chancellor. This means a world might easily wait 15 years or 50, or even 500. The Imperial Queen usually tries to grant Constituent status to at least one colony per decade, in order to keep other colonies hopeful and obedient. This process is always accompanied by a grand ceremony where the Imperial Queen herself visits the new Constituent world, relieves the planetary governor, and validates its new government, while the Commonwealth holds a colonization drive to boost the world’s population and showers it with money and resources. A three-day festival is held to celebrate the change in status, and the day of the ceremony becomes a statutory holiday for that world. Some Colonial worlds, however, are so remote, poor, or useless that they will likely never be granted Constituent status. A few of the extreme cases have even been largely forgotten by the Commonwealth and the crown, and the inhabitants have in turn forgotten the Commonwealth.
Verge worlds are planets on the very edge of Commonwealth space. Their categorization has more to do with their location than their membership status. They are not grossly exploited like colonial worlds, nor are they pampered like Core worlds. They are ruled by military governors, and all have a heavy military presence due to their location on the borders of Commonwealth space. Some few are actually quite wealthy and heavily populated, almost as much as a core world. Most others are significantly less so. They’re populated by a wide array of people: military personnel, hopeless colonials seeking citizenship, prospectors seeking riches, wealthy citizens with a taste for adventure, convicts in forced relocation programs, and so on. Their purpose is to guard the borders of the commonwealth, anything else is secondary. Verge worlds usually have extremely diverse populations and much more relaxed culture, and social status is not considered as important. The military often provides some of the benefits that the imperial government would elsewhere, so the populace is not as desperate for citizenship as on other worlds. This much freer society makes them places of opportunity. Historically, some of the Commonwealth’s most successful corporations were started on Verge worlds, though some say that’s only propaganda. Regardless, Verge worlds are better places to live than many Colonial worlds, and even the slums on poorer Constituent worlds.
Queen Catherine-class Commonwealth Star Carrier
Victory-class Dreadnought
Triumph-class Battleship
Resplendent-class Battleship
Diligence-Class Battlecruiser
Imperial-class Heavy Cruiser
Resolve-class Heavy Cruiser
Defiant-class Cruiser
Phalanx-class Destroyer
Gladiator-class Frigate
Striker-class Corvette
Bomber
Fighter
Gunship
Mixed regulars The varied population of the Commonwealth mean that their regular infantry is composed of multiple species. Well trained, equipped with shielded combat armor and a variety of graviton-acceleration based projectile weapons, the Commonwealths infantry can hold their own on any battlefield in the Galaxy.
Szitzu Shock Troopers The natural size and strength of the Szitzu makes them uniquely well suited to ground combat. Combined with power armor, personal shields, and man-portable positron cannons, the Szitzu are a devastating addition to any conflict.
Valerian Skyjacks A new addition to the Commonwealth's armies, Valerian Skyjacks have cybernetically enhanced their otherwise useless wings into functional flight appendages. Their power armor is lighter than other models, sacrificing protection for speed and mobility with built in thrusters. Skyjacks are optimally suited for ambush tactics; flying at high altitude and dropping from the sky directly on top of unsuspecting enemy infantry.
Yanissan Su'urtugal The end result of Yanissan efforts to weaponize psionics, the pinnacle of their genetic splicing programs, the most deadly and unquestioningly loyal soldiers in the Commonwealth: Su'urtugal. The enigmatic organization known as Toolbox tracks down and requisitions all Yanissan psintegrae shortly after birth, then spirits them away to locations unknown to begin a lifetime of training and genetic tampering. The resulting individuals are stronger, faster, smarter, brimming with psionic power, and machinelike in their efficiency. Deployed as spies, elite bodyguards, and elite special operatives in combat, Su'urtugal are constantly in high demand.
Leader:Queen Eva: Eva was just fourteen when she helped spearhead the joint Alorian-Commonwealth invasion of the Varangian Remnants. She experienced one of the most brutal battlefields of The Great War, and it crafted her into an excellent strategist, a hardened general and a wise leader.
Persons of importance: Anastasia - Alorian - Adviser Selene - Alorian - Adviser Arina - Alorian - Adviser and General Kruog - Krolm - General
Description of Government: The Queen has absolute power over Alorian territory, people and laws. She has unrestricted political power. She has 6 advisor's who help her too make decisions and laws. Below the advisor's are the Generals who are in charge of the military on behalf of the queen. Below this are forms of smaller government who do not make there own rules but only help too enforce the Queens rules in a certain area, and pass up the wishes and concerns of the people too the generals and advisor's. The title of Queen is passed down from the current queen at death or if she desires too leave the throne too an Alorian lightblood of her choice. Her Advisors are all Alorian Females and mostly lightbloods.
Species and Demographics: Main Race: The Alorians:
Female Alorians An Alorian with paler skin which is much more rare.
The Alorians are a race of Humanoid people that stand at 5-6 feet tall. They have skin that comes in purple and blue and a rarer pale white which somehow still seems too glow. Male and Females grow no hair all over the body except for on their heads. Hair for Alorians can naturally come in any colour except for orange. Naturally they are stronger and faster than Humans but not by much. Despite the nice appearance Alorian's can be quite aggressive and xenophobic too other races but have a respect for the Krolm. The natural and still standing social order of the Alorians is very matriarchal as females are usually stronger and faster than the males although they are equals when it comes to intelligence, and the birth ratio is 70%/30% female to male. The Average Alorian lives 150 years, the longest recorded life was 173. They possess fangs which they can extend and hide when they want, they need blood too survive. Before they met the Krolm they would drink the blood of animals from Aloria, but the Krolm started too give blood too the Alorians when they were allowed into the Empire. Then when the Alorians met Humanity, they began to crave Human blood. Any blood can keep them alive though they strongly prefer Human blood. The Humans originally used this when they were in charge, they would give blood in order for Alorian cooperation. When the Human Empire fell, any and all Humans that could be captured were, showing the Alorians bloodthirsty nature.
Minority Race(s): Humans Recently freed from slavery within the Empire, and even more recently have Human females been given citizenship at birth.
Krolm: The Krolm evolved on Aloria's only moon. The conditions here were much more harsh than those on Aloria, the moon was covered in seas of magma and rocky continents that were used too very harsh weather. Due too this harshness they grew tough, scaly skin to protect themselves and they are considerably more bulky than a normal human and notably stronger. Their bones are heavier and show signs of extensive thickening. They stand at no less than 6 feet for the smallest and 40 feet tall for the biggest of the Krolm as they come in all shapes and sizes. When they were adopted into the Alorians growing empire they became the majority of the Alorian military and began too worship the Queen as a goddess just as the Alorians do. The most common type of Krolm.
Race Demographics: 59% Alorian, 29% Krolm and 12% Human.
Religion Description (Optional): There is no official Religion in the Alorian Empire. Most see and worship the Queen as a Goddess, but there are no organised churches. One belief that is strongly held throughout the Empire is that Alorian children born with white blood, called lightbloods, are children chosen by the Goddess (Queen) too become the next Queen. Lightbloods are much more intelligent than normal Alorians and are often given training by the Queen herself and if not chosen too be the next queen usually become advisers. There have been no male Lightbloods ever recorded.
Religious Demographics: Unknown, as there is no organised church.
Culture: The Alorians are an intelligent and beautiful species that live on many cities beyond their home. The cities they live in are huge and expansive, home too Alorians and Krolm alike as the two are happy to cooperate. Alorian cities can be found in many different places and and try to disturb the natural landscape the least they can but with such huge cities some things will have too change. In most cities the poor and the rich are separated but are both few in number as most people fall into the middle or working class. The small number of poor is because most who are born with little usually join the military. Naturally the Alorians can be very aggressive and xenophobic towards other people, cultures and religions. Most Alorians have no problem with slavery, it used to be widespread practice among Alorians as they kept Humans for blood and other purposes. However, as with any free thinking species, there are mixed opinions on the matter. All around the city the flag is waved as the people of the Alorian Empire are a very proud and patriotic people. Statues and shrines of the Queen and previous Queens can be found throughout all cities. Every three months the queen will address the people in a speech and it is very frowned upon too not watch it. The people are no strangers to war and are not scared of it, Alorians and Krolm celebrate war and it is seen as honourable and encouraged that if you are able you join the military in some way. Surrender is very much looked down upon by Alorian culture, although not outlawed by the military. When the Terran Imperium tried to take over by force after they helped the Monarchy win the century war, the Alorians, despite massive disadvantages, stood their ground and chanted 'We're going nowhere'. Unlike most peoples, the Alorians prefer to use music rather than literature to record history and tell stories. Before music could actually be recorded lyrics and notes were just written down so they could be performed again. Instead of reading books in school Alorian children listen too different musical pieces and dissect and interpret those. Music is very important too the Alorians.
History: Before the war: The Alorians developed as the only intelligent species on the planet Aloria on the Outer arm of the milky way. They quickly came out on the top of the food chain and started to build small towns, then cities. They were no strangers to war, early kingdoms killed and destroyed as did the earliest Empires and nations. As the Alorians progressed war between them became less common and nations became peaceful with each other. They reached 2016 tech level a century before the space-faring Human Empire reached them. At this time, for now unknown reasons, the peaceful nations of the world exploded into war. It was a long, bloody war which lasted for all of the century and is now called 'The century war'. By this point in time the Alorians had been aware of the Krolm on their moon for a couple of decades and communication had been made between them. The monarchy and the Krolm brokered a deal which would allow the Krolm to live on Aloria and with the Alorians if they helped the monarchy win the war. 23 years into the war the Krolm joined on the side of the monarchy and they became close allies, fighting together for the next 77 years.
The war only ended at the end of 100 years when Humanity showed up. Humanity, with advanced weaponry and techs, annihilated the other side of the war and won it for the monarchy. However when the Humans tried to take total control of the planet the Monarchy wasn't deterred by what they had seen the Humans do before. They wouldn't be ruled by aliens. They stood their ground and sung together, 'Were going nowhere'. They fought back. The Terran Imperium, not wanting to commit unnecessary genocide, allowed the Monarchy to stay in charge as a puppet government, a secret that would be kept from the people. The Humans would make laws, give blood help the Alorians out as long as they didn't rebel and allowed Humans to live on the planet and any they helped the Alorians expand too, and followed the rules that the Humans set in place. This only worked as the Alorians thought the Queen was still in charge, and Humanity kept the Alorians under control using this method until the fall of the Empire.
When the Empire fell, the now spread out Alorian colonies and planets turned on the Humans and took as many in as slaves as they could. They stole technology and set out to create their own Empire, the Alorian Empire, fuelled with a need for power and a lust for Human blood.
During the war: While Alorian forces were busy fighting the Varangian and Dominion forces, the revolts at home became more frequent and widespread. More Humans started fighting, with help or without help from the Terran Liberation Front which added a lot of pressure onto the Alorian military that was spread thin at this point. Towards the end of the war the Queen, fearing a collapse at home when victory in ‘The Great War’ was close, made a deal with the TLF to stop the revolts, and when the war was over she would begin talks concerning free Humans in the Empire. While the TLF did not let go of territory they held, they did stop attacks and broadcasted for the inspired rioters to stop. Things slowed down at home which allowed the military to focus fully on the Great war until it was won.
Immediately after the war: (up to 8 years post war) The Alorians annexed most Varangian territory, taking some Humans as slaves and expelling the Tor’Moro, Sia and Vala as refugees out of the new Alorian territory. They Coalition forces set up a DMZ between The Coalition and old Dominion space. Luna was invited for talks with the Queen regarding the future of Humanity in the empire, but instead she was executed by the Queen which was shown to everyone. However this did not lead to the collapse of the TLF and end of the riots as it was hoped. The TLF simply replaced her with a new leader and began attacks again, and riots started again but this time were much more fierce and widespread. Constant riots and attacks lasted for seven years and caused massive damage before the Monarchy finally gave in and started the talks that were originally promised. These lasted another year and at the end the ‘Treaty of Terran Independence’ was signed, which granted all Humans freedom, however they could not leave the Empire and would have to earn citizenship before gaining full rights that the Alorians and the Krolm had. They also had to give blood twice a week.
Nine to Fifty years post war: Rebuilding planets devastated by the revolts and war began almost immediately and by year fifty was going well. World's captured from the Varangians have been rebuilt to fit in with the rest of the Empire, and most of the planets hurt from the TLF movements had been rebuilt to their former glory.
70 years post war: Queen Lillith dies. A week of mourning commences, before a funeral at the end of the week. The day after, as is tradition, all Light Bloods trained by Queen Lillith fight to the death in an organised competition and a now 84 year old Eva wins. She is crowned the new Queen.
80 years post war: Rebuilding basically complete.
91 years post war: The ‘Second Terran Citizenship Act’ is agreed upon, and gives citizenship automatically to any Human Female upon birth. Human Females are treated nearly as equally as the Alorians or Krolm.
Description of Military (Optional): The military of the Alorian Empire is made up of Alorians and Krolm.
Regular Infantry: The Regular infantry is almost fully made up of the most common type of Krolm, but Alorians do serve here. Not too be mistaken for cannon fodder, these are highly skilled, tough soldiers who will do all they can and lay down their lives for the Empire and their Queen.
Marines: The marines are made up of around 60% Krolm and 40% Alorian. They are the best of the infantry, the strongest, smartest and most useful. Before being allowed into the Marines the person must have been in the regular infantry for 4 years minimum and complete gruelling training that has a 30% pass rate as well as a 10% death rate. The other 60% return too the infantry. The marines are usually dropped in from orbit too re-enforce crumbling defence or secure captured territory and will usually be in with the first wave of attack along with regular infantry, these are highly respected throughout the Empire.
Orbital Marines: These are Marines that can be dropped into a battle straight from orbit in group pods which carry 12 Marines each.
Scouts: Smaller and weaker yet incredibly fast and agile these Krolm are the perfect scouts. They can see 100% clearly in the dark and are used on recon or in hit and run operations. They will be in, fuck shit up and leave before the enemy knows what happened.
Royal guard: The royal guard are made up of mostly Alorians. These are the police of the Empire, they keep the peace within. They are also who guard the Queen. They are highly skilled, having too go training for years to become one.
Bruisers: The Bruisers are hulking beasts that stand at 30-40 feet tall with the power too rip down buildings and destroy opposing infantry, taking tonnes of damage before they finally go down. They are not damaged by small arms, and the only way too kill them with small arms is too set them on fire which weakens the hide and makes it vulnerable too gunfire and small explosions until the hide re-hardens. Less common and harder to control but once they serve the Empire they are a formidable enemy to have, often used too reinforce defence and in the first wave of attack, because of the sheer strength and as a fear tactic.
Corpsers: Corpsers are spider-like Krolm. They are born from eggs and start at the size of a small dog. Within a month they grow too have legs 5 feet long and this is the point they are used in battle. Often used as cannon fodder in large battles, sent in with infantry as a distraction as they move faster and often instil fear into an enemy. Also used in hit and run operations and are regularly sent too enemy installations just too harass opponents. When fully grown can be the size of a double decker bus, and are used in the same way as Bruisers although most corpsers dont make it too this age. Their legs are reinforced with metal plating. Small corpser. Large, fully grown corpser.
Vehicles and navy: Ground Tank: The Ground tank is a highly versatile tank that can be used as an Anti-Air stationary cannon or as a moving Anti-Infantry machine. Loaded with two AA cannons on the back, an AI cannon on the front and laser machine guns on the back, sides and front, this is a good part of any Alorian force.
Troop Transpot Ship's or TT835's: Ship's used too transport marines and infantry from place too place and too bring reinforcements in. Equipped with two cannons on the bottom and two plasma turrets on either side.
Fighter's or F35X's: The F35X is the most commonly used fighter in the Alorian navy, allthough lots of different models of fighters are used. The fastest, strongest and most reliable fighter in production is the F35X. Equipped with two cannons and two laser turrets on either side, one under each wing.
Type of government: Nominally a confederation of sovereign states; factually a centralised oligarchy
Leaders: While the Coalition was once composed by three distinct states, each of them ruling itself in accordance with its internal procedural regulations, with collective actions and undertakings being coordinated by a Central Administrative Council formed by representatives of the three governments, in the course of the last century various events led to the presence of a strong central authority becoming necessary for its survival. Although these nations still exist to this day, they have in practice been reduced to specialised economic and social branches controlled by the CAC, which has assumed complete authority over all fields and functions within the Coalition. The latter is nowadays tacitly understood to be a single political entity.
The current members of the Central Administrative Council are:
From the Techno-Sphere, formerly the Inter-Planetary Rule of Ekhrilthurl:
High Administrator Ealkhaltl Decorated Proto-Engineer Iurrvelt High Defence Coordinator Aalthallr
From the Weavers of the Cycle, formerly the Transglobal Union of Skereth:
From the Bearers of the Abyssal Word, formerly the Blessed Thearchy of Zsresris:
Rseslar, Voice of the Deep Exalted Strategist Sralsresr Deep-Vassal Rsilrsesr
Persons of Importance:
Proto-Engineer Eullthellr: A major scientific authority within the Coalition's core industrial systems, Eullthellr is one of the most capable developers in the field of Autonomous Operative Systems. He has grown intrigued by the concept of artificial intelligence, and believes that securing and studying such an entity would lead to a significant advancement in the Techno-Sphere's research.
Cycle-Master Rezthir: A Skirol leader an gene-weaver, known with his experimentations with micro-organisms. Rezthir is responsible for developing several pathogen strains employed by the Coalition military, and oversees the activity of various bio-plants tasked with creating befoulers and infesters.
Supreme Deep-Speaker Sreslrir: The second highest autority in Bearer hierarchy after the Voice of the Deep, Sreslrir seeks to emulate the example of his predecessors, who spurred the Coalition onto a victorious campaign and warned them of the new menaces which arose at that time. He thus never tires of rousing hatred against the external foes within his adherents, and, with the blessing of the Zsrolor, urges them to do the same.
These fungal creatures, hailing from a largely barren and inhospitable, but mineral-rich planet, have a long history of struggling with hostile environments, which, combined with their lengthy gestation period, frequently threatened to thin their numbers almost to the point of extinction. Consequently, there remains in them an atavistic aversion to being exposed to physical danger, and a proportional willingness to decrease the chance of such an occurrence as far as possible. As their soft, malleable pseudopods, which can, in various circumstances, exert a firm grip or perform fine manipulations, render them naturally suited for occupations wherein such flexibility can be vital, Ekhrilthur industry is the Coalition’s finest in terms of mechanical implements and technological advancement, its wares widely available on any inhabited world. Despite this, the Ekhrilthur themselves are seldom seen outside the industrial worlds they administer - despite the latter often amounting to little more than planet-spanning factories and mining operations.
Skirol:
The inquisitive Skirol developed in a rich and complex ecosystem, the entirety of which they still suspect they have not yet quite understood. Such a wealth of life never ceased to fascinate a great many of them, and, ever since the dawn of their civilisation, lead them to wonder how marvellous the world of organic forms might be if it were guided by a wise, calculating intellect - such as their own. Since the Skirol seldom hesitate before passing from words to action, there scarce can be found a life-form in Coalition space which they have not experimented upon, and the products of their biological engineering are slowly yet steadily making their way toward wholesale employment in the civilian sector as well as the military. Skirol are a rather common sight throughout the Coalition, especially on worlds rich with organic life.
Zsresriir:
The zealous, belligerent Zsresriir are best known for their ferocity and their curious devotion to the Zsrolor, with whom they share their homeworld. Their large size, abundance of natural weaponry and curt demeanour often cause them to be mistaken, when first encountered, for little more than savage beasts; however, they have time and again shown themselves to be remarkably disciplined and organised, not to mention law-abiding to an extreme. These traits render them well-suited for military service, and, indeed, the majority of the Coalition’s internal peace-keeping forces and non-synthetic troops are Zsresriir. A number of Zsresriir (about 15% of their overall population) is innately endowed with unusually fine senses, enabling them to sense even faint ground tremors beneath them. These comparatively rare individuals are recruited into the Deep-Speakers, the clergy of the Bearers of the Abyssal Word, as their abilities enable them to communicate with the Zsrolor and convey their wishes to the surface. In recent times, a few notable Zsresriir, such as high-priests and distinguished commanders, have begun to occultly receive "blessings", in the guise of physical alterations, from their Zsrolor masters. These individuals are transformed into towering horrors, possessing tremendous strength and resilience, and are believed by many (though no proof has ever been produced to substantiate these claims) to become vessels of a figment of the Deep Ones' essence, be it divine or genetic.
Zsrolor:
The enigmatic beings known as Zsrolor - such is the name given to them by their compatriots, the Zsresriir - are, as far as it is known, a species of large, subterranean, possibly highly intelligent creatures. They are worshipped as deities by the Zsresriir, whose Deep-Speakers they are able to contact and instruct by the means of a code conveyed through ground shocks caused by their movements. The Zsresriir claim they defer in all matters to the authority of their “gods”, who have, since time immemorial, always ruled them wisely and led them out of many a crisis. Attempts to study the Zsrolor are forbidden by the central Coalition administration. No Zsrolor has ever been known to appear on a planet not inhabited by Zsresriir.
Ulvath:
The Ulvath are a race of docile mollusc-like creatures which were discovered by the Zsresriir in the early stages of their expansion and “uplifted” to be part of the Blessed Thearchy, where they were treated as second-class citizens. Though they were granted rights equal to all other sentient species upon being integrated into the Coalition, due to their simple, trusting mindset they seldom rise above subordinate ranks. Despite, or perhaps because of, this, the Ulvath mingle well with the other species, and may nowadays be found virtually anywhere in Coalition space, from Ekhrilthur factories through Skirol bio-plants to patrol craft and army barracks. Their strength and obedience make them prized labourers and, on occasion, useful combat assets.
