@Steel LegionAre you intending for a character whose job was to find and mark valuable resources? I think that would make sense as a registered passenger, if they are working for them formally.
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@EliteCommander
Yes i want to play someone from earth. Im thinking of a prospector a bit like people from the American colonization period, but with a modern twist.
I would expect that would make sense for an exploration vessel. Catharyn is more the one making decisions regarding the crew, though.
Something like the wookies; small, furry, and murderous as hell.
Second suggestion: something big, strong and massively stupid. Maybe really, really slow too, so they're not even competent fighters, but they are competent shield bearers or workhorses or maybe they are really really dumb, but they understand physical sciences like nobody else and can tell you exactly how you can effortlessly lift something 20x the weight of the person carrying it using a special technique or (whatever science mumbojumbo you can come up with to sort of justify that), or they understand mechanical engineering really, really well (which is surprising cause they're dumb).
But mostly I still just want alternative wookies.
We can create one of those, certainly.
Also, just to clarify, anyone can also be a part of the Jotunheim crew from Earth. In fact, we would quite like to have a good number of those crew members in the story. I am just making the playable species for those who want something different.
We are currently working on defining some of the playable species. As Catharyn mentioned we are open to suggestions before it starts properly, if anyone has any ideas of their own. Just bear in mind that, to Kanth-Aremek, Humans are a new and alien species. The crew of the Jotunheim will very much be strangers in a strange land. To preserve that feeling, there is not anything too Human-like that is native to that world.
Indeed, the Outreman commander’s concerns about potential losses were absolutely valid. The mission’s success relied not only upon the success of each individual objective, but their ability to mount a successful attack against the primary objective afterwards. Collectively, they needed to have enough forces remaining to be able to defeat the enemy’s key ship. Calling in for reinforcements was absolutely an option on the table, though it was an option that only one battle group would likely be able to take.
The enemy, as it stood, had focused their strategy on avoiding the planetoid to focus on the rest of the battle group. They scattered as much as they could from the planetoid’s projected path, though some would still be in range of its broadside once it completed its maneuver. The rest were, at least, being pushed towards a combination of Outreman and Rothian ships. With a lack of specific orders, the Rothian cruisers had elected to give their support to the Outreman command ship to ensure their overall lines maintained their organization. The QV ship had, finally, been surrounded and overwhelmed away from allied lines, while two enemy cruisers managed to break through to start bombarding the “Bertha” rail cannon. The Rothian and Outreman cruisers together, however, comprised a powerful core of ships that could output heavy firepower on anything being pushed towards them.
In response to the Outreman commander’s request, an array of pings appeared on their screens to mark the points where their reinforcements could jump in to the battlefield. The other battle group would be able to drop in to the battle at close range, and without a doubt would immediately shift the balance of power sharply into their favor. With an entire extra battle group, their numbers would almost double the enemy, and they would be able to take this objective with few additional casualties. However, should they make the call for reinforcements here and now, that would deny the option to other battle groups, should they need it. Their reinforcements were ready to jump in right now; they were just waiting on final confirmation from the commander to decide if this was where they wanted to commit them.
Vreta did not so much as attempt to understand whatever it was that the scientists were doing with their scans. There had been a time in his life where he had been involved in research, but that had been centuries in the past. For now, he focused on what he could meaningfully influence. The communications from the other faction of Humans was something more in his domain.
“This is a stealth vessel.” Vreta remarked. “I say that we recommend to the Admiral to ‘throw them a bone’, I think is the expression. Move the battle group a bit farther from Psi-Helios, away from the demilitarized zone. But this ship can continue its objective undisturbed. Earth would need to have technological prowess beyond that of even Outremer to be able to detect us.”
The enemy, as it stood, had focused their strategy on avoiding the planetoid to focus on the rest of the battle group. They scattered as much as they could from the planetoid’s projected path, though some would still be in range of its broadside once it completed its maneuver. The rest were, at least, being pushed towards a combination of Outreman and Rothian ships. With a lack of specific orders, the Rothian cruisers had elected to give their support to the Outreman command ship to ensure their overall lines maintained their organization. The QV ship had, finally, been surrounded and overwhelmed away from allied lines, while two enemy cruisers managed to break through to start bombarding the “Bertha” rail cannon. The Rothian and Outreman cruisers together, however, comprised a powerful core of ships that could output heavy firepower on anything being pushed towards them.
