<Snipped quote by duck55223>
Is it because you're reading it on a tiny dim little screen?
No, I even notice it on my widescreen monitor.
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[OOC] Ashes to Ashes, a freeform Sci-Fi Fantasy NRP. (Always Accepting) Page 10
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GM
No, I even notice it on my widescreen monitor.
WilsonTurner AKA / OfWindAndRain
Member
Seen
7 yrs ago
I find it a helluva lot easier to read when there's something distinguishing my words. I purposely got lighter colors, since most of the site's theme was dark gray or even darker grey, but I guess they ain't so good. I didn't get any dark colors, after all. A light-ish brown and a light-ish red. It's easier on my eyes because seeing just a great big hunk of white text, always white text, hurts my eyes, and it's easier for me to read the burlywood and salmon coloring.
Even though it takes forever to format.
Sorry duck. It wasn't my intention to make your eyes hurt. I just found it pleasing and it made my own eyes hurt less.
Even though it takes forever to format.
Sorry duck. It wasn't my intention to make your eyes hurt. I just found it pleasing and it made my own eyes hurt less.
GM
As long as you do not make youe entire post colorful its fine. Using it to highlight just conversation is fine, I only notice strain when everything is color or if its not a bright color
GM
Queen Raidne Raspberry Diva
Member
Seen
4 yrs ago
It may be a few days before my next post. Or it might not. I'm not going to give a date so then I won't break it.
GM
Things have been pretty slow anyways.
coGM
Zadubadabu Nightmare Emperor
Member
Seen
7 yrs ago
Well, since apparently I post more during the week then the weekend, I'll probably be posting later today.
Keyguyperson Welcome to Cyberhell
Member
Seen
5 mos ago
History is still in progress, but I figured I should put this here in case any of you have objections to things in the other sections. Sorry it's taken me so long, this year I actually need to do homework at home.
Name of nation: League of the Twenty Worlds (Falasolsi lasi la Fafare Sirere)
Species: Human
Flag:
Description of government: The League of the Twenty Worlds is an oligarchy, with the power of the government split between three people. They are known as the "Domila Refafa", or Eternal Three. Each underwent an extremely complicated and dangerous procedure in the distant past, which transferred their consciousness to a newly grown body. Said bodies had been genetically modified to be immune to aging, making them effectively immortal.
Neither controls a specific section of the nation, and they instead act more like a council, discussing different matters until a compromise is reached. Unlike most examples of councils, however, a unanimous decision must be reached. Originally, two out of the three had to agree, but this led to two of them always supporting each other and locking out the third from having any actual input. Humorously, this was the result of simple interpersonal loyalties and not a planned conspiracy.
Each planet has its own governor, whom is put in place by the Eternal Three. The governors are not immortal (the technology has long since been lost), but do rule either for life or until they are removed by the Eternal Three. They are allowed to govern their own world as they see fit as long as they are in power. While this gives rise to a variety of different planetary governments, the Eternal Three tend to remove any governor which crosses the line and turns their world into an anarchic or totalitarian planet.
Officials appointed (or elected according to the system set in place) by the governor receive all their power from said governor, who in turn receives all of their power from the Eternal Three. In this way, it is similar to a feudal system. However, only the Eternal Three are permitted to own starships. This makes the inner conflicts that tend to plague normal feudal systems impossible, as no planet can attack another. Vessels can be leased to governors and lower officials by the Eternal Three, which is often done when a rouge governor is overthrown. Vessels are temporarily given to rival governors, whom then do the dirty work of deposing the rouge governor. The only reason this is actually done is to placate the governors.
Description of military: The League's military is divided into two divisions: the Planetary Forces and the Starborne Forces. The Planetary Forces are an amalgamation of the Navy, Army, and Air Force. One could think of them as the Marine Corps on steroids. They are weaker than their analogues in other nations, however, due to the lack of conflict within the League. Their strength lies in defense rather than attack, and have no interstellar vessels of their own.
In the ground divisions of the Planetary Forces there is a great emphasis placed upon armored vehicles. Many years of constant development has led to a standardized main battletank for the Planetary Forces: the Vector-Type Zero Crewed Tank Walker. The VTCTW (More commonly called the Type Zero) is one of the odder tank designs to come out of humanity. Instead of treads or an antigravity system, it uses a set of six legs to traverse the battlefield. To assist in this is a mass reduction system that utilizes negative matter, as well as magnetic claws at the end of each leg (which also function as grapplers for better traction). This (overcomplicated and unnecessary) system affords it better mobility than more traditional traded tanks, but at the cost of any resemblance of the abstract concept of reliability. The joints in both the legs and claws consistently break down, and without extensive supplies of oil the tanks are immobilized.
To overcome these massive and glaring drawbacks in the design, a set of modules was created that could be attached to the central crew cabin (which also functions as the turret). The very first of these was a pair of treads, which could be fitted in place of the legs. These treads are now used on all tanks while not in battle, as the unreliability of the leg system made marches exponentially longer than they would otherwise be. When a tank's legs are damaged in combat, the treads tend to be fitted if the rest of the tank remains intact long enough to be recovered.
Another major problem with the legs is their vulnerability, as a well-placed shot could easily tilt a tank on its side and immobilize it. An entirely new active defense system was designed for the sole purpose of protecting the legs. Said system (the Plasma-Based Projectile Interception System, colloquially known as Plasma Schürzen) utilizes plasma arc projectors that surround the tank, and activate whenever an incoming projectile is detected by the tank's sensors. Decades of improvement from the earliest version of this system (which originated on Old Earth many centuries ago) has led to a 90% success rate against small arms fire, 60% success rate against cannon shells, a 30% success rate against missiles, and near-complete immunity to random shrapnel. Ten years and countless billions of credits later, the Type Zero is a practical combat vehicle.
Other modules that can be fitted include various different armaments. Fresh off the assembly lines, the tank has an 88mm railgun (which is capable of firing guided missiles), a 7.92mm coaxial coilgun, and a drive system mounted coilgun of the same make. It can carry 92 rounds of railgun ammunition and approx. 4,500 rounds of coilgun ammunition.
A Type Zero participating in war games on the dark side of Gliese 581g. Note the color of the paint, which identifies it as a tank used by forces stationed in the desert of the light side. Noellian light tanks can be seen in the background.
