Yngwythyr always meant to create a race ASAP. I was meant to save up that much. Also while I occasionally check I still can't really post in earnest. So on hiatus till I return.
While I absolutely agree that Gnomes are malformed, stunted and generally unfortunate in shape I don't like you mentioning them and humans in the same sentence. Implying lame in a whole other meaning.
Yllwythyr watched over his creations. A tiny yet hardy race in constant struggle with various predators. Being a worrywart for once the Blackstaff showed mercy. Sparing them the immense hazard of foraging he granted them a simple gift: agriculture. Planting seeds, growing them and gathering the harvest. While primitive this fragment of knowledge could have a monumental effect, perfectly syncing with the gnomes' diligent nature.
Name: White Interstellar Corporations (WIC), also referred as White Corps Chief Director: Keith White, the third Headquarters: Cygnus System, Hydea Prime Government: Interstellar Megacorp/Conglomerate Status: "Neutral" (see below)
Overview/History
White Corps is a powerful galaxy wide corporation that came to be around the same time as Pax Ashtari, the "peace" established by the might of the Ashtar. Before the first contact with humans, White Corps was a multinational conglomerate evolved from a spacelift company. Keith White (the first) was a brilliant businessman who basically made his empire from scratch. White International Corporations was among the top 100 greatest human companies in the Federation yet compared to their future heights their position was almost mediocre. The grand change arrived alongside with the Ashtar whose galaxy spanning communication measures enabled unimaginable possibilities. Aging yet still in full capacity of his wits, Keith White risked everything to set foot in unfamiliar regions, racing to beat his competition. During his life White Corps went from a decently well-off international enterprise into a conglomerate with interstellar reach, as well as undoubtedly the most powerful corporation on Earth, rivaling nations. His dream continued under the guidance of Keith White (the second) whose youthful energy and desire for growth made White Corps into a galaxy wide entity we know. The second Keith White put down the lion's share of what provides the face of White Interstellar Corporations nowadays. The third Keith White thus seemingly landed a cushy office job with very little to do. The irony of this statement becomes obvious to the reader once you realize he took office only a few years prior to the Great War. The loss of Ashtar presence oversight and the embroiling chaos initially troubled the company but soon they turned things around, responding well to the galactic demand for conflict. In short they turned wars into profit, and keep doing it even now. White Corps' influence is on the constant rise and while materially speaking they are far from a powerhouse, they keep growing. White Corps built a reputation for high quality and extremely dependable services, something in dire demand during such chaotic times. In a sense this makes them neutral, they do not have any dreams of galactic conquest nor offering more support to any particular faction. In practice they are very much self-serving and given their high profile technological leaning they maintain a veiled yet keen interest in the Ashtar homeworld and its ongoings.
Holdings/Government
White Corps is a galaxy-spanning conglomerate with some degree of involvement in nearly every nation. While interstellar logistics is still their main profile they are present in a myriad of fields. White Mining and Industries (WMI) is steadily growing since the chaos of war, meeting the increasing demand for resources. White Research Fund has presence in countless places of learning, providing support and scholarship programs (as well as receiving up to date information on scientific finds). White Interstellar Innovation Initiative is a giant R&D powerhouse not only gathering technology from distant regions but also developing technology unique to White Corps. White Galactic Credit is a galaxy-wide bank and stock exchange which also invests in foreign companies. Overall the White Interstellar Corporations is a gigantic conglomerate with equally huge and complex leadership to govern it. There are several levels going from the daughter firms to constituent corporations all up to the main branches each lead by an Archon. These Archons have sweeping influence over their set field in the conglomerate and arguably even galaxy-wide. There are overall 11 Archons who also attend regular board meetings in presence of the chief director of White Corps, Keith White himself. These meetings are typically held in Hydea Prime, the planet-wide headquarters of the company but since Archons are constantly busy they can still remotely attend through highly encrypted quantum comms.
White Corps originated from Earth yet as the enterprise grew to encroach the galaxy the rock planet shared with billions of outside the company's payroll became inconvenient. Its location closer to the edge of the galaxy also caused logistical troubles. This inadequacy remained even after several moves of the company's headquarters until Keith White the second bought an entire star system for White Corps' exclusive use. Cygnus is an unique trinary star system ruled by the stars of Cygnus A, Cygnus B and Cygnus B*. As a hiearchical star system Cygnus A is much larger and situated at the center while the pairs of Cygnus B and B* orbit it from a further distance. Cygnus has 4 planets, 1 rock and 3 gas giants. With the rock planet orbiting between Cygnus A and Cygnus B+B* it surprisingly remained of habitable quality, dubbed Hydea Prime.
As a headquarters of White Corps and later an important trade hub the Cygnus system has a massive influx of starships coming and going outside the system. The stars are surrounded by dyson swarms and stellar mining units while the gas giants became industrial districts and hydroponics. Deneb Shipyards, a White Corps subsidiary, has their most prestigious production complex set up in Cygnus. Hydea Prime itself rapidly grew into an ecumenopolis, a planet-wide city. Used to be home tens of billions of employees with the Great War and unpredictable interstellar transports it became unsustainable. Along with a cost cutting and rationalizing measure Hydea Prime now sports extreme degree of automation with the living population reduced that to 400 million. Hydea Prime became a "ghost city" or as some call it a "planet wide computer". In spite of the dramatic cut on staff the productivity only escalated further while Hydea went from borderline ghetto to one of the best places to live in.
White Corps is a company and while some tend to joke about them becoming a "corporate nation", they are unable to practice direct political power. While technically owned by White Corps, Hydea Prime or even the remainder of Cygnus has no national rights. Instead each inhabitant are the citizen of their respective nations with laws applying to them accordingly. To avoid some of the confusion the interstellar community agreed to form the Cygnus Autonomous Government, a state supervised by major powers which can practice national rights. At least that's what the public believes. In practice CAG is of course a puppet of White Corps, a necessary extra step to have their way.
