Random Interstellar Empires/Star Kingdoms

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:54 pm

Some more USA organizations:

United Systems Interworld Health Organization(USIHO)
“I don’t have to tell you what a xeno-pathogen, or even a mutant strain of a common microbe, can do unchecked; we’ve all read reports of, or maybe even experienced, Lurgess-flus, quiggley-syndrome, and neuro-rot. One contaminated cargo case, one unchecked ship, one careless traveler, and w can lose worlds. We’re here to set protocols, assemble resources, and execute strategy to make sure that doesn’t happen, and to contain the damage if we can’t.”

The United Systems Interworld Health Organization started out as a spinoff of the USPPC, and is a collaborative effort to coordinate the various health organizations of the United Systems Alliance with regards to health issues. The initial concern was disease pathogens that might spread through interstellar and interdimensional trade networks, but the USIHO’s mission mandate has also expanded to include resource and research data sharing, medical research and development, and medical outreach, esprecially to poorer member worlds and territories. USIHO works hand in hand with the USPPC and USU to sponsor and staff hospital ships and medical stations throughout the USA.

Space Lift Command(SLC)----A spinoff of the Merchant Defense Force, Space Lift Command collects, maintains, and deploys a reserve fleet of government transport ships. The SLC also handles private subcontracting for transport jobs under the Civil Space Services initiative. The SLC is mainly involved with servicing AJC outposts and larger government courier jobs, but also provides heavy transports for colonization, planetary rescue/evacuation, and crisis management. SLC vessels tend to be light on armament, but big on capacity and range. When the USA needs to move stuff, it turns to SLC, who bring the big bulkers out of standby, and/or put the word out for needed transport.

The Fernweh Society
(aka the Sehnsucht Society)
“While it’s true that the Society encourages travel and exploration, they also provide much-needed services and advisories. They really do try to discourage doing dumb things, like trying to pat Remegian porcuswine or flying through the Arvis Nebula on a dare. They also spotted some glaring design defects on the new Nosan Corps CDZ-700 instel-yachts even before the first ships made it to the Fringe. Good thing too; those design presumptions would have killed a good number of casual travelers had they started flying them in the Rim territories.”

“It’s a whole wide megaverse out there! Let’s go explore it!”(with apologies to Waterston)

The Fernweh (from the German word for “a longing for far-off places”) Society is a galactic organization dedicated to making space travel easier; a sort of galactic Triple-A, explorers’ club and hiking society rolled into one. It originated in the CCW, but has become particularly established and prominent in the United Systems Alliance, where it has tired into the USA’s extradimensional travel network. A growing number of USA-based businesses, such as lodges, eateries, garages, and tourism groups, are participating in the Fernweh Society, encouraging travel between the various new worlds opened up by the USA’s growing travel lanes.
The Fernweh Society maintains a growing library of information on new planets, dimensions, and tourist-friendly destinations. attractions, and accommodations for the interested traveler. They also provide ratings of travel services and facilities, conduct ratings of new commercial(especially those with private ownership in mind) spacecraft and systems. They also issued travel advisories, especially with regards to danger zones and places to avoid.
Subscribers to the Fernweh Society pay an annual dues fee of between 1,000-10,000 credits, in return for which they get access to the Society’s databases, and discounts(as much as 25%) on ship maintenance and repair services from participating businesses. This includes discounted or free lodging if the member’s ship is damaged so badly they cannot live on it while undergoing repairs.
Members can further reduce their membership dues and earn credit towards future upgrades and new services by adding to the Society database. Members are encouraged to keep a ship-blog on new places they’ve discovered, that can then be downloaded at a Fernweh Society site, with reviews of known businesses and locations being scored on the lower end, and new, especially previously unknown, locations scored higher. The Fernweh Society in turn makes additional money selling data gleaned from member downloads to businesses interested in market research and other travel groups such as spacelines. Other ways members can earn credit is by volunteering to be part of rescue services(being part of an on-standby space rescue patrol group), providing free transportation for medical supplies and patients(or their families), and other good deeds ‘in the spirit of being a good traveler’.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat May 01, 2021 11:38 am

Updated USA relations:

“Lots of little enemies, few big allies. If we ever get into a half-dozen brush wars from one end of the Alliance to the other, we might have real trouble. So make nice with our bigger neighbors. We don’t have to like them, we just have to make sure they don’t decide we’re worth the trouble of squashing. Or backing any of our smaller and unfriendlier neighbors. We don’t have the luxury of picking every fight.”
---Prefect Vabo Alyn, United Systems Alliance diplomat

“Good thing their in-house starship manufacturers build specially-designed diplomatic ships; the USA has a LOT of use for them.”
---Anonymous TVIA official, CCW.

Foreign Relations:
Currently, in many circles, the USA is the hot young mustang on the block, the ‘up from the gutters’ upstart shaking things up and overturning a lot of old conventions. They’ve made plenty of friends, especially among the lesser worlds, but also plenty of enemies

Quick-look Color Code:
*Blue---Ally. These are trade/mutual defense partners in good standing with the Alliance.

*Red---Enemy State, with open hostilities. Contact to be avoided, lethal force in self-defense allowed. While diplomacy is (ideally) possible with some of these threat-organizations (such as the TGE), at least in the interim, these groups are generally considered antithetical to the USA.

*Purple----Considered adversarial, but not of immediate concern. Contact to be avoided, if possible. Prefered means of dealing with these organizations is diplomacy if possible.

*Tan---Nuetral-. Judged on a case-by-case basis.

*Green---Potential Ally. Friendly nation., but currently only trade links.

*Consortium of Civilized Worlds---Good relations. The CCW regards the USA with patronizing good will. As long as the USA doesn’t demand attention and resources the CCW can’t afford, they’ll tolerate the Alliance cutting more favorable trade deals and headhunting worlds on the rim. The CAF especially appreciates that the USA’s joint militaries are keeping piracy in their sectors down without CCW help.
Update: Post-Minion War, the CCW will be incredibly pleased with how the USA handled things(though some entrenched interests may worry and complain about the amount of influence the Usans have gained), and how their industries have been undercutting Naruni Enterprises and lighting fires under their older government-entrenched corporations, though they also have contingency plans to promote other companies like Hartigal to give PS/ASI and WZT some competition and keep them honest. The CCW remains confident that in the long run the sheer mass of Consortium numbers and production capability will keep the USA in its place as, at best a junior partner.
Unofficially, many in the CAF have come to regard the USA’s industries as a ‘toy box’ producing inexpensive and innovative(or inexpensive AND innovative) things that would take years, if not decades, to acquire through the usual bureaucratic channels and stodgy government contracts from entrenched corporations, even with the recent shakeups in administration. There’s also the matter that agencies in the CCW can get hold of specialized gear from USAn sources that would be more difficult to acquire from domestic sources, or would leave an indiscrete paper trail. At the very least, the threat of being upstaged and undercut by the ‘rimmies’ has been used by elements of the CAF to get their usual suppliers to get moving, if only to produce copies of USA designs.

*Free World Council----The USA isn’t directly involved with the FWC, but does quietly supply them with material. Recently a number of WZT- and ASI-design ships have appeared in FWC squadrons; more than can be reasonably accounted for by salvage or small-lot open market buying, so some other dealing must be going on. The TGE suspects this, and it’s simply another reason why, when the time comes, the Alliance is going to get stomped, like so many others, for the Empire’s trouble.
Update: It’s a lie; the USA has been giving the FWC a lot more support, including using dimension-skipping to secretly supply the Free Worlds, and lending them the use of bio-modded operatives. The FWC has been knocking off some PS/ASI designs, resulting in some dissent between the two parties, but whether the dispute is real or manufactured for public consumption remains uncertain; and what if anything the FWC may be giving in exchange for the goods, besides engaging and distracting the TGE, is unknown.

*United Worlds of Warlock---No formal treaties, but there is some trade. The UWW is intrigued by some of the technowizardry work being done in the Alliance.
Update: Post-Minion War, the UWW have come to embrace the industries and minor mage-worlds of the USA as new good friends, especially when it comes to facing supernatural forces. For techno-powers, the USAn worlds are very open-minded and innovative when it comes to using magic, especially in conjunction with technology. There’s growing trade, cooperation and friendly competition with regards to technowizardry developments, which has benefitted the CCW as well.

*Central Alliance----The USA has good relations with the Central Alliance, mainly through WZT, but PS/ASI has also made an impression on the Central Alliance cyborgs with their military cyberware. While the Central Alliance is not in any position to formally extend any long distance military assistance to the USA, they have made it known that they would not prevent their citizens from enlisting as mercenaries or irregulars with the USA if the situation warranted.
Update: Noldek’s been in negotiation with PS/ASI to set up branch offices and supply his forces. This seems very likely to go through, as most of the Central Alliance worlds share the same sort of impoverished socio-economic backgrounds as many of the United Systems Alliance worlds, and share the same enemies, making them virtually brothers in arms. There’s still likely to be some objection from local interests fearing outside competition, but for the most part, future CA-USA relations are on track to be smooth and close. The recent opening of the new Ungersoll Cybertech Annex on the economically blighted planet of Ugersoll is already showing positive effects.

*Altess Dynasty---The Altess remain aloof from the generally needy worlds of the Rim, and the United Systems Alliance is no exception. Despite the fact that the Alliance has stepped(unknowingly) on the toe-interests of individual Altess the Altess regard the USA with amused interest. That having been said, the Altess have quietly invested in some of the businesses in the USA, especially after the Alliance proved itself militarily in protecting regional commerce, and business-wise in successfully assisting several worlds in turning around their economies.
Update: This aloofness turns to open respect and gratitude after the AJC’s help in repelling Golgan aggression over Altess Prime. As a result of a debt of honor, the Altess have become the (top-billed) partners in a number of humanitarian relief and economic development initiatives through the rim territories, and the USA have become currently the Altess’ favorite ‘poorer relations’. The Altess have also stepped up both their overt and covert investment in USA businesses, and some have considered the idea that if the True Naruni ever prove too obstreperous to control through their stocks, the Altss might be better served by quietly buying a controlling percentage of PS/ASI.

*Shemarrian Star Nation---Good relations with the enigmatic Shemarrians, mainly in combating pirates, policing colony worlds, and keeping the Splugorth out. This puzzles many outsiders, who can’t figure out how the USA is able to have such a working relationship with the mysterious Shemarrians.

*Typhen-Corianis-Rosette League(Thundercloud)---This Thundercloud-based polity is a staunch trade and technology partner of the USA. Although they cannot offer any substantial military assistance, their heavy shipyards have provided the Alliance with a number of large hulls suitable for warship conversion, and their armaments industry has provided a number of advanced weapons systems.

*Celsian Primarchy(Thundercloud)----Considered good trade partners. The Celsian military and AJC have conducted joint exercises together, and the Celsian military has recently helped the Alliance secure several protectorate worlds from outside hostilities, allowing for the more active deployment of AJC forces elsewhere.

*Cosmo-Knights----Seen as champions of Good. The USA has a policy of cooperation with the CK, but has instituted general guidelines similar to the CCW.

*Saphian Royal Confederation---Trade partners with the USA. The Saphians LIKE the USA’s ‘green’ policies and their activism in supporting the less well-off worlds. Saphian observers are welcomed on many of the USA’s colonial ventures to monitor their policies with regards to local ecologies.

*Botwani Union---Good trade partners, and, though the USA are not direct signatories of the Senexa Arm Aboriginal Protection Act, they ascribe to the same ideas. When rampant violation incidents threatened to overwhelm the Botwani-led SAAPA enforcement instruments, the USA stepped in to help cover for them. When they can spare them, the Botwani send their SPAMarshals to help the Alliance with their actions, building further trust between the two organizations.

* Stellar Coalition(Anvil Galaxy)---The KSC seems poised to be the next multi-star member ot the USA; both WZT and PS/ASI have been instrumental in introducing this small star nation to the greater galactic community. Curiously enough, the monster-visaged ships of this tiny star nation have shown NO incidence of Void Zombies. And ships with Kamasaugh crew who diligently carry out the many rituals they practice when traveling through space suffer far lower incidences of encounters with Infernals. This drops to zero if actually on a Kamasauni ship. Something about the neo-oni and their ritual-steeped culture seems to repel forces of darkness. Given how innocuous and nonconfrontational the Kamasaugh are, this surprises many.

*Seneky Caliphate(Anvil Galaxy)----The USA is one of the stellar polities the Seneky have reached out to, and trade, if not outright membership, with the Alliance seems certain.

*Zyganian Empire(Anvil Galaxy)---The Zyganians are one of many ex-Golgan Republik satrapies that the United Systems Alliance trades with. The Zyganians also have contracted with several USA firms to acquire new technologies and ship designs, though no formal military treaties exist between the two polities. The USA is somewhat worried about reports of Zyganian jingoism and provocations with the Golgans; though the Alliance has had its own run-ins and confrontations with the Republik, the Zyganians have been much more blatant in poking the Golgan giant.
Recently the USAlliance ambassador to the sector was quietly approached by several people claiming to be members of the Zyganian Foreign Ministry, who had a proposition for the Alliance. Given the Alliance’s propensity for picking up ‘sad sack’ planets, would the USA possibly be interested in acquiring Alebia, a planet on the Zyganian Empire’s borders? Some milintel inquiries have revealed that Alebia is a human-inhabited world recently liberated from a cruel occupation by a neighboring warlord race. Taking over management of Alebia would put USA interests in charge of a world of traumatized, shell-shocked ex-slaves barely able to take care of themselves, as well as a world on the border with the still-dangerous former occupiers. The USA is not certain that the offer of transfer of Alebia is serious, or if the Zygaian ‘ministers’ were genuine in the first place.
Update: The defeat of the Golgan Argosy invasion force in Altess territory had the Golgans looking to save some face, so they used the reserves meant for the follow-up occupation of Altess space instead in a series of hard-hitting raids on border states that might cause the Republik trouble. The Zyganians got struck badly, with severe damage to a number of their space industries and resource worlds, hampering theri military expansion efforts. The USA has extended what help they can, and the Zyganians have ordered up weapons and ships from USA industries safely located out of range of Golgan preemptive strikes, but the effort will take time and money. While the USA believes the Zyganians are good for the purchases, the fact remains that the situation leaves both polities stretched too thin on resources to deliver more than a trickle of replacement equipment for token installment payments.

*Trevis Collective(Thundercloud Galaxy)---Tentative trade treaties. The Trevis seems just the sort of hard-luck case that the Alliance seems to do well at rehabiltating, especially if they could also bring in the EShemar Radiant Edge to help decontaminate some of the Trevis worlds savaged by their brutal civil war. Despite the prospective short-term burdens of helping the Collective rebuild, signing up the Trevis would add some good diplomatic clout to the Alliance, so Alliance diplomats remain optimistic.
Update: The Trevis may be trading antimatter to the USA on a limited basis, suggesting a thawing of relations towards the outsider power. Rumor is that the Trevisians were paid a visit by one of the Infernal factions rooting around on one of the shatterworlds for ancient Ratling artifacts, and the situation became so ugly, the Collective needed help dislodging the unwelcome squatters. If so, the Trevis may be paying the Alliance back for their assistance.

*People’s Republic of Contoon and the Lo-Ting Electorate(Anvil Galaxy)---The USA knows of these two one-world powers through the Central Alliance and efforts to establish relations with the new Ulcha Unitan Republic. The USA is interested in rumors of the Contoonians’ ability to manufacture biosystem androids, and in Lo-Tingian chemical engineering,. As both worlds are in a rather depressed economic state currently, the trade pitch the USA is making is falling in receptive ears. As long as the USA isn’t offering to sell arms to either of the two(and especially to their old rivals), the PRContoon and the LTE are happy to have somebody interested in trading with them. The USA’s version of the Office of Positiive Outcomes(OPO) is hoping to encourage the two worlds to trade with each other, through the go-between of the USA, so initially the two former foes can convince themselves they’re not really dealing directly with their old arch-enemies. Of course, both worlds being formerly(nominally) part of the Central Alliance, the CA is watching the situation with some small interest, in case the USA tries to snap up Contoon and/or Lo-Ting, though some of Noldek’s advisors are suggesting that the Central Alliance should make its own pitch once the USA has hauled up both planets’ economies and made them worth re-annexing.

*Vrusk---The USA is on friendly terms with this species of galactic garbagemen. Though the Vrusk generally don’t have much to do in USA space due to the scrupulously ‘green’ policies encouraged by the USA, and Vrusk ships are given the same respectful/fearful wide berth given by other starfaring polities, when the USA does have a radiological or hazmat situation they can’t handle on their own, they call in the Vrusk. The Vrusk also appreciate the work and assistance the USA gives them with regards to shatterworlds.

*Kasenti Stellanion(Anvil Galaxy)---The USA is on good terms with the Kasenti Stellanion, though some of the latter’s policies on slavery grate against GNE sensibilities and the general attitude of the USA. However, some of the USA’s less-orthodox citizenry were involved in keeping the Stellanion from becoming the playground of a resurrected evil alien intelligence, so there’s hope that the Kasenti will listen to some advice about reform.

*Syndian Republic(Anvil Galaxy)---The USA knows of this mercantile nation through mutual trade contacts. While the Syndians have their own superb shipwrights and locally-produced merchant fleet, they have expressed admiration of the USA’s own dsigns, while in turn the Alliance looks up to the Syndian Merchant Marine training standards. Relations between the two star nations are very good.
The USA was not in a good position to give much assistance to the SR in either of their two wars with the Valar-Ryzellians, but was able to correctly suspect that there was Infernal involvement behind the Kadavists’ rise to power. With that in mind, the USA was able to send a few of their paranormal-hunting Irregulars and as many TW sensor suite rigs as they could spare to help the Sundians and their assimilated Valar-Ryzellian allies in the fight against the corrupted Kadavists.

*Odina Federation(Anvil Galaxy)--- A client of WZT even before the formation of the USA, the Odina Federation has remained a customer in good standing and become an trade ally, even going so far as to ask WZT and its partners in to assist in the securing of assets of the Cynoceran Republic after its collapse. Though there are some Odinans who are unhappy with how several ex-Cynoceran worlds elected to join the USA rather than rejoin the Federation, and there are more Odinans unhappy with how WZT/PS/ASI have taken over several ex-Cynoceran shipyards and now use them to produce the sort of warships that might have allowed the CR to defeat the Odina Federation back in the day, the OF remains a steady trade partner, including buying many of those ships being produced by the ex-Cynoceran worlds.

*Cisen-Adeta Republic(Anvil Galaxy)---The USA is on good trading terms with this new star nation, and the Cisen-Adetans are interested in having WZT/PS/ASI establish shipyards and factories in their territory, which shows promise for closer relations in the future.

*Bakalapona(Anvil Galaxy)---Though contact with this unequivocally crazy star nation has been sporadic, the USA and the Bakalaponans actually get along rather well, which worries many outsiders. This is especially true and alarming when USA scientists, taking a look at examples of particularly insane Bakalaponan technology, boggle for a moment, then nod their heads and say ‘we get it! Brilliant!’. In return, Bakalaponans are known to buy many of the more eccentric product designs from USA-affiliated companies.

*Noirlan Coalition /Durok Empire(Anvil Galaxy)----- The USA came in on the side of the Noirlan in this bitter little brushwar, with PS/ASI supplying arms to the Coalition, and the USA boycotting the Durok. in an economic embargo. The war has smoldered on, with some outsiders claiming it’s become something of a corporate proxy war between PS/ASI and Hartigal on one side, and Naruni Enterprises backing the Empire. The Durok have only gained ‘red’ enemy status because they’ve recently been hitting shipping, including USA-flagged vessels, outside the warzone, and blaming it on rogue elements(deserters) from their forces.
Meanwhile, though trading with the Noirlands, the relationship is less friendly than it could be, the Noirlans’ poor treatment of repatriated POWs held by the Durok has rankled with many in the USA.

*TransGalactic Empire----The TGE views the USA with the same contempt as it does other semi-independent hangers-on of the CCW. For all its c;laims of independence, the USA is seen as merely another noisy teat-sucking extension of the CCW. The USA is annoying because it makes infiltrating the rim territories and new frontiers around the CCW that much harder. In the end, though, when it comes time, the USA and all the other wanna-be star nations will fall to the TGE...or else. Possible conflict with the TGE has helped feed the development of a heavy-gun fleet capability in the AJC.
Update: The TGE KNOWS that the FWC is getting more than casual help from somebody, but suspects that the rim nations are being used as convenient cover for the real culprits; the Consortium of Civilized Worlds, especially as the ripples of the Shaw Initiative sweep the CCW. The TGE will still crush them as the annoyances they are, once they can no longer distract the Empire from dealing with the real string-pullers in the CCW.
Unfortunately, much to the USA’s discomfort, direct confrontation may be unavoidable as more worlds in sectors near TGE space or in the path of the Empire’s expansion, apply for USA membership, or , if already members, have been reporting signs of TGE activity near them.

*Golgan Republik----The USA and GR have skirmished on occasion, but the two polities aren’t openly warring with each other. Though no formal trade treaties exist between the two, USA traders do some small trade with Golgan worlds, but also trade openly with former Golgan satrapies. Occasionally, USA and GR forces have fought the same enemies and the Alliance extends the same protection to Golgan merchant ships that its forces extend to its own. The Golgans suspect the Alliance, or Alliance-based concerns, in taking away some promising territorial prospects the Republik was eying in the Thundercloud. Ultimately the two polities don’t see eye to eye, but they aren’t -nasty- about it.
Update: After their defeat above Altess-Prime, and the liberation of Vivisanda, the Golgans have begun taking the USA more seriously as a threat. Trade has ceased and merchant ships of each polity are considered suspect. While the two polities still practice honorable treatment of each other and occasionally join forces against a greater common threat , they’re also more inclined to shoot at each other on sight.

*Splugorth Kingdoms---Despises the Splugorth and that attitude has remained consistant. The Alliance has taken one Splugorth slave colony away from them and intercepted several slave raids. As an ally of the Shemarrian Star Nation, the United Systems Alliance is also on the Splugorth hate list. Mounting a defense against future transgressions by the Splugorth remains a major concern of the Alliance.
The Splugorth know the USA as another alliance thrown up against their slave raids and expeditions. That USA industries have undercut arch-rival Naruni is seen as amusing, the fact that the same industries have been serving other impediments like the UWW and CCW and helping lesser worlds better resist Splugorth incursions is less so. The rumors of the USAns working closely with the mysterious and viciously anti-Splugorth Shemarrians simply damns this particular group of inferior animals all the more, and their works that much more enjoyable to loot and destroy when their time to bow before the Splugorth comes. The cagier Splugorth, though, have noted the effectiveness of USA weapons against the Infernals, and against their own magically-enhanced vessels, and are rather more cautious with regards to meddling near USA space.

*Travesdeen Empire(Extradimensional)---This extradimensional slaver human empire has raided several sub/pocket-dimensions that have a GNE/USA presence, resulting in open war being declared. The war is considered low key for the Alliance, with a limited number of fronts, but lack of information on where the Travesdeen homeworld is, extradimensionally, has proven frustrating for the Alliance, who believe that the fairly small empire could be brought to heel very quickly if the USA could put a few warships in orbit to engage in a little bombardment diplomacy. The Celsians have helped take some of the burden of the war off the Alliance by protecting several of the worlds/communities liberated from the Travesdeen.

*Sorm(Thundercloud)---The predatory neobarb Sorm pose a serious threat to the Alliance’s Gaelra Arm interests. While the threat has, for the time being, been beaten back from Alliance territory, with the assistance of CheDive allies, the Sorm continue to pose a danger in those sectors. As the Sorm cannot be negotiated with(they consider negotiators to be appetizers), the Sorm are subject to ‘weapons free and nukes enabled’ protocols if and when encountered.
Update: Post-Minion War, the USA has begun scouting the suspected Sorm homeworlds and has begun conducting heavy raids to destroy the Sorm industrial base and ‘bomb them back to scratching fleas and chewing on rocks’

*Chor’ii(Ender’s Cluster)--The USA’s policy with regards to these rapacious cannibals remains unchanged: extermination. As with the Sorm, negotiation is impossible with the Chor’ii, who eat anything they can get their paws on. Until other powers can rally, post-Minion War, and mount a proper response to the Chor’ii swarming, the USA is stuck with the job of holding a containment cordon preventing the Chor’ii from spreading even farther and faster through the Ender’s Cluster and probably beyond it. Currently the Alliance is looking at an eighteen month slog at least, before they can finish dealing with the current waves of Chor’ii horde-ships. The peculiar nature of space/time in the Ender’s Cluster prevents the Alliance from being able to use their existing FTL drives to strike directly at the Chor’ii homeworld and infrastructure, and the USA currently does not have the means to construct the exotic technologies needed to traverse the distance to do so. So the USA has dug in its heels, entrenched its positions, and gone into bugzapper mode, destroying any and all Chor’ii vessels that come within range.

*Kybyree(Thundercloud)---- The United Systems Alliance has heard of this rapacious slaver empire and is determined to do something about them. Although the Kybyree are still galactically some distance away from the nearest USA members, Kybyree slaverships, scouting new prospects/victims have intruded on USA space and been met with disabling force. It is not known if the Kybyree know what happened to their missing vessels or who did them in, but the Alliance intends to be ready for whatever response the ambitious insectoids come up with if they do.

*Sqaada(Thundercloud)---These genocidal reptileans are known to have saturation-nuked at least one world that PS/ASI was doing business on, and Alliance ships were involved in hot-extractions from several of those worlds. Though distant from the mainstream worlds of the USA, and currently falling into conflict with backdoor incursions by the Shemarrian Star Nation, the possibility of Sqaada pirates and raiders has not been dismissed by the Alliance, who regard Sqaada ships to be subject to shoot-on-sight.
Update: The zone of aggression being perpetrated by this rapacious and technologically advanced species saw the United Systems Alliance involved in the evacuation of several worlds ahead of Sqaada orbital bombardments. While no member worlds of the USA have been directly threatened, PS/ASI did lose a few trade outposts, and the USA has been helping other worlds in the predicted path of the Sqaada onslaught fortify. However, the anticipated storm seems to have broken, or at least been delayed, as the Sqaada seem to be currently preoccupied with a backdoor invasion of their territory by the Shemarrian Star Nation, who it is said is giving the Sqaada ‘serious fear of the Lizard Gods’, which may be a reference to the Thousand Dragon Tribe. Confrontations with Sqaada ships in the expected line of advance have become increasingly uncommon and there are hints that they have abandoned many of their forward outposts, or at least have given up pursuing the refugees from their last planetary ‘reductions’, fueling rumors that the Sqaada have been drawing back their forces to deal with the Shemarrians.