The infantry of the Planetary Forces are notably less advanced than the armored divisions, with much of it still operating gunpowder-based weapons. Electromagnetic weapons are in the process of introduction, which causes endless problems for the soldiers (whom are trained to use plasma projectors). Misconceptions about operation are common, and half the troops didn't actually expect the coilguns to have kickback. Results included quite a few facial injuries.
The majority of the forces that haven't converted to the new, standardized electromagnetic weapons use plasma projectors. These weapons tend to vary quite heavily, as does their effectiveness. They are highly complicated weapons to maintain, and incorrect maintenance can make them into little more than expensive spears. When they work, however, they hit hard (and pistol-like plasma weapons aren't being phased out for that very reason). Basic military methodology hasn't changed much from the 21st century. As it turns out, having the same people in charge for multiple centuries doesn't open the door for much change.
An infantry uniform from the Planetary Forces, shown with a plasma projector.
The air force of the Planetary Forces has always been among the most advanced, as the vast majority of R&D funding goes to aerospace. It uses the only antigravity technology in the Planetary Forces aside from the Navy's aircraft. All aircraft use a negative energy lifting system in the place of wings, which affords them better maneuverability in combat situations. They do tend to have some way to using airflow to adjust attitude, however, as using powered propulsion for everything would be needlessly complicated.
Most aircraft in the Planetary Forces are swing-role, able to switch their combat role in the middle of a mission. This was once a major problem, as each planet tends to field its own designs. Modular components and even ammunition was never guaranteed to work with all aircraft. This was changed about twenty years ago, when the Eternal Three ordered a new generation of aircraft to be produced by each planet as a part of a wider Planetary Forces unification program that would be capable of mounting modular systems through a standardized attachment system. This made it possible for multiple planets to work together with their airborne forces, instead of keeping them split.
Though the aircraft designs are varied, all of them mount Pystykorva long-range air-to-air missiles. This was part of the Planetary Forces unification program, and Pystykorva missiles were designed on the capital planet specifically for the new swing-roles. Though some designs have done away with them, the majority of aircraft use dogfighting coilguns and railguns. Ground attack weaponry includes antimatter bombs and plasma cannons, the latter of which is preferred due to the fact that more plasma rounds can be taken than bombs. Bombs tend to only be used in dedicated bombers, and have yields limited by the Constitution of the League.
A Noellian fighter chasing down a Chiheisen naval torpedo bomber. Note the Old Earth-inspired design of the Chiheisen craft, a staple of the planet's products.
The naval division of the Planetary Forces is known on every last planet as the odd one out. It's thought of as a load of incompetent fools who never actually do anything. When a planet is invaded, their only role is to move refugees. When at peace, their only role is to come up with ways to improve the Air Force's equipment. When invading another planet, their role is to stay behind. For once, this is actually a deserved reputation. No Naval vessel has opened fire with the intent to damage in decades. Even on the water world of Kepler, the Navy never does anything (after all, no sane man would transport an ocean vessel through space).
Despite this, people still sign up. It pays, and that's all that matters to them. Unfortunately, this also means the Navy gets either people without any form of useful education or the extremely lazy. Personnel are stationed so that the career sailors are all on the same ships. This causes most vessels to have tight-knit communities on them. The general lack of discipline and action has turned more than a few ships into floating artist colonies, and crews often change the very layout of the ship to fit their collective preferences. Mess halls have been known to turn into open-air French cafes, and every single ship has a garden somewhere on the outside of it built by its own crew.
Though the fleet has taken an odd direction, nobody really seems to have much to say against it. In fact, it's even been endorsed by one of the Eternal Three. The general stance is that the Navy no longer serves as a branch of the military, but as a collection of tiny communities. Still, everyone is trained in the operation of military equipment, and aircraft carrier decks are still kept clear. After all, every once in a while a natural disaster will hit and the NAvy will actually have a role to play. A role they play quite well, thanks to how close their ships feel to towns on land.
An amateur drawing of a Noellian Aircraft Carrier. Similar designs are used across the League, but Noellian vessels are unique in their ubiquitous railgun emplacements.
The Starborne Forces are far better funded than their planetbound counterparts. All of the Eternal Three believe that expansion into space is essential to continue the advancement of humanity, and this philosophy is displayed in the power of the Starborne Forces. They have standardized designs and equipment, unlike the Planetary Forces. The men and women of the Starborne Forces receive the best training, the best equipment, and are the best and brightest the League has to offer.
Thanks to the (quite obvious) favoritism given to the Starbone Forces, they're always one step ahead of the Planetary Forces. The latest technologies are always developed in Starborne Forces stations, tested on Starborne Forces ships, and perfected by Starborne Forces crews. By the time the innovations make it into the Planetary Forces, the Starborne Forces are already working on the next one. This fosters massive competition between the two, to the point that it's honestly not a given that they would work together at wartime.
League doctrine states that space power is the most important part of the military, which is the reason the Starborne Forces are shown so much favoritism. It is believed that through orbital superiority, victory over any foe can be easily achieved. Though troops still need to be dropped, the most important part of a planetary invasion is now considered to be the fleet above it. Planetary bombardment is always used, collateral damage be damned.
This "Orbital Supremacy" doctrine is supported by the capability of the Starborne Forces to tear apart enemy vessels and planetary forces alike. Railguns are ubiquitous on League starships, but they don't take the forms we expected. Instead of the mile-long mass accelerators and battleship artillery guns seen in Old Earth fiction, railguns are instead used in anything but. Large flak cannons, fighter launch bays, even missile launchers use magnetic acceleration technology. This isn't to say that there isn't any heavy artillery on League warships, it just takes a different form.
Enter the Negative Mass Projectile Accelerator, the pinnacle of human weapons technology. It can fire AHE (Antimatter High Explosive) and AP rounds, and some models (mounted on some destroyers) can even fire flak rounds. All models are also capable of firing missiles, and missiles are some of the most horrifying weapons when fired out of a NMPA. The already insane speeds provided by the initial firing are added onto by the missile's thruster unit, and missiles have been designed to take advantage of this. NMPA-assisted missiles tend to have a "spearhead" component of ultradense material taking up most of the front, with the rest being the antimatter thruster and it's fuel tank. The spearhead penetrates through armor, leaving the antimatter fuel to detonate once inside of the enemy vessel.
