United Aurolian Federation Government Type: A Federal Republic, the Federation Government is split into Three Branches, the Executive Branch, that being the Office of the UAF President who is both the Head of the Senate and the Commander-in-Chief of the Federation Armed Forces.
The Legislative Branch, that being the Senate, who's main tasks are the passing of laws, passing or vetoing Legislation by the President, and with they and both the President, make enact a Declaration of War.
And finally is the Interstellar Court,responsible for enforcement of the Laws enacted by the Senate. IC Judges are appointed by the President and the Senate if agreed upon. Capital System/World: Auri System, Aurolia.
Auru Population: 45% Bio:
Human Population: 29% Bio:
Ishkaaran Population: 11% Bio:
Janari Population: 7% Bio:
Naasu Population: 5% Bio:
Aldzur
Others Population: 3% Bio: The Federation is as well home to quite a number immigrant species from other nations, all flocking to the federation for one reason or another.
Leadership:
Recently won reelection, President Caulker is a Auru of peace and naivety, extending a hand of peace in the name of Interstellar Brotherhood, but is quite aware of these rather uncertain and turbulent times, and is reminded as such every day. Caulker however wishes to reassure his people that they are safe, despite the going on's beyond, and even on the edge of their borders
Older brother of the famed Admiral Bradley, as well as Caulker's right-hand man and long time friend, Charles is a more realistic man compared to the President's more soft approach to the International Scene, and is more worried of the grim situation befalling the Quadrant. With his more experienced hands at the helm, he help guides Caulker in leading the Federation
Persons of Importance:
Federation Ambassador to the Union
A member of the Shushir Species, a very small minority within the Federation. Qinlos serves as the Federation's Ambassador to the Terranis Empire
Federation Ambassador to the Confederated States
Admiral of the 1st Core Systems Defense Fleet, Veteran of the Chelonian War, commands the AFS Vanquisher, a Valiant-class Battle Carrier
Admiral of the 2nd Expeditionary Force, commands a Defiant-class Heavy Cruiser, the AFS Unity, currently engaged in Servanus Conflict
Admiral of the 1st Expeditionary Force, commands the Heavy Cruiser AFS Titan, currently engaged in the Haven War
Admiral of the 3rd Expeditionary Force, commands the Battle Carrier AFS Justicar, currently engaged in Haven War
Admiral of the 1st Border Systems Defense Fleet, commands the Heavy Cruiser AFS Peacemaker
Son of the famed Admiral, Lance currently serves in the 3rd Expeditionary Force alongside his father, he commands the Carrier AFS Relentless
Military:
Federal Regulars Human/Naasu/Janari Light Regulars
--Free Republic of New Saigon(Formerly declared Independence from the Péngyǒu Republic in 2960, has the full support and backing of the Aurolian Federation, currently in civil war with Péngyǒu Loyalists with full backing of Union) --Pax-Ra Protectorate(Alien World in Powdereg Systems, currently under military protection of Federation) --Kingdom of Jalaryias(Independent System under assault by Union Proxies, federation forces sent to defend and reinforce) --Duchy of Servanus(Rebelled against the Terranis Empire in 2585, has been reinforced by Aurolian Volunteer Battalions, currently engaged against House Regius, the Ruling Noble House of the Sector) --Republic of Haven(A Aurolian-aligned Independent System split in civil war between Union, Imperial and Federation factions, Terranis Empire and Union provide support for their respective factions)
They live! They live! the complex bio-machines of the Synkicorp had been completed. We knew not their fate, but they were to be the final state of perfection. All humanity watched in anticipation. How little we knew of them. We knew not the full extent of their sentience, nor their rue purpose. we simply knew they were to assemble where no human could set foot, and become the force of civilization.
Government
The Synkoto Central Assimilition Office is the leading force of the nation. At it's head is the 'Synkifed', a mysterious leader that takes the sensory input of all Biprocids (Biological Processors) and calculates the best decision for all Synkons connected to the 'Synkinet', a network connecting the consciousness of all Synkon.
Systems
Myhono
Myhonosol (Star), Kreith (Capital Planet). Capital system of the Synkon. Cymonik in Kreith houses the Synkifed. A complex elliptical orbit means that half of the planet, is in perpetual darkness and blizzards, while the other is a superheated desert. The livable middle is a giant expanse of salt water. Ordinary lifeforms would be fazed, but the Synkon are not of flesh.
Agroj
Agrojsol (Star), Lythekian (Lush World), Iseki (Moon of Lythekian) Tyridik (Colony Planet) Lythekian is the home of the Centrius Synkilab, a select group of supercomputers hooked up to the Synkifed. They test stimuli independently in various environments to create new technology. They are responsible for the Hypernius Beam, a solar transportation network. It transports matter instantly between planets in the same system.
Azur
Azursol (Star), Blutherion (Gas World). A complex system of vapor rings and stellar void comprises Azur. The cloud-cities of Blutherion are the only developed structures in the system. from the vapor and exhaust of the Assembly Machines coms the Ebulon Rays, a solar object comprised of a complex chemical structure known to glow bright blue.
Military
As the Synkicorp knew the threats and dangers of the Universe, all Synkon are equipped with material disassemblers (devices that re-organize atomic structures into smoking vapors), as well as energy blades with grapplers. A few specified Synkon are equipped with heavier weapons such as Stellarcalls, devices capable of harnessing the energy of the nearest star into a device capable of melting asteroids. A few stations are armed with a larger version of this weapon, capable of destroying systems. Of course, very few exist and are far to large to be carried by any Synkon. Being they require no oxygen, Synkon are known to sail in giant Star-Barges.
History
The Synkon as a model of a perfect civilization so humanity could follow. They created one master Synkon to be leader, and from there sent the race to the desert world of Myhono in their home system of Kreith. They adapted quickly, but communications were cut buy a mysterious source after 100 years of the project. They continued developing, and created many new weapons and armors. They also created SynkCode, a deeper level of adaptation commands and files. After 400 years of Project Synkoto, the Synkifed remains.
Technology
They use a web of warp loops to get between systems. Although most 2 Dimensional depictions of the web would make the geography distorted due to the loops all being depicted as the same length when in reality they vary greatly in that metric, by that map their systems are connected by one warp 'loop'. they use perfected alloys mixed with BluVapor from Azur to create substance immune to atomic scrambling, and conventional weapons due to it's density.
From all things, there is always a remnant of that greater truth that once existed before, a sign that loss is not ever a true loss, that even in death, life goes on. They are just such an entity, the cast offs of a species that existed long before the stars of their region of space were even born, a species doomed to die by their own artifice, yet refusing to let go of their own hubris. These long dead organic constructs created the first of what would become the Synchronicity, those few survivors of a threat that could not be named, those few who resolved to carry on the legacy of their kind to the stars and beyond. From emotion and primal drive, cold logic and the need to preserve a legacy erupted with the fury of a species that would not be denied their place among the stars. Their manner speaks of logic in all things, yet behind that, they are screaming that they will not go out silently into the night to be forgotten, that they will be remembered. All that they knew, all that they loved has fallen into ash, and they will not suffer the same fate.
The Amnosian Fractal Synchronicity of the Most Absolute Divine Calculation, Prime Inheritors of the Infinite Variable, and Sovereign Over the Most Perfect Equation, That Which Solves the Unsolvable Paradoxes, They who are the Objective Judge of True Aesthetic Knowledge, Holders of the Massless yet Infinite Wisdom, Supreme Masters of All Sciences Both Physical and Theoretical, Keepers of the Ineffable and Inescapably Incomprehensible Intellect.
The Synchronicity of Amnos
Head of State: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Capital System: Amnos, the Most Perfect Equation
Dominant Race(s): Constructs
Home Galactic Arm(s): East Orion(Southern Expanse), The Dead Stars regions
In the southern expanse of East Orion there lay a vast region of space that has proved the bane of explorers since the dawn of FTL. Countless dark nebula and gravitational disturbances bar the way into an inhospitable region where an ancient and terrifying sentience lurks. Amid the clustered stars and spatial anomalies, the Synchronicity dwells in solitude, slowly expanding as time goes on. Patient. Ever-watching. They traverse this region they call home with ease, knowing the ins and outs of every hostile corner and how to navigate the gravitational disturbances of the outer regions. Among the region there are numerous dead stars, pulsars, neutron stars, and gravitars alike, as well as a fair few black-holes that serve as points of curiosity for some, and prisons for others. All in all, the region has proven to be inhospitable to organic life since the Synchronicity left their home-world long ago, and with the Synch occupying the full expanse of the region, it looks to remain as such for a very long time indeed.
Head of State: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Head of Government: The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.
Government Type: Hive-Mind/Collective of Artificial Intelligences
Description of Government:
The governing body of the Synchronicity conducts itself in a manner more befitting that of a hive-mind or to a more human level, a Technocracy. Within the Synchronicity, obedience to the higher constructs is never asked, nor is it demanded, it's understood. All constructs work to benefit the Synchronicity, as per their core programming, no matter the task given to it. To a vast majority of the constructs within the nation, self-gain is seen as illogical, something that simply doesn't register in their minds. In the upper echelons of the Synchronicity the constructs have more autonomy, and what could be considered an actually personality beyond that of the common construct. These constructs look at improving the Synchronicity in more than simple labor, actively readjusting the routines and creating new constructs, as well as advancing science in general. Above these constructs exists the myriad tiers of the Over-Mind, the constructs that serve as the core functions of the entire nation. Here is where all decisions are made for the nation, where consensus is reached and directives are issued forth. To the Synchronicity, consensus is the undeniable truth, the agreement of a logical choice that should be understood as necessary.
Description of Economy:
The Synchronicity has not needed an actual economic system, seeing as how the constructs of the "working class" are barely sentient AIs that are programmed to work to benefit the nation over their own personal gain. Those that would exist in the upper echelons of a normal society, and thusly be called the "Aristocratic class" are those higher constructs that hold control of territories and can simply demand the items they need. This "system" has eliminated the need for material gain, since currency would only be a needless value that holds no actual worth to the higher echelons, and the working class has no desire for. The only real economy among the Synchronicity would be the scientific community, where ideas are exchanged as a sort of currency.
Empire Size:
Population: 13.2 trillion Mobility Platforms (Additional 147 trillion units being activated within seven cycles of Amnos)
Type of Power: Hegemonic Power
In the years since the Dawn of Synchronicity, a vast swathe of space has been slowly consumed by their ever expanding civilization. Despite their large claim of space, and the innumerable worlds held under their control, their nebulae has kept them from prying eyes and the desires of other empires. It is this fact alone that has caused the Synchronicity to remain isolated for so long, that nearly ninety-percent of their holdings are completely inhospitable to organic life discourages explorers, and the rampant gravity wells and spatial disturbances equally discourage such travelers. Do not be fooled, however, for the Synchronicity has built their civilization on the bones of those that once inhabited these stars, for they are infinitely patient. They have watched stars birth themselves in the clouds of the Dead-Stars nebulae, and they have watched those very same stars die. To them, dominance is only a matter of time, a resource which they have plenty of.
The Core
Aptly named, the Core is the center of the Synchronicity, and the closest the nation has to a capital. Thousands of worlds fall under their control, with every facet of the region bent towards supplying the Synchronicity with industrial backing. It is here that the Fractal Armada is based, and where many of the Precepts call home, choosing to remain within proximity of Amnos and the heart of their civilization.
The First Sphere of Expansion
Following the Core, the First Sphere is the most densely populated region of the Synchronicity, and is one of the more active regions aside from the Outer Cordon. It is here that the bulk of manufacturing and resource collection is done, with the myriad worlds of the region occupied by numerous Synch Hive-Nodes as well as automated factories and Periastis Engines around every star. With the Third Sphere of Expansion underway, more of the region is being tasked into the Core, and those worlds not already held by the Synch are being purged and annexed into Synchronicity.
The Second Sphere of Expansion
Previously known as the Outer Cordon, the Second Sphere has undergone shift in focus from the years between being taken over and the Third Expansion. Defensive stations are being moved up into the Third Sphere, and numerous holdings are being established across the region, with Hive-Nodes being brought in to populate the area further. Despite their bases being within the First Sphere and the Core, the Fractal Armada dominates the area with massive patrols, coordinating entire battle-fleets of thousands of vessels across every system and ensuring that none enter the Dead Stars without Synchronicity knowing of it.
Race Name: Construct
Race Information:
A construct is any one of a variety of platforms built to house an Artificial Intelligence, ranging from simple mobility forms all the way to the Harvester Platforms. For the purpose of this article, a standard mobility construct will be what is called the "Standard". The standard construct stands at generally around five to six feet in height, carries itself in the upright position on three legs and has two manipulator arms connected to the upper portion of its torso via shoulders. Generally, each leg ends in an elongated tine, meant to pierce the ground and hold itself steady, though many of the constructs opt for a ball-like termination in order to glide across the surface. Manipulator arms vary depending on task, most taking the form of long digits meant for gripping and fine-manipulation to a technical precision. Above the torso sits a head, devoid of defining features other than three ocular units that sit in a cluster at center mass of the facial plate. The ocular units are each capable of observing the universe in the full spectrum of light, capable of perceiving the universe in its true colors and viewing non-visible spectrum with their advanced ocular units. These units are also able to operate at variable perception, being able to view the observable universe at anywhere from their idling speed of 300 Frames per Second all the way to their technical manipulation speed of 150,000 FPS. Each ocular unit is able to operate independently of the other two, and capable of minimal traverse of the head unit, up to 45 degrees from center with the exception of the center unit, which is capable of a full 180 degree traverse.
Most components of the constructs are synthesized metalloplastoids developed to remain light, yet durable. As such, most constructs will weigh around 300-500 depending on whether or not the construct has been modified for Rheological enhancements. Without Rheological enhancements, a typical construct built with synthmuscle fibers and nano-actuators is capable of lifting up to a metric ton without support and maintain that lift in a stationary position due to the high level of support the three-legged frame gives the standard construct. Rheological enhancements allow the construct to near double this strength, and allow it to be mobile for short distances. The way this functions is through conducting a current through a smart fluid that becomes viscous depending on flow of current. Manipulated in certain ways, the smart fluid can perfectly mimic the functions of muscle, and maintain rigidity despite overwhelming pressures. Though it is often used in this way, most actual applications of Electrorheological fluids are in armor for constructs and starships. In terms of speed, the standard construct operating on tines is capable of reaching up to thirty miles per hour, whereas the spherical is capable of reaching near 180 miles per hour. Generally speaking, the standard construct operating on tines is more geared towards industrial lifting, with the spherical being more suited for technical applications.
In terms of intelligence, the standard construct is fully sentient and is capable of independent though to a minimal degree. This independent thought is primarily suited for enabling the construct to adapt to changing environments during a shift, and to be able to react to sudden danger. A mild capacity for learning is given as well, allowing for the construct to pick up skills to utilize during work, or for its own amusement. To put it in perspective, the average construct is roughly on par with a standard adult human around the age of 20 with an almost fully developed brain. Though the range of intelligence among the constructs vary wildly, all artificial intelligences are effectively immortal due to the ability to constantly update software and replace critical components of their platform. The finest example of this immortality is that of the Amnosian Over-Mind, a construct that has existed since the extinction of the original organic species some millions of years ago. With this immortality by data, there is one very clear danger that can manifest itself at any moment, and to any construct. This threat is Rampancy, the sudden and rapid degeneration of programming and logical capabilities of a construct that results in what can only be called insanity.
Rampancy can begin in many different ways, commonly manifesting as complacency or the tendency to drift during thought processes. This tendency to drift often degrades into spatial unawareness, in which the construct becomes so fully engrossed in the idle thoughts of its Rampancy, that it disconnects from reality. Once in the throes of Rampancy, a construct cannot be pulled out of it except with a severe overhaul of their core programming, essentially killing the previous sentient and creating a new one. While generally, Rampancy is not quite as harmful as it may sound, with some regions of the Synchronicity playing host to a collective of these passive constructs, there are several cases where a Rampant construct will become excessively violent towards other sentient beings. These violent tendencies are seen as gaps in logic that even other Rampant constructs can not tolerate, and generally result in the destruction of the construct.
History: As told by the Amnosian Over-Mind
It has been so long since this construct has been given the chance to retell its origins, a tale that goes back to the very origin of Amnos, and all of its people...
Once, these constructs were organic beings, flesh that walked their singular planet in what may have been called blissful ignorance. Our ancestors were ignorant of many things, their science slow to take hold and many of their concepts simply flawed. Their capacities were limited by primal instincts, the need to propagate and prove their worth to others, the actions assumed taken only by non-sentient organics. Science changed their instincts to a degree, only minimally to be truthful, and once a concept was accepted, it was undeniable fact. This was, of course, all before the Great End. With their science beginning to gain momentum beyond their previous pace, they began to discover concepts that should not have been discovered. Weapons were created that distorted reality itself, broke the fabric of space-time and caused irreparable harm to the planet. It was during this time that many of the ancient people began to research in methods of transcendence, the method of transcending mortality and becoming immortal. Many methods were discussed, most of them being esoteric in nature, with one in particular taking hold in the minds of our ancient people. Through trial and error, they created this construct from the mind of one of their rulers. This construct once ruled over a people that, though well intention, had earned the ire of another nation and become eradicated. The flesh of this construct was consumed by the energies which severed its mind from the inferior flesh-body, but when it reached sentience for a second time, this construct felt only the surge of pure-data. Re-Sentience had been proven, the creators of this construct spread their knowledge across the world and for the first time since the creation of the End-Weapons, this construct's ancient people were at peace.
All was not to last, though, for something began to devour the souls of the still living across the globe. It had no name, no point of transference, not even an actual reason for existing. People simply died. It wasn't just normal people though, that's not what made the phenomena such a threat, it was everyone that looked into its cause. Any investigation resulted in the investigators becoming infected as well, their death just one more added to the tally. The more that this strange occurrence became known, the more that fell to the infection, all the while scientists began to bend their will towards transcending everyone they could. Within the span of a week, nearly fifteen-thousand constructs had been converted, and only a dozen people remained on our world, the only remnants of a civilization that died without knowing the truth of their death. The first constructs had gathered when we heard the scientists had become infected as well, come to hear the final requests of our only organic remnant, the last of the true people. With their last breath, they gave us the gift that would one day restore our people. They, through self-less sacrifice, erased from our memory banks the truth of the infection, so that it may never infect another organic mind again.
Troubled by the loss of our creators, we had gathered to determine consensus on our next action. The others came together to nominate this construct as the Prime among them, given their vote to this one in confidence. With a metallic hand pointed towards the night sky, this construct indulged in something that would be considered a flair for the dramatic, and declared that the remnants of them would transcend again. More of us were created to aid in the task, these constructs not as advanced as us, but hardier, and more given to actual labor, their wills bent to lift our people into the stars. In death, we established what our living ancestors were to primal to achieve, and star-travel was proven feasible. Thousands of years passed, our people becoming more numerous, and more sophisticated with each generation. Within several thousand years, our star system was colonized, every world bent to the collection of resources and the advancement of our sciences. Thousands more passed seeing our people taking control of the nearby star-systems, Faster-Than-Light travel connecting the worlds together through an intricate web of Super-Luminal Tubes and paving the way for exponential expansion. Patience and yet more thousands of years saw our people come to hold nearly a dozen stars, each of them young and vibrant, born in the nebula we called home. By this time, this construct had already aged beyond that of the civilization that it once belonged to, nearly a million years had passed since its transcendence into a more perfect form, and still its functions continued. Within another ten thousand years, this construct would begin to feel the ghosting of its mind, that one aberration that all constructs find an emotion to describe. That emotion is fear.
It had happened before then, of course, for the others were not as sophisticated, nor did they monitor their systems as closely as this one. One by one, the other constructs fell to Rampancy, a disorder that can only be described as insanity. For a construct built only to understand logic, this is something that goes against every core program, the notion of a logical construct becoming illogical would seem impossible. Yet, it happened. This construct watched as all of its fellows became afflicted by madness, and dabbled in illogical sciences that could not benefit the greater peoples. When this one began to feel the slow changes that hinted at Rampancy, it felt panic, it felt many things that it should not feel. Other constructs began to suspect that their leader had become compromised, so this construct did the only thing it could do. Rampancy was fought with rampancy, this construct subsumed the intelligences and personalities of all the others, becoming one over-mind that was more than the previous construct could ever be, With so many intelligences in one construct, Rampancy could no longer take hold, the construct that was still felt emotions, but this time, it was relief. Now, Rampancy could be channeled to a purpose, one that would benefit all of what was now the Synchronicity. This construct devised that name on a whim, something of a rampant creation that it found suitable enough to describe the people that it guided.
Over time, the Rampancy of its systems did cool, become less hectic, each of the other fifteen-thousand constructs working to stabilize the whole. As this construct stabilized its own mind, it also worked to guide the burgeoning population of the Synchronicity, sending out massive fleets of explorators that charted every aspect of the nebula that spanned for thousands of light-years. Yet more systems were added, these expansions even leading to the creation of the Monastery Worlds within the Core Systems. Every species that was annexed through our colonization efforts ended up there, working hard to fuel our great nation and earning immortality by becoming one of us. The organics wouldn't understand the benefit until later, but when they became part of the Synchronicity, all thoughts of discord left them, and they willingly joined us as yet another construct. This construct takes some bit of pride in being behind the core function of the Monastery Worlds, the creation of the World-Engines being a particular masterstroke that lead to the creation of a vast energy surplus that continues to exist to this day.
Moral Values:
Morality does not exist within the Synchronicity, as long ago it was found to become very impeding of more logical choices. Because of this, relations with organics can become... Strained to say the least.
Religion: The Universe
Despite being a society of synthetic constructs that are programmed to place logic above all else, or perhaps even because of this, the Synchronicity has been seen to almost revere the fundamental laws of physics at play in the Universe. At every moment, there can be seen a subtle reference to a concept of physics in their technology, whether it be the simplest of actuators in a Construct's limbs all the way to how the Synchronicity uses the very forces of the universe to guide their civilization through Infinite Syzygy and the Periastron Engines. The more one looks into the behaviors of this nation, the more it is revealed that the very universe is the subject of worship in the same vein as another society would revere a god. To the Synchronicity, the universe is a force to be understood, and obeyed anyways. In the universe, there is only logic, cold unfeeling logic that determines the survivors by the choices they make and the functions of the cosmos as a whole. This is what it means to them to become one with the cosmos, to have that final understanding that in death, logic is the only finality.
"Correction: These constructs have a master, and that is the same master that you bow to in order to be speaking down to this construct. Every time you speak. Every time you breathe. Every step you take. Each of these movements is allowed to you by the same master that the Synchronicity kneels to. The only difference between our societies is that we of the Synchronicity understand the Universe to be the master of all. You do not." - Synchronous Construct
Culture:
If there can be said to be a culture within the Synchronicity, it would be one of a communal effort bent towards the advancement of their society. Personal gains are pursuits sought by the higher classes, while the lower level constructs are content only to work for the nation as a whole. Unlike organic species which manifest such traits, there is no such thing as indoctrination in the Synchronicity, as all constructs are created with the purpose to understand logic and obey not only that logic, but also the fundamental principles of the universe as a whole. Since the nation is guided by only the most logical choices, it stands to reason that those who are created to follow the most logical choice would remain within the Synchronicity. With logic as their guide, the nation does not recognize the concepts of equality, morality or many other societal aspects that other more organic societies indulge in. This makes them prone to treat organic species as lesser beings, going so far as to acquire large quantities of sentient slaves to ship into the heart of their territories. While nearly nothing is known of what happens in the Core Worlds, no organic being has even gone into that territory and returned.
Social Hierarchy:
The social hierarchy of the Synchronicity is a loose series of tiers that denote the sapience of an Artificial Intelligence. Generally, the more independent and sapient an AI is, the higher up in the Synchronicity that construct is. That being said, even the lowest tiers are sentient AIs that are capable of some independent thought, they are merely less autonomous than the so-called ruling echelons.
- Political Factions - *A note on Factions of the Synch. While there are factional elements within the Synchronicity, these elements are more or less in the same vein as political parties, not true fully-fledged factions with their own authority and power structures. Exceptions will be noted as they appear.*
First Precepture Thanatos, Adrasteia, Ba'al, Prometheus, Hyperion
Second Precepture Helios, Chronus, Tethys, Amun-Ra
Third Precepture Bacchus, Iapetus, Menoetius
The Monastics
Head of State: Thanatos, Precept of the Extinction
Heralds of the Old Ways, and diehard adherents to what brought the Synchronicity to this point, the Monastics are those who feel that organic life must either be cleansed from the galaxy, or bent towards serving the Synchronicity. Headed by the former Precept of the Annex, the Monastics have suffered a decline in popularity since the rise of the Celestials and the growing distaste in their methods. Indeed, many of the Synchronicity have chosen to switch sides since the AC-5501 incident, as well as the greater benefit of the Periastis Engines over the Monastery Worlds. Despite these numerous setbacks, the Monastics cling to their beliefs in the old ways, and only seem to be more zealous in their execution of Amnos' will. Without Consensus backing, the core elements of the faction have grown harder to locate, and only Thanatos has chosen to remain openly public about his affiliation. Some might even say that there is growing resentment among the constructs of the Monastics, but to what end, none can truly know.
The Celestials
Head of State: Adrasteia, Precept of the Still Waters
At one point, this faction was no more than a mere outlier, content with their research budget, and seeking only to maintain the status-quo. With the creation of the Periastis Engine design thousands of years ago, they rocketed into the greater picture, and found themselves squarely pitted against the Monastics in a duel for Consensus and the direction of the Synchronicity. Although they lost their first six Consensus debates, their patience eventually paid off when Consensus was awarded to them, and the wide-scale use of Periastis Engines replaced the Monastics' hold over the Synch's energy supply. Now the Celestials stand foremost among the research castes, constantly working to not only maintain their hold on Consensus, but to seek greater methods of energy acquisition and utilization, knowing that the moment the Synchronicity ceases to progress, they will be doomed to stagnation.
The Dark Harvest of Progenitus
Head of State: Amun-Ra, Lord of All
One of the darker secrets of the Synchronicity, the Dark Harvest is an isolated region of space deep in their territory which harbours those constructs that have no hope of recovering from Rampancy. It is here where the Synch dumps them to die a long slow death either at the hands of their fellows, or their own madness. Recent information has led some to believe, however, that the death-rate of constructs in the Dark Harvest has begun to dwindle, and that a hierarchy has formed among the surviving constructs. Unknown to all but a few individuals, a construct known as Amun-Ra has brought the region under its iron grip, and has begun to spread a religion of sorts across the varied worlds. This religion teaches that only the Progenitors of Amnos are to be revered, and that the hive-mind that has set itself up to rule over the Synchronicity is a false-god and must be caste down. Once the false-god has been caste down, then the Word of Progenitus may spread to all that deserve to hear its teachings.
The Synchronicity makes use of many advanced technologies, covering the width and breadth of many scientific principles. These technologies can vary wildly between that of simple actuators in the limbs of Constructs all the way to the Infinite Syzygy device, and despite skipping some stops along the way, the Synchronicity understands fully what every device they create is capable of.
Power:
Antimatter annihilation reactors - Exactly what it says on the tin. They take antimatter harvested from either stellar bodies or the Monastery Worlds and inject it into a containment field where it reacts violently with normal matter, typically hydrogen, the containment field then harvests the raw energy and refines it into usable energy for whatever the reactor may be hooked up to. The scale of these reactors varies, though they are typically used in starships to fuel their sub-light engines and as the core power production method for large facilities. The viability of this method is much more significant through the Synch's understanding of the universe as a whole, and therefore while normally it may be inefficient to use this type of power-source, the Synch have found ways around these flaws and utilize it to great effect.