*Necrons(Corkscrew)---Though the USA is more concentrated in the Anvil and Thundercloud Galaxies, their predilection for trading with, and acquiring members from, the galactic hinterlands, means that the USA has unfortunately run into the latest threat to the Corkscrew, the technophobic Necrons and their biotech. Like the CCW, the USA has found the Necrons impossible to negotiate with, both because of the latter’s hatred of technology, and their arrogant belief that they alone are ‘pure’. The few encounters the two polities have had with each other have been violent and nasty, with the Usans’ use of innovative tech-tricks and their own biotech and magic proving both an unpleasant surprise for the Necrons, and an even greater reason for the Necrons to HATE the United Systems Alliance. After a few more contacts, with the Necrons being ever more belligerent, the USA has issued shoot-on-sight protocols for dealing with the Necrons, though it as yet has no plans to pursue an offensive campaign against Necron territories..

*Infernals---A MAJOR cause for concern during the Minion War incursion in the Three Galaxies. Infernals fall squarely in the ‘shoot on sight’ category of enemies, and relations are strictly of the ‘calculate targeting solutions and fire when ready’ sort. Though not the focus of the Infernals’ campaigns in the Three Galaxies, the GNEAS and AJC still fought actions against Infernals from Phaseworld to the scattered worlds of the Far Rim. Even though the destruction of the major Demon Planets and centers of Dyval power in the 3Gs signaled the end of the ‘official’ war, the AJC continues to see action against smaller remanent Infernal forces and their lackies and, of course, outdimension, where the Minion War has moved its attention elsewhere.

*Pirates---Piracy is a serious problem on the Rim and one of the major focuses of the joint military command of the USA. The explosion of piracy throughout the Three Galaxies has kept the USA AJC VERY busy. It’s also given them a source of good karma with regards to their reputation amongst the lesser and non-aligned worlds. Eliminating piracy, especially slavers, is an ongoing mission for the armed services of the USA.

*Star Hives--- The USA’s seemingly propensity for encountering ‘swarm’ species has paid off whenever they encounter the rapacious starwasps The tendency of WZT/ASI starship designs to drip with point defense systems and the USA to liberally arm its planetary militia has meant that it’s most often the starwasps that are crispy-zapped.

*Naruni Enterprises---The USA would very much like to shut Naruni out of their space, and has largely succeeded in keeping any of their worlds from becoming contract-slaves to NE. The USA is banking heavily on the industrial engines of WZT and PS/ASI to keep member worlds supplied and out of Naruni’s clutches. The Naruni are beginning to twig that the USA is actively working against them, and are insulted by the restraint of free trade that the efforts represent.
Update: Post-Minion War, with many of NE’s potential(and often current) customers turning to the emergent industries of the fringe worlds and Rim to supply their armament needs(helped along by the CCW’s secret plans to topple NE switching into high gear), the Naruni are beginning to realize just how much they’ve been deliberately undercut, both in the Three Galaxies and in other universes by what may be the same corporate entity. If/when that happens, it’s possible that Naruni may start counting up vengeance bucks for more direct action against PS/ASI, WZT, and the USA in general.

*Deneva Comdomate(Anvil Galaxy)----The United Systems Alliance and the Denevans are at loggerheads with each other, since USA forces helped their Tme members take back a colony world seized by the Comdomate. A cold war situation with no OVERT hostilities exists between the two polities, though Alliance military intelligence suspects that that the Denevans may be hiring privateers or mercenary proxies to stir up trouble in Alliance space.

*Dadalane Jihad(Thundercloud)---Though not in the immediate stellar vicinity of any USA worlds, the Dadalane are suspected of being behind some of the pirate activity plaguing USA shipping. To the atavism-worshipping Dadalane Wolfen, the offsept plutocratic Wolfen of Eugenia would be seen as hellspawned and corruptly wealthy heretics.

*Solex Federation(Anvil Galaxy)---The civil war brewing in the Solex Federation seems only a matter of time away , but the concern is that it might spill over into adjacent USA-affiliated space. Already a number of unpublicized skirmishes have taken place between Solex-Terra, Solex-Colonial, and United Systems Alliance forces on both sides of the border(the GNE/USA launching several raids on slave camps in Solex territory), but whether , when war does break out openly, the two Solexian factions will concentrate on each other or drag the USA into it remains to be determined. Another issue concerning the USA is whether the Alliance should move to occupy and protect non-factional Solex worlds in the border region when the civil war does go hot.
Update: Post-Minion War, the Solex does collapse and the area becomes a warzone, leading to the USA strengthening its military presence in adjacent sectors to contain the spread of violence. It is, however, also rumored that USA units are taking a more proactive role in pulling Solex civilians out of the line of fire and neutralizing assets of BOTH ST/SC faction forces, in response to reports of atrocities taking place in Solex territory.

*T’ghari Domain and the Brualli Alignment(Anvil Galaxy)---The vicious war between these two star-nations threatens to boil over into adjacent USA-claimed space. While both nations are arguably already tottering toward mutual collapse, the fear is that they may still be able to do considerable collateral damage, especially to the refugee colonies near their borders, or that their collapse may herald a new region of pirate havens.
Update:---The vicious war between these two star-nations threatened to destablize a sector, but surprisingly the brushfire-in-the-offing has failed to materialize. Both nations seem to have exhausted themselves and the predicted crescendo of interstellar violence has instead petered out into occasional skirmishing and the equivalent of thumbwrestling. A few ships of both sides have gone rogue and been dealt with by USA forces, but by and large the two governments seem to have run out of steam, hobbled by their crippled economies. Though no official ceasefire has been declared, observers in the region remain cautiously optimistic that the two sides may be amenable to giving diplomacy a second chance and not just taking the opportunity to rearm.

*Acalian Genanarchy(Anvil Galaxy)---The territorially aggressive Acalians have accused the USA of harboring political dissidents and terrorists in systems bordering the Genanarchy, and have been increasingly harassing Alliance shipping to force concessions. The USA has tried to take it in stride and stepped up patrols in the relevant areas, but lacks the immediately available numbers to provide a real show of force in the sector. There have been some recent hints that factions within the Genanarchy are displeased that the USA has not reacted in a more bloodthirsty manner to some of the Acalians’ more insulting and provocative actions, suggesting that the Genanarchy may be underestimating the Alliance.

*People’s Imperial Democratic Alliance(Anvil Galaxy)----The United Systems Alliance took in refugees displaced from one of the nonhuman worlds annexed by the PIDA. The two polities consider each other enemies, though the Alliance AJC is fairly confident that they can easily knock apart any military force the PIDA could assemble and throw at the USA, given the technological and economic disparities between the two.
Update: Events of the Minion War suggest that the United Systems Alliance has other ways, besides warships, of keeping the PIDA in its place (Important military leaders and weapons scientists going skydiving without parachutes in the middle of the night off stratoscraper penthouse balconies aren’t an everyday occurance).

*Indrel Khonate(Anvil Galaxy)---The USA has had a few run-ins with this forty-world imperium, and doesn’t like them in the least. The Khonate is arrogant, domineering, and aggressive. The OPO has heard rumors of atrocities and other horror stories from the Khonate’s conquered worlds. The Khonate restricts trade and travel through their territories and demands extortion-rate transit fees for shipping in non-Khonate hulls. Khonate industries have also pirated several USA-developed technologies and designs(mainly weapons). Though bordered by both the CCW and the Golgan Republik, both polities are currently unwilling/unable to do anything that might remove the Khonate as a border-buffer, and the USA is not in a good position to more openly move against the Khonate. However, the USA is routing its trade traffic around Khonate space, using a few dimensional gateways to shortcut, and offering the same routes to other concerns unwilling to pay the Khonate’s pirate-rate fees. The USA’s official stance is to ignore and avoid the Khonate, but the USA’s member worlds have independently imposed their own embargoes on Khonate goods, and OPO is also running some support to dissident groups in the Khonate colonies and territories.

*DarcDominion(Anvil Galaxy)---The USA has had one major contact with this pirate state-spinoff from the Central Alliance, and it didn’t work out very well at all for the ‘Dominion; the USA almost accidentally killed its leader and captured its flagship. Since then, though the USA has been on the lookout for further trouble from this glorified band of pirates, there’s been virtually no contact with any more DarcDominion forces. A few rogues who have crossed paths with the USA have claimed passing acquaintance with the ‘Dominion, but what little they’ve revealed paint a picture of a kingdom of outlaws currently eyeing each other in the absence of the unifying fear of the DarcLord, and more concerned with internal power struggles than going after outside nations. The USA regards this group as pirates, little else, but their days as a unified threat seem past.

*Lucim Imperium---This small stellar polity and offshoot of the Ivoians got on the Botwhin Char’chugas’ **** when the Lucim tried to planetjack a human world and genocide the inhabitants just for some additional real estate. Instead, the Lucim got taken to the ropes and hammered back to almost pre-space travel level by SAAPA enforcers and disciplined by the BABES. During the Minion War, a group of unreformed hard-liner Lucim tried to take advantage of the Botwhins’ distraction and attempted to rebuild their war machine by acquiring outworlder weapons, especially ones that could harm the Botwhin Char’chuga. Unfortunately for the Lucim, ‘the best money could buy’ in the region that the Lucims’ contacts could steer them to was United Systems Alliance-made, and the Lucim, wanting bulk, went for a dealership, rather than more dispersed black market contacts. PS/ASI sales reps quickly got suspicious and recognized who they were dealing with, and before the Lucim realized that the arms dealers they were dickering with actually had an alliance with the hated Botwhin, the SAAPA were let in on the dealings, and the conspiracy simultaneously blown open and stomped flat. The Lucim Imperium, even deeper in the hole now, is now TERRIFIED of both the Botwhin Char’chuga and the USA, though individual Lucim blowhards have still tried to make trouble for the two polities.

*Intruders--- The USA, with only a scant presence along the rim of the Corkscrw Galaxy, has only had a few encounters with these enigmatic aliens. These encounters have proven inconclusive; the Intruders behaving belligerently, but not pursuing if the Alliance vessels retreated. The one surprise ground encounter resulted in a brief skirmish that sent the Intruders in hurried retreat when the USA scout team started popping magic and their own psionics into the fray. The USA has yet to decide on a comprehensive policy regarding the aliens beyond avoidance and fghting only in self-defense. The USA is anxiously listening for any word on the CCW’s or FWC’s efforts to communicate with the Intruders.

*Hartigal Combine---Like Naruni Enterprises, HC is also watching the activity in the USA and would like to swoop in and make all those worlds a deal! However, the Alliance is also keeping Hartigal at arms’ length, not wanting to get pulled into an inevitable trade war between Hartigal and Naruni. They haven’t entirely shut Hartigal out, considering them the lesser of two evils of the Naruni ‘family’, but the USA does watch any deals made between member worlds and HC most closely.
Update: Jelko Rodula watched footage of the events above Altess-Prime with great interest(he was too far away and inconveniently placed to be able to lend timely assistance to his home nation when he learned of the Republik’s invasion) and has been taking a second look at the USA’s corporations and their new relationship with the Altess. He’s incredibly pleased that PS/ASI and WZT are undercutting Naruni’s influence with the major powers they sell to. However, he also realizes that they’re denying him his direct vengeance on NE, and becoming real competition for Hartigal. That means he’ll have to step up his game as a weapons designer and businessman to beat out the USA corporations for market share, but he’ll do it honestly, not like Naruni. It will be a competition of genius, with a respected equal, not an abhorred adversary. Of course, he feels he has an edge in creating weapons that are works of art, though some designs like the Aurora show that there’s some artistic talent in PS/ASI too.
If Naruni were to openly declare a blood feud on the USA, Rodula might be moved to have Hartigal more openly align with and support the USA.

*Bushi Federation(Thundercloud)---If the Bushi Federation regards the Consortium of Civilized Worlds as barely tolerable but useful barbarians, the Oni see the United Systems Alliance as a motley gang of degenerate failures and uncivilized(and uncivilizable) mongrel savages barely above the rock ax and rubbing stick fire starter level. At best, the USA produces a few interesting geegaws worth acquiring for the price of some baubles; at worst, they are to be avoided altogether. While not openly hostile, relations between the two polities can best be described as ‘chilly’. As much as the USA would like to open trade relations with the Bushi Oni, it’s no great loss either if they don’t have to deal with the haughty Amateratsuans at all.
That having been said, in the aftermath of the Minion War in the Thundercloud and the chaos it inflicted in the Bushi Federation, relations have become quite chaotic., with USA offers of humanitarian aid being both graciously accepted and coldly rebuffed by the various factions and offices trying to pull the Federation back together.
Meanwhile, the USA has quietly provided sanctuary to a clan of dispossessed Oni ninja. In return for keeping their survival secret, the clan has been offering the USA some tips on stealth operations, including starship technology, and advising them on who can be trusted in the Federation.

*Arzca Confederated Purity(Anvil Galaxy)----Limited contact through shipping traffic. Though the USA and the SCP agree on stopping piracy and galactic contraband trafficking, the two do not always agree on what constitute contraband substances, with a good amount of regular trade in the USA being in material that would be banned in general, if not subject to stiffer punishments, in the Arzac realm. Still, the two polities get along well enough to oppose the Coloye Dopamen cartels, and trade information on rehabilitation therapies for the addicts of various controlled substances.

*Denesk Caliphalum(Anvil Galaxy)---Though nominally a trade partner, the Denesk institution of chattel slavery makes relations with the USA chilly. Private concerns in the USA have been running an escape network for slaves wishing to flee the Caliphalum, which oddly enough, the Denesk seem to allow, possibly seeing it as a social safety valve.

*Network Omni News--- The United Systems Alliance has, through its actions, drawn the attention of NON, which has realized that the ‘fringe state’ has enough popping to be of interest to its newsbase. This has resulted in the Big Eyeball sending some news teams to scout out the usans and see about expanding the network to new audiences out there. The USA is ambivalent about NON; on one hand they provide EXCELLENT news coverage and media support, but on the other hand the USA really doesn’t want the nosey investigative reporters of NON snooping where they don’t belong and revealing too much about their operations. For now, the USA and AJC is throwing a few scraps of meat to NON, letting their reporters follow along with some task groups, and hoping that a little cooperation will keep the NONers from looking to dig up dirt from inappropriate places.
Frankly, Cybssynthcryth suspects he knows where the GNE originated from, and if he’s right, then he may get the opportunity to stake out Splynncryth’s summer place(currently, NON is banned from visiting the Atlantis Dimensional Market). So NON has backed off on digging too deeply into USA affairs while Cybssynthcryth attempts to wrangle a deal to send reporters to Rifts Earth, though if he feels desperate enough, he’ll use blackmail to leverage the deal.
It’s unknown how Splynncryth might react if he ever learned of NON reporters coming in from the GNE. While it would provide another excuse to squash Greater New England’s land of origin, at this point it’s arguable if it would do any permanent damage to the United Systems Alliance, and such action would be an unspoken acknowledgment that NON is more than a mild annoyance. And if the GNE ever did cut a deal to host NON and got attacked for it, it’s unknown what, if anything, Cybssynthcryth would do; if he’d honor any agreements made with the GNE, or would simply cover the unfolding tragedy as another news story.
Frankly, there’s too many unknowns, when dealing with even the ‘nice’ Splugorth, for the GNE to feel comfortable.

*Gapatrac Syndracy(Thundercloud Galaxy)---This aging and fading former empire recently approached the USA, interested in acquiring some of their genetic technology, as well as gene stocks, in return for some as-yet unspecified boons in payment. Though reportedy USA officials are intrigued by what the Gapatrac offered, they’re leery of the reputation the Syndracy has for rumored illegal sophont abduction and medical experimentation.

*Denlech----Though Naruni’s taken a few ecconomic hits, or perhaps bcause of it, Naruni Enterprises has been doubling down on its efforts to extract kiloryte from the Denlech worlds, either directly or using proxy front-corporations. Smuggled-out reports of the heavy-handed treatment of the agrarian communities in the way of corporate profits has moved hearts in the United Systems Alliance worlds, and there have been calls for action. However, the USA can currently ill-afford to take overt action against what is still a formidable galactic arms corporation. More covert approaches to the issue have been rebuffed by the Denlech the USA has approached; the Denlech have no desire to replace one technological oppressor with a technological saviour, however well-intentioned. To the Denelech, the USA’s embracing of a range of technologies, and especially their recognition of AI as legal enttities, marks the usans as dangerously unenlightened. Offers of overt aide have been rebuffed, often with the rejoiner that ‘the Divine shall provide’.
That having been said, individual donors in the USA have been providing the Denlech with supplies of small arms, and a few of the more low-tech world citizens have voluntarily joined the Denlech cause, as long as they agree not to call upon the USA to bail them out.

*New Nigelian Confederation----Though the two polities are far enough away from each other not to have direct contact, the two have heard of each other. The two star nations’ industries have, in fact, acquired samples of each others’ gear and developed designs from reverse-engineering, which has those respective industries agitated over the copyright theft even as they salivate over the profits being made from their work on copied hardware. The two nations, if they became closer together physically, might become, not enemies, but quiet rivals for the yet-unaligned worlds of the Rim, though the Nigellian perchance for freewheeling aggressive mercantilism(some would call it piracy) has many in the USA looking at the NNC with suspicion.

*Xan Xanti Synoc(Thundercloud Galaxy)---The USA has some small small trade contacts with this reclusive nation, mainly through Xappish merchants. Though the Synoc would seem to be an obvious place to shop for antimatter, or even another member-state, the Xan Xanti have proven reluctant to committ to the sort of large-scale long-term supply situation the USA is seeking. The wary and security-conscious Xan Xanti may be leery of getting tied with a new star nation that’s been getting involved in numerous small conflicts. However, the USA hopes that word of the good relations the Alliance enjoys with other major law-and-order power blocs in the Three Galaxies may prove the sort of positive recommendations that can assauge Synoc doubts and sway them to the bargaining table.

*Unity of Starholme(Thundercloud Galaxy)---The USA knows little of this isolationist polity, as the latter is both far away from the nearest Alliance outposts, and has, in its few contacts with the galactic community, expressed its desire to be left alone.

*Lurgess(Anvil Galaxy)---The USA treat the Lurgess pretty much as other cultures do; with great caution. With one of their members having suffered a near-catastrophic encounter with Lurgess pathogens, the USA watches any known Lurgess movement near their worlds with wariness. The United Systems Interworld Health Organization was formed, in part, to deal with Lurgess-style pandemics. If Lurgess are in trouble near USA vessels, assistance is extended, but Class 1 bio-hazard protocols are invoked. Ideally, the USA use AI or inorganic sophonts to interact directly with the Lurgess, as long as they can be safely decontaminated in both directions.

*Justicene Exiles(Thundercloud Galaxy)---The USA has had its share of run-ins with these nomadic aliens. In general, they’ve found them annoying, thieving, opportunistic brigands little removed from openly being pirates. What keeps them from being classified as ‘non-amicus’ is that the Alliance has also had its share of encounters with helpful Exiles who have freely shared information on threat-species, and heroically opposed slavers. The USAJC has even fought alongside the Justicene against Splugorth MInions and other adversaries, and it’s rumored that the secretive Office of Positive Outcomes has employed a few reliable Exiles as operatives. So learned USA citizenry regard and react to Justicenes with healthy caution and skepticism, but not outright and immediate violence.

*Trensik Mercenaries(Thundercloud Galaxy)---The USA has had a few encounters with this professional warrior species, on both sides of conflicts. The USAJC and the Trensik have developed a respect for each other’s professionalism and prowess(prior to the USA’s formation, the Trensik already had run-ins with the Tmelain Regulators and the Grendelsec Bashers) , but know that the tides of galactic conflict force them to be pragmatic, and that they’re just as likely to be at odds with each other as standing on the same side.

Omegasgundam · Tue May 04, 2021 10:45 pm

Here's a list of setting bits that I feel the need to put out. It covers some particular bug bears of mine.

Phase World Antimatter Usage
Antimatter is by definition nearly impossible to be anything but ‘fail deadly’. A single kilogram of the stuff would result in 43 megatons of boom, which is only 7 less than Tsar Bomba, and you can look up just how nasty that firecracker was. The only plausible reason the Three Galaxies are so damn cavalier with the stuff is that the Protheans hand out near endless amounts of special containment Phase Fields for almost free to anybody that wants them. As it would be too much work to change everything, this shall henceforth be assumed to be the answer.

Revised Phase World Space Weapon Ranges (Non-Kitsune Version)
As things currently stand, in a closing engagement (combined speed of Mach 16.5), it would take a Protector 34 seconds (just over 2 melees) to go from the maximum range of a Doombringer’s Horn Cannons to colliding with its hull. If the Doombringer was stationary, it would take 63 seconds (just over 4 melees). This is clearly ridiculous, as it makes the nominal range advantage of capital weapons useless. For those unwilling to use Kitsune’s system, simply add a 0 to weapon ranges. This would mean that it would take at minimum 57 seconds (just under 4 melees) for a closing Protector to cover the 200 mile difference between its own Laser Batteries and the Doombringer’s Horn Cannons, which is tactically significant and makes the Dreadnought legitimately threatening. For the sake of consistency, my other material uses the original silly numbers.

To keep small craft relevant, the Heavy Energy Weapon Penalties on page 106 of DB:3 must be kept in mind at all times, and they also apply to direct fire kinetic weapons. For additional ‘fairness’, move the bonus/penalty column down by one increment for every full third of the weapons range being used, and vessels known as being particularly agile for their size have an additional down shift. If this results in the target being pushed into the -8 to strike range, it gains the automatic dodge of ships smaller than 150 ft (45.7 m). Medium Energy Weapons (x100 MD or thereabouts) have half the penalties, and do not offer an automatic dodge for small targets.

Revised Phase World Missiles (Non-Kitsune Version)
The fastest stated value for a missile in the Rifts Main Book is Mach 3. The slowest fighter worth mentioning in the Phase World setting is the Flying Fang at Mach 10. If missiles are to do anything but collide with their launch platform, they must be far faster and have noteworthy endurance so that they can actually reach their targets. Thus, for the sake of relevance, space use munitions are CG propelled and have far greater capabilities, and represent the canon prices of these items. Atmosphere only models use the Rifts values, and are 70% the price. Considering the general tech level of the Three Galaxies, MRMs and LRMs can be assumed to be Smart (+5 to strike, +4 to dodge, 2 APM, IFF and loiter capabilities) by default, and without an extra cost.

As a side note, you can forget the entry on Cruise Missiles in DB:13. If 500kt translates to 2D6x100 MD, then a single shot of a 2D6 laser pistol is equal to tens of tons of TNT. This is just bad comedy, and whoever wrote it should be ashamed of himself.

Spoiler:

Revised K-HEX Munitions
The entries presented in DB:2 predate the massive increases that came with the CWC, so they are in dire need of revision. This is likely why they were only partially reprinted in DB:8. To make K-HEX relevant in the Paladin Steel continuity, the following revisions/additions have been made. As of the end of the Minion War, both the CAF and the Hartigal Combine have reverse engineered the refining procedure. The Shemarians are not far behind, followed closely by Paladin Steel.

Spoiler:

K-HEX Plastique Cubes: As DB: 8, page 95.

K-HEX Pump Gun Shells: Equivalent to the Triax TX-5 family, these shells do 5D6 MD to a radius of 3 ft and cost 100 credits per round.

12.7mm K-HEX Heavy Machine Gun Rounds: While the profit margin on these is not as great as their traditional Plasma Rounds, the recent surge in interest in kinetic weapons has resulted in this calibur coming into fashion among even high tech forces. As such, Naruni offers K-HEX rounds at a rate of 4000 credits for a box of 100.

20mm K-HEX Autocannon Rounds: Similar to the above, Naruni offers K-HEX rounds at a rate of 6000 credits for a box of 100.

30mm K-HEX Autocannon Rounds: The Triax Flak Gun has proliferated across the Three Galaxies like wildfire due to its relative simplicity and high effectiveness. Naruni offers K-HEX rounds at a rate of 9000 credits for a box of 100.

NE-10G Grenades: As DB: 8, page 95.

NE-15G Grenades: Smaller than the -10Gs, these are meant for automatic grenade launchers, similar to Wellingtons. They are equivalent to 30mm grenades, and both types go for 300 credits each.

NE-20G Grenades: As DB: 8, page 95.

K-HEX Micro-Missiles: The threat of Paladin Steel’s equivalents has forced Naruni to slash their profit margin to be competitive, with prices falling by 2/3rds. Naruni also quietly added an equivalent to the Pattern-1E to their catalog for 270 credits each.

Mini-Missiles

Short Range Missiles

Medium Range Missiles

Long Range Missiles

Bombs

Consortium Armed Forces ‘Interceptor’ Medium Range Missile
The Interceptor is a new type of munition developed by the CAF, and is almost certainly inspired by ASI’s Albatross. Specifically designed to target and neutralize incoming ordinance, the Interceptor uses an unusual K-HEX directed fragmentation warhead and space optimized guidance systems. Able to take out a Cruise Missile in all but the least favorable circumstances, they are considered well worth their substantial price tag. The CAF is holding out on sharing this technology to others to delay the TGE’s fielding of an equivalent, but it will be on the open market within a decade.

Spoiler:

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri May 07, 2021 10:10 pm

Random Paladin Steel/Greater New England/United Systems Alliance Mercantile Convoys(Space)

“Okay, what’s this about a local FTL sqwauck? Travel advsory? Distress signal?”
“Got a general invitation ‘come on over’ signal from a warship, frigate class, in a system eight lights away. They’re looking for anybody with diapers and toys to trade. Oh, and any fresh food.”
“Got an ID?”
“Freelancer Shemar ship. Possibly a destroyer.”
“Mmm, they must be in a fix then; ship like that wouldn’t be likely to have anything like that, ‘specially if they had guests aboard. Those ships are pretty barebones on extra life goods. Not like us. We got time and goods. Tell ‘em we’ll be coming their way ETA three hours.”

The United Systems Alliance (under which Greater New England is covered) has an increasing presence in space, building an interstellar mercantile marine fleet that can be encountered with growing frequency amongst the stars. Thus there is a good chance of adventurers encountering a USA/GNE-flagged starship or convoy of them.

There is a 10% chance that a given USA convoy will be operating under the auspices of the Alliance Joint Command’s SpaceLift Command on official government business. These formations get a +50% to rolls for Type of Convoy, +40% Vessel Type, +40% Load Value, and +40% Security.

A. Type of Convoy:
“Got the Fruitbasket Express coming right on time through the Galian Flow! Looks like they got more ships than last time! Musta been a banner harvest year!”