As a major trade hub and the heart of the galaxy's most prominent megacorp Cygnus is of course possesses their own defenses. Lent by White Corps but officially under the authority of the Cygnus government the Cygnus Defense Force (CDF) acts both as security and self-defense. About a million WSS employees are participating in CDF for this purpose, including 4 WSF battlegroups in space. Furthermore Cygnus has the unique Jaivardhan Network, a meticulous system of space defense platforms, capable of even repelling a few dreadnoughts. That being said the primary purpose of CDF is security and to stop the rare rouge actors from ruining operations. They aren't meant nor capable of stopping a major power from invading Cygnus. But why would they? Cygnus is important because White Corps is operating there. Invading the headquarters can be a major financial blow to not just the megacorp but the galactic community at large. The ultimate protection of White Corps is money and the key role they have in the modern interconnected interstellar economy.
Present CDO of White Corps, the grandson of the second Keith White. Original name Jason, he freshly earned his business degree in the University of Corinthene when the news of his grandfather's death reached him. As a tradition his father Kayne White was to be nominated as the next CDO, a motion everyone expected. Yet in a surprising twist the third Keith White was to be Jason, a person with practically no fame. Naturally this sent the entire Council of Archons into an uproar yet mysteriously Kayne expressed his support. As soon as they rose the waves of outrage had calmed down, perhaps begrudgingly accepting the fresh director. Rumors spread about the second Keith White growing emotional senile to name such a successor. Others calmly accepted this, thinking the third Keith White would be nothing but a handsome figurehead. With the sheer robustness of the company and the galaxy at peace it was beleived that White Corps could last another hundred years without a change. They were wrong. A few years later the Ashtar resigned their position as world police, going into hiding. Soon after the Great War broke out and conflict ruled the space. White Corps' businesses were collapsing in the waves of destruction yet the unthinkable happened. Keith White reorganized the conglomerate, changed focus and opened new markets. For every lost business they soon began gaining four or five. Conflict was a detriment to the old structure since it fed on stability. The new face of White Corps was different, it abused the inequalities of conflict. Need for some quick cash? Sell that resource asteroid to us. Need for some war resources? Here, freshly mined. Weapons? We have them. Men? Can do. Anything else? Can be arranged for. White Corps began to grow once again, turning from one of many intergalactic names to the top business in the galaxy. Logistics and high technology were still their main profile yet the way they approached things changed. After few years into the War nobody had any doubts about the young Keith's business sense. With hostilities reigniting in the race for Agdemnar it's expected that White Corps will flourish even more.
Demographics/Society
As a galaxy-spanning interstellar enterprise the White Corps has employees from a myriad of nations and races. [to be continued...]
Economy/Technology
Conservative estimates put White Corps' contribution to around 1% of the galaxy's entire GDP. Over the century the megacorp enjoyed a meteoric growth and its presence is now felt in every corner of the galaxy. That being said they are still just an interstellar company, perhaps the largest and most extensive the galaxy had ever known but regardless they aren't a nation state. Their assets are compartmentalized and dispersed through the galaxy. Like any other company they can be victims of the whims of local governments and while influential they only possess soft power. Similarly their industrial power is hanging on a myriad of interstellar agreements. And to re-iterate: White Corps might be the single greatest company in the galaxy but when compared to the gross national product of major powers they are still underwhelming. That being said, having a profit oriented galaxy-spanning enterprise does mean they could focus on projects much easier and could weigh countless alternatives. This sorts of freedom can also explain their reputation of high tech. While still nowhere to the point of Ashtar it's often beleived that White Corps owns the best technology money could buy. Their research programs penetrate every nation, their development teams "appropriate" patents through the galaxy and their seemingly unending funds can finance technological inventions most nations could never even dream of.
Nanolathes: The 3D printing of the future. It sorays layers of nanopractices on a "frame" made of forcefields it is possible to create objects or even fine devices with extreme precision. With centuries of development this technology is now widespread in White Corps facilities, allowing versatility and customization like never before. A qualitative improvement over this technology were the Q-fabs (quantum fabricators), allowing to interact with matter and change its structure. While transmuting lead to gold is still an economical dead end the range of customization options grew exponentially.
Metamaterials: Matter made, not extracted. Metamaterials is an attractive field which allows one to design matter with the exact properties they desire. While this process is costly it has several means of payoff. MSIM (meta-stable intermediary matter) is one common product, a family of designer composites ideal to rearrange via Q-Fabs for more specific uses. Durametals are the other end of the spectrum, ultradense metal-derived matrixes making them way more durable than normal. Durachrome is a fine example. Even the more modern brands of nanomesh use metamaterials and dura technology. Duramesh in particular is a spongy nano-webbed derivative of durachrome, making it excellent lightweight construction material.
Conversion Reactor: As a result of White Corps trying to deliver plentiful amount of energy conveniently to its clients its R&D team made many breakthroughs in energy generation, storage and transfer. One of these is the conversion reactor advertised as the ultimate evolution of nuclear energy. Using field generators, Q-Fabs and other devices it became plausible to turn any regular matter into a source of energy. Do you wish to run your reactor by throwing rocks into it? Sure, though far from ideal. Nuclear energy from air? Absolutely! Conversion reactors went through multiple generations and since the 5th gen era it's possible to make them even on the micro scale. Wrist watches and phones powered by air-derived nuclear energy is a matter of course now. While convenience is important White Corps also considered high performance users. Starships and certain military equipment can now use "ultra conversion reactors" which consume ultradense metastable matter to achieve high performance and at compact volume. Long story short this technology enables further miniaturization attempts from White Corps, enabling the rest of their tech.
Impeller/Impulse Technology: Unified force theory is partially unraveled by White Corps, allowing them to create a new kind of propulsion based on forcefields. This meant a fundamental change to White Corps technology yet functionally it has little effect. Impeller technology can be used in moving parts in place of electromagnetics, further improving efficiency. Similarly mass accelerators with impeller technology can be made more compact and reliable yet outwardly the effects are rather similar. A more apparent difference happened with the spread of impulse drives/engines. Using pure force instead of reaction mediums resulted in monumental fuel savings and environmentally safe method. Forcefields themselves are an ubiquitous standard feature of all White Corps technology.