In response to the Outreman commander’s request, an array of pings appeared on their screens to mark the points where their reinforcements could jump in to the battlefield. The other battle group would be able to drop in to the battle at close range, and without a doubt would immediately shift the balance of power sharply into their favor. With an entire extra battle group, their numbers would almost double the enemy, and they would be able to take this objective with few additional casualties. However, should they make the call for reinforcements here and now, that would deny the option to other battle groups, should they need it. Their reinforcements were ready to jump in right now; they were just waiting on final confirmation from the commander to decide if this was where they wanted to commit them.
Vreta did not so much as attempt to understand whatever it was that the scientists were doing with their scans. There had been a time in his life where he had been involved in research, but that had been centuries in the past. For now, he focused on what he could meaningfully influence. The communications from the other faction of Humans was something more in his domain.
“This is a stealth vessel.” Vreta remarked. “I say that we recommend to the Admiral to ‘throw them a bone’, I think is the expression. Move the battle group a bit farther from Psi-Helios, away from the demilitarized zone. But this ship can continue its objective undisturbed. Earth would need to have technological prowess beyond that of even Outremer to be able to detect us.”
Vael 'Virisusai
It went without saying that Grik’s maneuver came by surprise to the defenders on the wall. The prototype goblin had far more mobility than would be expected from a vehicle of its type. The infantry on top of the wall were not equipped to overcome the heavy defenses of the mech, nor did they have much cover to hide from it. Those that Grik did not kill right away retreated quickly. In addition to taking a lot of the pressure from his team below, from the top of the wall, he would have a good view of the streets inside.
With the light vehicles Ryker was leading having pushed through the gap, they had been able to put pressure on the enemy infantry pretty much immediately. They had forced many of them to scatter and seek hard cover, which meant the tanks pushing through the breach behind them did not have any sort of organized frontline to try to stop them. Plasma mortars from allied wraiths sailed overhead to bombard groups of enemies that could be seen rushing towards the walls in the distance, while shells from scorpion tanks were targeted more precisely at closer groups.
While their armored column was able to establish a foothold in the walls, moving forward still presented more dangers. Not long after they started to advance, a flash of green shot out from off to the right in front of them, from the doorway of one of the buildings. A fuel rod struck one of the warthogs, sending it rolling until it crashed into a barrier on the opposite side of the street. A second fuel rod fired quickly and struck the front of the lead scorpion, though from a single shot, there was no penetration through the tough armor. The shooter quickly ducked back into the building, but Vael marked the target for his wraith’s driver. It fired one plasma mortar, then another back-to-back. Between the two of them, the small structure collapsed entirely.
”We have neither the time nor forces to secure every building. We shall use our armor to destroy any place they may hide. Our objective is the Kaidon. Should Tar defeat him in honorable combat, then the city shall recognize her right to lead. Advance straight to the keep, as quickly as possible.” Vael ordered. The city, of course, was not strictly a military stronghold, though Vael did not seem concerned by differentiating between military and civilians. The building the wraith had collapsed looked to have been a residence, but it was no less of a target to him.
In the air, the blockade runner was still close enough to provide support, as well as serving as a target for the attention of ground-based AA. Yalu and the other banshees could use it to gain an edge over the incoming banshee squadrons. However, their ship could not continue to soak up damage forever. An alert went out that there would be two minutes before the blockade runner retreated. Once that happened, any pilot still in the air over the city would be in much more danger.
The Tindrel’s strategy of using their planetoid as a ram had worked twice so far, but it seemed that it would not work for a third. The enemy was keeping close track of their movements, and approaching from a distance as it was, they had plenty of time to push forward into the asteroid field, moving aggressively into the lines of the Outreman ships. The planetoid could not follow, both because of the asteroids, and to avoid endangering their own allies. Their weaponry however, certainly still had the potential to contribute. The enemy’s fighters and support ships had been positioned to fight the Humans, so a good number of torpedoes from their flanks were able to find their marks and spread out significant damage to a few capital ships. As long as someone could keep pressure on them, they would not be able to disengage to recover their shields.
Unfortunatley, losses were still piling up on both sides. A few more capital ships had been knocked out. Currently, victory was not guaranteed, though it was looking more likely than not. However, on the current path, losses were going to be heavy. The pressure from the enemy was constant, and relentless, and the commander was going to have to prioritize what to protect. They had managed to keep the QV ship intact for now, but hostiles were close to surrounding it. The shields of the battle group’s Outreman flagship were currently below half, and it could be in danger without some relief. As well, there were two enemy cruisers maneuvering to try to take out the “Bertha” rail cannon.