Religions:
Demographics:
Creed of the Ultimate Truth - 27% Sanctity of the Cycle - 27% Zsrolor Worship - 38% Minor Religions or Unaffiliated - 8%
Creed of the Ultimate Truth: It might be odd to hear that the notoriously materialistic Ekhrilthur are not only open to religion, but have even produced a faith of their own. In fact, the Creed of the Ultimate Truth is not so much a religious confession as a philosophical stance. In simple terms, those who subscribe to it believe that there is, concealed somewhere in the cosmos, a notion which, if discovered, would explain all uncertainties there exist on the nature and origin of the universe. There are innumerable interpretations of this basic axiom, which have birthed almost as many schools of thought within the Creed. Most of the latter’s adherents are Ekhrilthur and Skirol, though there may also be found among them some of the more curious Ulvath.
Sanctity of the Cycle: The closest the Skirol Weavers of the Cycle have to an official religion, the postulates of the Sanctity maintain that organic life should strive to attain balance among the many forms it might take. How exactly this is to be done is where most of the schisms occur. Some believe that organic life should be modified through bioengineering until it reaches the desired “perfect” state; others, that all “undesirable” life forms should be removed from existence so that they might not disrupt the order of things. What almost all agree upon, though, is that the Skirol are those upon whom it falls to establish the sacred balance. Needless to say, most believers in the Sanctity of the Cycle are Skirol; the others are prevalently Ulvath fascinated with Skirol culture.
Zsrolor Worship: The religion upon which the Bearers of the Abyssal Word are founded, the cult of the Zsrolor states that these beings should be revered as gods, and their will enforced wherever possible. While it might at first seem that such rigid imperatives might be problematic within the increasingly collectivised context of the Coalition, the Zsrolor have shown themselves to be quite reasonable concerning this matter, encouraging the faithful to follow the dictates of common legislation and never contradicting the authority of the CAC. Virtually all Zsresriir worship the Zsrolor, as do many Ulvath who have remained within their sphere of influence.
A number of minor cults and religions exists within the Coalition, as well as some individuals who do not subscribe to any faith, even nominally. However, none of those forms a sufficiently significant fraction of the overall population to be listed here separately, and most of them are of strictly local nature.
Culture and Background:
Though the three nations which form the Coalition are culturally vastly different, being populated by creatures whose intellects and societies evolved in environments which resembled each other marginally at best, the very fact that there should have been established a lasting alliance between them testifies that there is, after all, something all of them share in equal measure. Unsurprisingly, what most united them in this regard was the segment of their history they have in common - namely, their subjugation by the Imperium and the following struggle to regain their much-coveted autonomy. Diverse as the beings one may encounter within its territory are, the vast majority of them partake of an intense dislike for humans (or Terrans, as they are known there), and merely mentioning the Imperium is guaranteed to kindle the collective-patriotic sentiments of anyone who might be present, despite the fact that about two centuries have elapsed since its fall.
The success once achieved through unity has persuaded the species of the Coalition, and especially the successive generations of their leaders, that the “common good” is not merely a matter of idle rhetoric, but a source of very tangible advantages. Thus, over the years following the “Purification”, increasingly intensive propaganda campaigns, devised by the CAC and supported by the three governments (as well as, interestingly, the Zsrolor), aimed at promoting ideals of belonging to a single, vast political super-organism which, while not as centralised and tyrannical as the loathed Terran occupants (the CAC has always been careful not to overtly exert its authority with too great a frequency), would provide protection and well-being for its inhabitants, no matter their species, asking nothing in return but that they be good, dutiful citizens. This continuous action, often carried out subtly and indirectly, has contributed to strengthen a feeling of limited cosmopolitism in the populace, to the point that, if nowadays a randomly selected member of the latter were abruptly asked where their fealty lies, they would be driven by a pseudo-instinctive impulse to name the Coalition more promptly than their original state.
As it often is the case, such an increase of patriotism required, for greater stability, some sort of counter-balance, ideally in the form of general distrust and hostility toward everything that was not part of the Coalition itself. Such an effect was even simpler to obtain due to the aforementioned long-lasting hatred toward the Terran invaders and the sentient species associated with them - that is, anything which was not Ekhrilthur, Skirol, Zsresriir, Zsrolor or Ulvath, as not even the governments were truly aware of what exactly existed in the wider galaxy beyond the Terrans and the occasional non-human subject of the Imperium who visited their distant reaches, though this was certainly no obstacle to their tactics. If anything, it simplified them even further, as all “outsiders” were heaped together in a large pile of indistinct but precedent-fueled menace, against which popular discontent stemming from any small issue could be channeled. In fact, so effective were the methods of persuasion used that their very instigators began to wonder whether the situation might actually just reveal itself at some point to be just as grim as they had painted it. Reasoning that, after all, one can never be too careful, some decades ago Coalition leadership launched a motion for wide-scale militarisation of society, prompting the greatest part of industrial sectors, from Ekhrilthur roboticists to Skirol gene-weavers, to turn their attention toward bellic production. As every branch progressed along its own research paths, someone among the military commanders was struck with a brilliant thought: the diversity in the troops fielded by each nation could be exploited to emphasize just how much every member of the Coalition depended on the others in order to function at the peak of their capability. The idea caught on, and soon “interdependence” became a byword throughout the confederation’s economic and social sectors as well as the army.
As it began its expansion over a hundred years ago, the Coalition stood as a solid front against anything it perceived as threatening its well-being. Firmly united between themselves, its people were eager to defend their collective hegemony from the despised outsiders, and the general sentiment that its current holdings were not quite what such a paragon of cooperation and unity deserved fuelled its aggressive campaign from the onset. The widespread, unwavering patriotic confidence in the nation's indisputable strength was, however, destined to leave it exposed to general surprise when the nearby Totalist State first began to attempt to destabilise it economically and afterwards, upon encountering the violent resistance the governments had been swift to instigate, launched a military conquest operation against it. Having believed itself almost invincible, the Coalition, faced with a vastly superior opponent, had no choice but to abandon its holdings and ignominiously flee westward in the wake of its own fleet.
It would appear that such a sound defeat was bound to brutally demoralise the Coalition's population and cause its designs of grandeur to grind to an abrupt halt. And yet, this was not the case. With remarkable skill, the CAC contrived to salvage its predicament situation for all it could possibly be worth, and unexpectedly turned the exodus itself to its advantage. Stressing the urgency of the situation, its propaganda campaigns, accelerated to a frantic pitch, exhorted the masses to surrender all thoughts of individual advantage in order to ensure both the survival of the common good and their own, as their forebears had when they had risen up against the Imperium. The combined effect of immediate danger, concrete, steady guidance and flattering historical comparisons wrought wonders - within weeks, if not days, an overall collectivisation of society, now doubly unified under the strong, central rule of the CAC, was achieved, and, through a phenomenal industrial effort, the Coalition disappeared from the systems it had occupied in its entirety (whether by escape or summary execution for "subversive activity") before being destroyed or subjugated.
The success of the operation, as well as the numerous victories obtained by the Invasion Fleet on the western front and the ensuing territorial expansion, greatly bolstered public faith in the CAC and its policies, radical though the latter might have been. And radical they were: seeing as its status as governing organisation, though unofficial, was all but universally accepted, and as the three states having founded the Coalition had, with the loss of geographic references, become a surprisingly vague concept, the CAC redefined the latter as socio-economic entities whose nature was dictated by their contributions to the collective. Thus, the Ekhrilthur state became the Techno-Sphere, a conglomeration of engineers and technicians responsible for mechanical production and the exploitation of uninhabitable mineral planets (most of which have already been torn apart by immense mining compounds); that of the Skirol was made into the Weavers of the Cycle, tasked with studying and altering potentially useful life-forms; and the Blessed Thearchy shed its political trappings to become a full-fledged religious order, supplying trained personnel for military and law-enforcement purposes. The Ulvath, as was their custom, remained nondescriptly spread across the three organisations.
In such a rigidly utilitarian environment, it was but a question of time before faceless conformity became the norm. Nowadays, citizens of the Coalition are chiefly defined by their role and functions in the vast industrial and military machine which the nation has transformed into. While individuality is not overtly suppressed, it has been stripped of most of its significance, and the only remaining methods of expressing it are purely aesthetic. The most relevant example among such manifestations is that of custom physical enhancements, mechanical or biological, which have become of widespread usage and are readily made available by authorities eager for workers to perform beyond their best.
History:
When the conquering fleets of the Terran Imperium reached the zone which is currently Coalition territory, the three local civilisations which had risen upon various worlds and, until then, thrived unchecked - Ekhrilthur, Skirol, Zsresriir and assimilated Ulvath - were barely past the planetary development stage, their first crude vessels tentatively reaching out and scarce daring to stray from their home systems. As could be expected, the Imperium met little difficulty in shattering what feeble resistance they could offer and subjugating them, annexing their resource-rich home-worlds. Due to the four species’ radically alien physiology, considered extremely repulsive by human standards, and bizarre cultural traits, Imperial enforcers found it simple to consider them as little better than beasts, and treat them accordingly. Their homelands were ruthlessly exploited for all they were worth (Skereth’s famed ecosystem survived only owing to the Skirol’s clandestine actions), and the beings themselves were herded as slaves and summarily tried and executed upon the least suspicion. The Zsresriir and Ulvath suffered most, bearing the brunt of Imperial retaliations for the casualties and devastation frequently wrought by angered and elusive Zsrolor.
Discontent soon reached soaring levels in the colony, and riots and rebellions were not late to occur. They were usually limited in reach and poorly coordinated, yet their sheer quantity forced the Imperium to increasingly strengthen garrisons on occupied worlds. This, in turn, sparked further uprisings, but it soon became clear that, however brutal, ferocious and even physically superior the rebels might have been, they were no match for the well-trained, well-armed and well-disciplined occupants. Under such conditions, the Imperium’s complete victory and pacification of the zone would probably soon have been complete, had it not been for a fatal mistake. Noticing how fitted for specialised roles the various species seemed, a newly appointed governor devised a scheme to create groups comprised of some individuals of each of them, which would have been able to autonomously carry out a variety of tasks. This project was soon enacted, and a number of especially bright or otherwise prominent creatures was gathered, as per instructions, in “multipurpose xeno-labourer units”.
The components of these units, who soon learned to communicate between themselves in a simplified form of the Ekhrilthur speech (which would later become the common language of the Coalition), were not slow in establishing contact on another level as well. They all yearned to be free from the Imperium yoke; now, they were afforded an opportunity to reach this goal by preparing to strike from where their enemy least expected it, and each found vital new allies in the others. Thus, while outwardly appearing as though they actively collaborated with the Imperials, the multipurpose units covertly worked to develop their own traditional technologies, all while remaining in contact with each other and rebel groups, who spread messages of renewed hope among the general population.
When the newly invigorated forces of the three occupied nations believed themselves ready to launch the long-expected uprising, the Imperium was already showing signs of weakness. Some of the garrisoned troops had been withdrawn, and there was little hope new reinforcements, had been necessary, would have been timely. Thus, the position of the local Imperial forces was somewhat weakened; yet they did not deem it worthwhile to increase vigilance, believing the locals to have finally lost all strength to rebel, and were caught unawares when the masses of the xenos turned upon them at once, supported by swarms of bio-engineered monstrosities and fearsome war machines which had seemingly appeared from nowhere. Soon, the entirety of the Terran troops present in the occupied zone had been torn to shreds; yet the exultant rebels did not find this sufficient, and turned upon human civilians with undiminished ferocity. Those who were not immediately slaughtered were transported to Skirol bio-plants, and were never heard from since; those attempting to flee from the systems were pursued with captured Terran spacecraft and secretly constructed prototypes, the forerunners of the Coalition armada, and annihilated. When news of this massacre reached the Imperium, it dispatched a fleet to subdue the insurgents; however, it already had few ships to spare at that time, and the assault was successfully repelled. What occurred during the Liberation was nothing short of genocide; yet the inhabitants of the Coalition still remember it with pride, and never tire of glorifying the “heroic deeds” of their ancestors.
With the hated oppressors destroyed and peace restored in their territories, the newly freed nations set to rebuilding their planets as they deemed it best and planning their future courses of action. Mindful of the Liberation’s success, their leaders convened that it would have been most advantageous to consolidate their alliance, and founded the Yrrkeltharl Coalition, named after the appellation of their sector in the common language. Over the next centuries, the CAC and state leaders tirelessly worked upon strengthening the ties between their peoples, largely through the methods described above, and further developing their stunted industries and economies, contributing, where possible, to causing them to be greatly reliant upon each other. Such a focus upon internal affairs did not leave sufficient amount of time or resources to spare upon external expansion, and isolationism was virtually enforced during that period.
Roughly at the time of the beginning of the Great War, however, the Coalition leadership, believing the confederation to be sufficiently strengthened and prepared for conflict, and launched a campaign of expansion. The bulk of its Invasion Fleet, which had grown over the decades of stabilisation, was dispatched to the west, where, after defeating and annihilating a number of lesser states with relative ease, it breached the border of the Musashi Empire, a powerful human nation which, at the time, occupied a significant portion of the galactic south. Despite the invading force being designed to face larger enemy fleets, a sufficiently fast and vigorous reaction would probably have put an end to its venture; however, due to increasing internal instability and pressure upon multiple fronts, the Empire was unable to stage a sufficient counter-attack. Several confrontations saw the Invasion Fleet victorious, and numerous Musashi worlds were besieged and razed.
Yet, while the Coalition's foreign ventures were successful, its home systems were not quite as safe as its leaders believed. The nearby Totalist State was itself aiming to expand in that zone, and to that end sought to subversively destabilise its most significant powers - such as the Coalition itself. When the latter violently reacted to indirect approaches, driven by never quite extinguished hatred of extraneous influence, especially if human, the Totalists brought their military might to bear upon it. Had even the bulk of the fleet been recalled in time, it would have been powerless to repel such a force; the only remaining alternative to being conquered and assimilated was therefore flight. By centralising the Coalition's government apparate almost overnight, the CAC succeeded in organising a somewhat disciplined exodus, and the entire surviving population departed in the wake of the Invasion Fleet. As the average citizen had little choice but contributing to the war effort by any possible means until the situation had grown stable, the armada's capabilities were significantly bolstered, and before long a large part of what had been Musashi space was under the Coalition's control. The Empire, severely weakened and assailed by marauders and other foes, collapsed soon afterwards.
Now once again controlling territories of its own - and more than ever heretofore - the Coalition set to populating its new holdings and rebuilding its might. With a previously unthought-of abundance of resources at its disposal, and other major nations tending to their own wounds after the Great War, it was able to reorganise itself into a potent politico-economic apparatus, all while remaining true to the policy of remaining a closed system, inaccessible to external markets. Presently, it is far better prepared for conflict than a century before, and no less eager to engage in it.
Technology:
While the age of Imperial domination remains ever reviled, it is undeniable that it contributed to furthering the three nations’ technological development, both owing to their own subversive projects and the establishment of infrastructure and production facilities by the occupants, and rather simplified their initial stages of industrialisation, leaving them with plenty of expropriated material to work upon. Notably, the basic apparatus structures of the Coalition’s communication systems and warp drives, though long since rendered unrecognisable by numerous improvements and modifications, were once almost integral replicas of the original Terran devices. However, after centuries of more or less overt exhortations to leave the vestiges of an abhorred past as far behind as possible, and develop previously unthought-of technology as a testament to the alliance’s scientific brilliance and industrial might, the joint efforts of Ekhrilthur and Skirol researchers have succeeded in developing a number of inventions which are, to all effects, unique in the galaxy, due to the peculiarity of their design and the alien nature of the minds which conceived them.
One of the first issues to be raised to the attention of the newborn Coalition was that of energy production. Previously, the latter had been achieved through the consumption of material resources extracted by the Imperium, a method which the new governments were unanimously opposed to perpetuating. Thus, after a mere few month of feverish activity, the nascent Ekhrilthur industries constructed the first vacuum-core reactor. The fundamental principle of this design consists in creating an enclosed, stable pocket of void, to which was added a small number of catalyst particles, and converting its physical traction into kinetic energy, which could then be transformed and employed as necessary. Such reactors provide a high output, but have the disadvantage of being, even in their most reduced forms, large and unwieldy. Nevertheless, to this day they remain widely used in factories and aboard ships, where they fuel engines, shields and the occasional heavy weapon.
A more versatile generator was developed recently as a result of the combination of Ekhrilthur experiments with nanotechnology and Skirol microbiological engineering. Cultures of genetically modified bacteria, designed in such a manner than they multiply and feed upon each other and multiply at an unnaturally fast rate, preserving a balance in their numbers, were placed in vats along with nano-machines which harvested the energy released as a result of their frenzied activity. Such devices, which could be produced in varying sizes depending on their application, soon became the most widespread energy source in Coalition space, as they could provide autonomy as far as on a personal level. Bacterial tubes, as they are commonly known due to their usually cylindrical form, have caught the attention of military engineers, and were swift to be made into batteries for energy beam weapons, which were consequently dubbed “bio-lasers”. In particular, army-issue blasters, used by Planetary Invasion Forces, but not law-enforcement personnel, are fitted with a special breed of bacteria, whose activity produces toxic waste. The latter is then expelled in pulverised form from vents in the weapon’s sides, perpetually cloaking Coalition forces in combat in tell-tale venomous clouds.
Another relevant technological field is that of robotics. The Ekhrilthur have always been loath to conduct hazardous work in person, ever devising more and more efficient tools which could be exposed to danger without personal risk, and what tool is safer than a remotely controlled, or, better yet, autonomous machine? Thus, mechanical drones were, even in the chronicles of ante-planetary times, associated with their production. However, as the quality of these drones grew, so did, at a far swifter rate, their numbers, and the difficulty of managing them. Even the most advanced of autonomous machines often found themselves in positions where two or more units were accidentally given contradictory instructions, and the entire situation was deemed greatly unsatisfactory. Several solutions were tested, until finally the first Autonomous Operative System was implemented. Though not exactly sentient, this processing program nonetheless reached such a degree of complexity as to be able to control numerous drones at once, all while taking full stock of its surroundings and calculating the consequences of its actions and nearby events by combining almost indefinite factors. The experiment was a success, and AOS mass production began soon afterwards. Often these systems will combine into networks to manage large facilities, sometimes spanning continents. As was almost inevitable, the design was adapted and optimised for military operations, and specialised Tactical Autonomous Local Operative Systems (TALOS) currently control the Coalition’s hordes of war-drones and automated fighter craft.
A final note should be expended upon the matter of personal augmentations, which have lately attained vast popularity among the Coalition's population. Such enhancements, originally only employed in the military sector, often combine the Techno-Sphere's aptitude for inorganic mechanics with the Weavers' expertise in organic modifications, though exclusively metallic or biological implants are by no means uncommon. Their nature differs wildly from case to case, ranging from prosthetic (occasionally supplementary) limbs to new sets of sensory organs, through more subtle alterations to muscular or exoskeletal structure or the Ekhrilthur's characteristic amorphous masses of nano-machines welded to the carrier's body. The more rare and difficult to obtain an implement is, the more extraordinary its effects are; whereas the more readily available ones are usually minor, primarily cosmetic in nature.
Military:
The Coalition's collective military, ambitiously named Planetary Invasion Forces, perfectly reflects the concept it contributed to inspire - that of cooperation and mutually dependent fractions operating in unison to secure victory through the combination of their respective strengths and by compensating for each other's weaknesses. This general strategy, as well as the diversity of its ranks, makes it an altogether highly versatile army, capable both of engaging an enemy force in the field and stealthily sapping its strength through guerrilla warfare, as well as rearranging itself almost instantly in order to adapt to varying conditions. The Coalition's ground forces are its pride, and numerous simulations have estimated them to be capable of tremendous destruction - which the famed destruction of the Imperium's forces can only confirm. The Planetary Invasion Forces are broadly divided into three categories:
War-Drones
These machines, variants of Ekhrilthur drones especially built for military action, controlled by TALOS networks, typically mount direct attacks upon the enemy. Their immunity to pain or fear renders them ideal frontline combatants, and their coordination, unmatched by organic units, ensures that its manoeuvring should be invariably as rapid and efficient as it could possibly be.
Standard Invasion Drone
Standard Invasion Drones form the bulk of the Coalition's frontal attackers. While not especially resilient, they are nonetheless strong, dexterous and, most importantly, disposable. Armed with bio-laser blasters, their advance pushes forth along the front the Coalition's trademark poisonous vapours.
Heavy Invasion Drone
Slightly larger and significantly more heavily armoured than the Standard model, these drones are understandably more expensive to produce, and thus fielded in lesser numbers; those which do appear upon the battlefield, however, abundantly compensate for their scarcity. Their weapons fire conglomerations of destructive nano-machines, which gruesomely tear their way through flesh and metal indiscriminately.
Bio-Engineered Creatures
Spawned from the pits of Skirol bio-plants, these horrors, intelligent enough to be trained, usually serve as mobile infantry, flanking enemy formations or eliminating small, elusive targets. They are immune to the toxins and pathogens employed by the Collective military, and, in case of defeat, scatter about the desolation wrought by the main forces, possibly enduring for years as isolated threats or joining successive invasions.
Shredder Beast
Agile and ferocious, shredder beasts are usually unleashed in droves upon foes. Though they are capable of recognising and exploiting vantage points, they prefer to charge at their targets directly, striking them where they are most vulnerable, for instance, in the rear lines.
Ravager
More cunning and patient than shredder beasts, ravagers often organise ambushes and surprise attacks against their targets, assailing them when they least expect it - such as when they are certain of victory, and consequently careless. Their camouflage abilities enable them to blend in with their surroundings, and thus all the better catch their prey unawares.
Befouler
These winged beasts swoop down upon assembled enemy ranks, spitting out corrosive ichor, or harass flying machines, compensating for the Coalition's lack of atmospheric vessels. It is not infrequent for them to suicidally dive onto their targets - which is, oddly, a valid strategy, as their bodies rapidly decompose into purulent, infectious puddles upon death.