What’s the main orientation or purpose of the convoy?
01-35% General Trade----The vessels are carrying an assortment of goods collected on a multi-stage circuit of various posts. Besides some PS/GNE-made goods, the bulk of the goods have been acquired from a variety of sources.
36-50% Goods Delivery----The convoy is carrying a large mass shipment of USA-made products to a customer
51-70% Raw Materials----The convoy is carrying various raw materials and other purchases back to the GNE/USA. The convoy can also be carrying contract workers back to their homeworlds.
71-85% Outpost Support---The vessels are carrying general goods to resupply a PS/GNE/USA outpost or spacestation.
86-95% Colony Support--The convoy is carrying resupply for a colony, including tools, supplemental food supplies, and additional colonists. +10% on Load Value.
96-00% Emergency Aid Shipment---The ships are carrying humanitarian relief. This can be food, medicine, emergency gear, and medical personnel. Load Value can be effectively be considered automatically Vital.

B. Size of Convoy:
“That’s a lot of tonnage spread across a lot of little ships.”

01-06% Single vessel
07-35% Small----2d6 ships
36-60% Moderate---4d6 ships
61-90% Large----1d6x10 ships
91-00% Super---3d6x10 ships

C. Types of Vessels:
“Don’t worry about this old bulker keeping up with your slick little flit-zips! I’ll wager you you’ll be straining your fancy antimatter powerplants trying to keep up with my Concord; -Jucy- here’s got some serious legs to go with her good looks!”

What sorts of transports make up the convoy?(GMs, feel free to toss in any make of cargo vessel to reflect available ships; the following are just PS/ASI/WZT-made craft)
01-02% *PS/ASI LInstel-SC027 Auriga Light Interstellar Transport
03-05% *PS-CGILT-C400 Kepler Intersystem Light Transport
06-07% *WZ-UFTL-3244 Fenlock Light Freighter
08-11%WZ-ISF-105 Komodo Interstellar Freighter
12-15% WZ-RS-087 Dampier medium Fast Freighter
16-25% *PS/ASI- SC07 Nao Medium Multipurpose Interstellar Transport
26-35% *PS/ASI-SC08 Concord Light Interstellar Cargo Transport
36-40% *PS/ASI-HInstel-SC420 Roamer Long Range Heavy Interstellar Transport
41-45% *PS/ASI-FA/MC-317 Bering Medium Interstellar Transport
46-50% *PS/ASI-MInstel -SC11 Carpathia Medium Interstellar Freighter
51-55% *PS/ASI-HInstel-SC717 Monmra Long Range Heavy Interstellar Transport
56-60% *PS/ASI-SC09 Tsiolkovsky Heavy Multipurpose Interstellar Transport
61-63 *PS/ASI- SC10 Tychan Heavy Interstellar Transport
64-70 *PSS/ASI-LHAOE-07 ‘Brunel’ Spaceborne Fleet Tender/Replenishment Vessel/Industrial Platform Dock/Heavy Transport
71-73% *PSS/ASI-LHAOE-08 ‘Goethals’ Spaceborne Fleet Tender/Replenishment Vessel/Industrial Platform Dock/Heavy Transport
-74% *PS/ASI-AR03 Brahmar Deep Space Repair/Supply Tender
75-80% *PS/ASI-(A)CSS-02 Weibbe Hayes Armed Transport Cruiser
81-85% *WZ-MCF-100 Behemoth Modular Super Freighter
86-91% *WZ-MCF-500 ‘Immense’ Extendable Ultra Cargo Freighter
92-99%*PS/ASI HInstelT-08 ‘Bradford’ Heavy Interstellar Transport
-00%*PS/ASI-CGBB Asteroid Cruiser

(Optional) C2. Ships by Cargo Capacity
Don’t wanna restrict yourself to the above vessels? Here’s some more general choices:
01-20% Light Transports(1,000 tons’ cargo capacity)
21-55% Medium Transports( 50,000 tons’ cargo capacity)
56-85% Heavy Transports( 200,000 tons’ cargo capacity)
86-00%Superheavy Haulers( 200,000+ tons’ cargo capacity or more)

D. Load Value:
“We thought we’d scored it big ‘jacking the containers on those conveyors. A big shipment like that from a rich world like Eugenia? Had to be the goods. Only we discovered the ships had only stopped at Eugenia to refuel. They were ‘porting cargo from Mestos. You know what Mestos is like? It’s a vermin-infested low-gravity light element backwater that played out long ago and now can hardly dig up a credit’s worth of valuable metal. You know what Mestos produces in abundance? Moho-fruit. They were paying maintainance on their loans with a big shipment of FRUIT. So now we got eighty thousand tons of rotting fruit AND the Alliance now knows they have pirates operating in the area and what we look like!”

How potentially valuable is the cargo carried aboard the ships?

01-05% Empty---It’s rare, but not unheard of; the ships are traveling empty or virtually empty; aside from the ships and crews themselves, there’s little of value aboard.
06-30% Low----The cargo is not worth a lot(there’s at best a 10-20% profit on the trip); it may be common materials, redundant supplies, unrefined, or horribly hard to fence because the market value is so low.
31-70% Significant---The cargo load is valuable enough to pay for the trip with a 50% profit
71-95% Valuable---The cargo is worth quite a lot, with possible profit returns on the trip of 1d6x100%.
96-00% Vital---The value of the cargo is virtually incalculable because it is urgently needed somewhere. This could be vital spare parts for a colony’s power system, medicines to cure a plague, food supplies to relieve a famine, or life support materials for a habitat. The cargo could potentially be held for an exorbitant ransom...or taking it could brand the thieves as terrorists with a price put on their heads, especially if the cargo is lost or doesn’t arrive in time.

E. Security:
<<“Attention! You are in locked up in the our sights! Power fown your drives and any weapons yoy have, lower your shields, and open tour outer airlocks to receive boarders! Try anything funny anHOLYFU-!!!!!!”

How well protected are the transports? A few well-armed ships can make the difference between a pirate’s prize and a pirate’s demise. A heavy security presence may not necessarily mean valuable cargo; some regional militaries routinely escort convoys through their space as part of military exercises.

01-10% None---Aside from basic anti-meteor defenses, the ships are defenseless.
11-25% Light Armaments---The ships carry only light armaments
326-40% Hidden--- One or more of the merchant vessels are Q-ship conversions.
45-60% Mercantile Cruiser----One or more of the convoy members are warship conversions fitted with the maxiumum number of weapons their frames can accommodate.
61-85% Light Escort---The ships are traveling with an escort force of warships equal in number to 10% of their total numbers or tonnage. Light escort forces typically consist of corvettes, destroyers, frigates, or light carriers.
86-00% Heavy Escort---Heavy escort forces typically number 20-30% of the numbers of transports they’re protecting, and range from frigates up to heavy cruisers.

Borast · Unread post by **Borast** » Sun May 09, 2021 12:58 pm

Omegasgundam wrote:Here's a list of setting bits that I feel the need to put out. It covers some particular bug bears of mine.

Phase World Antimatter Usage
Antimatter is by definition nearly impossible to be anything but ‘fail deadly’.

Maybe they have monopole tech?
In any case, this is mentioned in the write-ups, indicating that an A/M cruise missile has a 1(?) year "Stability" span. (Call it a battery powered force field?)

Omegasgundam wrote:Revised Phase World Space Weapon Ranges (Non-Kitsune Version)

Always had problems here...weapons on space ships - incapable of entering an atmosphere - listed as "City Killers," but ranges less than 20 kilometres through an atmosphere, and the AVERAGE "M" class planet having 100 miles of "sensible" atmosphere (call it the point where drag starts to become more than an occasional thing). Lightspeed weapons with ranges listed in tens or hundreds of kilometres instead of light seconds. No offence, but with a good targeting computer (vintage 1960's), I can accurately bombard a "stationary" target from light hours away. >Sigh<

Omegasgundam wrote:To keep small craft relevant, the Heavy Energy Weapon Penalties on page 106 of DB:3 must be kept in mind at all times, and they also apply to direct fire kinetic weapons. For additional ‘fairness’, move the bonus/penalty column down by one increment for every full third of the weapons range being used, and vessels known as being particularly agile for their size have an additional down shift. If this results in the target being pushed into the -8 to strike range, it gains the automatic dodge of ships smaller than 150 ft (45.7 m). Medium Energy Weapons (x100 MD or thereabouts) have half the penalties, and do not offer an automatic dodge for small targets.

Don't have issues here, however it would depend on the weapon...an energy weapon with a 20km diametre, I don't care what your dodge bonus is. If you're not within a couple 10's of metres of the outer edge, you're still going to be hit. (Heck, if you're on the outer edge, and juke *into* the beam...

)
As for kinetics, if you're not shooting asteroids, a mass driver weapon not specifically classed as an Anti-Ship/Station/Planet/etc weapon should have no issues with a fighter

Omegasgundam wrote:Revised Phase World Missiles (Non-Kitsune Version)
The fastest stated value for a missile in the Rifts Main Book is Mach 3. The slowest fighter worth mentioning in the Phase World setting is the Flying Fang at Mach 10. If missiles are to do anything but collide with their launch platform, they must be far faster and have noteworthy endurance so that they can actually reach their targets. Thus, for the sake of relevance, space use munitions are CG propelled and have far greater capabilities, and represent the canon prices of these items. Atmosphere only models use the Rifts values, and are 70% the price. Considering the general tech level of the Three Galaxies, MRMs and LRMs can be assumed to be Smart (+5 to strike, +4 to dodge, 2 APM, IFF and loiter capabilities) by default, and without an extra cost.

We're not talking lightspeed weapons... So, if your fighter is moving at M10 (in a vacuum), your M3 missile will be moving at M13. In an atmosphere, yes, the missile will slow to it's top speed. There have been cases where a jet fighter has shot itself down when they were traveling too fast when they fired their missiles...
As for upgrades...I'd say maybe on the CG thusters...for an increased cost. (Given the lack of need for 80% of it's weight to be fuel, I'd say the warhead would be increased by half - at least - and range and MDC increased dramatically.) However, mass production costs don't necessarily justify the Smart missile upgrades for *all* Medium and up missiles.
For the "loiter"...damn skippy, no kidding.

Burn most of the fuel to make it to speed, and rely on momentum to carry it for Light Years... Yes, I wrote that deliberately. The remaining fuel would be used for last second burns into target, and (minor) course corrections enroute.

Omegasgundam wrote:As a side note, you can forget the entry on Cruise Missiles in DB:13. If 500kt translates to 2D6x100 MD, then a single shot of a 2D6 laser pistol is equal to tens of tons of TNT. This is just bad comedy, and whoever wrote it should be ashamed of himself.

Would depend on the warhead. Nuke or AM, the target, and everything within a specific blast radius should be vapourised. The damage should be to a secondary blast radius.
That being said, damages are "whacked" in later books compared to earlier ones... Look at South America, and the single shot Anti-vehicle rifle! :shock:

If I'm your GM, and you manage to put your mitts on a tac, and smuggle it onto something no larger than a gunship or small frigate, it's essentially an insta-kill...

Omegasgundam wrote:Consortium Armed Forces ‘Interceptor’ Medium Range Missile
The Interceptor is a new type of munition developed by the CAF, and is almost certainly inspired by ASI’s Albatross. Specifically designed to target and neutralize incoming ordinance, the Interceptor uses an unusual K-HEX directed fragmentation warhead and space optimized guidance systems. Able to take out a Cruise Missile in all but the least favorable circumstances, they are considered well worth their substantial price tag. The CAF is holding out on sharing this technology to others to delay the TGE’s fielding of an equivalent, but it will be on the open market within a decade.

This I would make as a MIRV warhead in a medium, or heavy chassis...and specifically make them enhanced shrapnel weapons...like the Russian anti-aircraft missile that was used to shoot down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 back in '14.
The big advantage of a MIRV configuration is that it overwhelms targeting sensors.
Alternatively, you can make them KK weapons...which are theoretically almost impossible to shoot down if you don't hit the fuel tankage. The drawback is each one can only kill a single missile (no fratricide, since the missile is killed, and does not explode) or fighter, instead of a wave or damaging a significant number in a flight.

Omegasgundam · Unread post by **Omegasgundam** » Sun May 09, 2021 3:58 pm

Borast wrote:As for kinetics, if you're not shooting asteroids, a mass driver weapon not specifically classed as an Anti-Ship/Station/Planet/etc weapon should have no issues with a fighter

Oh, if your inside the damn barrel or equivalent its an auto hit for sure, because your essentially in the AoE of the blast. No tracking required. This is intended for targets that have a pretense of being at range and can dodge, with the distances long enough that the potential blast of frag rounds not being an 'I win' for targeting. If you want truely long ranges, use Kitsune's rules. These are the toned down rules that give at least some lip service to the genera tropes.

Borast wrote:We're not talking lightspeed weapons... So, if your fighter is moving at M10 (in a vacuum), your M3 missile will be moving at M13. In an atmosphere, yes, the missile will slow to it's top speed. There have been cases where a jet fighter has shot itself down when they were traveling too fast when they fired their missiles...
As for upgrades...I'd say maybe on the CG thusters...for an increased cost. (Given the lack of need for 80% of it's weight to be fuel, I'd say the warhead would be increased by half - at least - and range and MDC increased dramatically.) However, mass production costs don't necessarily justify the Smart missile upgrades for *all* Medium and up missiles.

The rules don't factor in the speed of the launching platform, so these templates are generic numbers are for use on all space craft, from small craft to Dreadnoughts. The CG drive is not exactly small itself, so it more or less fills the same volume as a rocket motor due to the batteries needed to run it. Atmospheric speeds of Mach 7 are common on 3G Fighters, so they have to be able to run them down.. Even then, the warhead is the most expensive component by a substantial margin, which is why atmo only rocket motors don't have a massive price saving. MRMs I can see, but the cost should be less (~20K each?).

Borast wrote:Would depend on the warhead. Nuke or AM, the target, and everything within a specific blast radius should be vapourised. The damage should be to a secondary blast radius.
That being said, damages are "whacked" in later books compared to earlier ones... Look at South America, and the single shot Anti-vehicle rifle!
If I'm your GM, and you manage to put your mitts on a tac, and smuggle it onto something no larger than a gunship or small frigate, it's essentially an insta-kill...

Palladium nukes have always been outright pathetic, but the Cruise Missiles are wimpy compared to the '100K' and '200K' fusion heads in Coalition Navy (p48). They've never given the damage of focused single target effects with direct impacts or penetrations, likely out of some attempt at 'balancing' them. Kitsune has far more detailed ones, although he also recons what some of the warheads are.

Borast wrote:This I would make as a MIRV warhead in a medium, or heavy chassis...and specifically make them enhanced shrapnel weapons...like the Russian anti-aircraft missile that was used to shoot down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 back in '14.
The big advantage of a MIRV configuration is that it overwhelms targeting sensors.
Alternatively, you can make them KK weapons...which are theoretically almost impossible to shoot down if you don't hit the fuel tankage. The drawback is each one can only kill a single missile (no fratricide, since the missile is killed, and does not explode) or fighter, instead of a wave or damaging a significant number in a flight.

These are meant to intercept missiles, which do not have defensive weapons, and to guaranty the destruction of at least one of them. A CM has 45 MDC, and the MIRV SRM warheads that I know of do 6D6. This means that it would take (on average) 3 hits to take one out, meaning that an MRM with 4 of them would have to focus on a single target anyway. A MIRV would be viable against LRMs, but those are a secondary concern against the TGE. Outside of point blank ranges, missile volleys are spread out enough to not have fratricide problems, so trying to get multiple in a single blast is not very productive. I'm thinking about KK missiles, but I have several things on my plate already.

Remember, the CAF standard MRM launcher launches them in groups of 8.

Omegasgundam · Unread post by **Omegasgundam** » Mon May 10, 2021 1:08 am

And here's most of Naruni. Some things still need revision, but they're now competitive with Paladin Steel on the Three Galaxy market. Rifts Earth will be a different post altogether in the PS thread, and is going to be awhile.

Post-Minion War Naruni
While Naruni Enterprises is not in an outright state of crisis, it has found itself stretched very thin in the post war aftermath. The Deevils were circumspect enough with their fleet assets that it the Naruni brand escaped any PR taint, but the fact that they were sold so much has caused members of the Board to begin openly debating the company’s sales practices. But a far more immediate problem is that the effective obliteration of the CCW’s traditional stagnant bureaucratic apparatus has gutted NE’s ability to enforce its whims on the arms industry. This is the greatest threat to their bottom line that they have ever had to deal with, and as such it has nearly monopolized their legal and influencing efforts.

Three Galaxies Foreign Relations

Spoiler:

Political Powers

Consortium of Civilized Worlds:

Trans-Galactic Empire:

United Worlds Warlock:

Free Worlds Council:

Central Alliance:

Shemarian Star Nation:

Golgan Republik:

United Stellar Alliance:

Bushi Federation:

T’Zee Remnaints:

Local Independent Powers:

Various Local Menaces:

Competitors

Hartigal Combine:

Aegis Stellar Industries:

WizTech Yards:

Bushido Industries:

Galactic Armory:

Other:

Deevils:

Demons:

Pirates:

Mercenaries:

Holdings of Note

Spoiler:

Unfortunate Sales Measures
For all that demand or armaments has increased, the number of weapons manufacturers has grown even more, and their lesser products are flooding the markets. Much to the dismay of all involved, the projections show that to stay competitive Naruni simply HAD to make massive price cuts to their offerings. Additionally, if overall positive cash flows were to continue, many markets would need additional local discounts as high as 25%. The modeling that went into this decision is some of the most detailed that the company has ever produced, so there was little that could be done to argue against them. Needless to say, the Board is simply infuriated that this has come to pass, but there they have little choice if they are to maximize profits.

Plasma Cartridges

Spoiler:

Pistols

Spoiler:

Rifles

Spoiler:

Heavy Weapons

Spoiler:

Body Armor

Spoiler:

Force Fields

Spoiler:

Drones

Spoiler:

Power Armor

Spoiler:

Robot Vehicles

Spoiler:

Planetary Vehicles

Spoiler:

Space Fighters

Spoiler:

Spaceships

Spoiler:

Other Items:

Omegasgundam · Unread post by **Omegasgundam** » Mon May 10, 2021 1:12 am

Kitsune came up with these first.

New Personal Equipment
The waves of innovation are shaking the Three Galaxies, and Naruni has been forced to release better and better products to stay ahead of the competition. Even then, they’re playing catch up in some areas, and have been forced to compete in market segments that they have long thought under their sole control. Below is a partial listing of the more significant new offerings.

Naruni HI-Plasma ‘Fusion’ Weapons
One of the many unfortunate truths that Naruni Enterprises had to deal with was that their plasma cartridge weapons were falling out of favor among many forces, with numerous other companies offering reasonable alternatives. While the long term revenue of cartridge sales was as attractive as ever, the market was increasingly in favor of E-Clip powered energy weapons, and NE had to keep up. Thus, with great reluctance, the Board of Directors authorized the release of High Intensity Plasma weapons, which have rapidly gained the nickname of ‘Fusion Guns’. Using much stronger focusing arrays, the plasma bolts are intensified into a higher energy state, and ride path burned by a low power electrolaser. This high damage can be increased at the cost of substantial recoil by using ‘Hot Shot’ deuterium mix, similar to Paladin Steel’s plasma weapons, adding an additional 10,000 credits to the cost.
Spoiler:
NE-2200 Fusion Pistol
- Weight: 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
  Mega Damage: 6D6+6 per single shot
  Rate of Fire: Single Shot only (No bursts)
  Range: 800 feet (244 meters)
  Payload: 10 shots per short E-Clip, 15 per standard, 20 per long
  Market Cost: 40,000 credits
NE-2800 Fusion Rifle
- Weight: 21 lbs (9.5 kg)
  Mega Damage: 2D4x10+20 per single shot
  Rate of Fire: Single Shot only (No bursts)
  Range: 2,000 feet (610 meters)
  Payload: 10 shots per long E-Clip
  Market Cost: 70,000 credits.
NE-400 Heavy Plasma Cartridge Autocannon
To say that it was difficult to use the Super-Heavy plasma cartridges in a rapid fire weapon is putting it mildly, with the heat dissipation of Thermal-Kinetic materials needed to make it remotely viable. Eschewing the weight savings of the Slim-Line models, the NE-400 is a true beast of a weapon, and requires physical strength to operate without a mount. Even then, it can only fire 3 round bursts, but this is more than enough to deal with most non-augmented infantry.
Spoiler:
Weight: Machinegun: 125 lbs (56.7 kg)
- Magazine: 12 lbs (5.4 kg)
  200 Round Belt: 50 lbs (22.7 kg)
Mega Damage: 2D4x10+20 per single shot, 4D4x10+40 per triple burst
Rate of Fire: Single Shot or Three Round Burst
Range: 6,000 feet (1,830 meters)
Payload: 40 Round Magazine or 200 Round Belt.
Market Cost:400,000 Credits
NE-32R Revolving Micro-Missile Launcher
In many ways similar to a revolving grenade launcher, but fires micro-missiles instead. The cylinder hinges open and reloads rapidly. Due to the heat of the micro-missiles, the user of the missile launcher should be in body armor or will take 5D6 S.D.C.
Spoiler:
Weight: 11.02 lbs (5.0 kg)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot
Payload: 12 Micro-Missiles
Market Cost: 30,000 Credits
NE-35R Under Rifle Micro-Missile Launcher
Similar in design to the M-203, this underbarrel weapon is a favorite among mercenaries and has a much greater range than grenades fired from grenade launchers. Due to the heat of the micro-missiles, the user of the rifle should be in body armor or will take 5D6 S.D.C.
Spoiler:
Weight: 7.05 lbs (3.2 kg)
Rate of Fire: Single Shot only
Payload: 4 Micro-Missiles
Market Cost: 10,000 Credits
NE-500R Claymore Box Micro-Missile Launcher
While there was some early effort into heavy gun-style mounts, it has been found that the most practical method of using large numbers of micro-missiles is in box launchers. While originally designed as an anti-personnel weapon, it was found to be an effective anti-armor weapon when firing large swarms and to be an effective anti-missile defense as well. Because of this, some designers have begun mounting the launchers on vehicles. The launcher comes in three basic sizes, twelve missiles, twenty four missiles, or forty eight missiles. The launcher mounts the missiles in rows of six missiles each.
Spoiler:
Weight: (12-Box) 12 lbs (5.4 kg) loaded
- (24-Box) 24 lbs (10.8 kg) loaded
  (48 Box) 48 lbs (21.8 kg.) loaded
Rate of Fire: Single, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, or 48, depending on payload capacity.
Payload: 12, 24, or 48 micro-missiles depending on launcher type.
Market Cost: (12-Box) 50,000 credits
- (24-Box) 75,000 credits
  (48-Box) 100,000 credits

PS’s light hovertanks spanked the old Carni, so here’s something actually appropriate for the 3G. As is often the case, Kitsune did it first.

Naruni ‘Carnivore Mk II’ Light Hover Tank
”Naruni has improved their light tank, but it's still an overpriced clunker. It's not an outright liability anymore, but that’s not a very high bar to clear. It's also smaller than anything we would bother with, so Procurement thankfully doesn’t give a T’Zee about it. PS’s low end GMR tanks are killing it in the bottom end of the market, and there’s no way in hell that Naruni is going to make something cheap enough to compete with them. In the mid levels it has to deal with the Firedrake, which isn’t lacking in the least with the latest equipment options.”
----Major Philip Fredette, CAF

To say that the Carnivore had become dated was putting it mildly, with the light tank increasingly being ignored by even third rate powers in favor of locally produced versions of the ubiquitous Barivel. Thus, the Board of Directors authorized the release of a more capable model in the early days of the Post-Minion War reconstruction.

The Carnivore Mk II is clearly derived from the original, but the interior changes make it a dramatically different vehicle. Most importantly, the power plant has been greatly improved, allowing for the removal of the old capacitor system from the Pulse Particle Beam, which has also been upgraded. Said volume was filled by a reasonably capable forcefield, related to the new model that goes into the similarly upgraded Juggernaut. While thought had been put into providing it with an ASF grade Variable model, such an installation would have caused the costs to balloon dramatically, as it was not seen as a worthwhile investment. However, they were able to add a low power CG-system, making it a hybrid vehicle similar to the Phalanx and Maniple, and has seen an increase in speed.

Visually, the outer hull is almost identical, but the armor is of a more effective composition and is notably denser. As stated before, the primary Particle Beam has been upgraded, seeing improvements in both damage potential and range. The latter is primarily due to a far less restricted targeting system, which resulted in a three fold improvement by itself. The forward laser turret has also been improved, and is now mated to an automated fire control system for anti-missile capabilities. Additionally, the Mini-Missile Launcher has been mirrored on the opposite side of the turret, and no less than four detachable Micro-Missile boxed have been attached to the sides.

The final additions consist of a number of system improvements. The most important of which were bringing the sensors up to Three Galaxy’s standards, which have also been augmented with a Gravity Wave Sensor off of the E-1000 Enforcer. It was also found to be possible to install a Naruni’s Camouflage System, although it has been decided to make it an optional addon rather than a default inclusion. All of these improvements lead to a notable loss of space in the interior, leading to the removal of one of the nominal passenger spaces and the cargo bay.

Since its release, the upgraded Carnivor has managed to stem the tide of sales losses within its market segment, although it has not yet managed to recover lost ground.

Spoiler:

Just call the one in DB:8 the Mark I if you want to include it, but cut the damn crew.

Revised Naruni 'Aggressor Mk II’ Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The new Aggressor is essentially an elongated Carnivor hull, with the rear holding reinforced squad of unpowered infantry, a number of light power armors. It is used by the same sorts of operators, but is considered notably more practical.

Spoiler:

The Jugg was nowhere near as bad as other Palladium tanks, but it still had its problems. Kitsune came up with this to fix it, but I’ve altered it a little to simplify things.

Naruni ‘Juggernaut Mk II’ Heavy Hover Tank
”The new Juggernaut is an overall better vehicle than the old Phalanx, but it's really intended to fight the last generation of vehicles. The recent Dark Slayer upgrade still falls in that category, so it's not a bad choice if you have the money. PS’s latest upgrade to the Cestus fixes the long range targeting of its big energy options though, but they still don’t offer it to the public.”
----Major Philip Fredette, CAF

While the Juggernaut had not seen anywhere near the same down turn as the Carnivore, Naruni Industries was well aware that the CAF was developing a greatly improved model of the Phalanx. In order to preserve their current market share, upgrades were mandatory, and the Board of Directors authorized the release of more capable model in the early days of the Post-Minion War reconstruction.