Without the use of shields, the NMPA will penetrate deep into the hull of nearly any vessel. It is so powerful that AP shells are rarely used against unshielded targets, as they tend to pass straight through hulls without doing any major damage. It was built to be a versatile weapon, capable of destroying starships and ground targets alike. AP shells are generally used against shields, overwhelming them with sheer physical force. AHE is used against vessels themselves, tearing apart their armor and superstructure. The missiles are used only against the most formidable targets. All three can be used against ground targets, AP as a bunker-buster, AHE as a high-yield bomb, and the missiles as strategic weapons.
Conceptual image of the New York battleship class, prototype currently in production at the Delos Shipyards. It will be armed with an experimental particle weapon based off of the NMPA.
Technological Overview:
Liquid Negative Mass Warp Drive: The Negative-Energy based Warp Drive has existed since the launch of the seedships, but it was completely useless due to how much negative energy was needed and how hard it was to create. The creation of Negative Mass on a wide scale was what brought the twenty worlds together, and what allowed them to unify into the League. Fifty years ago, Liquid Negative Mass was introduced as a Warp Propellant. It works the same way as normal Negative Mass, but reduces the drift and turbulence caused by the non-uniform warp bubble created as a side-affect of using solid blocks in a circular warp ring.
Negative Mass Antigravity: Another major innovation is the application of negative mass for antigravity purposes, which has allowed spacecraft larger than ever before to be launched for barely a fraction of the price of a rocket launch. Utilization of negative mass in space elevators allows materials and products to be sent up for the price of a quick drive between towns. It also allows for highly advanced aircraft, as well as planetary landing capabilities for starships.
Nanorobotics: Advanced nanorobots have been a staple of human civilization since the seedships landed, and were first used to combat antibiotic-resistant diseases. They are also used in factories and shipyards, along with more mundane things such as self-rearranging furniture. Perhaps most important is their usage in boarding actions, wherein a warship rams an enemy vessel and releases nanobots into it in order to kill or paralyze the crew but leave the ship mostly intact.
Electromagnetic Weaponry: Electromagnetic weaponry is currently replacing the unreliable plasma weapons in the Planetary Forces, and has already become ubiquitous in the Starborne Forces. Most coilguns and railguns have a high rate of fire, though sniper variants exist (as electromagnetically-propelled projectile still generate kickback).
Cultural Overview: The League is split up into countless different cultures spread across its twenty planets, all of them emulating a culture from Old Earth. The different planets have taken wildly divergent paths, and some planets host multiple different cultures (the shared origins of the citizens tend to prevent such occurrences). As an example, there are the planets of Chiheisen and Noel. Both are based off of cultures from well before Exodus, but one is a generally unified culture reflecting an idealized version of mid 1950's America, while the other is an odd mix of 1920's Europe and America.
The official explanation for such odd themes (for lack of a better word) is that the cultures were chosen to preserve humanity's history (Delos, for example, is an idealized version of Athens). In reality, it is far more likely that those chosen to raise the new generation simply liked the cultures they chose (two planets populated mostly by Americans are based off of 21st century and medieval Japan). This is made especially obvious in the fact that (beyond the odd cultural quirks), all the cultures have modern values. For example, Noellians might have tastes for Doo-Wop and Blues, but the social norms are straight out of Star Trek.
However, there are shared traits beyond the progressive (By 21st century standards) norms. Ever since the League was founded, there has been a consistent movement towards the idea of some sort of "Manifest Destiny" idea. Much like the Manifest Destiny of America, this idea states that it is the destiny, fate, and right of humanity to spread throughout the stars to bring their civilization and leadership to the other species. This disturbing ideology has taken root in all parts of League society, and one must wonder just what would happen if they contacted another species in this current state.
History: The history of the League begins in the early 21st century, before the outbreak of the Third World War. As troop buildups accelerated in Eastern Europe, a collection of multinational corporations pooled their resources in fear of the affects of the imminent war. At first, they were simply building and renovating factories in countries like America in order to continue their operations if a war broke out involving China. Obviously, this led to unlikely collections of corporations in completely unrelated fields, as nobody wanted to help an adversary. Fergus McLean changed all that.
He was the CEO of Chiheisen, an American-based paramilitary group. He had been involved in the Syrian Refugee crisis, using privately owned vessels to ship refugees all the way to the northern coast of Germany at the request of an unknown client. Other activities had included security for high-importance corporate holdings and aerospace facilities across the USA (A team at Bigelow Aerospace, however, went missing once and was found walking the streets of Las Vegas drunk a week later. All reports say they were terminated and their pay given to newly applying combat network specialists). They had been known to be perfectly committed to their duties, one team chasing a group of illegal immigrants straight into central Nevada. No job was off limits, not even gang wars.
Fergus had managed to call a Summit of all the corporations involved, marking the first time any official cooperation had been proposed. All of them accepted, something nobody actually expected to occur. They spent a full two days at the headquarters of Chiheisen, and when they came out, they were all willing to cooperate. With their combined resources, they poured money constantly into new factories in America while squeezing what little the could from overseas before a war.
Every last one of them was running deep in the red, and they would see major losses thanks to American worker's rights laws, but they kept it up. The world kept pushing closer and closer to war. Swedish troops joined with Polish forces, the Finnish dug in on their border, the Chinese renovated their Navy, and America kept sending troops on "training exercises" in Europe. Finally, it all boiled over. British and Russian forces exchanged fire in Syria, and war was declared. The rest of NATO followed the UK, and China followed Russia. WWIII was on, and the newly-formed Conglomerate of Major Corporations just continued with business as usual, like they were waiting for something.
A tactical nuclear weapon was detonated in Eastern Europe, the exact location lost to time. That was when it happened, the most unlikely, most insane thing. The paramilitary forces of Chiheisen landed in Florida, and stormed the Kennedy Space Center of all places. The National Guard immediately reacted, but the Chiheisen forces had been massively bolstered (possibly by the large number of "political analysts" they had been hiring). The attack sparked riots all over the state and nation, with everyone thinking it was a rebellion.