Zsresriir Soldiers
The elite of the Planetary Invasion Forces, those Zsresriir who take up arms to defend (and expand) the collective good of the confederation are the Coalition's most prized and formidable military assets. Not only are these "heroes" subjected to rigorous training and intensified propaganda; there are likewise likewise bestowed upon them numerous Ekhrilthur mechanical implants and Skirol grafted enhancements aimed at improving their senses, strength and agility, to the point that many of them barely resemble Zsresriir at all. They are usually protected by semi-organic combat armour, which, along with shielding them from damage, filters the air they breathe, enabling them to operate in usually impracticable environments and wield bio-laser rifles.
Those who display the greatest amounts of zeal and fanaticism are further "upgraded", being outfitted with a Skirol symbiotic carapace. The latter is, rather than a suit of armour, a separate, semi-intelligent entity, which, in addition to greatly enhancing the wearer's potency and performing the usual functions of heavy defensive equipment, is able to regenerate damage to both itself and the Zsresriir within at preternaturally rapid rates.
Armoured Vehicles
Combat vehicles generally fill the role of mobile artillery and battlefield support in Coalition armies. Though it is possible for them to engage similar units, they are especially adept at demolishing buildings and other structures - it matters little whether military or civilian.
Reaper Tank
The most common of the Coalition vehicles, Reapers are quite fast, which enables them to out-manoeuver larger engines or pursue fleeing enemies. Their armour, however, is fairly light, and their weapons, though rapid, are largely ineffective against stronger plating and fortified structures.
Devastator Tank
Heavily armoured and carrying the largest bio-laser cannons among the Coalition's ground forces, Devastators might well qualify as artillery platforms in their own right. Their versatility, though, is impaired by their slow movement and large size, which renders swift manoeuvring impossible and marks them as conspicuous targets.
Specialised Boarding Units
These highly hazardous creatures are only employed in boarding operations, where they are released in separate pods. However, there have been suggestions to use them on planetary surfaces as part of scorched-earth strategies.
Infecter
Despite their small size and lack of natural defences, save for a chameleon-like capability to render themselves nearly invisible, infecters are invariably handled with extreme caution. Their peculiarity consists in filling breathable atmospheres with airborne viral infections; a sufficient number of them could render an entire ship uninhabitable within less than an hour.
Ingester
As simple as a pluricellular creature could possibly be, an ingester is no more than a larger equivalent of an amoeba. The closest there is in it to neural activity is an urge to advance and consume all organic matter it encounters, which it promptly does whenever possible by externally digesting and assimilating its victims. As they lack anything resembling organs, and thus any vulnerable point, these entities are tremendously difficult to stop. It is assumed that they can only be destroyed by thorough burning, though even that has never been verified.
Fleet:
Originally, the Coalition's military fleet was, due to resource constraints, rather small and limited in its ability to engage enemies frontally. Its combat tactics primarily relied on extensive boarding operations, executed by the means of small, nimble boarding pods, each filled with drones, bio-engineered monsters or Zsresriir shock troops:
Such pods are designed to attach themselves to larger craft and locate a hollow surface upon it, then wear away at its defences and unleash its contents within, eliminating the crew and thus neutralising the ship.
Since then, the Coalition has been able to construct a fleet to rival those of other major nations. While boarding pods are still employed, they are nowhere as crucial to victory as they once were. Overall, its current space combat tactics greatly rely upon aggressive engagements and overrunning enemy formations with large numbers of swift, agile vessels. The relatively short range of their weapons is compensated for by their speed, which enables them to rapidly reach firing distance, and, while their vacuum-powered shields are fairly easy to breach with focused attacks, they have the property of swiftly regenerating while not under pressure, rendering them ideal for absorbing stray blasts or precision strikes.
Known Coalition combat ships include:
Fighter Drone - Controlled by TALOS networks optimised for space combat, these drones are a negligible threat on their own, but can be quite a nuisance when swarming about in large numbers.
Deployer - Unlike other fleets' carrier ships, deployers do not carry smaller fighters, but boarding pods, often launching them directly at enemy ships as they sweep by.
Hunter - Hunter craft do not engage larger vessels, but, being exceedingly fast for their size, pursue enemy fighters and corvettes, destroying them with swift, accurate bursts of fire.
Battleship - Though nowhere as imposing or destructive as the dreadnoughts fielded by larger nations, Coalition battleships are far more agile than those colossi, and can prove quite versatile as concerns battlefield functions.
Breaker - Larger than hunter ships and armed with frontal vacuum reactor-powered cannons, breakers are designed to surround large vessels and destroy them through sustained fire, preferably directed toward especially vulnerable spots.
Armoured Transport - Despite not being quite combat vessels, transport ships fill a vital role in the Coalition fleet, carrying as they do large numbers of Planetary Invasion Forces toward besieged planets. Large numbers of them typically follow in the wake of a battle fleet.
Colony Ship - Similarly to the transports, colony ships are not designed for combat, being equipped with a mere few turret-mounted weapons. Their purpose is instead to complete planetary surface invasions and lay the foundations for the subsequent assimilation of a world. Each colony ship houses several miniature factories and bio-plants, and carries within itself a small army of troops and worker drones, enabling it to gather raw materials from its surroundings and churn out waves of reinforcements to bolster the ranks of the Invasion Forces.
The Agonis Remnant
Though the Agonis Collective is gone, records of its activity and, most importantly, some of its technology have since been recovered by the Coalition. This, along with the victory over Magnus and his followers and the ensuing capture of their instruments and devices, has enabled it to replicate some old designs and more or less subtly improve upon them where necessary, thus fielding a refurbished force capable of meeting present-day armaments and vessels on equal terms. A few well-concealed industrial systems have been devoted to constructing vessels imitating Agonis designs, as well as birthing by the means of bio-plants an army of homunculi similar to those raised by the AIs. In this field as well, the Coalition has somewhat modified the original schemes, breeding new strains and altering or altogether replacing previously existing ones to better suit its needs.
As far as anyone knows, the Remnant is led by the God-Entity, a virtual being which claims to contain in itself all of the Collective's former members. What is not quite so widely known, however, is that the God-Entity is a simple interactive program, whose prompts and responses were modelled after the constructors' knowledge of the intelligences' demeanour. In truth, Remnant forces operate under the hidden control of the Coalition itself. Their attacks are carefully directed upon vulnerable objectives in the territories of other major nations, or targeted at their operative groups in neutral space. The Coalition leadership is ready to deny any knowledge of the existence of the "Agonis", and sweep aside any queries as to whether they have made their appearance in its space as well.
Population:
Khraal Ghouls
While the Khraal homunculus design, being quite easily adaptable to various forms of mass production, was not altogether eliminated by the Coalition as it set to re-engineering Agonis's ranks, it has undergone some significant alterations. The new Ghoul breed, while not as cheap resource-wise as, and thus less numerous than, its predecessors, noticeably exceeds them in size, strength and agility, and is an even match even for trained human combatants in hand-to-hand struggles. While possessing limited intelligence and being unable to use weapons, Khraal Ghouls can infect their victims with a maddening disease, which might cause one to turn upon their comrades in paroxysms of blind fear and anger.
Varusch
Unlike the other homunculus types, the Varusch, designed as they were to suit various functions and be easily modified if the situation required it, remained largely unchanged, save for a few new breeds being devised to meet the reformed force's needs. They constitute the Remnant's all-purpose creature-power and the backbone of its armies, and have, though their sheer variety, replaced the Khraal as the most numerous sort of construct.
Varusch standard troopers
A Brute-breed Varusch, larger and bulkier than the standard type and armed with heavy weaponry
An Elite-breed Varusch, possessing greater autonomy and intelligence and donning power armour
Ulkor Overseers
Replacing the Agaathi in the role of homunculus commanders, the Overseers are somewhat more manageable for their new masters. Save for tactical skills, they are only marginally more intelligent than their underlings, and obey the Coalition's orders unquestioningly. Overseers possess limited psionic abilities; this enables them to telepathically transmit orders to their troops and, if enough of them are present, mount direct localised mental assaults. While their commanding method has certain advantages, it also causes subordinate creatures to be overly reliant on their continuous supervision; eliminating all Overseers in an area will thus leave the homunculi they directed, with the exception of Varusch Elites, momentarily disoriented. On the battlefield, Overseers appear clad in metallic armour and wield portable plasma weapons.
Fleet:
Though the Remnant's ships are equipped with Coalition technology, thus greatly outclassing their predecessors, they exteriorly maintain the appearance of the Collective's fleet, including decorative symbols and marks of identification.
The Theran Dominion is a small galactic power that exists within the confines of an ionized region of space known as the Crystalline Sea. They trace their roots from the remnants of a galactic empire that collapsed thousands of years ago in a different galaxy. Despite being caged within the Crystalline Sea, the Dominion was always aware of the existence of other space faring species and the Terran Imperium. Without the navigation coordinates of the Ravin Strait; the only route that connects the Dominion and the rest of the galaxy, it is impossible to enter or leave Dominion Space.
Government Type: Meritocratic Triumvirate Government Heads:
Kor Darion Asoft - Legate of War
Sor Mara Ross - Legate of Information
Tor Sollus Berg - Legate of Logistics
General affairs in the Dominion are settled by the Legates as a single body. Legates are only expected to act individually if an issue exclusively involves the field covered by their position. Each Legate's decision on their designated field is absolute and can only be revoked if the decision is considered flawed by a small council of previous Legates.
Following the laws of meritocracy, anyone can become a Legate, provided they have enough merits to prove their capability in their desired position. The title of Legate is passed down every ten years, giving enough time for aspiring candidates to achieve feats worthy of the title.
In an event when the government is at a crisis, the Triumvirate can appoint an individual with supreme control over the Dominion, along with the title of Imperator.
Cultural Overview:
Races: Theran - Therans are humanoids that can be considered as humans in every aspect, if not for their alien heritage. They share multiple similarities with the biological anatomy of Humans, including the basic skeletal structure with five fingers on each hand and legs. Due the brutal environment of their homeworld, the Therans evolved to be extremely resistant against toxins, radiation, and extreme temperatures. It is easy to differentiate a Theran from a Human due to their jet black complexions and neon green eyes. Another notable feature of the Therans is that they produce pheromones which make them highly attractive to other species, regardless of the sex.
It is unknown how the Therans came to such similarities to humans as their historical records were abandoned when they escaped their home galaxy. The average Theran lifespan is 700 years.
Ormvics - Ormvics are hulking 7ft bipedal creatures that shares a strong facial and body resemblance to a Terran primate. They are completely hairless and have thick greenish skins that protect them from heat. Their most notable feature is their bony plates located at their forearms that takes the appearance of a bracer. These plates have intricate carving-like linings that are completely unique a clan an Ormvic hails from. They are sentient but only speak in short phrases due to cultural upbringing. Ormvics have a very small population due to their reproductive capability of having only three offsprings in a lifetime. Ormvics have long natural lifespans, but due to their innate urge to participate in hazardous activities, not many Ormvic live past the age of 60.
Cultural Ideology: WIP Religion: Even in an advanced time, the Therans believe in omnipotent figures with ash colored skin and glowing green eyes; much like their own, that controls the the fate of their species. They call them the Trakkai, and it is said that the Trakkai were responsible for not only breathing life to their species, but also guiding the ancient Therans in rebuilding their fallen empire.
Evidences that the Trakkai lived with the ancient predecessors of the Therans have been brought to light in recent decades, creating a concrete foundation for the Theran belief. Though it is still unknown what happened to them, the Therans still believe that the Magai are still out there, possibly laying down the foundations of their future in secret.
Language: The national language of the Therans is called Therani; a mix of General English and an unknown alien language. Therani puts emphasis on the title of the person by replacing it with alien words that is synonymous to the given title as a sign of honor.
Economic Overview:
Industry: The industrial capabilities of the Dominion exceeds the limitations of the size of their empire due to the progressive economic reforms done by the Triumvirate. Though composed of only 28 star systems, the Dominion's economic power is comparable to empires twice its size. The economy is driven by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with only select private corporations being allowed to operate. Barren planets are often strip mined, non-sentient alien domestication for food stock, and nationalization of rising corporations are just common events in the Dominion.
Hundreds of resource rich planets are at the disposal of the Dominion, including planets that are inhabited by non-spacefaring sentients. The Dominion offers protection and technology to these non-spacefaring civilizations in exchange for the civil enslavement of their people. Civil enslavement provides rights and governmental support to enslaved species, but this also binds them to become the bulk of the workforce in the Dominion's industrial sector.
The Dominion is also in possession of a Vault ship called Tiberia; a ship with staggering production capabilities.
A Vault ship is massive space construct that is equal in size of a dwarf planet. It has the capability of amassing resources of entire star systems and rapid mass production of any commodity. A vault ship cannot mine or gather resources on its own, which is why it is accompanied by mobile stations known as Harvester stations. Harvester stations carry hundreds of AI controlled mining ships that strip mine selected planets for every useful resource, while leaving all organic lifeform behind. A vault ship is built with matter compressors and decompressors that are used in storing the gathered materials of the Harvesters. It also have built-in molecular re-organizers that are used for creating a specific resource from available materials in its hold. The only limit for the re-organizer is that it cannot re-create organic matter.
Although the Dominion's Vault ship is known by public, it is used only by the government for military applications. Officially there is only one Vault ship that the Therans took to the Milky Way galaxy when they sought refuge, though stories of a lost Vault ship in uncharted space has surfaced in recent years.
Trade: Due to the System Specialization act, each system requires imported goods to support their specialized local production. This makes trade a vital component in the Dominion's economic engine. Systems would often have their own shipping fleets that transported products in and out of the system, but due to regulation on fleet sizes and access, systems would often rely on the unregulated private shipping corporations for transporting goods across Dominion space. But even with private corporations supporting the system trade, there are still smugglers who operate and violate trade laws.
Currency: There are two types of currencies in circulation in the Dominion. The Dominion's official currency is known as Dominion Credits (D-Chips/DC), while the unofficial in circulation is called System Credits (S-Chips/SC). System Credits are currencies that are only valid inside their system of origin. Each of the 28 Dominion systems have different System Credits with varying values, making S-chips useful only for local economies. It is possible to exchange local currency into D-Chips, but not the other way around. The value of D-Chips is heavily regulated, giving it a constant value across all the systems.
Military Overview:
Although the Dominion remained isolated from the rest of the galaxy for countless centuries, they were aware of the existence of other species outside of their ionized space. With this in mind, the Dominion constantly improved their military capabilities in preparation for the inevitable contact with other species.
Army:Grand Dominion Army The Grand Dominion Army is a collection of professional military personnel who are bound to their duty of protecting the Theran civilization from alien threat. Those who are part of the army undergo extensive military training for ten years before they are inducted as a member of the army. Once they enter the army, newly graduated troops are thrown immediately into the frontlines to sift out the weak. Theran army units are exceptional in combat due to their unwavering dicipline and adaptability in every combat scenario. They do not cower at the face of overwhelming odds, instead, they see it as a challenge for their abilities. A popular saying in the army holds: "There are no shortages of heroes in the Dominion."
The army is divided into four divisions; Ranger, Navy, Armor, and Reserve. Each division share the same uniforms and equipment, but vary in colors that symbolizes which division they came from.
Military Armaments:
SA-Series Suits - SA suits are armor suits that have personal energy shielding attached to them. Instead of forming a bubble shield area to protect the wearer, the energy current is run through the bodysuit, protecting the wearer from direct attacks that penetrate the armor plating. The shield offers strong protection against energy, electric, and kinetic attacks. Shielding can absorb severe damage before needing to recharge, but once depleted the energy shield takes 30 seconds to regain full power. The suit is built to resist extreme weather conditions and is also pressurized to allow brief protection from the vacuum of space. (Only the navy issued suits are designed for space combat.) Equipment such as communicator modules, life support modules, gas filter, and emergency beacons are included in the suit.
Gauss Weaponry - Gauss weapons fire a stream of bipolar magnetic currents that rips the target at the sub-atomic level. This often results to the complete disintegration or the destruction of large chunks of the target.
Laser Weaponry - Theran laser weapons fires concentrated particle beams at their targets through sustained fire or short bursts. Contact with the intense beams often result to immediate death due to the severe thermal trauma or the explosive reaction that obliterates a small area around the hit mark.
Ion Weaponry - Ion weapons are specifically made to disrupt mechanical systems and break enery shielding.
Mortius-class Armaments - These weapons fire electrically charged molten metals at a fraction of the speed of light, resulting to catastrophic damage to any target. They are efficient in both close and long range combat, making them an effective weapon against any type enemy. The downside of these weapon is that production is expensive, and would often require extensive knowledge about operating the weapon. Use of this armament is exclusive to the Navy and Armor division.
Navy:Grand Dominion Armada The Grand Dominion Armada was conceived from the Theran military ideology of: "Becoming the symbol of hope, power, and death, combined." The Dominion Armada is comprised of beautifully designed ships that are equally dangerous as they are elegant.
Phoenix-class Dreadnought
Eagle-class Carrier
Vulture-class Battlecruiser
Hawk-class Frigate
Firebird Starfighter
The Sundered Fleet: WIP
Thanatos-class Dreadnought
Odium-class Battleship
Maero-class Destroyer
Despero-class Carrier
Dolor-class Frigate
Special Military Branches:
Dominion Reaper Forces
Characters
Ardin Zelorus - A Theran Explorer/ Former Legate
Iris - Iris is one of the Replicated Intelligence System-Droids made by the old Theran Empire during their civil war era. The purpose of the RIS-Droids was to provide strategic advice and information storage for the always mobile military fleet commanders. Iris is one of the twenty RIS-Droids that arrived in the Milky Way Galaxy that was not decommissioned after the establishment of the Theran Dominion. Iris was given to Ardin Zelorus as a reward for his services to the Dominion.
Type of Government: Totalitarian Single-Party State.
Summary:
The Totalist doctrine preaches the total submission of the individual towards the aggrandizement of the State and Party. Only through total compliance to the "Grand Plan" of the Party the State will be able to triumph against its myriad enemies. With the end of the Fourth Great Hydarnian War and the destruction of the People's Republic of Cymelia and the Grand Federation of New Albion, the Party is now desperately looking for a new enemy to demonize. In the same vein, the Party has also started to slightly modify its ideological basis to absorb some ideological concepts from both Albion and Cymelia. That way, making it easier to absorb and assimilate the populations of the other two authoritarian regimes.
The radical wing of the Party has come up with the concept of Obliteration of the Self. Arguing that it's the individual that causes conflicts and problems with his greed and ambition, the theorists propose a sweeping campaign to eliminate this obstacle. Through education, cultural control or brute force. To further advance the idea, the Anti-Individualist faction has also managed to force a series of localized reforms, creating several "testing grounds" for their social control projects in scattered planets across the State. The number of planets under their control has increased significantly, along with their power and influence ever since the end of the Agonis Liberation War.
Another major political group within the Party is the so-called "Transhumanist Front". A long time presence within the ideological framework of the Party, the Transhumanists received a massive boost in influence with the introduction of advanced cybernetic technology from the war against the Collective. Like the Anti-Individualists, the Transhumanists' end goal is to effect a major shift in Totalist society. In their case this shift would be the widespread dissemination of technological augments, like cybernetic limbs, to all the population.
The Totalist government is divided into directorates. Each one is in charge of an aspect of the administration and is usually divided into smaller sub-directorates for more specialized areas. Each director is part of the Board of directors, who is officially tasked with helping the Supreme Director in running the State. Since the real Supreme Director died centuries ago, the directors themselves run the show. With the most influential of them being the one to call the shots.
Leader(s):
Persons of Importance:
Species(s) and Demographics:
The bulk of the Totalist population is human, 85% to be exact. And while the official Party line has nothing outright against Xenos, they are still among the most used boogeymen by the State propaganda machine. Because of this, the general attitude towards Xenos is one of distrust and subdued animosity. Said animosity can be wiped into a frenzied hate at a moment's notice by propaganda.
Besides humanity, a host of minor Xeno species live within Totalist territory. Most of these species confined to a single system or even continent. Ruled by puppet leaders advised by Totalist officers and kept purposefully primitive relative to the State. In times of war these Xenos fight side by side with the Totalist army, as cannon fodder or rearguard personel.
Ever since the annexation of most of Agonis, the State has also counted in its official sources the presence of the "Agonians" and their subspecies. Essentially all species formerly inhabiting the Collective from the Ascended to the Varush are counted inside this classification. Decades of purges and intentional controlled local extermination have thinned their numbers, but those that remained are now entirely assimilated within the State's framework thanks to extensive indoctrination and forced drug addictions.
Religion Description and Demographics:
Official Party doctrine dictates that religion is a parasite that must be purged for the success of the Grand Plan. In practice however the situation is different. Major religions, specially those originating in foreign states, are relentlessly purged by the Directorate of Security. But several faiths and philosophies deemed "safe" by the Party are allowed to exist. And so are mostly ignored by the Cultural Commissars. But like with everything else within the State, the smallest slip or wrong word can doom an entire community to ignominious death in the basement of a slaughterhouse.
Paramount among the approved faiths is the so called "Pain Vehicle". An offshoot of Buddhism born in the bloody and chaotic days of the Imperial collapse, the Pain philosophy (as it is more commonly known) was created by the then newly-installed Buddhist theocracy of Gyala. Unable to alleviate the suffering around them, the monks instead accepted the ultimate truth that the Universe wants people to suffer. And if that's the case then suffering must be what brings enlightenment, specially if one accepts such suffering without resistance. Likewise, those who inflict suffering are seen in a very positive light since they help others achieve enlightenment faster at the cost of delaying their own escape from the cycle of death and rebirth.
In the Gyalan Protectorate, which remains a theocracy to this day, albeit a puppet of the Totalists, monks and nuns practice extreme forms of sadomasochism. Torturing themselves, their novices, their fellow clergy and the helpless local population, who has been raised to believe that this torture is actually a glorious reward.
The Pain Vehicle also does not believes that living beings have individual souls. Preaching instead that all life is merely a rogue vessel for the parts of a single soul of the same cosmic spirit. This has earned them some points with the radical Totalists as both groups despise the concept of individuality and self.