The new Mark II configuration is not as extreme as that of the Carnivore, but it shares many similarities. While the shear power draw of the main weapon mandated the use of a capacitor system, the vehicle's reactor was near the upper end of what was considered economical to produce. They were still able to tweek performance of the various systems enough to allow it to operate all of its capabilities simultaneously however, which was almost equivalent. The new forcefield is still slow to regenerate by Three Galaxy standards, but it is still far faster than it was previously. As with the Carnivore, the propulsion system has become a CG-Hover hybrid, which was found to be more efficient in both mass and power consumption, and sensors have been brought up to current specifications. Armor protection was considered perfectly adequate, so the only changes consist of redistributions.

The true meat of the changes are in the weapons, with everything being changed to one degree or another. For the primary Particle Beam and bow Rail Cannon, the targeting systems have been unshackled, granting them an incredible increase in range. The Coaxial Raill Gun has been replaced with a far more efficient CG model, inflicting more damage with less rounds and at double the effective range. For anti-missile defenses, the cupola mount has been slaved to an automatic gunnery system, and has been replaced with a choice of a Variable Pulse Laser or a plasma cartridge machine gun. The missile launchers have been consolidated into single housings, making them less vulnerable to being neutralized. Finally, no less than eight detachable Micro-Missile Box launchers have been added to the sides, providing substantial anti-infantry and anti-missile capability.

As is often the case these days for Naruni, the most significant impact was that the Juggernaut has not seen a major fluctuation in overall sales numbers. It remains more popular than the Phalanx among IDFs and independent operators, but it's sheer expense means that most would prefer to invest in aerospace fighters instead. But, for those that are willing to use such a large vehicle, they could certainly do far worse, and at the very least it is competitive with its own cost in Dark Slayers.

Spoiler:

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon May 10, 2021 10:25 pm

While I digest omegasgundam's latest update for Naruni, have some expansion entries on USA worlds...

*Tarkulaam(Anvil Galaxy)(Unted Systems Alliance member)(Expansion)
“Tarkulaam was meant to provide the engines of the Cybocerans’ next great leaps out.....they were going to produce the trade ships and exploration craft that pushed well beyond the borders of either the Republic or the Federation, and left the Odinans in the dust. Instead, Tarkulaam ended up playing catch-up to the Federation military, trying to produce warships that could beat the Odinans’ advantage in arms. It didn’t work out for them, and now they’re saddled with a rusting military-industrial playground. ”

“More than a few in the Usan congress have expressed concerns about our dealings with the local ‘Power Party’ and its headsman, fearing the long term prospects for our relationship if Goodman Cravoll turns out to be another Orthus Kretch, but I should point out that there are several autocracies in our own ranks, and we deal with a number as allies and trusted trade partners....General Noldek is not exactly a liberal parliamentarian either, but we treaty with him just fine. So far we’ve seen no signs that guillotines or gallows are going to go up any time soon under Cravoll’s leadership....he just seems to be the one person that everybody else is deferring to in the current period of political and economic uncertainty.”

Tarkulaam started out as the sort of cold, depressing, borderline habitable planet that hardy Odinan colonists, newly-minted in their declared identity as Cynocerans, set out to tame and develop, just to show they didn’t need the birthworld’s Federation and its suffocating regulations on their shoulders to survive. For a time, it looked as if they could do it, after much sacrifice for the future. However, the creep of corruption that transformed the frontier strongman Cynoceran Republic into the police state run by and for the Central Party, meant that the anticipated heady days of open markets with the rest of the Republic never really came. Nor did the expected help to make the ice deserts flower, dome cities rise like palaces, and giant solettes turn the sky bright and warm, basking under the benevolent guidance of Central Planning. Instead, the Tarkulaamites got government military contracts, factory quotas, production goals, and a new military presence.
Tarkulaam’s communities huddle on the ‘shores’ of the ice fields, melting ice for water to irrigate domed croplands, while smaller satellite towns are centered around mines, refineries, foundries, and aquifer pumping stations. The focus of industry on Tarkulaam, however, is on the Tebeklum Yards.
While the continent-sized Tebeklum Yards are not actually a fully covered continent-spanning factory floor, the, former Cynoceran aerospace production facility is still hundreds of miles of test fields, hazmat dumps, engine test stands, scrapyards, and mothball yards broken up by islands of factories. Such was demand and the state of the art that as old equipment and factory design wore out, the State simply moved over and built new ones, rather than refurbish older facilities
The Tebeklum Yards used to produce war material for the State, until the Cynoceran Spring and the collapse of the Central Party’s influence. Then the local economy went into freefall, as virtually all management of production had been relocated offworld.
Tarkulaam sort of slumped into becoming a part of the United Systems Alliance. They were still confused and wondering what to do in the absence of the Central Party’s guidance, but growing more agitated as the factories lay idle and no fresh supplies were coming in. Then WZT-led disarmament teams came to secure the spaceyards and make sure that none of the stockpiled weapons and unfinished warships wound up in the wrong hands. WZT soon took stock of the downtimed facilities and made the locals an offer to restart them producing parts for WZT vessels. Desperate for work, the Tarkulaam shipyard workers agreed, and the process of effective incorporation into the WZT family of businesses snowballed from there, and quickly into a move to join the United Systems Alliance.
Now the Tarkulaamites toil in the aerospace factories again, this time scraping old facilities cleaning up the hazmat sites(using new equipment and processes brought in by WZT), and working on numerous new civilian projects. Among them are components for the giant orbital solettes wanted for so long. By the time somebody moved to post a referendum on where the Tarkulaamites wanted to do with their future, the population voted almost unanimously to join the United Systems Alliance.
While some in the USA are wary of dealing with an autocrat in the form of ex-military commander Ladad Cravoll, and his Tarkulaam Power Party, but so far the strongly military organization running the Tarkulaamite government has not done anything to trip any flags, raise the ire of USA interests, and provoke a negative response to it. Still, with the increasing investiture in the Tebeklum Yards and other local industries, USA organizations like the Office of Positive Outcomes have been monitoring the situation on Tarkulaam.
A rise in smuggling and piracy in the old Cynoceran sectors has also affected Tarkulaam; President Cravoll, true to his background in the defense militia, has authorized the use of some of the remainder stocks of starship weapons to beef up planetary defenses. Though the bulk of these systems are short- to medium-range weapons, Tarkulaam is acquiring an impressive air defense net protecting its cities and major industrial works.

Solar System(Tazakoq)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
-Orange Dwarf(Tazakoq-A /Ala)
-Red Dwarf(Tazakoq-B /Bata)
Number of Planets: 5
-Terrestrial(Ancord)---Miniscule airless rockball. The Cynoceran Republic had a military base established on Ancord, in part to further protect the Tebeklum Yards from ‘Odinan aggression’, but Ancord seems instead to have become something of a punishment assignment for under-performers in the CR armed services. When WZT disarmament teams came to inspect the facilities, escorted by a heavy Odinan/USA security force after Ancord refused to respond to military-channel requests for cooperation, they found the base commander so drunk he was unaware of the collapse of the Central Party. Upon learning of the news, the base XO and most of the base personnel simply decamped virtually overnight with the better part of the on-base ships and equipment before their commander could even sober up, leaving him and a very astonished inspection team holding the bag and running the base.
The future of Ancord Base seems uncertain. The rump state of the remaining Cynoceran Republic never formally turned it over to local control, and the government on Tarkulaam is debating running the base itself as part of its system defense forces or turning it over/selling it to the USAJC. Meanwhile, the USA has been keeping the base supplied and operating in a minimal capacity as a rescue station with the assistance of the remaining base personnel skeleton staff who seem to have nowhere better to go.

-Terrestrial(Tarkulaam)---System lifeworld

- Gas Giant(Moasar) ----This miniscule gas giant possesses an energy field that produces small gravitational ‘eddies’ in its orbit. These vortexes are concentrated and strong enough to be able to knock out and even destroy active contragravity engines they run into, making travel near the gas giant, while under CG drive, potentially dangerous. Cynoceran scientists weren’t sure how the eddies were being generated, so they established a small research outpost on one of Moasar’s four moons to study the phenomenon. Though the research effort lost government support when the Central Party bailed out of the Tazakoq system, those scientists who remained soon found a new sponsor in WZT, who agreed to keep funding the outpost.

-Gas Giant(Ghlimdale) ---- Small Ghlimdale’s moons are mined for their ores and water. The gas giant’s magnetic field, while still catching a fair amount of radioactive particles from Tazakoq‘s twin suns , isn’t bad enough to pose a risk to moderately shielded spacecraft, so Ghlimdale’s moons are easily mined.

-Exotic--Dimensional Jump-Point--- At first thought to be a cometary mascon or fragment of white dwarf matter, this object has been discovered to be a dormant wormhole point. The Cynocerans lacked the technology to detect it, but the first GNE/PS/ASI vessels to enter the system and conducted a full system scan found this knot in space/time. As yet, nobody has actually transited the wormhole to see where it goes; USA scientists are still assembling a taskforce to set protocols and probe the wormhole point. Nobody wants to poke it with a stick and unlash some galactic horror, but if the wormhole leads someplace of more benign interest, Tazakoq system may become that much interesting and valuable to the Alliance.

Planet(Tarkulaam)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 10,000 km
Gravity: 0.7 g
Temperature: Cool; average temperature is 40 degrees F.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Craters---Tarkulaam is dotted with sizable impact craters, reminders of past bombardments by space debris. Tazakoq’s two small gas giants have not proven very effective at sweeping the system free of loose space junk, so the inner worlds have caught more frequent collisions with meteors.
Atmosphere: Breathable nitrox mix, but rather thin and high in carbon dioxide. Those breathing it fatigue twice as fast, unless they have supplemental air/oxygen.
Terrain: Flat plains, sand dunes, and rock fields dominate the landscape.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Manganese
- Cobalt
- Iron
- Molybdenite
- Emerald
- Ruby
- Titanium
- Borax
Hydrosphere: Balanced; about 47% of Tarkulaam is covered in water ice
Biosphere:
Sparse---The introduced terraforming ecology have just begun taking hold, with various cold-tolerant grasses spreading across the landscape.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
198 million humans
Technology:
Galactic, but three or four generations behind the 3G standard.
Economy:
Manufacturing---Factories on Tarkulaam turn out a variety of consumer goods, finished steel products, vehicle components, industrial machines, and of course spacecraft parts and finished spacecraft. Currently Tebeklum Yards is producing spare parts for military ships, and several of the factories are retooling for commercial spacecraft and modular spacestation production(with a native-built WZT WZ-554-SC Frontier Space City/Habitat Platform expected to enter service soon as part of the expanded orbital infrastructure.
Wealth:
Average---Could be better, could be a lot worse; local production and trade is keeping the lights lit, a modest balance of trade goods going out, and needed supplies coming in. The retooled and retooling shipyards are pulling the economy up.
Government:
Autocracy----When the Central Party pulled out of Tarkulaam, a former militia commander, Ladad Cravoll, stepped forward into the power vacuum and declared himself , with the support of the militia, leader of the TarkulaWeinsheftium(Tarkulaam Power Party) now presiding over the planet. President Cravoll declared that he would be directing state affairs until the ‘transitionary crisis is over’. Cravoll’s administration has been a mix of very conservative and liberal policies; while he has the strong support of the military and police, Cravoll has also allowed public voting on matters of national interest(such as the referendums to sever ties to the Central Party and join the United Systems Alliance), but he has also dissolved five separate conferences to organize new governments(though two had already broken down into factional fighting, and the other three were deadlocked). He’s also released political prisoners held under the Central Party’s regime(though critics claim that he replaced them in the holding cells with his own political rivals) Though the economy has improved and things are settling down, Cravoll has yet to announce when he’ll step down, or exactly what are the conditions for his stepping down.
Law Level:
Moderate----With the step-down of the Central Party, there’s been some relaxing of law and order, and local crime has increased in some areas, while it’s gone down in others, thanks to rumors of harsh police action by the Power Party. There’s also a thriving black market, especially in spacecraft parts, lifted from government warehouses and stockpiles, not all of which were identified and repossessed by the new government. However, the black market does NOT appear to have the approval of the Cravoll regime, as his militia is cracking down n illegal sales, especially weapons(in part because those same overstocks of starship weapons are being used to build up the planetary defenses).
Popularity:
Ambivalent--- While many Tarkulaamites like the stability the TarkulaWeinsheftium promises, others are afraid that it may evolve into a Cravollite tyranny. Most are just waiting to see what happens next, if the economy continues to improve, and how the Power Party responds to changing conditions.
Stability:
Stable----Either because of fear of rocking the boat, angering the military supporters of President Ladad Cravoll, or because of the efficient management style of the TarkulaWeinsheftium, there’s been little trouble.

*Thelheim (Anvil Galaxy)(Unted Systems Alliance member)(Expansion)
“Thelheimers have always been distinguished by their passion. Just fighting their environment has engendered in them a rather pugnacious attitude, outspoken opinions on things and pugilistic approach to problems. Engineering too; they build tough. They don’t take betrayal well, and learning some of the things the Central Party, and especially the Internal Security Directorate, did to remain in power just was too much for them. And Thelheimers tend to take out what doesn’t work, even if it means blunt force has to be applied to the problem.”

“Fashion on Thelheim runs between the utilitarian and the not-a-whole-lot, given the insulated cavern and dome cities where most people live. Most of what people wear offwork in the dome-caves is vat-grown paper or bio-plastic. Cotton, fur, and leather are luxury imports.”

“Thelheim, being the borderline climatic hellworld that it is, could hardly count on tourism for its income, so they took up manufacturing, especially of products much in demand offworld and outsystem. Spacecraft especially, since they didn’t have to assemble them on-world. Made it easier for the Central Party to check up on them too, as outsystem security troops rarely fared well trying to adapt to local conditions. The Internal Security Directorate had to recruit their best thugs locally, and taking orders from those goons sat even less well with the local labor groups than being overseen by offworlders.”

Thelheim is a former member of the Cynoceran Republic. Thelheim is a high-gravity world of borderline habitability, requiring a degree of ongoing terraforming and atmospheric adjustment. Thelheim communities tend to be underground to insulate against the warm temperatures, and use geo-heatsinks, cooling lasers, and atmosphere scrubbers to moderate local heating. Collected heat is transformed into electrical power, and an increasing amount of it is beamed into near-orbit to power the space industries there(an interesting turnaround on the usual pattern of space development, where orbital powersats normally beam power to the planetary surface colonies). There is some agriculture of extremophile flora types that can handle the heat and humidity. Though the planet is not (immediately) deadly to walk on, extended outside excursions are possible only with air filters, cooling suits, and possibly light exoskeletons(especially for visitors).
Thelheim’s main importance to the CR was as a manufacturing center, especially spacecraft, and its inhabitants have always had a particular bent for engineering, albeit of the brute force style. Sacrifice, hard work, perseverance and persistence have been hallmarks of the Thelheim mindset, with Thelheimers not afraid to speak their minds. Even the most loyal and conservative representatives of Thelheim to the Central Party and Central Planning Committee had a reputation for being abrasive in manner. Dissident movements on Thelheim in particular have historically nucleated around labor unions, and thus the Central Party’s growing internal security apparatus had a heavy hand laid on the shipyards and other industries of Thelheim, to stifle any unrest.
For all the good it did them. When the full extent of the failure of the Central Party became clear, Thelheimers were particularly violent in ousting the Central Party hard-liners from office, and tossing(with the assistance of mutinying Cynoceran military personnel) the Internal Security Directorate goons off the atmosphere-plant towers. Violence erupted in almost all the factory communities as the old regime was ejected(in some cases literally) from power. Predictably, a strongly pro-labor union government was voted into office to replace the outgoing Centralists.
Surprisingly, the Thelheimers were the first of the ex-Cynoceran worlds to move to join the USA, rather than the Odina Federation, or try to go their own way, as many might have predicted. Instead, Thelheimers embraced the idea of being part of another band of misfit worlds and pioneers. The shipyard workers were quick to offer their services to the USA, figuring rightly that the United Systems Alliance would want to get the local economy back up to running normally as quickly as possible. It was in Thelheim’s military shipyards that PS/ASI assembled its first Larna-Pe Heavy Space Destroyers, and new manufacture Godendag Rapid Deployment Space Destroyers are being produced. These programs have helped establish Thelheim as reliable and hardworking, able to adapt to new technologies.

Note: Native Thelheimers get a +1d4 P.S. and P.E. from living in a high gravity field.

Solar System(Pulnoy)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars: Orange Dwarf
Number of Planets: 7
-Terrestrial (Novikyum) ---This tiny rocky body has a 196-hour day, the daylight phase of which necessitates the residents of the few mining communities on it to lock down and hide underground to avoid the blistering heat and solar radiation. The main township of Zamikovana on Novikyum, is known for its quite narrow spaceport access down a canyon(hence the nickname ‘Keyhole City’). Despite the relatively small and confined nature of the habitation on Novikyum, the communities were not immune to the unrest on Thelheim, and the local miners almost as quickly divested themselves of the Central Party, with the use of threatened airlocking any ISD who didn’t take to their heels and take the first evacuation ships out.

-Terrestrial (Thelheim)---System lifeworld

-Gas Giant (Tegam)----Miniscule Tegam has proven convenient as a fueling source for starships, and the Cynoceran Republic developed its 9 small moons as part of a gas harvesting and fuel-processing complex. Site also of a Cynoceran Republic naval base, Vicolgaran. Unlike the experience with transition of power of Ancord Base in the Tazakoq/Tarkulaam system, Saderis Base did NOT go uneventfully. Though the majority of the base personnel stood down peacefully, a faction of the base still loyal to the Central Party refused to surrender command of the base and instigated a mutiny. The resulting violence ended in a quarter of the base being destroyed, over four hundred casualties, and several times that in wounded. It is unclear who triggered the tactical nuclear device, as both sides were thickly engaged in a firefight at the time. Despite the damage, the Thelheimers have stubbornly laid claim to Vicolgaran. Though the remaining Central Party proclaimed the destruction at the base ‘a clear sign of the barbarism of dissident elements’, they have made no claims to Vicolgaran as they have with Ancord.

-Terrestrial (Avokryd) ----Large and cold, but possessing low gravity, Avokryd is actually exploitable, with the major problem being the reverse of Thelheim’s; excessive cold necessitating heated dome cities. Several small hab-communities have been established on Avokryd to exploit promising mineral deposits, though colonization is expected to be slow, given the focus on terraforming Thelheim.

-Terrestrial (Tmunsk) ---Small rocky world with scant surface ice. The Cyocerans have surveyed it, but aside from a largely automated scientific outpost, there’s little to draw attention to this small world.

-Asteroid (Gelver)---An errant planetoid with an eccentric 290-year comet-like orbit that brings it as close to the inner system as the orbit of Tegam and out beyond Redev’s at its other extreme.

-Terrestrial (Radev) ---A large cold, methane-atmosphered world on the edges of the Pulnoy system.

Planet(Thelheim)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 14,000 km
Gravity: 1.47 g
Temperature: Warm; average temperature is 63 degrees F.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Short Year---A Thelheim ‘year’ is only 189 days long
-Moons(6)--- Three of Thelheim’s moons are part of the extensive Thelheim-Selka , Gdsat, and Aten Orbital Shipyards. The other three supportt space industries and port facilities.
-Craters--- There’s evidence Thelheim had a seventh moon at one time, but it broke up and showered the planet’s surface with meteors, triggering a mass extinction event of Thelheim’s previous ecology. Some of these craters have been turned into giant domed-over ‘jungle grottos’ or ‘greenhouse craters’ for growing tropical-steam-loving flora.
Atmosphere: Dense humid nitrox mix with a high amount of carbon dioxide, possibly a relic of the extinction event. Thelheimers are cooling their planet via atmospheric adjustment, scrubbing carbon from their atmosphere and introducing various catalytic cooling agents to encourage rainfall.
Terrain: 4+, variegated terrain. Thelheim communities typically stick to the cooler highlands and plateaus.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Tin
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Scheelite
- Samarskite
- Platinum
- Fluorite
- Titanium
Hydrosphere:
Roughly 49% of Thelheim’s surface is covered in open water, though the high temperatures mean that the equatorial seas are literally steaming most of the time, producing thick fogs encircling the globe.
Biosphere:
Effectively Lifeless when discovered, aside from some microbial life surviving in the upper atmosphere and caves. There’s evidence of a more extensive ecosystem that existed before it was apparently obliterated in a catastrophic meteoric bombardment. Terraforming organisms have since taken over.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
88 million humans
Technology:
Galactic, but three or four generations behind the 3G standard. Heat management technologies area specialty of the local industry. However, the recent overhaul of the Thelheim-Selka Shipyards is quickly upgrading that, and the aura effect on supporting industries is spreading the wealth.
Economy:
Manufacturing. Besides spacecraft, Thelheim notably produces some pretty impressive and reliable(if bulky) thermo-cooling units(“AC tested in Thel’ is a favorite advertising byline) and cool-suits.
Wealth: 4+
Average---As a manufacturing center, Thelheim has been able to provide for itself, with some left over for trade, though the collapse of the centrally-planned Cynoceran economy and loss of offworld trade/contracts had Thelheimers worried that long term they were looking at an economic slump of indeterminate length. The reopening of the shipyards, however, have given a real stimulus boost to the economy and the factories are again hiring.
Government:
Confederacy largely of pro-labor organizations
Law Level:
Law-Abiding; for all their raucousness(or perhaps because of it), Thelheimers have a very comprehensive code of law, especially when it comes to citizens’ rights(a point that came up time and again whenever the Central Party tried to crack down in Thelheim’s dissidents).
However, local groups(especially workers’ organizations) have a tendency to take the law into their own hands and provide their own enforcement. The recent attempt by an organized crime syndicate to infiltrate the unions resulted in several ‘unfortunate accidents’ for the syndicate’s operatives.
Popularity:
Popular---The workers like what they like, and the current regime is just what they ordered. They have jobs, and the prospect for continued future contracts is looking very good.
Stability:
Stable. Currently Thelheim is looking good as long as the current economy continues to trend upward.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sun May 23, 2021 7:45 pm

*Jorgmundson---(United Systems Alliance members)(Anvil Galaxy)

“You don’t often see asteroid belts like they show in the holodramas....the sort of cloud of rocks stacked cheek-to-jowl with barely enough space for a stellacpmmutta to squeeze through, but the Anmundson’s exactly that....I laughed when I heard the Jorgies bought starfighters based on old pre-spaceflight atmofliers, until I sat in on a few patrols with the Jorgmund aerospace militia.....you need barnstormers to get around those rock piles!”

“This is a vac-melon. It isn’t edible, and eating its flesh will kill you dead from chemical poisoning, but you want to raise these things because they sequester water and various other gases from the asteroids they break down. They generally use these sequestered materials to survive the deep dark cold, and as fuel to spread their seeds to other rocks, but you can tap them for your own life support systems.”

“Jorg’s just -teeming- with stuff; minerals, pirates, exotic critters. You can’t go anywhere in the Heldaverak system without tripping over one of them. So you got equal chances of winding up rich, robbed, or dead, or all three, in that order.”

NeoScandanavian world, though they seem to trace their origins to a baseline Earth, given their knowledge of Earth-Scandanavian history, up to the 21st century, pre-Rifts. Originally a nominal member of the Human Alliance, Jorgmundson is a binary star system rich in stellar debris and minerals. Settled by humans, the system became a large producer of refined metals and minerals for surrounding star systems and transiting starships. In more recent times, Jorgmundson became a supplier of skagerite, a mineral very useful to Paladin Steel in the synthesis of viritalium, the core of PS’s new enhanced particle beam weapons technology. With both an explosion in local piracy and the growth of the United Systems Alliance, Jorgmundson saw nothing to lose in being a nominal member of the USA as well.
The Heldaverak system is a binary star system consisting of a blue dwarf and a yellow dwarf orbiting each other at a distance of some 14 billion miles. Jorgmundson orbits the smaller star. The binary system also has several large Lagrange points that have collected material into interstellar ‘sargassos’.
Jorgmundson sits in an asteroid-rich system, with several planetoids covered in low-gee/low atmosphere organisms, the Heldaverak system being unusually rich(though not the most densely inhabited) in spaceborne life. There has been some speculation that the system was deliberately seeded by an unknown earlier agency, though to what end remains unknown.
A cold world with a tainted atmosphere, Jorgmundson is borderline hospitable for human(and most other forms) of life. Civilization is clustered around the few cool ice-free seas, geothermal zones, and thermal pockets like valleys. Domed communities are common(enough that it’s said that the reason why Jorgs adapt so well to Belter life is because even planetside, it’s like living in a space habitat). The standard of living is good, though, and culture is a rich mix of recognizable Scandanavian and Human Alliance influences
Jorgmundson is rich in mineral wealth, as well as the raising and export of some of its exotic microgravity flora and fauna. Supplying the CCW with minerals established the Jorgmundsons as a self-supporting star system with money, but it also brought them the unwanted attention of criminal elements. Unfortunately, the same factors that make the Heldaverak system so valuable(lots of mineral-rich rocks) make it equally attractive for pirates, who target ore and metal shipments, and strike from hideouts in those same metal-rich and sensor-confusing asteroids. Rooting out pirates hiding in the asteroid belts is a constant problem for the Jorgan space forces, who need a steady supply of ships and weapons to match the outlaws frequenting the star system.
Jorgmundson has a citizen militia, where all able-bodied adults are expected to serve a stint in the military and be ready as a reserve force. There is a small professional force that serves as elite forces and officer cadre in crisis situations. Jorgmundson has an arms industry, producing their own versions of common-domain HI lasers and g-weapons, and has a small shipbuilding capability, mainly turning out general-purpose hulls. Their most sophisticated locally-produced warcraft is a non-FTL copy of the Hunter-class destroyer that uses the space freed up by the removal of the jump-drive for metallic hydrogen remass for a fusion drive instead. However, they lack the scale of industry to provide all their needs, especially in the face of increasingly sophisticated and well-armed pirates drawn by reports of Heldaverak’s wealth. It was that pressing need that led them to apply for United Systems Alliance membership, after seeing the benefits in industrial development the Alliacne offered.
The Jorgmundsons are wealthy enough to be interested in some of PS/ASI’s more eccentric equipment offerings, and have even commissioned some unusual designs of their own. It was to fill a Jorgmundson special request that PS/ASI developed the grav-prop propelled F200A Rhino-Buffalo Light Aerospace Fighter, inspired by a design from ancient history(but identifiable to Earth history buffs as a Brewster Buffalo mono-wing fighter of WW2 vintage). Despite the fighter’s eccentric design and light armament, the type has proven quite agile as a scout unit.