Cargo planes from the other Conglomerate corporations landed at the KSC, protected by the overwhelmingly professional Chiheisen forces. They had clearly broken dozens of disclosure and tax regulations, being armed with military vehicles and weapons that wouldn't be out of place in any professional army. As the National Guard tried to deal with rioters, rebels, and so-called militias killing anyone who wasn't in a uniform (and sometimes those who were), the Conglomerate worked constantly.
For whatever reason, they began launching rockets. They were designs ripped right out of NASA, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin files.
Other:
Species: Human
Flag:
Description of government: The League of the Twenty Worlds is an oligarchy, with the power of the government split between three people. They are known as the "Domila Refafa", or Eternal Three. Each underwent an extremely complicated and dangerous procedure in the distant past, which transferred their consciousness to a newly grown body. Said bodies had been genetically modified to be immune to aging, making them effectively immortal.
Neither controls a specific section of the nation, and they instead act more like a council, discussing different matters until a compromise is reached. Unlike most examples of councils, however, a unanimous decision must be reached. Originally, two out of the three had to agree, but this led to two of them always supporting each other and locking out the third from having any actual input. Humorously, this was the result of simple interpersonal loyalties and not a planned conspiracy.
Each planet has its own governor, whom is put in place by the Eternal Three. The governors are not immortal (the technology has long since been lost), but do rule either for life or until they are removed by the Eternal Three. They are allowed to govern their own world as they see fit as long as they are in power. While this gives rise to a variety of different planetary governments, the Eternal Three tend to remove any governor which crosses the line and turns their world into an anarchic or totalitarian planet.
Officials appointed (or elected according to the system set in place) by the governor receive all their power from said governor, who in turn receives all of their power from the Eternal Three. In this way, it is similar to a feudal system. However, only the Eternal Three are permitted to own starships. This makes the inner conflicts that tend to plague normal feudal systems impossible, as no planet can attack another. Vessels can be leased to governors and lower officials by the Eternal Three, which is often done when a rouge governor is overthrown. Vessels are temporarily given to rival governors, whom then do the dirty work of deposing the rouge governor. The only reason this is actually done is to placate the governors.
Description of military: The League's military is divided into two divisions: the Planetary Forces and the Starborne Forces. The Planetary Forces are an amalgamation of the Navy, Army, and Air Force. One could think of them as the Marine Corps on steroids. They are weaker than their analogues in other nations, however, due to the lack of conflict within the League. Their strength lies in defense rather than attack, and have no interstellar vessels of their own.
In the ground divisions of the Planetary Forces there is a great emphasis placed upon armored vehicles. Many years of constant development has led to a standardized main battletank for the Planetary Forces: the Vector-Type Zero Crewed Tank Walker. The VTCTW (More commonly called the Type Zero) is one of the odder tank designs to come out of humanity. Instead of treads or an antigravity system, it uses a set of six legs to traverse the battlefield. To assist in this is a mass reduction system that utilizes negative matter, as well as magnetic claws at the end of each leg (which also function as grapplers for better traction). This (overcomplicated and unnecessary) system affords it better mobility than more traditional traded tanks, but at the cost of any resemblance of the abstract concept of reliability. The joints in both the legs and claws consistently break down, and without extensive supplies of oil the tanks are immobilized.
To overcome these massive and glaring drawbacks in the design, a set of modules was created that could be attached to the central crew cabin (which also functions as the turret). The very first of these was a pair of treads, which could be fitted in place of the legs. These treads are now used on all tanks while not in battle, as the unreliability of the leg system made marches exponentially longer than they would otherwise be. When a tank's legs are damaged in combat, the treads tend to be fitted if the rest of the tank remains intact long enough to be recovered.
Another major problem with the legs is their vulnerability, as a well-placed shot could easily tilt a tank on its side and immobilize it. An entirely new active defense system was designed for the sole purpose of protecting the legs. Said system (the Plasma-Based Projectile Interception System, colloquially known as Plasma Schürzen) utilizes plasma arc projectors that surround the tank, and activate whenever an incoming projectile is detected by the tank's sensors. Decades of improvement from the earliest version of this system (which originated on Old Earth many centuries ago) has led to a 90% success rate against small arms fire, 60% success rate against cannon shells, a 30% success rate against missiles, and near-complete immunity to random shrapnel. Ten years and countless billions of credits later, the Type Zero is a practical combat vehicle.
Other modules that can be fitted include various different armaments. Fresh off the assembly lines, the tank has an 88mm railgun (which is capable of firing guided missiles), a 7.92mm coaxial coilgun, and a drive system mounted coilgun of the same make. It can carry 92 rounds of railgun ammunition and approx. 4,500 rounds of coilgun ammunition.
A Type Zero participating in war games on the dark side of Gliese 581g. Note the color of the paint, which identifies it as a tank used by forces stationed in the desert of the light side. Noellian light tanks can be seen in the background.
The infantry of the Planetary Forces are notably less advanced than the armored divisions, with much of it still operating gunpowder-based weapons. Electromagnetic weapons are in the process of introduction, which causes endless problems for the soldiers (whom are trained to use plasma projectors). Misconceptions about operation are common, and half the troops didn't actually expect the coilguns to have kickback. Results included quite a few facial injuries.
The majority of the forces that haven't converted to the new, standardized electromagnetic weapons use plasma projectors. These weapons tend to vary quite heavily, as does their effectiveness. They are highly complicated weapons to maintain, and incorrect maintenance can make them into little more than expensive spears. When they work, however, they hit hard (and pistol-like plasma weapons aren't being phased out for that very reason). Basic military methodology hasn't changed much from the 21st century. As it turns out, having the same people in charge for multiple centuries doesn't open the door for much change.
An infantry uniform from the Planetary Forces, shown with a plasma projector.
The air force of the Planetary Forces has always been among the most advanced, as the vast majority of R&D funding goes to aerospace. It uses the only antigravity technology in the Planetary Forces aside from the Navy's aircraft. All aircraft use a negative energy lifting system in the place of wings, which affords them better maneuverability in combat situations. They do tend to have some way to using airflow to adjust attitude, however, as using powered propulsion for everything would be needlessly complicated.