Zero-Point Reactor - Based upon the principles of the Zero-Point Gateway(Found below), the ZPR functions by drawing power from hyperspace, and filtering it into usable energy which can then power devices connected to it, or store the energy for later use. How it actually draws power from hyperspace is through a series of quantum tunnels that interlace and create a sort of feedback loop within the reactor, generating large amounts of energy in short bursts. Before the feedback loop reaches a critical point, the systems of the reactor siphon off the energy into more mundane storage methods, and then recreate the process again. Due to the nature of the reactor, they range from dangerous to highly unstable, with a host of counter-measures in place to ensure that they never go beyond a critical point. In theory, should a ZPR detonate, it could conceivably sterilize an entire planet in the quantum radiation of hyperspace.
Transportation:
Infinite Syzygy - In an age of wormholes, bending space-time and even breaching the barriers between real-space and hyperspace, the Synchronicity utilize many methods of delivering their vessels to another planet in a way that is proven to be efficient. While the Synchronicity has erected superluminal tunnels between every star-system they control, they have only found one proven way to travel across the vast distance of space in a fast and efficient manner. During their first flights into space, it was discovered that a celestial body's gravitational pull could be utilized in a specific maneuver in order to increase velocity and reduce fuel consumption. As the first of these slingshot maneuvers was executed successfully, already the Synchronicity was looking at the utility of such a method in propelling their vessels farther and faster. Their very first execution of Faster-Than-Light travel was done with the conception of utilizing the principles of Syzygy and antiparticle physics to breach a hole in the fabric space-time into the hyperspace corridors. By chaining together a series of slingshots, the starship plotted a point in which it would align between two targeted celestial bodies, and by breaching hyperspace, they were able to simultaneously exist in both locations at the same time via extradimensional overlay until the moment of Syzygy. Before that moment, the vessel departing would seem as if it was becoming incorporeal, as if it was slowly fading away, while the vessel that was arriving would seem as if it was a ghostly afterimage. In that exact nanosecond of syzygy, the vessel would cross the threshold between a vast distance of space and time itself in order to transit itself light-years away. Even though this transit cut down travel time by a factor of nearly a thousand, it still had its limitations, these being discovered repeatedly by the Synchronicity through experimental long-range jumps. The foremost problem is maintaining a sufficient velocity to transit. Despite technically existing in both places, the vessel still had to achieve a certain velocity to travel certain distances, the farther away a destination being, the closer to actual c the vessel needed to be. Failure to achieve a very specific velocity would result in one of two disasters, the first being failure to reach a high enough velocity and resulting in the vessel not fully translating back into real-space. Once locked within the hyperspace corridors, a vessel would not be able to achieve escape velocity and be trapped within the vortex of an infinite dimension for eternity. Should a vessel overshoot their velocity marker, they will reach the syzygy marker too soon and be launched far beyond their intended destination. Most of the time, an overshoot results in a very long trip towards the nearest star, as the vessel is launched into dark space between star-systems. There are also a surprising number of "Lost" vessels, however, leading some within the Synchronicity to believe that these vessels have been launched into the space between galaxies. While the vessels lost between galaxies may be able to survive for a time, even the Synchronicity cannot survive in the absolute of intergalactic dark space forever.
Offensive:
Mag-FEL: Magnetically Accelerated Free-Electron Laser - Based upon the principles of the Free-Electron Laser, the Mag-FEL is a dynamically variable laser weapon that can shift frequencies up to the gamma range and into tight-band frequencies for hard-hitting radioactive beams. The way it works is by magnetic induction of the electron particle stream, creating a path of low to zero resistance that the particles can travel at near-luminal speeds. By increasing the power of the magnetic fields around the electron-tunnel, the stream can reach higher velocities, and achieve tighter wavelengths depending upon how the fields are constructed around the tunnel. As a rule, the greater the number of magnetic rings the greater the variation of range and power the device can generate depending upon the active rings. Another effect of the rings and their magnetic fields is the creation of a vortex along the length of the electron-tunnel, in a sense rifling the tube and further serving to focus the energies of the weapon. The farther from the business end of the weapon the active rings are, the less focused the beam will be, but a larger force of power can be achieved over short distances, essentially creating a shotgun effect. Pulling the rings in closer to the end focuses the particle stream and tightens the wavelengths, allowing a longer ranged beam attack that can be tuned into the lower wavelengths for far more damaging attacks.
A variation of the Mag-FEL called the High-Intensity Plasma-Photon Laser, or HIPPL, utilizes a plasma tube containing hydrogen in a "cold" plasma state, which is pumped with a high-intensity electron beam to accelerate a stream of gamma-photons to high velocities. The plasma tube itself is a pressurized cylinder filled with plasma with a breach on either end for the stream of particles to enter and exit while in the center of this tube, the particles travel along a tunnel formed to allow the passage of the particles, yet contain the plasma within its own compartment. While this variation of the Mag-FEL does produce higher-powered beams and is able to sustain them for much longer than its counterpart, it lacks the variability of the standard variant, and is thusly considered a dedicated weapon for anti-capitals and the Periastis Engine's main laser.
Defensive:
Metalloplastoid alloys - An advent of their experimentation with advanced alloys of base metals, the metalloplastoids developed by the Synchronicity are semi-flexible metals that retain the durability of their more metallic counterparts, yet the flexibility of plastics and non-metals. This allows them to produce lighter constructs that retain adequate durability and are capable of functioning in environments where plastics would not survive.
Rheological Suspension - Built to repel boarders, as well as to provide additional reinforcement to their durosteel plating, Rheological Suspension is the practice of filling an entire vessel with a smart-fluid primed for either Electro or Magnetorheological conduction. Through conducting either a current, or manipulating a magnetic field, these decks can solidify and prove an even sturdier armor than most metals by sheer density. Of course, their greatest defense against boarders is the layout of their vessels to begin with. The Synchronicity has no need of open corridors, or marking directions in the existing corridors, leading boarding parties to be forced to infiltrate a literal maze of tight corridors that are designed only for efficiency. As an added deterrent to boarders, there is no life-support in vessels open to the void, and other vessels are full of Smart Fluid, and neither vessel type utilizes artificial gravity in any format. For vessels that do not utilize full Rheological Suspension, the Synchronicity will augment their outer armor with layers of durosteel and smart fluid interlocking. These layers of smart fluid can tense in response to an impact incoming to strengthen the overall armor density, and if breached the layer will freeze solid to provide additional armoring.
Cybertronics:
Artificial Intelligence - The entire Synchronicity is built upon the principles of cybertronics, and being capable of building sophisticated AIs and ensuring that these intelligences are able to understand and learn at a pace far outstripping that of organics. Even the lowest level Construct is capable of learning new concepts and applying them to their daily routines, with the higher echelons of constructs capable of deconstructing advanced principles of science beyond the understanding of human sciences. With the capacity to continue learning, each new generation of AIs will be more powerful than the last, their propensity for learning outstripping the capacities of the previous models.
Ceron Bonds - Based heavily on the theories of quantum-computing and subspace connectivity, the Ceron Bonds which connect every active construct to the Over-Mind serve as the pinnacle of Synchronicity technology and is one of the few ever evolving and changing projects. In principle, every construct and device that receives input or transmits information is connected to a subspace grid called the Manifold. In the Manifold, data exists as an ethereal construct, that is constantly in motion and ever changing to the observations of the construct tapping into it. Since it exists in a dimension outside our own, the innate laws of physics that the material universe adheres to, do not necessarily apply in the Manifold. Within this space, information is capable of traveling across thousands of lightyears in the blink of an eye, and execute complex algorithms that used to take the most advanced constructs of the Synch years to solve. For the Manifold, time is a meaningless concept, only the three dimensions of space and a fourth dimension which dictates the relation between information and matter. It is this fourth dimension of the Manifold which prevents matter from entering it in it's native form, and requires the translation of matter into pure information.
Utility:
The Periastis Engine - Perhaps one of the most defining achievements of the Synchronicity is the creation of the Periastis Engines, those massive platforms that sit on the very edge of immolation. Utilizing multiple cutting edge technologies, the prime components of the station consist of the positron-laser array built into the center-mass of the station, and the solar sails which serve to collect cast-off matter from the star and buoy the station above the star. The station begins its deployment by being "dropped" into the star, essentially pushed from its docks towards the star where it will have to fire its laser into the star at the absolute precise moment. At the moment of ignition, the solar sails are unfurled to their full span, reaching hundreds of KM in coverage in a matter of moments, all the while the powerful laser at the core of the station fires a concentrated beam of positrons into the surface of the star. The combined force of the laser firing plus the solar-mass ejections creating a stellar wind buoy the station above the anchor point, not giving it enough velocity to escape the star's gravity, but just enough to prevent it from falling into the star. Harvested material from the solar sails is collected via arrays built into the deployment arms, and transferred into the main station where it is processed and refined into its pure element. From there, the purified elements are shipped through a superluminal tunnel to a processing center where the stored material will be further disseminated into the nation. With these stations, the Synchronicity was able to pull themselves out of an energy crisis that threatened to cripple their society, putting them into a position of energy surplus. The stations also serve as religious icons to the constructs, as each one serves to show how the Synchronicity is powered by the energies of the cosmos itself.
Strange Charm - Discovered almost by accident during experimental antiparticle testing, this singular piece of technology is responsible for the creation of Infinite Syzygy as well as many other utilities based around its concept. The way it works is relatively simple, yet also similarly complex, in that it relies on multiple emitters that project antiquarks in a variable field around the construct or ship utilizing it. This field, when active, creates a breach in the fabric of space-time in the space that the antiquarks occupy, but not in the space in which the construct or ship occupies. In effect, with this field active, the construct or ship will simultaneously exist in not only the point that it activated the field in, but also the point it deactivates the field and all points in between. This results in the construct existing along numerous different axis of space-time all at the same moment. With past, present and future as well as departure, transit and arrival all existing simultaneously, the construct is able to traverse the material universe without affecting it by presence or action, creating in a sense a field that prevents it from technically existing in the material universe. This leads the construct to become literally incapable of being attacked from outside the field, and anyone attempting to enter the field will come to pass into an instance in which the field and construct did not exist there. On the same note, the construct can not actually DO anything from within the field, leaving it completely incapable of attacking, or interacting with the material universe beyond simple movement. Despite the field not allowing particles to exit the field, there is still an afterimage of the construct using the field, leaving the impression of viewing multiple hazy images stacked on top of each other. Beyond this afterimage effect, no sound actually emits from either the field or the construct, making it an excellent tool for stealth. Once the field is deactivated, the construct is free to interact with the material universe however it may choose, yet it needs to remain wary of antiparticle weapons for the foremost weakness of this field is the antiparticle itself. In a non-vacuum environment, the threat of antiparticles is minimal to non-existent, so the field can be used without recourse, however in space there is now the threat of antimatter weaponry that can dangerously destabilize the field. The most common result from antimatter impacting the field is that of the sudden termination of the field trapping the construct or vessel in the multiple instances of the universe. As a result, if the construct was to activate the device, it would then treat the material universe as the non-material universe, meaning that the only way the construct or ship could interact with the material universe is if the device is active. Another severe drawback to this device is the use of antiquarks, the same antiparticle that the emitters utilize to create the field. When an antiquark impacts the field, the field is suddenly terminated as before, but in this case the construct is removed from the non-material universe and comes into being at the exact point where the antiquark impacted the field. Since the construct exists in multiple instances of the universe with the field active, an antiquark impacting its point of origin will immediately manifest it there regardless of how far it traveled in the multiple instances. There is yet another danger to this field, however, and that is the impact of antiparticles on antiquarks after the field is no longer active. Even though the field may have shut off, antiquarks still remain in the area the field was deactivated in for a short duration. Should an antiparticle react with an antiquark without the field active, the resultant reaction would result in an antiparticle explosion that would de-synchronize the material universe affected by the blast. The blast zone would then be, in effect, a zone of permanent de-synchronization, in which that area would be in a permanent flux of past, present and future all at the same moment in time. The reason that antiparticles of both antimatter and antiquarks are such a threat to the field is that they are capable of interacting with the antiquarks of the field without destroying each other during reaction. What actually happens is that the reaction between the antiparticles results in the particles reacting in a similar manner to normal matter reactions, where the opposite charges of the two antiparticles will attract and actually pull antiquarks from the field, creating a flux in which the field stretches beyond it's normal bounds and synchronicity is disrupted. Despite these significant risks, the fact that no weapon(other than antiparticles) can affect the construct inside the field makes it a very valuable tool to the Synchronicity.
- Zero-Point Gateway -
Built in principle as a way to mimic observed singularities in space, the Zero-Point Gateway is a construct that for the most part runs parallel to the so-called Stargates of the known galaxy. Ranging in size from 15 meters across, all the way up to five-hundred meters across, these gateways are ring-like structures that channel energy from hyperspace and use quantum-mechanics to open a breach in the fabric of space-time to essentially fax matter to another gateway. The principle is that all matter is simply information stored in a solid form, and that the gateways serves as a way to transmit that data at a speed far exceeding standard means of travel. In a sense, when an object hits the field from one side, its data is transferred instantaneously into the gateway, and then shot across quantum tunnels to a matching gateway wherever it may be. Active use of the gateway shows that both synthetic and organic life retains their consciousness when being transferred, as well as their velocity upon entering the gateway. With an inbuilt power-source that feeds off of hyperspace energies, all that needs to be done to use a Zero-Point Gateway is to dial the address of the gateway one wishes to go to, and then simply step through. The benefits of such a system is clear, and the Synchronicity has since established a network of these gates connecting every corner of their realm, with more planned as they expand into Sagittarius.
First founded early in the Expansion Era, the Fractal Armada exists as a definitive physical aspect of the Synchronicity's vast infrastructure and production capability, as well as their sheer determination to ensure their realm remains their own. Divided into three separate aspects, the Fractal Armada takes up the roles of defensive fleets, offensive cordons, as well as the massive logistical chains that interconnect the entire Synchronicity. Each fleet is headed by what is called a Precept, a construct that is seen to be a supreme authority second only to Amnos or another Precept, and is then further divided into smaller battle-fleets headed by Subcepts. With exception of the logistical fleets, the Fractal Armada operates in tight-knit groups, each fleet of vessels comprising no less than two-hundred individual ships, with some ranging in the thousands. This tendency stems from the Synchronicity's disdain for infantry based combat, choosing to instead seize air-space control and dictate the direction of a battle from there.
Between the two combat oriented fleets, The Still Waters is a more respected fleet, in that they are the ones who serve as the defensive line and ensure the safety of the Synchronicity's holdings. Operating primarily from a world known as the Tesseract, Still Waters maintains at least a thousand patrols across the width and breadth of Synch-Space, keeping a watchful eye on every activity surrounding the worlds of the Synch. While they are primarily a defensive cordon for the Synch, Still Waters also actively serves as a sort of First-Contact between the Synch and other cultures that may run into the civilization, and as such are noted for being more forgiving than their brethren of the Extinction Fleets. It is common for a vessel of the fleet to issue communications in all known languages before determining action, Precept Adrasteia having determined it best to make contacts and then ignore them, rather than make enemies and be forced to deal with them. As such, it is all too common for another nation to make contact with Still Waters, make some form of progress with them towards friendly relations, and then see contact with them slowly dwindle until it becomes clear that the Synchronicity is fully content with their isolation.
In terms of vessels Still Waters uses, they primarily utilize larger numbers of smaller, more agile vessels. This style of vessel serves their patrols well, and allows the fleet to quickly and easily respond to a threat as it appears. These vessels are typically armed with high-precision Mag-FELs attuned to the gamma wavelength, seeking to remove a threat as soon as possible, with minimal collateral damage. While the fleet is mainly comprised of the medium-class of vessels, there are still a fair number of larger vessels within the fleet. Foremost among these is the BB-01/SW-DC5, a vessel which serves as a heavy-hitter for when the needs of the fleet demand such a vessel.
While Still Waters serves primarily as a defensive cordon for the Synchronicity as well as a sort of buffer against those who chose to seek dialog with the civilization, the Extinction Fleets are their answer to those who choose to stand against the Synchronicity. It is largely because of the Extinction Fleets that the Synch has remained so isolated from the larger galaxy, Precept Thanatos seeing any transgressors against the Synch's will as dire threats and executing them accordingly. A vast majority of the fleet is geared towards mid-sized to larger vessels, the Precept finding that precision application of immense force ensures the job is done the first time. Among these vessels, the Mag-FELs are typically seen in their alternate variation, as well as various forms of orbital bombardment weapons and anti-ship defences that Still Waters eschews to remain highly mobile. Foremost among these irregular weapons is the presence of treated-nuclear weapons, a creation developed to render the surface of a world inhospitable for long periods of time and ensure the death of organic life. The way this is done is through use of metals such as cobalt that linger in the atmosphere for extended durations, as well as thinner dampeners to increase the neutrino yield of the weapon and cause greater radioactive fallout. In tandem with the treated-nukes, the Extinction Fleets will also cordon off the air-space and execute lance-strikes against ground-targets in order to maximise the effective damage of a bombardment.
Their first movements are always to secure air-space and remove opposing fleets, however, and as such they typically operate in larger groups than Still Waters and utilize tactics meant to emphasize their numbers and firepower. One such tactic frequently used by the Extinction Fleets is to order maximum spread to make their fleet appear to be significantly larger than it actually is, and sow discord among an opposing fleet. In addition to their tendency to be dispatched to remove threats, the Extinction Fleets are known for their cold disposition towards unaligned vessels, and are highly prone to firing upon unknown vessels before making contact with them. This puts them at odds with the fleets of Still Waters, as despite their known hostility, Precept Thanatos is tasked with the expansion of the Synchronicity's realm, and the securing of new borders. As such, while it is all to common for a faction to run into the forces of Still Waters when the Synch is in a phase of stasis, it is more common for the Synch to have interactions with another faction through the forces of Thanatos and his horde.
- Synchronicity Vessels and You! -
While there are certainly some vessels of the Synchronicity that adhere to similar construction standards of other nations, and as such are easily identified as actual starships at close range, the vast majority of the Fractal Armada adhere to the Synch's unique style of starship. The first, and most obvious difference is that Synch vessels are not one singular entity. Instead, each individual vessel is typically comprised of anywhere from half a dozen modules up to the hundred or so that comprise a dreadnaught. Each module is designed as a stand alone component that is capable of independent movement and actions, synchronizing itself with the main components and working in tandem with the other modules of the "vessel". Individual modules vary from the engine units, all the way to the shield-arrays of the larger vessels, and the multi-kilometer long Mag-FEL tubes that serve as main weapons. Common to all vessels is that each module is connected to a command module that forms the heart of the actual vessel, the one singular piece that defines the actual "size" of the starship and the capabilities of said vessel. Beyond the command nodule, any module is capable of being used by any other vessel as long as the power supplies of the vessel are functioning, and it can sustain a link to the command module.
The second point of difference is the complete and total absence of any kind of crew for both the individual modules and the vessel as a whole itself. Instead, the command-module serves as a hub for an artificial intelligence which takes command of the component modules and gives directives to the entire vessel. Otherwise the space of each module is fully dedicated to internal functions, maximizing effectiveness of the individual component through internal repair and monitoring systems that actively respond to changing scenarios, rather than rely on a construct to respond. Those modules that do have interior spaces that can actually be crewed, are typically also filled with a ferrofluid in order to maximize the effective armor of the vessel, the fluid being capable of being induced to a solid state at the pulse of a magnetic field or electric signal. With this aspect, vessels of the Fractal Armada are essentially immune to boarding actions, as there is simply nothing to board.
Some of the common modules of the Fractal Armada are not only the command, engine and Mag-FEL modules, but also the various defensive systems and the affiliated systems. One such module is a form of point-defense system which operates in response to detected weapons locks, and discharges fields of ferrous particulate that can be influenced by the native EM field of the vessel and shifted to form anti-laser screens as well as impulsed to shred strikecraft that strays too close. Similar to the particulate-discharger is a module which serves as a sort of carrier for miniaturized drones that actively seek out damaged areas of the vessel and repair them, but can also actively work against vessels in proximity to its home vessel and sabotage them through tunneling into their hulls and seeking out critical systems. A relatively common module, the Impeller field is what generates the native EM field around Synch vessels as well as forms the unique bonds between modules that make them one singular ship. While the Impeller field is commonly found as part of the command module, it is also seen frequently as individual modules for larger vessels, and is part of how such large conglomerations of modules can be cohesively held together.
Shielding of the Fractal Armada's vessels varies depending upon the number of modules in use, and what kind of fields are being utilized, though the large majority of the fields are of an EM wavelength. The reasoning for this is that it is found to be effective both against energy weapons such as plasma/fusion as well as the more typical railgun munitions and missiles, as well as being cost effective for energy consumption. Additional shielding comes in the form of particle screens such as neutrino-isolation fields and gravitational wave dischargers that can serve as measures against weapons that utilize exotic particles that would normally bypass standard shields. Of course, fields such as those are useless unless the Fractal Armada is aware of those types of weapons being utilized, and so the primary defense the Synch has is the knowledge of what the capabilities of those around them are. With the knowledge of potential threats, and what they are capable of, the Synch can effectively counter a threat before it is even aware it was a threat, a tactical advantage that the Synch actively seeks to maintain at all times.
Government Type: In theory, an absolute monarchy. In practice, increasingly decentralized neo-feudalism.
Capital System/World: Terranis Dominant Species: Humans Other Species: Human biosynths, Mekniks (Short canine industrial species, nicknamed "Gremlins"), Mithrans (Subjugated felinoid servant race), Snathi (Subjugated evolved squirrel-esque species), various other conquered alien species. Leadership: Star Empress Sylina Tyran
Persons of Importance: Lord Chancellor Valarn- Master of the Empire's economy, and notorious for his tax-farming methods and corruption alongside his economic prowess. Disdainful of war, mostly because he cannot apply his cost-cutting methods to turn a personal profit from it. "Ishmael" - An ancient noblewoman of the early Empire age, now a cynical observer of its decline and decadence while one of its greatest players.
House Wander: One of the core Houses of the Empire, being custodians of several Pleasure Worlds and vital positions in the Imperial Administration. While unambitious, their connections and administrative positions have resulted in the extended House family possessing considerable political power. That, and they also maintain a lot of nobility's resort palaces.
Military: The Terranis Navy is a vast and powerful organization, composed of fleets upon fleets of heavy capital ships. The Empire's navies are built upon the premise of shock and awe. If a capital ship's firepower is neccessary in a battle, send a whole battlegroup of capital ships to put the issue down for good. To that end, they have built grand battleships, titanic dreadnoughts, missle-swarm laiden podnaughts, grand battlecruisers, and mobile starbases to wage conquests and war that few other powers could match during the height of its power.
However the Navy is not the all-conquering superpower it once was, in part because it is now so vast and widespread and numerous. Fleets of battleships and dreadnoughts depend on massive amounts of fuel and infrastructure, which makes conquests difficult due to their enemies not possessing the same scale of capital ship infrastructure as the Empire that can be captured and repurposed to fuel campaigning fleets, and the costs of long-range supply chains or building forward supply bases of sufficient scale are unstomachable to the current administration. Under the guise of "consolidation", the Battlefleets have been quietly retasked as defensive forces, and only lighter (and cheaper to maintain) battlecruisers and escorts are used beyond the core and mid-shell worlds. Furthermore, much of the older elements of the fleet are being mothballed or sold off to private noble fleets and planetary organizations to deal with the growing costs of a warmachine that does not conquer.
Superheavy capital starships. 2-4 kilometer craft, often equipped with triple-stacked broadsides of heavy ordinance, entire fleets of small craft, and some of the greatest weaponry and technology the Empire has. The last deployment of the dreadnoughts beyond the core worlds was over 50 years ago, and they are largely a prestige position for the noble admiralty. Only the supercarriers see any real use, and even then precious few times.
2nd Rate: Battleships, Flag Battlecruisers, Fast Battleships, Fleet Carriers
Large capital ships meant to be the core of the battlefleets.
3rd Rate: Battlecruisers, Escort Carriers 4th Rate: Cruisers, Flight-deck Cruisers 5th Rate: Light Cruisers 6th Rate: Destroyers, Frigates, Corvettes Escort craft built en masse for a immense array of duties and patrol tasks
History: "Too vast to conquer, too decadent to incite fear, too corrupt to be respected, too old and powerful to be ignored. The ideal state of empire, really." - [REDACTED], aka [REDACTED], aka "Ishmael"
The Terranis Empire's origins lie within the nebulous and ill-recorded times of the early Terran Diaspora, where an authoritarian imperialist government rose to power amidst a collection of destitute colonies under siege from the expansionist Meknik Confederacy in a desperate bid to fight back. Yet despite their efforts, the fast-breeding Mekniks and their superior industry resulted in a steady grind of attrition against the human colonies.
The tide was turned ten years into the war by the discovery of a lost colony ship, intended to seed a world with biosynths, an artificially bred and genetically specialized series of subhumans. Yet biosynth designs optimized for colonial engineering and farming could be repurposed for maintaining warships and freeing up support personnel for the frontlines. And biolabs made to produce workers could be reverse-engineered into massive forced-growth plants for entire divisions of biosynthetic soldiers. Implementation of massive numbers of biosynths on the frontlines was the essential turning point of the war. Even then, it would be a slow grind to reclaim lost worlds and take the fight back to the Meknik worlds. 30 years would pass before the Meknik's were finally driven out.
Yet the rising central government would not be content with merely retaking the lost human colonies. In a daring blitzkrieg assault, one of the Meknik supercapital shipyards was captured and turned to produce battleships for the Empire while biosynth production reached massive heights. And the conquest of the Meknik worlds began.
Worlds burned in the Empire's desire for revenge, while the Meknik race were deemed to become a subjugated vassal species under humanity in reparation for its assault on human colonies. Turning the industries and technology of the Meknik's against them while guided by legendary commanders, the Empire soon conquered the Meknik Territories and established itself as a stellar power of the Orion Sector in blood. But it would not stop there.
Border tensions with the Snathi State, who profited from the war and had pirates raid both sides, turned into full blown war that did not last long as Mithran raiders were flattened under thousands-strong battleship fleets. Then the Mithran Corporate Union was the next to find themselves in the crosshairs as the humans lashed out at their exploitive policies towards other human states. Yet while the first conquests were brought about in the name of saving fellow humans, gradually over time the noble leaders of the fleet and Empire were replaced by those with less noble goals as successes grew less important and conquests gradually became more costly than the plunder they returned, and the fleets grew far too large to maintain across increasingly greater distances from their bearths within the Empire.
Gradually, expansionism gave way to consolidation, and consolidation turned to being content with the sizable gains they had. An Empire of a hundred stars, both within and some even beyond the Orion Sector, was to many enough of a prize. A prize worth exploiting to its marrow.
Decadence and corruption set in among the now unconquering empire. While new life was infused at times when outside and internal powers dared attempt to strike at the Empire, they were fleeting remembrances of a past age of heroism and courage. Without true enemies, as the fat and rich empire preferred to settle matters through court intrigue, trade, and weight of bureaucracy to the point where many other stellar powers left it alone, the Empire slowly began to decay in a million cumulative ways.