Elektrokinetics: With the atomic age conventional explosives appeared to be on their way out yet thermonuclear weapons had their own issues. Elektrokinetics are using the coulombic force, induced by charge difference. Using sophisticated devices it's plausible to artificially create charge differences in matter to generate force. It can be used for mechanical power akin to the cylinders of a combustion engine, providing motive force. More importantly this charge difference can result in massively energetic bursts which can be utilized for explosives. Military applications for example include turning inert projectiles into improvised explosives, furthering the versatility of accelerator weaponry. It can be even used as rocket propulsion by turning a small portion of the object into reactive matter and expelling it in sequence. While electrokinetics have a narrow niche it still finds surpriringly frequent applications by White Corps.
Farcasters: As a galaxy wide conglomerate White Corps has experience with a myriad of faster than light travel mechanisms. To avoid the logistical nightmare of managing many dozens of different FTL drives, White Corps settled down on two. One of them are the farcasters, derivative of the ubiquitous hyperdrive. Some may go as far as White Corps invented Farcasters just for the patent money. Farcasters open a portal to hyperspace, an eldritch region commonly used for FTL travel. The actual process of "Farcasting" occours after entry where the ship establishes a safe corridor anchored to the exit point. This process makes hyperspace travel both safer and free of the random time variance regular hyperdrives experience. As such Farcasting vessels are always on time, a valuable asset for a corporation mainlining in logistics.
Fold Drive: While Farcasters offer reliable interstellar travel the corporation was also fascinated by the potential of a radically different approach. Foldspace technology warps space-time around the vessel, achieving superluminal apparent velocities without the ship actually moving faster. It works very similar to that of a multiplier, if an object moves at 0.1c then at warp factor 100 it effectively would travel at 10c. Some derivative of this technology was long used by civilizations galaxywide to speed up sublight cruise times but breaking the light barrier was a challenging task. White Corps achieved that breakthrough, giving them a fairly economical and reliable travel measure. Unlike most FTL types Foldspace travel occours in realspace. The upside is that it increases precision and allows continuous observation of the sorroundings. The drawbacks are that collosion with realspace objects is a strong risk. Plotting courses to avoid obstacles is essential, especially since with increased speed the turning circle of ships expand accordingly. A ship which had a 200km turning circle may require 200,000 km in high-warp, a monumental difference. Regardless fold drives are fairly useful in the right hands, even if they have a specific niche. In addition fold technology can be used for the so-called "hypersensors". Foldwave radars can get reflections at superluminal rates, hypercameras can visually observe objects in real time rate from astronomical units away. Hypercomms allow sending signals for interplanetary distances without the light-lag. Fold technology is even utilized in weaponry. Although unlike electromagnetic waves these objects require what is called a "fold sustainer", a device derived from the fold drives but way simpler. It cannot generate fold distortion but maintain it around the vessel. Such "fold accelerated weapons" have a rising niche in the White Security Starforce.
Armor: White Corps relies on armor as the primary passive protection. Nanomesh and duramesh are adequate structural materials and can provide sufficient protection against infantry weapons. Durachrome is used as the most common "true" armor material, albeit its weigh (40-80g/cm^3) makes it awkward at times. More sophisticated armor schemes make use of duracomposites which is an extremely large family of varying setups, effectively unique to each type of hardware. More advanced armor schemes are also reinforced by integrity field, which is a small matrix of forcefields.
Higgs-Shielding: Derived from the impeller technology, a skin-tight energy barrier forming a protective layer over the user. Its self-focusing technology concentrates shield strength proportional to the punishment received, making it fairly economical in terms of energy consumption. Higgs-shielding is normally invisible, only flares up when receiving a sufficiently strong attack to trigger its self-focusing effect.
Deflector Screens:Multi-layered impeller shielding mostly exclusive to spacecraft. A form of standoff protection it forms several layers up to miles from the vessel. Deflector screens are the first line of defense for ships, but far from the last. They are intended to weaken, deflect or pre-detonate attacks rather than straight blocking them. Distance is equally important as their forcefield strength. Due to its standoff nature these shields are much more rare for ground units since shield-to-ground contact could weaken them unless adjusted correctly.
Accelerator Guns:Impeller Acceleration Arms technology allows using forcefields to propel a variety of different projectiles. This technology is commonly utilized in White Corps small arms, cannons, artillery or even missile weaponry. In a more narrow sense accelerator guns are a family of impeller acceleration arms that fire interactive multi-purpose projectiles (IMPP) at hypervelocity. Accelerator Guns have integrated nanolathes or even Q-Fabs to modify their projectiles prior to fire, allowing an extreme range of customization. The most expensive accelerator guns outright create their projectiles using metamatter (MSIM, to be precise).
Interactive Multi-Purpose Projectiles: IMPP are cylindrical inert projectiles specially engineered to be easily modifiable. Using nanolathes and Q-Fabs it's possible to shape the projectile, add special properties or even give it simple programming. Thanks to this accelerator guns no longer need to carry specialized ammunition, they create them from IMPP on demand. The first shot might be a dart-like extremely hard penetrator while the next round would be functioning like an airburst grenade. Depending on sophistication IMPP can be also adjusted for specialized roles like incendiaries, anti-electronics, anti-shield or even non-lethal purposes. Larger accelerator guns could even fire nuclear shells. Thanks to this versatility White Corps almost entirely abolished their use of energy weapons.
Sublight Accelerator Guns:A variant of accelerator guns utilizing a degree of foldspace technology. It allows firing up to near lightspeed projectiles in a fairly compact package. Most commonly found in starship use, this is the standard for most WSF weaponry.
Missiles: Aside from IMPP the most popular weaponry in White Corps' arsenal are various missiles. The simplest forms are actually IMPP, only of larger diameter and designed to be propelled by electrokinetic jets or rocketry. These light missiles usually rely on the combination of speed and electrokinetic warheads. More sophisticated missiles are mostly for space and anti-orbital use. These rely on their own impulse engines to achieve great performance and often have sublight speed capability built into them. Such missiles can have a myriad of different warhead options which deserves its own section. Modern space missiles like 200mm and VLS capable ones are wildly customizable not just in their warheads but in practically all their characteristics, specialized for the situation at hand. Speed boosters, Fold Sustainers (for limited FTL) and maneuverability packages are among the most popular mods to equip but far from an exhaustive list. Missiles of such sophistication are usually made via Q-Fabs and further modified prior to launch to meet the exactly required specifics.