Most aircraft in the Planetary Forces are swing-role, able to switch their combat role in the middle of a mission. This was once a major problem, as each planet tends to field its own designs. Modular components and even ammunition was never guaranteed to work with all aircraft. This was changed about twenty years ago, when the Eternal Three ordered a new generation of aircraft to be produced by each planet as a part of a wider Planetary Forces unification program that would be capable of mounting modular systems through a standardized attachment system. This made it possible for multiple planets to work together with their airborne forces, instead of keeping them split.
Though the aircraft designs are varied, all of them mount Pystykorva long-range air-to-air missiles. This was part of the Planetary Forces unification program, and Pystykorva missiles were designed on the capital planet specifically for the new swing-roles. Though some designs have done away with them, the majority of aircraft use dogfighting coilguns and railguns. Ground attack weaponry includes antimatter bombs and plasma cannons, the latter of which is preferred due to the fact that more plasma rounds can be taken than bombs. Bombs tend to only be used in dedicated bombers, and have yields limited by the Constitution of the League.
A Noellian fighter chasing down a Chiheisen naval torpedo bomber. Note the Old Earth-inspired design of the Chiheisen craft, a staple of the planet's products.
The naval division of the Planetary Forces is known on every last planet as the odd one out. It's thought of as a load of incompetent fools who never actually do anything. When a planet is invaded, their only role is to move refugees. When at peace, their only role is to come up with ways to improve the Air Force's equipment. When invading another planet, their role is to stay behind. For once, this is actually a deserved reputation. No Naval vessel has opened fire with the intent to damage in decades. Even on the water world of Kepler, the Navy never does anything (after all, no sane man would transport an ocean vessel through space).
Despite this, people still sign up. It pays, and that's all that matters to them. Unfortunately, this also means the Navy gets either people without any form of useful education or the extremely lazy. Personnel are stationed so that the career sailors are all on the same ships. This causes most vessels to have tight-knit communities on them. The general lack of discipline and action has turned more than a few ships into floating artist colonies, and crews often change the very layout of the ship to fit their collective preferences. Mess halls have been known to turn into open-air French cafes, and every single ship has a garden somewhere on the outside of it built by its own crew.
Though the fleet has taken an odd direction, nobody really seems to have much to say against it. In fact, it's even been endorsed by one of the Eternal Three. The general stance is that the Navy no longer serves as a branch of the military, but as a collection of tiny communities. Still, everyone is trained in the operation of military equipment, and aircraft carrier decks are still kept clear. After all, every once in a while a natural disaster will hit and the NAvy will actually have a role to play. A role they play quite well, thanks to how close their ships feel to towns on land.
An amateur drawing of a Noellian Aircraft Carrier. Similar designs are used across the League, but Noellian vessels are unique in their ubiquitous railgun emplacements.
The Starborne Forces are far better funded than their planetbound counterparts. All of the Eternal Three believe that expansion into space is essential to continue the advancement of humanity, and this philosophy is displayed in the power of the Starborne Forces. They have standardized designs and equipment, unlike the Planetary Forces. The men and women of the Starborne Forces receive the best training, the best equipment, and are the best and brightest the League has to offer.
Thanks to the (quite obvious) favoritism given to the Starbone Forces, they're always one step ahead of the Planetary Forces. The latest technologies are always developed in Starborne Forces stations, tested on Starborne Forces ships, and perfected by Starborne Forces crews. By the time the innovations make it into the Planetary Forces, the Starborne Forces are already working on the next one. This fosters massive competition between the two, to the point that it's honestly not a given that they would work together at wartime.
League doctrine states that space power is the most important part of the military, which is the reason the Starborne Forces are shown so much favoritism. It is believed that through orbital superiority, victory over any foe can be easily achieved. Though troops still need to be dropped, the most important part of a planetary invasion is now considered to be the fleet above it. Planetary bombardment is always used, collateral damage be damned.
This "Orbital Supremacy" doctrine is supported by the capability of the Starborne Forces to tear apart enemy vessels and planetary forces alike. Railguns are ubiquitous on League starships, but they don't take the forms we expected. Instead of the mile-long mass accelerators and battleship artillery guns seen in Old Earth fiction, railguns are instead used in anything but. Large flak cannons, fighter launch bays, even missile launchers use magnetic acceleration technology. This isn't to say that there isn't any heavy artillery on League warships, it just takes a different form.
Enter the Negative Mass Projectile Accelerator, the pinnacle of human weapons technology. It can fire AHE (Antimatter High Explosive) and AP rounds, and some models (mounted on some destroyers) can even fire flak rounds. All models are also capable of firing missiles, and missiles are some of the most horrifying weapons when fired out of a NMPA. The already insane speeds provided by the initial firing are added onto by the missile's thruster unit, and missiles have been designed to take advantage of this. NMPA-assisted missiles tend to have a "spearhead" component of ultradense material taking up most of the front, with the rest being the antimatter thruster and it's fuel tank. The spearhead penetrates through armor, leaving the antimatter fuel to detonate once inside of the enemy vessel.
Without the use of shields, the NMPA will penetrate deep into the hull of nearly any vessel. It is so powerful that AP shells are rarely used against unshielded targets, as they tend to pass straight through hulls without doing any major damage. It was built to be a versatile weapon, capable of destroying starships and ground targets alike. AP shells are generally used against shields, overwhelming them with sheer physical force. AHE is used against vessels themselves, tearing apart their armor and superstructure. The missiles are used only against the most formidable targets. All three can be used against ground targets, AP as a bunker-buster, AHE as a high-yield bomb, and the missiles as strategic weapons.
Conceptual image of the New York battleship class, prototype currently in production at the Delos Shipyards. It will be armed with an experimental particle weapon based off of the NMPA.
Technological Overview:
Liquid Negative Mass Warp Drive: The Negative-Energy based Warp Drive has existed since the launch of the seedships, but it was completely useless due to how much negative energy was needed and how hard it was to create. The creation of Negative Mass on a wide scale was what brought the twenty worlds together, and what allowed them to unify into the League. Fifty years ago, Liquid Negative Mass was introduced as a Warp Propellant. It works the same way as normal Negative Mass, but reduces the drift and turbulence caused by the non-uniform warp bubble created as a side-affect of using solid blocks in a circular warp ring.
