Embluss

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

Ship Name: Daughter of Gaia

Description: The Daughter of Gaia is the flagship and command vessel of the settler fleet. Commissioned in 2259, it is the fourth of the Kennedy-Class large colony ships. She measures nearly three kilometers long and three-quarters of a kilometer wide. Prior to her current assignment, she was utilized in the colonization of the Epsilon Eridani system. After nearly twenty years of operation in the system, the Daughter of Gaia returned to Sol for full refit. This update completely overhauled all internal systems of the ship. Her communications and computer systems are particularly advanced, easing the coordination of fleet resources.

The Daughter of Gaia bears several weapons systems. Defense lasers protect much of the hull from conventional projectile attack. Although little of its space is devoted to military use, the sheer size of the vessel allows for a large number of missile systems. Experimental high-energy attack lasers supplement attack capabilities, but are low in number to avoid overdrawing the three onboard fusion reactors.

Due to the large mass and length of the ship, the Daughter of Gaia has difficulty landing. Fifty-two Nereid-Class landing vessels are instead utilized in surface landings. Capable of carrying over 400 people each (albeit in a high-density layout), the Nereids can collectively perform a total evacuation of the Daughter of Gaia in one run. While not designed for combat use, the Nereids are incredibly rugged utility vehicles, featuring VTOL capabilities, configurable support for water landings, and atmospheric entry capabilities.

As flagship, the Daughter of Gaia bests any other ship in the fleet in size and technology.

Population: 22,000
Description: The settlers aboard the flagship are mainly Americans of Earth. However, significant parts of the crew were recruited during its refit at the Cerean shipyards (Ceres being a key American possession in the Sol System). These workers often brought family with them, lending the Daughter of Gaia a significant space-born population. The 800 soldiers aboard originate from the Jovian moons. This detachment, while not the largest in the fleet, exceeds the basic deployment. This is largely due to the presence of the command staff and the involved security needs.

Captain Name: Admiral Mark Perin
Description: A distinguished but aging naval officer, Admiral Mark Perin accepted the mission to Delta Pavonis with the intent of retiring in the system. Born in the Centauri system, he initially served in the navy there. Early in his career, Perin moved to Earth in search of professional oppurtunities. The transition was successful, as he was soon climbing the ladder of command. The Admiral has a full head of silver hair, blue eyes, and deeply set wrinkles. He is moderately tall and retains much of the athleticism of his younger days.

Other Notable Individuals:
Lieutenant John Baran: Although technically a captain by rank, protocol demands that, aboard a vessel, only its commander is addressed as captain. This is perhaps the most obvious sign of how deeply John Baran is hidden in the Admiral’s shadow. With military-cut dark hair, brown eyes, and a medium build, the Lieutenant does not stand out. He is a competent officer, but lacks the long experience of the admiral. Leads the coup aboard the Daughter of Gaia, triggering the crisis. Directly commands the soldiers of the Gaia and serves as first mate.

Notes: Yeah, I broke the population limit I set, and made the ship pretty powerful. It’s the flagship, and these things are there to help me keep a plot moving forward if need be.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

The RP thread is now open for business. You can comment about the conclusion of your journey and on-ship affairs if you desire, but the true action will not begin until I post the intro. Sorry for the delay- I've been in a college application bootcamp for the past couple days. It ends tomorrow, and I'll attempt to get the game going late at night tomorrow or midday Thursday.

Please do not attempt to leave the fleet's immediate vicinity, land on any orbital body, move persons or supplies between ships, or launch secondary vessels until I have posted the intro.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

APPLICATIONS REMAIN OPEN UNTIL THE INTRODUCTORY SEQUENCE ENDS. ACT FAST.

[UPDATED] Hello everyone. Welcome to the RP thread for "The Scattered", a new nation RP which will follow a disastrous colonization attempt early in humanity's intersolar age. The disaster isn't an alien attack. It isn't a natural incompatibility with the new world. And it isn't a mechanical failure aboard the colony ships.

Mankind just screws up royally.

Upon detecting organized civilization on the target world, the fleet admiral orders that the colonization of the system be aborted. As the fleet travels below lightspeed, this means roughly another decade of cramped, boring travel. Factions within command that would rather seize the planet than move onwards preempt this order with a coup, leaving the Admiral dead and the flagship under their command.

Each player begins as a ship's Captain. Do you follow the coup leaders, actively resist, or follow the late Admiral's orders?

The Delta Pavonis System
Big thanks to Aegon for this awesome description!

Delta Pavonis:
A star incredibly similar to humanity's home star of Sol, Delta Pavonis is the closest solar analog star that is not in a binary system. Delta Pavonis is nearly 7 Billion Years Old and in the (slow) process of becoming a Red Giant. It is slightly smaller in mass, though bigger in both size and luminosity, making the habitable zone lie further out than the one that Earth resides in.