In the Totalist State proper, the Pain philosophy lacks its elaborate temple-fortress and highly organized clergy, the Party must maintain appearances after all. But this hasn't stopped the ideology from finding some fertile ground among the population. Specially those in the armed forces and security apparatus.
Of course, one can't talk about religion in the Totalist State without mentioning the Party itself and its official doctrine. Which by this point has become akin to a religion itself. Specially in its blind veneration to the Supreme Director, the supposed founder of the Totalist State and the one to create the "Grand Plan", a series of complex, confusing and often times contradictory ideals. Ignored by the Party leadership unless its convenient for them or completely misunderstood or even unknown to the wider population. In general the Grand Plan is merely used as a propaganda slogan these days.
The Anti-Individualist faction takes the Party Doctine one step further. With an even greater focus on the strength and righteousness of the group while further condemning and demonizing the individual. In the planets controlled by the Anti-Individualists, concepts such as family are completely unknown. Conception happens in vitro, in large facilities with material harvested from the population of breeding age and combined ostensibly to get the best results out of the combined genetics. Children are raised in communal centers and separated as they grow. To receive specialized education according to their designated "caste". Chosen based on the results show during their early stages of education.
The Transhumanists themselves have what can be called "the Cult of the Machine", a philosophy that preaches augmentations as the best path for the evolution of the population into something greater and more useful. The strength of this idea has led to a crusade of sorts by the Transhumanists, as the faction uses all of its political and economical capital to "reward" large amounts of the population with augmentations
Culture:
Totalist culture is in general a very utilitarian one. Centuries of Party control and the relentless work of the Cultural Commissars have created a society molded by the Totalist ideals of complete submission to the Party, where one's worth is judged solely by how much he or she is able to contribute to the State. Or at least in theory, in general a member of the upper echelons of the party has access to much more resources and amenities than a mere worker, regardless of their actual "utility".
The State is present in all aspects of life within Totalist space, either through constant propaganda or surveillance. Privacy is considered an obstacle to most and the Directorate of Safety maintains a colossal network of informants, agents and machinery to spy upon its own citizenry. To ensure their compliance. Such is their control that the black market itself is merely another facet of the Directorate of Safety, ensuring that the truly subversive material stays out of reach of the masses and that any potentially dangerous elements are (even more) closely watched by the security apparatus. On the same vein, the Directorate also maintains several small resistance groups led by double agents, to give the Party a boogeyman when needed and catch any would be rebels.
Overall, Totalist society is rather conservative. Clothing consists of drab and dull mass produced pieces. Even military and Party uniforms remain somber and subdued no matter how high in the hierarchy, though they tend to be of much higher quality than the usual citizen jumpsuit. Likewise, hair is usually kept short by both men and women. Likewise, possession and use of "decadent goods" such as makeup and perfume are considered crimes punishable with decades of forced labor in the camps.
Architecture is also very utilitarian, built to be sturdy and to last without care for aesthetics or appearance. The only exception are government buildings and monuments. Those are also supposed to impress and cow the masses into submission.
Cities are dotted with statues and monuments glorifying the Party and representing the ideals of Totalism. Smiling workers, eager peasants and stern-faced soldiers represented in steel and granite are the norm. Besides the Supreme Director himself, very few actual individuals are immortalized by the Party. Mostly due to the Totalist's disdain for "individual selfishness" in favor of the "strength of the collective".
Food is mostly of the processed and canned variety. Other kinds of meal are available but they cost so many ration cards that only the Upper Party can afford them consistently. In most rural areas however, most citizens do possess at least a small private garden to supplement their diet.
Healthcare is focused on keeping the citizens productive and breeding. And its not uncommon for workers and soldiers to receive some genetic or cybernetic modification to make them more useful. Regardless of their consent.
"Aberrant" behaviour isn't tolerated by the State, with aberrant being anything that doesn't conforms to the official Party line or isn't passively tolerated. Homosexuals, members of persecuted religions, criminals, political dissidents or merely the losing side of political struggles may, if lucky, end up in mental asylums and reeducation camps. Though chances are one probably ends up in a work or extermination camp.
Entertainment-wise, the Party has created the Cultural Sub-Directorate to monitor and control what the people may do for fun. The Sub-Directorate does its duty by fielding literal legions of Cultural Commissars tasked with creating, censoring and monitoring pieces of entertainment and art. As a matter of fact, most artists within the State are in the payroll of the Sub-Directorate.
To make their job easier, the Sub-Directorate has built millions of "Collective Interaction Centres" across the State. These complexes offer a wide variety of activities for citizens of all ages and classes. All under the watchful eyes and cameras of the Cultural Commissars.
Besides the activities approved and promoted by the Cultural Commissars, there are also a host of things that the Sub-Directorate does not concerns itself with. And these are specially popular among the lower classes, if only for the chance to get away from the overbearing presence of a Cultural Commissar.
There are several planets and systems within Totalist space that are under control of the Anti-Individualist faction of the Party. Officially designated as "social experimentation planets", these worlds are playgrounds for the radicals. Places where their ideals are implemented and perfected. Places where the Obliteration of Self, destruction of family structure and divisions among "caste stereotypes" are in full swing. For them, this is their chance to show the undeniable superiority of their ideas.
The Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy was always a contentious region. Initially settled by adventuring spirits and ambitious pioneers, by the time the Imperium first started to expand into the region, the area was occupied by a patchwork of petty states, warlords and alien races. Some of which were actually descendants of refugees fleeing the growth of the Imperium.
Without a single cohesive entity or coalition capable of facing them, the Imperium gradually conquered the Fringe in a series of military campaigns over the period of a couple centuries, the area being too far and low priority at the time to merit the allocation of larger forces. But while the conquest went well, occupation was an entirely different matter. The distance from the Imperial Core and relative backwardness of the region ensured that there was almost always something higher in the Imperium's priority for them to divert the necessary resources to fully integrate the region. Exceptions to the rule were few and far between, usually during periods of prolonged peace and prosperity. But even then the Fringe was never fully assimilated.
When the Imperium fractured, the Fringe was one of the first regions to descend into anarchy as Imperial forces either abandoned the area to join the succession war or turned into warlords, fighting against each other and the locals for domination.
It was during this period that the Totalist Party first caught the attention of the wider Galaxy. One of the many factions that managed to eke out an existence just outside the Imperium's borders, the Totalists saw the collapse of the Imperium as their chance to expand. Losing no time they dived right into the mess.
60 years later, the Fringe saw itself locked into a death struggle between three major factions: The Totalist State, the People's Republic of Cymelia and the Republic of Albion. Three repressive dictatorships with their own brand of Totalitarism. This deathly struggle of ever shifting alliances made sure that neither of the three powers was able to give any attention to the wider Galaxy.
Eventually, after almost a century of conflict, the Totalists managed to gain the upper hand after allying with a weakened Albion against Cymelia. The People's Republic fell and soon after the Totalists turned against Albion too. But this peace would not last, for just as the Totalists were mopping up the last Albion remnants, their northern territories started to be harassed by the Agonis Collective. Initially little attention was given to the issue as the Board of Directors severely underestimated the extent of the Collective's power.
The low intensity warfare against the Collective lasted for about a decade before the machines finally launched a dedicated attack against the State. Catching the Totalists somewhat by surprise, still busy erasing the last traces of their hated enemies, but at the same time giving them an actual enemy to fuel their ideology of total war.
Eventually, the sheer number of enemies arrayed against the Collective sealed its doom. This victory left the State in control over most of Agonis and caused a major shift in the Party's philosophy. No more would they purposefully remain aloof and oblivious to the wider galaxy. Their newfound status as a major power and the general chaos of the time gave them the chance to spread the Totalist creed. And that was exactly what they did.
Military:
The Totalist armed forces, under overall control of the Directorate of Peace has two major subdivisions: The Totalist Army and the Totalist Navy.
-The Totalist Armed Forces:
During the last century, the Totalist Army experienced an extensive series of reforms, both in its technology and fighting philosophy. Though the general doctrine of Deep Operations remains more or less the same, the tools and paths used to put it in practice have changed during the intermezzo.
For one, cybernetic augmentations are now much more common, even among the rank and file. New and improved models and series of armored vehicles, gunships, weapons and all kinds of gear have been developed, fielded and replaced in the last 100 years. Dozens of different kinds of drones for the most varied kinds of roles have also entered the Totalist OOB, usually deployed as support equipment instead of in their own units. These drones range from small spy drones to large, mobile weapon platforms. Each of these drones comes with an specialized VI for their expected purpose, and while noticeably advanced, it stops short of being actual AI.
Some models of Walkers are also fielded by the Army. Though they still take a clearly secondary role to the more conventional vehicles, such as tanks, SPGs and APCs.
The Army is also in charge of planetside aerial operations, with the Totalist Air Force being classified as a subdivision of the army. Doctrine-wise, the Totalist air force is designed as a air superiority and ground support force while strategic bombardment is left for the Navy.
Another subdivision of the Army is the Home Guard. Tasked with protecting Totalist controlled worlds, the Home Guard is made of a core of officers and professional soldiers complemented by mass draft of civilians during the invasion. It should be noted that as a rule, the Guard reservists are made to attend to basic training at least once a month, or once a week in times of war.
Manpower-wise, the Totalist Army is fed by a system of rotational conscription. With hordes of men and women drafted yearly for a three year term of service, with the option of permanent service after the term is up. Those who choose to stay may even be sent to military academies and the path to officialdom alongside volunteers and children of Party members.
A level above the regular conscript formations are the Red Banner units. The Red Banners are usually selected from the best graduates of the military schools. Equipped with excellent gear and augmentations and held to much higher standards than the regular soldier, the Red Banner is the pride of the Totalist Army.
With the Red Guard taking their position as the spearhead of the Army, the Black Banner troops have instead taken the role of Special Forces for the Totalist State. Still fielding the best, sometimes even experimental, equipment and personnel the Army can spare. Unlike the Red Banner however, the Black Banner only takes in recruits with previous military experience. In the same vein, Black Banner troops receive a specially high amount of augmentations, both genetic and cybernetic. Couple with a higher intake of performance enhancing drugs and stimulants.
An area of special importance and pride for the Totalists are their WMDs. Chemical, nuclear, biological, you name it, they have. From ship mounted lasers capable of destroying cities to specially crafted viruses and diseases meant to cripple the civilian population of rear areas.
The Totalist Navy
The Totalist Navy suffered the most extensive changes of the whole framework of the Armed Forces during this period. Once a defensive and insular force in nature, the State's shift in Galactic importance and extension of its interests through all the southern half of the Galaxy has led to major reforms and restructuring to this branch.
Type of Government: The monarchy controls all matters of the state, but allows the citizenry to control their local governments. Each region has a elected leader that is the liaison between the royal family and the people. State policy has not changed since annexation by the Totalist State.
Persons of Importance: --Prince Cato Aurelia Castus Anzac -Princess Lucretia Totale Bella Anzac
Species(s) and Demographics: The Monarchy is mostly made of the Hol with humans making up a small minority.
Religion Description and Demographics: The entirety of the Anzac-Canakkle Monarchy is made up of the Hol people who worship their monarchs like deities. As members of the royal family are born, they are deemed holy and worshipped by the people of the ACM ( Azac Canakkle Monarchy. As they age and control state matters, they are ordained saints by the people. There is no name for this region and it is mostly passive, not requiring any ceremonies or special rites. Citizens either worship the entire royal family, a certain member of the royal family or both. Some members of the royal family have specific names, gained either from battlefield accolades, humanitarian missions or Economic successes.
King Ganius Kleto Bactra Anzac ( Saint of War) Queen Vulpa Ameez Canakkle ( Saint of Mercy) Prince Holvar Juli Solonius Anzac ( Saint of Order) Princess Lucretia Totale Bella Anzac ( Saint of Love)
Culture: Since the end of the Agonis Wars, society has made a change towards modernizing their lifestyle. Large public transportation systems were implemented in most cities, severely cutting the need for animal drawn transport. In the rural sectors of the monarchy, most remains unchanged and people go about their days just as they always have. There is a distinct class system, yet class is not linked to wealth in any way. There are farmers that are wealthier then lords, and lords that are poor as some farmers. Your class represents your area of expertise in society. Everyone, except the immediate royal family and regional governors, have chosen their specialty in life. There are three main classes of people; Lords, responsible for upholding law and order. Artisans, the creators of some good and service. The artisan class encompasses everyone from home builders to arms manufacturers, this also is the largest class in the dual monarchy. The last class is warrior, which encompasses everything from guards to elite military units. Few decide to stray from their parents chosen class, most businesses have been family owned since the beginning of the war. Having warred for the majority of recorded time, diplomacy is the focus for the monarchy. Royal diplomats are expert at conflict avoidance, resolution and negotiation. There is a small corps of royal diplomats that handle all matters of foreign affairs.
LANGUAGE: The Hol speak Bolčoi, pronounced bolshoy. To human ears it would sound like a slurred version of a slavic language, like Russian, Czech or Polish. The spoken language has many hard sh and ch sounds that are used to denote tense, gender and time. Most Hol in the urban regions are bi and even trilingual. The languages of the former Agonis system and the Totalists has firmly permeated Hol society.
History:Prior to the Alliance, the Hol lived as a federation of loosely allied city states. Each had its own claim to territory based wealth, size and military prowess. The city of Laum, governed by the rich and politically ruthless Anzac family held the largest territory. The Anzac family or Anzaci to the Laumites, had already assimilated two other nation states before deciding to expand again, this time through conquest. Through large bribes to nobles, good pay and conscription the Anzaci gathered a massive army and conquered the known region. City states either assimilated, pledging allegiance to the Anzac family or were crushed by military action. This was not an isolated event however, as the Anzaci rose to power the Canakkle federation was being born. The Federation was a small group of closely tied city states that collectively governed the shared area. The Federation grew fast, and soon what was a collection of four city states turned into a nation of 20. With no knowledge of each other the new formed nation of Laumedies began conquering territory of the Canakkle federation. The response from the Canakk Federation was swift and devastating. The veteran army that had founded Laumedies was wiped out by the armies of 20 city states, an army containing both sons of the the emperor Jackal Gali Anzac. At first, the Canakk Federation had no idea what they had done, until the Laumites began burning their way through Federation territory. Entire cities were sieged and set ablaze by the now significantly larger Luamite army. Anyone who tried to flee the city was killed, man woman and child alike. It didn’t take long for the federation to gather their own armies to meet the Laumites, resulting in a month long frenzy of battles and skirmishes. When the battles ended, borders were drawn that would last for the next three centuries. At first both nations licked their wounds and strengthened. Fortifying borders, building infrastructure and spending a lot of time thinking, training and developing new ways to kill each other. A cold war was next, espionage, covert action and propaganda were the weapons of both nations for the next six years. It didn’t take long for the cold war to turn into a planet wide conflict, with Laum and federation forces doing battle on land and on the planets “great oceans”. This first world war lasted eight years and devastated the outer boundaries of each territory while the inner territories remained relatively untouched. Another cold war started while each nation rushed aid to their affected territories followed by a brief 10 year period of detente. For a moment the feeling of peace washed over the planet and there were rumors of cooperation and even integration amongst the territories. The Laumites, now tired from decades of constant fighting and espionage desperately wanted peace amongst the two nations. The war had lost favor in the royal courts and the noble families were close to revolution at the thought of another world war. To the Federation, the scorched earth campaign by Laumedies was still fresh in the minds of many and the leadership was eager for revenge. Using the guise of establishing trade routes, Federation forces clandestinely breached the border defenses and started the “Strum offensive”, strum meaning vengeance in the Canakk tongue. At first the Federation solidified their hold of the border region, cleverly cutting off towns as they inched forward. Rebels and soldiers were executed or imprisoned while civilian leaders were given the choice to either submit or die. Much to the surprise of the Federation, most cities chose to die, suffering months of sige before finally falling to the defenders. The Federation horribly misjudged conditions in Laumedies, The Anzaci were thought to be evil slave drivers, ruling the empire with an iron grip and swift hand. The truth was much different, many local leaders rarely saw their regional governors, who more often then not, were held in very high esteem by the populace. Quality of life nation wide was high and the people revered the royal family, some even thinking them divine. The Federation had taken almost a third of Laumedies before word got to the ruling generals in the capital. At first there was shock, anger and outrage at the depravity of their neighbors, such underhanded tactics were seen as undesirable by the leading generals of Laumedies. The people, still mourning the loss of both crown princes were quick to answer the call to arms, men joined armies and militias nation wide to combat this threat. Laumedies produces truly terrifying armies of professional soldiers and civilians like, dwarfing the army of the “Strum offensive”. Espionage was not new to the Laumites but never before had spies been used to this extent. Large and elaborate networks linked the besieged towns with the intelligence services, and soon resistances were formed in sieged cities to harass the federation forces from behind as “Magna Armada” or Queens army marched forward. It took a long and extremely bloody 50 years for the Laumites to regain their lost territory, devastating the already devastated border regions in the process. As their industrial revolution began, war was now mass produced and increased on a frightening scale. “The Great Oceans”, which was relatively peaceful before, now became bloody battlefield as steel replaced wooden fighting vessels. Large, inaccurate muskets gave way to frighteningly accurate bolt action weapons that completely changed the view of warfare. Cannons were replaced by field guns of various sizes and capability, turning once lush green fields into bogs of mud, tepid water and rotting bodies of the long deceased. A no-mans land was established, on the land borders between the two nations, and the war ground to a halt. large systems of trenches with large bunkers were established on either end. Advancing toward the border of either country meant certain death and constant artillery bombardments made soldiers lives hell. With the land war ground to a halt, the naval war intensified almost immediately. Large naval engagements and island hopping campaigns added to the bloody struggle for supremacy. For two centuries the two nations skirmished and fought at various intensities, taking their fight to the skies and finally space. After nearly three hundred years of hostilities, two nations finally signed non aggression pacts, ending the war and destruction. The planet would be forever changed, muddy bogs, pulverized sections of turf and large cracks the crust were scattered around the planet. 30 percent of the planet was dead, completely destroyed from constant warfare. Half buried burnt out tanks dot the countryside, while the half submerged hulls of ships are common along the coast. Cooperation started immediately, the two nations adapted to peace quickly. The royal families intermarried and the two nations slowly blended together. The dual state of the Anzac-Canakkle Monarchy was formed 100 years after wars end. The “New Monarchy” was founded around the principles of diplomacy and conflict avoidance, so that another three centuries war can never happen. Not even a century after the Three Centuries war ended, the New Monarchy found themselves in another conflict thousands of miles away. The Legion fought a extended insurgency against the Agonis collective in Agonis space, which led to the Monarchy being pulled into the war. Although only helping in a minor capacity, this showed the young and growing nation what it needed to survive. The new technology allowed the Hol to seize the rest of their system and colonize its planets.
TECHNOLOGY: Civilian technology has boomed since the Agonis Wars as looted technology found its way back to the monarchy. Advances in bio-augmentation and Cybernetics have taken the civilian populace by storm, both for its medical use and for its aesthetic value. Life expectancy risen from 200 to around 350 years and medical technology is continuing to advance rapidly. Military technology has always been a strength for the monarchy, constant fighting has resulted in a strong military machine. Weaponry ranges from magnetically accelerated kinetic projectiles to high powered energy weapons.
Military: A far cry from the “Legion” , the new “ Magna Armada” or Queens army is the pride and joy of the Azanc Canakkle Monarchy.
Infantry:
-Shock Trooper (Shok Korps) : Marine in origin, these troops serve the same role as their Legion ancestors. They are designed to break through lines, exploit weaknesses, set ambushes, sabotage and operate like a guerrilla harassing force the need arises.
- Occupation Trooper; (Okk Troop): Occupation troops usually have the stigma of being inferior to the Shok Korps, this could not be farther from the truth. Occupation troops deploy with heavy armor and artillery, along with a wide array of anti-air, anti-tank and anti-ship weaponry. Being the largest branch of the army, Okk Troop has units that are trained for a wide array peacekeeping and nation building missions.
Armor: The armored warfare doctrine of the AC monarchy underwent a huge change during the Agonis wars. Tanks were primarily designed to support infantry pushes before the war. Tanks were slow, heavy and was designed to shoot high explosive payloads that wouldn’t pierce armor. The Monarchy also did not believe in multiple classes of tank, using IFVs and APCs for the lighter armored needs. The Agonis wars showed the importance of having multiple classes of tank on the battlefield, adding flexibility to the Army.
Cavalry Tank/ Light Tank:
Lightly armored and quick, this tank is meant to be a glass cannon. It boasts a deadly 125mm cannon capable of firing a wide variety of shells. The turret can compete with all but the heaviest tanks but it is lightly armored and can be destroyed or disabled by the lightest of anti tank weapons.
MBT/Battle Tank: The backbone of the Tank Korps, the T-90UM is the upgraded version of the classic Hol T-90. The UM has the standard 125mm turret but also has an added ATGM to increase the tank’s range.
Heavy Tank: The KV-2 is the heaviest tank ever produced by the Monarchy. Its twin turbine jet engines can propel the tank to frightening speeds for its size, at the cost of astronomical fuel. The twin 150mm cannons were originally designed as artillery pieces but have been optimized for long range tank killing. The thick armor is seen as invincible by some and has been documented taking horrible damage while still being able to function.
Banner/Flag: (a dark red U shaped emblem made of many logarithmic spirals lined in gold and filled with marble is the moniker of the golden swarm.)
Type of Government: Logocractic Autocracy
The Vopson rule based on the mind that dominates the most, the idea that dominates absolutely.
Leader(s): The Golden Flock
The Golden Flock is a high minded flock, a mass aggregation of Vopson who have come to the collective conclusion that the Golden Swarm is to inherit the universe and must subjugate all other species to their will. Slavery is the only future for all other species, to be treated as the Golden Flock demands of it. Usually this means being put into forced labor or be made into a Swarm Protectorate where your only tax is in population to send off world for whatever purpose the Golden Swarm sees of it. The Golden Flock tends to handle smiling art affairs and so usually just uses the slaves as a work force and as battle thralls with a whole merit system. The good pets good the fancier toys and maybe their own planet of slaves to rule if they prove exceptionally loyal to the swarm.