The warheads below are the most typical for 200mm and VLS type missiles, though in different distribution. 200mm missiles are generally considered medium range and for defensive purposes. VLS are long to extremely long range missiles with at least as much offensive as defensive uses. Also while many of these missile types are easy to fabricate, some require either special materials or contain classified technology not authorized to be constructed by frontline Q-Fabs. It should be also noted that while these are lines optimized for missile weaponry, larger caliber accelerator guns can have their IMPPs imitate similar functions.
Nova Warheads:White Corps brand of nuclear warheads, existing in multiple varieties. They are based on conversion reaction technology to turn a considerable fraction of their mass into nuclear fuel. Nova-A is the baseline variant offering the highest explosive performance but little else. Nova-B is the most versatile with options to add ultradense fuels for enhanced blast and various blast shaping technologies. Nova-C is a specialized family which focuses a considerable portion of the blast to a narrow beam, achieving standoff attack capabilities. The difference between this and Jaeger-A is sometimes just that they were developed by different companies. Nova-X is a weapon commercially unavailible. Its field generator allows the warhead to interact with nearby conventional matter, turning them to even more nuclear fuel. Designed as an anti-asteroid and anti-planetary warhead it's meant to do many times greater destruction than the entire mass of the missile would allow. That being said as starship hulls tend to be made of exotic materials or have other protections this type of warhead is practically useless against enemy space vessels.
Kinetic-X Warheads: Also referred just as kinetic warheads when not referring to the brand in particular, these are the simplest yet strangely effective family of warheads using the missile's own momentum. The simplest variants are focusing on penetration and single impact damage but more advanced variants split into submunitions to spread further damage. While not as outright powerful as Nova Warheads they are way more economical and generally for the same resources spent on a Nova warhead you could acquire 2-3 from the Kinetic-X family.
Jaeger Warheads:Most missiles require contact or close proximity to be a threat. The idea of missiles actively shooting at targets is an oft forgotten possibility. Jaeger line has no united tech base but a common role to have warheads specialized at standoff shooting rather than direct attacks. Jaeger-A is the oldest type, a nuclear device pumped X-ray laser device which can either focus to a single target or even release multiple rays for better saturation and/or interception purposes. Jaeger-B is a non-nuclear variant which can house various energy weapon apparatus including but not exclusive to lasers, particle beams, microwaves to target threats from long distance. Compared to the Jaeger-A these are more sophisticated, longer ranged and overall versatile. Their tradeoffs are their reduced firepower and overall increase in cost and complexity. Jaeger-C is a physical variant, using accelerator gun, sub-missile and similar measures to provide standoff threat. The latest member of the family are the Jaeger-D which use mass lance projector technology, effectively solving some of the issues of said weapons with their smallish range.
Cloudburst Warheads:Defensive warheads that are derivatives of the Kinetic-X line. Just as kinetic missiles these utilize the sheer momentum of the missile for killing power. Yet at the same time their mechanism is very different as Cloudburst warheads are meant to detonate (mostly using electrokinetics) and disperse submunitions in a wide area. Cloudburst A does exactly that, spreading fragments to every direction. Cloudburst B focuses this to a more narrow cone, intending to get a much more concentrated spread of munitions. The most extreme version are perhaps the Cloudburst Y, alternatively referred as the "beehive" warheads. These heavy warheads contain trillions of about microscopic submunition elements made of durachrome. Once reaching peak sublight speed and optimum standoff distance (~ 100,000-300,000km) the warhead activates with each element turning fraction of their mass into elektrokinetic rocketry. Thanks to precise alignment this effectively results in a widespread region filled with these almost invisibly small impactors distributed to roughly 1-20cm away from their neighbors. In case of huge VLS missiles the Cloudburst Y can effectively cover a cone of 500km radius, creating a rapidly moving debris field dangerous to anything without sufficiently tough defenses. That being said while extremely effective Cloudburst Y also has lots of drawbacks.
Raven Warheads: While most missiles are meant for destructive uses their utilities in other fields shouldn't be neglected. Raven family of products focus on drone warheads that particularly excel at gathering intelligence. Raven-A are the original probe missiles, acting as sensor buoys. Raven-B are mine detection and bomb defusal specialized drone warheads. Raven-C are drones equipped with explosives or simple weaponry, meant to patrol a region and seek out targets on their own. Raven-D are micro mine drones that are themselves are plausible components of mine warfare. Raven E are mining utility drones meant to assist resource gathering. There are at least a few other lines of Raven drones with different utlities. Overall they're an extremely useful yet oft overlooked family.
Fold Accelerator Guns: A new type of weaponry mostly in prototype phase. Their mechanism is in theory simple: equip a projectile with fold sustainer and ramp up the foldspace boost sufficiently to reach superluminal apparent velocities. In reality this is a demanding and very delicate process which is often accomplished only by linking the weapon to the ship's fold drive. This is generally not a concern for White Corps as they intend to combine this technology with spinal mount mass accelerator weaponry. Spinal mounts were not encouraged by White Corps due to their awkwardness and inferiority compared to their own VLS systems. Fold Accelerator Guns changed this, making such mounts actually viable as specialist anti capital ship or anti-fortrification purposes.
Mass Lance Projectors:The closest White Corps ever gets to utilizing energy weapons as shipborne weapons. It compresses matter to the extreme and unleashes it as a needle thin stream at extreme velocities it could very efficiently punch through hardened targets. Yet matter stream also expands, only slowed down by relativistic effects. Once the stream slows down it explodes, preferably inside the target. Mass Lance Projectors are extremely potent but only at short ranges. Its penetration characteristics degrade with range. Fold acceleration variants were also invented but those are telegraphed (they need to erect a fold corridor for the stream to travel through) and even more easier to disrupt. Standoff protection schemes might also detonate the stream prematurely, nullifying their threat. As such careful considerations must be taken to properly use this weapon. Yet this "instability" can be also exploited. Modern fold lance projectors are known to be "dual purpose", capable of punching through heavy defenses at short range or to be used as futuristic flak cannons which detonate their content at a set distance. Mass lance projection technology has a lot of potential and White Corps very much intends to eventually turn these to their standard arms. Yet that would likely take at least a few more decades, even optimistically speaking. Regardless lance projectors are getting increasingly more widespread, no longer limited to spacecraft. Mass lance projectors in ground usage are fairly popular against enemy armor.