Delta Pavonis A:
This planet may be similar in size to a small Venus, but it is anything but. At approximately .8 Earth Mass and orbiting Delta Pavonis at about .71 Astronomical Units (AU), it has almost the exact same orbital characteristics. Delta Pavonis A orbits its star in about 219.5 Earth Days, although it doesn't have days of it's own. It is tidally locked, leaving one side perpetually facing Delta Pavonis, and one side perpetually facing away. With gravity similar to Venus (and therefore similar to Earth's), it maintains a thin atmosphere, though a lack of a magnetosphere and proximity to the sun makes it hard to hold onto it. The atmosphere has a pressure of 5.3 kPa, making it nearly nine times as much pressure as Mars, however it is still below the survivable limit for humans. Delta Pavonis A is a rocky, metallic body very similar to Mercury in composition, although the atmosphere allows dust to be blown across the surface, constantly eroding the craters it would otherwise have. There is no volcanic activity on Delta Pavonis A and it is very much so a dead world.

Delta Pavonis B:

Delta Pavonis B is slightly bigger than Earth, with a mass of about 1.05 Earth's (and a gravity at about .97 g's), but it orbits Delta Pavonis at about 1.28 AU (almost halfway between Earth and Mars, for comparison). It has a day approximately 25 hours long, giving it a year of 510 days, adding one extra day to the year every ten years. It is slightly cooler than Earth, with average surface temperature being 54F as opposed to Earth's 59F. The atmosphere is largely similar to Earth's, with 75% Nitrogen, 24% Oxygen, and 1% Other Gases.
-Delta Pavonis B1:
A moon only about 800 km in diameter, it largely has a composition of an iron-rich asteroid. B1 is mostly spherical with a few craters and orbits its planet roughly every 25 days and is tidally locked to its planet.
-Delta Pavonis B2:
A moon much larger than it's counterpart, B2 is roughly 1200 km in diameter and is very similar to Earth's moon in composition. It is mostly spherical, with many craters and orbits its planet roughly every 50 days and is tidally locked to its planet.
NOTE: B1 and B2 are in an orbital resonance pattern so that B2 completes two orbits every time B1 completes 1 Orbit. This creates the opportunity for a ship to orbit the planet every 100 days (orbiting once every time B2 does twice and B1 does four times) which allows it to get an extra gravitational "kick," allowing it to expend less fuel in order to leave orbit.

Delta Pavonis C:
At roughly 1.5 times the mass of Jupiter, Delta Pavonis C orbits at about 2.05 AU (just outside the habitable zone) in about 1076 Earth days.
MOON SYSTEM INFO

Delta Pavonis D:
Slightly larger than Earth in both mass and size, Delta Pavonis D is about 1.2 times the mass of Earth (with about 1.14 g's). While it retains an atmosphere (that is largely nitrogen with a sizable portion of hydrogen) and frozen ice, an orbit at 3.2 AU puts it well outside the habitable zone and a very dim view of it's star, to where it only looks like a very bright star in the sky and less like a sun. With a day nearly 20 hours long, it orbits Delta Pavonis in about 2520 days (50399 hours per orbit).

Delta Pavonis E
Largely a Saturn Analog in size, composition, and orbit, it has a spectacular ring system and several small moons. It orbits at about 10.3 AUs in about 12125 Earth days.

Delta Pavonis F:
Largely a Neptune Analog in size and composition, it orbits at about 24 AU in about 43131 Earth days. It's moons are largely similar to asteroids or comets.

Earth Day = A day measured relative to Earth's Day.
Day = A day measured relative to the planet it refers to.

The Natives
The habitable planet has a single sentient genus, which has settled most of the world. Similar to humans, they are bipedal, highly cephalized, and have systems similar to human skeletons and muscles. They differ in several notable ways. Most visibly, their skin is similar to that of amphibians; clammy, moist, somewhat leathery, and functioning as part of the respiratory system. Coloration differs significantly between tribes and individuals. Their builds are lankier, they lack hair, have no obvious external sexual organs, and have colorless irises. They are excellently adapted for wet, warm climates, but can do reasonably well in temperate regions. Deserts (of both the arctic and subtropical varieties) are even more inhospitable to them than they are towards humans.

Two species exist, separated by their reproductive habits. The larger population breeds by releasing many gametes into ponds. Offspring are cared for by the community, and no analogue to the family exists. Very few visible differences between the sexes exist in this species.

The second population invests more individual care in their offspring. Females attach their eggs to rocks, logs, or themselves. Generally producing fewer children but taking greater pains to ensure their survival, this group has a construct similar to the family (degrees of monogamy vary by tribe). Despite their lower population, this species has built the most powerful nations on-world.

The two species overlap in some territories, but generally avoid mixing. In rare cases they may successfully reproduce together, but the resulting children are entirely sterile.

Their technology varies, but the most advanced groups are roughly equivalent to Europe in the early modern period (1500-1700). Gunpowder weaponry, near-global trade networks, and advanced culture have all been developed. Like humanity, they feature many different nations and cultures.