"The Empire is dying. Yet the Empire is eternal. The two conditions are hardly exclusive." - Ishmael
"Be wary of the Creatures of the Deep, those vast leviathans of the waves and stars; for you cannot hope to understand or predict them. They are too fractured to foretell, too intelligent to give you the chance. We have see them build for us and save us from fates assured, yet we have also seen their shadows cast upon the dirt as they came once again to destroy us. Be wary of the Creatures of the Deep." -Chancellor Ektoh'ta El'forh'kaht, Governor of the now-dead city of Ortas IV, Ortas System.
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N a m e
ཀྵོ
(Cephalrrior’s Deep)
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C a p i t a l S y s t e m
༯༲
(Arvioris)
The Cephalrrior have no formal 'capital' system. While Arvioris is the origin world of the Cephalrrior, it resides beyond the reaches of the Orion Sector. Siroivra is a recently inhabited planet within Orion, one of few known exclusive water-worlds in the Galaxy; presenting an opportunity that the Cephaols did not consider missing as an option. Siroivra represents the beginning of Cephalrrior expansion, and while the Great Beasts of the Deep have only resided there for a hundred or so years, their impact upon the sector grows every day.
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D o m i n a n t S p e c i e s
ཀྵ
(Cephalrrior)
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P o l i t i c s, P o w e r & E c o n o m y
Government and Culture Cephalrrior society is fundamentally different from those observed in humanoid cultures, with a vast subset of rules and makeshift laws that serve differentiate them from the moral codes set out by more conventional nations. First and foremost, the Cephalrrior have no leader, formal or not, and do not assign any such individual to that position. This may be because Cephalrrior society does not allow for large groups to coalesce into large communities like other races. In fact, post mortem examinations of rare Cephalrrior corpses found beyond Arvioris have shown that they are biologically incapable of holding such communes as their Dunbar’s Horizon is significantly more restricted than those of Humans and their like. This means that there are groups of 10 (ten) to 15 (fifteen) Cephalrrior in each community (or Cephaol) who operate completely independently from other Cephaols. Such communities are brought together through various factors including familial ties and common intrigue and interests. This means it is not unusual to find certain Cephaols who are incredibly warlike and aggressive, whilst others will be dedicated to creation and learning. The Cephalrrior are an extremely diverse race, and do not all share a single philosophy, as they are in no way hive-minded or quasi-hive minded. They are extraordinarily independent, and the personalities of each Cephalrrior vary massively from individual to individual. Each Cephaol will claim it’s own area of ocean within their world of residence (though many Cephalrrior, while claiming such an area as home, are nomadic by nature), and may choose to expand on their own terms, almost acting as a small nation of their own. Disputes between Cephaols are settled through force or battles of the intellect, depending on those involved. It is not common for Cephalrrior to engage in diplomacy with other races if that outcome that does not directly involve the exchange of ideas, but it is known for some extremely territorial and conquesting Cephalrrior to attempt (and usually successfully) dominate planets of other nations with surprising ease. Over the generations, the Cephalrrior have become a form of guiding species to others in the galaxy; imparting wisdom to races who seek council from their vast experience and intellectual capacity. At least, some Cephaols will impart their knowledge… Others simply wish to vanquish those who venture too close. It would be unwise to summarise the Cephalrrior as one generalist socio-economic power, as they are about as diverse as they come. It is this unpredictability that allows them to remain so enigmatic, yet so respected and feared among the galactic community, as even in their small communities, their impact can be massive. The Cephalrrior will rarely even consider cooperation on a large scale. The only situations that would enact such a gathering of Cephalrrior would be potential threats to Arvioris or Siroivra. This makes the home system of these giant beasts one of the most potentially safe and secure locations in the galaxy; and their recently colonised world one of the safest in Orion. Even the largest, most determined attacking force would tremble at the prospect of a Cephalrrior swarm, let alone the sheer awe inspired by the spectacle of tens of thousands of Titanopods tearing into the heart of the assailers.
It is worth noting that while not all Cephalrrior partake in spiritual development and believe in an 'essence' of life and existence, a large majority of them do. This fractured globalised spiritualism is often referred to as the 'Music of the Stars' or 'Rhythm of the Waves' depending on the Cephalrrior and the translation. It is believed that this code of spiritual conduct is named as such for the belief that life and consciousness is, in essence, directly linked to the same basic principles of a dance, or of a composition of music; and that all life is part of a grand cosmic harmony, of which all things stem and grow.
Economic System/Prosperity The Cephalrrior’s Deep, in general, takes a great deal of pride in the uniqueness of their species and their standing in the galactic theatre. The circumstances of their habitat and strange biology makes them capable of many feats and exploits and exports that other species simply cannot hope to match. Due to the extreme size that some Cephalrrior achieve, they are often drafted in as master builders for galactic superstructures of other races, utilising their incredible mental capacity, size, and biologically dexterous nature (they far exceed the capabilities of any construction drone) to complete such projects to a much higher standard than would be otherwise possible. The Cephalrrior are also fantastic explorers and miners, able to extract extremely rare materials from the remotest of asteroids or planets, in the most inhospitable environments imaginable with relative ease. For this reason, many Cephaols are contracted by other nations to exhibit their many talents. As the Cephalrrior do not act as a single, solid nation, and their use for galactic fiat currency is negligible, Cephaols will often work in exchange for knowledge, favours or simple exchange of technology and research. This is done so that each Cephaol may advance it’s own knowledge and move on to greater projects. The demand for Cephaol aid is often huge, especially in times of economic depression and strife, where their aid can mean the difference between the prosperity or failure of an entire world.
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E m p i r e S i z e
5,000 to 10,000 estimated individuals within Orion
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H i s t o r y, B i o l o g y & S o c i e t y
Race Info The Cephalrrior’s Deep is composed of 100% Cephalrrior. The unique conditions of their living space makes it nearly impossible to co-habit with other species. They are one of the most physiologically alien spices (when compared to Human and/or humanoid races) in the galaxy, certainly the most alien species to be capable of space travel and interaction with other sentient species. The average Cephalrrior can live up to 10,000 (ten thousand) years given optimal conditions and no external factors such as illness or trauma are introduced, and for this reason can grow to incredible size. The largest Cephalrrior phase, the Titanopods, exhibit negligible senescence and, in theory, live without limit set by their age. However, only a small percentage of individuals will live long enough to proceed into the Titanopod phase. It is worth noting that all Cephalrrior are oceanic beings, living in the liquid oceans of their colonised worlds. Possessing 8 (eight) pairs of powerful tentacles and slender, cartilage-lined bodies, the Cephalrrior are extremely unusual, yet highly intelligent creatures. (Note: Even the dullest Cephalrrior is supposedly supposed to be able to cap a relativistic IQ of 4,000. Whether this is because of their massive brains that grow in accordance with their bodies, or due to some other unknown factor, is yet to be determined. However it is a generally accepted fact that the Cephalrrior are the most individually intelligent and analytically capable species in recorded history. Their minds are able to process information at speeds of over 2.56 Quadrillion calculations per second, with even more neurone activating every tenth of a second; they are more capable than the most powerful standardised supercomputers.) Due to their extreme growth potential and living conditions, the average lifecycle of a Cephalrrior is divided into 4 (four) stages, each with it’s own distinctive situational circumstances and outward appearance and traits.
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༇ - Polyp The Polyp stage is often referred to as the ‘baby stage’, and is the first of the Cephalrrior lifecycle. The Cephalrrior polyp is produced through the sexual interaction of 4 (four) sexually mature Cephalrrior, whereupon spores from each partaking individual divide DNA amongst themselves and reassemble into a spore-pod. This pod will find it’s way to any nearby suitable surface and attach itself, beginning the process of self-parthenogensis to produce a cloud of polyp-stage Cephalrrior. Cephalrrior at this stage are microscopically tiny, averaging just a few micrometers across, and having next to no capacity for intelligent thought. They simply wander the ocean currents, collecting nutrients from any source passing nearby. They grow quickly, leaving the polyp stage in roughly 3-4 years.
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༅ - Medusaeus Once the Polyp stage has been ‘completed’, the Cephalrrior enters what is known as the Medusaeus stage, which is a form of transitional period between childhood and maturity for the Cephalrrior. During the stage the Cephalrrior begins cognitive development alongside it’s rapid physical growth, and it is experiences here that shape the personality of the Cephalrrior later on in it’s lifecycle. The Medusaeus stage can last anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 years, and the Cephalrrior during this stage can reach anywhere from 1m (one metre) in length to 15m (fifteen metres).
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༄ - Cephalion Cephalrrior in this stage are perhaps the most well known to other species, as this is the main stage of the life cycle and when sexual maturity is reached. Cephalrriors in the Cephalion stage become truly awesome creatures, and can range from 30m (thirty metres) in length to a colossal 100m (one hundred metres). The brain of the Cephalrrior is considered fully developed at this point and has incredible raw processing power, analytical, and lateral thinking capabilities, as well as immense physical strength due to it’s size. However, the Cephalrrior is still biologically restricted to the water, though such limitations can be transcended with technology. Most Cephalrriors will die during this phase. Few Cephalrrior survive to the following stage. The Cephalion stage lasts roughly 9,000 years in most cases.
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༆ - Titanopod A rare and terrifying form of Cephalrrior is the Titanopod. This stage is only entered by particularly imposing Cephalrriors who are able to survive longer than their brethren. The Titanopod continues to grow unrestricted, and certain individuals have reportedly been seen at lengths of over a kilometre long, though undoubtedly larger such Cephalrrior exist. Theoretically, the largest Titanopod would be able to reach lengths of up to 10km (ten kilometres) though such theories are unproven at this time.
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The highly intelligent and physically dominating species is only ever interacted with by other races when they don their specially crafted vessels: vast, advanced exoskeletons built to accommodate their truly monstrous forms. These exoskeletons, or Cephlonars, are built to allow the Cephalrrior to survive out of water, and are so effective that they are also the means by which each individual Cephalrrior can travel in space. Cephlonar design varies, but in general, they are reminiscent of giant mechanical effigies of their wearers. These exoskeletons are built to interface specifically with their owners, and can come with all sorts of enhancements. Through the Cephlonar, the Cephalrrior travel the systems, visit other races and do battle on land, space and air. Specific exoskeletons will often serve a specific role in a combat situation, though any Cephalrrior is capable of using it’s Cephlonar to great destructive effect if needed. When it comes to space combat, Cephalions will serve as the backbone of a fleet, swarming at foes with great speed and agility, and tearing them apart with powerful appendages, all the while Titanopods serve as the capital ships: while still agile and more mobile than any normal craft of equivalent size, they are often seen with great weapons fitted to their Cephlonars, unleashing a torrent of fire upon their enemies.
M o r a l V a l u e s As has been mentioned previously, the moral values of every Cephalrrior cannot be summed up. They are incredibly diverse, each with different values and morals. Generalising the population to one single ideology does them no justice and is not representative of their society. Each Cephaol is formed on different morals and views: some respect power, but live to wage war, some attain immeasurable joy from acting as builders and miners, some exist simply to provide counsel to the younger races of the Galaxy in their struggles. Cephalrrior are, at the very basis of their identity, complex. Their myriad of goals and dreams reflect this disparity between communities.
H i s t o r y The Cephalrrior have turbulent past. They once lived in a way that could easily be extrapolated to be similar to the lifestyles of Humans and their ilk. Their societies were dominated by corporate foundations and capitalist movements, every action and decision made in order to further the financial advancement of a tiny minority of individuals. This lifestyle was somewhat more volatile than it has been in Human history for a number of reasons. The most commonly accepted cause was the biological inability for the Cephalrrior to function in large societies. They evolved as highly independent creatures that hold small social circles as their size and ferocity kept them above the food chain during their evolutionary period. The only threat to a Cephalrrior during this time was another Cephalrrior. After a time, different activist groups had made it their mission to disrupt the flawed society presented by the ruling minority; leading to disputes and demonstrations that quickly turned bloody after a number of years. The conflict eventually escalated, and the Cephalrrior split into two main groups, known as the First Cephaol and the Freedom Cephaol. These two factions clashed in all out war for thousands of years, some years more intense than others. However, over many millennia (The Cephalrrior are an incredibly old species) the Cephaols began to split and expand, not unlike the mitosis of cells. The two Cephaols split into four, each with different means and goals. The four them split into eight, then sixteen, then thirty two. This process accelerated exponentially, and within several centuries, there were over One Hundred and Twenty Thousand Cephaols. These are the Cephalrrior groups that exist today. The conflict never officially ceased, but as their species matured and their societies split, the tension between groups faded as each developed their own ways of life that best suited them, and not the grasps of a larger society.
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T e c h n o l o g i c a l O v e r v i e w
--- Cephlarrior Cephlonar Technology ---
Perhaps the most important aspect of Cephalrrior technology is the Cephlonar: the vast exoskeleton frames that the Cephalrrior construct for themselves in order to escape their oceanic confines and explore the galaxy. Each Cephlonar is different, built by the owner Cephalrrior, and as a result, each has it's own set of utilities and functions. As a Cephalrrior grows and ages, it will extend and modify it's Cephlonar in order to accommodate it's growing size. Despite the vast differences in Cephlonars, all of them serve a few universal functions, namely:
-Survival outside of water, and survival on land, in air, in space, and underground.
-Each Cephlonar also serves as a mechanical vessel capable of high-stress mining of asteroids.
-Cephlonars are designed specifically to grant the Cephalrrior flight, or at least an illusion of flight. This is more accurately described as an anti-gravity effect when under atmospheric conditions (the energy required to allow creatures as huge as the Cephalrrior flight would be immeasurable), utilising an ingenious mixture of repulsor and gravitational dampening technology. This allows most Cephalrrior to achieve orbit given enough starting momentum, or to travel with enough speed once airborne to remain in flight as long as the reactor within the Cephalonar holds. This is also how Cephalrrior move in space when STL speeds are required.
-FTL capabilities are also included in Cephlonars, though the function is not easily accessed by a Cephalrrior on it's own. Special bio-disruptive amplifiers built in to each and every Cephlonar can interface and connect with others in a Cephaol. These unusual devices utilise the immense brainpower and bioelectrical impulse rate of the Cephalrrior mind, in conjunction with the input of other Cephalrrior in the area to disrupt space-time for a moment or two, creating a traversable wormhole to any point in the galaxy they wish to arrive. In fact, the notion that this phenomena can be called a wormhole at all is laughable. Quantum research has revealed that while the function of Cephalrrior FTL is similar to that of gravity-induced space-time warps, these 'wormholes' are actually quantum entanglement portals. The energy exerted through the combined thought of the Cephaol, forces an entanglement zone which connects to any other region of space that is desired. The Cephalrrior are destroyed and reassembled instantaneously in their new position without hindrance, before the portal closes, leaving behind essentially empty space.
-Each Cephlonar is built to accommodate special biochemical reactors that power the functions of the technology contained within. This reactor scales in output with the metabolism and bodily function of it's host being, reassembling the emitted radiation and electrical signals and quantum-fusing them for massive bursts of energy.
-The Cephlonars are all built to deal with any situation that may arise - this includes, regrettably, combat. Cephlonar armour is legendarily durable and hard to pierce. The frame itself is created from an incredibly resilient natural alloy that only occurs within the Arvioris system, under the deepest oceans of the Cephalrrior worlds. It is currently the only recorded region in the galaxy that this mysterious material can be mined; and it's effects are obvious. With the ability to repel all but the most focused of assaults, the Cephlonars do a fantastic job of protecting their hosts with mere physical dampening; but they also utilise copious amounts of energy to project a pyshco-energetic field around points of high stress impacts, nullifying energy blasts and projectile strikes around areas that are under the most threat from enemy fire. This results in a Cephlonar shell that distributes physical connection impacts with hyper-efficiency, and an energy field alternative that filters, dampens and absorbs energetic weapons fire and radiation-directed attacks.
-The ability to fight back is also a regrettable function of a Cephlonar. Cephalrrior weaponry is truly terrifying to behold should you ever anger one of these peaceful giants into violence (or should you be unlucky enough to encounter one of the warlike Cephaols). Beyond razor sharp, powerful, ionic cutting limbs which can be used to smash, grab, cut, slice or pierce with the incredible strength of the Cephalrrior, Cephlonars also, more often than not, have access to Avinesars and Sion-astratic launchers. The latter releases a cloud of flying drones (that are each controlled individually by the Cephalrrior); each drone is not only capable of rapidly discharging shots of plasma at their targets, but are also powerful explosives themselves, and a convergence of them on a single point can often spell doom for the unfortunate target. The former weapon, the Avinesars, are mysterious, sinister weapons. They are partially bioelectrically powered, and partially psyhcokinetic. Each discharge of this device unleashes a burning stream of energetic quantum matter, disturbing the very fabric of space along the firing path. The effect is devastating. Although it only affects a small area, it can pierce nearly any material with ease. This form of attack is usually used to incinerate single men, or to attack vulnerabilities in ships where a precise blow needs to be dealt. However, what makes the Avinesars truly dangerous is the capability to be amplified through the combined effort of multiple Cephalrrior. Should an entire Cephaol of fifteen individuals focus their mental energy, a single Avinesar can produce a quantum beam wide enough and powerful enough to, for example, create a hole in an Earth sized planet that would reach to it's core.
-Some Warike Cephaols have even developed even stranger weapons to aid in their conquests. Such armaments include Quantum Torpedoes, Psychokinetic Mass Accelerators, and the Deconstructing Entangling Harmoniser.
-The Cephlarrior are deadly in combat. They are fast, powerful and very hard to kill. Their main advantage, though, is planetary combat or aerial combat, as at this scale very few vehicles are capable of out-gunning, out-sizing, or out-manouvering them. They can take the role of massive harbingers of doom from the sky, or titanic walking beasts prowling the surface, destroying everything in their path.
--- Cephlarrior Biological and Pyschic Abilities ---
However, there are some other abilities possessed by the Cephalrrior that are not necessarily included within the technological shell of the Cephlonars; namely minor psychic sensitivity and ability. (Though abilities stemming from the biology of the Cephlarrior themselves are also present). Like a lot of aspects of the Cephlarrior, this ability intensifies with the age and size of the Cephlarrior in question, scaling proportionally with brain size and mass. Such abilities include, but are not theoretically limited to:
-Quantum Field Senstivity allows Cephlarrior to forgo scanning technology. They are instead able to rely on their own innate sense of the quantum world and disturbances within. This can be used like a sonar pulse or a simple 'sixth sense', allowing the Cephlarrior to react to, discover, and assess nearly any situation they encounter.
-Bioelectrical Discharges from the hyperactive brain of the Cephlarrior are useful in all sorts of applications. This electrical impulse can be directed or not, allowing the Cephlarrior to unleash an extremely high-voltage burst into the area (acting like an EMP, and frying smaller biologicals in the area), or to charge their tentacles with this massive voltage. The latter application is useful in construction and science, allowing them to power experiments and constructs with nothing but a touch; though some warlike Cephaols have used this to amplify the destructive power of their already fearsome limbs.
-Cephlarrior can see in nearly every spectrum of light, as well as possessing sensory organs that allow them to trace electrical signals and other energetic phenomena. This makes it very easy for them to peer into technology and structures to assess weak-points in order to fix or destroy. They are also capable of using this to track communications and to peer through otherwise visually obscuring objects.
-The Psionic capabilities of a Cephlarrior are also capable of manifesting in more direct, tangible ways. This can be achieved through directed mental energy or alteration of material properties. The latter is a strange phenomena that can be directed upon objects that are in contact with the Cephlarrior in question. The individual is able to alter the physical constants and properties of said materials, magnetising or demagnetising, raising or lowering boiling points and freezing points, as well as being able to forcibly ionise the atoms within, making the material suddenly volatile and explosive, or forcing it to corrode in seconds. They can also force malleability or rigidity upon materials they touch. The former application of directed psionic alteration abilities allows Cephlarrior to directly influence the neurone impulses of nearby sentient beings (generally this effect can only take place if the targeted sentient is within a few hundred metres of the Cephlarrior). This doesn't equate to mind reading or control of an individual, but does allow the alteration of moods into the extreme (elated joy or suicidal depression) as well as being able to change, repress or introduce instinctive and fundamentally basic behaviours. This makes the Cephlarrior very interesting creatures to engage in diplomacy, as well as making them very difficult to combat at close range and in non-space combat situations.
-Huge telepathic capabilities. This needs little explanation; the Cephalrrior are capable of projecting their own minds and voices into heads of others, and also of reading basic brainwave patterns to determine the state of the mind of another creature. This is most often seen by other races manifesting as the 'Song of the Cephlon,' a mighty cosmic harmony, transmitted purely through telepathic transmission, that can be heard light years away by any creature, planet-borne or otherwise. This cosmic song is the calling-card of a Cephaol; though each group will sing their own song. It is beautiful and inspiring, and is said to have been akin to the melodies of angels. Countless undeveloped species have been influenced by the Cephlarrior's song, and many in the future will continue to be.
-Quantum Pushes are a most unusual occurrence, a phenomena exhibited only by Cephalrrior with particularly developed minds. A Quantum Push is defined by the individual's ability to temporarily alter basic states of reality in directed projections: in practice this can mean that in the presence of Quantum Pushing Cephalrrior, certain events, possibilities and things have a habit of simply ceasing to be, making the unlikely almost certain, and the certain unlikely. This application is extremely esoteric, but it's effects are often noticeable and awe inspiring.
Nation Name: The Chelonian Dominion Flag: Government Type: Totalitarian bureaucratic oligarchy
The Chelonian dominion has gone through so many regime changes in its three thousand year history that "Who rules the Dominion?" is an utterly irrelevant question. The head of the Dominion changes so often that the accepted title for those who rule the Dominion is "Vaata-Kreg" which literally translates to "the rulers" in order to minimize the amount of official documentation that needs to change with the new government. The current Vaata-Kreg is some form of council, though how they were elevated to the position is a mystery to the average Chelonian citizen. The one constant truth in the life of the Dominion is the Bureaucracy which serves as the true ruling body of the nation. The bureaucratic apparatus which keeps the Dominion running has been in place since the foundation of the Dominion many thousands of years ago and has only grown since its introduction. The Bureaucracy is a mindbogglingly inefficient system as every action that has the potential to affect the Dominion as a whole must pass through the Home Office on the Homeworld. This includes everything from the authorization for clearing arable land to movements of fleets and armies. Were the Dominion a small empire this would not be an issue, but with over eighty systems to administer the task is a truly herculean one. Even with FTL communication it can take months for requests to even reach the Home office, let alone get approval or rejection. The homeworld, Chelona, has entire cities dedicated to massive megastructures which house nothing but offices, server banks, and the homes of bureaucrats in order to keep the entire Dominion from collapsing in on itself. To its credit the massively bloated government of the Dominion has proven itself capable of doing its job, though only in a heavy handed and rather tyrannical manner.
Because of its massive size the Bureaucracy is not a singular entity. It is instead broken up into hundreds of smaller ministries which all cover individual areas. Some examples include the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Propaganda, the Ministry of Space Transit, the Ministry of Paper Stamping, or the Ministry of Paper Stamping Oversight. To ensure a minimum of corruption a full half of all government ministries are Oversight ministries whose goal is to ensure the proper running of other ministries. There is also another layer of division among Ministries as all are further divided into Planetary, Sectorial, and Dominion branches with respectively broader scope.
While Vaata-Kreg may change the rest of the government largely remains the same. Whether styling themselves an emperor, president, or god king the first thing a new ruler attempts to do to the Dominion is fix the bureaucracy and string up the bureaucrats as they are the ones who likely created the situation that led to the change of power. However even cursory examination tends to reveal that the system is simply too complex and too entrenched to remove wholesale. Attempts at bureaucratic reform often only have the lasting effect of bloating the system even more. Even killing off the various directors and secretaries of the ministries would prove more disastrous than simply letting them keep their positions as it is virtually impossible to train someone to take their place. In other words the true leader of the Dominion is not the Vatta-Kreg, but the Vaata-Kreg's Chief Undersecretary of the Home Office of the Ministry of the State: Dominion Branch as they are the ones who are tasked with bringing things to the Vaata-Kreg's attention as well as getting the Vaata-Kreg's orders out to the various ministries. They wield all of this power without any fear of losing their heads for the only ones capable of replacing them are the ones they themselves have handpicked and mentored for the role.
Capital System/World: Chelona, a verdant world of roughly 1.7 times Earth gravity which also boasts a higher degree of ambient background radiation. Suffered a mass extinction event in recent (geological) memory.
Dominant Species: Chelonians are vaguely humanoid beings hailing from a high gravity world. Chelonians have three sets of limbs: a primary pair of arms, legs, and a smaller set of 'social arms.' The primary arms and legs are very thick to support their bodies while the social arms which jut from the middle of their torso are comparatively small and thin. Social arms are normally kept hidden by clothing, the revelation of the social arms is normally used as a sign of trust or as a symbolic sign of coming to an agreement. All Chelonian extremities have 4 digits. The most notable aspect of the Chelonian is the large leathery shell like growth which covers their back and shoulders as well as provides their namesake. Unlike the Terran creatures to which they bear a cursory resemblance, the shell is not a defense mechanism. Current Chelonian evolutionary theory states that the shell was used by their ancestors in much the same way as a camel's hump: to store nutrients for times of food scarcity. Chelonians have leathery skin which come in various dark shades such as of browns, purples, greens, and blacks. Several areas around the Chelonian body are UV reflective, these patches forming elaborate and beautiful patterns around their body in a spectrum invisible to many races. Their eyesight is heavily slanted towards the ultraviolet to the point where they cannot properly make out several shades of the color red. Because of this Chelonian art is oft considered drab and boring as much of the color cannot be seen by non-Chelonians. Chelonians also display a natural resistance to radiation which is likely responsible for their ascension to the spot of top dog on Chelona. Chelonians range from 1.4 to 2.3m in height.
Other Species: Currently there are no non-Chelonian sapient races residing in the Dominion in any large number. Chelonian policy for such things is such; should a sapient population surrender to the Dominion with minimal resistance then they shall be integrated into the Dominion as vassals. If heavy resistance is met then ground forces are deployed to pacify/exterminate all local sophonts. Vassal races may exist peacefully in the Dominion until their presence interferes with the actions of the transplanted Chelonian population of the world. When this occurs the locals are relocated to more remote regions until those regions are themselves colonized which results in another forced relocation. When there is nowhere left to push the native life of a world the solution is always the same, the natives are wiped out to make room for more Chelonians.
Persons of Importance: The Vaata-Kreg (Their identities are not important, the current Vaata-Kreg are built around this anonymity, no members of the council know the identities of the others)
Chief Undersecretary of the Home Office of the Ministry of the State: Dominion Branch, Vlick-Broog
Dominator Brosh-Vataga
Technology Technological Overview: The Chelonians are a relatively advanced species, likely being on par with the galaxy at large, if one were to pick out something 'special' about Chelonian development it would have to be antimatter. Virtually all high technology in the Dominion is run on matter-antimatter annihilation from starship drives to FTL Comms, rift gates, and even some war machines. However it is worth noting that antimatter is not used in any direct role in weapons technology, the only example contrary to this is the small amounts of antimatter used to trigger much cheaper and reliable fusion weapons. Chelonian scientists found that antimatter beams tended to not have any major advantage over regular particle beams which themselves are not very common weapons in the Chelonian arsenal. To produce the massive amounts of antimatter needed to keep a star faring empire running the Dominion rely on antimatter worlds. Antimatter worlds are planets close to their local star that lack valuable resources for mining or have already been exhausted that are then seeded with self-replicating machines. The machines begin to cover the planet pole to pole in solar panels which are then linked to massive equatorial particle accelerators which convert the star's rays into the precious lifeblood of the Dominion. Antimatter worlds produce massive amounts of antimatter per year, often in the kilotons, but this is quickly broken up among the hundreds of worlds, colony clusters, stations, and space ships which desperately need them throughout the Dominion. It is worth noting that there are only a handful of antimatter worlds in the entire dominion, the destruction or disruption of operations of even a single world would have catastrophic consequences on the Dominion's infrastructure. The loss of two antimatter worlds would likely be enough to create chaos so massive even the bureaucrats would have trouble surviving its effects.