Military Overview
White Security Services (WSS) is the conglomerate's official security branch which eventually grew into a private military corporation of its own. The primary goal of WSS is to secure White Corps' interests but they soon began offering their services to foreign companies and even nations, effectively turning into a mercenary force. WSS is known for their high quality equipment and overall decent service, just as White Corps as a whole. The pool of staff is of course limited as White Corps has no legal grounds to aggressively recruit people, much less to do conscription. Yet given the conglomerate's high tech profile this happened to coincide just nicely. As previously said WSS contractors use high tech gear which combiend with their small numbers means they will not rely on brute force but rather make effective use of their mobility and precision to destablize their opposition. WSS troops are meant for small skirmishes, special operations and low intensity conflicts. They don't do open warfare. This philosophy in some sense is also reflected in their space forces, although combined with a lot of other aspects.
As their name implies White Security Services is primarily for providing security. Most of their employees are the equivalent of mall cops or civilian contractors. While their job is far from risk free the most "action" they tend to get is on the firing ranges and maybe catch purse snatcher. Actually, with the spread of robotic security it seems both sides are doing mostly the same. Staffers handle equipment and perform routine maintenance while security personnel oversees robots and keep them in top condition. The real difference is just that security tends to interact with people more.
As dictated by the worker laws of most nations White Corps provides uniforms for their employees. In case of WSS contractors they go for an extra mile, designing something that not only looks good but fitted with features to make their job easier. WSS uniforms are woven of nanomesh fabric which makes it stab proof, fire proof and absorbs impacts. The adoptive nanolayers can also protect against chemical spills and manage temperature. In-built sensors also watch for the wearer's vitals and might inject drugs in emergencies. The suit also comes commonly equipped with a low powered energy shield against radiation, vacuum and other environmental effects for short periods. If necessary wearers can also equip a shield booster which is the size of a cigarette box and can be fixed on the belt. It includes early warning sensors and a computer alongside the micro conversion reactor and shielding tech to erect a short lasting barrier against small arms and shrapnel. It only has enough to stop a few shots but it could mean the difference between life and death. On the other hand studies showed that the shield booster has long term health effects thus it's only issued on order. WSS contractors have relative freedom at choosing their weaponry yet by far the most common sidearm is the GOG-17C pistol. Like all White Corps firearms it uses mass accelerator technology and it fires 2.4mm projectiles at hypervelocity. These pre-fab bullets can customized to extreme variety so they could become stun shots of wide variety, AP, explosive or even more types. In spite of its size it's possible to charge up these bullets sufficiently to blow a human target to mincemeat (although at considerably power drain). The weapon is fairly accurate, can support HUD or direct link targeting displays, thought based controls and of course all pistols come standard with ID lock and similar security features. Overall it's a good gun although it requires relatively frequent maintenance and the White Corps supplied 2.4mm ammo (100 per magazine) is rather expensive.
Alternatively called SDS (spherical drone systems) are a large family of ball-shaped drones of various size and functions. In spite of that their overall role is relatively similar as they are meant for scouting, surveying and scanning. They are either rolling on the ground or fly using anti-gravity mechanisms (often both) and their focus is on sensors instead of anything else. Battle variants can exist with shields and heavier weaponry, so are hunter killer drones using powerful weaponry like warheads or mass lances. They are the most common type independent robotics utilized by White Corps.
Field Robotics and public Interface Enabled Normal Drone (F.R.I.E.N.D.) is a type of robotic infantry that can be seen everywhere in White Corps' premises. Their shape imitates humanoids (or aliens native to that region) and their form design is intended to make them look approachable rather than threatening. PR image is big with them and most FRIENDs are loaded with myriad of entertainment and public service features. That being said their primary purpose is to secure the area as well as lessen the workload of security personnel. As for combat capability they are no match for trained infantry. While possessing exceptional aim their responses are predictable and their agility is kind of laughable by expert eyes. They are designed to be relatively cheap and expendable, afterall. Most of their parts are second grade or lower by White Corps standards although they gave exceptional care to their computer core. Situated within the central portion of the machine's chest its housing is surrounded by composite armor which survives even if the rest of the robot is blown up. As such it's common for FRIENDs to have exchanged bodies dozens of times through their lifetime, occasionally retaining "bugs" related to the trauma. As walking gun turrets the most important combat asset of a FRIEND is their GCC-38/40 battle carbine firing 3.6mm programmable rounds with extreme variety. Thanks to the direct link to the AI it could dynamically determine the kind of ammo settings required to solve a specific situation. The combination of larger munitions, massively expanded versatility and huge power pack makes these carbines potentially way more destructive than GOG-17 pistols or even the rifles of standard infantry. Some prototypes also carry mini mass lances for even more massive firepower but those never seen out in the public.
WSS Expeditionaries are a mix of marines and standard infantry utilizing high-tech equipment. They wear sealed suit made of nanomesh composites which is resistant to shock and shrapnel and integrated with an exoskeletal system to lessen their load. In addition they wear composite armor plates to resist small arms and dramatically increase their survival. Using data-link and their vast array of built-in tiny sensors they view everything through a computer generated augmented reality interface. Some troops even agree to link their senses, achieving teamwork akin to the precise directions of a hive mind. For additional mobility the combat suit of the Expeditionaries often has micro fusion thrusters for jet assisted jumps and maneuvering. All these gadgets of course have a hefty price and could not be used by just anyone. WSS Expeditionaries were often members of foreign militaries for years and scouted by WSS for their skills. Following that they undergo intense VR training and field practices before becoming a fully fledged member. Alternatively WSS can ask promising security staff to advance, accept the courses and training and similarly become an Expeditionary who earns a much more respectable wage. As actual combat troops life as an expeditionary is not simple. You have to travel a lot, train constantly and occasionally even fight. In spite of their incomparably greater potential the Expeditionaries still mostly do what the standard infantry does, earning the nickname of "level 2 security".