Other life forms on-planet bear outward similarities to earth life, but large amphibian-like and reptile-like creatures are dominant.

The Settlers
The settlers of Delta Pavonis are at the end of journey which covered 19.92 light years and took more than twenty-three years. While all have originated from the EU, USA, or Canada and therefore have many cultural similarities, this long trip through interstellar space has allowed a community to develop aboard each ship. Lacking FTL or cryogenic technologies, the passengers have become well acquainted with one another (and with the commands of their vessels). This should influence the roleplay; shipmates will likely remain loyal to their vessel above (and even at the expense of) any other humans.

With them they bring advanced technology. The most comparable human technology would be the pre-war humans of Halo (Our settlers, however, lack FTL, cryo, advanced AI, and related technlogies). Energy weapons do exist, but have yet to fully displace projectile-based weapons. Medicine has advanced significantly, but is not perfect- especially here, at the frontier. The year is 2296.

The ships are large, designed to transport 10,000+ people, as well as all of the equipment and materials needed to establish colonial outposts. I personally take inspiration from the Phoenix Class Colony Ships of Halo, but the fleet does not have a standard ship. Design and features will vary.

One last note; this fleet is mainly populated by settlers. There are some soldiers, scientists, and sailors on board, but the group is designed to peaceably occupy an empty world- not to do whatever you'll be trying to do with it.

Notes
Join the Chat to discuss, or you may post here. Players will not be able to control native groups, but you may settle peaceably among them if you wish to interact with them a lot. I do not use dice, turns, or other restrictive gameplay frameworks. I will control the natives, the flagship, and anything else it makes sense for me to introduce. That's about it.

Nation Sheet
Ship Name:
Description: (Strengths, Weaknesses, Etc)
Population: (20,000 Maximum. If you max out the population, other aspects of your ship must make compromises to accommodate the large number of people)
Description: (Country/region of Origin (Must be US, Canada, or Europe. This isn't about limiting, this is because I don't want old-world rivalries to come over), culture, or anything really notable)

Captain Name:
Description:
Other Notable Individuals:

Notes:

Please PM me a brief statement on your immediate plans at the start of the roleplay as a supplement to this sheet. There is an immediate conflict presented in the intro, and you must make several choices. This PM will be considered as part of your application.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

Accepted.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

Sorry to keep everything held up, but I want to give those who have stated their interest time to apply. I also feel like we do need a couple more people.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

EDIT: Fixed map.

Also, map of Delta Pavonis B:



Good? Used the Donjon world generator

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

Sizzlin Bacon said
All of the people of those nations learn to speak English, I don't think adding unnecessary language barriers between the settlers is a good idea. It would be an unnecessary pain. Language barriers between the natives and the settlers actually make sense, as they may not even communicate like humans.

I guess It does make sense that, even if they hadn't learned at home, they'd learn knowing they're colonizing with an english-majority fleet. But still, there's use for a mediator group- among men and between species.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

Vapora said
Ah that's a shame. Like I say, my original idea was a lot of ships of different languages having communication issues. Maybe one for another thread in the future. ;)

Actually, at the moment the RP allows for ships from the USA, Canada, and EU. I believe there is one ship from Scandinavia and four from north America so far. Even without more language barriers, your idea for a neutral hospital ship could be pulled off pretty well in this RP.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

Kyelin said
A modified wireless transmission that bypasses all installation approvals and safety checks of the receiving ship, as best as it can, ignoring firewalls and security measures. This means that only especially hardened ships (such as capitals or other ECM/EW suite ships) can 100 percent effectively nullify the transmission. Other ships... I guess it would be dependent on how quickly someone picks up on what is going on, and their ability to lock it down before the virus can get to any of it's target systems. Of course, if the full electronic firepower of the Ljus was unleashed at a single ship, something would go down at least temporarily.

Bypassing that would probably require acting on layers of the software beneath the system... maybe the kernel, probably the bootloader or recovery. That would require some pretty screwy security design flaws in these systems. Jamming missile guidance and other electromagnetic-based targeting systems would be the easier way to go, in my opinion, as it doesn't require compromising an entire ship's IT systems.

Also, keep in mind these ships are designed for interstellar space. They have to have intense radiation shielding.

I'm not saying that this stuff won't work, it's just that the first way you tried might not be the best way.

I'd like to get this started by the weekend, but I'm holding out to see if we can get at least a couple more people.

The Scattered [Sci-Fi]

@Kyelin- I missed it on my first run through, but there is no FTL in this RP, so your jammer for that is useless. Also, please explain a feasible method by which your "weapons jammer" could work, or remove it.

@Bacon- I like the bio. Being captain, however, does entail technical responsibilities as well as legal ones- perhaps you could put in some short statement about a "Chief Navigator" or "Lieutenant"? I'm not going to base your acceptance on this (you're in, no ifs about it), but I think it might be best. Up to you, though.

Also, I'm happy to see another American Colonial Authority vessel. Should go well.