Solar System(Heldaverak)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
-(Veraak) Blue Dwarf
-(Helda) Yellow Dwarf
Number of Planets: 7
-Gas Giant (Fusald)---Orbiting Veraak, this microscopic(as gas giants go) planet is slowly being burned away by its sun. Its remaining retinue of moons are generally considered too unstable to be worth colonizing, what with the strong belt of radiation surrounding Fusald, but recent rumors of a find of serald diamonds( a form of cold fusion diamonds, and possibly formed in Fusald’s core, then flung out during one of its atmospheric upwellings) on one of the moons has attracted new attention to the tiny gas giant.

-Terrestrial (Jorgmundson)----Settled lifeworld of the Heldaverak system, it orbits the smaller yellow dwarf star of Helda.

-Terrestrial (Skeymusos)---Known as the ‘storm planet’, Skeymusos’s extreme gravity and weather makes it difficult for human beings and other regular folk to visit its surface without sophisticated high technology)gravity insulators). Its dense atmosphere manages to trap enough heat from its core that the planet actually supports an exotic and fairly robust ecology. That same dense atmosphere has proven valuable to gas-miners, who can skim the upper reaches of the planet’s atmosphere rather more easily than a larger gas giant’s. That having been said, it’s ben suggested that Skeymusos might be offered up as a colony world for the Botwhin Char’chuga, just as the Nadians of the Celsian Primarchy have offered up one of their worlds to the giants.

-Gas Giant(Brinel)----- Huge Brinel has a thick multi-strata’ed atmosphere known to harbor a floater ecology with both plants and animals. The Jorgmundsons have deployed a few floating research stations to study the airborne ecology.

-Gas Giant(Heidel) --Large Heidel plays host to a dense flock of sixteen moons, several of which have been colonized or at least staffed with a government outpost. One of Heidel’s moons, Lynd, plays host to TordenWerks, a PS/ASI particle beam weapons research and development facility. This facility not only works on refining particle beam weapons for PS/ASI, it also studies examples of PB weaponry acquired from other sources. While some question the sanity of locating a weapons research laboratory in a region known to be rife with pirates and hostile exo-life, it’s also joked that it simply provides the laboratory’s proving grounds with a steady stream of targets to test new weaponry on. Only the statistics would show that really isn’t a joke; the region of space around the TordenWerks has, of late, been scrupulously avoided by bandits and exo-predators alike.

-Asteroid Belt(Kravyn Belt)---A dense belt of free-flying rocks, rich in minerals. It has a large Belter presence.

-Gas Giant(Skikadel)----Small Skikadel plays outer ‘warden’ to the immense Kravyn Belt.

-Asteroid Clusters---The gravitational interaction of Veraak and Helda has created two large ‘sargassos’ of cosmic debris at what might be called the laGrange points. The Anmundson and the Skydaale Clusters are dense ‘clouds’ of asteroids that have attracted their share of exobiota, miners, and pirates alike.

Exobiota---The Heldaverak system is known to harbor populations of astropids, space coral creatures, and other critters:
-Webrocs---Free-space-dwelling mussel-like mollusks that, as seed-spores, attach themselves to asteroids, secrete acids to break down the rock, and accrete protective shells around themselves as they grow. They also weave silica ‘webbing’ to hold clusters together and keep dust and gravel from drifting away. Unchecked webrocs can damage inhabited asteroids, their digestive acids weakening excavated cave habitats, and webbed clusters of the mollusks jamming airlocks and other mechanisms.

-Rognor’s Hydra---Actually a large(up to five meters across) starfish-like exo-lifeform that normally feeds on webrocs. Unfortunately, it has been known to mistake space habitats and spacecraft for webroc clusters, and using its tentacle arms and digestive acids to crack them to get at the meat inside.

-’Blixtbeist’--’Lightning Beasts’. These slug like creatures didn’t really pose much of a problem until the proliferation of high-powered technology in the Heldaverak system revealed their propensity for chewing on electrical lines and growing enormous in the process. Now they’re a large problem, especially when they land in meteor showers on planets and are able to feed off community power grids. In space, grow to only a meter or so long and are the prey of other exo-organisms such as young space coral wyrms. On a planet, or u a gravity well with an atmosphere, with access to electrical power, they can grow up to 10 meters long, have armored skins, and can electrocute with a touch of their long head tendrils. The Jorgan planetary militia has to sweep any meteor fall zones looking for possible encysted blixtbeists that have fallen to the planet, and destroy them before they can hatch out and reach a source of electrical power.

-Exolis---Exolis is a broad genera of lichen-like exoflora that colonize asteroids, breaking down the rock and growing off it. Some exolis species/strains are considered nuisances, as they erode the footings of anchored space habitats on asteroids and can cover and block radiators and exhaust vents, but other types can be cultivated for the water, oxygen, and chemicals they sequester. There’s multiple accounts of the NeoScand Jorg-Belters using some species to brew an extremely potent ‘rockshine’ liquor, but this is believed to be the stuff of urban legend, rather than fact.

Planet(Jorgmundson)
Type:-Terrestrial
Diameter: 11,000 km
Gravity: 0.8 g
Temperature: Cool; average temperature is 45 degrees F.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Craters----Jorgmundson’s surface is heavily cratered, telling of frequent and violent cosmic bombardments in the past.
Atmosphere: Tainted; Jorgmundson’s atmosphere contains enough oxygen in the right proportions, but the air has enough trace gases to be toxic for prolonged breathing(15 minutes or more). Filters and supplemental oxygen are required for extended work outside the domed habitats.
Terrain: Unusual Seismology---Jorgmundson seems to flip its magnetic poles with greater frequency than normal for worlds of its type. Scientists are still baffled as to the cause of this. For the most part, Jorgs aren’t terribly concerned with this, as the next such flip isn’t predicted to happen for another 9,000 years.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Iron
- Molybdenite
- Copper
- Aluminum
- Ruby
- Sulfur
- Nickel
- Diamond
Hydrosphere: Balanced; about 43% of Jorgmundson is covered in open water(though it’s frozen most of the time)
Biosphere:
Thin---Whatever native biota Jorgmundson has evolved on its own has had to deal with the planet’s cold conditions, as well as gravity-adapted forms of microgravity/space-dwelling flora and fauna that have managed to survive being stranded in the gravity well. Some of these lifeforms are quite tough and dangerous. Identified native species tend to be small and furtive, Flora-wise, Jorgmundson has a variety of lichens, ferns, and weeds, some of which can grow quite large. Animal-wise, the predominant forms are small insectoids/crustaceans, some of which have evolved to survive breathing the tainted air and the harsh cold. ‘Jorg-lice’ and ‘Jorroaches’ are more of a nuisance than a danger, as the small arthropods are drawn to the heat, humidity, and available food of the settlements.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
1.8 billion humans; another 5.5 million inhabit various space habitats throughout the system.
Technology:
Galactic, on a par with the average CCW world
Economy:
Mining and Refining
Wealth:
Rich; Jorgmundson is waxing very wealthy off exploiting its mineral resources. PS/ASI’s investment in establishing several research and development labs promise to make the system a potential manufacturing system as well,
Government:
Parliamentary Democracy
Law Level:
Lawful---The Jorgmundsons have a well-defined legal code set out and in place., though in the asteroid settlements, interpretation of this can be looser.
Popularity:
Ambivalent----Most Jorgs feel more comfortable working on making a living, and pay scant attention to politics. Though they generally approve of their government system, the overall consensus is that politicians are a squabbling, cantankerous, untrustworthy lot for the most part, but an unfortunately necessary evil.
If people don’t like their government, many of them move out to settlements in the asteroids, where the governance is more liberal
Stability:
Long-standing, bordering on Dynastic: the current government configuration has been around for centuries, and there’s been little thought of doing any major changes to it in that time.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 3:52 pm

(Because Omegasgundam has introduced refined Gateship technology-technowizardry to the United Systems Alliance, and a new agency)

USA Wormhole Establishment Corps(USAWEC)
(aka USA Wormhole Establishment Bureau-USAWEB, USA Galactic Highway Construction and Paving Company, Star Road Builders, Alliance Stellar SlidewayInstallers)

“Unless we want to constantly be negotiating others’ territory to get to our widespread members, we NEED to establish an extradimensional rapid transit infrastructure. Yes, it’s very expensive now, but it will save us considerable time, trouble, and expense in the future by making us less vulnerable to being cut off from each other.”

“Yah, I’m a highway worker...High FRONTIER way worker! We build cosmic roads, interstellar bridges and galactic infrastructure.”
---Anonymous technician, USAWEC Gateship Tannhauser Ferry

Arguably an outgrowth of the GNE’s Outstep and DimCorps, the creation of the USAWEC caught many in the galactic community off-guard because of the sheer ambition of its mission, to create stable wormhole gates through Alliance space. As normally this is a very expensive and dangerous undertaking, few thought the often cash-strapped Alliance could afford to field and maintain one Gateship, let alone a fleet(small as it is, with typically only one ship at a time out doing rounds while the others are serviced and updated), establishing a transit web throughout their space. They did not figure on the synergy of technologies nor the quiet support the USA possesses that has made USA wormhole technology safer and more economical, even with its conditional limitations.
USAWEC maintains a fleet of Gateships and wormhole stations servicing the United Systems Alliance. It also has a partner subdivision handling more traditional magical circles of teleportation and Rift opening. They work hand in hand with USACS(Communications), USAJC Exploration Command and Merchant Defense Forces, and the Interworld Trade Commission to create and maintain a network of wormholes through USA space and to important allies and clients.
The surprise (at least to outsiders) success of the USAWEC has caught the attention of others, and inquiries are already being made of contracting the agency to do outside work, showing that the USAWEC has great commercial potential as another service/product the USA can market.

Omegasgundam · Unread post by **Omegasgundam** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 4:03 pm

taalismn wrote:The surprise (at least to outsiders) success of the USAWEC has caught the attention of others, and inquiries are already being made of contracting the agency to do outside work, showing that the USAWEC has great commercial potential as another service/product the USA can market.

"We reserve the right to cancel any contract at any time for any reason. Those that wish to file a legal dispute are free to do so with the Prometheans. One or more Second Stage partners will take it up when it arrives."

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:26 pm

"A malignly dark tentacle trying to reach through a test hole qualifies as reason to cancel a contract. As do psychic emanations of 'I HUNGER', 'A WAY OUT OF THIS ACCURSED PRISON OF THE EONS!', or "FOOLISH MORTALS! BOW TO YOUR NEW GOD'."

Borast · Unread post by **Borast** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:51 pm

taalismn wrote:"A malignly dark tentacle trying to reach through a test hole qualifies as reason to cancel a contract. As do psychic emanations of 'I HUNGER', 'A WAY OUT OF THIS ACCURSED PRISON OF THE EONS!', or "FOOLISH MORTALS! BOW TO YOUR NEW GOD'."

Let's hope for it's sake, the portal didn't open onto a planet of Psi-blind and Psi-immune that it can't affect, or feed from! :lol:

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:43 pm

Borast wrote:[

Let's hope for it's sake, the portal didn't open onto a planet of Psi-blind and Psi-immune that it can't affect, or feed from!

Could be worse:
"Mmmmm.....Corruption! Delicious negative thoughts! Eldritch flesh, aged just right! NOMNOMNOMNOM-"
"NOW WAIT AN AEON! THIS ISN'T HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO! STOP EATING ME! I SAID, STOP EATING M-"

Borast · Unread post by **Borast** » Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:56 pm

taalismn wrote:
Borast wrote:[

Let's hope for it's sake, the portal didn't open onto a planet of Psi-blind and Psi-immune that it can't affect, or feed from!

Could be worse:
"Mmmmm.....Corruption! Delicious negative thoughts! Eldritch flesh, aged just right! NOMNOMNOMNOM-"
"NOW WAIT AN AEON! THIS ISN'T HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO! STOP EATING ME! I SAID, STOP EATING M-"

F'HTAGN!

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Jun 24, 2021 9:31 pm

* Crosyar----(Thundercloud Galaxy)(United Systems Alliance Member)

“Yes, ma’am, those fireworks are in celebration. Celebration that we are free to pursue happiness. Celebration that we survive another day. Celebration that we haven’t been eaten alive by the zilla-clams. Celebration that the ‘jumping popping phosphorus-blazing cloud jimmy-jack joy thumpers’ can penetrate armored chitin shell.”

“Though there have been worse planetary occupations in the Three Galaxies, the negligently heavy-handed way the Alquis went about trying to manage Crosyar left blood in the streets, a bitter taste in the Crosyar psyche, and an ax to grind with the Dominion now that the Crosyarans have got their varmint-shooting irons back.”

“Give up and settle someplace safer? Are you nuts?! This is our HOME!”

Crosyar is a Thundercloud colony settled by a Corkscrew concern that attempted to go it alone and found a wholly independent world, but when the colony began to flounder, they accepted assistance from the Alquis Dominion, assistance that quickly turned to economic and military domination that lasted four years. When the AD collapsed, Crosyar still had its original problems(and minus some eighteen thousand colonists) and so turned to the USA for help, figuring they couldn’t be any worse than the swaggering Alquis leadership was. Crosyar is Mars-like, yet possesses a robust(and dangerous) local ecosystem requiring a steady supply of armaments to keep in check. Crosyarans are thus prone to going around well-armed and fairly trigger-happy to address the problems of their habitats being infiltrated by rip-suckers, noose-gabblers, and killaquiks. The Alquis occupational government tried to take away the Crosyarans’ guns, and dismantled their one munitions factory, and leave local wildlife extermination in the hands of the Alquis military, but such a move proved very unpopular, with holdouts to firearms confiscation using their personal defense weapons on the Alquis peace-enforcers. Dominion military casualties due to insurgency were almost as high as those of the disarmed civilian population being killed by the local wildlife (or hunger, when several vital farmlands were overrun, thanks to Alquis negligence), though the rebels were constrained because of the need to leave enough Dominion troops to hold back the local predators . The withdrawal of Alquis troops in the wake of the collapse of the Dominion(no sane Alquisan was going to stay behind on Crosyar, given a choice), had the Crosyarans rushing to rearm and reestablish their defenses. PS/ASI managed to beat Naruni to the scene and was soon shipping defense equipment to the planet in short order.
Ironically, the Crosyarians have got a good supply deal on Naibead fireworks(ironic because the Alquis Dominion would meet its end when its leadership went up in a blaze of ignominious glory flying into a Niabed plasma fireworks display), which they use very enthusiastically on their local wildlife. Crosyar has also bought/acquired a good deal of PS/ASI firearms to deal with the local wildlife; Crosyar is one of the few planets where the ‘Thunderbunny’ teleport-launcher system is considered a viable weapons system, with local wildlife wardens issued the handguns, fitted with ‘cookie cutter’ sights and fed from armored munitions bunkers.

There is ample evidence that Crosyar, and the Crosabi system in general, were deliberately seeded, ay least in part, with their ecosystems in the far distant past. Whether this was deliberate as part of an expansive plan by a (presumably long-extinct) ancient species or the result of a programmed-instinctive artificial organism at work, remains unknown, but it was evident and intriguing enough that even the material gain-obsessed Alquis Dominion spent some effort studying the phenomena before their collapse. The evidence has since drawn interest from the United Systems University, who has sent several teams to study Crosabi’s various eco-niches(“As long as they bring guns, we don’t mind the study-types’, commented one Crosyaran of the USU effort).

The USA maintains a supply depot on Crosyar, with PS/ASI handling ammunition and weapons supply to the locals. Several ex-Dominion mining sites have been taken over and expanded by USA mining concerns, contracted by the Crosyarans to handle the mineral extraction and refining for them. The USAJC also maintains a small military station near the Sebian Grove, watching both for pirates and over the scientific outpost studying the macroorganism.

Solar System(Crosabi)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
-(Crosabi-A) Blue Dwarf
-(Crosabi-B) Orange Dwarf
Number of Planets: 5
- Gas Giant(Baldu)---Large for a gas giant, Baldu may have been larger still, if not for its orbital path swinging it in close to Crosabi-A and -B, causing sublimation of Baldu’s atmosphere during each close pass. However, scientists calculate that the planet still has several hundred millennia to spare before it becomes dangerously evaporated by its scorching passages. In the meantime, every eighteen years, observers are witness to beautiful aura-like outgassings as Baldu swings in on closest approach to the twin suns.
Of great interest are indications of lifeforms in Baldu’s upper atmosphere, some of which are apparently able to survive being cast out into space. It is suspected that these centimeter-wide organisms, combining aspects of both plants and animals, were part of the ‘seeding’ done by the giant space organism known as the Sebian Grove, though to what purpose, it cannot be determined. Studies are ongoing, however.

- Terrestrial(Crosyar)--System lifeworld

- Exotic(Sebian Grove)---This 120 mile-wide object appears to be the remains of a long dead Ort Tree. There is speculation that the organism may have literally been a ‘seedship’ that seeded Crosyar with life before the ‘Tree expired. The Alquis were beginning to harvest the dead tree for timber when the Dominion collapsed. The Crosyarans have continued the operation, albeit at a reduced pace to make the most of the resource, but the Crosyarans are also allowing scientists to study the remains, as well as the dozen or so smaller Ort-organisms sprouting from its remains.

- Terrestrial (Bahqua) ---Huge planet shrouded in cold methane. Its three moons also show evidence of being seeded with organisms by the Sebian Grove macro-organism, though in two cases, only fossil evidence remains of unsuccessful attempts. Several automated landers have been dispatched to Bahqua’s surface to see if there were any efforts to populate the planet in similar fashion.

- Terrestrial (Sorenson)---Named for the first man of the colonial expedition who set foot on it, and almost immediately died in a tragic accident(though some claim he may have been killed by the actions of a local cryogenic lifeform) , Sorenson is a cold, small, rockball covered in methane ice.

Planet(Crosyar)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 9,800 km
Gravity: 0.7 g
Temperature: Cool; average temperature is 35 degrees F
Unusual/Special Features:
-Unusual Axis Rotation----Crosyar has a particularly extreme seasonal axial tilt; as much as 50 degrees out of true, leading some quite noticeable changes in day-length, and in seasonal extremes. This has afforded the planet a noticeable winter, summer, wet, and dry seasonal variation, the wet and cold seasons affording the colonists some respite from the local wildlife.
-Rings--Crosyar has several thin rings, the remains of a small moon that broke up. A lack of cratering on Crosyar’s surface suggests that the moon fragmented so thoroughly that its meteoric remains burned up completely in the planet’s thin atmosphere.
Atmosphere:
Thin, but breathable, nitrox mix.
Terrain:
Unusual Mineralogy---Though the original Crosyar colonization effort lacked the means to conduct a thorough geochemistry scan, and the Alquis occupation force was more interested in what could immediately be strip-mined, follow-up USA planetary scans have detected tantalizing hints of what could be substantial deposits of Skalsersium deep in the planet’s crust. If the mineral hasn’t already oxidized, or can be mined such that it cannot oxidize too much, the naturally MDC material could be a potential future money-maker for Crosyar. Several test mines at deposts closer to the surface have begun to produce a small, but steady, flow of skalsersium ore for export.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Molybdenite
- Pitchblende
- Cobalt
- Manganese
- Gypsum
- Talc
- Barite
- Sulfur
-Skalsersium
Hydrosphere:
Badlands. Isolated oasis pockets of water dot the planet’s surface.
Biosphere:
Dense; Crosyar possesses a robust, varied, and -intense- ecology. The lack of abundant surface water means that most of the lifeforms are fiercely competeitive for the available moisture(and those other organisms nourished by it). The colonists just happen to be in the way. Dealing with the various interactions with the local wildlife is a major and ongoing concern for the Crosyarans.
Among the more dangerous species is the so-called ‘zilla-clam’, a giant(30 ft across) mollusk with a thick abalone-like shell( 300-500 MDC) and multiple tentacles(P.S. 30, and crawling speed of 25 MPH) that seeks to establish dominance, usually by displacing the previous bull-zilla clam, over a waterhole/oasis. Unfortunately, the local zilla-clams have taken the colony-sites to be waterholes and the young bulls attempt to take them over, causing no end of problems.
Other dangerous local lifeforms include the Rip-Sucker, a fast dog-sized crustacean-like creature with sharp slashing mouth parts, the noose-gabbler which uses web-like lassos to ambush and entangle prey, and jumpinjoanies which carry a powerful lethal poison sting. Targel-urchins are small spiny arthropods who, though slow-moving, are a dangerous nusiance both because of their sharp spines and because they play host to mites carrying a potentially lethal virus, targgen-flu.

Unfortunately, efforts to introduce more water to Crosyar via cometary bombardment have only exacerbated the problem, causing an explosion in the population of various moisture-seeking/spawning species, in turn feeding the numbers of larger predators.

Fortunately, some of the local species have proven edible and exploitable, even some of the dangerous ‘vermin’ or nuisance species. If they can be killed fast enough, rip-suckers can be cooked up nicely into a nourishing meal, and zilla-clams provide enough meat to feed a residential block.

Civilization:
Settled
Population:
2.8 million Humans
Technology:
Galactic, albeit at the lower Interstellar Age end. The Crosyarans do not have the ability to produce anything other than basic MDC explosives.
Economy:
Agriculture: Crosyar is still working to be self-sufficient, clearing and stabilizing enough land for crops.
This has been supplemented in the for-trade economy by mining(heavily automated) of manganese, molybdenite, pitchblende and skalsersium.
Wealth:
Average; much of Crosyar’s surplus revenue is plowed back into reinforcing habitat defenses and vermin clearance.
Government:
Hierarchy---Crosyar is run by various Councils of Community, who run the various habitat-communities by popular decree. Each Council is made up of sub-councils representing various functions within each community, such as Power, Utilities, Security, Food, Transport, and the like, and those divided into smaller council-committees such as Power being divided into Fusion, Solar, Public Lighting, Cabling, etc.., some of which overlap/merge with other subdivisions.
Law Level:
Moderate. There’s still a degree of lawlessness in the wake of the Alquid pullout, but the Crosyarans are sorting themselves out.
Popularity:
Popular---Now that the Councils have restored the peoples’ guns, the ruling system is in good stead with the Crosyaran populace. Of course, as the Crosyaran on the street will remind anybody who asks, now that the people have their guns back, the government has no choice but to work to maintain that popularity.
Stability:
Solid. While Crosyar is still too young a settled world, it shows signs of being a Long-Standing world. Even under the Alquis occupation, the local government had the settlers’ support for doing what it could to keep the Crosyarans’ rights.

*Silkra----(Thundercloud Galaxy)(United Systems Alliance Member)
“If the Alquis had figured out just how much the Krartree trade would take off, they might have put up more of a fight to hold onto the planet. As it is, we suspect that some of the old garrison that pulled out when the Alqdom collapsed came back as pirates. We’ve already twice had to rearrange the planetary security to protect the distilleries and the transport ships from raids. It’s only going to get worse if word gets out that the Altess are sending a ship annually to pick up sand-newt roe.”

Silkra was another go-it-aloner Thundercloud colony that was picked off Grand Theft Colony-style by the Alquis Dominion, who simply rolled in and took over. Post-NaiBead Whack, Silkra was looking for some protection from other warlords, and so joined the Alliance. Scoring just below Earth in terms of habitability, and having a thin, but viable, ecosystem, Silkra has potential to be the USA’s commercial hub in the former Alquis Sector.
The planet was initially settled by a consortium of several different species as a joint cost-saving effort by low-end colonial concerns. When the funding dried up due to unstable economic conditions on the founding worlds, the Silkra colony cast around for new supporters, using what they could harvest from their planet as collateral. The Alquis Dominion stepped up, but decided to aggressively secure their ‘investment’ by landing troops and taking over administration and direction of the colony. When the Dominion lost its leadership over the NaiBead homeworld, the military garrison at Silkra hurriedly pulled out, abandoning a great deal of equipment and leaving many civilians behind.
Silkra is a hardscrabble colony world, but the colonists have doggedly sought to make the most of it, and they’ve found a few exploitable local resources with market potential. This has paid off very well, with Silkra now enjoying a post-Dominion peace dividend, helped by an increasing amount of USA investment.

Some local products of note:
*Melvec Caviar
Actually the marble-sized eggs of a local newt-like amphibian, Melvec Caviar is acquiring a following, especially on Altess tables(which explains why the Altess have invested in efforts to commercially raise and cultivate the Melveca sand-newts).

*SpiceFern
A local plant that produces large edible spores. SpiceFern is still harvested wild, but there are some beginner efforts to cultivate the plant commercially.

*Krartree
Krartree is a thin, reddish and lightly carbonated liquor from Silkra. Again, universal metabolic compatibility make it a pan-USA distributable commodity, sociable intoxication levels, and side effects that include creative fugues and an ‘aura effect’ that increases the drinkers’ charisma to others(+1d6 to MA, +1d4 to PB, for 2d4x10 minutes). Considered the ‘artist’s drink’ by many on Silkra who drink it to boost their creative energies, it has the unfortunate side effects of being mildly toxic and inducing painful hangovers(regarded as the ‘price one pays for prompting the inner muses’). Still, Krartree is gaining its share of imbibers across the United Systems Alliance and beyond, similar to Terran absinthe.

Solar System(Seran)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars:
-Blue Giant
Number of Planets: 8
-Asteroid(Daldos) ---The burnt remains of a possibly larger planet that strayed too close to Seran, Daldos is too hot and radiation-soaked to be of much use or interest to colonial development of any sort.

-Asteroid(Roplos) ---Like Daldos, Roplos’ proximity to Seran means that the planetoid is baked hot by the blue giant’s solar output. However, occasional sightings of geyser-like venting on Roplos’ surface suggest the continued existence of volatiles locked within its crust.

- Asteroid(Vefos)--Vefos’ odd horseshoe shape suggests it was made up of several different asteroids colliding together, and possibly surviving collision with some other mass that carried part of it away. Rather than a loose aggregate held together by common gravity, Vefos seems to have been fused by great heat, adding to the mystery of its formation, since its calculated past orbits do not bring it close enough to Seran for that sun to be the likeliest source of that heat. Its geological curiosities aside, Vefos plays host to an outpost spacestation nestled safely within the ‘harbor’ of its horseshoe shape.

- Gas Giant(Vehel) ---Jupiter-sized Vehel’s atmosphere produces some spectacular effects when lashed by Seran’s intense radiation, with visible ripples and giant storm cells forming constantly, accompanied by powerful aurora activity. The gas giant also has an intense radiation belt that makes approaching the planet too closely hazardous. However, there’s talk of developing its outermost moons, safely outside the radiation belt, as possible tourism resort sites.