- GAR-15A: Advanced accelerator rifle nominally firing 4.2mm projectiles. Unlike less advanced models it has a much more powerful and sophisticated nanolathe to alter projectile characteristics including feats like splitting one 4.2mm type to six 2.5mm munitions for salvo fire. The larger projectile is intended to carry more explosives and more sophisticated tools, as well as increase the maximum firepower. That being said full powered shots consume too much energy to be sustainable, often considered akin to using a grenade launcher. Speaking of which the GAR-15 has room for a GAG-203 12mm short accelerator to further increase its firepower or seldom mount a MLPA-025 micro mass lance for anti-armor roles. The "A" in the GAR-15A means "anthropoid-type", used by human mercs and those of similar build.
- MMS-148: The current type of micro missile systems (MMS) in use by the Expeditionaries. Fire and forget system which is not that dissimilar to accelerator rifles in function. It uses a sophisticated nanolathe fabricator to customize the 30mm missile bodies after which an accelerator ring gives them a starter velocity. The missiles use electrokinetic rocket propulsion which converts some of their own mass into propellant. Their size allows them to house decent guidance without making it too complex and their warheads can vary immensely. While generally slower than the hypervelocity projectiles these missiles still have enough velocity to use that as a weapon. Submunition spreads in a frontal cone is a common killing method with them. micro missiles are filling in a niche between infantry rifles and dedicated anti-armor weapons. Their price is still not significant enough to make missiles uneconomical and their tiny size gives them surprising magazine capacity. In addition they are the Expeditionaries' preferred weapon of choice when encountering aircraft.
- MLP-99: Man portable mass lance projector which focuses hyperdense matter to a nanometer thin beam at speeds approaching the light. This concentration of momentum allows extremely energy efficient anti-armor function although at a price of reduced range. That being said in terrestrial warfare the said "limited" range barely applies which makes MLP like a laserbeam. More care has to be taken for the target as the weapon needs precise adjustments to become lethal. A nanometer thin beam passing through does practically no damage. Yet slow it down sufficiently and it will practically explode (preferably post-penetration). Make the beam too wide and it wouldn't pierce the barrier or fail due to the standoff plates "pre-detonating" the shot. Consequently MLP-99 requires specialists to handle. Although White Corps has future plans of fielding "mass lance rifles" as their next gen infantry weapon.
These three weapon types dominate the Expeditionaries' arsenal. In addition they use drones for hauling supplies and munitions or to carry larger weapon systems which less advanced militaries would consider as crew served weapons. This includes mortars, AA missile batteries, field artillery and even more.
The elite force of WSS and their primary offensive response. Mobile Infantry have the best equipment and many has special forces background. They currently wear the ARS-011 powersuit which has the best materials and technology that money could buy. Actually, calling them mere infantry is a misinformer. They are effectively a one man fighting vehicle with durable armor, shielding, enhanced agility, micro impulse thrusters and extensive sensory and battlefield management setup. While they can equip a lot of different gadgets the Mobile Infantry prefers to be loaded light and to answer this White Corps invented the VARIS (Versatile Accelerator Rifle-Integrated System) which is currently at ver.437. Unlike standard White Corps guns that use pre-fabricated projectiles the VARIS uses compressed metastable matter and creates new projectiles before firing which can range anywhere from 1 to 15mm diameter. In addition the VARIS can also work as a mass lance or energy weapon by just a quick computer directed adjustment of the accelerator rings. This allows them to effectively engage anything ranging from infantry to even tanks or aircraft. Yet their greatest asset is their sheer agility and speed which they can accomplish their objectives.
TBA
White Security Services is a PMC providing the public face of their military. Yet there are times White Corps has to secure their interest with less savory means. H.Y.D.R.A. (actual meaning classified, possibly just a backronym) is effectively a black organization doing exactly that. They operate independently from White Corps and technically have no ties to each other. In a sense HYDRA doesn't even exist. There are little of any records mentioning them and most sources tend to be contradictory. Those who are aware of HYDRA tend to think it's a codename covering multiple organizations and on the surface level it might be even true. Yet the actual HYDRA is a secret agency led by the Shadow Council, an independent group supposedly hand picked by Keith White himself. Rather than directed by White Corps, HYDRA acts entirely on their own with their only contact being periodical reports and seldom communicating with Keith White. They are distanced from White Corps as much as possible to maintain plausible deniability. As for members the core staff of HYDRA are select individuals who officially shouldn't even exist. They are either declared dead, missing or otherwise no longer being on records. The exact size and capabilities of HYDRA are uncertain but it's beleived they even have their own R&D units. Given the sheer amount of White Corps tech they possess it's likely they have backdoors to many White Corps complexes both to gather information and support them without officially endorsing it. Some even suggests that experimental technologies of more secretive nature might be tested by HYDRA, especially when it involves unethical or morally questionable purposes. Aside from its solid core unit HYDRA actually has contact with the underworld network and often uses criminals, pirates and terrorists to do the grunt work for them. Many supposed "HYDRA" organizations were actually criminal group propped up by the Shadow Council to act as their proxy.
Space Forces
For a long time White Corps didn't own a real space force. The interstellar conglomerate was still growing and they only required to ward off the occasional pirate. Escort vessels commanded by White Security Services were sufficient. Regardless this lead to them gaining some experience in building warships, particularly corvettes and frigates. As the enterprise grew, so did the amount of potential threats. Furthermore their shipbuilding grew into a fruitious business and thus the demand for an independent space force became apparent. White Security Starforce (WSF) became their official name. Technically still answering to WSS yet given massive amount of autonomy. Just as before White Corps focuses on smaller vessels yet size could be deceiving. Although compact the amount of technology and power hidden within these ships should not be underestimated. Indeed while technically the main purpose of WSF is still "security" they grew into a full blown space force. The shipbuilding rush of course effected White Corps, too. The end result were quirky compact warships punching way above their weight class, although with some drawbacks. Strike frigates that really should be deserving to be called cruisers. Then let's not talk about their so-called "expeditionary combat vessels", White Corps' own take to sidestep the Treaty of Detente. Consequently the WSF has a dearth of any large combat vessels. White Security Starforce does not appear to own any battleships, mind dreadnoughts. Some say this is a ruse and White Corps is hiding a force of very much treaty violating dreadnoughts until the opportunity arrives. While such rumors likely have no basis it's well-known that White Corps has fair bit of knowledge in dreadnought technology, even offering technical support in their upgrades and maintenance. Furthermore White Corps does own a Hyperdreadnought, even if it's perpetrually incomplete. Named Equinox this ship serves as the testbed for many new technologies before being scaled down to be mounted on other vessels. This could explain the recent spike of high-powered anti-dreadnought weapons mounted on their newest vessels.