Persons of Importance: Fuzzy Embrace, Silicon Rain, Sulfur Breeze
The three major sub-flocks of the the golden flock's influence are Fuzzy Embrace, Silicon Rain and Sulfur Breeze. They defer to the Golden Flock itself, but are ultimately autonomous in their own thought clouds and are loyal more out of pragmatism than a genuine assimilation of the Golden Flock's Ideology.
The Fuzzy Embrace is notoriously Xenophilliac in mentality, stealing other cultures as part of their own, importing the most Xenos to the Golden Flock as pets and in general just want to be loved. The space wasps. Want to be loved.
Silicon Rain is the power opposite, they hate other species entirely and see them only valuable as target practice. They evidently have a fetish for orbital bombardments, as silicon rain is often found pelting random planets with individual Vopson in asteroid ships when there's nothing important to do.
Sulfur Breeze is the more intellectual one of the major sub-flocks, being apt to just horde lots of sulfur from io-like worlds and experiment with it all the time. They have aggregated much of the sulfur the Golden Swarm has at hand and seem indifferent to other species. They just don't care as long as the Xenos don't touch their sulfur.
Species(s) and Demographics: 90% Vopson, 2% Jakai, 8% Other/TBA
The Vopson when alone are animal-like, but when mating they are intelligent. The mating Vopson control the swarm as long as it is mating, and mating lasts. Long periods of time. The Vopson can grow into huge collectives, augmented with Violet crystals refined from acidic worlds and create a massive amount of their kind coordinated by the mating Vopson. The Vopson lose intelligence when they aren't mating.
The Vopson are a flying species that come from a acidic world and are used to bathing in sulfuric acid- they are sour in taste and their blood is toxic. The Vopson rely on prehensile tongues and various contraptions to enforce their will upon the Galaxy.
Their wings are often described as leathery. Their coloration is rather vibrant, reds yellows and very dark shades of violet tend to be what their species have for dimorphism. The Vopson eyes tend to be a ghastly pale color, like cue balls that are oriented above their mouth. The Vopson use a tongue that splits into five tendrils which individual Vopson use to manipulate their environment in tandem with their raptor-like legs. The Vopson are usually not alone and rely on numbers to do heavy lifting.
The Vopson range from around the size of house cats to the size of a human child (Or about 3'). Their wingspans are double their body size. Their kind has trouble on worlds where flight is hard and/or have high gravity. It doesn't crush them, but it's very unpleasant and punishing. Some Vopson like being on high gravity worlds just because of that. They tend to not be long lived flocks.
The Vopson breed by connecting to each other. The Vopson are hemethrodites but have a extremely contact intensive form of intercourse where they secrete a binding mucus. This sexual glue is strong enough that two Vopson usually are stuck to each other for a several days on end. In breeding there is a direct neural connectivity that give Vopson in intercourse a higher chemical/neural level than your typical Vopson, allowing these mating Vopson to act as the managing organs of a Vopson flock. The Vopson give live birth, both parents do so. It is not live birth through a uterus, it is through the back like certain species of Terran frogs. The Vopson have a metamorphesis from a maggot form to a adult form. The majority of maggot Vopson don't survive to adulthood however, as the maggots are not raised with any parenting and often end up being smacked on or killed by other Adult Vopson. These maggot Vopson are all over the place, they are like large segmented chilla filled worms and are even more expendable than the adults.
Other species tend to be used as combat thralls or simply as a tribute species that the Vopson Swarm in the region uses for whatever purpose they want. Harvest systems are actually more the norm for Vopson, but the Golden Swarm developed the tribute system as a more "civil" system of treating your client species as animals you can do anything you want with.
Said clients are TBA since I am likely going to use clients that make sense for wherever they end up being.
One client species of note are the Jakai, who are giant elephantine humanoids the Vopson like to use as projectiles and shock troops. The Jakai were conquered and enslaved by the Vopson over a century ago and have been bred and harvested for their tough bones and luxurious hides ever since. Also the meat. Their trunks also make for a great ornament for any nest. The Jakai culturally are a very animistic species, and don't seem to even understand their situation. The Jakai believe the Vopson to have been a punishment inflicted on their kind they must honor in their enslavement. The massive Jakai often require multiple rail gun shots to take down even when ass naked, though landing such shots is not that hard since the Jakai are around 21' in height. The Jakai tend to be given heavy molten sulfur projectors as their standard issue weapon. The Jakai only make up around 2% of the Golden Swarm's population.
Religion Description and Demographics: 91% Golden Flock Devotion, 9% Anything else
The vast majority of Vopson have a slave-like faith based on the sacrifice of all free thought and determination in exchange for free action. In short, their whole existence is in the name of the flock and that being part of this flock enables a superiority and privilege over all other life to do as one pleases. In short, You bend to the desires of the flock and you are free to do as you desire to anything else as long as it doesn't contradict the will of the flock.
Culture: The Golden Swarm's culture is centered around massive congregations who act in harmony to one and another, following the flows as they must. The Vopson are a communal society in many regards, mainly in that individual lives don't even exist. Instead you have the flock which one is linked to by a chemical flow that through techhnooogy became far more intensive than what nature would allow. Privacy does not exist, your mind is always suspect be to outside invasion and you charge memories with the flock. For this reason it can be seen why the Vopson have such a hard time understanding others peices, and vice versa for that matter- without the intimacy the Vopson have with each other mentally, spiritually and physically we seem little more than animals tha figured out space craft to them. The Vopson are not a true hive mind, they don't have a hive structure. Instead they are directed by mating Vopson and the Golden Swarm is no exception to this- the orgasmic gold is frequently amplified with the Golden Swarm in practical at. This have the Golden Swarm the ability to unify the Vopson at a much larger scale than a flock normally ever grows to. The Golden Swarm as a whole is not centralized, but tried to keep a large and dense aggregation into order to ensure conformity across the flock with exceptions made for "useful" sub-flocks. Independant flocks that develop get subjugated back into the golden swarm in a mind war- which is a war that involves eradicating unwanted thinking that breaks away from the prime essence of the dominant flock. Many lesser thoughts however, tend to vary from Vopson to Vopson and if you get a small number with a breeder seperate from the golden flock new thinking might emerge.
The material culture of the golden swarm is very oriented around products derived from their slaves and from precious metals. Clays and stone also are frequently used, often with synthetic chemical mixtures and colorful staining to make organic seeming mountain cities where trillions of Vopson may dwell. If there is anything the Vopson are good at, it is chemistry. Indeed, it is their advancements in chemistry which allowed them to get off their rock to begin with. The Vopson are fine with leaving dead bodies all over the place since they tend to sleep on the ceiling anyways. Other fluids often are frequently spotted in Vopson colonies, the less spoken of them the better. While the Vopson on first impression come off as a mindless swarm, the truth is even worse. They are a swarm of beings who perceive themselves as morally exempt as long as they labor for and devote themselves to the Golden Swarm, and such have a long record of insanely grotesque actions taken against their fellow Vopson and other species.
The Vopson make use of cave farming.
The Vopson space fleets tend to be like floating mobile homes, massive asteroids they stylize with all manner of shit (like the remnant spacecraft of their enemies) and make a habitation zone inside. The Vopson have all manner of hymns and songs you can sontantly hear them passively singing when not in a state of action- where than they turn ominously silent. Basically, if the singing stops you are fucked.
History: The Vopson are nomads from another part of the Galaxy, and evidently have been around for a several centuries before their recent incursions on human space. Their sour homeworld of Sidolico would on first impression seem a hamper to any civilization, but the Vopson in early times were not nearly as unified as they are now. They have many competing flocks who worked against each other, no one flock every successfully integrating the whole into the massive swarms the modern Vopson are known for. Chemistry became the main science of their kind, playing into everything they did as they developed synthetic plastics and industrial apparati based on all matter of corrosive computing. The melting computers and the vast tube complexes greatly enhanced the Vopson as a species, to the point where the pressure to go to the stars came in and the flocks cooperated to send out manned space craft almost exclusively, for automation with the Vopson is highly specialized as the Vopson industrial output by hand made machines mostly seemingly redundant initially. The Vopson would make use of extremely explosive rocketry, of a sophistication human chemical rockets never had. For the Vopson had figured out means to get more energy per molecule, with the use of nuclear prolusion systems coming only when they already had been space faring for over a century. Once space faring, the Vopson immediately proved to be a menace upon civilization in their system of harvesting other sentient beings, having obscene and completely arbitrary behaviors and a completely supremacist outlook on the Galaxy. While cruelty towards other beings is not a universal trait of the early flocks, such behavior was too easy to rationalize as their connectedness set them apart from most other species of more individualistic attributes. Sadly the more hostile Vopson elements won out when the disciplinary and aggressive Golden Swarm came to prominence in the Great Mind Wars, unifying most Vopson under one super flock. And in their mentality came the enforced belief the Vopson follow- That of divine right to the universe and all its inhabitants, to do whatever one pleases to do. And all one must do is pledge absolute loyalty to the Golden Flock from your body to very essence.
In practice only Vopson got golden Flock membership- all other species tend to be enslaved and set up on harvest worlds under "protection" with the only cost being a population tax that never exceeds 10%. You better breed.
The Golden Swarm's numbers are massive and they have been spotted treading on colonies in the outer territories, but no doubt they intend to advanced further with slave raids already occurring as far south as the Southern Perseus Arm and the imperial remnant.
Military: The Vopson make use of asteroid spacecraft and weaponized acid, including molten sulfur projectors and flinging rocks filled with micro explosives. Vopson are extremely prolific in their chemical tech, indeed gas propelled projectiles and rather scrappy fission-chemical rockets (The vopson use a mixture of nuclear and chemical propulsion). The Golden Swarm also has all manner of sulfur derived tech including water acidifying crystals they like to dump on planets in massive amounts. Sulfur is of great importance to the Vopson, without it they can't sustain large populations and the closed asteroid habitats are reliant on nocturnal farming.
Military tactics tend to be attrition based as the lives of individual Vopson are completely irrelevant since the flock is the individual, not the single body. So it is very common to see Vopson using themselves as missiles or devouring each other to sustain a invasion for longer (if they can't eat you, anyways).
Vopson swarms are terrifying in size, but can be managed since the Vopson industries are mass production oriented with a few gadgets in tow (like their acid bombardments), and so technologically superior factions have to only worry about not getting ran down in sheer numbers. About 5-10% of Vopson deal with 'military' affairs, the other 90% work on sustaining colonies and other tasks of varying nature. The Vopson swarms tend to be most numerous when actually invading- raids tend to consist of only a several hundred thousand Vopson. The invaders tend to number in billions for one planet. The Vopson number in the many trillions overall. But remember that a individual Vopson is extremely expendable. They just breed a lot to make up for that.
Persons of Importance: Head of science Elenor Nagavash, Archpriest and advisor Malchor Stalafros, Military General and Strategist Strezaxa Westari
Species(s) and Demographics:
The Gorgas are natives of the planet Reijar, the only planet in its solar system. The Planet is earth-like, with similar gravity, and having carbon based lifeforms. However that's where similarities end. The majority of the planet is a vast and expansive tropical jungle of both flat and rocky/mountain terrain with high rain fall and temperatures. The planet otherwise has two tropical oceans, although separate from each other, and the southern pole consists of a large region of volcanic activity. The region is too hot for liquid water, and consists entirely of rocks of both liquid and solid form. The borders between the jungle and volcanic regions is a moderate sized rim of a desert. This desert rim is the homeland of the Gorgas, as while they prefer the extreme temperatures of the volcanic region they still need liquid water and prey items from the jungle borders.
If there is any word that could describe a Gorgas, it is dragon, or dragon-like. They are huge muscular reptiles with six limbs, a pair of legs, and two pairs of arms with the back pair being modified as powerful wings. Their tails are twice as long as their torso, and they have a medium sized yet flexible neck, with a narrow saurian head. Some variations may have a sort of beak instead of a snout. Their tails often have 'organic spears' with keratin-like material for a sharp tip of their tail.
While their is no distinct differences between males and females, each individual can have a wide variety of differences. The most noticeable unique features one could have are the size, shapes, positions, and amount of horns on a head, any sort of spine or scutes along the back/spine, frill variation or lack of frills, size, and a variety of colors for their scales and eyes.
The average sizes for a Gorgas range between 9 feet tall, to 18 feet tall, and 805 lbs to 1,349 lbs. They seem to have a potentially indefinite lifespan as their cells do not seem to age past their maturity state, nor do they seem to get any hindrance with older ages, in fact they seem to only get better as they age. Like most other reptiles they do not stop growing, rather their growth rate shrinks overtime. In theory a Gorgas that lives long enough could very well exceed the own average height of its species. However rarely do any exceed 400 years in age due to their violent nature, disease, and other factors. They also take a very long time to mature due to their long life, it takes about 100 years or more for an infant to mature, one of the many reasons as to why they have a relatively low population.
They and many other reptilian species of their home world have what seems to be an indefinite heat resistance. It seems very much impossible to burn, melt, incinerate, disintegrate, or damage a Gorgas by any method of extreme temperature alone, even plasma, molten rock, and other factors of such extreme temperatures seem to do next to nothing to them. However this immunity leaves to some misconceptions. They are still vulnerable to explosive forces from many heat-related weapons, theoretically while dropping a Gorgas into the sun the heat wouldn't kill them, they'd still die instantly from the intense gravity, lack of oxygen, and the likes. While they are remarkable resistant to acids and bases they can still be broken down or eroded by powerful chemicals, they just can't receive 'chemical burns'. However due to their adaptability to extreme environmental heat and their cold-blooded nature, they struggle with cold temperatures. Even in room temperature a Gorgas will become 'chilly' and uncomfortable, becoming less efficient and active in such conditions. Anything below room temperature however, is potentially fatal to a Gorgas without proper protection. Cryogenic weaponry would be especially effective against them.
They are also incredibly strong, the average Gorgas can easily lift 2/3's of a ton, and there have been records of those who can carry over a single ton of weight. Most Gorgas's can break through even steel walls if they are not fortified enough granted with some struggle on their part. Even their jaws and teeth can bend an iron bar. In terms of speed, they can run up to 25 miles per hour on average, and can run for 3 miles in distance. In flight they are slower, 15 mph and can only fly for about half a mile. their tough claws can dig into tough materials such as weaker metals, wood, and stone, and they have been known to scale walls and ceilings in this matter as it is stealthier then flying.
Despite their heavy bodies The wings of the Gorgas are just as strong as their other two arms, and can allow sustained flight in gravity that is around earth's level.
Most of their scales and their skeletal structure is as durable as stainless steel, and has a similar metallic texture despite its organic nature. The only exception to their scales is the paler, smoother scales that run along their chests and underparts of their body and limbs such as beneath the tail and skin membrane of their wings, essentially being weak spots in their natural armor. Even still though, they are stubborn creatures with great will power and strong bodies.
Their most remarkable ability however is their ability to breathe fire. Essentially each Gorgas is a walking flamethrower. They have a specialized organ sac within their throat that can secrete a flammable chemical produced through biochemical methods. Their forked tongues and the line of their lips are tipped with a carbon bio-structure that when they flick against each other in a certain and quick motion, it creates sparks similar to when striking flint and steel. By creating these sparks they can ignite the released gas, and can create jets of flames from within their throats that can be spewed out for a distance of over 9 meters, and can sustain such a breath weapon for as long as a minute. They are however, briefly vulnerable as they cannot breath in oxygen while spewing out flames, so they become exhausted for a few moments after using their fire. Additionally, it takes a few minutes for the bio-gas to build back up in their specialized organ.
Their eyes produce a faint bio-illumination, that is often described as dim candle flames when viewed in low lighting or in darkness. Like snakes and lizards, their forked tongues are great at tracking and narrowing down scent trails from over 3 miles away. Wounds can naturally heal much faster then many other life forms, as a large gash, dented scales, broken bones, and other such injuries can be healed naturally a little over 2 weeks, a process that is aided by the fact that they shed and regrow new sets of scales and teeth within a week. Their cells remarkably can also regenerate almost any internal organ except for the brain, and can even regenerate limbs. However it takes a very long time to regrow a limb or tail back, 50 years being the minimum. They cannot come back from death either, while they can potentially recover from most fatal wounds they would still need advanced medical treatment to keep them stable enough to allow their natural recovery. While They do have a relatively high immunity for diseases, they are still certainly not immune to diseases, especially foreign ailments.
Ironically, due to their size it is difficult for them to operate foreign weaponry, tools, and machinery. While their hands are opposable they have large, clawed fingers and only have 4 digits instead of five. Their conscience is far more primitive then the more advanced alien and human species, but they are still sapient and can speak well, some have been remarkably wise.
Religion Description and Demographics: The faith of the Gorgas, in their own tongue is called Bahamaci, which roughly means 'racial gods'. They generally believe that each race or collective races of a single star system has its own god, or a set of gods, that are responsible for that star. Though they only naturally have a care for their own god, who they name Ryujin, who they claim is a massive serpentine dragon that coils their sun. To them their religion isn't too important, but it is something that they hold their honor to. In order to 'pay respect' to Ryujin, they must be at least moderately respectful to any non-antagonized situation. They also believe that those that die honorably will receive a great reward, though their is no known clarity on what that reward is, whether it be some sort of reincarnation of a type of heaven remains variant within individuals.
Despite being savage monsters they do uphold a strict code of honor. Namely one must not betray or use any sort of deception that would either disgrace themselves or others. Even when they commit crimes and acts that many would deem horrible, they still pertain to their honor, and would rather accept death then to have a tarnished reputation or to dishonor someone. Gorgas's that do not share this philosophy are often frowned upon and even exiled. They also believe in a 'karma-justice' system, or an eye-for-an-eye, essentially. In fact it is considered a great honor to exact one's revenge. Another important concept for the Gorgas is self sufficiently. While their are times of assistance, and they are not against team work, one must be capable of taking care of ones self, and always strive to do the best of their ability, especially in tests of strength.
Culture: Despite their codes of Religion and Honor, the Gorgas are otherwise described as terrifying monsters. They do not flinch in acts of murder, destruction, even genocide so long as they see fit a reason to do so. Their are many cases of one tribe wiping another tribe out of existence, destroying all of its structure, and murdering all of the tribe members, even infants. They are also notorious cannibals. They have no qualms with eating their own race and many fantasize of eating the flesh of alien species, in fact they see it as both an 'honorable' method of dealing with a defeated enemy, as well as a challenge to eat exotic creatures and extra terrestrial races.
While they do not discriminate other races, they do think of themselves as the destined 'apex predators' of the universe. Whereas other aliens use technology, The Gorgas use mostly their biologically gifts. They honor physical superiority of all else. They won't be sore of some other creature or race defeats them at their own game, in fact many that follow this philosophy would be impressed. They see it as a sort of 'friendly competition', in addition to seeing little consequences with death for both themselves and foes that they do not spare mercy upon.
History: The Gorgas are a primitive race of Reijar, and many still are. An alien ship of unknown origin crashed upon their planet a few centuries ago, and many investigated. What they first deemed as witchcraft, their was a following of Gorgas who discovered its purpose and wished to rebuild it to ascend to the skies. Not all the Gorgas followed, only a couple thousand from various tribes joined the cause of exploring the heavens, lead by Kriv Goro, the current King of this 'new tribe'. After many years of studying and rebuilding the ship and its technological gear, they finally were able to leave their planet. As it turns out, the ship belonged to a race of arthropodic humanoids from their planet's moon, who were just about to reach into FTL technology. They deemed the transformation of their ship into the hands of the more primitive Gorgas a sin that must be paid in blood, and attempted to attack the Gorgas. Surprisingly the new Gorgas tribe won over the arachnoid race, this was due to the fact that the prime strategy of the arachnoids was to raid other ships with pods designed to penetrate into the ship without damaging the hull, kill the inhabitants of the ship, and take it over. However the Gorgas were vastly superior in close range combat, once the Gorgas figured out how to use these pods, their counter attack was destructive. Although outnumbered, the arachnoids had very few weapons that could even harm the Gorgas, and were outmatched in any form of close ranged combat. By the time they were able to use anti-craft weaponry they had already taken over most of their fleet. Under Kriv Goro's command, the arachnoid race was exterminated completely, along with any survivors in their home world. Since then, they have adapted their recently discovered FTL tech, and with a single fleet of 115 ships they traveled to another solar system and made a suitable planet their home base. a planet nicknamed 'New Dagon' which is a planet very similar to mars with high levels of solar radiation, and mostly a desert with two distinct climates of an extremely hot region and an extremely cold region. Their is also, fortunately, liquid water in the form of underground rivers and cave systems, as well as rich oxygen that made inhabiting the planet easy. The local mass of fish-like creatures that live within these underground rivers and lakes was suitable for food.
Military: The Gorgas's ships consist of 115 ships. 4 'flag ships' which are the largest of ships, and have primitive plasma-based weaponry that by now would be out classed by foreign technology. The 4 ships each have the highest of the command, and the one run by the head of science as a wide assortment of laboratories. They have 60 storage ships which can support a population of 300 and with much cargo, as well as built-in farms for both plants and cattle. 10 smaller ships that carry the militia and children. The remaining 41 ships are the pods that can each transport 20 Gorgas, and can allow them to infiltrate ships without damaging the vessel itself.
In terms of non-space craft weaponry, they have primitive metal and leather reinforced armor that covers most of their vital biological weak points, steel swords, wrist shields, and spears, and the weapons they salvaged from the Arachnoids, though they are still fiddling with the weaponry to allow the use of the average Gorgas. Due to their primitive nature even with the knowledge and technology they have stolen some of which is still being worked on greatly. Though even with poor weaponry and equipment their extreme biology makes them dangerous opponents to deal with regardless in non-spacecraft combat.
They are respectful to any race that doesn't come across as aggressive or antagonizing, though they do not hesitate to battle with others that decide to pick a fight with them. A single flag ship armed with 20 of the 41 pod ships are designated with space exploration and foreign interactions.