Negative Mass Antigravity: Another major innovation is the application of negative mass for antigravity purposes, which has allowed spacecraft larger than ever before to be launched for barely a fraction of the price of a rocket launch. Utilization of negative mass in space elevators allows materials and products to be sent up for the price of a quick drive between towns. It also allows for highly advanced aircraft, as well as planetary landing capabilities for starships.
Nanorobotics: Advanced nanorobots have been a staple of human civilization since the seedships landed, and were first used to combat antibiotic-resistant diseases. They are also used in factories and shipyards, along with more mundane things such as self-rearranging furniture. Perhaps most important is their usage in boarding actions, wherein a warship rams an enemy vessel and releases nanobots into it in order to kill or paralyze the crew but leave the ship mostly intact.
Electromagnetic Weaponry: Electromagnetic weaponry is currently replacing the unreliable plasma weapons in the Planetary Forces, and has already become ubiquitous in the Starborne Forces. Most coilguns and railguns have a high rate of fire, though sniper variants exist (as electromagnetically-propelled projectile still generate kickback).
Cultural Overview: The League is split up into countless different cultures spread across its twenty planets, all of them emulating a culture from Old Earth. The different planets have taken wildly divergent paths, and some planets host multiple different cultures (the shared origins of the citizens tend to prevent such occurrences). As an example, there are the planets of Chiheisen and Noel. Both are based off of cultures from well before Exodus, but one is a generally unified culture reflecting an idealized version of mid 1950's America, while the other is an odd mix of 1920's Europe and America.
The official explanation for such odd themes (for lack of a better word) is that the cultures were chosen to preserve humanity's history (Delos, for example, is an idealized version of Athens). In reality, it is far more likely that those chosen to raise the new generation simply liked the cultures they chose (two planets populated mostly by Americans are based off of 21st century and medieval Japan). This is made especially obvious in the fact that (beyond the odd cultural quirks), all the cultures have modern values. For example, Noellians might have tastes for Doo-Wop and Blues, but the social norms are straight out of Star Trek.
However, there are shared traits beyond the progressive (By 21st century standards) norms. Ever since the League was founded, there has been a consistent movement towards the idea of some sort of "Manifest Destiny" idea. Much like the Manifest Destiny of America, this idea states that it is the destiny, fate, and right of humanity to spread throughout the stars to bring their civilization and leadership to the other species. This disturbing ideology has taken root in all parts of League society, and one must wonder just what would happen if they contacted another species in this current state.
History: The history of the League begins in the early 21st century, before the outbreak of the Third World War. As troop buildups accelerated in Eastern Europe, a collection of multinational corporations pooled their resources in fear of the affects of the imminent war. At first, they were simply building and renovating factories in countries like America in order to continue their operations if a war broke out involving China. Obviously, this led to unlikely collections of corporations in completely unrelated fields, as nobody wanted to help an adversary. Fergus McLean changed all that.
He was the CEO of Chiheisen, an American-based paramilitary group. He had been involved in the Syrian Refugee crisis, using privately owned vessels to ship refugees all the way to the northern coast of Germany at the request of an unknown client. Other activities had included security for high-importance corporate holdings and aerospace facilities across the USA (A team at Bigelow Aerospace, however, went missing once and was found walking the streets of Las Vegas drunk a week later. All reports say they were terminated and their pay given to newly applying combat network specialists). They had been known to be perfectly committed to their duties, one team chasing a group of illegal immigrants straight into central Nevada. No job was off limits, not even gang wars.
Fergus had managed to call a Summit of all the corporations involved, marking the first time any official cooperation had been proposed. All of them accepted, something nobody actually expected to occur. They spent a full two days at the headquarters of Chiheisen, and when they came out, they were all willing to cooperate. With their combined resources, they poured money constantly into new factories in America while squeezing what little the could from overseas before a war.
Every last one of them was running deep in the red, and they would see major losses thanks to American worker's rights laws, but they kept it up. The world kept pushing closer and closer to war. Swedish troops joined with Polish forces, the Finnish dug in on their border, the Chinese renovated their Navy, and America kept sending troops on "training exercises" in Europe. Finally, it all boiled over. British and Russian forces exchanged fire in Syria, and war was declared. The rest of NATO followed the UK, and China followed Russia. WWIII was on, and the newly-formed Conglomerate of Major Corporations just continued with business as usual, like they were waiting for something.
A tactical nuclear weapon was detonated in Eastern Europe, the exact location lost to time. That was when it happened, the most unlikely, most insane thing. The paramilitary forces of Chiheisen landed in Florida, and stormed the Kennedy Space Center of all places. The National Guard immediately reacted, but the Chiheisen forces had been massively bolstered (possibly by the large number of "political analysts" they had been hiring). The attack sparked riots all over the state and nation, with everyone thinking it was a rebellion.
Cargo planes from the other Conglomerate corporations landed at the KSC, protected by the overwhelmingly professional Chiheisen forces. They had clearly broken dozens of disclosure and tax regulations, being armed with military vehicles and weapons that wouldn't be out of place in any professional army. As the National Guard tried to deal with rioters, rebels, and so-called militias killing anyone who wasn't in a uniform (and sometimes those who were), the Conglomerate worked constantly.
For whatever reason, they began launching rockets. They were designs ripped right out of NASA, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin files.
Other:
Name of nation: The Aurelian Reef
Species: The Kumare are biologically similar to humans except for their innate magical affinity.
Description of government: The Aurelian is a collection of small unaligned or hostile planet states.
Uuru- Monarchy- Rulled by the Gajda Royal family
Falkaide- No formal government exists
Halaal- The only pure democratic state in the reef, constantly under threat of revolution
Kaliks- The planet is ruled by the super corporation Hakke, technological powerhouse
Description of military:
Only the planet Uuru has a professional standing military, the other planets have small militias or “special groups” that conduct warfare when needed. The Uuru military is the largest in the Reef and it made up of elite heavy infantry, mechanized vehicles and armor. Supporting the ground forces is the navy, boasting a fleet of nearly 2,000 vessels, made up of everything from guided missile frigates to large capital ships.