“We should let the evidence build the pattern naturally. Best not to color our perspectives with potentially unfounded assumptions.” Marae answered. She was linked in to the computer via her implants, so she could adjust the parameters of their scans through thought alone. The new parameters she was inputting and updating moment-to moment danced across the screen almost faster than one could read them. “Let’s do a deep scan here. Focus on the settlement and its surroundings.”
Using readings from both the Cradle and Navigator as a reference point, Marae started guiding a wide scan through the entire EM spectrum. She did not design each test unassisted, of course, but before their eyes, she implemented a program that would automatically update and iterate between each of the thousands of tests it was performing per second. It was following a genetic algorithm to continually refine potential signal profiles to search for. The tests themselves were perfectly comprehensible to someone with relevant expertise, though the way she treated complex programming as if it was simple mental math was a sight to behold. The only aspect of the tests that the other species might not recognize as readily would be the scans utilizing induced gravitational waves. Compared to anything on the EM spectrum, gravitational waves were exceptionally weak and required immensely sensitive instruments to even detect. The physics involved was well-known to any spacefaring species, but to be able to manufacture a device both capable of detecting such waves, while also being small and practical enough to fit in a sensor package, was not something that others could yet do.
Unfortunatley, losses were still piling up on both sides. A few more capital ships had been knocked out. Currently, victory was not guaranteed, though it was looking more likely than not. However, on the current path, losses were going to be heavy. The pressure from the enemy was constant, and relentless, and the commander was going to have to prioritize what to protect. They had managed to keep the QV ship intact for now, but hostiles were close to surrounding it. The shields of the battle group’s Outreman flagship were currently below half, and it could be in danger without some relief. As well, there were two enemy cruisers maneuvering to try to take out the “Bertha” rail cannon.
“We should let the evidence build the pattern naturally. Best not to color our perspectives with potentially unfounded assumptions.” Marae answered. She was linked in to the computer via her implants, so she could adjust the parameters of their scans through thought alone. The new parameters she was inputting and updating moment-to moment danced across the screen almost faster than one could read them. “Let’s do a deep scan here. Focus on the settlement and its surroundings.”
Using readings from both the Cradle and Navigator as a reference point, Marae started guiding a wide scan through the entire EM spectrum. She did not design each test unassisted, of course, but before their eyes, she implemented a program that would automatically update and iterate between each of the thousands of tests it was performing per second. It was following a genetic algorithm to continually refine potential signal profiles to search for. The tests themselves were perfectly comprehensible to someone with relevant expertise, though the way she treated complex programming as if it was simple mental math was a sight to behold. The only aspect of the tests that the other species might not recognize as readily would be the scans utilizing induced gravitational waves. Compared to anything on the EM spectrum, gravitational waves were exceptionally weak and required immensely sensitive instruments to even detect. The physics involved was well-known to any spacefaring species, but to be able to manufacture a device both capable of detecting such waves, while also being small and practical enough to fit in a sensor package, was not something that others could yet do.
Given their apparent indifference to the rest of the fleet so far, it was a pleasant surprise when the Tindrel commander began to take charge and give direction. With the swiftness of the enemy’s surprise attack, it had been unavoidable that their battle group had taken losses. A few of the Outreman ships, including one cruiser, had been taken out of the simulation, and several more had registered hull damage before being able to retreat into the asteroid field. Of course, the enemy had also suffered similar damage in the exchange, and they now had the opportunity to get to some measure of cover and try to replenish the shields on their more vulnerable ships.
The Rothian cruisers deeper in the asteroids were eventually able to bring their ships around and rejoin the battle. Now that the enemy was exclusively on one side of them, they could face their armored crests towards the threat to greatly improve their own durability, though the current situation called for them to advance forward quickly and try to take pressure off of their allies. For the power they had, their greatest weakness was that there were only three of them. The battlefield was wide enough that, no matter how they were distributed, there was a large part of it they simply could not influence. In the parts of the battle in which they were present, though, they could be an impactful asset. For now, the cruisers pushed forward and joined some of the Outreman ships in trying to rescue the retreating Qalian-Vosh vessel. The ranking Rothian captain marked the closest cruiser to their ally, prompting all three to converge fire upon it from their main batteries. Fusion cannons were powerful on their own, but the version the Rothians were using now were stronger than any the Rothians had revealed before. They ripped apart the enemy shields at blistering speed, only to shift their focus fire to a different target once they had exposed the vulnerability on the first.