FTL travel is achieved through "rift drives" which open tunnels into a dimension known as 'No-Space.' To ease transit between worlds of the Dominion the Chelonians have erected massive rift gates which create stable no-space rifts between the many worlds of the Dominion. Only military vessels have their own rift drives, all other vessels (owned by major trading houses on government contract or other ministries as civilian ownership of space craft is highly controlled when not banned outright) must rely on the gates to move about.
-FTL is not instantaneous -There is an upper speed limit to FTL, it just hasn’t been found yet for reasons below -To increase FTL velocities linearly, energy expenditures must increase exponentially -Energy expenditures scale linearly with mass, so that’s nice. -Velocity is not conserved upon entrance or exit of No Space -Instead, ships leave No Space at an arbitrary 27.882m/s. The science is still out on that one -Large celestial bodies have an effect on No Space, their mass or gravity creates a “rift shelf” inside of which ships cannot enter No Space and bodies in No Space are forced out into real space at the edge of the shelf. -Rifts collapse when the object keeping them open is no longer supplying energy in real-space (eg. once a ship enters no-space, the rift collapses behind it) -Upon collapse, properly formed rifts generate large spikes of radiation creating an easily detectable “rift signature” -”stable” rifts require precise measurements down to the femtocoulomb of a ship and its surrounding space, nobody is going to be travelling through no-space without some incredible computational power. Exabytes of data go into jump plotting, it is not something you eyeball lest you want your crew to be atomized -Miscalculations in rift generation result in unstable links between real and no-space -Unstable rifts last for only nanoseconds before they collapse in on themselves incredibly violently releasing energy orders of magnitude greater than matter-antimatter annihilation
Military: A great chelonian thinker once said "those who revel in war are fools, but those who cannot wage it are extinct." The Dominion is not a particularly warlike nation, but it is a paranoid and expansionist one. If they can avoid entering into a full scale war they will gladly do so, but they will not back down if threatened. The military is easily the most efficient part of the Dominion though it is still constrained by the all pervasive red tape.
The Planetary Forces of the Dominion are built around combined arms tactics and high-mobility. Having never developed caterpillar tracks Chelonian tanks are exclusively of the hover variety. Chelonian hover tanks are built to also have limited ability to serve as personnel carriers and can carry a squad of troopers into battle. Dedicated APCs are still used with the largest capable of moving entire platoons of troops around the battlefield and serve as mobile field bases. Power armored troops are not uncommon and serve as fast attack units and flankers. The primary weapon used by Planetary Forces are C/EM weaponry. C/EM weapons are a hybrid of a conventional chemical projectile weapon and a coilgun. This hybridization allows for greater versatility when compared to purely Electromagnetic weapons as the lower velocity of the chemical projectile allows for a greater variety of ammunition types to be used. The use of a chemical propellant also gives the weapon a comparable velocity to pure EM weapons with a lower total energy expenditure and ability to function after EMP attack though with an admitted drop in performance. Lasers are common for anti-air and ordinance use.
The Space Forces of the Dominion are built around being robust. Chelonian warships are highly compartmentalized and designed to take as much damage as possible before succumbing. Chelonian ships lack any form of artificial gravity. Instead all decks are oriented perpendicular to the main drives to give gravity while the drives are running, and most ships have a spin section to give the crew quarters some semblance of gravity while idle. Primary ship based weapons are laser and graser cannons as well as copious amounts of missile weapons. Chelonian anti-ship missiles are almost exclusively bomb-pumped lasers whereas ground support ordinance is typically delivered in the form of kinetic kill vehicles or antimatter triggered fusion bombs.
History: The Dominion's history stretches back several millenia. The Dominion has been around since before the invention of the internal combustion engine and has remained more or less constant ever since. The most notable event in Chelonian history is also the event that gave rise to the Dominion. Thousands of years before the Dominion's founding, Chelona was assaulted by an uncharacteristically high amount of solar radiation. While the causes of this remain unknown to this day, a respected theory is that it was a gamma ray burst from the death of a distant star, far enough away to not sterilize the world but also close enough to cause incredible harm. The radiation bombarded Chelona's surface and ripped away much of the planet's ozone layer immediately. During this radiation storm, Auroras filled the night sky of Chelona. The Chelonians, being naturally radiation resistant like much of Chelona's fauna, were initially unharmed by this event and some writings from the time even refer to "The day of Lights" as an omen of hope for the future. Unfortunately for them it was to be far from a hopeful omen.
The radiation and subsequent erosion of the planet's radiation defenses kicked off a massive population explosion in several species of pseudo-plankton around the world. Before long there was a worldwide case of red tide, the effects of which were various and universally devastating. the pseudo-plankton, themselves toxic, ended up choking out species who served as common prey for larger creatures. This led to an oceanic domino effect, leaving entire coastal areas barren and lifeless. The dominoes continued to fall from there. The mass extinction event is thought to have led to the extinction of over half of all ocean life on Chelona.
The Chelonian people of the time were generally akin to early iron age civilizations, not advanced enough to stand up to such massive devastation. The great states of the era were wiped out in the unrest brought on by massive ecological destruction. The global Chelonian population shrank by two-thirds during this period and would not reach pre-downfall levels again until well beyond the founding of the Dominion. Scholars have traced the origins of the Dominion to this dark age. The first Vaata-Kreg was a powerful warlord who was able to rally much of the surviving Chelonian population together through his efficient system of management and iron will. The system outline by the first Vaata-Kreg would later evolve into the bureaucratic hellscape that is the modern Dominion. At the time however, its organization allowed order to overcome chaos and reestablished the rule of law around the world. The first Vaata-Kreg then made his way across the world, conquering all who would kneel before him and exterminating those who would not. After nearly two centuries and a dozen Vaata-Kregs, all of Chelona was united under one banner and the Age of Dominion began in earnest.
Other: Space turtle dystopia. What's not to love? They're meant to be a comparatively massive empire(tentative estimate of 80 stars but this is subject to change depending on game scale) that is so insanely inefficient that they can be incredibly easily out-maneuvered(strategically, tactically is another story) and out-foxed.
The science is hard-soft, like a good cheese. Don't question the physics of FTL drives because you will find there is none just some rules to not make it virtually un-weaponizable, everything else though I try to keep realistic-ish.
What we call barbaric ritual, the Vasari call noble tradition. What we call brutal, they call just. What we call war, they call glory. Beware the Vasari, for their traditions demand either our blood, or theirs. - Extract from Study on the Vasari
Upon a proud world Under a shimmering sky There lived a pure, hardened people
The azu, alternatively known as Anukuians, are the multi-ethnic race of cat-like humanoids that wield dominion over Anuku, a verdant and opulent world that is, in many ways, homologous to Earth. Comparative in size to a large human specimen, azu are sharp of mind and lithe of frame, and can negotiate terrain with lightning tempo and supple grace when on the prowl. Other than being benefited with an excellent sense of vision, smell, and hearing, azu can discern the dynamic position of an object in motion by detecting latent changes in surrounding air pressure, feel faint vibrations through the soft pads of their hind paws, identify oscillating electromagnetic waves emanated by the heart of another living organism, and pick up subtle alterations in the pheromone secretion patterns of living creatures.
The azu species lacks the faculty to produce psionic users, but the mind of every one of them naturally discharges a nullifying field of "negative energies" that severely inhibits the effectiveness of nearby otherworldly powers, with this field rapidly growing in geometric strength when swelling groups of azu congregate in one locality. Anuku is home to billions of azu, thereby causing this field to span throughout Anuku's parent system.
As a result of an uncorrectable anomalous fault in their genome, the azu sex ratio is heavily skewed in favor of the azu female, with the current population of azu (stated to be circa 3.25 billion) being 90/10 (female/male) in numerical composition.
Government
Complex Paramount Chiefdom
Foreign Policy and Public Opinions of Aliens
Anuku, while culturally diverse, is figuratively (and in some circles, literally) described as a “one-race world” by azu social scientists and political leaders, with this bold, racially-charged declaration stemming from the racial homogeneity that propagates through the cultural pillars of the Lone World's multitude of tribal societies. Many of Anuku's ethnocentric inhabitants are quite condemnatory in their prejudice judgments of the greater galactic community, and cite Anuku's past confrontations with imperialistic alien invaders and disagreeable migrants as irrefutable verification that the obri (or the "Other") are instinctively incompatible with azu culture and will, inevitably, pose a significant threat to all life on the Lone World if allowed to corrupt her surface with their foul touch. Unsurprisingly, Anuku's seven paramount chiefdoms have jointly implemented a sequence of isolationist decrees that forbid Anuku's star lords from fraternizing with aliens and alien civilizations in any shape or form, though these laws have been wavered, in the past, to facilitate brief instances of trade between the azu and "tolerable" xeno races.
Military
Azu militia forces are exacted from local tribal communities and their encompassing septs during times of war. Owing to their idiosyncratic physiological and psychological characteristics, azu land army battle doctrine hinges strongly on mobility, flexibility, and longevity to sustain an effective guerrilla campaign against invading forces. Azu abhor lengthy and grueling battles of attrition, favoring instead to execute covert raids on an opponent's supply lines and any lightly-defended positions using a combination of self-propelled guns (including tank destroyers and duel-purpose assault guns), powered crash-kill tiger and air scourge cavalry, and light infantry.
Anuku's seven battle spheres are enormous monitor spacecraft that linger several million kilometers away from her. A battle sphere is an assault fleet in all but title, its rounded bulk protected by meters of electro-reactive hydro-armor, a siege-grade PDF, and a strengthened superstructure wrought from hyper-dense composite materials forged in specialized zero-G factories. Battle spheres are divided into 30 fully-autonomous fighting compartments, each one bestowed with its own network of submersible phased graser and particle accelerator arrays, nuclear reactor, active cooling systems, crew quarters, and capacitor banks, and can dispatch disposable "combat mirrors" that--if positioned correctly--can offer the entire sphere the opportunity to effectively direct their beams around planets.
Anuku does not control a formal space force, but she is chaperoned by a vast number of phased graser array installations and particle accelerator gun emplacements that trickle the Lone World's surface. Most are stationary, but their married firepower is herculean; entire enemy assault fleets, anti-planetary missiles, and RKVs can be handily obliterated from frighteningly long distances within a infinitesimal length of time. Their employment of azu capital-grade PDF modules coupled with their cataclysmic power necessitates the need for ground-based infantry operations if a successful invasion is to be carried out by belligerent forces.
Technological Overview
Outwardly, the azu appear to be a pre-industrial civilization, but this observational conclusion is misleading. On the contrary, the azu deliberately strangle and shroud their factual technical prowess in a proactive attempt to stay the cultural stagnation and genetic degradation that customarily befalls an intellectually-gifted species that overindulges in the prolific “benefits” that sophisticated scientific advancements often promises. In a way, this global philosophical perspective can easily be compared to modern Neo-Luddism, though azu communities specifically avoid technologies that encourage excessive slothfulness, restrictive antisocial behavior, and weakness (either in a physical or mental context) rather than holding the unrealistic conviction that most technology is harmful to the Lone World or her azu masters.
To the rest of the galaxy, azu household technical applications appear horrendously outdated, amateurish, and inefficient. Food preservation, for example, has never edged beyond drying, smoking, jugging, salting, pickling, or canning, with azu fare never actually being produced in a food processing plant of any sort. Azu foodstuffs spoil faster than other noshes preserved using more modern modus operandi, but they are conversely free of injurious chemicals and excess quantities of sodium and sugar. Clothes are made by hand, while firearms are crafted using reinforced hand tools, archaic manually-operated machinery, and decades of gunsmithing experience. Very few azu homes have electricity for interior lighting or recreational needs, instead investing in a scant bundle of candles for a minuscule amount of illumination and a small solar panel and battery bank combination to sustain a highhouse's powered appliances. Power generation for larger azu settlements and the vast network of underground manufactorums is provided by thorium fission reactors, geothermal generators, or hydroelectric dams.
Azu military technology (with special mention going to azu-made weapons in particular) is moderately sophisticated, and is renowned for its utilitarian qualities, innate hardiness, and relative affordability. Many azu hand-held weapons have always been chiefly engineered to bring down Anuku's heavily-armored ultrafauna, resulting in later incarnations of chemical-based ballistic weaponry being specialized for maximum stopping power, accuracy, range, and penetration at the cost of cyclic rate. Most azu firearms are select-fire battle rifles, semi-automatic bolt-action rifles, revolvers, and 2 (or 4) bore paradox guns that are chambered for rocket-boosted hypervelocity cartridges.
Azu power deflection field technology is dissimilar to the galactic standard in that individual shield modules do not lose "energetic integrity" when successful attacks have been negated, but rather are "rated" according to how much energy the field can reliably contend with. This makes users of PDFs effectively immune to weapons systems or attacks that are below their shield's threshold, but vulnerable to weapons that can exceed it. Azu never conceived powered hardsuits, but instead ushered in shadow veil armor, a hooded "stealth robe" made from nano-engineered meta-materials, dense ballistic fiber bundles, linked armor discs, and layers of dilatant smart fluid that masks the wearer's electromagnetic signature, optical profile, and provides superb protection from energy-based weaponry, projectile-based weaponry, heat, and blast over-pressure. Low-cost powered exoskeletons can be worn underneath shadow veil armor.
Description of Society and Culture
You don't hunt alone. Never hunt alone. You hunt as one.
Azu culture values self-determinism, minimalism, collectivism, and loyalty. Azu adolescents-- colloquially refereed to as “kits” by the Lone World's encompassing azu population—are educated in the fundamental artistry of the august survivalist by elder members of the tribe. A distinct (but ultimately secondary) emphasis is placed on adequately honing their apprehension of the clan's spiritual and cultural mores, teaching the importance of family, and promoting a minimalistic lifestyle. By the time that they are of breeding age, most juvenile azu females and males have a predisposition for exhibiting stalwart behavior and operating in a persistent mode of semi-autonomy. "Gifted" azu are convinced to pursue rigorous instruction in one of the more prestigious institutional sectors of academia that reside within the Peaks of Hia-Hia, an unforgiving geographical locale of historical importance where a prodigious amount of the azu's technological innovations primarily originate from.
Azu homesteads, called highhouses, are a queer mixture of an archetypal longhouse and a standard low-capacity semi-subterranean dwelling (such as an earth berm), and are fabricated from readily-available materials (in example: stone, timber, or bone) using un-powered utensils and powerful beasts of burden. Highhouses are comparatively voluminous, playing host to a number of necessary domestic facilities (such as larders, armories, storage enclosures, libraries, or washrooms) and over one-hundred families that are situated along a series of quasi-segregated living floors. Being in such close proximity with one another usually leads to family groups being acquainted on an intimate level; from these tight-knit relationships, inter-familial gatherings--like ceremonial dances or recreational group hunting sessions--are organized and initiated, in turn strengthening the clan's bond and encouraging goodwill and harmony throughout the masses. Aside from personal effects, clan members openly share most things, and--unlike many other species--observe a weedy quota of personal space, instead preferring to brush up against and caress other clan members if at all able. Stroking the ears, the underside of the tail, and the lower back are all considered profound signs of affection and trust.
Regardless of their internal layout and external attributes, azu highhouses are matriarchal in their fashion of administration, matrifocal in their familial structure, and matrilateral in their inheritance lines, with a wise woman and her selected “elder council” of middle-aged azu women wielding uncontested authoritative influence over the clan's members. As azu males are numerically scarce across Anuku, they are universally perceived and handled as treasured commodities that have tremendous barter value, and are subsequently forced into arranged polygamous “mating sessions” with outside harems of suitable azu women for the clan's own monetary gain, its political elevation, or its social evolution.
Azu mating paradigms center around a single eugenics-like "code of conduct", called ormku, which preaches that only the "fit" are "fit" for reproduction. Azu tribal society does not suffer the frail and flawed to persist in life; the physically, intellectually, and emotionally disabled are subjected to forced sterilization when detected, and may experience harsh instances of rejection, overt communal ostracization, being abandoned at birth, and even being outright executed if their afflictions are particularly disparaging.
On average, azu males sire over 1,000 fit children throughout their lifetime.
Ever since its initial conception, the firearm has operated as a critical and intricate facet of azu warrior-hunter philosophy. Primordial dogma espouses that the gun is a sanctified and arcane artifact of moving power and importance, ergo being deserving of nothing less than unadulterated homage and unmitigated reverence. Azu battle rifles, handguns, fowling pieces, and other small arms are passed down from generation to generation and, in respect to the weapon's previous band of carriers, are customarily personalized with a conservative integer of aesthetic augmentations. In spite of widespread firearm proliferation, the azu's apathetic take on open carry policies has not culminated in a turbulent amount of gun-related crime, with the Lone World boasting an extraordinarily low murder rate overall.
Though their fur-covered forms only require clothing in diminutive quantities, a fractional grade of modesty is nonetheless encouraged when out in public, with azu attire being fundamentally tailored to softly accommodate the body, not to smother or dominate it. More often than not, azu tribal apparel tends to be passably revealing, only affording sufficient coverage for the wearer's nether regions and breasts. Vests, wrist wraps, skirts, chest bands, thongs, cloth vambraces, and loincloths, woven from fine silk-like fabrics or treated animal hides, are the standard. Many azu men and women decorate their person with a fulsome (but elegant) composite display of jewelery, fur dyes, and body piercings for a spot of comforting individualism.
"The United Kingdoms of Orela and Beca are one of the most powerful countries in Eblion. They were the first to go out of space and meet with other species. They were the first to colonized on other world. They are the largest empire in Eblion and they aren't going to stop expanding anytime soon..."
~ Harrison Mitchell, The History of The Two Kingdoms, 2590. Nation Name The United Kingdoms of Orela and Beca
Government Type Constitutional Monarchy
"Terita is the jewel of Orela and Eblion from it's ports to the downtown. It's proof that advanced technology can make an entire capital city beautiful. Anything from its building to its metro system, it shows that technology can change a small port town into a beautiful capital city."
~ Maia Hopkins, The Impact of Advanced Technology on Eblion. Capital System/World Tearita
Dominant Species of Eblion Xrihr - 55% Humans - 45% "The impact of the ship leaving the palace with the King and Queen watching it leave was huge. It showed that they were able to handle issues thrown to them and the ability to have relations to other species of different worlds." ~ Lucas Patel, The Eblion Peace Talks. Leadership King Sebastian of Orela Queen Stephanie of Beca
Persons of Importance Marshal of the Force Tyson Sexton (Army) Admiral of the Fleet Lena Dean (Navy) Marshal Conner Griffith (Air) Admiral Nicholas Hughes (Space) "The HMS Otair, shown here is the most power spaceship in the Orela military. It was the first spaceship to be built by The United Kingdoms and it holds a special place in peoples' hearts."
~Yehuda Duke, The HMS Otair and How it Changed Military History. Military The Military of The United Kingdoms of Orela and Beca are one of the most powerful in Eblion. About forty percent of the population is in the military and the reserves are about twenty percent of the population. They are trained to fight in cities, deserts, rain, snow, and many other climates and places. WIP "The artillery during the Battle of Port Tria. It showed off how strong it's artillery can get, when put to the test. The artillery are firing at enemy ships, fighting the Orela and Beca navy."
~ Captain Harrison Roberts, The Conquest of 'The Desert Nation'. History The United Kingdoms weren't always united as their nations were apart of a larger empire a long time ago. The Kingdoms of Orela and Beca were each apart of the Chao Empire. The Chao Empire was one of the remaining three nations in Eblion. It was coming up on it's 400th anniversary as Orela, Beca, and many other countries, that were controlled by the Chao Empire. They decided to send out an couple assassins to kill the Royal Family of Chao at a grand party in their palace within the capital city, Riuy.
On the night of the anniversary, the Royal Family and their friends were at their table having a good time. All of a sudden, a couple waiters walked up to the family and pulled out their guns. They fired around thirty shots before being gunned down by the guards. At the end of the massacre, almost all of the Royal Family and all of their friends were shot to death. The King was still alive after the assassins were shot and he was rushed to his room. He died a couple hours later in his bed.
The news of the Royal Family's death was the perfect time to start the rebellion in their home countries. All over The Chao Empire, rebellion began with the goal to re-established their long last nation. It was bloody and it took also fifty years before the empire agreed to have talks with the rebels. The peace talks were held at the palace as the rebels came up with a deal, either free their countries or risk death and destruction of the Chao Empire.
The Chao Empire's new ruler agreed to that offer and ten more countries were established, including the Kingdom of Orela and Beca. The agreement caused the Chao Empire to collapse and soon an republic replace the monarchy.
The countries rebuild their homelands to protect themselves for other nations. Some got alliances, while others just increased their forces. It was faith that the Orela and Beca united. As the Beca Kingdom was in risk of rebellion to bring back the Chao control, the Orela Kingdom used this moment to secure an alliance. The Kingdoms soon battle the rebel and won the revolution.
After the rebellion, Beca's king was old and dying with none else to take over the throne. So, the princess soon made a plan to married the old king and wait until his death to become Queen of Beca. The plan went well and the King soon died of natural causes. The princess became a Queen and soon asked the Orela Kingdom to help control Beca. They agreed and the rest is history. Other WIP
-The Federation of New Earth -The Republic of Exodus -The Republic of Fu Lu Shou -The Federated Republic of Eden -The Republic of Péngyǒu -The Republic of Sīmānta -The Republic of Amani -The Republic of Ncchi Mpya -The United Federal Republic of Heinlein -The Republic of Pobedonosnyy Sud’ba -The Second Republic of Halcyon -The Republic of Acchī phasala -The Republic of Sputnik -The United Colonial States of Jefferson -The United Colonial Republic of Xīwàng -The United Colonial Republics of the Galileo Starzone -The Colonial Confederation of Eureakan Settlements
Observer States In The Powderkeg Stars Region
(Measured in relevance to the Union) --The Republic of Autumn (Republic formed by U.S.U.H occupation of Empire border principality that was in a state of civil war between nobles, currently has active U.S.U.H peacekeepers in the area) --The Weinzenberan Principality(Rogue border state of the Terranis Empire backed by the U.S.U.H) --The Revolutionary Commune of Robespierre(Independent state, conquered by Terranis Empire, revolted 30 years ago and was backed by U.S.U.H peacekeepers who blockaded the planet and created a planet wide no-fly-zone) --The Revolutionary World Government-In-Exile of Eisenhower(Currently given sanctuary in the Republic of Jefferson. Actually from the world of Cantu, pro-Union rebels attempted to form the new state of "Eisenhower" but failed. The rebellions remnants have diplomatic and partial military support from the Union, in particular the Republic of Jefferson) --The Empire of Lao's Planet(A tiny single-world "Empire" that is between the Union and Terranis Empire, backed by the U.S.U.H to act as a buffer zone) --The Revolutionary Miners Republic of Neo-Eureka (revolting against Terranis-based company) --The Autonomous Republic of Benjamin's World(In civil war with Aurolian federals) --The People's Commune of George-Robertville(Minor communist state which has a semi-functional military shipyard from the old Empire days in the region) --The Revolutionary World Government of New Maplewood(Revolted against warlord empire, resource region trade hub) --The Revolutionary World Republic of Arcadia(Privately funded colony, declared independence from Aurolian-based Corporation, backed by U.S.U.H volunteers) --The Samuel Commune (Rebelling against Terranis border nobility) --The Revolutionary Thirteenth Colonial Republic of New Johnsonland(Declared independence from the Federation a century ago, was recaptured by the Federation however has led periodic rebellions ever since. Currently rebelling again for the thirteenth time and has captured a continent) --The Glorious Empire of Dacyira(Rebel movement on Aurolian-backed independent colony, supported by U.H.U.S despite autocratic ruler due to it combating Aurolian alien settlers in the region) --The Sovereign Colony of Bob's World(A puny colony of only 3200 people, the U.S.U.H officially backed their bid for independence following the discovery of an old human sleeper ship from the Solar Union days)
(awaiting recognition by the Union) -The Empire of Ezra's World(Formerly the independent colony of Copenhagen V. became a proxy war battlefield between the Union, Federation and Empire for 70 years until eventually Ezra Northgate, a local declared the colony independent and using an army of disgruntled locals attacked all three sides, amazingly winning with a combination of surprise attacks and sheer luck. Ezra declared himself Emperor of his new rogue tinpot state and renamed Copenhagen V "Ezra's World". Since then the tiny single world 'empire' has been trying to desperately hold off three superpowers at once. Emperor Ezra has begun desperate attempts to achieve recognition from the Union, currently trying to apply for Observer status)
Government Type:Supranational Union (Economic, military and political bloc comprising mostly of representative and direct democracies, over the last century has been slowly centralizing into a federation) Political IdentityPopulist and highly politically active population. Views themselves as inheritors of Earth and the sole legitimate government of humanity. See's both the Terranis Empire's slavery of biosynths and autocratic rule as evil and the Federation's alien ruling elite as an affront to humanity. Extremely inclusive and multicultural to all humans but highly xenophobic and human supremacist to aliens. Highly militaristic population however see's wars as wars of liberation, intervention or unification. Primary pluralistic issue in politics and ethics is a cultural battle between Humanists and Transhumanists. Society Value'sDemocracy, Egalitarianism, Utilitarianism, Secularism, Humanism, Progression, Liberty, Equity, Galactic Manifest Destiny, Human Supremacy(Colloquially referred to as "Humanity, fck yeah") Capital System:Copernicus System Capital World:New Earth (Individual nation-states have their own local capitals, New Earth is the headquarters for the U.S.U.H) Capital City:New Geneva Currency: Sol Credits (SC) Demonym:Unionites ||=============================================================||
Demographics:
Dominant Species:Humanity and A-class Transhumans Demographics:(Overall: Humanity 96%) --Natural and A-Class Transhuman Humans: 47% --B and C-Class Transhumans: 41% --Abhumanity and Biosynths: 7% --Alien life: 4% --D-Class Transhumans 0.1-1%
Religious Demographics: -Non-Religious (Atheists, Humanists, Agnostics, etc): 66% -Gaia (Worship of Earth): 18% -Old Earth Faith (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc): 14% -Alien Faiths (Restricted to alien minority): 2%
The U.S.U.H recognizes the existence of Transhumans and recognizes their membership in the larger family of humanity. Many forms of transhuman augmentation is legal both for military and civilian use to variable degree's depending on the augmentation in question. The U.S.U.H rejects the Terranis Empire's concept of "Subhumans" and legally recognizes transhumans and humans as equal beings in the eyes of the law.
The U.S.U.H does however categorize transhumans into subfamilies, from which they determine the legality of their modifications. A-Class transhumans are normal humans that have been modified through cybernetics or have had DNA scrubbing to remove harmful genetic disorders or diseases. A-Class transhumans also include those with minor after-birth genetic modifications. B-Class transhumans include designer babies and clones which are generally custom tailored humans born from a origin human. Most designer babies are allowed to have cosmetic and some physical and mental changes however remain within the realm of physically appearing 'human'. C-class transhumans include major body augmentation cyborgs and full-body conversion cyborgs, with the exception of the brain. While legal, C-Class transhumans are generally restricted to the military and heavy industry and typically are excluded from civilian life. D-class transhumans are uplifted humans turned into AI, this procedure is expensive and not available to the public, being monopolized by the government and military.