They are very much eager to advance their technology either through their own engineering or steeling and/or trading with other races. This eagerness combined with their bloodthirsty nature makes them very much excited to make enemies, though their honor code will prevent them from engaging aggressively without being aggravated or otherwise properly provoked to do so. Economically they have very little to offer other then rare gems salvaged from their home world, food, and what their now selling as 'dragon scales' which are their shedded scales. These scales while are highly durable are also like the rest of the Gorgas, seemingly immune to any degree of heat, which makes it valuable to situational engineers and designs.
The Reptiles of Reijar all have an indefinite heat resistance, and lifespan, and aside from their reptilian features that is where similarities end. They are the dominant creatures of the planet. Reptiles from Reijar are also more simply referred to as Dragons.
Native to Reijar, these massive reptiles dwell in the molten core of the planet, their diet consists entirely of earthen materials and metals, and require no water for hydration. Instead their bodies quickly become dependent on molten rock for sustenance, which is given clear as much of their skin leaks and radiates the burning substance. They are few in numbers as they rarely breed, and have a similar evolutionary line with many of the other reptiles of the planet, including the Gorgas. They are naturally aggressive creatures and impossible to tame, however the united tribes came with the idea to biologically clone and and create fertilized eggs of their species, plant these eggs into interstellar rockets, and fire them at planets. In addition to being created in a lab, they also plan to use bio engineering technology (another feat that they have yet to have, yet crave for) to make them behave much more aggressive and feed more off of the surface then the internal planet. After being launched into a planet with the explosion burying the eggs beneath the soil. It will take 5 months for the eggs to hatch after impact, and 30 years before they grow into a size suitable enough for them to emerge on the surface and wreak havoc. Their maximum recorded size is 450 feet in length.
The idea to use these creatures is to subjugate enemy planets by infecting them with these lava-dwelling serpents, which have the potential to crush cities and vital regions. This fate is deemed only to those that have especially offended the dragon race, and reserved only for that cause.
Like other reptiles, they are extremely vulnerable to low temperatures, and they are weak and vulnerable within their first 30 years of life. If detected, they can be stopped.
Reptiles native to reijar, these creatures are lone apex predators of the jungle. Like many other reptiles they share an evolutionary tree with the Gorgas and share similar abilities such as tough scales and an indefinite heat resistance. However instead of breathing fire, these giant 23 feet long lizards can have an electric charge in their teeth that when released, their bites can shut down or short-circuit even high tech machinery and equipment. They are incredibly fast and nimble creatures, despite their massive size, and have been known to crawl through tight spaces, air vents in space ships is more then a possibility for them. While Gorgas's historical have been able to train them in the past the question becomes how could they use them in extra-terrestrial warfare? Ideas are still being thrown around as to how they should be used. Either in specialized ground-based troops, specialized pods for ship infiltration, and other methods, but no concrete idea has been schemed as of yet.
Very much similar to Viper wyverns, and can match both their size and speed. Instead of venom, these creatures have tough carbonized fangs that can easily tear through the hide of almost any creature or armor.
These moderate sized hellkites roam the canyons and deserts of Reijar. Despite their size, strength, and lethal breath, they are not the top predators of their ecosystem. However they are still great predators and are violently aggressive even to would-be predators. They have a wingspan of 50 feet.
Perhaps one of the largest species of wyverns of the Planet reijar, these reptilian beasts can grow over 40 feet in length, and a wingspan of up to 75 feet. The only known wyvern to be larger then Emperor Wyverns are soft scaled wyverns. They have two horns that pertrude from their skulls that are so durable that a charging wyvern could use it to batter down city walls. They can breathe spread-like waves of flames, and have the heat-immunity that other reptiles of the planet have. They are excellent fighters, even with the weight of two heavy Gorgas an Emperor Wyvern can exceed speeds of 150 mph in prolonged flight, and they can fly for hours without stress or tire. The talons of their feet are especially strong. They inhabit the jungles of reijar for most of the year, though during breeding season they flock at the volcanic mountain peaks of the southern pole to breed and raise their young.
Like various other species of wyverns and drakes of Reijar they have been tamed before by the Gorgas. In fact they are the most sought after wyvern due to being able to easily support the weight of a Gorgas rider. Like the thundermaw hunter, it would be difficult to transport them due to their size. New ship designs that can support the cargo of such beasts as well as being able to use them for both or either infiltration or ground-based invasions.
These giant, 81 feet long lizards have iron-like scales and have liquid rock in their stomach instead of acid to break down their food. They have been known to shoot projectile lava from their mouths, and are strong enough to crush boulders. They often inhabit rocky regions or caves, especially in colder regions since their molten-rock belly keeps them from freezing.
Viper wyverns are medium-sized wyverns with a snake-like body. While only growing 19 feet in length, they are swift both on land and in air, as well has having a powerful hemotoxic venom that is located in both their sharp stinger on their tail and their snake-like fangs. They can sprint up to 40 mph and can fly up to twice that speed. Oddly they often reside in small packs and hunt in groups.
These small wyverns are near the bottom of the food chain. Only growing 1 and a half meters in length they have very little defensive traits other then their nimble speed to escape predators. They are both insectivores and scavengers, and are surprisingly social.
They are somewhat related to swamp serpents, as they also only have two limbs and a serpentine body. However they have two claws that aids in movement instead of wings. While they are not venomous they have a plasma-breath weapon that can rival the likes of an armored titan, and grow to sizes of up to 75 feet in length. In addition to their breath weapon, they are known to constrict with python-like behavior. Another interesting feature is the split tail tips, which is believed to be a feature for mating purposes.
These large desert dwellers sleep on rocks and other tall structures that can support their massive size in the day. They can grow up to 35 feet in length, and can scale rocky walls with their sharp claws. At night they prowl to prey upon whatever they can find. They are opportunistic carnivores, and will settle upon any source of food on sight, including dead corpses. In addition to having a lethal fire breathe, their tails are modified like clubs and can be swung to break the bones of other creatures, they also have a venom that works as a powerful narcotic within their canines. When challenged by a rival or a predator, these massive lizards will extend their hoods in an attempt to intimidate the other.
These demon-looking dragons, while not the most feared of creatures, are certainly dangerous as well as infamous for their habit of collecting shiny objects and gems. Growing up to 15 feet in height, these fire breathing reptiles, while a challenge, are not on the high end of the food chain.
Drakiles are large ambush predators that often rest along the edges of rivers and ocean. While they cannot breath fire they are still massive and powerful. The largest of species can grow up to 50 feet in length. They can fly over short distances, and can sprint up to 30 mph on land. They are most proficient in water, as they can swim much faster.
These 6 armed bipedal monsters, while may resemble something related to an arthropod, are actually reptiles. Their armor is as thick as steel plating, more so then the natural armor of other reptiles on the planet. They are one of the most feared monsters of the planet, only surpassed by larger monsters such as the World-Gorger. Instead of breathing fire, these monsters can breathe high-energy beams of plasma with explosive force, even creatures that couldn't be burned by the breath weapon become greatly injured by the physical force the beam delivers. The average individual can be seen between the heights of 40 to 60 feet in height, though there are rare occurrences of those as tall as 120 feet. Each individual arm can lift over a ton. They are notoriously territorial and aggressive, so much so as they will destroy a kilometer of dense jungle if aggravated.
A somewhat common inhabitance of the planet's desert. These small dragons can grow up to 13 feet in length. They are rather fast fliers, but are fairly low on the food chain due to their lack of strength. They cannot breathe fire and they typically scavenge or feed off of small insects.
They are massive beasts that despite their reptilian forms resemble much like wolves. Likewise they have evolved a similar niche the alien species, as they are pack hunters in the jungles of Reijar. Their scales are especially tough, and their saliva has flammable qualities, which ignites when they spit. This can create large orbs of flames that can linger for up to 3 minutes on a surface. They can grow up to 20 feet in length though the alpha of the pack will often be a few feet bigger.
These scavenging mountain-dwellers are excellent cave builders with their 4 modified arms. They can build impressive cave systems in small colonies, and co-exist with other more lethal reptiles for protection in exchange for shelter, such as Cavern Guardians. Mountain scalers can grow up to 23 feet in length, and while they are not on the top of the food chain their caves can still house even more dangerous creatures.
These large lizards love to rest in caves when they are not hunting or sunbathing. They are notoriously lazy as they will rarely leave their claimed home unless in need of food or additional heat. They can breath jets of flames and have a head modified for swinging it like a hammer, which is strong enough to shatter boulders. While lazy and surprisingly docile, an aggravated Cavern Guardian is quick to make a meal of an unwanted intruder. Cavern Guardians can grow up to 40 feet in length.
These snake-like reptiles inhabit the deeper regions of Reijar's jungles, often dwelling in swamps. They can grow over 50 feet in length, and while they have wings they are poor fliers. They are much more resistant to acids and bases than most other reptiles, so much so that they are practically immune to almost every corrosive chemical. They also can spit large amounts of corrosive liquid that is about as corrosive as battery acid. This acid, while it cannot burn or break down reptilian prey in the same way it can break down and dissolve other creatures, can weaken and erode their scales and flesh drastically, and while it can break them down over time, a few seconds of exposure is enough to bite down on the weakened scales of most reptile-based prey items. Due to this they are sometimes refereed to as 'dragon hawks' by locals. They also have a venemous bite that can paralyze prey items as well. They mainly consume food by constriction and swallowing.
These large wyverns are the largest of wyvern species, growing over 50 feet in length, a wingspan of up to 97 feet, and can weigh up to a ton in weight. While massive, their scales are much softer then most of the reptiles on the planet, and are more like tough leather then metal-like bioarmor. They also cannot breath fire. They do however, have sharpened jaw lines that can cut through solid steel easily, let alone crush it. They are much more bulkier then most wyverns as well. Their wings are so strong that their first few flaps off of the ground creates massive gusts of wind and pressure around them, with enough force to tear away small trees within 5 meters of the beast.
This massive, fire breathing predator rivals the soft scaled Wyvern in the food chain, growing to a similar size these hellkites, while not as aggressive, are still very dangerous to encounter. Their behavior can be unpredictable.
A massive humanoid reptile. While sapient their tribal system is even more primitive then that of the Gorgas. These eyeless reptiles can grow up to 9 feet in height, with well armored scales similar to a Gorgas. They cannot breathe fire nor are they as strong as a Gorgas, and they lack wings. They also lack vision, relying on other senses, especially sound, in a form of sonar. They have massive, sharp claws that can cut through even the strongest common metals and alloys. Their back plates are especially armored, and their teeth are just as sharp. They also have rapid regeneration abilities, which aids in them being difficult to kill.
An example of morphological differences in the same species between individuals
Other then wyrms of the sea and earth, wyrms of the sand are strangely highly mutable and have a wide variations of appearances. Some can resemble more like arthropods while others have more traditional reptilian features, or even both. Sand wyrms however are monstrously huge, like most other types of great wyrms, the largest can be as long as 650 feet. They are mostly ambush predators, making sand pits similar to ant lions and let prey become trapped before they emerged from the sand and engulf them whole. While they have poor sight, they have a great sense to vibration and can easily track anything moving on or beneath the desert sands. While they are more common then other great wyrms, they are still somewhat rare to come across.
An example of morphological diversity between two individuals of the same species.
They are closely related to sand wyrms, only they inhabit the waters and are the apex predators of both oceans. Some may lack any sort of limbs, while others may have an assortment of fins, claws, or arthropodic like appendages and features. They can also grow to monstrous porportions, with individuals having a wide variety of arthropodic and/or reptilian features, despite being actual reptiles.
They are closely related to the world gorger wyrms, which is easy to notice their similar size and serpentine bodies. Stormeater wyrms are another rare and greatly feared monster that typically remain in the upper atmosphere of the planet. They only descend to the lower levels to feed. They have a unique diet as while they are carnivores, they also consume energy, particular electric energy, for sustenance. Hence the name, Stormeater, as they can be observed sailing through electric storms and quiet practically swallowing electric currents. Another important source of food are the sky leviathans. A storm eater can move over 100 mph in the air, and remain in a near-dormant state for a few years before needing to look for a food source. Unusually, these creatures have been observed to dwell as high as the exosphere, as they seem to be able to travel past the planet's atmosphere despite gravity, as well as the vacuum of space. They only appear to go to these heights to either swallow a meteor, or a space craft. In rare occurences they have been observed shooting high energy bolts of electric plasma from their mouth that has the capability to destroy a mountain. The largest recorded stormeater was of 850 feet in length.
One of the few mammalian apex predators of Reijar, they inhabit the colder mountain regions of the north pole, where there is little competition of the more common reptilian monstrosities. They are massive beasts, capable of growing well over 3 tons in weight, and can chase prey with speeds of up to 40 mph. Due to how cold it is in their enviorment, they have specialized blood cells that can generate intense thermal heat in response, some of which can be visible especially in the gums.
Though it appears reptilian, Dartrush Raptors are actually mammals. They are completely blind, and rely on sound, smell, and a specialized organ that acts similar to a sonar to track food. They are pack hunters, natural rivals to the Dracolupas species, while they are certainly faster and have bigger numbers compared in average pack size, they cannot breathe flames, nor have the heat immunity or tough scales that reptiles have.
These massive whales surf the skies of Reijar. While these creatures can grow over 300 feet in length and can weight over 145 tons, they still have what seems to be the ability to float in the air. It is unknown the biological methods of how they are capable of doing this. These unique creatures get their sustenance from solar energy as well consuming flocks of birds that are as abundant as krill, as well as the occasional small-medium sized wyverns. There are otherwise very passive creatures, the corpse of a Sky Leviathan is sought after by many carnivores of Reijar, as well as the Gorgas Tribes. A single Carcass could feed a tribe for over three years.
Infant Sky Leviathans are often preyed upon by other sky dwelling predators, but once they reach adult sized their only natural predator are the Storm-eater Wyrms.
These hairless, six limbed mammals are similar to earthly primates, with a similar intelligence and social structure. They hide from most of their predators in the trees, and feed off of berries, leaves, and insects. In addition to having incredible vision and hearing, they can climb on almost any surface. The largest can grow up to three feet in height
One of the largest Arthropods on Reijar, these monstrous spiders as scaled in the picture are unusually active for a spider. They will often make large webs in canyons and jungle openings, and during the night they will leave their webbed shelter to hunt on foot. They are notorious for being able to eat a variety of reptilian creatures and all but the largest of dragons seem to avoid trying to eat these behemoths. While rare, they are certainly frightening to come across. Their fangs are so sharp that they can pierce through most reptilian armor.
Asil parasites are perhaps the most volatile specimens of Reijar despite being the smallest. They are single celled organisms that can exist in extreme environmental conditions. The parasite seems to have a single conscience by some sort of telepathic network that comprises of every single specimen that belongs to the Asil parasites. Starting out as singular cells, through mere contact they can infect an organism. Once infected, the cell will begin to absorb the specimen, breaking down cells and absorbing both DNA and RNA. While this can go unnoticed for 3 days, after a week this process will quicken to a point where the host suddenly seemingly disintegrates or dissolves in a matter of seconds. Once there is nothing left for the parasite cell to absorb, it will then evolve into a perfect clone of the host, gaining all of its intelligence and memory, as well as biological details and structure. However the cells still belong to the Asil parasite group, which is the only analytical difference, making the 'clone' part of the hivemind. Once an asil parasite can clone a specimen, the hivemind can use any part or sort of the clone's genes, dna, intelligence, and other biological details to either produce new clones, or new creatures built up from various different parts of different clones. By order of the hivemind, it can choose to either force evolve cells that haven't infected a host, or let that cell infect a new victim. They can also evolve new traits and defenses to get through almost any roadblock or hazard, with one exception.
The paleleech parasites somehow remain immune and unstoppable against the Asil parasites, and due to their ability to even infect the very hivemind network itself, asil parasites are forced to cut off asil parasite communities to preserve its own existence. So long as paleleech parasties remain on Reijar, the Asil parasites cannot take over. They remain in extremely rare cut-off areas of Reijar. Gorgas individuals that had been infected with Asil parasites will often commit suicide and have their bodies either buried or dumped in volcanic lakes to either assure the asil cell's destruction or keep it from infecting others. This martrydom, as well as the influence of the paleleech parasites, have kept the race from the hands of the hivemind.
The origin of the Asil parasites are unknown, though due to their unique DNA and biology it is most likely they are from another planet, and it is even more so likely that there hivemind expands farther then Reijar. Likewise, it is unknown about the paleleech parasites. Their origins can only point to Reijar, so it is speculated that they had evolved some sort of unsurpassed ability to combat the hivemind threat.
The paleleech parasites are one of the few non-reptilian creatures native to Reijar that are high up on the food chain. Their species have many different stages within their life cycle, even specialized and evolved versions to sastisfy different enviorments. Their adaptability is one of their most dangerous trait, but most have remained vulnerable to fire. While they are not a hive mind they are very 'social' creatures similar to ants by instinct, within their own species. They are the natural predators of the asil parasites, which are hiveminded single cell organisms that break down and assimilate other creatures.
The paleleech parasites are uniquely evolved to combat and nuetralize hivemind and assimilation based organism, each individual cell of a paleleech absorbs any form of bio matter that attempts to 'assimilate', breach, or cover their cell walls. The exact method on how they are able to do this is unknown, though it is theorized that this is aided by a powerful micro-acid or base. Whats even more remarkable is that once they start absorbing cells of a local hivemind species, they began to counter-assimilate the hive mind. It is also unknown how they are able to 'hack' into biological hive mind networks. Regardless a pale leech parasite can 'connect' into a hivemind, and stream that information to the paleleech's parent. Once this is performed, the paleleech parent will continue to spawn other leech's in porportion to the hive's population, and will continue to gestate hivemind bioforms. After the two initial stages, if the hivemind is powerful enough to still be active, their mental network will start to become corrupted by a 'virus' like affect of the paleleech's 'hacking', where bioforms and cells that belong to the hivemind start to become 'seperated' from the hivemind's control, and are instead brainwashed into letting themselves be consumed by the paleleech population. This continues until the paleleech population can no longer detect the hivemind.
The larva stage starts out as a microscopic leech-like creature that is completely white. Their mouth has hundreds of small fangs that can rip open into soft flesh, but are otherwise mostly featureless. Overtime they can grow over 3 meters in length before evolving to their next stage
The Larva is the first and infantile stage of the Paleleech parasite. Paleleech parasites often get their nutrients from areas ripe with asil parasites, or fauna. If there is so hivemind population for the paleleech to consume, they will resort to attacking other fauna, in a similar matter to tape worms. They will find various accesses such as drinkable water, dead carcasses, or if they are large enough, penetrate a living creature themselves. However they can only achieve the latter if they already have achieved a length a meter. They will continue to feed off of biomatter in a parasitical fashion until they have reached suffucient mass to evolve.
It is often that they will evolve into the state straight out of the host they were feeding on. Hunters vary in appearance depending upon their environment and prey items they have adapted themselves to hunt. They may also evolve extremely varying adapations to counter almost any measure to assure they will achieve to hunt whatever it is they have evolved for. Some may resemble an 8 legged serpentine creature with pincers for mouths. However they are limited to a biomass of 600 lbs, give or take a couple hundred depending upon how much the larva stage has consumed. Hunters only in low populations or populations that would otherwise require lonewolf-like predators or unique defenders to the nest.
They can mimic many traits, abilities, and forms of other creatures, as well as rapidly evolve traits to satiate a hostile environment or to be able to consume biomass they otherwise couldn't feat upon. They do seem to be unable to adapt to many of the traits belonging to the reptiles of Reijar though, strangely. They have strong carapaces and are highly resistant to acids, venom, and other biological pathogens.
Drones will build colonies to house a queen paleleech if a population has increased enough. Drones resemble a mix between an ant and a centipede-like monstrositiy, with legs that resemble some sort of hyrbid of arthropodic and tentacle-like features. They will often dig in tough or soft enviorments and/or build their nest out of various biomass. Such as plant-litter, as well as their own building material generated from their saliva which is basically a quick-hardening green slime, as well as using powerful webs. Drones are not only the main workforce of the hive but also its defenders.
Similar to drones, but smaller and have insectoid wings on their back. Scouts are often used to locate an ideal location for a nest.
behemoths like hunters have a form that varies extremely on environments and other factors. However unlike hunters these rarer forms grow up to titanic proportions. The largest variations are capable of crushing cities.
Once a colony has been established, one of the paleleech's will evolve into the queen parasite. The queen resembles a massive white arthropod with a crab-like body, 4 crab-like pincers, 12 pairs of eyes, 8 speared tentacles, and 3 pairs of massive insectoid legs. They also have a large scorpion-like tail, and can weigh up to 3 tons.
The queen mass produces larva, as well as essentially acts as the leader of the colony through what is believed to be telepathic means. However it is unlikely that they are a hivemind, as their are cases were individual parasites leave the colony, or seemingly betray orders on an ideal of free will. It is theorized that paleleeches may be very well sentient, though they seem to have know method of communication outside of their own species.
The 4 tentacles of the queen can lay hundreds of microscopic eggs, they have been known to inject eggs into captured fauna or individuals that seemingly try to betray the loyalty of the hive. The larva will then proceed to slowly eat the host alive into they are all ready to grow and burst out of the host's body. The tail is also venomous, and the queen can spew vats of powerful hydrochloric acid.
it is uncertain how they would be able to control such creatures, but the Gorgas believe it may be the key to counter various alien races and extra terrestrial biological threats that have a similar behavior to the asil parasites of their homeworld. Essentially ideal for an 'anti assimilating/hivemind species' though they are just as dangerous to the Gorgas themselves.
Race: Gorgas Age: 995 years Size: 21 ft. Rank: indisputed king of the united tribes of Reijar.