( pictures to come, I don’t plan on waging war anytime soon)
Technological Overview:
All of the planets with the exception of Kaliks are in the beginning of their post modern era. Ballistic weapons and simple powered armor is common amongst armed groups, while energy based weapons are still being field tested. Faster then light travel is crude and unreliable, ensuring accuracy within a few hundred thousand meter radius. Drives must be cooled after every jump, or risk overheating and catastrophic failure of the fission reactor. Simple AI and robots are widely used wherever needed but are designed strictly to preform their individual tasks. Ships rely on armor to protect themselves due to the lack of energy shielding, making them extremely vulnerable to energy based attacks.
The technology of the Hakke corporation on Kaliks is far more advanced then the other three worlds. Magnetically accelerated and energy based weapons have been perfected but are rarely used and made. The Hakke corporation has developed multiple advanced powered armor designs but has no reason to manufacture them. Hakke vessels are excellent and the corporation maintains a moderate sized civilian fleet of 500 ships. Fusion reactors give the ships near unlimited range and advanced slipspace drives allow for multiple jumps before cooling. Few of these ships are armored however and even fewer are armed, limiting most of the fleet to civilian roles.
Cultural Overview:
Uuru- A strict feudal caste system is followed, with lords, knights and governors at the top of the regional hierarchy and peasants and at the bottom. Uurite society is extremely Victorian, both in social interaction and appearance. Architecture around the empire is a even mixture of Gothic and Victorian style buildings, with large squares and fountains making up the focal points of most towns and cities. The magical abilities of the people are rare and mostly unknown, except for the occasional miracle or accident.
Falkaide- The culture depends on the group, tribe or person you meet. The people have developed their own hierarchy and have split themselves into different factions and groups. Violence amongst factions is rare and diplomacy is commonly used to alleviate the frequent faction disagreements. Architecture on Falkaide can vary from a collection of simple wood cabins to semi large colonial style towns. Due to the rather chaotic nature of the people on Falkaide, space travel to and from this planet is rare. Magical ability depends on the person, some may be extremely magically gifted and practiced while others do not know they are magically sensitive.
Halaal- The democracy on Halaal remains in a constantly fragile state, always on the edge of revolution. Pure democracy makes sure everyone gets to speak when a law is suggested or action must be taken. Halithians are fiercely loyal to the planets relatively new constitution and are prepared to defend by any means necessary. Large colonial towns, mostly gathered around lakes and other bodies of water, dominate the planets surface. Magically sensitive people are hunted labeled as witches and hanged.
Kaliks- Kaliks is rather isolated from the other three planets, cut off by an asteroid belt. Navigating this belt is hard even for the advanced navigation systems of Hakke, so travel to the inner three planets is very rare. Due to the rarity of ever seeing a Kalite they have a ethereal reputation amongst the other planets. Quality of life is excellent and life expectancy is 200-250 years old. The Kalites themselves are not isolationist by nature and feel that it is their duty to bring technology to the other planets.
History: ( WIP)
Other: (WIP)
Real rough, but this is the basic concept.
Species: The Kumare are biologically similar to humans except for their innate magical affinity.
Description of government: The Aurelian is a collection of small unaligned or hostile planet states.
Uuru- Monarchy- Rulled by the Gajda Royal family
Falkaide- No formal government exists
Halaal- The only pure democratic state in the reef, constantly under threat of revolution
Kaliks- The planet is ruled by the super corporation Hakke, technological powerhouse
Description of military:
Only the planet Uuru has a professional standing military, the other planets have small militias or “special groups” that conduct warfare when needed. The Uuru military is the largest in the Reef and it made up of elite heavy infantry, mechanized vehicles and armor. Supporting the ground forces is the navy, boasting a fleet of nearly 2,000 vessels, made up of everything from guided missile frigates to large capital ships.
( pictures to come, I don’t plan on waging war anytime soon)
Technological Overview:
All of the planets with the exception of Kaliks are in the beginning of their post modern era. Ballistic weapons and simple powered armor is common amongst armed groups, while energy based weapons are still being field tested. Faster then light travel is crude and unreliable, ensuring accuracy within a few hundred thousand meter radius. Drives must be cooled after every jump, or risk overheating and catastrophic failure of the fission reactor. Simple AI and robots are widely used wherever needed but are designed strictly to preform their individual tasks. Ships rely on armor to protect themselves due to the lack of energy shielding, making them extremely vulnerable to energy based attacks.
The technology of the Hakke corporation on Kaliks is far more advanced then the other three worlds. Magnetically accelerated and energy based weapons have been perfected but are rarely used and made. The Hakke corporation has developed multiple advanced powered armor designs but has no reason to manufacture them. Hakke vessels are excellent and the corporation maintains a moderate sized civilian fleet of 500 ships. Fusion reactors give the ships near unlimited range and advanced slipspace drives allow for multiple jumps before cooling. Few of these ships are armored however and even fewer are armed, limiting most of the fleet to civilian roles.
Cultural Overview:
Uuru- A strict feudal caste system is followed, with lords, knights and governors at the top of the regional hierarchy and peasants and at the bottom. Uurite society is extremely Victorian, both in social interaction and appearance. Architecture around the empire is a even mixture of Gothic and Victorian style buildings, with large squares and fountains making up the focal points of most towns and cities. The magical abilities of the people are rare and mostly unknown, except for the occasional miracle or accident.
Falkaide- The culture depends on the group, tribe or person you meet. The people have developed their own hierarchy and have split themselves into different factions and groups. Violence amongst factions is rare and diplomacy is commonly used to alleviate the frequent faction disagreements. Architecture on Falkaide can vary from a collection of simple wood cabins to semi large colonial style towns. Due to the rather chaotic nature of the people on Falkaide, space travel to and from this planet is rare. Magical ability depends on the person, some may be extremely magically gifted and practiced while others do not know they are magically sensitive.
Halaal- The democracy on Halaal remains in a constantly fragile state, always on the edge of revolution. Pure democracy makes sure everyone gets to speak when a law is suggested or action must be taken. Halithians are fiercely loyal to the planets relatively new constitution and are prepared to defend by any means necessary. Large colonial towns, mostly gathered around lakes and other bodies of water, dominate the planets surface. Magically sensitive people are hunted labeled as witches and hanged.
Kaliks- Kaliks is rather isolated from the other three planets, cut off by an asteroid belt. Navigating this belt is hard even for the advanced navigation systems of Hakke, so travel to the inner three planets is very rare. Due to the rarity of ever seeing a Kalite they have a ethereal reputation amongst the other planets. Quality of life is excellent and life expectancy is 200-250 years old. The Kalites themselves are not isolationist by nature and feel that it is their duty to bring technology to the other planets.