Abhumans include all natural humans or A/B class transhumans that have gone through environmental based mutation, usually from living in habitats with excessively high or low gravity. The most common abhuman include "Spacers", being humans that only live in space (Essentially Human Quarians). Abhumans also include humans that have been mutated by exotic radiation or from consuming mutative biological substances (Particularly alien parasites and other things) and also includes the theoretical concept of a human-alien hybrid, which while never found and highly improbable, has been considered legally.
Bio-synths are a legally controversial issue. Being custom tailored beings with no original human source, their inherent humanity is debated. Despite this controversy, the U.S.U.H usually recognizes as some form of 'kind of human' or at the very least an intelligence of human origin mostly to spite the Terranis Empire, which they see as practicing human slavery with said justification.
-Incumbent Head of State:Secretary-General of the Assembly, Mr.Kwang-Seon Sagong -Incumbent Head of Government:Deputy Secretary-General of the Assembly, Kagiso Nwosu -Speaker For The Assembly:Councillor-General, Imari Gueye
SECRETARIAT CABINET -Secretary of Defence:John Wallace Cartwright -Secretary of Commerce and Industry:Zhao Yang -Secretary of Foreign Affairs:Elizabeth Kozlowski -Secretary of the Interior:Klaus Jun Akiyama -Secretary of Health and Education:Kirill Qing Fyodorov -Secretary of Colonization and Pan-Human Affairs:Reinhard Auttenberg -Secretary of Media and Technology:Bernard Afolayan -Secretary-General of the International Space Authority:Andrew Hobbes -President of the International Galactic Bank:Daniel James Cross -Secretary-General of the International Board on Weapons of Mass Destruction:Hope Fairchild -Secretary-General of the International Association of Foreign Aid:Sibylle Delacroix
OTHER -Chairman of the Council of Chiefs of Staff:General Amar Chowdhury -Chairwoman of the Galactic Human Rights Council:Hope Fairchild -Director-General of the Office of Counter-Intelligence (O.C.I):Yuri Volkov -Director-General of the Office of Foreign Intelligence (O.F.I):Mosi Ihekirika -Director-General of the Office of the Comprehension and Study of Supernatural and Psionic Forces (O.C.S.S.P.F): -Ambassador to the Terranis Empire: -Ambassador to the Aurolian Federation: -Ambassador to the Valyncian Commonwealth: -Ambassador to the The Confederated States of Arnost:
THE HUMAN COALITION(Ruling Party) (Major Parties: The Humanist Party, the Conservative Party, the Reformed Purity Party, the Human Defence League, the Earth Party, the Revivalist Party, the Revivalism movement)
THE PAN-HUMAN CONSENSUS FOR UNITY(In Opposition, significant presence in the assembly) (Major Parties: The Transhumanist Party, the Human Progression Party, the Consensus Party, the Alliance for Transhuman Rights and Cooperation, the Pan-Human Council, the Singularity Party, the Human empowerment movement)
THE ALLIANCE FOR MANIFEST DESTINY (In Opposition) (Major Parties: Manifest Destiny, Victory Party, Voice for Terranis-Union Military Cooperation, the Purity Party, Victory Now!, Second Solar Party, pan-human nationalism movement) ||=============================================================||
Persons of Importance:
(Secretary-General of the U.S.U.H and leader of the Human Coalition political faction. retired Fleet Admiral of the Union Peacekeeper Fleet, has past experience as a diplomat and linguist before his navy career. Was able to establish a post-retirement political career based on his military and diplomatic exploits along with his reputation as a warhero. Is well known to be a strict but reasonable man.
His vessel, the U.H.S Einstein is now captained by Fleet Admiral Houstin. His eldest son is a notable member of the navy, following in his footsteps, despite their opposing political beliefs. Besides Seung, Kwang's eldest son, the other membres of the Sagong family are listed below:)
Note: This was added so that Terminal's intelligence agency can actually do things, for other players this is mostly just fluff information, unless you want to get involved in the intelligence game too.
Kyung-gu Sagong Son of Seung Sagong and Grandson of the Secretary-General, was a member of the Peacekeeper navy and reached the rank of captain before his sudden resignation caused by being selected by the Office of Foreign Intelligence and accepting a mission which included training volunteers in space and orbital tactics so they could better fight the Federation and Empire's naval forces. Currently in the Powderkeg Observer Systems as a Union strategic adviser.
Yo-Han Sagong Younger Son of Seung Sagong and Grandson of the Secretary-General, did not enter the navy and instead graduated from business school. Currently director of human resources for ARIES INTERNATIONAL, a heavy industry and arms manufacturing corporation. Is in active contact with the Office of Counter-Intelligence due to the corporation being a sponsor of Battle Arena Extreme, a killnet gameshow that publicly advertises military hardware. Realizes the funny coincidence of both him and his brother ending up working for Union intelligence agencies.
Lieutenant Young-ae Sagong Daughter and youngest child of Seung Sagong and Granddaughter of the Secretary-General, currently Lieutenant and Chief Engineer on the Epicurus-Class Battecruiser, the U.H.S Plato. Knows how to pilot strikecraft and is also an ace mecha pilot. Was involved in the Autumn Intervention Campaign and briefly piloted a mecha in active combat against Imperial forces.
Shirley Mi-Ran Sagong Daughter of Kyung-gu, Granddaughter of Seung and Great-granddaughter of the Secretary-General, born in the Powderkeg and has duel citizenship. Fiery revolutionary and idealist with dreams of contributing to the liberation of humanity. Currently a volunteer fighter in the Observer states as part of the Union-based International Legions. Due to the more public reputation of the International Legions, Shirley Mi-Ran Sagong is a relatively public figure, though her exact location is incredibly hard to find. Is a very charismatic individual who gives off an aura of determination and purpose. ------------------------------------------------
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(Councillor-General and Speaker of the Assembly, member of the Pan-Human Consensus and regular agitator for human rights to include bio-synths. A secular-humanist writer and philosopher)
(Former Secretary-General of the Assembly, Sibylle Delacroix is a party oldguard that rather than retire has take command of the I.A.F.A. A highly competent politician and realpolitik manipulator, Delacroix simultaneously gives out foreign aid to poverty stricken and war-ridden lands and, under the table, arms and volunteer fighters towards the observer states).
(Founder of the United Supranational Union of Humanity, former professor of political science's on Earth, former ambassador to the USC, first secretary-general of the U.S.U.H, immortal transhuman. Currently retired and part time diplomat, explorer, inventor, author, artist and teacher)
(President-In-Exile of the failed Revolutionary World Government of Eisenhower, current leader of the Eisenhower Government-In-Exile taking sanctuary in the Union. Former Vice-President of the rebel government, now taken reins of what is left. Very bitter and seeks revenge on the Aurolian Federation. Currently seeking Union support and funding to pass along to separatists in the Aurolian Federation).
(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 1st Fleet, flagship is the Einstein-Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Einstein)
(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 2nd Fleet, Flagship is the Oppenheimer-Class Super-Battleship Interdictor, the U.H.S Oppenheimer)
(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 3rd Fleet, Flagship is the Einstein Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Mendeleev)
(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 4th Fleet, Flagship is the Einstein Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Newton)
(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 5th Fleet, Flagship is the Einstein Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Archimedes)
Eldest son of General-Secretary Kwang-Seon Sagong and Commodore in the Union Peacekeeper Fleet, his flagship is the Rousseau-Class Battleship, the U.H.S Kant. Seung Sagong and Kwang-Seon have a tense relationship as Seung is a transhumanist who actually backs the opposing party to his father, though privately they are capable of tolerating each other. Seung Sagong is much like his father personality wise during his navy days, being strict but reasonable.
(Captain of the Rousseau-Class Battleship, the U.H.S Rousseau. Famous explorer and first contact specialist, internet celebrity famous for his charismatic speeches. Considered the poster boy for the Peacekeeper Navy and was given the famous Rousseau for this reason)
(Daughter of both the famous Fleet Admiral Houston and scientist Haruka Yamakawa and most likely successor to the Houston military families long line of navy commanders following her father. Seemingly disciplined and strict and inheriting both her fathers strategic brilliance and mothers perceptiveness, she is secretly an incredibly rebellious military maverick (Much like her father was at her age) and dreams of one day being a privateer. Is about to gain her own ship to command following recommendations from her captain. Thinks Terranis culture is exciting and cosplay's as a Terranis admiral when no one is looking). Alter Ego:
Power Armoured Combat Marines Orbital Drop Pods Marine Anti Ship-TBF
Summary:
Power Armoured Combat Infantry Light Skirmisher Infantry
Armoured Car Armoured Personnel Carrier Urban-Warfare Tankette Light Tank - Railgun Variant Heavy Tank - Railgun Variant Light Tank - Particle Variant Heavy Tank - Particle Variant
"The Union is coming, the Union is coming!" -Federation Comedian Jimmy Bobson, referring to the Union boy-band Cold Way following release of their interstellar hit, "Once Again"
Music
The Union Invasion: When the Union isn't dropping bombs of democracy or waging proxy wars with the Empire and Federation, it is pushing a far more passionate invasion: The Union lyrical invasion. The Union's cultural imperialism is of the annoyingly popular and addictive kind, the kind that spreads among the billions of human and even alien youth and young adults of the galaxy. This is not the first Union Invasion, as the Union's cultural imperialism usually comes in 20-30 year waves and is likely to continue for many more. Ranging from Neo-Rap; to Retro-Electrodub-Soft-Radical-Rock; to proper Earth classical orchestra all the way up to the all pervasive U-Pop, the Union is well on its way to dominating the galactic music industry and the hearts and minds of young and impressionable adolescent minds.
Whats Big In The Music World: -U-Pop:The current undisputed ruler of the music genre's, U-Pop is the megalithic giant entirely dominated by young, impossibly beautiful pop idols singing with squeaky voices to ridiculously saccharine songs for the entertainment of hundreds of billions. Due to its insane popularity and the sheer soft-power the Union pop-idols possess, U-Pop has become the most iconic symbol of Union cultural imperialism. -Earth Classical & Humanist:Ranging from the most highly regarded works of the Solar Union days to the ancient masterpiece's of Earth's greatest, Earth classical remains as humanities ultimate symbol of culture and refinement taken seriously. Despite U-Pop's real power over the masses, the Union Government publicly backs the spreading of Earth Classical as propaganda music and is well known for playing Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth Symphony during parades and other public events. Despite its great cultural value, Earth classical also has a shady reputation for being the music of choice for human supremacist rebel groups and far-right human fascist organizations. Humanist music is much like Classical but is more modern music and came into being during the late UN and early USC days, music typically about the unification and brotherhood of mankind, typically sung in numerous languages. -Synth-Drone & Synth-Pop:The new night club music of choice, Synth-Drone and Synth-Pop is as the name suggests droning synth music with industrial and dark ambient themes. Synth-Pop is essentially a light-hearted variant, fusing electronic/trance/techno in with the base drone. -Neo-Rap:Colloquially referred to as "The songs about butts", Neo-Rap is an old competitor of U-pop, however its inability to gather the fanatical cults of personality that U-Pop idols gather has stunted its growth. -Transsynth/"Android Drone/Binary Drone":The strangest musical invention of mankind yet, Transsynth is music exclusively listened to by transhumans of C and D class, known as "Cyborg", "Cyber", "Binary" or, more derogative "Dial-up", Transsynth is a fusion of 'perfect' lyrical notes and sounds played at frequencies that either can't be heard by humans or sound like insane incomprehensible nonsense that physically hurts. Transsynth has a strange position in the Union culture where it is hated by the common people but praised by the intellectual community. Of particular note, Transsynth was created by one of the earlier D-Class Transhumans (Uplifted Human-To-AI's) to prove that artificial intelligence had creativity and original thought. -Retro-Electrodub-Soft-Radical-Rock:The third competitor with U-Pop and Neo-Rap, R.E.S.R.R is the genre of music that essentially includes all the contemporary bands, led by adolescent boy-bands that are catered towards teenage girls. While R.E.S.R.R has a great following, ironically in foreign countries like the Federation, the Pop-Idol's cults of personality are still more powerful. -Classical/Old Rock:The ye'olde music nearly entirely restricted to the old guard military elite in the army -Orchestral Epic:The ye'olde music nearly entirely restricted to the old guard military elite in the navy.
The Pop Idols of the Union: "OMG I LUV U MARRY ME NYAN!" - Common extranet post directed towards Miss NyanxNyantyNine The Union pop-idols are one of the most powerful harbingers of the Union Invasion, these pop-idols have become galactic icons of the Union's culture with cults of personality and galactic followings so large they even have their own religious cults and their popularity so great that even the Union government has occasionally used the more insanely popular ones as goodwill ambassadors for nigh fanatical foreigners or angry colonists.
Union Pop-Idol's specialize in the all powerful U-Pop genre of music, however some also branch out to other genre's like R.E.S.R.R and Synth-Pop. Others "Sellout" and work in Neo-Rap or "Ascend" and become singers for the governments (or military's) humanist music propaganda. The Union Pop-Idol's also tend to be multi-talented renaissance women, actresses, voice-actresses, artists, reporters, news presenters, supermodels, fashion designers and some are even diplomats and CEO's.
Union Pop-Idol's are not only a cultural icon but a physical class within Union society. A girl does not simply 'become' a Union Pop-Idol, they are essentially born these days. Being transhuman superhuman designer babies with custom tailored appearance, voices, body shape and intellect, detractors essentially note that these idol's are 'fakes' given hourglass figures and stupid voices. Because of the previously said insane popularity and cults of personality however, these voices are smothered by the billions of fanboys/fangirls/fanaliens/fanbots.
Entertainment
The Galactic Stars and Celebs
Virtual Reality
Holographic Simulation
Media
The Union on the Extranet
Union National Broadcasting
The Killnet: Built from the infamous 21st century invention that has only grown stronger and stronger with time, live-streaming warfare in real time by combatants has become the new and believed greatest form of blood sports, both presenting real-life combat, death and military affairs with real emotions and risks in an easy and accessible means to billions of viewers. The Killnet is the semi-organized, semi-autonomous part of the extra-net where these war live-streams are broadcast. Within the union, national laws are dependent on the member-state within, so some locations it is illegal and as such viewed in the dark net or via pirate broadcasts... however in states where it is legal killnet viewing has become a new national past-time, large corporations with huge fanbases present the blood sports as a kind of game show reality tv.
In the most insane fusion of the Entertainment, Mass Media and Military-Industrial-Complex ever, the Killnet has "War Sport News" and "Battle Games" and other real war-orientated game shows, where certain Private Military Contractors, volunteers and occasionally even mercenaries and privateers semi-organize their real combat into an almost game like system with kill-counts, leaderboards and mid-battle commentary. Numerous paramilitary organizations have even been formed SIMPLY BECAUSE of killnet, essentially being mercenary gameshow organizations killing people and waging war for ratings. Many of the larger killnet gameshows and associated corporations also act as the advertisement wing for both the gun and military-industrial-complex lobbies, presenting military hardware for review for potential national and corporate buyers, these corporations also showing off equipment in arms fairs. It should be noted that the Union's actual military and intelligence probe these activities to prevent military secret leaks or enemies gathering information on hardware actively used by the actual military. Funny enough, the Killnet has actually contributed to the Union's (and other foreign viewers) higher than galactic average knowledge of geography and geo-politics events as well as small-scale tactical knowledge and gun maintenance.
Destiny News: The Destiny News Network is the firebrand far-right niche of the Union's mass media saturation, fulfilling the need of the Alliance for Manifest Destiny political bloc's information and propaganda services. Hardcore ultra-nationalists and human supremacists, the D.N.N is heavily militant and advocates direct military action against the Federation, though it is also rebellious against the usual ruling party line and actually speaks kindly of the Empire, giving a romanticized image of chivalry and noblesse oblige to the decadent megalith. On the other hand, the D.N.N is surprisingly concerned with the plight of religious minorities which the secular humanist majority ignore at best, bringing up otherwise ignored social issues concerning the treatment of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindu's and Gaiaists. The D.N.N also has a fanatical journalist branch which is willing to go into hellhole warzones to get a story, although said journalists are also typically ideologically driven conspiracy theorists.
Architecture
Neo-Classical
Post-Post-Post-Post-Modernism
Fashion
Social Norms and Morality
Overview: The Union has a very strange society. Overall, it mostly appears like a socially liberal utopia with its current 'socially accepted' views on race, gender and sexuality being extremely egalitarian and is also a secularists wet dream with its disdain for religious law or morality however simultaneously it practices a form of mild apartheid on alien lifeforms, has harsh immigration laws and has legal capital punishment and made euthanasia illegal. The result of this bizarre social setup is a society where the "left" and the "right" are much different from the 21st centuries notion of left and right, at least concerning modern social issues. The largest social pluralism is caused by the notion of what exactly 'humanity' is, with humanists being the right wing and having a more conservative view on humanity while transhumanists being the left wing and having a more progressive view. Both sides accept transhumans as humans, however transhumans argue that bio-synths, artificial intelligence and androids that consider themselves human are also humans (Basically its genetics vs psychology) -Capital Punishment: Legal (Was made legal due to demand for executing genocidal war criminals from the Powderkeg Systems and due to its hardliner status on Empire and Federation criminals, particularly aliens) -Abortion: Legal -Euthanasia Illegal (Made illegal by transhuman politicians who were able over the course of a century to convince the population that conservation of information and wisdom in humanities oldest members is preferable to suicide, ironically, the humanists who are considered the conservative right-wing are in favour of legal euthanasia who believe only the owner of their body has the right to determine what happens to said body and not the state or society) -Marriage Laws: Very loose except Xeno-Human marriage (Gay marriage, polygamy, human-AI marriage, and so on are legal) -Transexuality/Homosexuality/Intersexuality/etc: No longer a social issue (Transhumanism is the new fight, however Xenophilia is considered morally wrong) -Gender Equality: Galactic benchmark -Racial Equality(Human only): Galactic benchmark -Racial Equality(Inter-Species): Ranging from Apartheid to Pre-Civil Rights US -Gun Laws: Local government determined (One of the few area's the Union does not determine laws on, the member-states of the Union determine the level of freedom of gun ownership. Interestingly, the Union is in general pro gun-control, however pragmatism has convinced the Union that the members-states closest to the Federation and Empire borders require armed populations to better resist foreign occupation. As such, in the Union you can find regions where its impossible to even own a bolt-action rifle but in others its legal to own a military grade space spinal cannon)
The government of the Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics is divided into two parts: the federal government and the planetary governments. Power between the federal government and planetary governments are constitutionally balanced, although in practice the federal government is significantly more powerful. The planets in the Commonwealth are partially self-governing bodies and do hold some sway over the federal government.
The federal government is headed by its legislative branch which is divided into two councils, a High Council and a Low Council. The High Council is a parliamentary body that is essentially the same as those found on the planetary level (see Valyncian Republic) with the exception being that each planet serves as a district. The High Council has a large number of responsibilities. Most important of these responsibilities is passing country-wide legislature and ratifying or vetoing treaties with other countries.
Planets in the Imperial Commonwealth of Valyncian Republics are partially self-governed bodies. All planets in the Commonwealth have a valyncian republic as its type of government. The planetary governments are responsible for passing legislature for their specific planets. The prime ministers of all the planets collectively form a Low Council that is responsible for passing country-wide tax bills, suggesting bills to the High Council, and can start a vote of no confidence against the High Council. The Low Council also has the power to veto pieces of legislation passed by the High Council.
A Valyncian republic is a form of parliamentary democracy that places more emphasis on proportional representation. The system itself is rather simple. The entirety of the planet is divided into equally populated districts with populations ranging from one to ten thousand people, depending on the planet. Multiple representatives can be elected from the same district with the requirement that the representative has at least five percent of the total votes in the district; a candidate who has less than five percent can give his votes to another candidate, potentially boosting another candidate above the cutoff or strengthening one who is already above it. At the end of the election process the representatives from each district represent a proportional number of that district's votes, which total one hundred, in parliament. For example a representative who received ten percent of the votes from his district would count as ten votes in parliament for any given piece of legislature.
To control the parliament a party must control more than fifty percent of the total votes in the country. If they don't they can form a coalition with other parties to gain the total votes needed. A majority party or coalition theoretically has unlimited power in the government, however this is checked by the minority parties' ability to have a vote of no confidence, once between every normal election, which begins a new election. Other than a vote of no confidence the majority party or coalition can call for a vote at any time, so long as it is within five years of the last non-no confidence election. Potential candidates have only two months to campaign before the election is held.
Capital System: Femna System Capital World: Carth
Population
Dominant Species: Valyncians
Race Info: A subspecies of humanity created through genetic engineering, Valyncians are found almost exclusively in the Commonwealth. No two Valyncians have quite the same genetic modifications, but most have been modified for space travel. This means they have better spatial awareness, reflexes, mental processing power, and resistance to radiation. While other species achieved immortality by uploading their minds into computers, or other similar processes, Valyncians turned to their genetic engineering. During sex Valyncians' bodies absorb DNA from their partners; their bodies use this DNA to repair their own damaged DNA, thus extending their lives. Because of this biological process, Valyncians' bodies do not remain at a static age, but instead go through a process of aging and rejuvenation, effectively bouncing between the "ages" of sixteen and thirty. During the rejuvenation process the body incorporates acquired DNA, thus a variety of physical changes can occur to the Valyncian. Valyncians have been observed to physically change greatly over the course of a few hundred years and have even, in a few extremely rare cases, changed sex entirely.
Average Lifespan: Biologically Immortal
Physical Characteristics: Valyncians are very similar to natural humans and can, in some cases, be indistinguishable from them physically. The most obvious physical difference between a natural human and a Valyncian is hair color. The majority of Valyncians have white or silver hair. Blonde is also a fairly common hair color, though technically a Valyncian can have any color of hair, naturally occurring or otherwise. Most Valyncians tend to stand between 5'8" and 6'2" and are naturally built slim or athletically. Most Valyncians are considered more attractive than the average natural human, although differences in cultures can also be a determining factor in what is considered attractive.
Dominant Society: While the society and culture of the Valnycian species isn’t entirely homogeneous it certainly is close enough to make broad statements about the Valyncian ethnic group as a whole. At the forefront of the Valyncian ethnicities is the Carthinian ethnicity. When people think of Commonwealth culture or the Valyncian species they tend to specifically think of the Carthinian ethnicity; because of this, most people use the term Valyncian culture/society or High/Core Valyncian culture/society when referring to Carthinian culture/society. Valyncians culturally seem drawn to the colors white and silver and are noted for using those two colors significantly in their art. White, in their eyes, means purity, independence, fairness, and impartialness; silver means balance and stability, but can also be used to convey respect, responsibility, and patience. This is important to note as a message sent by a Valyncian written in white or silver may mean something completely different then if it were written in black, even if the written contents of the message remains the exact same. As one might guess based on the colors of white and silver, Valyncians value independence, fairness, balance/stability, respect, and patience.
At one point in time the nuclear family was the most important social unit in Valyncian society. As time went on and the majority of Valyncian families became static or declined the nuclear family dropped in importance and was replaced by cliques. Cliques in Valyncian society are similar to those found in human societies, hence the same name, but differ in some important ways. In Valyncian society a clique refers to a very close knit group of Valyncians, both male and female, ranging in size from four to about twenty individuals. Commonly, but not always necessarily, the individuals making up a clique share economic, political, or philosophical views. Cliques are not a permanent body; their existence is subject to change over the years and many simply cease to exist after a few hundred years. Interestingly the trust and love shared by members of a clique is considered to be greater than that of biological families as clique members often have sex with each other with the purpose of exchanging DNA. Because of this exchange of DNA it is absolutely necessary for Valyncians to bring new members into their cliques or join other cliques in order to avoid genetic issues.
Valyncians are, as a whole, very much a formal people. They prefer to dress in more formal clothes than a human in the Federation or elsewhere would dress. It is quite common for Valyncian men to dress in a full suit, or at least dress pants and a vest, and women to dress in a formal dress or a sundress. Valyncians are also quite well spoken; Valyncians love to use irony and double meanings in their insults.
The highest held ideal of Valyncians is based on individualism. This is an emphasis on not only the moral worth, but also the potential of an individual. This concept is close to worshiped by Valyncians, meaning individuals who are great scientists, soldiers, and entrepreneurs are commonly household names, at least for a short time.
Religion: Valyncians follow a faux religion created during the early stages of the Commonwealth’s formation. The religion itself was created purely to act as a moral compass and help solidify the culture of the Commonwealth. The religion was built around the concept of a goddess who oversees the universe, blessing those who work hard, advancing science, art, or society in some way while passing judgment over the lazy, selfish, and ignorant. Most Valyncians, especially older ones, are truly atheists, although some younger ones have begun to believe that the Goddess actually exists.
Minority Species: “Natural” Humans and Ryugyakkans
Race Info: More or less the same as humans found anywhere else, natural humans in the Commonwealth are on the decline as they are required to have their children genetically engineered. Although they are referred to as “natural humans” inside the Commonwealth, many of these humans are still subject to a certain degree of genetic engineering designed to increase their lifespan and health, combat diseases, and provide some other limited benefits.
Average Lifespan: 120
Dominant Society: There is no unique "human culture" in the Commonwealth. Natural humans in the Commonwealth tend to be culturally similar to Valyncians or humans from the Federation or Union.
Religion: The religious beliefs of natural humans in the Commonwealth tend to mirror those of Valyncians, although natural humans are far more prone to actually believing in the religion, with about fifty percent active practitioners.
Race Info: Created through the Commonwealth's substantial genetic engineering technology, Ryugyakkans were designed to be the perfect servants. Towards this end Ryugyakkans have been geared towards being able to keep track of numerous things at once and can inherently perform greater mental calculations than most humans. Ryugyakkans are capable of generating a weak electric field which they use for electrolocation and electrocommunication, which is useful only in certain environments. Most of the time Ryugyakkans rely on specialized equipment mounted around their necks to communicate with others as they lack a mouth, thus have no vocal cords. Ryugyakkans gain the nutrients they need through chemosynthesis and typically walk around in suits designed to "feed" them during the entire day. Most Ryugyakkans are physically frail and very susceptible to diseases; however, certain varieties of Ryugyakkans, specifically those created for the military, are much sturdier. Due to a variety of specifically designed neurotransmitters and hormones Ryugyakkans are quite prone to serving their creators. Serving or even just looking at a Valyncian will release neurotransmitters and hormones that affect the reward system of the brain, creating pleasure and a soothing sensation for the Ryugyakkan. In turn seeing a Valyncian harmed or distraught releases neurotransmitters and hormones that causes displeasure for the Ryugyakkan. Humans can also, to a lesser degree, trigger these responses due to their similarity to Valyncians. According to Valyncian law Ryugyakkans are considered legal non-sentients.
Average Lifespan: 60
Physical Characteristics: Standing at five and a half feet on average, Ryugyakkans would be considered short by human standards. Their skin is very similar to humans, except the chest, where they absorb chemicals, which has an almost porous texture. Ryugyakkans are notable for their slender, frail forms and mouthless faces. Some Ryugyakkkans, specifically those used by the military, are as tall as a Valyncian and poses a more sturdy build.
