A probe making touch down on earth...
In a security faculty hidden in the Martian region of Elysium, the following message plays itself to the chief of security. The sender being from one of the last surviving 'presidents' of the Pacific Directorate, one of the super states that made up the old order.
"I am at loss of words the future we have created for ourselves. Our home, the world we built for centuries toppled in the course of a few years. I can't express the death and violence that now has consumed the earth. The piles of dead, the waste that has piled about the streets, the machines that wander bout without cause or direction- all I can tell you, is that for all the denial the oligarchs, the megacorps or aristocrats have had, we knew what was coming. Many people have, but never we thought the destruction would be impossible to mitigate, we believed civilization would survive just fine, but now it is but ruin. We neglected the off worlders, even mars as shameful it may be, as now the off worlders inherit the solar system.
I do not believe that the human race will survive on Earth. Already billions are dead, and if the senseless anarchy, fueled by nuclear terrorists who have nothing holding them back anymore doesn't kill everyone, the plagues created in a lab will be how the last man on earth dies. Yet, for the darkness that now shrouds our world in time Earth will be habitable again. All you, the head of security, needs to do is ensure the survival of the martian colony so they can inherit the future.
I am unlikely to be alive when you get this message, just remember that no matter the circumstances, the future lies in your hands."
-transmission cut-
That message was sent centuries ago. Since than, priorities have changed as has the circumstances. On earth Terrans did not die out despite how much it seemed like extinction was inevitable. Instead, the Terrans have resurged. Multiple nations are building up and are expanding their power on Earth. Outside of earth, two rivals to us stand. There is the Venusian Republic, where their citizens dangle in floating, crowded cities over the hellish land they operate from as their rampant individualism proves again and again destructive for those involved. In the asteroid belt mining still is frequent, however bloody it has become with our great rivalry with the corrupt and decadent Jovians never ending.
On our world, however, the circumstances stay the same. We will recolonize the earth and inherit our position as the future of mankind. We have built up for centuries for the moment about to come, and we shall seize it no matter how many die for the liberation we shall bring.
The fleets mobilize as we speak, and our mission will be completed,
no matter the obstacles in our path.
-----[+++++]-----
Welcome to Empty Horizons 2.0
It is the year 2334, nearly two centuries since the fall of the old order. In the collapse of Terran civilization, the off world colonies kept intact and would go on to develop culturally and socially in isolation, three of which would come to dominate the solar system. The United Martian Protectorate, the Republic of Venus and the Jovian Federation. All three of them ideologically conflicting with the other, and all three of them seeking to dominate the solar system in their own way. Until recently, none of the major solar powers would dare touch earth due to treaties and fear of getting infected by the plagues that caused the downfall of Terran civilization.
On Earth, despite the total collapse of global society various parts of the world managed to hold enough stability in their area that they would dominate the regions they exist. However, the geopolitics of the world have been altered by the ruins of the old order and the flooding of the world, leading to a world that looks like this:
Needless to say, the Earth by the year 2334 is a much more tropical and arid place with nature reclaiming a lot of cities in the short course of 184 years, even the ones that have been irradiated.
For more detailed lore, go tot he character section where you can find information on the Major Solar Powers and a detailed history of the Old Order terran players can mine for ideas. It also will [obviously] contain app sheets from other players.
Feel free to take become part of one of the three great solar powers, make a faction on earth, make a faction outside earth, a organization or a player character.
Technology
This is a role-play intended to be sci-fi in nature, and as a result I need to state what technology I find acceptable, even if I am open to many sorts of technology.