History: ( WIP)
Other: (WIP)
Real rough, but this is the basic concept.
GM
Note:All humans have innate magical affinity, its just that it depends on how well they have developed if its powerful or not.
Edit:@Keyguyperson I thought I said there never was a WW3?
Edit:@Keyguyperson I thought I said there never was a WW3?
Keyguyperson Welcome to Cyberhell
Member
Seen
5 mos ago
Note:All humans have innate magical affinity, its just that it depends on how well they have developed if its powerful or not.
Edit:@Keyguyperson I thought I said there never was a WW3?
I thought you said there wasn't then said there was, but never actually confirmed either. It's not essential, since I could just ramp up how freaked out everyone was about the Proxy War in Syria. Or just have Russia pull something that ends up quite large, but not actually a World War. Or maybe China pulls something and people lose their shit. It's just, you know, kind of nice to be able to dictate events that affect only my history.
So despite the fantasy note....how is the NS?
GM
So despite the fantasy note....how is the NS?
No real complaints, its all fine.
@KeyguypersonConsidering I control Earth, it still affects my history. Espically since several of 21st and 22nd century events effected the Iscandarian's view of humanity.
Keyguyperson Welcome to Cyberhell
Member
Seen
5 mos ago
<Snipped quote by Apollo26>
No real complaints, its all fine.
@KeyguypersonConsidering I control Earth, it still affects my history. Espically since several of 21st and 22nd century events effected the Iscandarian's view of humanity.
Not really, considering the fact that human national borders don't exist anymore (as far as I can gather from your app, that is). Besides, would having a Third World War really change the Iscandarian perspective on humanity that much? Like, we've already had two, the second being much more cruel than the stated Third because of the holocaust (no major power would dare attempt genocide, nor have a reason to). Is there any in-depth reason why having a fully conventional WWIII would be so big a disruption so as to change how humans are viewed by the Iscandarians?
WilsonTurner AKA / OfWindAndRain
Member
Seen
7 yrs ago
<Snipped quote by duck55223>
Not really, considering the fact that human national borders don't exist anymore (as far as I can gather from your app, that is). Besides, would having a Third World War really change the Iscandarian perspective on humanity that much? Like, we've already had two, the second being much more cruel than the stated Third because of the holocaust (no major power would dare attempt genocide, nor have a reason to). Is there any in-depth reason why having a fully conventional WWIII would be so big a disruption so as to change how humans are viewed by the Iscandarians?
But you see, Keyguy, Duck didn't say so, and Duck didn't say that anyone had free reign over almost completely inconsequential matters, and so of course it really matters, and of course he'd have to make sure it's all right by him.
I'm sorry I'm so pissed right now, sorry duck.
Keyguyperson Welcome to Cyberhell
Member
Seen
5 mos ago
<Snipped quote by Keyguyperson>
But you see, Keyguy, Duck didn't say so, and Duck didn't say that anyone had free reign over almost completely inconsequential matters, and so of course it really matters, and of course he'd have to make sure it's all right by him.
I'm sorry I'm so pissed right now, sorry duck.
Don't worry man, I'm exactly as pissed. I just had a Second-Grade teacher who made us do Yoga every day, so I use backspace way more often.
WilsonTurner AKA / OfWindAndRain
Member
Seen
7 yrs ago
Right now is one of those moments when you really really need someone to just rant to and cry and have there for comfort and all that, but I don't have frickin' anyone because no one actually gives a shit, and the best I have is a girl that's just as socially awkward and clueless as me, who is just as socially inhibited as me, so the best we do is talk on Skype or some shit.
I normally just keep all the shit that happens to me wrapped up tight in a little ball in a safe locked away in the deepest parts of my consciousness, but today has been the shittiest day for a while and so it's all crashing back onto me and I really just want to slam my door shut and lock it, and barricade it, and refuse to come out until I feel better, which I know will never happen because I've had this shit for years, and I know that my asshole parents would just make it worse and I'm all breaking down again for like the fourth time and I really think I'm going to snap here pretty quick, maybe this next minute, hour, day, week, I don't know but I'm feeling really goddamn weak right now.
I normally just keep all the shit that happens to me wrapped up tight in a little ball in a safe locked away in the deepest parts of my consciousness, but today has been the shittiest day for a while and so it's all crashing back onto me and I really just want to slam my door shut and lock it, and barricade it, and refuse to come out until I feel better, which I know will never happen because I've had this shit for years, and I know that my asshole parents would just make it worse and I'm all breaking down again for like the fourth time and I really think I'm going to snap here pretty quick, maybe this next minute, hour, day, week, I don't know but I'm feeling really goddamn weak right now.
coGM
Zadubadabu Nightmare Emperor
Member
Seen
7 yrs ago
@WilsonTurner, I know what you mean. I may not know the exact situation you're in, but I've definitely felt similarly before. It can just be so hard to vent all your frustrations when nobody seems to care at all, and you don't want to be a burden on them. I don't really have many personal friends and even the ones I do have I don't tell anything about my personal life as they really don't care at all. In fact, Durandal is probably the only friend I have who I tell most of my crap to. I tend to just ignore everyone and put on a mask of boredom and disinterest for just about everything and as you probably know that doesn't really turn out great in the long run. I know I can't really help at all with whatever situation has you like this, but I'll still listen and try to understand so I can hopefully give some advice from my own experience. Only if you want to accept my help of course. If you just want to rant in a PM or something, I'll still read the whole thing and offer any input I can, or I'll just stay silent if you wish. Your choice.
1x Thank
WilsonTurner AKA / OfWindAndRain
Member
Seen
7 yrs ago
@Zadubadabu
Thank you, Zab. At the moment, I probably won't be taking you up on your offer, but I'd be thankful if it stays open. And if I do rant- do reply. All the people who stick around are people who do nothing more than say "mmm. Mmm? Mm."
Thank you, Zab. At the moment, I probably won't be taking you up on your offer, but I'd be thankful if it stays open. And if I do rant- do reply. All the people who stick around are people who do nothing more than say "mmm. Mmm? Mm."
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