Rather than take the time to finish off the enemy cruiser themselves, the Rothian captain instead marked the vulnerable ship as a priority target for the Outremans. Their rail cannon was a dated weapon as far as naval technology was concerned. Powerful, but slow to fire. Volleys of high energy projectiles, or sustained beams, were more efficient at depleting energy shielding. Still, the Rothians calculated that a single, well-placed shot should be sufficient to disable or destroy an unshielded hostile vessel.
The ship’s deep scans had picked up what appeared to be a settlement, though deep underground beneath a massive mountain range covered in the Morgrawal. “A settlement, it looks like.” Enha, the Rothian xenoanthroplogist, remarked. “It looks to be native, not alien. Though it is quite remarkable for a native settlement at this level of technological development. I normally would not expect them to be able to maintain such an organized settlement in such a challenging environment.”
The Rothian cruisers deeper in the asteroids were eventually able to bring their ships around and rejoin the battle. Now that the enemy was exclusively on one side of them, they could face their armored crests towards the threat to greatly improve their own durability, though the current situation called for them to advance forward quickly and try to take pressure off of their allies. For the power they had, their greatest weakness was that there were only three of them. The battlefield was wide enough that, no matter how they were distributed, there was a large part of it they simply could not influence. In the parts of the battle in which they were present, though, they could be an impactful asset. For now, the cruisers pushed forward and joined some of the Outreman ships in trying to rescue the retreating Qalian-Vosh vessel. The ranking Rothian captain marked the closest cruiser to their ally, prompting all three to converge fire upon it from their main batteries. Fusion cannons were powerful on their own, but the version the Rothians were using now were stronger than any the Rothians had revealed before. They ripped apart the enemy shields at blistering speed, only to shift their focus fire to a different target once they had exposed the vulnerability on the first.
Rather than take the time to finish off the enemy cruiser themselves, the Rothian captain instead marked the vulnerable ship as a priority target for the Outremans. Their rail cannon was a dated weapon as far as naval technology was concerned. Powerful, but slow to fire. Volleys of high energy projectiles, or sustained beams, were more efficient at depleting energy shielding. Still, the Rothians calculated that a single, well-placed shot should be sufficient to disable or destroy an unshielded hostile vessel.
The ship’s deep scans had picked up what appeared to be a settlement, though deep underground beneath a massive mountain range covered in the Morgrawal. “A settlement, it looks like.” Enha, the Rothian xenoanthroplogist, remarked. “It looks to be native, not alien. Though it is quite remarkable for a native settlement at this level of technological development. I normally would not expect them to be able to maintain such an organized settlement in such a challenging environment.”
Under most circumstances, the strategy their enemy was using was not something the average fleet commander would even consider as an option. It took any concept of strategic maneuvering or macro tactics and threw them out the proverbial window. Fleet commanders would lose almost all influence over the overall battle in favor of a simple aggregate of the competence of each fleet’s respective ships, captains, and crews. Naturally, most commanders would rather not give up their own contributions, especially as such a battle would likely end with heavy losses on both sides. Ironically, though, despite how aggressive and chaotic the Tindrel’s strategy was, this particular brand of chaos was so strongly to the detriment of the flagship that formed the center of their strategy that it was the best option they had.
The Tindrel’s initial strikes had wiped out multiple groups of ships, but the remainder of the enemy fleet still outnumbered the allied battle group, to a not insignificant degree. It was not insurmountable, but they needed to find some way to regain an advantage. The only macro strategy that the enemy was following at the moment was unrestrained aggression. As the Outreman fleet tried falling back into the field, the enemy tried to stick with them to the best of their ability.
The Rothian cruisers, for the moment, were having to execute some rather slow turns to bring their ships to bear while confined in the asteroid field. They had some cannons with angles on the enemy, and their torpedoes could target omnidirectionally, but it would be a few minutes before they could rejoin the battle in full. The QV ships were currently in danger of being overwhelmed, and it would be up to the Tindrel commander to decide how they would respond.
Vreta hummed to himself for a moment. “They’re going to be wrapped up in this simulation for a while. I guess we should just keep on task. I’ll pass it along for Rareth to deal with. Hopefully they don’t get in the way of our search, but we should be careful. If they are on the surface, then they are probably flaunting the law. They may not respect the authority we bring with us.” He warned.