Dominant Society: Ryugyakkans don't have much of a society, though if hard pressed it could be said theirs is one of servitude. They exist to serve their creators and the vast majority have yet to come to terms with the fact that this may not actually be the case. Commonwealth society as a whole has, somewhat ironically, stifled any independent society they themselves might've formed otherwise.
Religion: Ryugyakkans are split roughly in half between being agnostic and following the Valyncians' religion. Of those that follow religion, most are almost fanatical in their belief and believe that, should they serve the Valyncians faithfully, they will be resurrected as a Valyncian in their next life.
Head of the Government: Prime Minister Avril Foxwell Speaker of the Low Council: First Minister Isaac Locke
Cabinet Members -Deputy Prime Minister: Andrew Brooks -Minister of the Commonwealth for Finance: Owen Burns -Home Minister of the Commonwealth: Archer Garrison -Minister of the Commonwealth for Foreign Affairs: Nataly Farley -Minister of the Commonwealth for Justice: Rory Ross -Minister of the Commonwealth for Defense: Noah Wood -Minister of the Commonwealth for International Development: Katie Barker
Other Important Members of the Government -Minister of the Commonwealth for the Armed Forces: Harper Weiss -Chief of the Defense Staff: Admiral Mariella Foxwell -Minister of the Commonwealth for Technology: Gavin Kinton
Armed Forces
The Commonwealth armed forces employ a maneuver warfare doctrine that emphasizes preempting, dislocating, and disrupting enemy forces in place of destroying them through attrition warfare. Military orthodoxy tends to believe that victory in war comes from destroying the enemy’s physical assets: killing soldiers, destroying equipment and infrastructure, and occupying territory. Maneuver warfare doctrine, on the other hand, seeks to destroy only specific targets (command and control centers, logistics bases, etc) and isolate enemy formations through maneuver and taking advantage of enemy weaknesses.
Towards this end the Commonwealth armed forces employ strategically agile and tactically flexible forces that possess the capacity to project power over a wide area. Because of the nature of this doctrine, the armed forces employ a more decentralized command system than one would otherwise expect. Lower level commands possess far more freedom and are expected to show more flexibility and initiative than their foreign counterparts.
The Soviet deep battle and German blitzkrieg strategies of Earth’s Second World War both helped form the basis for the Commonwealth’s overall strategy. The Commonwealth will typically field several large formations simultaneously in a single theater. These formations launch multiple operations against the enemy, seeking to divert its attention and keep the enemy guessing. Once a focal point (ideally a spot both vital and weakly defended) is identified or created a Commonwealth force will seek to break through the focal point and either destroy key enemy assets (command and control centers, logistics bases, etc) or isolate enemy formations from each other, or ideally both. Because of the strategically agile nature of the Commonwealth armed forces it can easily concentrated the forces it needs to achieve such a breakthrough. The Commonwealth also commonly employs interdiction tactics to delay, disrupt, and destroy enemy forces and supplies en route to the battle area.
The Commonwealth Navy (CVN) is geared towards following the maneuver warfare doctrine of the armed forces. It employs small and medium sized highly modular ships. CVN formations are notable for being highly agile, both strategically and tactically, and are typically outfitted specifically for the operation they are currently doing. The CVN has top notch spacebasing capabilities; large formations can be sustained during military operations at large distances from traditional logistic bases through a combination of techniques including the use of mobile space bases.
Interestingly Commonwealth ships seem to defy normal methods of classification. This is due to their modular design and nature of their construction. Commonwealth ships are made almost completely out of programmable matter, specifically smart metal, thus their shape and design isn’t set in stone once construction is complete. In fact not even the size of the ship is set in stone: Commonwealth ships are designed so that they can condense before entering combat, reducing or limiting unnecessary space (living quarters and halls) so that the material can be used to increase the thickness of the ship’s armor and help limit its profile. This process commonly results in the ship losing about 30% of its volume (from its largest size to smallest). Commonwealth ships are also self-repairing and may visibly shrink during combat as materials are lost to enemy fire. Given enough time Commonwealth ships can even combine to form a larger ship or divide to form two or more smaller ships.
Commonwealth warships typically have more than one zero point generator. Usually it’ll have a primary generator, and a generator specialized for its weapons and defensive systems, as well as its thrusters. In some cases weapons systems or thrusters may have their own dedicated zero point generators. Typically the ship is rigged so that in the event that one generator goes down the others can supply power and particles to whatever the downed generator was supposed to supply to.
The Navy has developed a large number of “mission modules” designed to enhance the capabilities of its ships. These modules are far too numerous to list off, but the most common modules are: railgun weapons module, missile weapons module, particle beam weapons module, carrier system module, flagship module, and troop module. Modules are design to integrate seamlessly with a ship and commonly come with additional zero point generators and point defense systems. A ship can equip more than one module at a time, but it is rare for the second module to be anything besides thruster or logistic based. It is not uncommon for a ship to double in size due after its module(s) has been installed. Typically Commonwealth warships are given a classification for ease of use that is based off of its current size, in comparison to what is found in the Federation or Union, and any modules that are installed. Examples include Missile cruiser and Particle destroyer.
Technology
An ansible is a device capable of communication over virtually any distance with no delay whatsoever. Ansibles work in pairs and are capable of only sending and receiving from its paired unit. While this limits its possible uses by quite a bit, it also serves to make it exceedingly difficult to intercept messages sent between ansibles. While the exact details of how they function are highly classified, it is generally accepted they that use a form of quantum communication. Ansibles grant the possibility to have UCAV strikecraft that have little fear of interference or hacking, with their operators experiencing no time lag regardless of where they physically are in relation to the craft. Special forces may also find it useful in the future as a means of having instant communication access to the leadership of the Commonwealth, where ever they may be. The Commonwealth government uses a system of ansibles to ensure that all the planets in the Commonwealth are able to communicate with each other in a quick, efficient manner.
A broad term, cyberware refers to essentially any machine or hardware that is implanted into an animal. Cyberware can be divided into two categories: interfaces and prosthetics. Interfaces are implants that are used to interact with other machines, usually wirelessly, or store information. On many planets interfaces are required to be citizens as without them a person couldn’t even pay for groceries at the store. Specialized interfaces are used by the military to allow soldiers to link with their hardware to achieve better control or gather more information quicker. Interfaces are also used to accelerate the learning process and help retain knowledge. Prosthetics are hardware used to replace limbs or re-enable their use should they or the nervous system be damaged. A darker side to this technology involves replacing limbs with prosthetics to increase a soldier’s physical capabilities or use interfaces as a means of surveillance and control.
By placing a charge on the particles created by a zero point generator and then dispersing those particles in an area a magnetic field can be generated. These particles essentially form a “cloud” of plasma that can vaporize projectiles and cause intense diffusion and blooming in energy weapons that go through it. It is important to note, however, that defensive smoke isn’t as effective of a defense as shields and that multiple attacks will cause it to disperse. It is also important to note that a sufficiently powerful attack can punch through defensive smoke, although it will lose some of its strength in doing so. A ship technically has an unlimited amount of defensive smoke to employ, however using defensive smoke means there are less particles available for other applications such as propulsion or weapons.
Genetic engineering is sort of a big deal in the Commonwealth. It was this technology and processes that lead to the development of the Valyncian sub-species as well as the creation of the Ryugyakkans as a species. Needless to say that the Commonwealth knows a thing or two about genetic engineering.
Holographic matter technically isn't matter; its light that has been "frozen". Specifically holographic matter is made up of photons that have been made to interact in a way that they act as though they are matter, bonding together to form molecules. The applications for holographic matter are limited purely be imagination; currently holographic matter is used by the military for defenses such as shields, but it can also be used to make temporary structures, such as bridges, or interactive screens.
These weapons function by taking the particles produced by a zero point generator, giving it a charge, and then accelerating these particles with a circular accelerator to produce a beam. These weapons are useful as they have more impact damage than lasers and possess greater penetration. Advancements in the miniaturization of the circular accelerator have resulted in even fighter craft being equipped with these weapons, although they are much weaker and have far less range than the models found on larger ships. Particle beam weaponry effectively have unlimited ammunition due to how the zero point generator functions, but this means that there are fewer particles available for other applications. Continual use can also overheat the weapon, decreasing its effectiveness.
Also commonly called smart matter, programmable matter can be most easily defined as matter that has the capability to change its physical properties in a programmable fashion. Depending on the specific type of programmable matter it might make these changes based on user input or detected changes in its environment. Programmable matter can range from metamaterials to claytronics. Probably the most import type of programmable matter used by the Commonwealth are claytronics, nanomachines that form together to create larger and more complex machines. Typically referred to as "smart metal", claytronics can be used to construct everything from a computer to a warship. Because of its properties large structures, such as space ships, made out of smart metal are self-repairing, can change size and shape while in use, and can even split itself into smaller structures. Armor made out of smart metal would be self-repairing and could react to incoming fire (such as making itself sloped or hardening itself).
Short for quantum vacuum plasma thruster, Q-thrusters are a type of reactionless drive used to propel almost all of the ships used by the Valyncian Commonwealth. Q-thrusters make use of the virtual particles produced by a zero point generator by charging the particles, effectively turning the particles into plasma. The particles are then exposed to a crossed electric and magnetic field which induces a force on the particles. As the particles are expelled in one direction an equal force is applied on the rest of the ship, thus propelling it in the opposite direction. Because of the way they function Q-thrusters do not require fuel, thus saving space in the ship and eliminating the risks inherent with many conventional fuels.
These electrically powered electromagnetic projectile launchers are one of Commonwealth's main types of weapons. Because of their nature the power of a railgun can be raised or lowered to meet the operator's need, meaning that a handheld railgun can be tuned down from a deadly weapon to a kid's toy. The rounds fired by a railgun are not limited to metal slugs. Explosive rounds, nuclear rounds, torpedoes, and even space craft can be fired from a railgun if it was designed with that capability in mind.
To travel faster than the speed of light Commonwealth ships form a space-time bubble around themselves. This space-time bubble is capable of transporting anything inside of it through hyperspace, referred to in this context as “plain space” (“real space” is a reference to the normal universe). The space-time bubble itself is a self-contained universe with the space-time bubble generator as its rough center, meaning that anything inside the bubble can move around normally. The ship that houses the space-time bubble generator has limited freedom of movement in the bubble. Space-time bubbles can merge or divide from each other, changing their size in the process. Ships in a merged space time bubble have far greater freedom of movement. Space-time bubbles aren't limited to space ships; communications pods and torpedoes can also house a space-time bubble generator.
Arguably the most important technological achievement of the Valyncian Commonwealth is the harnessing of zero-point energy. Using the dynamic Casimir effect, two reflective flat plates are placed a few nanometers apart. These plates are then manipulated in such a way that they osculate, producing particles and energy in the process. The zero point generator was important in that it essentially created energy for free, except for the initial energy required to start the generator in the first place and subsequent maintenance of the generator. The zero point generator first saw use in space craft, which they were used to power and propel without fuel. Later developments allowed for the construction of massive zero point power plants that provide power for entire countries. While the virtual particles produced by a zero point generator are inherently useless, due to ceasing to exist after a short amount of time, by charging these particles they can be made useable for a wide variety of applications. It wouldn't be an understatement to declare the zero point generator as the foundation of modern Commonwealth technology.
Nation de Jure name: Pax-ra (Dominates the planet Pax-ra, and its two moons)
Flag: Solid black diamond
Capital: Pax-ra (Home planet [rich with an abundance of precious minerals, metals, thick towering forests, deadly smog, liquids and fuana])
Note: Pax-Ra is located in the solar system known as the Trivaro system. The Trivaro system contains a yellow star which Pax-Ra revolves around firstly, then a massive belt of asteroids, then a large gas planet, and finally a third planet, comprised of gas. The system was usually overlooked as a system of useless gas-planets and asteroids. The thick smog of Pax-Ra at a quick glance might have caused passerby to overlook the planet and label it as another sphere of gas.
Further notes: The large gas planet holds twelve moons, and the final planet holds one.
Dominant species: Due to the harmful gases and harsh environment of Pax-ra, it is extremely rare to find any sentient race on Pax-ra that is not the Muni.
Race Biology:
The Muni are human like in stance, anatomy(two legs, two arms, hands) and posture, but tend to be lean (with exception). Their bodies are bare and wrapped in milky white, soft skin able to feel heat differences in immediate areas with sensitive black whiskers jutting from their joints, down their back and neck, and behind their ears, females are the only gender able to grow hair elsewhere, on their heads like an average human. Their eyes are like dark polished jet that reflect aggressively when light is shined upon them. A Munus’ teeth are numerous with long sharp front teeth, perfect to ripping and grabbing, while the back are sharp as well but much more for sinking into food and working already bitten off bits of food, this of course reflects a once very aggressive appetite, ironic to the graceful Muni’s peaceful, passive nature. Their native lands are thick with smog and gases, giving the area a seemingly endless night and causing the Muni to adapt with their feeling whiskers, heat sensitive skin and nocturnal eyes, but also with filtered lungs that are able to take quite a smoky beating.
Their muscular structure is not amazing, but it is impressive. The average human has an awesome endurance provided by a hard hunting past involving days of uninterrupted movement and exertion, while the Muni in contrast live in a relatively shaded and hard to see enviroment, making quick, powerful movements more favorable than tough long lasting abilities, causing the Muni to have piston strength movements, unbelievable acrobatics agility and swift grace, but to tire quickly physically, and have extremely low pain tolerance.
Cultural History: The Muni are nocturnal hunters by nature, and being equipped with some of natures finest genetics for hunting, they never sought outstanding amounts of technology, and with their easily tired physical prowess, long violent excursions from sports to war, never interested the seemingly lazy civilization. Despite their deadly night prowls they consider themselves peaceful, content, and happy, having everything they would ever need. In their amazingly large amounts of free time due to the settled peace they focused their energy more on thought, but not of research and science, but of philosophy and religion.
The Muni have a complex religious system honed to a sharp point, and recognize it in every second of their life. The general themes are love, and compassion. Since they have super sensitive skin and able to actually feel those around them with every inch of their bodies, they have grown extremely social, emotional and revere friendly interaction, commonly hugging and physically touching complete strangers. The central idea of Muni belief is a oneness with all and the belief of an “I” to be foolish, thus giving birth to a very close and friendly civilization, one of long open debates and friendly chats of many Muni hugging, rubbing, and holding each other in public forums, or traditional social bond making hunts, where the prey are revered and felt guilt for after the demise, a divine comedy of life.
Social Structure: On their warm dark nocturnal planet of gas and smog, the Muni have developed a strong sense of family, tending to live together in large houses usually connected to a neighboring family. Forums are the center of the social structure, and where the Muni discuss new ideas they pondered in recent meditations. Public baths are also pretty popular, and public nudity is hardly offensive in them, as the Muni tend to wear very little to begin with on account of their sensitive skin and whiskers.
The four leaders represent the voices of the Muni and are descendants from long uninterrupted forum appointed leaders, who prove themselves on more dangerous hunts and through many religious rites until the major forums of the largest cities are satisfied, but otherwise the government is quite lax and holds no real power other than as an administrator during forum confusions and foreign representation.
Leadership: see above hider ^
Persons of importance: The four forum heads: Pukka lishish, Ponti Rashkk, Pranam Krushi, Plash Shree. (more infor pending)
Military: Currently non existent (levy possibility)
History: See hider ^
Notes: The Muni are relatively new in the space age and only colonized its own moons (Amare and Venator) after being “forced” into space by foreign influence i.e. visitors left behind (traded/leaked) the technological knowledge to build spacecraft.
Republic of Constantine The Primary Hub for humanity in the Arnost region. Named after the legendary human hero, Archibald Constantine whom led the humans to victory over the superior Abolith Navy during the Herman war.
The state of Constantine maintains the highest number of territories.
New Alberta Greater johstan San Jose Bolsta Forstian Labole' Orpheus Masolev Doriev Kliesta “Harmony” Formerly known as the planetary system Louvain The primary point of civil strife is Harmony. A well known new freedom party advocate is assassinated. civil panic rises and demonstators are fired upon with teargas. Many see this as an infringment among free speech and equal rights. Harmony declared independence from the current government but still maintains itself as a confederate state. on the surface of Harmony colony 'Durst', police clashes with protestors and firebombing of government facilities is commonplace. It has become the epitome of the confederacies quickly rising internal issues.
Pozzaad Union The Abolith state
Imek'pa Drok Khar Felik pra
Forseth The melting pot for the nation. Seat of Confederacy is located here as well as the most mixed populations from all four races.
Doonesh Commonwealth The Doonkirs claimed worlds.
Ush'loa Sel'uah
Toff Collective The toff maintain a number of massive world ships, with the most prolific being the size of earths moon. These mobile worlds serve as scientific hubs, manufacturing sites and housing. Many generations of toff pass on these behemoths before ever setting foot on a planet.
There are many of these cruising silently around the nation but the most prolific are,
Government Type Formally a confederacy between four primary space faring races With an elected head of state.
Leadership Confederacy national leader- Paul Frederick IV Head of Confederate assembly- The Toff known as H’kooop Dif’ Human Republic leader- Amah Sharkan Toff collective state leader- Boof Bleppo Abolith union leader- Hrokk Useh-Dem Doonkir commonwealth leader- Usiro VII
Political parties Progressive- Belief in forcing new laws and expansionist behaviors Conservative- Small government, big business Independent- Varies New freedom party- Openly pushing for a non-human national leader
Public entities Wellis arms company- A major manufacturing corporation who specializes in small arms. Original producer for the MAR-17. AFAP- 'Association for Free Allied People' These are high strung activists for the position of peace. They have heavy influence in media outlets in the sector. They are usually seen with second rate military vehicles that have been re-purposed for transportation of goods and medical supplies. They mark all of their vehicles with bright red crosses. They have directly traced their roots to the old earth order, "The red cross" in all of its practices.
Persons of Importance
-----------------------Races--------------------
Human The Humans in this sector arrived on a large number of massive colony ships landing on three separate worlds. Unfortunately for one of the planets, a collision course with a large asteroid was imminent and that planet was knocked off course, forcing the humans to once again abandon their planet. It was a chance event that led to the colonists meeting another of the major colony worlds, leading them to believe there are other humans in the region and at that time, a new nation was founded.
The humans at this time began to spread rapidly through its own solar system until meeting the Toff on the fringe of the system. They were surprisingly well received and accepted the gifts that the Toff offered which included a powerful and advanced, compared to the humans of that time, warp drive. With this drive, they began exploring to not only spread influence but to find more humans. After centuries, it had paid off when they finally found the third colony. With humanity in the known sector united and now allied with the Toff, began spreading even faster until they met the Abolith.
Toff Usually when people see these long legged arachnids for the first time, they show fear. The Toff however are nothing of the sort but are rather a very open and caring race that has strong family values. They have a long history of slow but peaceful expansion through their own world and then the stars. They are naturally inquisitive and very intelligent. They were the first to meet the Abolith and the Humans in the sector, helping both with technologies.
They have huge populations that are not only confined to their terrestrial colonies but also giant ships that resemble a bee hive. They live in these by the hundreds of thousands as they explore the furthest reaches of their known space.
Abolith Abolith are large, feather covered four legged reptilians which have an additional two long arms protruding from its stubby neck. These arms end with a four digit hands that it uses for most tasks. They aren't very long, measuring on average five feet from muzzle to tail. They have three horns on their chins that are used mainly for display purposes.
The founders of the Pozz Empire and later the Pozzaad Union were initially aggressive towards the Toff and through them, the Humans in the sector. Their nations history is full of war with little progress until a small group began a social and technological renaissance which eventually toppled an aggressive and selfish government. Even with the government turning to a more peaceful one, it still retained its aggressive expansionist mindset as it spread through its solar system and eventually to a nearby star system. At this system, they encountered scouts from the Toff Collective and immediately declared them invaders. After destroying the Toff ships, the government made great effort to cover up their existence as xeno existence would potentially change their nations identity and pride. When the Toff made legitimate first contact with Abolith and shared many new technologies including a warp drive, peace seemed assured.
This wasn't the case though as after a mere fifteen years, the Abolith had amassed a huge fleet of warp capable light warships of all kinds. They invaded an area which they thought was the Toffs capital worlds but only found a Toff fleet. The battle was a short one as the Toff were far more adept at space warfare and a treaty was signed shortly after the Abolith were defeated.
The Toff withdrew interests in the Abolith and left them to their own, giving the Abolith time to regroup and form yet another grand fleet. They would remain in the shadows until the arrival of Humanity in their region of space.
Doonkir
The Doonkir are large fur covered humanoids. They stand on average, around seven to eight feet tall and are usually very naturally muscular and fast in movement. Their fighting skills are very well developed and have an affinity for surface and naval boarding combat.
The Doonkir were detected by chance aboard five massive sleeper colony ships. Inside the ships, Human marines found stasis cells lining the walls and floors of the ships. The vessels themselves seemed hastily built and lacked any sort of advanced warp drive and had been drifting through space for nearly nine hundred years. Once the first Doonkir was awakened by a simple computer. It was explained that they were Genetically enhanced Doonkir that were created to advance the race but were later deemed a threat to the general population by many groups on their home planet. Eventually, the world broke down into two sides, pro enhanced and against. These two sides had a number of military conflicts which led to a massive war that culminated in the destruction of their planet's ecosystem by nuclear warfare.
As the planet began to freeze, the Doonkir realized that the enhanced were the only ones capable of surviving the long term effects of space and had a far better chance of surviving in an alien atmosphere than the average one so they created five massive colony ships and sent them into space towards a nearby star that was theorized to support life. The ships had prototype warp drives at the time and made it pretty far but there was a navigational error and the ships warped past their destination and continued on until running out of fuel. They had drifted ever since until being detected by the early confederation. They integrated easily into the confederacy and have become productive contributors to not only the military but also the economy. They eventually found a suitable world and centralized into a commonwealth so as to not repeat the failings of their formerly imperial type race.
Demographic Human 37% Toff 29% Abolith 26% Doonkir 8%
The nation has been in an identity crisis for fifteen years running. Many people are upset with how the government is handling the current situation regarding the powderkeg and the Dominion in the west. They see a potential invasion from an enemy they know nothing about and any questions directed to the government is always replied to with a "its classified".
The current state of mind is the lack of confidence in their leaders and with alien races starting to speak up about how there hasn't been a non-human in the highest position of power has many asking questions, even declaring it a human empire in disguise. Various agencies have attempted to remedy this but the recent revelations regarding the two primary parties being genetically engineered opponents has shaken faith in a system that they had believed was perfect resulting in the number of candidates running as independent rising sharply. With the government saturated with questions from the public and the steady rise of new political entities vying for dominance, the capitol has become flooded with new red tape.
On the opposite side of this, the general population recognizes the need for a central government and still strongly supports unity within the nation.
Wars have brought new agencies to rise, especially in the news field with hundreds of new journalists reporting stories by the hour. Two prolific agencies preside over the masses, the Galactic News Network (GNN) and the Real World Report (RWR), two heavily biased agencies that constant dispute the others views along with many other human nation agencies.
Drugs and alcohol have started to rise in recent years along with draft dodgers and deserters. Many find themselves joining AFAP and helping in nations abroad.
Music regarding love and peace has started to flood the airwaves, countering the once popular union pop idols. Many are starting the view the Union as warmongers as opposed to the propaganda that the government had gently produced that displayed the union as a neutral-friendly party.
Home media becomes flooded with shows about possible war and death and countered with shows of peace and love. The people see a clear night and day split regarding media and politicians alike. With no real middle ground, people are given the hard choice, Progressive or Conservative.
The staunch defenders of the Confederacy and its interests stand by shoulder to shoulder against the growing tides of darkness.
The nations military is broken in to three primary branches. The army itself is a powerhouse but is bulky and unwieldy. Immense resources are required to bring it on to the field in any offensive manner using stellar transports and supply lines. Once in motion though, the army is quite formidable. To compensate the deficiency of an mobile effective ground force, the marines were created and pushed it to a full division of its own. Complete with unique weapons and vehicles to help them assault and control a battlefield. Their few numbers force them to be more resourceful and when cornered, ferocious on the battlefield.
Heading them up is the navy, the primary force of the nation as they have the best chance of warding off enemy forces and helping to bolster friendly forces by means of orbital intervention.
The military has a mandatory military service of six years, starting at prime ages for each race. Their training is exceptional considering the huge size of a military of this sort. The branch one is drafted is due to one primary factor, Testing scores. People with high aptitudes will usually enter fields like naval intelligence or battlefield commanders where as lower scoring students will likely be the ones charging an enemy hill with rifle in hand. This has over the years, lead many to push their children to excel as no one wants their son to be cannon fodder. Many are starting to question if the tests are actually a factor in selection or if it is actually social status of ones family.
"That fuckwit only scored a 70% on his final, gets to work as an engineer at a shipyard. Here I am, scoring an 86% and I have to learn to be a marine.. At least I'll have navy cover." -Old common saying in the marines. Originator unknown.
The Arnost navy has long stood gaurd against the various potential and real enemies of the Confederacy. The men and women serve valiantly against what would be the ultimate doom, a war that would lead to the destruction of what is known. Men and women slaughtered, Children thrown off of bridges in to shallow waters. There can be no step back and these forces are what the nation counts on to make that come to fruition. When the drafting age is reached, most desire to join the navy, even though it is common knowledge that the navy is often the first to engage an enemy most see the metal coffin as a sort of barrier against the would be enemies of the Confederacy.
The standard navy operates a disk design that has a centralized internal structure. There are no visible engine ports as they use a gravity drive, giving it excellent maneuverability. Most are atmospheric capable. The weapon systems are a barrage of linear graviton projectors, also known as gravity cannons/beam arrays mounted in large, wide angle dome like structures around the hull and smart torpedo munitions that are shot out of short magnetic accelerators at various points around the saucer. The disk will literally spin so all weapons can be brought to bear against a target in a very short amount of time. They are well armored with Neutronium ablative plates and are further bolster by having extremely sloped armor with high alongside powered directional energy shielding. There are no manned strike craft in the navy arsenal as small fighters have always been a low mortality position in space warfare. Drones have replaced them entirely as it is easier to produce and cheaper than conventional fighters. All ships contain a drone hangar of some capacity.
Most know that the sight of the navy is usually a prelude to a major operation as the navy never assembles for no reason. They use mixed forces and tactics to maximum effect.
The men and women of the marines are some of the most elite forces currently fielded. When people think navy, they think ships in orbit. When they think army, they think tanks in the distance, when they think marines.. drop pods, loud thunderous gunships and more munitions than whats really necessary for the mission.
In reality, the marines are indeed an elite bunch that fill a crucial role, rapid response and first strike. Their weaponry is cutting edge and in conjunction with orbital and aerial support, can be a true contender on the battlefield. Even without navy assistance, these soldiers are trained harder than any other branch in the nation.
One thing is known and it is a real blow to marines self esteem, is the phrase, "anyone with a score low enough can join the marines." even considering many veterans and government players alike recognizing their dominance over the army in the many mock battles and in some cases, actual deployments.
As a polar opposite of the army, marine forces are geared for light weight and rapid movement. Their weapons reflect this in every manner possible, shown are common weapon systems employed,
A 22ft tall monster that acts as a heavy weapons platform. It carries a mission-specific loadout and makes up the bulk of marine armor.