I likely will not be fine with really out-there technology that would be normally acceptable in a interstellar scale role play like megastructures, relativistic speeds of travel or space stealth. All in all, while I am fine with technology being invented, I recommend avoiding making something too over the top. Venusians for instance, do not use levitation devices for their floating cities, rather they look a lot like this:
Players who have a better grasp on more down-to-earth technologies for interplanetary colonization should do their best to assist those who have less grasp on the matter
In terms of spaceships, remember space is not a ocean nor are spaceships jet planes. Running out of fuel is not the main concern of a spaceship for instance, rather the concern is if it has enough fuel to make maneuvers. In theory your spaceship can go all the way to pluto using minimal amounts of energy due to the lack of friction in space. One can rotate a spaceship without changing direction, only when a thruster is use will direction change.
Only a minority of a spaceship should be inhabited, the majority of a spaceship should be dedicated to making the spaceship function.
In terms of propulsion/energy, anything more advanced than fusion is probably too advanced for this RP.
Artificial Intelligences do exist, but they shouldn't be so advanced they are god-like in how powerful they are.
Robots will be very important to the colonies especially, as the robots help fill in the man power left over from the lack of population off worlders have. Earth has a lot more man power, but even they may find applications for machines. After all, machines basically are highly advanced tools.
Biotech is common, being used to engineer plants that can survive in alien conditions or engineer humans that can survive with less air, among other augmentations done for varying reasons. Augmentations that alter the fundamental structure of a human tend to create animals with hominid levels of intelligence that lack the brain required to function in a advanced civilization. As a result, dog men never became a thing.
Medical applications of biotech are effective, with artificial organs, limbs, eyes and so on being readily available. Brain rebuilding is limited even in 2334. The recording of memories with machines is being currently pioneered.
Terraforming is occurring on Ganymede and Mars, but terraforming is far from complete on either world.
Hydroponics is commonplace. Habitation technologies are diverse. However, I may have limits when it comes to the creation of megastructures.
While I have given the tech standards, don't be dissuaded by what i've stated on tech. Just keep the tech reasonable and I should be fine with it. As well, if you have a good reason to have a certain technology i'll likely allow it.
Guidelines
Open Door Policy
The OOC of this roleplay is open for anyone to come into, as I believe anyone who even looks at this thread is a potential player. Feel free to stop by and post for the sake of it, I believe in open communication as opposed to trying to constrict people based on what they're talking about as this is a social hobby, not a job despite what standards may exist.
Hard Sci-Fi
This roleplay genre-wise is "hard sci-fi", so the implications of technology are important. For instance manual labor due to automation is not normal and advancements in biotech has allowed for easier survival on worlds without any breathable air, which is almost all of them.
Note that the 'hard' aspect of the sci-fi doesn't necessitate the RP demanding you do everything as hyper-real as possible or go blabbing about technical shit like where the polar reversal goes. When I say hard sci-fi, I mean minimize the non sense. No psionics, no exotic matter, no problem!
The roleplay overall strives to be internally consistent, and as a result I expect the laws of physics to be the same across players. If something contradictory occurs, please call it out on the OOC!
Common standards
Remember, this is an advanced roleplay and the standards associated with advanced roleplays do apply here.
Or,
Elevated standards. Advanced RP focuses on longer posts that include character development and elaborate plot development. Suggested minimum of 2-3 paragraphs per post.
I expect for players to be able to not play the role play to win, instead to play out the situation this role play has given.
I am not one to use authorial fiat unless absolutely needed to, for instance if someone is constantly harassing another member of this thread [which is not the same as being critical] or posts in the IC despite not being accepted.
Co-GMs will be chosen at my discretion.
Other than that, I want people to not fret over how often they play this RP nor stress themselves over any of the policies.
Resources
Online Sol Map, 3D
Advanced sol map, along with universe exploration. May not work on all computers!
Resource to get texture maps for any planet you want.
Wanna quick draft a app or post? Try this.
Potential Players
Section with potential players for the RP. Initial use is to alert people to this thread's existence.
@Isotope
@Commodore Robot
@Rhymer
@Sigma
@orichalk
@Lunamaria
@Tatsua Aiisen
Though it's probably hazier than this. Hard to know given best real images of Titan come from Huygens.