-Terrestrial(Silkra)---System lifeworld

-Gas Giant(Galflee)--- The presence of these gas giants promise a good source of fuel for transiting spacecraft if the Seran system becomes the local trade hub some analysts are hoping it can be. Gargantuan ringed Galflee plays host to a large and diverse collection of moons, some of which show signs of rich mineral deposits. The USA has built a Plymouth-class station as a refueling post orbiting Galflee.

-Gas Giant(Fedmos) --Enormous Fedmos also has a retinue of moons that show promise as future resource colony sites, especially if the system can attract Belters.

-Gas Giant(Almee) ---Small for a gas giant and solitary, Almee’s far orbit out on the fringes of the Seran systems makes it poorly suited for development.

Planet(Silkra)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 13,000 km
Gravity: 1.3 g
Temperature: Tropical, with temperatures averaging 84 degrees F.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Moons(3)---Silkra has 3 moons. The original Silkran colony effort built a base on one to monitor local space; this was subsequently taken over and expanded by the Dominion as part of their occupation, and the additions were subsequently kept when the facility based back into the hands of the Silkrans. USAJC has established a base spacesport on another moon, as part of their anti-piracy efforts.
-Craters---Silkra is pockmarked with craters, telling of sevral past massive cosmic bombardments. Several ‘seas’ are in fact large linked craters filled with water.
Atmosphere:
Thin, but breathable nitrox mix.
Terrain:
Unusual Seismology--Silkra has very little earthquake activity, despite definitely having tectonic plates. Its continental plates seem to slide effortlessly by each other with very little friction(one scientist described the action as being ‘smooth as silk’). Being a seismologist on Silkra is considered to be a boring job.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Cobalt
- Copper
- Manganese
- Colombite
- Barite
- Ruby
- Gypsum
- Salt
Hydrosphere:
Balanced; Silkra has roughly 48% surface water coverage.
Biosphere:
Thin; the most advanced land life are species of small insectoids and arachnids, and several amphibians that are beginning to develop reptile-like characteristics. Plant life favors large squat tree-ferns. Ocean life is somewhat more abundant and sophisticated, with tentacled mollusks and armored fishes, some of them in the 10-12 ft size range.
There are signs of a mass extinction event in Silkra’s past history, and that the ecosystem is struggling to recover.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
2.8 million, fairly evenly divided between Dwarves, N’reta, Lizardmen, variant- Coyle. There is also a rump population of some 20,000 humans, Alquis Dominion civilians and workers brought in to manage the ‘new territory’ and who were either abandoned or refused to leave when the Dominion pulled out.
Technology:
Low-end Galactic; though the general level of local production is Information Age. The Silkrans have ploughed much of their newfound wealth into infrastructure improvements.
Economy:
Agricultural, with a recent focus on lucrative cash-crops such as the krartree distilleries, spicefern plantations, and sand-newt aqua-farms.
Wealth:
Wealthy; galactic marketing of various local goods through the USA, plus confiscation of Dominion assets left behind on Silkra, has resulted in an unexpected jump in prosperity.
Government:
Gendocracy(Matriarchy)---After much discussion amongst the various sophont-specues making up the colonistr, the Silkrans settled on a matriarchal setup, with women holding the important government and administrative positions(this clashed with the largely male-dominated Dominion occupation government, and was a sore point for local relations).
One of the points of contention, post-occupation, is who should represent the twenty-odd thousand former Alquis left behind. Some are agitating the humans should be able to have male governance/representation in the coalition government, others that only females should be allowed positions of authority, and yet others that the former occupiers shouldn’t be a recognized political faction at all, and instead should be assimilated as quickly as possible into the mainstream Silkran society. This contention has divided even the humans themselves.
Law Level:
Moderate. There’s some festering resentment towards the remaining Dominion personnel, and some long-running feuds among the various colonists, but the post-Dominion government has decreed no reprisals and is working to reestablish law and order.
Popularity:
Ambivalent, shading towards Popular. There’s some question among the population whether the current post-Dominion government, with its emphasis on returning to a pre-Dominion organization, is really in touch with the times and the changing realities. The disposition of the former Alquisans is part of this problem. Figuring out what to do with the sudden economic windfall from trade with the USA and reparations/confiscations from the former Dominion has also split opinions, though that same prosperity may be the saving of the current government, as long as the money keeps piling up.
Stability:
Stable. The current government is dealing with the aftermath of the Alquis occupation and with the sudden prosperity galactic trade has brought. Though civil war is very unlikely, there may be some large adjustments to be made before the q can rest easy on smooth sailing, as far as government business goes.

Omegasgundam · Thu Jun 24, 2021 11:30 pm

taalismn wrote:*Krartree
Krartree is a thin, reddish and lightly carbonated liquor from Silkra. Again, universal metabolic compatibility make it a pan-USA distributable commodity, sociable intoxication levels, and side effects that include creative fugues and an ‘aura effect’ that increases the drinkers’ charisma to others(+1d6 to MA, +1d4 to PB, for 2d4x10 minutes). Considered the ‘artist’s drink’ by many on Silkra who drink it to boost their creative energies, it has the unfortunate side effects of being mildly toxic and inducing painful hangovers(regarded as the ‘price one pays for prompting the inner muses’). Still, Krartree is gaining its share of imbibers across the United Systems Alliance and beyond, similar to Terran absinthe.

The Altess would indeed leap to shell out a great deal for something that gives them an advantage over their social peers, even if only temporarily. Then there's those that will need it to keep up.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Jun 24, 2021 11:35 pm

Omegasgundam wrote:[
The Altess would indeed leap to shell out a great deal for something that gives them an advantage over their social peers, even if only temporarily. Then there's those that will need it to keep up.

Yah, but it's like the drugs from the ST:TOS episode 'Mudd's Women'....you look really attractive...for a while. Time it wrong, and it's like the Gary Larson Farside cartoon of Dorian Gray on the Johnny Carson show spontaneously aging....

Omegasgundam · Thu Jun 24, 2021 11:43 pm

taalismn wrote:
Omegasgundam wrote:[
The Altess would indeed leap to shell out a great deal for something that gives them an advantage over their social peers, even if only temporarily. Then there's those that will need it to keep up.

Yah, but it's like the drugs from the ST:TOS episode 'Mudd's Women'....you look really attractive...for a while. Time it wrong, and it's like the Gary Larson Farside cartoon of Dorian Gray on the Johnny Carson show spontaneously aging....

Something to spend a great deal of time and effort into figuring out how to maximize the usage of before hand. The Altess have literal divisions of people to handle that. Even if it won't last a full social engagement, it can cover quick PR opportunities and photo shoots.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Jun 25, 2021 12:40 am

Omegasgundam wrote:Something to spend a great deal of time and effort into figuring out how to maximize the usage of before hand. The Altess have literal divisions of people to handle that. Even if it won't last a full social engagement, it can cover quick PR opportunities and photo shoots.

Have a glass in the hover limo just before you get to the red carpet. A hour oughta cover you for the strut and twirl before the paparazzi before you hustle to your private box at the theater. Optical camouflage(strategically placed lighting) and privacy scrabblers cover you there...maybe another small glass for the after-performance commentary before you make your escape to a private party.
Yeah, Altess probably choreograph their social lives like the Armoria plan strategic and tactics...and in the case of Altess 'social generals', social strategy is taught alongside military strategy such the two are almost interchangeable, at officers' school.

Borast · Unread post by **Borast** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:38 am

taalismn wrote:*Krartree
Krartree is a thin, reddish and lightly carbonated liquor from Silkra. Again, universal metabolic compatibility make it a pan-USA distributable commodity, sociable intoxication levels, and side effects that include creative fugues and an ‘aura effect’ that increases the drinkers’ charisma to others(+1d6 to MA, +1d4 to PB, for 2d4x10 minutes).

Personally, I'd drop the PB bonus, unless the bevvy is actually physically or magically enhancing it. (Yes, I am aware of similar effects increasing PB across umpteen dozen different PB worlds...doesn't mean I agree with it there either.

)

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 11:32 am

(This originally appeared as a Network Omni Newsflash one-shot but I decided it was intriguing enough to be revisited and expanded upon)

Anu-Braxis(Thundercloud Galaxy)

“Yeah, things have gotten so bad here with the economy, I had to take a second job....in my second existence and at my age!...just to keep my crypt! My disrespectful great-great-grandkids couldn’t be bothered to pay even the token maintenance tithe to the necropolis keeper-wardens!”
---Anonymous Necropolitan, prior to the outbreak of the civil war

(Original NON Posting)
Network Omni Newsflash
Dateline: 03/252331/24454245655

Undead War Livens up
----Anu-Braxis XXIII, Tentaph System, Gisi Sector, Independent Space, Thundercloud Galaxy. All-out war continues to rage between between factions of Undead on Anu-Braxis XXIII, as the resident Necropolitan populace fights a growing Zombie insurgency and Vampire minority for control of the planet and its living residents.
(View of a desert coastline as the camera POV, obviously airborne, tracks in from the sea over a coastal roadway and grassy dunes...then into a modern-looking suburb...except that there’s obvious damage...houses are smoking, on fire, vehicles are overturned in the road, people are running, or in fortified positions on roofs...there are mobs of people surging through some roads...the camera pans down briefly to focus on decayed features and ripped clothing...then cuts back as the POV surfs towards the center of a city with Egyptian-looking structures, including massive pyramid-like towers and buildings...as the camera dives into the center of the city, we see a large wall around what appears to be the ‘Old Quarter’ with mobs of zombies pushing at the wall, while figures, completely shrouded in robes, or swathed in bandages, or in what look like articulated full body casts, patrol the top of the wall, occasionally spearing a zombie trying to climb up, or lobbing grenades down into the throng...other groups are sortying out to bring in buses, or escort vehicles out of the walled-in city center)
Anu-Braxis is a world whose traditional culture holds ancestor worship as its primary religion, assisted by a strong tendency towards post-death revival and induction into what has been termed the Necropolitan social class....Following what is to them a natural progression of lives spent in the service of their undead ancestors-among-them, paying homage to them, while slowly gathering the wealth and mental discipline(as well as gaining advice and assistance, typically magical or philosophical) from their ancestors in attaining the next level of existence and joining the Necropolitan class. Anu-Braxis also played host to a number of other undead minorities, including vampires, in a more or less uneasy truce under the magically- and financially powerful Necropolitans, but recent discoveries of mineral wealth under Anu-Braxis’ sands, and the recent emergence of a growing new ethnicity of ‘fast-zombie’ have led to increasing social tension, and finally, a breakdown in social order, resulting in a civil war.
The established Necropolitan ‘ancien regime’ is currently fighting for its existence against a rising tide of Zombies whose as-yet-unidentified spokesmen, speaking via audio-tape release and broadcast only, claim to represent a ‘populist’ movement in which ‘all will share in the benefits and wealth previously reserved only for the self-appointed elite of the Everlasting, who have perpetuated the myth of ‘worthiness’ in joining their class to keep the rightful owners of the labor and wealth of Anu-Braxis to themselves.”
Faced with rampant and contagious zombie militant activity, government forces have been facing the shambling hordes in sieges of several major cities on Anu-Braxis.
(Videotape of hordes of ragged undead pouring into a panicked village market, falling upon screaming villagers, while a few zombies in the background unsteadily hold up scrawled placards proclaiming ‘Fear Not the Revolution!’, “Join the NuDead Movement!”, “Feed the Revolution! Free Your Spirits!”.....A crowd of zombies walking into a waterway...some of them crawling out on the other side, when mortar rounds begin exploding among them.....A small pyramid-shaped temple, where refugees are taking shelter, the temple monks hastily blocking the gates while a mass of ragged undead advances...)

NON recently had the opportunity to interview Azus Dhuboia, a Necropolitan soldier who claims over two thousand years service with the Everlasting God-Kings
(Image of a tall, lanky humanoid wrapped in thick khaki-dun fabric and bandages, inscribed with various symbols and , sections of jet-black, ebony-leather skin showing on arms and face. A grinning rictus full of orange teeth smiles out between bandage-swathes, along with a pair of glassy dark eyes. He is also wearing a back-and-breast plate, modern combat helmet, harness with various vials, grenades, pouches, and cartridge holders, and he is toting a double-barreled rifle of some sort, and a bandolier of clips and other military gear. The interview is currently taking place behind a column of an upper-floor verandah of some structure...over Dhuboia’s shoulders we can see, and hear, the occasional banging of weaponry, and an intermittent moaning and groaning off in the distance. When Dhuboia finally speaks it is with a rasping, but steady, voice, born from half-atrophied lungs...)

Dhuboia: “Yeah, we’ve been a real family values sort of world....Maybe other worlds are freaked out by having the dead in charge, but hey, here, we’ve got the experience, and none of that fear of death that pervades other worlds...Sure, some of the old stuffheads can be tyrannical, petty, and meanass, but what adult ain’t? You get dysfunctional families just about anywhere...but most of the time the others set the bad apples to rights, and social services get restored....Oh, we’ve had our share of warms, mostly young people who rise up in protest and want to oust the oldies, but they usually change their tune when they get older and start worrying about the state of their ka and whether or not they’re going to last to see their own afterlife, and they;'ve spent so much time protesting the ancestors-among-us that they’ve neglected their own kids and family values...Yep, every hundred or so years that happens...no big deal, part of living, ...not that I miss it...
But the whole new deal with the new mines up north has the young’uns thinking fat wallets NOW rather than long term gains and investments....And we got all this talk on the streets about ‘redistribution of the new wealth’....totally screwed the kids around and up in knotted intestines, I tell you! Flash some creds and suddenly everybody under fifty wants hovercars in their garages and live flesh-stim holovids on demand in their living rooms!”

Dhuboia further summed up his own view on the zombie threat, a view shared to one degree or other by all the necropolitans we spoke with; “Zombies...jeez...No style at all, no class, and not a single one of them over a hundred years old....Every body, that is everybody that ‘s stupid, seems to think that becoming a zombie is a ‘proletarian’ way to gain immortality...anybody can go out and get bitten...provided they don’t get devoured before they rise up again...and that thus the ‘common undead’ will rise up and overwhelm us supposed elite through sheer weight of numbers...
Well, maybe there’s more zoms than us necropols, but we’re quality over quantity...We all lived good hard lives before we died, and we invested effort in our afterlives while we were still warm...I PAID my dues as a palace trooper, said my daily prayers to the Reaper and Judger of Souls, set aside enough to keep my family going and still have enough for grave goods, and my family was loyal enough to my memory to make sure I was done up right when I went cold....And they STILL kept up the devotionals afterwards...Think I’m going to let some shambling rat-rot eat my great grandkids because some punk didn’t think ahead of time, and became a mold-brain with an appetite? No way! “

“We pledged our loyalty to our ancestors when we were living, and we watch over our descendants in turn....The Vampires see the people as only cattle, the shamblers as meat...We APPRECIATE the living, the energy they give us, the devotion they pay us, and the wealth they produce for us...”

“Heh, the vamps thought it was a great idea to start using flamethrowers...some of those older style necropolitans went up like dry tinder....that old linen and the nitrate preservatives...But we’re more up to date and ready for that now....Fireproof balm and resins, and these new miracle-fiber wrappings...Heh....some of the oldsters thought plastic bandages were gauche until they saw how the stuff sheds weapons fire! Now they’re all howling for a makeover! I tell you, some of the new preservative tech stuff’s pretty miraculous.....It’s a good time to be dead!”

The Necropolitan authorities claim that the civil war has been further aggravated by necromancer mercenaries and agents-provocatuers...some of whom the Necropolitans claim have been brought in by vampire money...others by the chance to raid tombs and collect material from the battlefields....

(Hoists rifle)“Now, if you excuse me, I gotta teach some half-wit rot-brain punks a lesson in respecting their elders!”

NON attempted to contact the leadership of the Zombie Revolution and the local vampire community for their own angle on events, but was unable to get any meaningful comment. Attempts to interview the zombie populace in the street were equally fruitless...

(Video cut of a zombie in torn up slickersuit and robes staring at the microphone before lunging at the camera, mouth working and claw-hands reaching, before being booted back into the road as the POV speeds away...)

Zombie: “WWWhharrrrggghhhhhhh.....!”

_________________

This human-inhabited indie world in the Thundercloud, affiliated with the Egyptian pantheons, frankly freaks out a lot of people and cultures because of its intimate relationship with the undead...and frequent outbreaks of undead violence. Even the UWW finds the place...disquieting. Though sometimes known as ‘Liche-World”, Anu-Braxis has actually produced few undead magic users of any note, though the sight of animated and conscious dead continuing to walk beside the living gives many outsiders the sense of large-scale necromancy at work on the planet.
However, Anu-Braxian society generally discourages most forms of necromancy, and offworld necromancers who come to try their hand at taking over generally wind up perma-killed for trying their wiles on the locals. This is because the undead-class of Anu-Braxian citizenry, the Necropolitans, dislike anybody trying to meddle with their well-earned second un-life.

The Necropolitan class of Anu-Braxis are intelligent mummies, their souls still anchored to their physical bodies, even though the biological processes no longer work. Necropolitans are sustained through PPE and a positive ka balance, that works in concert with preservative methods to keep them conscious and animated. Not all Anu-Braxians become Necropolitans upon death, as the procedure of raising the undead is a long and involved process, requiring preparation and no small amount of investment in advance. Most Anu-Braxians begin preparing for their afterlife early in life, setting aside the means for their eventual corpse-preparation, entombment, and revivification in much the same way as life insurance policies. Most Necropolitans achieve their status after long natural lives, though there are those who have died early in life and, due to either smart advance planning or supportive friends and family, are successfully raised to unlife as Necropolitans.

Necropolitans typically move, upon warm-death, into residence in special tombs, usually situated in necropolis ‘communities’ set apart from the living neighborhoods. Some. though, have their open-tombs on their family properties, where they can continue to preside over family affairs.
Necropolitans, depending on their standing and unlife preparations.

Generally the Necropolitans persist for a few more centuries until their family lines quit out and they no longer receive devotional PPE-prayers and the means to maintain their mortified flesh, or when the undead finally grow tired of the material plane, at which point they move on to be finally be judged and pass to the next plane of existence. The advance of technology has led to the necropolitans having longer and longer post-life spans, with advances in preservative chemistry and joint replacement. This particular advance(while other fields languish) has contributed to the current civil unrest, with some of the living protesting the extended presence of the post-living influencing the lifestyles of the still-breathing.

The current troubles on Anu-Braxis have arisen from a combination of factors. One was living generations protesting the growing expense of keeping their revenant ancestors mortified. Another was a youth movement demanding greater expansion of the ruling undead franchise by the allowance of other forms of undead transformation. This latter movement found support(if not original inspiration) in the efforts of several alien intelligences that have been stirring things up, exploiting existing tensions. While the Necropolitans attempted to address the former group’s concerns by authorizing offworld trade and advancement of technology, the pro-’fast dead’ movement forcibly grew through involuntary conscription of unwary citizens. By the time both living and necropolitan Anu-Braxians realized the ‘fast dead’ faction was no longer going to play nice and was spreading like a fatal disease, it was almost too late. Police forces, used to centuries of peace and order, were being overwhelmed by terrorist undead and the sheer weight of zombie numbers. The other sociopolitical factions on Anu-Braxis have hurriedly set aside their differences to unite against the common foe, fortifying their communities against the fast-dead. The necropolitans have authorized a hurried rearmament program, including arms from offworld. Fortunately, some of the necropoilitans are old enough to remember when the Anu-Braxians actually fought wars with each other; these old soldiers have been training up younger undead and their living relations in the arts of war.

Though PS/ASI of the United Systems Alliance seems to have an almost pathological fear of undead, owing to circumstances on their homeworld, the USA actually does some trade with the ruling Necropolitans of Anu-Braxis. In fact, PS/ASI supplied the Necropolitans with combat supplies, mainly armor-cloth bandages, artificial joints, bone reinforcements, and protective resins, but also said to include an unknown amount of specific anti-vampire and anti-zombie weaponry, during the Old Ones’ current civil war against the ‘fast dead’(zombies and vampires). The USA is also concerned about an upswing in piracy in the sector; though leery of putting down on a planet infested with undead, many pirates have heard the word about and been tempted by all the Anu-Braxian tomb-vaults and their grave-goods, many of which have gone unguarded during the current civil war.
For their part the Anu-Braxians see the ‘life extension full conversion cyborg’ culture of places like the GNE and Central Alliance as pale shadows lacking the spiritual elements of their own necropolitan culture, From the Anu-Braxian POV, ‘living entombment’ in metal bodies, with little chance of an ultimate ascension, is arguably as intolerable as vampiric transformation or zombification, though at least the Alliances aren’t forcing their ways on others, and the subjects of cyborg conversion at least retain their own minds, so they can continue to pursue ultimate spiritual enlightenment in some form.

Solar System(Tentaph)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
-(Tentaph-A/Ra-van) Blue Sub-Giant
-(Tentaph-B/Aru-Ra) Orange Dwarf
Number of Planets: 3

-Tophis Asteroid Belt----This is a relatively thick band of stellar debris orbiting close to Tentaph’s two suns, and not yet drawn in by them. It is possible that some of the bodies are planets that strayed too close to the stars and were torn apart. Some of the asteroids range in size up to Ceres and Pluto-sized, and registered as such on long range scans as such. The same jumble of return signals confused early explorers who initially confused Anu-Braxis with another planetissimal -return(the twenty-third to be exact) leading to some charts mistakenly identifying Tentaph’s life-world as ‘Anu-Braxis XXIII’.
None of these rocky bodies are inhabitable, but some show signs of exploitable mineral concentrations.

-Terrestrial(Anu-Braxis)---System life world

-Gas Giant(Hentu)---This large gas giant sports a ring system visible from Anu-Braxis, and which has earned it the name of a winged goddess of the skies from the Anu-Braxian mythologies. The Anu-Braxians have shown little interest in exploring their local neighborhood, so once their astronomers proved Hentu had no mystic qualities besides astrological, they have given Hentu little further thought. There’s been some thought on the part of outsiders to purchasing mining rights on some of Hentu’s moons, after some promising geochemistry scans, but in general, proximity to the ‘Planet of the Walking Dead’ has kept most potential developers away from the idea of setting up shop next door as it were.

-Exotic-(Hora-Ranth)--- Hora-Ranth is a still-glowing remnant of a white dwarf star, that illuminates a cloud of gas around it, lending it an aura effect. Though its illuminatory value is low and sheds little energy on Anu-Braxis, appearing as a particularly bright star from the planet’s surface, Hora-Ranth features prominently in the local culture.
Astrology plays a large part in Anu-Braxian society, and when Hora-Ranth lines up with certain constellations, it is said that the deities of the Anu-Braxian(Egyptian) pantheon are most likely to visit, traveling on a great River that comes to Anu-Braxis. The alignments are cause for week-long festivals, religious pilgrimages and those necropolitans who have decided to give up their material flesh and move on, will try to hold on until these alignments before taking the next step into the afterlife, believing they will be judged more positively and sped along to a better place on the gods’ own Barge of the Dead. There may be something to the Anu-Braxians’ beliefs; there’s evidence that Hora-Ranth may align a cosmic ley line and guide/bend it into the system, allowing anybody traveling the ley line easy access to Anu-Braxis. The UWW is currently considering a ley line charting project to find the ‘Hora-Ranth Line’ and where it might lead.

Planet(Anu-Braxis)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 10.700 km
Gravity: 0.96 g.
Temperature: Warm; average temperatures are 90 degrees F.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Odd Orbit---Anu-Braxis describes a convoluted, but stable, orbit around its two suns.
-Odd Axial Tilt---Anu-Braxis has an extreme 35-degree axial tilt that causes some extreme weather patterns, such as a brief, but intense, rainy season, massive sandstorms, and frost-dropping cold spells.
-Craters---Anu-Braxis sports a number of massive craters, the remains of several impressive asteroid strikes in the past. Several of these craters have become impressive necropoli.
-Energy Field-- Anu-Braxis has a relatively high ambient magic field, high enough to sustain magically-sustained Undead. This energy supports a healthy local population of necromancers(state-approved), Stone Masters, and Mystics.

Atmosphere:
Thin, but breathable, nitrox mixture. The average Anu-Braxian would find Earth’s own atmosphere a little too rich and humid, but their own encourages desiccation and mummification.
Terrain:
Hostile; the green zones are separated by regions of scorching desert and rocky wastes.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Copper
- Manganese
- Amethyst
- Scheelite
- Salt
- Sulfur
- Thorium
- Gypsum
Hydrosphere:
Arid; only about 30% of Anu-Braxis is covered in open water. The planet has several temperate-zone ‘green belts’ mainly coursing along rivers, and multiple oasises.
Biosphere:
Cornucopia---Despite its reputation for arid wastes and walking dead, Anu-Praxis is actually teeming with wildlife, with a vast variety of plants and animals uniquely adapted to life in the green zones and the wastelands. Some of these are dangerous to humans, such as the poisonous AnuBrax Gold Scorpa, the Nubex Stork(a large meat-eating bird of prey), various venomous vermiforms and the pack-hunting canine-like skrahil, but others are commercially valuable, such as the desert-adapted bontu, bayubab-like jartree, and drought-tolerant sessi-wheat.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
3.8 billion(though roughly 32% are Undead)
Technology:
Industrial Age/Early Space Age---The citizens of Anu-Braxis had attained what they regarded as a ‘comfortable’ level of technology appropriate for their peaceful society, and saw little need to press on to higher levels.
Economy:
Agricultural, supplemented by some manufacturing.
Wealth:
Considered to be Wealthy, though more likely to be Rich, with the extra wealth tied up in tomb furnishings.
Government:
Necrocracy---Rule by the Dead(sometimes derogatorily called the ‘Dead Granny-State’). An extension of the ancestor worship practiced on the planet, going hand in hand with the adoration of pharaoh-kings . Though some fear this would lead to an eternal tyranny by unliving rulers who just never pass on, the Anu-Braxian necropolitans actually have enough turnover as older or less adaptive undead grow weary of a continued mortal existence that there’s progressive leadership change. However, progress tends to be slow as the politics tend to be stodgy and conservative to say the least.
This system of government has become so ingrained that the recent troubles aren’t attempts to throw out necrocracy, but to replace the old mummified order with faster and more immediate zombification and vampire transformation.
Law Level:
WAS Lawful/Overbearing, but has currently broken down to Lawless, with anarchy in the war zones. Zombies and vampires are laying siege to the fortified communities of the loyal living.
Popularity:
WAS arguably Fanatical for many centuries.
Unfortunately, a rising level of discontent has swept the younger generations, who don’t wish to be ruled by what they see as the ‘eternal tyranny’ of the Necropolitans. However, rather than insist on the implementation of governance by the living and a disenfranchisement of the dead(similar to the Strudelbrugs of Jonathan Swift fame), the ‘NuDead’ movement has been swayed by the promise of zombie-makers and vampire intelligences that they can have immortality NOW and on a shoestring, jumping up the line to Necropolitan status now rather than later.
Stability:
Civil War---- Anu-Braxis is currently in the throes of a civil war. While the majority of the population support the ancient(and it can be truly called that) regime, the insurgents have the support of several vampire/alien intelligences and succeeded in cutting off and converting large parts of the population. The war has currently reached soemthing of a stalemate, though with offworld help, the necropolitans and their living allies are beginning to reclaim the green zones and take back strategic parts of the planet.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:44 pm

(Based on an early Network Omni News posting, lots of fleshed-out designs by Amaranthus, and the Rifter #66 article by Braden Campbell)

Mulzona Derek(Central Alliance)
“The Star Forge shipyards over Mulzona are supposed to be some of the most advanced tech in the Central Alliance and a real sight, what with thousands of space-adapted cyborgs, teleoperation rigs, and semi-autonomous ‘bots in freefall all building or repairing starships. It’s one of those sights that would be a real tourism draw, even in the metroworlds, except that the system is pretty much off limits to anybody not a Cyberhawk or escorted at all times by the Cyberhawks. Whole system out to any reasonable ship sensor range is locked down hard. Noldek appreciates that tourists could just as well be spies, and he doesn’t want to give away ANY advantages if he can help it.”