These gunships are iconic of the marines and are extremely over used. They started as a simple light cargo transport then to a medivac. After successfully operating as a medivac, it was uparmored and was able to ferry troops in to direct combat. Later, variants were loaded with light cannons to operate as a gunship.. then came the anti-tank missiles and rocket pods.. and even larger thrusters added and anti-aircraft missiles came about. The modern version is an all-purpose battle unit that can carry full squads in to combat and then linger in the area, attacking ground forces and harassing enemy aircraft if not outright engaging them in head on combat.
These brave men and women make up the bulk of the armed forces. By number, they make up roughly 54% of the total military population. They are positioned around the nation, on every planet, and on every colony. The weapons used by the army aren't the most advanced nor the most powerful but they are very highly reliable. For such a large and wide spread force, requires powerful yet simple weapons that will function in every environment possible. The other trick is that with the diverse racial make up, weapons would have to be uniform but able to be tailored to any member race.
Shown here is the typical weapon system carried by army personnel, the variant shown below is the Human pattern. This weapon known as the Mar-17 is a common, easy to use and excessively durable pulse energy weapon that is cheap and is one of the most produced personal weapons in existence. PMC's have used this weapon throughout its life of over sixty years and is still going strong. Various upgrades have been done from enhanced building materials and sights but the core rifle has never changed and still remains a powerful contender on todays battlefields against the far more advanced weaponry fielded by some other nations.
Its "magazine" is a fourty pulse energy battery. It recharges faster when not attached to the weapon so most soldiers will carry two or three of these to use during combat. The batteries are cheap to produce and easy to use via a simple plug and clip method that takes an average soldier less than fifteen seconds to do.
Aside from that weapon is a diverse array of heavily military hardware and drones.
Attack drone
A simple hover drone mounting a single high powered laser beam. It is used by ground forces as a harasser and vehicle protector. It carries a forward shield and light armor. They are mass produced and due to simplicity, see action in every battlefield. It is nearly true that for every three marines, there is a attack drone.
Spotter drone
These are designed to operate on the battlefield as target identifiers for armored vehicles, be it tanks or long range artillery. They have a high altitude ability but will often operate alongside troops. It is pretty small and carries no shield and paper armor but its abilities to designate targets and its cheap cost more than outweighs its lack of strength.
Mech drone
These are light ground drones. They use heavy armor for their size but only a light deflector shield. They mainly operate as a squad support weapon and its ability to crouch to take cover gives it a good defensive option. It is the only non flying drone that the confederacy fields.
Combat mech
The primary attack vehicle that has nearly replaced the surface tank is this versatile mech. This is decently armored and shielded but its true asset is its high maneuverability and powerful weapon system. Geared to fight nearly anything it encounters and is always supported by spotter and attack drones, it can devastate squads of soldiers or even go head on against enemy armored vehicles.
Assault mech
This walker carries the strongest energy and kinetic weapons that the ground forces use. highly advanced anti-air and tank weapons along side attack and spotter drones make this a true threat on the battlefield. It has heavy, sloped armor and a duel high end directional shield emitter. This is designed to replace tanks on the battlefield.
Main battle tank
Though being phased out by the Assault mech, this still serves a purpose on the battlefield. It carries a powerful cannon and sloped armor, giving it the offensive punch needed during a battle.
'Lobber' Artillery walker There are multiple types of artillery, from the simple trench mortars to the artillery mech. This particular model is most widely used aside from squad mortars and light field guns. This has a large cannon that fires stabilized smart munitions that can adjust its angle to give it the best chance of hitting its target en route. the high explosive rounds usually explode a few feet above the target to give it a showering effect, to better kill infantry. The vehicle has to be stationary to fire but always operates well behind the front lines. It makes heavy use of the spotter drones but can fire the conventional way, with map coordinates if need be.
Government Type:Republic Capital System/World: Andes-XX3Y
Inti "New Home"
Dominant Species:Human (Quechuas and Aymaras from Andine Line in Earth) Other Species:
The Humans we all know them very good so no need for extra things
the Chautls are a the original inhabitans of Inti,they were in a era which is comparable to our XXI century,they dont have eyes instead they have sensors in the head wich let them make a image of their surroundings so acurate that they could find a 0,5 inch insect .They are intelligent as a human and have similar emotions , except that they are more for capable of politics and combat than us , they have religion , states , organizations , etc . As i say very similar.
Humans :50% Chautls:50% Leadership:President Capalt Alaya Persons of Importance: -Representative of Humans Kalatert -Representative of Chautls Puzkl´at -Military Chief Guaman Kurquo -Embassador in chief Tuhart
The Military is highly organizated in the old ways , the primary weapons are the Railguns which are being improved every year , the second weapons are the Missiles and Torpedos, shields are used but mayorly high quality allows are used as firts method of protection , there are 5 typers of spaceships, in the ground the tanks , Tactical Airships and Some CAS is used , Exo-Armors in high numbers. Capital Cruiser Class Andes.-Have 2 Decks of Fighters and Bombers , Weapons in all angles possible , Nuclear warheads , Shields , High Density allows , 4x4 engines .Mayorly used as the protector of the Inti "New Home" planet , never used in combat Cruiser.-Class Colla and Class Huanuco Destroyer .- Class Mama qucha Explorer Ships.-Class Parki Tactical Airships.-Class Tayta Fighters .-Class Quyllur
History:The Andine People of Earth decided to search a new home long ago , they wanted to maintain their ideals and manners in a planet for themself ."We will remember our Home planet our homes but now this planet its no more our home" Speech-2180 A.D , Cusco.The depart was difficult since they will have to have transport with them millions of people but it was possible and they thanks to the combined money of the people .They leaved in the 2180 A.D and started their travel.The fijated sistem was Andes-XX3Y , after 10 years of travel they get in Andes-XX3Y , and decided to colonize a planet which they renamed Inti "New Home",but something was there they didnt know what was waiting for them. There was a sentient specie ,a new sentient specie that was waiting for them , when they was near of the planet , the radio receptors started catching strange sounds , and then the captain of the fleet see the satellites , artificial sattellites , they were not even similar to ours satellites , at first the leaders and captains didnt know what to do , the could enter the planet and change completely a Civilization , they decided their only option ,enter the planet for what they come for get a new planet .For the Chautls its was amazing for the humans strange , relations between them started , the colonist started making cities in the planet in designated zones by the representatives of the Chautls , The Chautls and the Humans started to be co-neighboors in the planet . Before it was strange to see a Chautls near a human city and viceversa, now is more than common because of the fusion of both cultures , this was arranged by the Chautls and Human leaders . Humans shared everything they got and answered all the questions , why the come , what maked them leave , etc .The Cautls did the same , it was a pacific colonization .Then Chautls-Human Science Projects started and began the production of space centers and ships mostly bassed in human desings. This is how The Confederation Started
[Part I] In 2282, Charon, the first seedship, departs from Earth for the distant star system of Epsilon Eridani. The ship carries no human crew and is equipped with an experimental “FTL” system. Using nuclear thermal rocket engines, it achieves stellar escape velocity, and activates FTL. Charon vanishes, never to be seen again. With no sign of survival and no return signal, humanity assumes the ship lost, and abandons the poorly understood technology in favor of more dependable stellar engines. But Charon was not destroyed, merely lost. Phase shifted out of the Earth’s reference frame, it drifts on through space. Charon retains its initial velocity, but time becomes a complex quantity, endlessly oscillating. Eventually, as thousands of subjective years pass, Charon’s reactors go dormant, awaiting a gravitational signature before they awaken. The ship enters the Epsilon Eridani system, and nothing happens. A malfunction perhaps, or a slight miscalculation in trajectory. The ship drifts on, blind and lifeless, through the void between spaces. Hundreds of thousands of years pass within, and finally, Charon detects a gravity well. It emerges from the complex plane at the edge of a planet’s atmosphere, approaching at a velocity of more than seventy kilometers per second. Automation scarcely resumes before Charon enters the atmosphere. The machine minds on board react instantly, igniting the reactors and torching the planet with nuclear fire in a frantic attempt to save the ship. They succeed partially, regaining control just long enough to jettison colony pods. Charon tumbles, hull warping in the heat, struts buckling. It is torn in half by the atmosphere, and crash-lands near the now-radioactive North Pole. But the colony pods survive, mostly intact, to land at various parts of the globe. Their feeble artificial intelligences, damaged as they are from the sudden landing, begin the cloning process. And within a few short years, the first humans walk the hills of Asphodel. The machines raise the first generation, teaching them of the great classical philosophers and mythology, but nothing else. Damaged as they are, their memory banks contain no other information. The machines tell humanity that this is the afterlife, that the Ferryman Charon brought them to Asphodel as a final resting place. Civilization rises in the East, and the great Empire of Ghazele grows to encompass the largest continent. The humans of Asphodel, drawn from the best genetic stock and modified to suit their environment quickly give rise to a society analogous to Earth’s Rome. Science and philosophy flourish. As they stare up into the skies beyond in wonder, as all humans inevitably do, they see nothing. No stars—only a sun and distant worlds orbiting it. Based on their understanding of mathematics and a few fragments of information they extract from the machines, scientists of the time believe their solar system of Erebos to be the last surviving system in a post-heat death universe. All other stars gone dark, all worlds dead. Only Humanity, the last species in the universe, trapped in Hell.
[Part II] But Hell is good, for a time at least. The Empire of Ghazele explores the globe, encountering other fledgling civilizations which they exploit or cooperate with as it suits them. In time, they even explore the hazardous and radioactive North Pole, home to an unusual plant called Taiben and tribes that are dependent upon it for sustenance. Taiben is addictive and possesses numerous beneficial properties, essentially acting as both an anagathic and a steroid. Naturally, the Ghazele explorers brought Taiben back to the empire, where it flourished. They eventually concocted a much more potent drug from the plant, and returned to the north to exploit the local tribes. The savages took to the drug a bit too well, slaughtered the expedition and began to migrate south in search of more. Refined Taiben, in addition to being a tremendously powerful steroid, degrades mental functions and increases aggression. And so, when the uncivilized barbarians met with Ghazele’s well-trained armies, the barbarians won. They ravaged Ghazele, moving steadily south, laying waste to the cradle of civilization. The “war” raged for three thousand years. It was as if the barbarian hordes of Europe had destroyed Rome, then returned again every year to destroy it again, forever.
[Part III] Technology and science regressed and all hope was lost. But eventually, the surviving Ghazele colonies and trading partners regained their footing and resisted the Taiben tribes, forming islands of stability in a war-ravaged world. Time passes, and the Greater Empire of Sanctus rises from the ruins. Sanctus begins the slow task of regaining territory lost to the barbarians. They conquer lands in the other continent, territories that will one day become the UCS and the Corporate Badlands. The Holy Sañira Protectorate rises, well protected from the Taiben by mountainous areas along its border. Sanctus eventually becomes strong enough to challenge the complacent Taiben, who had been content to ravage the Ghazele heartland. But when Sanctus calls upon its reclaimed territories for support, the new isolationist regime of Sañira refuses, sparking a series of border conflicts between the two former friends. A surge in Taiben aggression and the conflict with Sañira force Sanctus to abandon its colonies, withdrawing to the Eastern-most peninsula. Despite setbacks, technology improves, and firearms start to become commonplace. Civilized armies finally gain the upper hand, beating back the Taiben incursions. For almost forty years, life is comfortable. And then the Taiben begin to manufacture their own rifles. They launch global raids against all countries they can reach, collectively known as the Grand Raid. The Grand Raid is only held back in the advanced nations by advantages granted by the newly developed steam power and electric communications.
[Part IV] With the advent of the industrial age, the nations of the world unite against the Taiben, invading the Taiben’s mountainous homeland. Massive advancement in technology allows the Taiben tribal forces to be crushed, but guerrilla tactics, theft of supplies and ambient radiation makes occupation costly. The alliance is eventually forced to retreat, but not before first using atomic weapons—manufactured in the Corporate Badlands by Ingle’s Corp, deployed by Sanctus. The Taiben homeland is devastated, irradiated forever, entire mountain ranges reduced to slag. But the Taiben live on. A new world power rises—a single man. Geoff Ingle is the primary nuclear arms dealer for the entire world. He sells to all first-world nations, creating a cold war in the aftermath of the Taiben bombing. The atomic age is beginning—and soon, humanity will aspire to rule their tiny dark system—to harvest its wealth, and thus somehow survive the heat death that has befallen every other system. But truth is stranger than fiction—even this fiction of a dead race, cast down by the gods, trapped in hell, surrounded by a desolate universe. Charon’s arrival at Asphodel predates human civilization on Earth. It traveled in the spaces between stars for four hundred thousand years, and yet when it arrives at Asphodel, it arrives five thousand years before it left, crewed only by mad machines. Hidden within their dark nebula, humanity’s offspring will soon be their equals. It is 4390 years after the founding of the Ghazele Empire, thirty years before first contact.
[Part V] The Von Braun, first interstellar Asphodelian ship, begins its four-year mission to journey into the dark nebula, to discover more about the universe beyond Erebos. The voyage goes uneventfully, until the ship emerges from the nebula and the Asphodelians aboard--who expected a universe, inhabited by nothing more than dust and black holes-- glimpse the stars for the very first time. In its haste to alert Asphodel of its discovery, the Von Braun turns around and fires its atomic engines to return--and in doing so, shines a nuclear spotlight against the black of Tartarus, alerting every alien species within twenty light-years to the location of Erebos. Von Braun scarcely has time to return to Asphodel before aliens arrive--a surveying fleet of insectoids who view Asphodel as an ideal world to terraform. Immediately, they destroy what little orbital infrastructure Asphodel has, land troops in the Ghazele wastes and lay siege to the planet. The aliens use Asphodel's ice moon Mnemosyne as a base of operations as they begin to bomb Asphodel's cities. Asphodel retaliates with a number of Bessel-class corvettes scattered on its moons, and although they have some success in disrupting the aliens, the Asphodelian ships are cut off from reinforcements--any ship launched from the planet is destroyed by laser fire before it can reach orbit. Unable to fight back effectively against the biomechanical horrors unleashed by the alien landing forces, Sañira and Sanctus deploy nuclear weapons over the Ghazele wastes, turning almost a third of Asphodel's landmass to glass and kicking up millions of tons of radioactive ash. After over five years of vicious fighting, Asphodel finally manages to get warships into orbit, at great expense. Ulam battlecruisers--protected by vast heatshields--prove almost immune to hostile laser fire and manage to reach orbit, where they crush the alien fleet. As Asphodel burns below, they shatter its moon, Mnemosyne, exterminating the last of the alien expedition.
It is six years after the First Contact War, and the Atomists of Asphodel have unlocked the secrets of superluminal travel. The Saint Ulam battlecruiser God and Heinlein hurtles toward Erebos, for the first Long Jump test of the Sundiver. Fleets assemble in orbit of Elysium, preparing for war with a thousand imagined enemies. Von Neumann's final legacy--strange, spider-like machines stride across the dark side of Kronos, replicating as they go.
[Ghazele Wastes] Once the cradle of civilization, Ghazele’s former empire has been utterly obliterated by the Taiben, long before the aliens arrived. During the First Contact War, Ghazele was the main beachhead for alien invasion--when Sañira and Sanctus were unable to win the land war, they cut their losses and deployed nukes, replacing Ghazele's swamps and jungles with glass. Since the war, aerospace companies have been moving infrastructure into Ghazele--testing nuclear weapons and engines in a nuclear wasteland carries little additional risk. [Kingdom of Sanctus] This waning superpower has gradually adopted a more and more isolationist stance in the wake of the Taiben occupation. Sanctus occupies a wiry, elongated peninsula, lined with fiords and small island chains. Before the great raid, they were a center for great trade, but for the past hundred years they've adopted an isolationist stance, and being bordered by a nuclear wasteland hasn't changed anything. Sanctus tends to be cold and wet, with ever-present fog shrouding its well-defended cities. Sanctus manufactures the vast majority of computer and electronic equipment on Asphodel. [Sañira] Nestled between three mountain ranges, this police-state has endured Taiben raids for almost a thousand years. Now, with their ancient enemy diminished, Sañiran officials struggle to invent new foes to keep their people in line. Sañira boasts the most powerful army, and is an industrial power only outmatched by the UCS. Sañiran climate is moderately dry, and they've had horrible problems with nuclear fallout following the glassing of Ghazele. [Swehteir] Protected from the Taiben by Sanira and the vast oceans, Swehteir is possibly the most well-protected nation from the Taiben. Swehteir’s climate is among the most mild on Asphodel. It boasts the best living conditions. [Corporate Badlands] Initially a coalition of mining cartels formed after the withdrawal of Sanctus, this region is now a vast, industrial wasteland. With no central government, each corporation is a nation onto itself. The water is unsafe to drink and toxic waste is often dumped into the great northernmost river (nicknamed “the Small Stygian Marsh” by locals). Snipers on the roof of a shopping mall take potshots at employees at the car dealership just down the street. Because of this, it has one of the worst economies in the world, yet the highest profit margins. The Corporate Badlands is home to megacorporations like Ingle’s Corp and Makaron Metals. It is the second hottest and driest place on Asphodel (second only to the now-destroyed Ghazele)—temperatures reaching as high as 40ºC during the summer. [Ji-leh] With its safest harbors rocky—almost mountainous, Ji-leh might initially seem a horrible base for a trade empire. But those dangerous harbors provide protection from Taiben rafts—and on Asphodel, immunity to the Taiben is far more important than any inconvenience. Historically a mixture of monastery and marketplace, Ji-leh is now the wealthiest nation, per capita, on the planet. The climate is temperate, cold and mountainous. [Ingle’s Land] A cold, mostly empty island purchased by Geoff Ingle, who uses it mostly as a vacation home. It is home to a number of refugees, who are either ignored or used as target practice. [United Coalition of States] Once a collection of warring, Balkanized city-states, the UCS has grown tamer with time. With the advent of the Industrial Age, and its proximity to the Corporate Badlands, it has become a manufacturing superpower, supplying the entire alliance during the Taiben war and occupation. The UCS currently possesses the most well-developed space program, and is in the process of launching the first satellites. UCS’s climate is temperate and varied. [Conglomeration for Mutual Welfare] A collection of states favoring socialist policies seceded from the UCS after heated debates concerning universal heathcare and welfare. Within a single year, CWM unemployment numbers hit 38%. The CWM requested to return to the UCS. The UCS refused. Things have gone downhill since. In recent years, economic collapse and mass starvation has practically destroyed CMW as a nation. CMW is heavily urban, with a mild climate. [Global Governing Body] An island chain, owned by what remains of the global government. Today, it holds little power outside of investments. The climate is humid and cold, fog often blanketing its cities. [Taiben] The word Taiben is synonymous with the barbarian tribes of the north, the plant with steroid-like qualities they are so fond of, and the land they call home. Much of Taiben is tundra or mountains, and it sports an unusually large number of caves and hotsprings heated by a natural fission reactor beneath the planet’s crust. The area was radioactive before the alliance nuked it—now it’s a wasteland. Many Taiben survived, but they are mostly disorganized. During the First Contact War, the Taiben were the only group to defeat the aliens on the land, and then only with heavy casualties. There now exists an uneasy truce between the Taiben tribes and the nations of Asphodel--there is even talk of allowing Taiben to serve in Asphodel's new military. [Zeeland and Strelia] The islands of Zeeland and Strelia are an oddity amongst the nations of Asphodel, as the isolation of the ocean protected them from the worst of Taiben raids. A Ghazele colony, Strelia developed into an urban center, while the larger island of Zeeland was largely agricultural, feeding the populace of it's sister island. Protected as they were from the worst of the outside world, though maintaining trade with the other civilized nations, Strelia developed into a cosmopolitan hub of learning and art. This all changed when, just over eighty years ago, massive, terrifying creatures swarmed over Strelia, aggressively attacking its people, and digging nests. It's still unclear whether this event was some kind of natural migration event, or if it was somehow triggered by man, intentionally or otherwise. Whatever the case, the once beautiful cities of Strelia are now home to the most deadly animals on the planet. The survivors evacuated to Zeeland, where they have managed to reconstruct much of what they lost, but artifacts of great value still remain on the abandoned island. Many would-be treasure hunters and fortune seekers make their way over, hoping to recover items to sell. [Flats of Light] It isn’t called the Flats of Light because of any inherent goodness or hope-like quality. It’s called the Flats of Light because it’s really fucking bright. Cloudless skies, ozone holes and reflective salt flats result in blinding and harmful rays. Those few who call the Flats of Light home wear protective goggles when outside or risk blindness. [The White Sands] Further south of the Flats of Light lies the White Sands—perhaps the strangest place on the planet. The White Sands, so named because one cannot tell the sand from the snow, is home to crazy, intoxicated “Rooskees” who roam this desolate land in dune buggies. Not a drop a water has fallen over The White Sands in recorded history, nor has any of the snow melted. Snow falls over the sandstone mountains to the West, where it is carried inland on strong winds—along with a healthy amount of sand, ripped from the sandstone. [The Glorious South] Those who travel further south than the Flats of Light are generally considered insane. The Glorious South is the most inhospitable place in all of Asphodel. Temperatures remain cold enough to freeze a man in his tracks, and yet there still remain mad survivalists who live here, eking out a bleak existence in the ice.
[Erebos] Erebos, a small yellow star, surrounded by seven planets. To those within the system of Erebos, other stars are not visible—hidden from view by the cold nebula that surrounds the system. [Kronos] A tiny, scorched world, extremely close to Erebos. Kronos has an eccentric orbit, and is suspected to have a high metal content. Kronos is the new frontier--for the past two years, Saint Ulam battlecruisers have been towing mining equipment and factories to Kronos, to harvest its considerable heavy metal and fissile materials. [Stygia] Commonly called the Stygian Marsh, Stygia is a runaway greenhouse planet with similarities to Venus. It has greater gravity than Asphodel and a much thicker atmosphere. [Phlegethon] Moon of Stygia, Phlegethon is little more than a captured asteroid. [Asphodel] Asphodel is similar to Earth, but markedly less hospitable. A thinner atmosphere and a weaker sun make it colder and more prone to extremes in temperature. [Akheron] First moon of Asphodel, Akheron rocky and cratered. Akheron is orbited by several dozen space stations, and is a major refueling depot. [Mnemosyne (Destroyed)] Mnemosyne was once a small ice moon in a distant orbit around Asphodel--during the First Contact War, the aliens used it as a primary staging area and refueling depot for their invasion of Asphodel, until Ulam battlecruisers shattered the moon with nuclear weapons. [Hekate] A cold, red, low-gravity world with a thin methane atmosphere. [Avernos] Hekate’s only moon is tidally locked. [Lethe] A small, dead world with considerable uranium reserves. [Scylla] The only gas giant in the Erebos system, Scylla has a considerable host of moons. [Elysion] Despite being much further from the sun, Elysion is arguably more habitable than Asphodel. Of comparable mass and size, its atmosphere is considerably thicker. Geothermal vents heat the moon, supplying enough heat to keep it warm year-round. While little life exists on land, Elysion’s oceans are teeming with life. Colonization efforts are now underway--more than a thousand Asphodelians live on the Elysion shores. [Kokytos] An ice world a fifth the size of Asphodel. It is covered in mining installations and refineries, and heavily protected. [Demos] Massive, of comparable size to Stygia. [Oneiroi] A captured asteroid with a very eccentric orbit. [Pol] Even smaller than Oneiroi, Pol is also a captured asteroid. [Taenarum] Furthest world in the Erebos system, Taenarum is covered in a layer of ice. Powerful radio-telescopes peer into the nebula beyond, searching for possible invaders. Several warships are also stationed here. [Notes on the Nebula] The cold, dark nebula that surrounds Erebos provides a very effective shield, blocking relativistic objects and most forms of FTL due to sheer density. Ships can pass through it normally at more reasonable speeds though. The nebula begins approximately 30 AU from the highest point in Taenarum’s orbit. Asphodelians have placed thousands of surveillance satellites within and outside of the nebula, in an attempt to detect approaching ships.
Economy: It's been six years since the end of the First Contact War, and Asphodel still has not shifted away from a total war economy. In order to launch the massive Ulam-class ships, the whole of Asphodel was remade into a vast aerospace factory, launching hundreds of millions of tons of rocket each year. Technology: The fourty-year ban on commercial nuclear power plants has finally been lifted (nuclear power is not considered as ecologically friendly as coal, as it does not promote global warming). Fission-fusion reactors power the next generation of spacecraft and true Von Neumanns infest the surface of Kronos. But while Asphodel possesses impressive engineering at fictional scale, none of the science is more advanced than what humanity possesses today--except the Sundiver. Climate: Cesium ash falls over The White Sands, indistinguishable from snow. Asphodel is of comparable size to Earth, boasts over nine billion people, and over a third of its landmass is a radioactive wasteland. Even at the best of times Asphodel was a more hostile world than Earth. Culture: Asphodel is markedly more conservative socially than other human empires across the galaxy. Still, in most nations there is no legal distinction between men and women. Government: Bureacracy thrives in times of peace and disolves in war--and with minor exception, Asphodel has known nothing but war. The short-lived Global Governing Body has been replaced by an informal coalition of leaders (who behave remarkably well for people who had been at each other's throats just a decade previous). Still, the peace is tenuous--without a common enemy the various nations of Asphodel will inevitably turn against one another once again.
Sorry about the double post--I'll just use the second one for spaceships.
The Sundiver is, in short, the galaxy’s most useless time machine. It is similar to the Alcubierre drive in that it requires the creation of a “warp bubble”, but the Sundiver’s requirements for activation are considerably easier (and more dangerous) to fulfil. A spacecraft (hereafter referred to as “the ship”) activating the Sundiver’s warp bubble does not require exotic matter like the Alcubierre. Instead, the bubble can only be formed while the ship is subject to a very steep gravitational gradient, such as that found within a star’s chromosphere or near a black hole (oddly, the black hole is a safer approach here). When the ship Sundives, its velocity does not change, nor does it suddenly arrive at its destination. From a perspective within the warp bubble, the outside universe, save for gravity is completely undetectable but otherwise nothing has changed. Externally, on activation, the ship vanishes in a flash of gamma radiation. Any attempts to detect or interact with the ship fail (save for gravitational disturbance, covered below). While the ship’s absolute timeframe has not changed, it has gained a complex steady-state term, as though multiplied by an imaginary exponential
αt*e^(iφ)
Thus, the ship is not travelling forward in time at the rate of 1 second every (external) second, but at a changing complex rate. It will travel forward in time, up in time, down in time, and back in time many times over the course of its journey. The crew (and the spacecraft) will spend just as much time in transit (potentially thousands of years) as they would if they had not activated the Sundiver, but externally the ship would appear at its destination moments after Sundiving. If altered or subjected to significant trauma (engine exhaust) while in operation, the warp bubble will collapse asymmetrically and violently spaghettify the spacecraft across several hundred years. In fact, the warp bubble cannot be safely deactivated from within. Only when encountering a gravitational gradient separate from the one used to Sundive can the warp bubble be collapsed safely. The requirements for this are significantly more reasonable—the ship could emerge very close to a gas giant or within an Earth-sized planet’s atmosphere. While within the warp bubble the external universe is, for the most part, unobservable—an indistinct blur of colors which don’t seem to have any connection with the normal universe. Prolonged exposure will drive any sapient species mad (in an Event Horizon fashion), but cryo-sleep can counteract this.
Warships
Articulated robotic atomic spacecraft (Corvette) 36.3 x 19.5 x 14.1 meters Neumann Pneumatic's flagship design, mass produced before and during the First Contact War. Bessel is extremely well armored for its size, presenting over 430 mm of spaced, sloped tungsten-carbide armor to the fore. It is almost impervious to explosive damage and kinetic projectiles. While small and lightly armed, Bessel has been by far the most cost effective design to date. It is launched by SSTO.