White Corps has an abundance of smallcraft yet most of them hardly see actual combat. The reason is because they currently fill a very narrow niche. Missiles are way more portable and often sufficiently versatile to perform many things starfighters used to while blockade runners and other small starships have more room for equipment than a starfighter. Regardless they used to be relevant thus there are a plethora of old model starships in WSF use, mostly for local patrols. Ship modules for carrying starfighters also exist. Yet overall the idea of WSF deploying fighters for serious combat is unlikely.
Probes: Moderately sized autonomous drone vessel. Smaller than starfighters and usually non-combative, designed for recon purposes. Probes are in a serious risk of being replaced with the more versatile Raven missiles, although these still have a niche on smaller starships or old vessels not yet refitted with new equipment.
Starfighters: As explained prior starfighters don't really have a serious role in WSF doctrine anymore. Regardless some improvement and conversion packages were introduced to keep them up to date. Starfighters now can be fully customized down to the smallest equipment, giving them versatility but essentially destroying their idenitity. They are mostly used as long range interplanetary patrols where you require a man in the loop yet don't wish to send out an escort vessel.
Defense Pods: An "upgrade kit" which is essentially a downgrade. Defense Pods are conversion to starfighters to become tiny unmanned AA pods for expanding a ship's defense envelope. They retain much of their previous maneuverability but they very much become flying anti-air batteries with considerably reduced speed and much more limited uses. Regardless this conversion seems to be the way forward, unfortunatelly.
Shuttles: Space transport and utility vessels. They can be very small (the size of a car) or approach the size of a tiny escort starship. Their characteristics also vary considerably although none of them has any FTL capability (otherwise they'd be reclassified as Blockade Runners). Ironically enough there's a serious development in shuttles, often giving them capabilities formerly associated with starfighters. White Security Services fully intends to expand the role of shuttles while apparently shafting all other types. The idea of specialized frames loses its appeal in face of technological progress. For example shuttles are nowadays often ordered to perform ground support duties, either directly or through deploying large type S-Drones. Some even says that ground vehicles altogether might be eventually replaced by, wait for it... more shuttles.
Small vessels exist for local patrol, support and screening purposes. By galactic standards these all would be classified as Corvettes of some type and they are indeed marketed as such.
- Blockade Runners: FTL capable shuttlecraft made with recon roles in mind rather than outright combat. Their limited space
- Gunboat/Torpedo Boat/Missile Boat: Weapons corvettes on the smaller end of the spectrum focusing on firepower.
- Schooner/Snauw/Corvette/Patrol Ship: Generalist corvettes of various sizes. Schooner/Snauw are on the smaller scale and tend to be old models while patrol boats are more advanced vessels following modular design. Corvette is a generic term which can mean anything, of course.
- Mine Layer/Minesweeper/Minehunter/ Mine Warfare Ship: All of these are referring to escorts specialized to mine warfare, either to counter them or to deploy them (often both).
WSH-F09221A6 Raleigh-class Blockade Runner: Tiny 40m long "starboat" outfitted with SEWERS (Space Electronic Warfare and Enhanced Recon System) to act as a flying sensor, providing intelligence, early warning, targeting information and could even attempt to jam enemy sensors. Instead of weapons it has probe launcher tubes for further information gathering capabilities, although newer variants are retrofitted with an 8-tube 200mm missile system. The latter mostly fires exclusively Raven Warheads thus fulfilling a similar role yet it also has some limited offensive options via the C and D variants of Raven.
WSH-F07317A27 Calico-class Missile Boat:64m long vessel equipped with no less than forty 200mm missile tubes. Its main role is to act as screening vessel against starfighters and incoming missiles. The newest variant also replaced its old gun mount with a modular weapon station which can use either twin SAG-30, SAG-57 or the new LPA-28 type armaments for self defense and close range interception.
WSH-E02148A11 Stargazer-class Corvette: Classic escort ship with length of 90m and versatile loadout. Also considered pocket warships these pack 16 VLS cells, pair of SAG-76 guns, assorted self-defense weaponry and a hangar module alongside three M-scale modules for mission customization. They are in the process of being replaced by the new Patrol Ship class due to their limited flexibility in comparison.
WSH-E00981A52 Ton-class Mine Warfare Ship: 100m long escort ship originally designed for minelaying. After scrapping its guns and antiquated missile pods they filled it with probe launchers for counter mine warfare. It became a specialist vessel responsible for carrying, deploying and controlling mines. It is also the vessel type used to combat mines by using various probes for detection, analysis and neutralization of space mines. Consequently the ship went through more variations than any other hull in order to be kept up to date. Regardless a replacement is in order, some even suggest that its duties should be taken over by the Delta-class patrol ships.
WSH-E17216A1 Delta-class Patrol Ship: The newest escort ship class freshly out of prototype stage. Unlike previous vessels that a rigid layout the Delta-class is entirely modular, can be fully customized for any role. Optimistic projections say these ships would replace nearly all escort vessels and the "Micro Delta" class intended to do the same with mini warships like blockade runners is already in development.