Kriv Goro was born with 4 eyes instead of 2. This was in part due to how he was amassed such a great following, many gave him the nickname "Oracle-king" and made rumors that he can see all, even the future. Though the humble dragon refuted such claims. He is very wise, likely due to his age, which was another reason that made him a leader. Unlike most of his brethren, he strives peace over violence, he saw the ascendancy into space an escape from the brutality of the tribes of his homeland. Though that isn't to say he doesn't despise violence, and he can see its entertaining values as he endorses galvanry, which in their native tongue roughly means "arena sport." It is much like wrestling, only much more violent and unscripted, there are no necessary rules but it is expected for the participants to fight honorably. Usually while the fights end in brutal and gorey displays, they will not kill the loser unless on rare occurrences where a death match is requested for some specific and moral reason, such as an attempt at revenge or to punish those that act dishonorably.
He is far from perfect of peace, he regrets the genocide of the arachnoids, but reminded constantly that it was they that started the proposal of racial genocide. It is rich in the culture of the Gorgas to judge not by action but by one's character. Which can be taken to extreme measures easily, especially due to their inconsequential ideology of death. Pity, while given to those that deserve it, is never an excuse for mercy in the Gorgas culture.
Age: 445 Race: Gorgas Size: 18 feet and 3 inches. Role: General of the united tribe's military.
Second in command in terms of political power, Strezaxa is deeply inspired by Kriv Goro. However he doesn't believe in true peace, but rather a 'harmony' between peace and violence. Situations must be met either through diplomacy or violence, and depending upon the very conflict one choice is better then the other. This is the decision making ideology of Strezaxa, and it more so reflects the Gorgas culture in a less savage way. Peace is met with peace, violence is met with violence.
His honor extends to chivalry, often giving him aptly the nickname, "true dragon knight." He is always on the front lines of the battlefield, and will typically put himself at risk before his comrades and soldiers. His many battles have given him a deep bond with many of the veterans of the military, and even some of the militia.
Race: Gorgas Age: 227 Size: 15 ft Role: Commander of Shocktroop division
Rhammadagraz, son of the infamous General, was trained by his own father since he was a hatchling. Despite having a level-headed role-model, Rhammadagraz has grown to be a ruthless leader who craves for violence. While he can be civil outside of the battlefield, as soon as he is tasked with a combat-related mission, he becomes far more like an excited monster. His savage demeanor is a great morale booster to his kin, who share his bloodlust to some extant. He leads his division of shocktroppers, who are outfitted with the same experimental armor and weaponry, into enemy lines with the desire to kill and maim.
He is outfitted with a platinum fabric armor originally created by the Arachnoids though modified and reversed engineered by the Gorgas. Borrowing some of their technology they have also successfully created several higher tech weapons before taking off into space.
These include the dual-sword m2 laser, and the 33 MK II Cannister.
Armor is a fabricated high tech equipment stolen and modified from Arachnoid design to better fit the Gorgas. The suit was largely unfinished even by the Arachnoids. Armor provides life support conditions, especially in cold environments and the vacuum of space. Has experimental and faulty energy shields overlaying its platinum fabric physical armor. Thrusters are equipped to allow better sustained flight and being able to travel through space to some limited measure.
Additionally the weapon of choice mainly is the 3r Divinity Trident. A 25 ft long pole with 3, 4 ft spear blades at its tip, the weapon has an electric charge to disperse upon melee contact or with lightning-like projectile bolts. The weapon also has an explosive plasma cannon.
This prototype equipment is given to General Westari, who after successfully using this armor effectively and once the design is finalized by engineers, will elect a dozen other deserving Gorgas' the title of Dragon knight, and as a result will sport similar equipment.
Shocktrooper
The shocktrooper armor is steel plated armor, however engineers are working on schematics for an upgrade.
dual-sword MK 2 laser- (Weapon in photo) A solid steel hilt that when activated creates two customized blades made of concentrated plasma, a result of reverse engineering Arachnoid Technology. The blade type, size, and colors are personalized for each individual trooper.
This high tech weaponry was of custom design, likely inspired by other alien modules. It is a semi-auto steel-grade 730 lbs ranged weapon with a 6 round cartridge of spherical explosives created from compressed hydrogen and sulfur crystals. Alternative ammo includes a custom silk net with metallic fiber for incredible durability.
Another alien inspired weapon, The Gorgas rifle 'Akin Rel' is a fully automatic rifle which fires high velocity 'bullets' converted from scrap metal. Cartridges are scrap metal filled cylinders which the machinery within the gun within seconds, and can shoot a maximum of 62 bullets. The design was originally an arachnoid weapon however it was modified to accommodate the larger and cumbersome hands of the Gorgas.
This weapon, while borrowing schematics from the Arachnoids, was entirely custom-built and designed by the Gorgas, and the engineers take great pride in its design. The Kaiga is both a high caliber mini gun and rocket launcher. The gun, like the Akin Rel, shoots bullets created from scrap metal filled cartridges, though a full cartridge can shoot up to 1,100 bullets before going empty, and the gun itself can fire 100 bullets a second. While not as accurate as the Akin Rel, it has far more firepower. The rocket launcher, moved to the bottom of the gun, can hold up to 4 rockets. These rockets are small-scale explosions that have a similar design to old earth weaponry, and are the most expensive for the Gorgas to make. Weighing twice as much as the canister weapon, a shock trooper typically chooses to carry between one or the other.
Name of Nation: The badlands, Former imperial lands, Kar-ri fanatics and the democratic Shaw league.
Banner/Flag:
Type of Government:
Various. From Democracies to near anarchist Theocracy's. Leader(s):
Persons of Importance:
Species(s) and Demographics:
Any species native to the galactic south would likely exist here. However, it is still predominantly human. The exact number of people in the nations are unknown but altogether, likely near two-hundred billion.
Religion Description and Demographics:
Culture:
Military:
History:
The badlands/unaffiliated space dates to the waning days of the old imperium, roughly one century ago. History for that region during, and after the great war is extensive. Therefore, the history of the war will be broken down.
The beginning of the end of man,
Three human factions laid massive claims in the south. the Dominion of Man, led by Faust, an genocidal maniac had proclaimed a new human nation, free of alien oppression.
The united terran imperium, led by the man named Uther, had done its best to secure its place as the last true descendant of the old Imperium ways over three centuries ago.
And the musashi, an branch off from the traditions of the terrans and dominion. A unique place compared to the others, were still drawn into the war.
The war was sparked by Faust, whom in a blindside rush, pushed deep into the imperium, taking many territories and forcing the imperium on the defensive. To make matters worse, Musashi joined the war on the side of the Dominion. The Imperium gathered Allies and a coalition was formed that saved the imperium from certain doom. The war bogged down with fleets maneuvering around each other, attempting to gain any sort of strategic footing.
After a coalition strike on a couple high profile Dominion worlds, Faust brought his full might into play and attacked as many coalition nations as possible, killing billions without a thought. It was here that he, in an act of defiance and rage, burnt the atmosphere of earth, killing all inhabitants.
The war took another turn when the horde, a menagerie of vicious races began their attack into the imperium, dominion and Musashi. After the major Imperium worlds were destroyed by the horde, the Dominion was cut off from their ally. Desperate to defend themselves from nearly all sides, the Dominion and Musashi turned their priorities from the coalition, to the horde. A mistake that would ultimately cost them the war.
As coalition forces pushed deep into Dominion space, Musashi began to collapse from within and was eventually forced from the war, leaving the Dominion alone. In their pride, they fought to the last man. Their final fight came as Faust deployed a weapon of extreme magnitude, that turned out to be far worse than imagined. The last massive fleets from the Imperium, Dominion, Musashi and Horde were caught in a massive quantum singularity, effectively removing the remaining military might of the four nations.
Coalition forces took the initiative, along with nations opposite the Horde, to destroy what remained and to great effect. The horde fled through Musaahi towards the outer rim of the galaxy, destroying Musashi in the process. The great war ended at last when coalition forces invaded the Dominion capitol. It was a costly battle that Faust, the Dominions supreme leader, wouldn't lose. He chose to instead of fight and surrender conventionally, to do to his world, that he did to earth.
Fire spread through the atmosphere, killing troops from all sides. With Faust last seen with his arms stretched out, as to embrace the flame as it consumed the final seat of Imperium-descended superpower.
The initial aftermath was chaos, there was no government and a coalition that was butting heads with other powers. Prior human territories were carved up and the trillions of displaced aliens from the war were resettled, curing those issues. Logistics and aid from the more central worlds were abandoned which left the core on its own. It was utter hell as crime soared. Black markets and pirates flourished until coalition powers cut trade routes through the area. It soon became one of the galaxy's poorest regions.
Nearly a century later, various corporations vie for the still resource rich worlds and rarely monitored regions. It is a safe haven from the major powers and now home to the Kar-ri, a group of religious radicals that have no sympathy for any but their own.
Conquest god-Quadouirs War god-Xu'ost Famine god-Lirsoutrak Pestilence god-Votk'rorx Death god-Kabot Damnation god-Qoubaeddr't
Obor-Avatar of Conquest V'rbo-Avatar of War Lirsu's-Avatar of Famine Xuaerx-Avatar of Pestilence Kak-Avatar of Death Suaeitaed-Avatar of Damnation
Ouadouirs Sakk-Tribe of Conquest Xu'ost Sakk-Tribe of War Lirsoutrak Sakk-Tribe of Famine Votk'rorx Sakk-Tribe of Pestilence Kabot Sakk-Tribe of Death Qoubaeddr't Sakk-Tribe of Damnation
Ritk Srikkarv Suoob Trakl Aersou Orqv Klo Dork ag B't Louotv Q'arorko Guaeib Kuoaeklouv Vu'bo Klo Draekx Tir
Type of Government:Stratocracy Leader(s): High Warlord Jex Mal'tear Persons of Importance: Species(s) and Demographics: 70% Hexanagallians, 30% various races (mostly humans) Religion Description and Demographics: The Divine Light
Culture: The Hexanagallions are a traditional, honor bound society that revolved around War and upholding warrior ideals. In recent years they have slowed down their aggressive crusade, becoming accomplished mechanics, shipwrights, and merchants. Just as when they were first hunting on their homeworld, the males of the species go out to hunt and the females stay home to protect the young. Most marines and soldiers are male, and most planetary guards are female.
History:
When the Imperium began expanding, there were 12 Warmasters on the Council of Hexana, presiding over the 12 provinces of the world. For many years Hexana remained independent as system after system fell to the might of the Imperium. The Hexanagallions were confident in their military might and strategic minds to keep their autonomy and freedom. However, when the day of reckoning came and the Imperium were at their doorstep, it was not military might that did them in. It was simple attrition, and economics. No other planet would trade with them, unless they joined the Imperium. They could travel nowhere local, unless they had Imperial access codes and friends. The day came when the Hexanagallions had to decide to give in. 8 out of the 12 Warmasters submitted to Imperial rule.
4 did not. 4 Warmasters saw it as a sign of weakness and dishonor, to be assimilated so quickly. Not only that, but do submit without raising arms! They gathered what forces they could, and took their greatest creation, the terraforming machine 'Life Bringer' with them. They sent the strike cruisers forward, and carved their way out of the system by terrifying force. The 4 loyalists did as they had never done before, and fled into the far reaches of space. Never again, they pledged.
Short years later, their fleet found themselves in the center of the Scutum-Crux Arm, and landed on a jungle moon orbiting a barren planet. They dubbed the moon Kal'vrosh, meaning 'People's Landing' in their language. The moon was unforgiving and harsh, close to the system's sun and teeming with great beasts. It was a blessing by the Honored Divine. They did their best to stay low on the Imperium's radar, Terraforming the worlds in that single system and inhabiting them. They began to make great structures of metal and strength, creating huge Ships that served as moving colonies for them to traverse space with, if ever their population reached such heights. And they did.
When they reached the 4th planet at the center of the system's line of heavenly bodies, they discovered something within its core. The planet was made of dense cavern systems that traversed the bulk of the world, some large enough for small cruisers to fly through. When they reached the center, they found an orb like a sun, that glowed golden. It had a radius of 300 meters on all sides, and even to this day, the Hexanagllions know not what its true purpose is. Only that their High Prophet receives visions when basked within its light, and that a mere year ago from the current star date, the Hexanagallions had developed a way to harness that energy in a slow, albeit safe manner. The light of the Prophet's Orb fuels the Flagship for Warmaster Jex.
Dating back however, for centuries the Hexanagallions have fought a successful guerrilla war with the Imperium. Never doing too much damage to raise the ire of all Imperial forces, but slowly driving back and distracting any forces that stray toward their lone system. That is, until 210 years ago when the Imperium collapsed. For 45 years afterwards, they gathered their strength and ships, being goaded by their Prophets that this was the time before the collapse of the Universe. It was now or never. Approximately 165 years ago, the first independent planet still gathering itself together after the Imperium's fall became silent. One year after, the entire system was silenced. A year later, another system was silenced. 5 years hence, another sent out distress signals, and was subsequently destroyed before silence. The calls for help were reached by the a neighboring system near the edge of the Sagittarius Arm, telling of brutal warships and horrifying troops of Reavers. Because of the ensuing chaos, many thought all in those systems were slaughtered until millions of refugees arrived in the Second Terran Imperium, giving tales of beasts that would allow them to live and run if they could.
System after system fell, until the Hexanagallions had cut a sizable piece of the Galaxy for themselves. The latest system to fall under their rule was the Ordo Sanctus system. The humans of Ordo Sanctus and their 4 planets gave up without a fight as the Hexanagallions entered their system, and they were allowed to live, the Warmaster honoring them. It was however, a ploy. The System fought back as the Hexagallions were off guard, taking out 5% of their forces without effort before the fight was on full. Within less than a year, the Hexagallions had conquered the system. When their military had been decimated beyond repair, the Hexanagallions allowed the civilians that remained to flee on their ships to spread word of their might. This would be the last system to fall, a mere 7 years ago finishing a small off a small campaign further east within the Galaxy, near the Gashathi Rule and the Dominion of Man, at the edge of Agonis Collective space.
In recent years, the Resurgence forces have sent out contacts to their fellows within the Second Terran Imperium. The loyalists have even halted their advance, becoming moderately good traders with the other systems. They might not be extremely savvy, but their code of honor permits them not to cheat on their deals, and are popular as a result. That does not mean that a lack of expansion means a lack of conflict. Space faring barbarians have come into contact 17 years previously, and an ongoing battle has ensued eveytime they have met. The HRF find them worthy practice, and a good way to test new recruits by sending them forth to hold them back. It has become a stalemate. They attempted to make contact with the Agonis Collective, before finding out the horrific truth of an A.I. subjugating races. The HRF are now mobilising to attack and help the rebels, but are taking their time as they must not only hold the line, but focus on another task soon to be dealt with.
True to their nature, the HRF surged forward into the Agonis Collective and Xeno Barbarian space, cleaving through any resistance like a scythe through what. Their foes fought hard, and showed their mettle. But the Honored Resurgance Forces prevailed with their fervour and warrior strength and ferocity.
The Great battle of their time was decided at the center of Human Space, when the Agonis Collective and the Barbarians were slaughtered and the HRF's forces surged into space that raged of warfare and battleship. Heroes like Gatar the Fierce, Daixanos Kel'Atar, and Krux the Battle Commander served and slew with distinction.
At the very center of the Galaxy did the HRF's forces push, and planted a flag as the last vestiges of the great Human Empires were cut down by one another, and the sword of the HRF. Their next opponents were the Dominion, but they still had many scattered but dangerous enemies in the large chunk of space they now owned, and proceeded to clear out every bit of rebelliousness.
It is now near 100 years later, and the HRF, now known as the Stratocracy of Hexanagalia, is ready to purge the Dominion and bring all of the Galaxy out of the tyranny of the Oppressors.
Military:
Hexanagallion Soldiers. The backbone of the military. There are three types. Warriors: Armed with Plasma based assault rifles (with bladed stocks), Blood Knives, and Scythe Pistols. Reavers: Melee specialists. They wield Xarkonian great swords/Axes/hammers that can punch/cleave through most armor, even tank armor if given a few good swings. They are known for their skill and speed. Some choose to wield lightweight energy shields. Destroyers: Heavy Weapon specialists. They wield unmounted Plasma turrets, Warhammer Rockets, Dragon flamers, and Gauss Rifles. Honored Fists: Stealth fighters who wield only Blood Knives or bare fists. A few use bolt Crossbows/longbows (high tech armor piercing, silenced weapons).
Warrior 001 A bit larger, but no less sleek and agile as most human starfighters. Twin lascannons and over a dozen torpedoes. Warrior 002 A somewhat more robust starship fighter, with double the armaments with only a miniscule reduction of maneuverability as the 001 class. Predator Class Frigate/Cruiser Armed with 4 main ARK Cannons that reduce most armor to rubble, with 8 huge lascannons, and 50 large torpedoes, the predator cruiser has been paramount in the conquering of enemy systems the past 200 years, with moderate armor/shield and swift thrusters. Harbinger Class Dreadnought
Name: Solarian Star Federation Government type: Federal Council of Nations Leadership: Federation Star Council, Star-President of the Federation (Proff. Linda Harrell) Demographics: 100% Solarian (albeit there's always a few percentage who claim themselves Elves, Klingons or other fictional races) Religion: Most nations follow secularist politics and aren't involved with religion Holdings: ~40% of the Rainbow Cluster
Territory Claim:
Civilization Overview
The Solarian Star Federation (usually shortened to Federation or SSF/SF) is a supernational government of human polities within the Rainbow Cluster. It forms a polito-economical union with the numerous governments in the System Sol and its neighbors. The Federation's origins date back to about 300 years following the end of the Last Great War, the most destructive event of their history. Weary of war and to prevent this from ever happening the committee decided on strengthening international communications, integrating economic systems while synchronizing politics to better reconcile with each other. They planned it step by step with the eventual goal being complete unification within a hundred years, a dream which never happened. From the outside the Federation may seem like a single body but in reality they are anything but that. There are countless nations and political parties each pushing their own agenda. Solarians may have avoided major wars for centuries now but their political forums are very much like warzones themselves. Similarly what once was a benign movement for peace and the good of Mankind turned into the plaything of economic powers. Money is the king within the Federation and as long as they can get away with it the political powers engage in various unethical deeds for profit. The Federation is a highly advanced civilization with many achievements, but this also made them overly confident in their technology. Ironically enough in spite of all their technological advancement the Federation lacked decently fast FTL drives for most of their history. This combined with the fact they are situated within a distant star cluster meant the Federation never encountered any sapient life aside from themselves. Recently they discovered a stable wormhole leading to the other side of the galaxy. This finally provides them with a chance to interact with the busy Southern Quadrant of the galaxy, changing Solarian history forever.
Species Overview
On the first glance the humans of the Star Federation may seem to be the same as Terrans and other people originating from Earth. Yet the truth is more confusing, defined as Homo Sapiens Caelis (or Solarians), these people evolved and developed on Solus Prime with absolutely no relation to the inhabitants of Earth. The truth lies within the theory of convergent evolution. Solus Prime and Earth bore many similarities to each other and this combined with play of chance resulted in the Solarians who are eerily similar to terrestrial humans both in features and even culture. Yet being older than human civilization the Solarians long evolved to the frontiers of space. There are many minor differences like adaptation to varying gravity, improved intelligence and reflexes, extended longevity and resistance to most known diseases. The most striking differences happen after the birth. Technological advances in medicine, cybernetics and cosmetic surgery meant so long you had the money you could go completely wild. Solarians have yet to meet any aliens but name a popular sci-fi species and the Federation likely has a fan sporting their looks. Cybernetic enhancements are also rather common, especially computer-assisted brain functions typically referred as "Cogs". Each government has different regulations on what kind of alterations a citizen can do and in certain regions this could go to the extreme. Another major advancement was the technology to transfer human consciousness. As such it's possible to transfer one's mind to a different organism or even an entirely mechanical body. Due to complicated mechanics backing up or copying consciousness is difficult and also strictly banned within the Federation. Similarly while it's possible to transfer consciousness to military hardware memories of the Last Great War (especially the terror once delivered by Ego the Living Battlestation) makes such actions widely opposed by the public.
Technological Overview
The Star Federation may have not met aliens but had plenty of time and will to develop on their own. They made massive advancements in science and could be perhaps considered pioneers in many technologies. Manipulation of matter and fields can allow them feats which others may consider magical. Their impulse drives are seemingly reactionless engines that along with mass lightening fields can allow great speeds and at compact size. Q-Fabs revolutionized industry as versatile manufacturer devices that can assemble objects quickly and down to the last particle from already available materials. Their conversion reactors can extract nuclear energy from any common material and safe enough to power toothbrushes or cell phones. To a common citizen of the Federation it may even see there's nothing that technology cannot accomplish. That being said Federation has complex laws on the use of technology not to mention the extensive ways companies try to protect their copyright. The latter has the unintended side effect of making outsiders even more difficult to reverse engineer Solarian technology.
- Quantum Fabricators: Commonly abbreviated as Q-Fabs they are sophisticated devices which can alter and convert matter and energy to rapidly assemble objects. Q-Fabs are versatile and it can create anything it was programmed to. There are also Q-Meds, medical Q-Fabs used for healing and building biological matter. Knowing the right people and having loads of money can ensure that the wealthiest people can live theoretically forever. Q-Fabs can technically use raw energy to create matter but this is only utilized at sufficiently small scale. Spaceships generally have sufficiently abundant energy to use that alone for air and food replicators.
- Metastable Matter: A development which made Q-Fab technology far more accessible. It's an unique state of matter which is relatively stable and dense with easily accessible energy. Can be useful for batteries (though even more efficient methods exist) but first of all it's used as an intermediary matter for Q-Fabs.
- Fold Drive: Standard and reliable FTL method which manipulates spacetime to raise the apparent velocity of the vehicle beyond the speed of light. It has relatively low power consumption but comparatively slow speed and other inherent issues. Still, it's relatively cheap and has many alternative applications. Fold Accelerators for example can accelerate projectiles and vehicles at faster-than-light apparent velocities even if, without "fold sustainers", they revert to sublight speed after reaching a certain distance.