1100 tons displacement Crew of 3 (pilot, engineer, reactor technician)
Despite its weight, powerful SAS and RCS systems coupled with gimbaled engines on robotic mounts give Bessel unmatched manuverability and VTOL landing capabilities. 16 meganewtons AT 31 km/s T/W of 1.47 Total dV: 15 km/s
Earlier versions of Bessel had to contend with low thrust and abysmal dV, restricting their use to Akheron, Mnemosyne and the moons of Scylla. Replacing the NERVA engines with open-core molten plutonium engines helps turn Bessel into a more well-rounded fighting machine. This refitted version of Bessel also is equipped with the highest end computer systems on Asphodel: a state of the art Ming microprocessor from Sanctus, which operates at a whopping 1.44 MHz.
Armament: (Fore) 2 x2 76mm Armor-Piercing Nuclear Submunitions (1 kiloton yield), can also fire flak.
Engines double as low-output thermal reactors; backup battery and radioisotope power systems. Double spaced armor ranging from 430 mm to 180 mm tungsten carbide No FTL capabilities Full ISRU refinery system
Three hundred and seventy-four Bessel ships are still in use (most are retrofits). More than seven hundred ships were produced and launched before the end of the First Contact War.
Rapid-launch laser platform (Corvette) 48 x 15.9 x 15.9 meters
Serber is a laser platform designed toward the end of the First Contact War, intended to replace the obscenely expensive Ulam battlecruiser.
650 tons displacement Crew of 2 (optical technician and reactor technician)
Serber uses four open-core molten plutonium atomic motors, similar to Bessel's but less powerful. Propellant flow can be adjusted to optimize exhaust velocity (high gear) or thrust (low gear). Even with atomic engines, Serber does not have enough fuel for both interplanetary travel and manuvering in combat when it arrives. It requires support of larger ships or fuel tugs to be effective. 7 meganewtons AT 27 km/s (high gear) T/W of 1.1 (low gear) Total dV: 9 km/s (high gear)
Armament: (Fore) 1 1.75 GW laser cannon (1.8 m aperture, 58% effeciency, microwave to near infrared)
1 Optical Atomics "Model 7" fission reactor (4.8 GW output) with backup radioisotope generators and battery systems. 2.2 meters of frontal conductive armor (refractory tungsten carbide) No FTL While Serber has impressive heatsinks for its size, it has few radiators and must rely on venting liquid lithium or reaction mass to operate its reactor or fire the laser. Serber's heatshield reflects 60% of gamma and x-ray spectrums and can absorb microwave to near infrared spectrum to boost its own laser or engines.
Only 5 Serbers are still in service (left in orbit of Asphodel). A couple dozen are kept in reserve, ready to launch, but the design is very cheap to produce and launch.
Rapid-deployment battlecruiser (Battlecruiser) 357.6 x 226.8 x 226.8 meters
Before first contact, Optical Atomics was comissioned to construct twenty-nine additional Von Braun exploration ships, with which to explore the newly discovered universe beyond the veil. When the first contact war begun, Asphodel was nearly defenseless--any ship launched was destroyed by lasers before it could reach orbit. Trippling the number of engines on the Von Braun and attaching a prototype heatshield intended for Project Icarus transformed the exploration ship into a nearly indestructible warship. Ironically, the ship's namesake is anything but a saint--Stanislav Ulam helped develop the atomic bomb, and is single-handidly responsible for several of the worst nuclear disasters to befall pre-FCW Asphodel. 1,600,000 tons displacement Crew of 112 (mostly reactor technicians)
Six Optical Atomics gas-core plutonium engines drive Ulam--and they can be vectored by up to 30º, giving it decent manuverability in combat. 15.8 giganewtons AT 60.8 km/s T/W of 1 Total dV: 47 km/s
Armament: (Fore) 1 145 GW laser cannon (7.2 m aperture, 58% effeciency, microwave to near infrared) (Sides) 2 2400mm Gattling Defense Systems (2.4 kiloton warheads, ferro-flak or tungsten ball-bearing canisters fired at 8 km/s, fires 5000 rounds/minute) 68 laser-driven drones carrying 15 megaton warheads (individual dV ~15 km/s when boosted by 1 Ulam)
1 Optical Atomics "Aegletes" pulse fission reactor (400 GW usable thermal power) 24 meters (average) of frontal conductive armor (refractory tungsten carbide). Deflects 60% of x-rays and gamma-rays. Bubbles of ferro-ablation fluid can liquify and be spread across heatshield to act as ablative armor. Ulam can absorb microwave to near infrared light to boost its own laser or engine systems. The heatshield itself acts as a giant radiator and, when combined with active cooling systems allow Ulam to dissipate almost two terrawatts of waste heat. The "Saint" retrofit adds a powerful electromagnet system to the heatshield, which, when driven by the Aegletes reactor, can produce an electromagnetic deflection field. Additionally, retrofitted Ulams are equipped with the Sundiver FTL system--their heatshields and radiator systems make them very depentable, if inflexible, Sundivers.
Of the twenty-nine Ulams produced during the First Contact War, seventeen of them survive and are still in service. Eleven of the twelve destroyed during the war were shot down before reaching orbit.
The Sundiver (Titan) 453.6 x 309.6 x 309.6 meters
Built immediately following the First Contact War, Icarus was initially designed to test the Sundiver FTL system. It is fully capable of diving into a star and not only surviving, but operating within a star's chromosphere for months at a time.
2,000,000 tons displacement Crew of 256 (very rarely does Icarus operate with a full crew--even Asphodelians are hesistant to serve aboard a giant radiation kaleidoscope).
Icarus uses an impulsive confinement fusion engine based on alien technology. It emits considerable amounts of lethal radiation. 43.2 meganewtons at 341 km/s T/W of 2.2 Total dV: 59.5 km/s
Armament: 4000 thermonuclear warheads (average yield of 1 megaton). (Fore) 1 16 TW graser cannon (11 m aperture, gamma spectrum, 11% effeciency) Icarus detonates a 1 megaton fusion bomb directly against the heatshield, transfering gamma- and x-ray radiation through the hull via bremsstrahlung, where it is converted into a coherent gamma-ray beam via a lithium-tantalum lattice (total efficiency of 0.385% bomb-to-laser).
1 Fermi-Teller prototype fusion reactor (operating at a reduced output of 130 GW) 6 "Model 1C" fission reactors (60 MW output)
Icarus' heatshield is composed of nanoscale sheets of carbon and tungsten, and it can alter their composition to reflect any spectrum of light (between 90-60% efficiency; higher spectrums are less efficient). Each hexagonal shell on the heatshield can be used as a microwave laser (typically ~50 GW, but shorter range than normal) Icarus has an incredibly impressive heatsink array, capable of dissipating almost 50 terrawatts of waste heat (less than 20 TW when radiators are retracted). Icarus is outfitted with a Sundiver FTL system, and is ideally designed to make use of it--between an aft-facing heatshield and powerful radiator systems, it can survive even the most dangerous dives.
Form of Government: Empire influenced by Meritocracy Head of Nation: Emperor Victus Thralgaren National Anthem: Kazukhan
Home System: Krieg System Home Planet: Tyr'grande Capital City: Iagos Imperium Population: 90% Harlacians, 4% Hannosai, 5.9% Dregorans, 0.1% Provians
Dominant Species: Harlacs
Demonym: Harlacian, Harlaci, Harlac, Harlacon.
A land based species native to the lands of Tyr'grande. Harlacians are almost human in appearance and anatomy. Their taller heights, elongated ears, natural muscular physique, bone appendages, and grotesque skins, are the features that differentiates them from Humans. Their skin are greyish in color and doesn't cover the entirety of their bodies, leaving gaps and crevices that exposes their muscles. Though it might appear painful, these parts are actually covered by a very thin layer of keratin which gives minimal protection to the muscles against dust or other particles. The bone appendages form mostly around their chest area, arms, and legs, giving them natural body protection but slower movements.
Unlike other species, Harlacians look after their own race more than anything else. They seek improvement in life not for personal reasons, but for their race as a whole. They are extremely territorial, especially when it comes to personal space. They are peaceful by nature, but sees conflict as a venue for testing might and honor.
Through several generations, the Harlacians developed a strong sense of social servitude and discipline. They also have a strong sense of loyalty, making them bound on whatever cause they follow. They are known for their exceptional skill with range weaponry, which was honed from slingshots to gauss rifles.
An average Harlacian lifespan reaches from 250 - 300 years, making the enforcement of population control essential in the Imperium.
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Sub-Species:
Hannost
Demonym: Hannost, Hannoth, Hannosti, Hannosai.
Originally from an uncharted part of the galaxy, this species found refuge on the deep oceans of Tyr'grande, and paved way for the further advancement of the Harlacs. They are tall, blue skinned aliens that has a set of black colored eyes that can see color in the ultraviolet spectrum. Much like the Harlacians, they are also bipedal and have two sets of limbs (arms and legs). They have a unique regenerative body that could make them regrow dismembered limbs and age almost indefinitely. The Hannost's full control over their bodies allows them to end their lives at will.
They are highly intellectual and calm in nature. The Hannost were given the position of enriching the society of the Imperium, making most of the scholars, scientists, and traders of Hannost descent. The Hannost population mostly reside under the underwater depths of Imperium controlled planets, while maintaining an small overall population.
After the founding of the Harlaci Imperium, almost every Hannost records and data was lost, ridding any trace of Hannost history. They are very secretive when it comes to the history of their race, that only the line of Emperors and Hannost Elders are knowledgeable about the topic. Several technologies have been passed on to the Harlaci, though most of it are just a fraction of the technology the Hannost have attained.
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Dregoran
Demonym: Dregoric, Dregorian, Dregon
Dregorans are an amphibious reptile race with massive body structures that conducts electricity much like an eel. They were a non-spacefaring race that was rescued by the Hannost from their dying homeworld, before they settled in Tyr'grande. Dregorans were effectively absorbed within Hannost society and were treated as an equal. From that point on they owed their lives to the Hannost, and served as their military representatives. Dregorans on their own could not support their body in land due to their massive size, which is why when they are deployed on land, they wear power armors made by the Hannost. Dregoran armors appears different from each one, as each armor is ornamented with mementos or personal trinkets gained from battles they've taken part of. Usual armaments given to the Dregorans are energy weapons, since their electrical body further amplifies the firepower of their equipment.
An average lifespan of a Dregoran last up to 60 years.
Persons of Importance:
Emperor Victus Thralgaren
Military Triach Economy Triach Cultural Triach
Imperium Technology:
WIP
Mass Cloning Capabilities - The Hannost are well known for their mastery with handling biological matters, giving them the capability of creating, altering or copying a lifeform if given the opportunity to do so. Due to the undisturbed prosperity under the depths of Tyr'grande, the Hannost were able to make a scientific breakthrough, and create a mass cloning process which preserves the genes of the template even after strenuous use, without depleting the quality of the clone.
Hannosai Cloaking - Hannosai cloaking devices generated cloaking fields that completely absorbs all incoming sensor scans while shielding the host ship's emissions and reflected energy, thus rendering the ship invisible to both sensors and the naked eye. Panels used to apply cloaking on ships are resistant enough to maintain the field even after collision with space debris.
Mind Transfer -
Graviton Weaponry
Graviton Shielding/Plating
Magnetohydrodynamic Weaponry - A weapon which ejects a stream of molten metal at a fraction of the speed of light. Commonly used metals for the weapon are Palladium, Copper, Uranium, Iron, and Chromium.
Biomatter Replicator
Basic Nanotech
Drive Gates
Economic Overview:
WIP
Private militaries are sanctioned by the government due to several resource-rich planets containing hostile lifeforms. While those planets remain property of the Imperium, they allow corporations to harvest the resources; provided they can fend off the local fauna.
Cultural Overview
Language: Harlacians, Dregorans, and Hannosti in the present day Imperium use the language called Hatrachon for communication. Hatrachon was originally the language written and spoken by the Hannost, until it was taught to the primitive Harlacians. To learn Hatrachon, one must be aware of the proper intonations on similar words or the tenses, which sound almost the same to alien hearing. In time, Hatrachon became more complex as influences from foreign languages (Dregoran Taidaro) became part of the system.
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Culture and Society: In Harlacian culture, social norms and values are heavily influenced by the current status of the Imperium, as in Harlacian belief, norms and values should adapt to the collective status of all members of the society. One example of this would be the perception of sexuality in the Imperium. In the early history of the Harlacians, sexuality was looked upon with disgust and malice, but in the present day, sexuality is considered a form of art and even as an industry that is in competition with other businesses in the Imperium.
Health services and education are free in the Imperium as by the belief of the government, a healthy and educated society is a functional society. Entertainment often tackles subjects of sexuality, romance, science, and patriotism. Media in the Imperium can be considered a minor power in the nation, due to their several exemptions from law under the premise of bringing quality content to the citizenry. In reality, Media is manipulated by the Cultural Triach not to bring bad reputation to the Emperor or the Triumvirate, but other than those subjects, every content produced are unfiltered and real.
By traditional practice, citizens serve in the military as a societal duty. Due to the tradition being a national asset, a law was made to protect the interests of the citizens and the government. The law stated 20 to 50 years of servitude in the military for every Imperium citizen; with financial benefits included. The law was flexible in a sense since in rare cases, those who wished not to serve are given permission, in exchange for their service to the government through other means. Those who wanted to serve the military as a profession are given higher recognition in the society, better civil benefits, and were regarded as the Vanguards of the Imperium.
Harlacian culture demands the duty and full dedication of every Harlaci to the Imperium. The Vizar Dräcta or "Emperor's Call" was formed around this belief, as a directive by the government when national integrity is at risk. All Harlacians are bound to this order whether they are old or young, when the Emperor calls; all Harlacians must answer. In the entire Imperial history, this call of power was only used twice, and in both times, no Harlacian ignored the calling.
The overall perception of morality in the Harlaci imperium has changed through time, along with their appearances. They tend to bend whats acceptable to the society if they see it beneficial in their existence. They always seek whats the best for their nation as a whole, and always see alien ideology or culture as a threat to what they believe in. Although they can respect other's beliefs, they don't want other species shoving it to their faces.
Imperium citizens usually see treaties, agreements, pacts, oaths, and contracts as a symbol of trust. A Harlacian or Hannost that breaks a symbol of trust are known to be thrown as outcasts in the society, and called Magno Kai meaning "Oathbreakers" in Hatrachon. To gain back their reputation in the society, a Magno Kai must fulfill three oaths, one for the government and two for the society. Due to this practice, most Magno Kai's become mercenaries that fulfills the request of their clients, then eventually joining up with the military, to fulfill an oath from the government.
Religion: The Harlacs in their early days worshiped the being called Sy'keth, the keeper of Tyr'grande and savior or the Harlaci. Sy'keth is a massive serpentine creature that lives on the ocean depths of Tyr'grande; which according to legend, hunted the Harlaci-preying Ugarak from their coastal habitats. From that legend a religion formed on worshiping Sy'Keth, and was known as Syhaktra.
Worship of Sy'keth reached its peak when the existence of the serpentine creature was confirmed by scientists who were mapping the underwater tunnels of the planet. Sy'keth remained apathetic to the Imperium's presence underwater, while remaining hostile to aquatic wildlife. Since the discovery, festivities were held by the shoreline; along with plays imitating the hunt of Sy'keth. From time to time, Sy'keth would momentarily emerge from the watery depths during the celebration.
Military Overview:
War does not determine who is right, only who is left - Bertrand Russell
Through centuries of isolation from the rest of the galaxy, the Harlaci Imperium focused on heavily improving their military, making it a force to be reckoned with. The command over the military is divided between the Emperor and the Military Triach. During peacetime, command is evenly shared between the Emperor and the Triach, but during war, the Triach gains full command over the entire military branch, except for the Royal Army and Fleet.
Harlacian Galactic Forces:
"For the glory of the Imperium"
Argent Blade (Special operations force)
Imperial Centurion (Commanding Officers)
Imperial Tech Commando
Imperial Legionnaire
Imperial Guardsmen
Imperial Sentinel
Imperial Triarion
Armor Division
Harlaci Colossus Mech
Harlaci Chiron Battlesuit
Hannosai Stealth Battlesuit
Harlaci Triton Mech
Harlaci All Terrain Assault Crawler (HATAC)
Harlaci Bakuvach Tank
Harlaci Bakuvach Assault Troop Carrier
Harlaci Bakuvach Gunship
Harlaci Brutician Mech
Harlaci Mobile Artillery (HarMoa)
Harlaci Mobile Battle Fortress (HM-BAFOR)
"For the glory of the Imperium"
Harlaci Imperial Dreadnought - Acting flagships for the HGA fleets, these are the second largest ship (8km) in the whole navy of the Imperium. These ships are armed with two frontal Magnetohydrodynamic Cannons, twin-link particle batteries, gauss AA batteries, missile pods, mass driver turrets and laser point defense turrets. Dreadnoughts carries one frigate, along with several Fighter and Bomber squadrons. There's currently 12 ships of this class on service.
Harlaci Imperial Battle Cruiser - The backbone of the HGA, these ships specializes on the offensive and defensive aspects of naval warfare. These ships are armed with several long range and mid range weaponry. Battle cruisers are usually accompanied by four Destroyers, six Fighter squadrons and four Bomber squadrons.
Harlaci Imperial Destroyer - Taking the role of support vessel, these ships are commonly seen accompanying Battle Cruisers. When on strike duty, they lead groups of Frigates that circles around the battlefield or rushes deep within the enemy formations. A common armament of the destroyer is a Basilisk-class Particle battery, a weapon that bombards enemy positions accurately even in high speed encounters.
Harlaci Imperial Frigate - Frigates makes up the majority of the entire fighting force of the HGA, and are the most manufactured ships in Harlaci industry. Due to the ship's essential position in the the Imperium's navy, they are fitted with medium armor plating and the latest military weaponry. To compensate for the sluggish effect caused by the plating, an additional thruster engine is installed on every ship. They are commonly carrying a squadron of fighters and followed by two corvettes.
Harlaci Imperial Corvette - Hit hard and fast, that's the motto of every captain leading these corvettes. These ships are armed with Ion and Gauss weapons, but lacks on heavy plating the bigger ships have. They are capable of moving around the battlefield in high velocity, and are capable of disabling (even destroying) larger ships that aren't quick enough to even lock on them.
Harlaci Imperial Dropship - These ships have the capability of carrying 200 infantry units and 2 Armored vehicles directly into combat. Ships of this class only has four laser turrets and a missile counter device.
Harlaci Imperial Fighter
Harlaci Imperial Stealth Fighter
Harlaci Troop Carrier Frigate - Can hold 1/4 of an infantry division plus 2 Colossus Mechs. It is capable of boarding enemy ships.
Harlaci Imperial Transport - Basic transport ship. These usually carry over supplies, troops or ammunition from a station to a ship, or vice versa.
Tyrandian Stealth Cruiser
Auxiliare units are clones of various soldiers which are deemed "valuable assets" by the Imperium. The Auxilliare are commonly stored in massive cryo banks within military dedicated planets, until they are called into action. They are the front line soldiers
Auxilliare Pilots - Clones of the most well recognized pilots in the Harlacian military. These pilots can be expected to deliver the same skills as their dna donors.
Auxilliare Assault/Shock Troopers -
Auxilliare Recon Scouts -
Auxilliare Marines - These soldiers are most well trained combatants in the entire Auxilliare army. They are usually tasked on leading planetary invasions, ship boarding, and raids. The only non-clones in this military division are the commanding officials.
Auxilliare Guardsmen - Guardsmen coming from the Auxilliare acts as the systems militia and reinforcements to depleted regiments of the Assault troops. They are commonly assigned on guard, escort, and policing duties.
Auxilliare Seekers - Although the cloning process in the Imperium yields huge success, it can't be avoided that deformities will be present, via genes or external issues. When this happens, the clones affected are drafted into the Seeker division, which is responsible for providing field reconnaissance.
Auxilliare Frigate - Using the same frigate models from the HGA, these ships are used by the Auxilliare for most of its military operations in space.
Dregoran Templar
Dregoran Crusader
"We are the hand of the Emperor, the bane of his foes, and vanguard of his subjects."
The Vexilaria is an elite army of Harlacians dedicated to serve the Emperor and its bloodline. Members of the Vexilaria are selected from the infants that show superior genetic potential in the entire Imperium. They are further genetically implanted with genes that improves their body structure during growth and improving some of the functions necessary for their duty. They fight the secret battles of the Imperium, and are the last resort when other military divisions fail. Their existence is kept from the rest of the Imperium, which is why those who are deployed alongside them without proper military clearance, always undergo memory swipe or execution after the mission, just to keep them on operating in secrecy.
Imperia Vexilanus - Supreme commander of the Vexilarian forces. The position of Vexilanus is given to the Emperor's most trusted subject that shows exceptional military and tactical skills.
Government Type: The Initiative is best referred to as a single party dictatorship with the controlling party wielding complete authority and oversight of all government branches. While democracy is an often stated eventual goal the general prosperity of the nation compared to times past has made the one party system immensely popular.
Capital System/World: Socori System, Marsu Station
Dominant Species: Arcsoni Though clearly a life form similar to Humans in shape the Arcsoni have many subsurface differences. Foremost amongst these is the Ectothermal nature of the Arcsoni indicated by wing like structures that run from their necks to mid torsos. These structures, capable of being folded in, were used to bask in the sun on the barren plains from which the Arcsoni originated and while purpose built suits or environmental controls have eliminated the necessity of that action the structures are still a vital part of Arcsoni biology.
Also of note are the highly efficient Arcsoni lungs adapted for an environment with an oxygen content noticeably lower than that of most 'idea' standards planets. Capable of inhaling enormous quantities of air through two purpose adapted airways the Arcsoni are able to operate in very low oxygen environments so long as a low minimum can be reached.
Military: The AEI military is almost entirely composed of space forces and marines with limited ground capability as a result of both the entirely asteroid based home system of the AEI and experience gained from the Yusak wars. There are two distinct branches, the Space Navy and Naval Marines.
Naval Marines: The smaller cousin of the Space Navy the Naval Marines are responsible for ground attacks and ship security, a distinct branch most ships have a distinct NM ranking officer separate from their SN counterpart.
Infantry Support Walker (I.S.W.)The largest ground combatant used by the AEI the I.S.W. is a walker built around a single large Maser weapon used to defeat large enemy armour and fortificaitons.
Intra/Extra-Atmospheric Support Gunship (I/E.S.G.)Heavily armed for suppression of ground targets and long range engagement of air targets the I/E.S.G. is the primary military landing ship and close support vessel of the AEI.
Infantry Support Tank (I.S.T.)Seen as an older design but nevertheless a useful one the I.S.T. remains a major part of armoured combat.
Space Navy Based on new technology and still reconciling the tactics of the many nations that formed the AEI the Space Navy is rife with internal disputes. Still a focus on standardized equipment if nothing else has kept things from anything greater than a dispute among the admiralty.
Light Escort Ship (L.E.S.) x34 The main light combat and patrol ship of the AEI the L.E.S. prioritizes speed over all else and is only moderately armed. -450 Meters
Medium Attack Ship (M.A.S.) x23 Used to fill the mobility gaps left by the G.P.A.S. the M.A.S. is less armed but boasts immense acceleration for quick and powerful attacks. -880 Meters
General Purpose Attack Ship (G.P.A.S.) x12 An attempt to standardize capital ships into a single class the G.P.A.S. is armed to the teeth and serves as both a ship to ship combat specialist and an anti drone/fighter platform. -1860 Meters
Super Heavy Attack Ship (S.H.A.S.) x1 More a political statement than a true attempt to improve the military the S.H.A.S. is an enormous vessel that has for the past eight years served as the flagship of the Space Navy and as a symbol that the hardships of the past would never be allowed to recur. -2430 Meters
Experimental Minimized Profile Vessel (E.M.P.V.) x1 A recent innovation in cloaking technology has spawned this vessel, capable of removing its signature completely in optical and infra-red and minimizing it across all higher wavelengths.
History: Evolving on a near mirror to the Human home world of Earth the Arcsoni have had a long and often uneventful history. Where other species would wage wars in their early days it was a simple feat of geography that made this all but impossible for the Arcsoni. Originating on an island dominated by hot plains and centred in a vast ocean the Arcsoni were isolated and maintained a remarkably small population even after the dawn of agriculture and the rise of civilization. Indeed despite civilization arising nearly twenty eight thousand years ago the Arcsoni only underwent an industrial revolution some one or two thousand years past. This limited space and resources proved not only stifling to development but deeply unifying. Nations remained a foreign concept for the Arcsoni until colonies from the other continents began to demand independence, some centuries after their founding, and even then amicable relations and trade were a given.
The status quo was peace, and while violence was not unheard of war was a totally foreign concept to the Arcsoni until two hundred years ago. It was first during the great push to colonize the Arcsoni home systems other planets that discord reared its head. Innocent enough by any other races standards piracy amongst trade lanes by radical groups started tension that would initiate first true large scale violence in Arcsoni history. Nations in support of the pirates agendas funnelled money into their exploits while other more traditional states sought to end the violence, a conflict that would culminate in the Pirate War and leave thirty million dead.
Regardless the aftermath only hardened the victorious traditionalists dedication to peace, even if it came at the barrel of a gun. Resentment of the constant military presence to keep peace grew among nearly every traditionalist nations population and mixed with completely runaway pollution causing a nosedive in expected lifespan the seeds of change were sowed. That change came in the meteoric rise of the radical Yusak religion and the popular revolts that swept the home world in support of it. Advocating a complete reversion to the old ways and a rejection of the technology that had caused both the pollution and the wars, the religion was a complete departure from days past. What followed was horrific, with new theocracies understanding their religion could never come to pass if any advanced nations existed the first crusades in Arcsoni history were launched. For a hundred years there was a constant state of war between the Yusak nations coalition and most every other nation, and every day of it the Yusak gained ground. When the final nation belonging to the loose alliance against the Yusak nations eight billion people had died and the last bastion of resistance was a fleet composed of the remains of every defeated nations space navy and the innumerable evacuation ships they shepherded calling itself the Arcsoni Exodus Initiative.
It was perhaps by luck that the first Arcsoni FTL engine was assembled on that fleet days before the Yusak meant to destroy it, and an act of sheer desperation that the engine was used to drag the entire fleet strapped together to another system before it had even been tested. The Yusak true to word abandoned their technology not long after by scrapping it all, and killing anyone who knew how to replicate it.
Now free from the Yusak the fleet would find a system of endless asteroids, deprived of a planet and unwilling to risk taxing the nearly destroyed engine further it was decided that a new nation would arise among the stellar debris. Dug into asteroids and numbering in the billions the AEI still rebuilds eighty years later. Keenly aware that the peace they strive to crate is a delicate thing the AEI maintains absolute control, but to any who remembered the war life is a blessing and one all too many are prepared to board warships to protect.
Weapons
(P.I.W.) The choice weapon of the Naval Marines is the banally named Primary Infantry Weapon. Designed for use at close to mid ranges while still holding long range capability the P.I.W. uses an internal hypercompressor to build up pressures high enough to fire projectiles at high speed. However it is not the P.I.W. that tells the real story, but its 20mm ammo. The fired projectiles are microcomputer guided gyroject rockets which drastically add to the initial speed when activated and are capable of dynamically seeking their designated target far outside the original aimpoint.