The Tindrel’s initial strikes had wiped out multiple groups of ships, but the remainder of the enemy fleet still outnumbered the allied battle group, to a not insignificant degree. It was not insurmountable, but they needed to find some way to regain an advantage. The only macro strategy that the enemy was following at the moment was unrestrained aggression. As the Outreman fleet tried falling back into the field, the enemy tried to stick with them to the best of their ability.
The Rothian cruisers, for the moment, were having to execute some rather slow turns to bring their ships to bear while confined in the asteroid field. They had some cannons with angles on the enemy, and their torpedoes could target omnidirectionally, but it would be a few minutes before they could rejoin the battle in full. The QV ships were currently in danger of being overwhelmed, and it would be up to the Tindrel commander to decide how they would respond.
Vreta hummed to himself for a moment. “They’re going to be wrapped up in this simulation for a while. I guess we should just keep on task. I’ll pass it along for Rareth to deal with. Hopefully they don’t get in the way of our search, but we should be careful. If they are on the surface, then they are probably flaunting the law. They may not respect the authority we bring with us.” He warned.
For the Tindrel’s planetoid, the ships that had moved into the freight channel had little chance for escape. In open space, the enemy might have been able to scatter more efficiently, but the asteroids surrounding them would restrict how fast they could maneuver, especially as a group. They had executed their plan as well as they could, and no doubt, the planetoid would be able to clear a fair sized group in a single pass. However, they had no way of stopping the rest of the enemy fleet from repositioning, and no way to regroup with the rest of their own fleet quickly. The asteroid field would restrict the planetoid even more than it would for the enemy vessels.
Had the enemy used their FTL jump to close in on the planetoid, the rest of the fleet might have been able to maneuver in to the field to reinforce their flagship. That, however, was not their intention. The planetoid was currently in the middle of the asteroid field with the freight channel as the only method of egress. It was, for the moment, a prison for it that it could not quickly escape. As such, nearly the entire remainder of the enemy fleet jumped to FTL, wrapped around the outside of the asteroid field, and appeared suddenly together...right on top of the bulk of the Outreman ships. They dropped out of FTL at extreme close range to most of the Outreman and Qalian-Vosh ships, sending the battlefield into immediate chaos. They seemed to abandon any notion of organized formations and instead positioned themselves in and among the allied fleet, firing on everything around them. It went without saying that this was a strategy that entailed full and complete commitment. There would be no escape for either side if they failed, but it was a sort of chaos that could be to their enemy’s advantage. Even should the planetoid manage to maneuver back around to rejoin the fight in time, it could not use its primary strategy so far without barreling through its own allies.
Vreta looked up to the hologram of the planet, his eyes narrowing noticeably. “Interference with pre-spaceflight species runs rather specifically afoul of our treaties.”
Vreta stepped away from Freyr’s station and moved closer, up behind Dr. Wetherall’s. “Are you able to pinpoint the locations of these alien signals?”
Had the enemy used their FTL jump to close in on the planetoid, the rest of the fleet might have been able to maneuver in to the field to reinforce their flagship. That, however, was not their intention. The planetoid was currently in the middle of the asteroid field with the freight channel as the only method of egress. It was, for the moment, a prison for it that it could not quickly escape. As such, nearly the entire remainder of the enemy fleet jumped to FTL, wrapped around the outside of the asteroid field, and appeared suddenly together...right on top of the bulk of the Outreman ships. They dropped out of FTL at extreme close range to most of the Outreman and Qalian-Vosh ships, sending the battlefield into immediate chaos. They seemed to abandon any notion of organized formations and instead positioned themselves in and among the allied fleet, firing on everything around them. It went without saying that this was a strategy that entailed full and complete commitment. There would be no escape for either side if they failed, but it was a sort of chaos that could be to their enemy’s advantage. Even should the planetoid manage to maneuver back around to rejoin the fight in time, it could not use its primary strategy so far without barreling through its own allies.
Vreta looked up to the hologram of the planet, his eyes narrowing noticeably. “Interference with pre-spaceflight species runs rather specifically afoul of our treaties.”
Vreta stepped away from Freyr’s station and moved closer, up behind Dr. Wetherall’s. “Are you able to pinpoint the locations of these alien signals?”
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