- Farcaster: The new long range interstellar travel method developed within the Federation. Also referred as the Hyperdrive it punches a hole in reality to the higher mathematical dimension of the hyperspace to allow faster-than-light travel. It consumes great amounts of energy thus the ships have special capacitors for this role. On the other hand the same method can be modified to transport smaller objects and Farcasters can have a limited application as teleporters. The only downside is that Farcasters are rather difficult to scale down thus unless there's a similar device around the teleportation is usually limited to one way trips. The speed of Farcasters is dependent on the power relative to the mass it carries. Thus systems like "Hypercarriers" (huge transports allowing many ships to dock) and "Hypergates" (large almost stationary structures which also use quantum linking to enhance the speed even further) exist.
- Impulse Engine: Standard sublight engines used by Federation spaceships. They expel mass particles at near the speed of light generated from pure energy which means they can have yet unheard level of specific impulse and henceforth their common name. Without the right conditions mass particles rapidly decay into relatively harmless photons thus also making this design the safest engine known within the Federation.
- Gravitics: Electromagnetics within the Federation were long replaced by gravitics, devices that move objects around with the force of gravity. While inherently gravity is a weak force SF scientific developments made countless mechanisms known to amplify them. Gravitic actuators, accelerators, propulsions are all commonly used within the Federation. This combined with the Higgs technology and mass lightening methods resulted in a massive boon for starship propulsion and the renewed dominance of projectile weapons.
- Hypercomms, Hypersensors: A family of devices that use known FTL methods to gather or transmit information rapidly over long distances. Their mechanism can differ by type with each having its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Hypercameras and Hypertelescopes for example gather the tachyonic shadow of electromagnetic waves to allow up to a certain distance to see events in real time regardless of light-lag. Another common hypersensor is the Foldwave Radar which is rather self-explanatory.
- Quantum Link: One of the oldest forms of FTL communication it uses quantum entanglement to instantly transmit information to the linked device. It used to be expensive and not very reliable but the technology reached maturity once other FTL mechanisms were understood. Abreviated as Q-Link this method offers lagless communication free of the typical interference. The only downside that you require to use more standard measures first to establish the link thus it generally only works between two familiar recipients. Q-Link can be also used for power transmission but this method accelerates the degradation of the link thus usually not advised. While free of normal interference there are "Q-Jammer" devices that are designed specifically to scramble quantum comms.
- Conversion Reactors: The most common method of power generation. They can be practically found everywhere, be it in factories, cars or even cell phones. Conversion reactors are the ultimate result of nuclear research and could be said to be the distant relatives of fission and fusion energy. Thanks to their degree of sophistication the conversion reactors are actually fairly safe and incredibly easy to use.
- Zero-Point Energy Extractor (ZPEE): The ramscoop of space-time, this complex device allows harnessing vacuum energy which makes it ideal for starships and other power-hungry machines. The device requires lot of power to run and difficult to scale down, thus they won't replace conversion reactors anytime soon.
- Vacuum Compression Capacitors: Just as space itself can be used to harness energy it also turns out to be the best method to store power. Vacuum Compression Capacitors and ZPEEs are virtually the same technology used for different purposes. In effect vacuum capacitors are zero-point energy extractors that are deliberately inefficient. For this reason they can be made more compact and many hi-energy equipment is relying on these. Actually, many companies within the Federation are working on the means to make vacuum capacitors even more popular and replace other alternate batteries. Its advantages over the other means are weight savings, far higher capacity and even safety. When destroyed the spatial compression within the cell ceases and space expands around the unit. Anything caught within its area of effect simply ceases to exist. Yet space holds massive energy densities thus the failure of a vacuum cell only results in minuscule expansion. Even for the most massive starship batteries it fails to erase the entire vacuum cell. Thus ironically vacuum cell technology is both the safest and most destructive power storage mechanism known by the Federation.
- Durachrome: The most common military grade armors are chiefly made of durachrome. It's a hard, superdensely packed material family with its variants used both for ground troops and starships. Due to its weight anything made from it usually requires mass lightening to compensate.
- Structural Integrity Fields: Special complex field which reinforces the bind of atoms and generates bubbles of fake mass to further enhance the toughness of material.
- Higgs Shield: An extension of structural integrity fields this kind of protection forms layers of fake mass generated by the field emitters which can act like a regenerative extra layer of armor.
- Lightwave Barrier: A rather peculiar type shield which contrary to its name actually traps tachyons in a limited boundary around the vessel. It deflects massless and low-mass particles like light and radiation the best while practically useless against heavier projectiles. Starship-based lightwave barriers also have some other properties to compensate for spatial effects.
- Gravity Deflector: The various gravitic devices can also produce a shield of gravity around the ship. These tend to extend pretty far, up to even hundreds of kilometers and activated only during combat. The gravity shield's main purpose is to intercept, disrupt and disperse incoming attacks instead of directly stopping them. The weakened attacks would be then handled by the rest of the defense systems.
- PASER: Projectile Acceleration Sustained by Effector Rails. It's a gravomagnetic mass accelerator and the basis of most weapon systems within the Federation. In spite of that the term PASER is most commonly used for handheld weapons since the term "gun" earned much notoriety during the Last Great War. For other weapons and devices using the same mechanism they merely use the term Gravomagnetic Accelerator or Grav for short.
- IGP: Intelligent Gravomagnetic Projectile. Common name for the projectiles launched from Gravomagnetic Accelerators. There are countless different kinds of IGP, some of them are entirely solid projectiles while others have sensors, AI, warhead, propulsion and at times even other features. The options are nearly limitless. IGPs are effectively the combination of physical projectiles and missiles.
- PPA: Pressed Particle Arms. Special use of gravomagnetic accelerators when unstable particles of incredible density are created on site and unleashed at velocities very close to the speed of light. The stream of particles are extremely thin, a nanometer or even less. Thanks to their density and concentrated nature the stream is extremely efficient at penetrating defenses after which the particles slow down and violently explode within. While shot from gravometric accelerators this kind of application requires special modifications not available for all PASERS or Q-Boxes. Due to the instability of the metaparticle mix PPA are relatively short ranged and the effectiveness of the stream weakens with distance.
- SAS: Spatio Accelerator System. Also called Fold Accelerators these weapons use Fold Drive derived mechanisms to accelerate projectiles faster than the speed of light. While this obviously increases their effective range compared to Gravomagnetic means the projectile is limited to a relatively narrow "fold channel" which prevents nearly any kind of maneuvering. Certain large ISFPs are also equipped with micro fold drives to mitigate this issue but at the expense of payload and other functions.
- ISFP: Intelligent Space-Fold Projectiles. The Spatio Accelerator variant of IGPs. Unless they are equipped with Fold Drives on their own they are known to have limited mobility compared to IGPs.
TBA
Military Overview
The main military force within the Rainbow Cluster is the Federation Starfleet. They are a multi-national force recruited from the military of other nations. Starfleet has strict selection process and only allows the best. While combat skill is important they put even more focus to human relations and handling stressful situations. They are hardly the only military, though. Each national government maintains their own military and police forces as well as security forces employed in private sectors. Still, when it comes to military power Starfleet is the largest factor, especially in terms of space force. Due to the memory of the Last Great War the term warship and associated aesthetics garnered a huge negative opinion. To avoid being labeled as proponents of war Starfleet eschewed dedicated weapons on their starships altogether. Instead of cannons, guns and missile bays the Federation uses modified Q-Fabs to create projectiles and launch them at various exits. Following that these projectiles are assisted and directed by altering the function of the shields. The end result is the Q-Box, a versatile weapon system which may be less powerful and much less efficient but with centuries of relative peace they never needed more. On the ground the Federation relies on drones and robots considerably though because of the terrors during the Last Great War they are always accompanied with a human operator supervising them. Anything done by these machines is the responsibility of the operator. Overall the size of the Federation military is small and almost more focused on PR than actual military needs. That being said their highly advanced technology allows them to get away with this surprisingly well.
The best of the best, the so-called "elite" of the Federation. Starfleet personnel are thoroughly selected and then pass a difficult training to become part of the main peacekeeping body of the Federation. In the age of drones and robots these people risk their lives for the sake of Mankind. Well, that's how it was supposed to be. In effect Starfleet is an old organization which grown increasingly clique-like. Starfleet indeed has a rigorous selection process, one so insane almost no person can pass. Yet many thousands of people are admitted to Starfleet each year. How? By the mere fact the system is full of faults and corrupt officials. Being admitted into Starfleet is no longer the matter of skills but connections. As such it comes as no surprise that the once highly competent Starfleet is much less than what it's supposed to be. Granted, Starfleet is still the greatest collection of the Federation's scientific and technological prowess but when it comes to combat ability their performance is...erratic to say at least. Starfleet combatants once used their skills combined with technology to be a superior force. Nowadays they use technology to supplement their skills and their inexperience at war makes them commit ridiculous mistakes on occasion. Exceptions still exist but your average Starfleet personnel knows little more about battle than how to pull the trigger. They can disassemble their PASERs or fix a phase modulator even in their sleep but many Starfleet members can't even throw a decent punch.
Specially made outfit which doubles as their protective suit. It's woven of durachrome-enhanced metamaterials and because of that the suit actually weighs over 10kg when not worn. The suit is durable enough to withstand certain small arms but that's only one of its function. The uniform is filled with various sensors both to check the surroundings and to monitor the status of the wearer. It's also equipped with an artificial gravity generator which doubles as an inertial compensator. The suit's wearer is cushioned from force and can walk in various gravities. Lastly the suit has an environmental shield to protect against hazardous environment and provide life support even in space.
Augmented Reaction Systems Suit is a special equipment worn in the rare high-intensity conflicts. Only those who pass Class III Weapons Test can be allowed to wear ARS Suits and only when receiving the permission of the Captain or higher authority. Unofficially called the "Battlesuit" this compact armored suit is enhanced by inertial fields and gravitic acutators, giving the user massive strength and mobility on par with a land vehicle. For further boost it uses micro impulse engines that can both increase speed and allow the capability of flight. In terms of protection the inner suit is made of nanomesh muscle fibers sufficient against light anti-personnal weapons while the key areas are reinforced by durachrome composite plates. For this reason and other concerns the suit weighs around half a ton without the mass lighteners kicking in. Aside from armor it also sports complex shield system using Higgs shields, Lightwave Barriers and Gravity Deflector technology. It also has active protection systems and limited countermeasures. The suit has a micro Q-Fab/Q-Med for providing ammo, food and life support as well as do emergency operations on the field. The suit has a virtually enhanced interface along with various sensors and computer assistance. ARS Suits turn the otherwise frail Starfleet security personnel into a fighting machine fitting both the role of SWAT and vehicular assault. Starfleet has next to no combat vehicles and instead they rely on their ARS Suits to fill that out.
Federation Robotic Intelligence Enabled Normal Drone (FRIEND) is an AI-equipped humanoid machine made to replace flesh and blood infantry. They are based after the robotic armies from the Last Great War but with at least one major difference, they are bound to the orders of their designated (human) operator. FRIENDs have a rather sophisticated AI to rapidly adapt to various combat and non-combat situations but they are fitted with several restrictions for safety. The presence of human operator is only required for one thing: accountability. Anything the robots do are the responsibility of the operator. Technical specifications wise FRIENDs are built of light composites with only minimal use of Durachrome or similar superheavy materials in order to make them more economical. As a consequence FRIENDs are relatively unprotected albeit being machines they can sustain considerable damage before losing capacity for combat. Physically a FRIEND is stronger and faster than a regular man though nowhere close to the capabilities of the ARS Suits. They have sophisticated sensors and targeting system which can make them dangerously good shots.
Federation Interlinked Normal Drone for Escort and Recon. They are various relatively small floating disc-shaped drones that are generally used for advance scouting. Though their role is data-gathering and recon they usually come equipped with an MQB (micro quantum box) which is smaller and more limited than Q-Boxes or even PASERS but can be effective at fighting lightly equipped opponents. More importantly they have a myriad of sensors for analyzing their surroundings and feeding back the results via Q-Link. Actually, many FINDER drones don't even have an actual AI and instead they receive commands via a larger computer system. This saves weight but also make FINDERs useless once they're caught within a Q-Jammer field.
Is it a transport, a plane or a fighting vehicle? None of them yet can fulfill all of these roles. Tactical Transport is basically the Federation's mainline fighting vehicle. Just like warships, tanks and fighters also share a negative reputation. Using these terms or designing vehicles with such specialization are an easy way to label yourself as warmongering madman. At the same time technology advanced sufficiently that specialization was no longer necessary to fulfill these roles. Thus they developed the Tactical Orbital Aerial and Surface Transport (T.O.A.S.T.), a high-speed heavily protected troop and equipment transport equipped with inconspicuous yet significant firepower. Currently the most common variant utilized by Starfleet is TOAST-111 Vantgardeur Tactical Transport (pictured above). Compared to old models it's incredibly compact mostly thanks to the Pattern Storage technology which allows it to compress objects or even living cew into quantum-data while keeping them in a subspace vacuum cell. This is accomplished by a compact Shortcaster device capable of "beaming" people and equipment in and then "beam" them out wherever it's needed. As unbelievable as it may sound this method also improves survivability as the Pattern Hold keeping the data of the cargo could survive many things which the transport itself could not. Thus even if the transport is destroyed the Pattern Hold can be recovered and used to rescue its contents. In terms of armaments it has a CQB (Compact Q-Bay). Strangely enough the smallness of the Vantgardeur forced designers to make a rather controversial choice to give the Transport a sorts of turret on the top. This turret hides a Fold Accelerator necessary for high-performance PPE and anti-orbital scale firepower. For less powerful functions the vehicle can launch IGPs from practically anywhere. Mobility-wise the Vantgardeur can operate in all theaters, accelerate to hypersonic velocities or freely enter/exit the atmosphere. Albeit given the difference in power fighting a Starship with Tactical Transports is nothing less than foolish.
Starfleet obviously put the most focus on space forces. Their starships are top-notch to maintain their overall edge. Many technologies and scientific developments are first employed within Starfleet and knowledge of basic ship system is one thing all Starfleet members are well educated in. On the other hand the memories (or more like propaganda) about the horrors of the Last Great War made the term warship taboo, as well as anything associated with it. While pistols and rifles are an accepted symbol of authority, any vehicle/vessel sporting gun turrets or any large weapons would be likely mark their users as crazy warmongers. As such rather than using actual weapons Starfleet developed the Q-Box, a weapon system relying on already existing elements to use them for offense. In terms of effectiveness the Q-Box certainly worse than purpose-built weapons but the Federation's technology is lenient enough to make these work. Believing in quality over quantity Starfleet has relatively few starships but each can pack quite a punch. The term "Starship" was actually coined by Starfleet to designate their new "not-warships" as a PR move. Since then any ship with interstellar capability is dubbed starship which was an intentional move in order to further mask from the general conscious the terrible firepower concentrated within Starfleet's hands. For similarly PR reasons the Federation had abandoned the old custom of using wet navy ship classifications.
Not exactly an armament but rather a "software update" and design philosophy for most combat spaceships within the Federation. Memories of the Last Great War its further demonization by propaganda made people averse to hearing about warships. They are weapons of war which is the furthest from the supposed ideology of their "peaceful" society. As such Federation combat ships literally have no weapons. Instead they utilize the already existing Q-Fabs, inertial control fields or even their shields and other systems in order to create, launch and guide projectiles towards their enemy. The exact mechanism are complex and differs from ship to ship. They can use gravomagnetic or spatio-accelerator mechanisms to launch IGPs/ISFPs of various size and specifications. Q-Boxes are versatile though certainly restrained in power compared to what a purpose-built weapon could do. Accidentally for civilizations unfamiliar with Federation technology they'd be unaware of any weapons existing aboard Starfleet ships. On the other hand since shields are involved with the manipulation of the projectiles it's possible to aim and time the attacks right the moment when part of the shields are exposed/vulnerable. Such methods are commonly employed during ship-to-ship combat between fellow Federation ships.
Name: Hull Classification IFES-012082H Armitage (Also dubbed the Hermit-class) Classification: Intermediate Range Frontier Explorer (equivalent of a Battlecruiser in other cultures) Dimensions: length: 276m, width: 154m, height: 52m Standard Mass: 28,320,000 metric tons (prior to mass-compensation, doesn't include weight above the standard cargo) Standard Crew: 200 Powerplants: Conversion Reactor Pile, Auxiliary ZPEEU, Emergency Reactors Propulsion: Impulse Drives x 2, Inertial Propulsion System, Graviton Thrusters Interstellar Travel: Fold Boosters x 2 (most important for fast and economical travel, limited Fold/Farcaster capacity is always there) Armor: 124mm Durachrome Composite-S (reinforced by integrity fields) Sensors: Foldwave Radar, hypersensory package, GADAR, Hypertelescopes, backup sensors Defense Systems: Inertial/Integrity Fields (surrounding the structure), Higgs Shields (up to 9 layers usually 20-240m away from the hull), Lightwave Barrier (about 1.2km from the center of the ship), Gravity Deflectors (outermost layer extending to 24km in radius) Number of Primary Q-Bays: 20 (6 front, 6 ventral, 8 dorsal) Shortcaster Arrays: 3 Main Dish: 1 Shuttle Bays: 2
Ancient class present almost since the formation of Starfleet. The Armitage is an old model of starship which underwent nearly a hundred retrofits since its conception and loyally serves the Federation even now. As of the latest retrofits the Armitage is now equipped with a Farcaster for longer range patrols, becoming intermediate range class fit for patrols rather than the old frontier defense duty. In spite of that tough the ship still bears many archaic systems like its antiquated setup of "small" and "large" Q-Bays. Large Q-Bays have more output and capable of PPA function to serve as mainline weapons. Meanwhile the "small" Q-Bays provide extra coverage. More modern ships long abandoned this design and opt for the versatile and more effective Q-Bays (let's call them "medium" in scale) to fill out the responsibility of both. That being said the Armitage is still a very potent starship and thanks to its reliability the class manages to serve the Federation for centuries now.
Name: Hull Classification LTRS-7470H Vega (also referred as Wāqi for its Arabic origins) Classification: Long-Distance Tactical Recon Starship (equivalent of a Superdreadnought in other cultures) Dimensions: length: 675m, width: 195m, height: 88m Standard Mass: 321,680,000 metric tons (prior to mass-compensation, doesn't include weight above the standard cargo) Standard Crew: 750 Powerplants: Conversion Reactor Pile x 3, ZPEEU, Emergency Reactors Propulsion: Impulse Drives x 2, Inertial Propulsion System, Graviton Thrusters Interstellar Travel: Fold Boosters x 2 (most important for fast and economical travel, limited Fold/Farcaster capacity is always there) Armor: 275mm Durachrome Composite-S (reinforced by integrity fields) Sensors: Foldwave Radar, hypersensory package, GADAR, Hypertelescopes, backup sensors Defense Systems: Inertial/Integrity Fields (surrounding the structure), Higgs Shields (up to 9 layers usually 50-540m away from the hull), Lightwave Barrier (about 2.7km from the center of the ship), Gravity Deflectors (outermost layer extending to 70km in radius) Number of Primary Q-Bays: 120 (20 groups of 6 ports each) Shortcaster Arrays: 12 Main Dish: 1 Shuttle Bays: 4
The Vega-type ships are one of the newest starships developed within the Federation. Unlike past starships which needed refits the Vega was already made with Farcaster Drives in mind. Given Starfleet's doctrine saying well-armed is strange but as a ship with 120 Q-Bay primaries it's one of the most combat-oriented starships to date. Its more streamlined shape aids through the currents of hyperspace while the fold boosters are also optimized to enhance Farcasting. These reasons led for the Vega-class becoming the basis of their ultra-long range explorer ship the Enterprise.
Name of Nation: Ouroboros, The Congregation of Lords and the Church of Ouroboros
Type of Government: Confederation of independent states, each governed by a single sovereign lord. Governance of the confederation as a whole is done collectively by the lords, with a single one among them elected Warlord, a moderator and representative of the Congregation.
Leaders/Persons of Importance:
Ua-Menlir - Heretic, once attempted to become sovereign over the other Lords Ouroboros. Despite claiming to be favored by God, his Crusade was brought to an end after decades of struggle. Nosi - A disgraced Warlord, abused his position in the Congregation to swell his own territories. When Ua-Menlir began his Crusade during Nosi's reign, the Warlord was forced to relinquish his holdings to gain the assistance of the other Lords in repelling the Heretic. Zisuthra - Warlord, though his reign is coming to a close. He was a key player in forcing the end of Ua-Menlir's Crusade, and a strong advocate for the other Lords during the redistribution of battleground territories. Ugar - The only Lord to remain staunchly neutral during the Crusade. Oldest among the living Lords, but lacking in wisdom. Backed Nosi's landgrab during the Warlord's reign. Megalu - The only living Lord who has performed a Navigation himself. Youngest of the living Lords, eccentric and suffering from mental instabilities. Key player in defeating Ua-Menlir, having Navigated his flagship into the heart of an important battle, successfully turning the tide. Ikishun - Born of a disreputable bloodline, an isolationist at the edge of Ouroboros territory. His holdings include some of the oldest intact archives. Amenmesh - Pious, but otherwise not a noteworthy Lord. His holdings are scattered and largely left to tend to themselves as Amenmesh goes on regular missions to holy sites. In the past, he has glassed entire planets in his holdings, for unknown reasons.
Species(s) and Demographics: The people of the Ouroboros are colony-minds composed of worm-like or eel-like organisms. The organisms function both as muscle and brain for each colonymind, working in tandem to form a unique intelligence. New batches of these Ophisian worms can be grown and introduced in a weak colony to become incorporated and mend the individual. Because of this, permanently killing an individual can be difficult, though enough little deaths can cause mental instabilities or divergences.
Religion Description and Demographics: The teachings of the Church have varied in intent and intensity. One constant, however, has been the strong encouragement to master a skill and constantly seek to emulate the prowess of God. The Church also speaks of cyclically purging and rebirth, claiming the tools of creation and destruction as God's highest domain.