WSH-E10096A7 Hydra-class Missile Destroyer: 142m long vessel originally envisioned as a full scale warship. With the radical improvement in missile technology White Corps intended to have a craft fully exploiting them. Designed to be compact yet powerful the vessel ultimately failed to live up to the expectations. Demoted as an escort the Hydra is an incredible force multiplier equipped with no less than 160 VLS cells. Although initially these were meant to be filled with strike warheads the modern variants fill out an almost entirely defensive role with lot of their cells converted into 16-pack 200mm loadouts. The newest retrofit also saw the change from the outdated gun systems to 3 modular weapon systems most commonly occupied with LPA-55 mass lances for close-in defense.
WSH-E11017A2 Armstrong-class Gun Destroyer: Less of an escort ship and more like a 160m long flying cannon the Armstrong-class was designed entirely around its ridiculous SFAS-475 Fold Accelerator Cannon. They have limited room for defensive armaments or almost anything else yet their capability to threaten even battleships can make them a worthwhile addition.
WSH-E01390A21 Armadillo-class Monitor: 148m long ship which can be classified as either escort or warship. It has heavy armor and powerful guns for its size but it comes at the cost of endurance and FTL performance. Armadillo-class is intended for regional defense and considered a rather old ship design. Yet when it comes to cost effectiveness it has only a few equals which makes it a popular choice for small nations. The current retrofit is equipped with six SAG-205 guns, 16 defensive guns and eighty tubes for 200mm missiles. It also comes with two modular hangars and 6 M-scale modules for customization. When nations want a compact brawler they think of the Armadillo-class.
Warships are the mainline combat vessels utilized by White Corps. In a sense they could be called as capital vessels but WSF explicitly lacks such. If anything in other doctrines ships of such size are the escort vessels instead. Some argue that given their power and price tag White Corps is really just sneakily using mainline vessels and advertise them as lesser ships. True, a WSF destroyer can outgun most cruisers in other nations and given their superior range they could fight most battleships without being hit back in return (provided, that does require a moronic captain on the other side). Some refer to these ships as glass cannons, as their toughness to battle damage is about as good if not worse than most destroyers yet their standoff defenses and interception networks could increase their surivability substantially at range. That and the fact they have decent gunnery combined with fearsome missile arsenal does mean they should be looked out for. The reason why White Corps invests so much in small warships is simple, though. These are meant to escort their massive fleet of commercial ships and are expected to ward off pirates and other threats. That and White Security Starforce doesn't have sufficient staff to operate large ships in sufficient quantities. This overall results in this strange doctrine. WSF should not be underestimated but at the same time they have to work with various handicaps compared to most navies.
Small frigate which pioneered the now standard "stealth hull" layout for White Corps vessels. This is supposed to reduce active sensory detection range by about 40% and overall cut back on emissions that can be picked up by passive sensors. The ship overall was ahead of its time but now considered borderline obsolete. Its limited space for ship modules means its customization options are fairly limited.
The quintessential frigate class in White Security Starforce, perhaps the model example of what WSF warships are like. The ship was built for interception and providing cover for the rest of the ships, hence the extensive VLS mount (and facilities specializing to operate them to maximum) but also has sufficient customization options to fit many roles. Due to recent development it might eventually be replaced by even more advanced ships but just as the Tigress-class it likely remain with the Starforce for as long as the hulls last.
Envisioned as a fire support and anti-smallcraft vessel the Augur sports extensive sensory system (though dated) along with massive gun armament. It was meant to decimate swarms of smaller vessels while its AA capabilities should've destroyed anything that got close. It was build several decades ago and based on outdated doctrines. The eponymous Augur sensor integrated gunnery system is also nearly impossible to replace with more modern equipment. Regardless the hulls are fairly durable and there are a few interesting new roles where a "gun-heavy" warship can be practical. As a very old ship the Augur is loved by veterans and frequently mocked by younger officers, calling it the "Fast Monitor".
Edenia was the first time the young god experienced physical matter which inspired the elderly looking creature to explore the rest of Creation. He drew mountains, rivers, trees and greenery. He filled entire libraries worth of picture books in the following centuries. Yet he felt a certain void from the journeys. Something was missing. He began playing in the mud, forming various shapes. It filled him with accomplishment, however small. Numerous times he had a nagging desire to create a land for himself yet resisted the urge. Such creation would be no different from what his siblings already accomplished. It'd bring him no new joy. He wanted something to move, not through his power but by the will of its own. Though he had yet to understand it but he wanted life. Yllwythyr approached a mud dome, re-iterating his motions of creation. He shaped an odd statue, rough looking and unlike his own impressive stature. Then suddenly by some divine inspiration the statue began to move, mud became flesh, gaining colors. A tiny creature barely reaching midwaist began to make its first steps before collapsing into a pool of ooze. Perhaps he'd have much more of a success after some consultation with ALNAEUS.
Am I the only one who thinks the current IC is a confusing mess? I might have a suggestion to solve this. Unless meant to be secret or otherwise hidden let's put at the end of our post what type of (gameplay mechanics wise) actions we did, in our own color code.
Yllwythyr creates a new race called Gnomes Ooops, spoiler warning.
@TheodorableBTW, did you decide against publicly showing the availible power for each deity in this game? Turn 1 had the Old Gods (who also posted first) shown with their starting power. Would power stat be hidden from now on?
I mean, the grace period was a turn. Theo made that pretty clear and even stated how much time was left. It wasn't even that people weren't active or didn't have the chance, people were posting well after this was all made clear, but didn't challenge. Maybe turns should be longer in the future, but I don't feel anyone was cheated out of their chance to take life, death, or destruction domains.
I don't mean cheating people out of chances. I mean the idea that once a domain is taken it's theirs forever. It doesn't feel very interactive for me.
I think you are confused by the fact I use the same phrase as what is used as flavor text in the IC for bids. I am not asking for more time to bet for seats. I am just not liking the idea of seats themselves being permanent.
<Snipped quote by Willy Vereb>
In the First Age, this is the case.
This is a bit unintentionally cryptic response. Would this be a blanket "yes" to both? Even if that this response is so short I found at least six different interpretations on how to take it. I am sorry if I caught you while you're busy or otherwise not in the mood but more elaboration on this would be appreciated.
EDIT: So my hunch was correct. Domain ownerships are literally for life. I don't really like this relatively one dimensional interaction but that's something I need to adapt for.
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Tortoise