“Do not underestimate the importance of the Central Alliance’s new starfleet. It’s not going to be enough to have some of the meanest cyber’ed warriros in the Three Galaxies; ground troops, however heavily metall’ed up, are gnats under a flame-thrower of anybody with dedicated warships and starship-grade weaponry. The Central Alliance ever amounts to anything, its first line of defense is going to have to be in space, and it won’t be able to defend itself with second-hand warships and armed merchantmen. Noldek knows that, so even as he’s punchng out warlords and bringing the Peace to the neo-barb worlds, he’s quietly building and training up himself a proper space force with officers who are better qualified to manage space combat operations.”

“Between WZT opening several yards and Star Forge ramping up their big facilities in the Mul-Derek system, Noldek’s going to have a strong aerospace sector to bolster his reach and economy. That’s going to cause him some headaches, though, in the long run, both because his neighbors are going to be worried about the new warships they’re seeing, and Noldek’s little deal with the pirates in his region is going to chafe because he’s building his own professional space navy.”

Mulzona Derek is another fast-growing industrial world that is changing the face of the Central Alliance. The world is arguably the largest producer of native warships available to General Noldek’s regime.
In a move similar to the one that brought in Paladin Steel/Aegis Stellar Industries to beleagured Ungersoll, Noldek offered the extradimensional corporation StarForge several planets to build up hs nation’s aerospace capabilities. StarForge chose Mulzona Derek, turnig the former sleepy mining world into a booming fortress shipyard. Despite their admitted extradimensional origins(though some suspect the company has Chromite connections or origins, owing to some of the ‘brainship’ technologies they favor), StarForge has settled in and become virtually assimilated(so much so that many outsiders assume they’ve been nationalized) into the Central Alliance as their new native warship supplier.
Besides warship production, Star Forge Mul-Derek is also involved in fighter development, again paralleling WZT/PS/ASI offerings and providing incentive and competition to other native designers.
Noldek is reportedly quite pleased with the arrangement, playing off WZT/PS/ASI and StarForge off against each other for his aerospace credits, as it results in him getting good deals. For their part, both megacorps know they’re being played against each other, but accept it as part of the price of doing business. Besides, StarForge has focused primarily on building warships and fighters, specially modified with cyborgs in mind, while WZT/PS/ASI has offered up a wide range of commercial vessels to grow the Central Alliance’s trade fleets. Either way, Noldek is coming out a winner.

Solar System( Mul-Derek)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
- ( Mul-Derek-A) Orange Dwarf
- ( Mul-Derek-B) Red Dwarf
Number of Planets: 8
- Asteroid (Pyradel)---Pyradel is a small rocky body blasted by both Mul-Derek-A and -B. IT also mounts a navigational beacon and is used as a ‘rounding point’ for new starships on their shakedown runs.

- Gas Giant (Litzen)---Large gas giant that has 15 minor moons, a ring system, and plays host to several aerostat gas mines in its atmosphere. Litzen also has a major munitions plant on one of its moons, producing heavy missile ordnance for Central Alliance’s fleet.

- Asteroid (Mirev)--Mirev is a large planetoid that has become a naval gunnery range for Noldek’s new space navy.

- Terrestrial (Mulzona Derek)---System life world/primary, It is site of StarForge’s massive shipyards and a major Central Alliance naval base.

- Terrestrial (Muldec)---Muldec is a tiny rocky world barely above planetissemal category. It’s also being gradually stripmined of anything of value.

- Terrestrial (Gortoren) --- Enormous methane-shrouded rocky planet. StarForge sometimes tests the grav-drives and atmosphere-handling of its capital ships inside Gortoren’s dark clouds, figuring that any accident will at least have a solid surface to crashland on and bearable pressures to deal with.

- Gas Giant(Soteszveth) --- Enormous Soteszveth plays host to 12 moons and a ring system. Though not yet developed, it is the site of frequent wargames as ‘Noldek’s Navy’ shakes out its new ships and tactics.

- Asteroid (Cedidus)--- There are rumors that this dark body planetissemal on the deep edge of the Mul-Dek system plays host to a secret StarForge research facility. Other rumors hold that it hides a wormhole terminal. Still others claim it’s the site of a secret base that General Noldek set up with a secret treaty with the Karmatorg(free space-living gypsy-like cyborgs) to train an even more elite force of Cyberhawk space commandos. As nobody knows exactly where this asteroid is, checking the truth of the rumors remains problematic, especially since it’s also rumored that the Cyberhawks are discouraging talk about Cedidus and that people who show a more than casual interest in the name tend to disappear.

Planet(Mulzona Derek)
Mulzona Derek is a cold world that is hospitable only through the establishment of domed communities. Formerly a mining colony extracting minerals from both the planet and neighboring Davus Belt, it has since seen a population and industrial boom with StarForge setting up shop to build ‘Noldek’s Navy’. With that boom, however, has come great responsibility and change; the importance of the new military fleet has meant that the planet has become a fortress planet and a police state, with one of the highest permanent peacetime concentrations of Cyberhawks in the Central Alliance. General Noldek is under no illusions that the enemies of the CA are not going to favorably view his building a starfleet, so he has done what he can to secure his new shipyards against attack and espionage. Though that means that security is tight around the planet, and some communities of vital workers and researchers are virtually closeted away from contact with outsiders, it doesn’t mean that they live under dungeon conditions; quite the opposite. The residents of Mulzona Derek enjoy one of the highest per capita standards of living in the Central Alliance, as StarForge and Noldek strive to keep the defense workers happy and productive. Besides the mines, factories, and research facilities, there are several whole dome-communities set aside to growing luxury foodstuffs and providing entertainment for the rest of the population, varying from wholesome family fun to ‘palaces of sin’(though monitored by the Cyberhawks to make sure nobody goes overboard and gets harmed). However, few Mulzonans are allowed freedom to leave the planet or even have unauthorized offworld contact. Offworld visitors and traders can only travel in-system with the express permission of the authorities, their onworld movements are tracked, and their access to much of the planet restricted.
Mulzona Derek also possesses some of the best orbital defenses in the Central Alliance; there are always two battleships and a dozen system defense monitors in orbit, plus two dozen smaller class vessels, many of them on shakedown cruises around the system. There are also dozens of defense satellites armed with medium to heavy class starship weapons.

Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 10,700 km
Gravity: 0.989 g
Temperature: Cold; average temperatures hover around the -180 degrees F mark. Movement outside the hab-domes tends to be hampered by waste heat from envirosuits creating a flash-evaporation ‘cloud’ around the eva-worker. Without special sensors to guide them through the constantly subliminating and condensing fog created by theie own wasteheat, anybody venturing outside he domes on foot is going to get quickly disoriented and lost.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Craters---Mulzona Derek’s surface is pocked with evidence of frequent large meteor impacts, owing to twice-annual crossings of the dense Davus Belt. The concentration of material in enough that the Central Alliance uses the imminent passages to identify significant impactors in advance of the showers and use them as target practice for their new guns, or to test their new shielding systems(both on ships and on the planet’s facilities)
-Moons(3)---Mulzona Derek originally possessed no natural satellites, but StarForge moved three large asteroids into orbit; one is being dismantled to provide raw materials for the orbital shipyards established on and in the other two. When the asteroids are hollowed out and stripped of usable metals, conversion into orbital habitats is likely.
Atmosphere:
Dense; Mulzona Derek possesses a cold carbon dioxide-methane atmosphere whose heat-trapping qualities only partially ameliorate the planet’s intense cold.
Terrain:
Varied Terrain and Unusual Mineralogy---Mulzona Derek possesses substantial deposits of kardinium, a mineral known and valued by the ancient Atlamteans for its use in producing megadamage alloys. The Atlanteans had a magic means of utilizing kardinium that was lost during their Fall, but relatively recently others have either rediscovered that method or found new ways to use the mineral to produce MDC materials. StarForge was apparently one of these organizations that knew how to make use of the mineral, and it was the presence of kardinium on Mulzona Derek that was the deciding factor in their choice of the planet for their new industrial plant.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Lead
- Sapphire
- Magnesium
- Wolframite
- Gypsum
- Graphite
- Titanium
- Emerald
-Kardinium
Hydrosphere:
Roughly 74% of Mulzona Derek’s surface is covered in a layer of miles-thick water ice. There are several deep subterranean liquid oceans under this crust, including submarine-navigable channels. It’s rumored that StarForge maintains several research facilities reachable only by sub in these deep oceans.
Biosphere:
Lifeless; Mulzona Derek has no native ecosystem
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
156 million (25% human, 75% others)
Technology:
Galactic; StarForge brought in a considerable amount of advanced technology, bootstrapping the local tech levels and economy.
Economy:
Manufacturing(was Mining). Manufacture of starship systems, heavy armor, shielding, powerplants, and weapons systems dominates, but the industrial buildup has encouraged other associated industries to start up. Mulzona Derek is the corporate HQ of StarForge Shipyards.
Wealth:
Wealthy; the warship construction programs have brought the planet considerable wealth, giving it the aura of a massive boom-town. And with the security considerations in mind, the residents are discouraged from going offworld to spend their newfound wealth. Instead, the trappings of the good life have to come to them, and Mulzona Derek imports lots of luxuries.
Government:
Militocracy---Mulzona Derek is run by a council of military officers selected by General Noldek. This defuses rumors that the planet is Star Forge’s planetary fiefdom.
Law Level:
Overbearing, verging on Authoritarian. The military is very much in evidence, with multiple forts and strongpoints protecting the shipyards and factories, and the Cyberhawks and the locally-raised ‘Small Machine’ militia holding frequent exercises and drills. Similarly, the new warships are broken in through rigorous and very realistic combat exercises in the system.
Popularity:
Popular. Despite the restrictions, the local Mulzonans like the way things have turned around for them. Life as a military arsenal is a lot better, standards-wise, than a mining community.
Stability:
Stable. Mulzona Derek is a factory town/world doing essential defense work. As long as there’s work to be done and the workers aren’t abused or oppressed, a few reasonable restrictions aren’t going to chafe them too badly. For the foreseeable future, at least, there’s no trouble brewing on Mulzona Derek.

Syn Cozen (Bragga D'oga System, Central Alliance, Anvil Galaxy)

“If anything, the Alliance Motors’ version of the Monomax is even uglier than what Neo-Chrysler put out back in the day. Somehow, that’s made folks in these parts want it even more.”

“Because of the local high gravity on Syn Cozen, you might want to re-adjust the hover drives on your newly-purchased export. Knew a guy on Grighton who bought an Alliance Motors hovercar, got in, started it up, and nearly put himself through his garage ceiling on account of the gravity gradiant difference.”

“Just a couple of decades ago, the SynCozenians were blasting away at each other with armored land crawlers and fixed-wing bombers. Now they’re manufacturing grav-vehicles for a profit. Some of the same factory sites that made armor plate, tank hulls and airframes now turn out body panels and accessories for hovercars. Some of the same workers too. A lot of the old weapons developers are now retraining as commercial tarnsport designers. How times change.”

Syn Cozen is the third of the ‘Great Renewal’ worlds(Mulzona Derek and Ungersoll being the other two) that General Noldek established, by bringing in foreign investment into the Central Alliance, though Syn Cozen predated the industrial enclaves on Mulzona Derek and Ungersoll.
Prior to Noldek’s campaign of unification reaching it, Syn Cozen was a planet at war with itself, though one kingdom, the Scarmachee Dynasty, had managed to acquire the lion’s share of power on the planet. However, King Borvan Scarmachee was less interested in ruling compassionately and using diplomacy to treat with his neighbors, instead preferring brutal force and political suppression. When Noldek arrived with his Cyberhawks and issued his challenge to duel the various faction heads for control of Syn Cozen, King Borvan unwisely accepted, seeing victory over the outsider as a way of cementing his position as Emperor of the planet. King Borvan was subsequently cut down in a matter of seconds, Noldek splitting Borvan’s personal battletank apart with one swipe. Uncharacteristically, Noldek did NOT immediately appoint a military governor to take charge of Syn Cozen, but instead allowed Borvan’s son to take the throne and rule the planet in Noldek’s name, suggesting to many that Borvan was sandbagged with the assistance of his conniving offspring. However, Noldek has made it very clear that King Lavan Scarmachee would be subject to the same popular referendum rules as his other planetary governors. In fact, Lavan Scarmachee publicly uses the title ‘King’ rather than ‘Emperor’, because it sounds less arrogant and domineering.
Syn Cozen was actually doing rather well under King Lavan’s peacetime policies when Noldek offered to buy production licensing and tooling for the Monomax Hovercar from CCW-based Neo-Chrysler, and establish Alliance Motors on Syn Cozen. A victim of changing tastes in the Consortium of Civilized Worlds, as well as Neo-Chrysler’s fickle management, the ruggedly ugly MonoMax found a place in the hearts of the Central Alliance’s hardcore citizens(the same sort who find the ‘junkyard aesthetic’ of Xleenan cyborgs appealing). Though popular during the general jingoistic moods following the last TGE/CCW war, the starkly martial-utilitarian MonoMax became something of a moving eyesore and showroom embarrassment for Neo-Chrysler in due course. General Noldek saw an opportunity to re-brand transport in his impoverished domain by buying a recognized name and making it local, and so had his agents make Neo-Chrysler an offer for it. Neo-Chrysler accepted, pleasantly surprised at the unexpected chance to unload unsold inventory, and get rid of old tooling without loss to itself.
Rumors abound that General Noldek has a personal stake in Alliance Motors, which hasn’t hurt sales of what’s sometimes called the ‘Noldek Sedan’ and its derivatives.
Ironically, after the Minion War in the Three Galaxies and the shakeups in the CCW, interest in ‘martially-lined’ vehicles has again picked up in the CCW metroworlds, and Neo-Chrysler has recently approached Alliance Motors seeking to buy back the MonoMax’s license, or, failing that, make a deal to buy a percentage of Syn Cozen’s production output and resell it in the CCW under a combined Neo-Chrysler-Alliance Motors marquee.
Alliance Motors has begun toying with the idea of stealing a march on PS/ASI and starting its own line of GMR vehicles, with the defense that because it is old technology, they’re not really infringing on any PS/ASI designs.

Note: Natives of Syn Cozen get a +1d6 to P.S. and +1d4 to P.E. because of their planet’s high gravity.

Solar System(Bragga D'oga)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
- (Bragga D'oga-A) Blue Sub-Giant
- (Bragga D'oga-B) Orange Dwarf
Number of Planets: 10
- Terrestrial(Syn Cozen)---System life world

- Asteroid(Mestroson’s Comet)---A ‘sungrazer’ asteroid of great size, Mestroson’s is known to periodically(every third orbit in its 95 year cycle) fly between Bragga D'oga-A and -B, ‘shooting the gates’ in local lingo. Being born on a year when it does this is considered a lucky sign.

- Gas Giant (Er Renza)--- Tiny gas giant with one major satellite. The Cyberhawks have constructed a small military base on the green-tinted moon, and use Er Renza’s relatively low gravity and small size to facilitate atmo-scoop gas mining to fill the base’s tanks. .

- Terrestrial (Yar Camos) ---Enormous rocky world with an ammonia-rich atmosphere.

- Asteroid(Detros)---- Planetissemal mainly notable for its ovoid shape, which had early discoverers briefly wondering if it was artificial. It turned out to be a wholly natural formation.

- Gas Giant (D’Baggo)---D’Baggo is at the lowest edge of being able to be classified as a gas giant. It barely has enough substance to qualify. D’Baggo has been described by one visiting scientist as a ‘large foamed ice ball’. It would be a good candidate fr gas-mining if it was any closer to the inner system, but as it is, its distance from where the activity is keeps D’Baggo from beig develped commercially.

- Terrestrial (Al’ga Horl) ---Large iceworld. Its intense gravity makes future exploitation unlikely.

- Terrestrial (Veggunden) ---Roughly Earth-sized but far colder and lifeless.

- Asteroid(Sula)---Prior to Noldek’s Cyberhawks arriving in the system, Sula was occasionally used as a base by a pirate operating in the sector. Though occasionally the crew of the Archoness’s Revenge occasionally traded with contacts on Syn Cozen go supplies, the planet’s factions were too violent and likely to overpower even a starship crew for the pirates to feel safe staying on-planet. They cleared out upon detecting the approach of Noldek’s forces. Later sweeps of the system turned up the abandoned base, little more than than a crater-cave with a pressurized curtain and several habitat/cargo modules, along with a small starshuttle whose FTL propulsion was too damaged to take along. The Cyberhawks have tagged the base for possible future use, but stripped it of usable supplies(which was very little) and gave the shuttle to the Syncozenians. The current whereabouts of the Archoness’s Revenge remain unknown.

- Asteroid(Valsarg)---Valsarg lies on the far edge of the Bragga D'oga System. It has attracted a small cloud of lesser bodies that are close enough to have confused astronomers(what few there were) on Syn Cozen as to the true size and nature of Valsarg. Recently, an ex-governor of one of the other Central Alliance worlds, who lost his position in a hotly close referendum vote and was forced into exile , has established his own hermitage on Valsarg. Despite some rumors that ex-governor Thamius Tarlg is hoping to rally supporters to stage a return to his former post, or at least influence it fromafar, which would potentially bring the wrath of the Cyberhawks down on him, Tarlg seems to be genuinely more interested in just spending his time in meditative seclusion, at least for now. He, and his handful of steadfast retainers, have little contact with the outside world aside from an annual trip, via the ex-governor’s space yacht, to Syn Cozen to pick up a few supplies, though Tarlg himself never makes the trip and has never set foot on Syn Cozen. There are some rumors that Noldek deliberately allowed Tarlg to settle in the Bragga D'oga System as a reminder to King Lavan of the importance of keeping the faith with the people and the consequences of failure.

Planet(Syn Cozen)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 13, 500 km
Gravity: 1.6 g
Temperature: Tropical, with average temperatures in the high 80s(F).
Unusual/Special Features:
-Odd Rotation---Syn Cozen’s orbit and rotation are such that four times per year it endures a ‘long day’ in which it is temporarily gravity-locked, facing one of its two suns for a whole 30-hour day, twice for Bragga D'oga-A and twice for Bragga D'oga-B. These days are generally cause for local ‘sun-fests’ honoring the respective suns.
- Rings---Syn Cozen sports a set of highly reflective ice rings from a comet that strayed too close to the planet.
- Energy Field--Perhaps because of the high concentrations of Corminium in the planet’s crust, Syn Cozen has several electromagnetic anomaly zones where magnetic compasses are rendered useless.
Atmosphere: Breathable nitrox mixture
Terrain:
Varied Terrain and Unusual Mineralogy--- It has been discovered that a ‘junk rock’ found in abundance on some large islands of Syn Cozen is really Corminium, a compound mineral of rare earths, useful in manufacturing high-capacity energy storage systems and e-clips. Alliance Motors is looking to acquire the technology to refine and utilize this mineral in battery systems for its vehicles.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Wolframite
- Mercury
- Tin
- Scheelite
- Barite
- Titanium
- Calcite
- Salt
- Corminium
Hydrosphere:
Most: 77% of Syn Cozen’s surface is covered in open water
Biosphere:
Moderate---Syn Cozen has a varied native ecosystem with well-developed plant and sea-life, but more poorly developed terrestrial life that has suffered due to imported colonial species. The highest developed land species are a dog-sized species of reptile-like predator that hunts in packs, and the dwarf hippo-like herbivores they prey on.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
3.8 billion(73% Wulfen, 27% others)
Technology:
Late Information Age; the Syn Cozens had early megadamage materials, fuel cell technology, and MDC projectile heavy weapons at the time Noldek arrived to force the Pax Noldek on them. They since have been upgrading some technologies, especially energy storage systems and hover propulsion. They still lack the means to build anything but the most basic satellite launch vehicles, and are dependent on offworld sources for their spacecraft support.
Economy:
Was Agricultural, but is increasingly focusing on Manufacturing
Wealth:
Wealthy----Syn Cozen is recovering from its ages of war and adjusting to being part of an interplanetary economy quite nicely. The peace dividend, plus offworld sales, has made the planet a nice bundle, even after the expected graft and skimming by various ex-warlords turned business moguls.
Government:
Monarchy----Syn Cozen is ruled by King Lavan Scarmachee, who ascended to the throne after General Noldek killed Lavan’s father, King Borvan Scarmachee, in single combat. An arrogant and tyrannical ruler by most accounts, King Borvan was little loved by his subjects and his family, and Lavan was seen as an improvement. Though some of old Boran’s hardline supporters contend that the effeminate Lavan manipulated his aggressive father into dueling Noldek, knowing in advance the outcome, the majority of the population approve of both the more intelligent and thoughtful son taking the throne and the fact that they’re ruled locally and not by a Noldek-installed offworld occupation government.
For his part, King Lavan is far more interested in making money than leading martial campaigns against his rivals or neighbors, though he’s not above using his military forces to eliminate the more troublesome factions in his realm. So far, King Lavan’s managed to swing the popular support of the Syncozenian people behind him and survive two election cycles. He hopes to position himself such that if and when he does lose an election-referendum, the ex-king can fall into a comfortable corporate job rather than be exiled like other Central Alliance has-beens. To that end he’s turned a blind eye to some of the skimming and bribery taking place amongst many of his subjects, ex-rivals of his father, before they were forcibly disarmed or even enslaved during the unification, and have since been encouraged to find employment in the expanding business sectors. As long as they don’t dip too deeply and leave him enough funds to carry out his civil reforms(or bribes to the general populace) as well as set up his own little nest egg, he’ll ignore the light shady business dealings. This has gained him a nice circle of associates who are willing to let bygones be bygones and support the keeper of the golden goose.
Law Level:
Overbearing----Several years of peace haven’t entirely shaken the bloodstains off or soothed over the old feuds of the decades, even centuries, of warfare that persisted before Noldek arrived, so the Pax Scarmachan, which absorbed the militaries of its conquered rivals, has been busy making sure that old feuds don’t re-ignite and give cause to both the Cyberhawks stepping in and King Lavan being tossed out.
Popularity:
Beloved--After decades of warlords, the united Syn-Cozen citizenry LIKE having a ruler more happily concerned in growing business than in breaking heads, burning down cities, and looting the people. The last serious effort to assassinate King Lavan in the name of one of the Scarmachee-dominated regions was over ten years ago and hardly made a splash with the local media.
Stability:
Solid---So far, with a strong economy and intelligent(and less belligerent) leadership at the helm, Syn Cozen looks set for a long period of global peace and prosperity.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:18 pm

(This kinda exploded on me from a random roll for the inhabitats of a system into...well, take a look)

Gianchi Prime( United Systems Alliance Protectorate)
(aka ‘Rollan-Rollin’, ‘Rolling Stones’ World’)
“That crater marks the site Var-Bardos, one of our few surface communities even before we began the Great Descent. A meteor strike claimed over four thousand lives, and that was but a small rock. Our skies are very dangerous. A larger stone might crack even our deep caves. Can you help us detect and prevent such danger, star-wanderer? Will you assist us in our own Great Migration to the stars?”

“The Rollan are expert mycologists and they know their way around fungi, magic and mundane. The fungus gardens on Gianchi are a sight to behold, and the Gianchians have been generous enough to share some of their produce with offworlders. Seriously, some of the edible fungi have luxury export potential, and the magic types go without saying.”

“The system’s almost a Velikovskian roller derby...or cosmic billiards, with the end goal being to launch at least one of the balls OFF the table before it explodes.”

“Why would anybody go to so much trouble to save a bunch of slightly more intelligent maxpary offshoots? Back when this whole thing seems to have kicked off, the Rollan couldn’t have been THAT promising a species that somebody decided to start rolling planets around. So either the Rollan have some great destiny in the far future, or there’s something else on their planet somebody wants preserving, and the Rollans’ survival is a side benefit.
And whoever’s responsible for this? Are they still around, or is this all on some sort of autopilot?”

When the Giaz star system was initially surveyed, it was at first thought to be unpromising, especially when solar surveys showed the early signs of solar instability in the two stars of the system. The larger of the pair of binary stars, Giaz-Blu, is estimated to be a good candidate for supernova’ing sometime in the next 50,000 years, when it will likely take out a good chunk of the surrounding star sectors. Even for the generally short-lived sophont species that make up the majority of Three Galaxies species, that dating didn’t bode well for long-term colonial occupancy of the Giaz system. Gianchi Prime was at first dismissed as a rogue planet with a doomed ecosystem, but a more thorough follow-up survey discovered signs of civilization on the planet. Contact with surface parties of the natives followed soon afterwards.
Gianchi Prime is inhabited by the Rollan, a sophont species identifiable as a variant branch of Maxpary. Speculation has run rife as to whether the Rollan are a naturally evolved mutant branch, or the result of magic or genetic tampering(the Gene Splicers are a favorite culprit in the latter case). Given recent revelations about the Giaz system, the ‘engineers’ of the system are also suspected of having a hand in the creation of the Rollan, or at least of working behind the scenes to save them.
The Rollan are not alone in Gianchi Prime; evidently star-travelers are not the first to have discovered the subterranean world. Some five thousand years ago, the planet suffered a period of dimensional rift activity, possibly the result of reorienting ley lines as the planet’s orbit grew more radical. The time period saw a number of otherworldly species introduced to the planet. Most of these aliens died soon after arrival, either unable to adapt to local conditions or in conflict with the Rollan. The most notable exception was a population of troglodytes. The Rollan found these primitive, but gentle-natured, people to be more than acceptable as neighbors. Even in the current day, the troglodytes remain a minority, given to hanging onto their simpler and more traditional ways of life, but the Rollan respect and look out for the ‘little diggers’ as they are affectionately known.

There is plentiful evidence, now that harder looks are being taken at the Giaz star system, that someone or something is working to save Gianchi Prime and its inhabitants from cosmic disaster; the planet is spiraling out of the system at an increasing rate of speed in an orbit that occasionally loops back to perform gravity slingshot encounters with other planets, and early calculations show that if this trend continues, the planet will leave the system altogether and be a hopefully safe distance when Giaz-Blu devours its partner and supernovas. A wider than usual gravitic CG-FTL inhibition zone around Giaz may explain the need to use conventional space travel(however mega-scale) to evacuate the Rollan, but that still leaves many questions raised and so far unanswered. The USA’s United Systems University has dispatched several research teams to study the Giaz system and its planets, despite the lag time traveling in and out of the system using normal space drives.

Since the discovery of Gianchi Prime’s unique properties and Ancient artifacts, the planet has come under attack several times by pirates and artifact poachers looking for valuable Ancient secrets to steal. This has not worked out well for the invaders; between the Rollans’ legions of undead Shamblers, and the United Systems Alliance’s space patrols, the pirate invasions have been beaten back, if not outright annihilated.

All the same, the USA is considering steps to insure that the Rollan have other options, including evacuation by starship, when the Giaz supernova event nears(some believe that the planet will have traveled well beyond the FTL inhibition zone by the time that happens, making close proximity FTL jumping that much easier for any FTL evacuation effort). Gianchi Prime is currently considered to be a protectorate world of the United Systems Alliance, and a trade partner. The USAJC regularly patrols the system and maintains a surface base on Gianachi Prime

Solar System(Giaz)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
- Blue Supergiant(Giaz-Blu)
- Orange Dwarf(Giaz-Dwai)
Number of Planets: 8
-Gas Giant (Giaz-I)---Enormous gas giant. It possesses four moons, but may have had as many as 20 substantially-sized bodies. USU science teams have found most of them strung out along Giaz-I’s orbital path, still settling into trojan point orbits, and the thinking is that these moons were thrown out of Giaz-I’s embrace by one, possibly several, slingshot encounters with Gianchi Prime on its migration out of the system.

-Terrestrial (Giaz-II)---Small rocky body with a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere. The planet recently took a meteor bombardment hard shellacking from debris believed to the broken-up remains of moons flung out from either Giaz-I or Giaz-III. USA survey teams have found some interesting mineral finds in the craters, and short-term (which could last hundreds of years) mining efforts are being considered, with the Rollan of Gianchi Prime being brought in to negotiate mining rights.

-Gas Giant (Giaz-III)---Saturn-sized gas giant. Evidence suggests Gianchi Prime has made at least one slingshot pass around Giaz-III, scattering its moons in the process.

-Gas Giant (Giaz-IV)---Small gas giant with no moons. It appears to have little influence in the gravity dynamics of the system.

-Terrestrial ( Gianchi Prime)-----System lifeworld, Calculations show that the planet was originally much closer to the center of the Giaz star system(in slot one), but has been spiraling out of the system for at least 20,000 years, and has survived several slingshot encounters with Giaz-I and Giaz-III.

-Gas Giant (Giaz-VI)---This huge gas giant is estimated to become effectively Giaz V in another 120 years when Gianchi Prime crosses its orbit on its way out of the system

-Asteroid (Giaz-AVII)---Actually believed to be a former moon of Giaz-III, now thrown on a long wide cometary orbit. possibly by a slingshot encounter between Giaz-III and Gianchi Prime.

-Asteroid (Giaz-AVIII)---Small ice-covered planetissimal that has begun showing signs of changes in its orbit, despite its distance from the inner system where the real radical changes have been taking place. The United Systems University science teams studying the Giaz system have only just noticed these changes, and don’t understand yet what the mechanism causing these orbital perturbations may be, but so far their computer models cast doubt on entirely natural causes being behind the changes.

Planet( Gianchi Prime)
Gianchi Prime is a world shrouded in greenhouse gases that have kept its surface warm and its oceans liquid, despite its distance from its sun and its outward spiraling orbit. Virtually all native civilization has moved underground, and the surface ecology is considered to be living on borrowed time, as it were, before a predicted Great Freeze as the planet leaves the warm zones of its solar system.
The native Rollan and the USA have (re)established several surface settlements (most near older and largely abandoned Rollan surface cities) as interface ports for galactic trade, scientific study, USAJC naval facilities, and efforts to save Gianchi Prime’s remaining surface ecology.

Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 12,300 km
Gravity: 1.3 g
Temperature: Temperate, but cooling; a greenhouse atmosphere effect is retaining warmth, but gradually, an increase in precipitation is reducing the carbon blanket effect and the atmosphere is expected to cool rapidly.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Odd Orbit---Gianchi Prime is spiraling out of its solar system; its years are getting longer as its orbital track expands.

-Craters---The surface of Gianchi Prime is pockmarked with craters, some of them fairly recent, as the planet travels increasingly into the regions not swept clean by the binary stars’ gravity or by the gas giants.

-Energy Field---Gianchi Prime has a high ambient magic field.

-Mascons---Gianchi Prime shows signs of unusual mascons buried deep within itself. While most are submerged deep in the planet’s hot mantle. a few are closer to the crust, and all of them line up with many of the Rollans’ sacred sites.

Atmosphere: Breathable terrestrial nitrox mix, but higher in carbon dioxide; greenhouse gases are currently keeping the planet’s surface warm in an ‘extended summer’, but precipitation is on the increase in advance of the atmosphere freezing out.
Terrain: Four+terranes
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Iron
- Lead
- Magnesium
- Pitchblende
- Borax
- Emerald
- Arsenic
- Graphite
Hydrosphere:
Balanced; 55% of the planet’s surface is covered in water, but the oceans are freezing up as the planet spirals outwards.
Biosphere:
Was Robust, but the changing environment has taken its toll on the planetary ecosystem. The Rollan and the Trogs have tried to do what they can to save as much as they can, and establish a subterranean ecosystem that ultimately cannot be dependent on a surface-based one, but sacrifices have had to be made, and many species have gone extinct, or are teetering on the edge of extinction.
The possible use of offworld technologies to save many of the planet’s species (especially sea life) thought doomed by the falling temperatures has the Rollan intrigued
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
4.2 billion Rollan-Maxpary
84 million Troglodytes
Technology:
Information Age w/ magic. The Rollam have electricity, fission power, computers, power tools, powered transportation(mainly trains, automobiles, and submarines; aircraft are rare), and radio(though they rely more heavily on hardlines). Despite their underground orientation and poor daylight vision, they have a good understanding of astronomy and solar theory.
Rollam can create megadamage materials, but with the assistance f magic in the production process. Their weaponry is limited to projectile weapons, and they have some quite powerful slugthtowers. It should be noted that their encounters with rifted otherworldly monsters has led them to tap into their nuclear industry and develop uranium-rounds and depleted uranium rounds, though they use such ammunition sparingly, due to the risk of contaminating their tunnels(even with their supernatural constitutions, prolonged contact with higher levels fo radiation can pose health problems to the Rollam)
Perforce, they are aware of ley lines and interdimensional rifts, though the chaotic nature of magic on their planet prevents them from being able to reliably open rifts. The largest activities on Gianchi Prime are the massive civil works projects creating deep underground refuges and self-sufficient closed ecosystems
Economy:
Agricultural, with a strong Manufacturing component, though virtually everything is ultimately aimed at self-sufficiency. Their offworld trade is in various fungi.
Wealth:
Self-suficient, but Depressed. The Rollan don’t have a lot to spare on nonessentials, which includes a space program. Virually all of their GNP is dedicated to self-sufficiency projects. Only recently have they expanded their underground farms with surplus specifically for export in mind, and they are keenly interested in the Giaz-II mining proposals presented to them by USA concerns.
Government:
Technocracy--- Engineers and technicians rule on Gianchi Prime, bolstered by a strong religious element. In many ways, the Gianchian government resembles that of another USA world, Mazah, where the planetary population also lives underground to survive inhospitably cold surface conditions, only with a stronger spiritual component in the case of the Rollan.
Law Level:
Lawful-----The Rollan have an orderly soceity with clearly defined laws and understood social responsibilities. Only the most depraved Rollan would go against regulations meant to save the species.
Popularity:
Popular---Despite some restrictions and rationing on occasion, the government remains popular with the populace. There has been some friction and difference of opinion on dealings with offworlders, but these are handled in a lawful manner.
Stability:
Long-Standing. The Rollan have become accustomed to taking the long view of things, and that includes stable governance.

The Rollan---Maxpary Variant
The Rollan are a more intelligent and arguably less belligerent variant strain of maxpary. They can be distinguished by their more slender hand-claws capable of more delicate precision manipulation. Overall, they are stronger, faster, more dextrous, and more charismatic than their baseline kin. Though calling them ‘super-maxpary’ is a bit of a stretch, they are a step up in capabilities in most categories(with the exception of their thinner natural skin plating). They have established a sprawling global civilization on Gianchi Prime, one that lives in the face of a looming galactic disaster and great sweeping changes.
The Rollan are aware that some great disaster is looming in their far future and that their world is changing radically; their religions tell of a ‘twilight of the gods’ sort of scenario which the Rollan will only survive by taking shelter deep underground. Their scientists also confirm that their world is moving out of the solar system at an unnatural rate. To survibe this, they have bent their talents and efforts to ‘winterproofing’ their world to survive the coming times of deprivation.
The Rollan take less of an interest in the surface world in favor of preparing for the dark cold future. Their civilization has almost entirely moved underground, and they are building vast networks of underground waterways, reservoirs, and biomes to drain a good portion of their planetary oceans and seas into against the coming cold. It was almost by accident that their astronomical and foraging parties were spotted from orbit by the planetary survey teams. The Rollan have greeted theri unexpected galactic neighbors with caution, but open-mindedness, and are working to factor in what these newcomers can means for the Rollans’ long term plans.
The Rollan are digging deeper and deeper into their planet’s crust, and are more inclined towards shored-up hard-rock tunnels and cave complexes, the better to house their machinery and industrial infrastructure. A segment of their population affiliated with the religious also claim to be ‘Keepers of the Trust’, and are the protectors of a series of sacred sites that they permit few outsiders access to.

Rollan (Variant Maxpary) RCC
Alignments: Any, but most(70%) fall in the Principled and Scrupulous categories.
Life Span: 110 years
Size: 4-5 ft tall, 250-300 lbs
Gender: Heterosexual; reach sexual maturity at 18 years. Couples have 1-2 pups after an 8 month gestation period.
Physical Description/Appearance:
A slightly thinner and more gracile ethnic strain of maxpary. Their foreclaws are more flexible and dexterous. Skin coloration tends towards blue-gray, black, or earth tones. Shamblers attain a dark gray coloration, lightening at the joints as they wear down. Rollam wear clothing, but it tends to be either purely functional or purely decorative, and often amount to little more than harnesses and strap-webbing. They also supplement their own capabilities and tough hides with protective gear and battle armor.
Disposition/Attitudes:
Besides being more intelligent , community- and tool-oriented than their Palladiumite cousins, the Rollan are also friendlier and more tolerant than the maxpary from which they are descended(as evidenced by their treatment of the troglodytes). They are less paranoid about outsiders visiting their communities, but draw the line at those trespassing on their sacred sites.
While the Rollan tend to be fairly conservative, they’re also flexible enough in their thinking to adapt to new circumstances, such as contact with offworlders(again, their early encounter with the trogs seems to have served them well in this respect), and they’ve agreed to limited trade with the USA. A number of Rollan have even traveled offworld to study at offwolrd educational institutes and see the rest of the megaverse
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 3d6
ME: 2d6+6
MA: 2d6+2
PS: 3d6+12(never less than 18, and is considered to be supernatural)
PP: 2d6+9
PB: 2d6
PE: 3d6+20
SPD: 3d6+6
(ISP):----
(PPE): 1d4x10
Hit Points:----
SDC:----
MDC: 6d6x10+30 (Shamblers remain unchanged)
Horror Factor: 12. (Shamblers remain unchanged)
Natural Abilities:
*See in Total Darkness----100 ft range, and excellent low light vision, but their daylight vision is poor; 30 ft. Most Rollam working on the surface or among outsiders wear shaded goggles and other adapative eyewear.

*Digging---Natural diggers; can dig through soft earth at 10 ft per melee round. Most Rollam communities have large public dirt piles for youngsters to dig through as play-practice, as well as for adult exercise.

* Hold Breath---Can hold their breath for 20 minutes + their P.E. in melee rounds.

*Strong-Willed: +3 save vs insanity, +1 save vs Horror Factor, +1 save vs possession

*Dynamo Physical Endurance: +2 save vs possession, poison, and Horror Factor, +1 on all other saving throws. Heal twice as fast as humans, and are not unduly affected by rotten/tainted food and water.

*Postmortem Reanimation---- The Rollan retain their ability to produce their equivalent of Maxpary Shamblers from their dead bodies. In fact, many older Rollan, nearing their end days or struck with terminal illness, will voluntarily self-terminate early, the better to sooner join the undead workforce toiling away at the work of making larger shelters.
Psionics: None
Magic: Elemental Warlockism, Mysticism, and a crude form of TechnoWizardry. Two outsider schools of magic the Rollan are particularly interested in are advanced Technowizardry and Stone Magic.
Cybernetics/Bionics: None; the Rollan have professed to be repulsed by the idea of implanting foreign objects inside their bodies for the sake of enhancement.
Available OCCs:
The Rollan have access to a wider range of OCCs, especially scholarly/technical professions, than their more primitive vaseline maxpary cousins.
RCC Skills:
Excavation(+15%)
Skills of Note:
-----
Culture:
Rollan are gruff and business-like with outsiders, but can be quite warm and social with family and friends. The disparate maxpary-style clans have united in a Rollan world government dedicated to preparing their people for the coming Cold.
Besides fungus farming, with various kinds of both mundane and magic types, the Rollan create various art forms, most of which can only be really appreciated i dark or dimly-lit surroudings. The Rollam also enjoy various forms of music, and entire tunnel complexes have been specially sculpted with acoustics in mind.
The Rollan have a rather cavalier attitude towards death, not fearing it as other sophonts do, and working unflinchingly alongside the animated corpses of their dead. Shamblers are regarded as ‘the last gift of the departed’, their material shells left behind by the ascended dead, as tools for the living.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Jul 27, 2021 5:18 pm

Another new organization for the USAverse....

*Free Beings Bureau(FBB)

“Getting the slave tattoos off their bodies was the easy part; getting the slave training out of their minds is the hard part. The skin marks were just ink, the indoctrination is chiseled in their souls.”

An organization founded in Greater New England along the lines of the historical pre-Rifts Freeman’s Bureau, the FBB is dedicated to helping ex-slaves, both in escaping from bondage and in adjusting to life in free society. The GNE organization was originally(re)founded to help escaped slaves from Atlantis find sanctuary, but later expanded its operations to include offworld cases as the GNE spread its range into the megaverse. When it became apparent that the Three Galaxies/Megaverse were rife with slaveholding cultures, the FBB became a United Systems Alliance organization, extending a helping hand to freed beings as the USA’s anti-pirate and anti-slaver operations ramped up.

At its low end, the FBB operates hostels, medical clinics, rehabilitation centers, free psychological counseling, and job placement services. Its offices work as touchstones for freebeings to get information on the possible whereabouts of other ex-slaves and refugees, especially family members. At its higher more proactive end, the FBB engages the services of a number of smugglers, both on Rifts Earth and elsewhere in the Megaverse, to assist escaped slaves in getting out of trouble. The FBB is also behind the establishment of several entire colony worlds set up to receive refugees and give them a fresh start in life. FBB monitors and legal agents also stand watch over various colonization efforts to make sure any natives aren’t being abused or press-ganged into servitude, and FBB lawyers work with legislators to write and enforce sophont rights laws. The FBB does NOT endorse actions that might be interpreted as ‘terrorism’, but admits that sometimes a more proactive stance is required in some cases, leading to rumors of covert ‘action cells’ engaged in home invasions to rescue captives, kidnappings(‘interventions’), hijackings(such as of slave transports), and gathering of incriminating evidence on suspected slavers and legislators backing obstructive laws.

Though working hand in hand with GNE’s/Paladin Steel’s Human Resources division(which mainly worked with after-escape free beings to find them housing and jobs), and receiving some funding from the USA’s common funds, the FBB is largely privately funded, either through donations and gifts, by the efforts of freed slaves paying back the agency and/or volunteering their time and resources. The FBB also has ties to Jagenath’s Guardian Service, Child Finders, and the Erinyes, mercenary or parasecurity services that donate their own time and money to helping the Free Beings Bureau. Despite this, and because of the sheer scale of the task before them, the FBB is constantly plagued by complaints of being chronically understaffed and underfunded.

The FBB hasn’t always been within the law, or agreed with it, however. In the past it has been accused of having ties to the outlaw Odessa Brigades and going above and beyond its remit to assist slaves escape, and drifting into fomenting slave uprisings . The FBB has also clashed politically and legally with other members of the USA over servitude-like conventions in their cultures, and with the Greater New England Armed Forces for circumstances like the treatment of the Klia(who regard service-in-captivity as their norm), and the adoption of slave- or harem-marriages on worlds like Kaldia. The more idealistic /zealous FBB membership disapprove of anything that smacks of forced servitude, including PS’s production of inarguably sapient androids, while the more pragmatic FBBers have helped write PS/GNE policy on AI determinism and manumission, and see arrangements like the Kaldian group-marriages as useful anchor points for building free families.

The Free Beings’ Bureau is headquartered in the United Systems Alliance, but has branches in other polities as well. It is sometimes confused with other, similar, organizations that exist throughout the Three Galaxies(and beyond), including a similarly-named(but historically unrelated) organization in the Consortium of Civilized Worlds(which has its own problems of being fractured between the well-heeled and politicking metroworld core and the much more proactive outer offices). There is a Chromite-sponsored organization that assists Machine People and other sapient AIs gain their freedom from unjust servitude, and another group that focuses its attention on genetic slavery.
For the most part, the FBB gets along with these other organizations where their activities intersect, and common interest leads to many collaborations, but there is also just as much friction between groups, especially on priorities, responsibilities, and specific actions.

Working for the FBB can be as simple as transporting a family for free or at a discount, helping put up public housing, or working in a soup kitchen. Some GNE/USA jurisdictions make working for the FBB in some capacity equivalent to public service for legal punishment purposes. In some sectors, membership in the FBB is considered a badge of status, with many wealthy parties making a point of conspicuously being part of the organization, while in other sectors, FBB membership puts one under immediate suspicion for such things as smuggling, arms dealing, and property damage. The really high-risk FBB-associated activities include helping rehab and defuse traumatized ex-slaves, or working as part of an ‘underground railroad’ chain of sophont-smugglers trying to get people out of institutional bondage. More ‘exciting’ actions might include snatching servants out of an estate or from a traveling delegation(of a society where slavery is legal), and getting them to safety(while law enforcement in more civilized regions may look the other way in such cases, in others they are just as likely to vigorously follow the letter of the law in pursuing suspects to get stolen ‘property’ back).

DD The Shmey · Unread post by **DD The Shmey** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:05 pm

Gemini Colonial Collective
This is a stand-alone independent faction I made up years ago that a game master building a universe could really fit in anywhere they want so long as it is somewhere on the ‘Frontier’. Yesterday I spent some time filling in some information according to Taalismn’s format, and thought I would submit it here.
The origin of my idea was wanting to play around with Gene Splicers (or Gene-tech in Phase World, I never really understood the difference) and do some world building around them. Gene Splicers are described in the books as being reclusive nomads and known to work alone as they wander the universe, but I wanted to create a faction controlled by a small group of Gene Splicers working together that had settled down in one place to conduct their research. Eventually the idea evolved to include Bio-Engineers from other fields of study like Bio-Wizardry, Cloning, Bug Enthusiast, and Mutants, as well as a puppet faction of space colonies that are secretly controlled by the Gene-Masters.

Gemini Colonial Collective
A. Size:
4 systems, with total population of ~120 million spread across 2 large established colonies (population of 82 million and 23 million), 3 medium colonies (1-10 million population), and 30 smaller colonies (10k – 1 million population)

B. History:
Appear to be newcomers to the galactic stage but are secretly an offshoot of a secret hidden power. Technically the entire civilization started as an experiment with the original seeds of population being engineered clones created by Gak Rendej, a skilled cloner who is currently serves as the 7th seat on the Gemini Council. After the experiment was a success the Gemini Council determined that having control over a small interstellar commonwealth might prove useful in furthering some of their objectives and research.
The Gemini Council is a secret organization of 10 powerful individuals who have a shared interest in research and applications of Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Biowizardry. Their membership originally consisted of 6 Genesplicers/Genetech, but several members have been replaced and the council has grown to now include a variety of magical and technologically based Bioengineers, each with their own unique specialty, leaving only two true Genesplicers left on the council. While each member has their own agenda and research interests, more often than not their interests align, and they share insight and advice with one another. The council meets in a big orbital Organic Observatory with a big telescoping Eye that is hidden in a Nebula Cloud somewhere.

C. Level of Technological Sophistication:
Highly Advanced Civilization – although the Gemini Colonies appearing to have substandard FTL drives and relying heavily on commercially available technology, if you look under the hood you will find that the secret cabal that runs everything has vastly superior biotechnology

D. General Attitude/Culture:
The Gemini Colonial Collective would generally fall under the peaceful expansionist category, leaning on the pacifist side. While some of the secret Gemini Council may have different agendas, they all generally agree that it is best to keep the larger Galactic community in the dark about their often-forbidden research and twisted experiments, as none of them want outsiders to interfere with their work.

E: Racial Composition:
80% Human (of which 50% are engineered clones or descendants of clones), and 20% a mix of other alien species who migrated and joined the growing colonies (some of which have also been replaced with clones)

F. Government:
Appears to be a federation of several independent democracies, but in reality most of the elected officials were originally or have been replaced with Clones that have a genetic disposition to obey the will of the Gemini Council.

G. Administrative Control:
Authority is laxed and mostly relegated to local administrators. Laws are generally treated as any other frontier colony. However if something happens that isn’t in the interest of the secret Gemini Council, then the council can very easily have troublemakers disappear only to be replaced by loyal clones.
Beyond the central authority's reach and a handful of agents and agencies, the spirit and the letter of the law are up for grabs; blatant and creative (mis)interpretation of the laws and regulations is common, and most people pay lipservice to them. There's not a whole heckuva lot the central authority can do either, and penalties are light to effectively impotent.

I. External Trade:
Limited trade exists with other star kingdoms, especially in items the Gemini Colonies cannot produce themselves. Food is a common export, as are some minerals and chemicals. For the most part, however, the colonies have tried to build up industries that will allow them to be self-sufficient, if not particularly wealthy.

H. Status Rating:
It is a younger star nation that is experiencing a slow and steady growth. It does not appear to have any special resource that would turn it into booming growth, and the main threat experienced by the kingdom is piracy.

Military Forces

Gemini Colonial Militia – a volunteer ground-based militia that primarily serves to patrol area around colonies, fighting off pirates, and managing hostile wildlife. Limited training, weekend warriors, but are adept at wilderness survival.

Gemini Colonial Militia Equipment

Gemini Colonial System Defense Force – A small formal navy that patrols the space around the Gemini Colonial Collective, and escorts transports. Primary resistance is pirates. The organization works hand in hand with the Colonial Militia, and it is common for personnel to transfer from one organization to the other.

Spacecraft of the Gemini Colonial System Defense Force

Spoiler:

Common Vehicle Mounted Weapon Systems

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:17 pm

DD The Shmey wrote:Gemini Colonial Collective

Novel and very interesting(and I'm not just saying that because you used my formatting

)

Excellent work, DDtS! I will adding this to my growing list of fan space-polities!

DD The Shmey · Unread post by **DD The Shmey** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:56 am

taalismn wrote:Novel and very interesting(and I'm not just saying that because you used my formatting )

Excellent work, DDtS! I will adding this to my growing list of fan space-polities!

Since you liked it why don't I give you some more info on the members of the Gemini Council. This stuff is a little less organized, but it has a bunch more space ships.

Gemini Council - Additional Details

Members of the Gemini Council
First Seat, Number 1 (Genesplicer, Recluse)

Spoiler:

Second Seat, Thel Lesad (Biowizard/BioEngineer, BioTechnology)

Spoiler:

Third Seat, Rothui (Big Brained Super Genius, BioEngineer)

Fourth Seat, Number 4 (Genesplicer, looking for rare specimens)

Number 4 is the only other True Genesplicer left on the council besides Number 1. He is Fascinated with collecting rare biological specimens. Treat him like "the Collector".
Fifth Seat (Immortality Specialist,BioEngineer/Alchemist/Botanist)

Spoiler:

Sixth Seat, (TechnoShifter, Species procurement & enslavement)

Spoiler:

Seventh Seat, Gak Rendej (Cloner, manages the colonies)

See Gemini Colonial Collective
Eighth Seat James Tackelhoff (Biowizard, Xiticix & bug enthusiast)

Spoiler:

Ninth Seat (NecroTech)

See Rifter 13
Oh and I should add that I have drawn images for of a few of the space craft
See link https://imgur.com/a/IlexqxW

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:58 pm

Again, good stuff. A good showing of one of the other paths of civilization: Biotech)Technology and Magic are the big ones, of course/ Nobody's certain where Psionic development falls with regards to them. since many psionic cultures develop technology or magic as an adjutant to psionic abilities, rather than focus solely on the mental abilities...and those cultures who do tend to disappear up their own navels or just disappear mysteriously).

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Aug 16, 2021 11:49 am

.Expansion: Kamasaugh and the Kamasauni Stellar Coalition

(Because it seems pretty damn likely that the KSC is going to be a new member of the United Systems Alliance, it’s worth taking a more indepth look at thiese people)

Kamasauni Stellar Coalition(Anvil Galaxy)
“If you travel on, or buy, any KSC spacecraft, don’t complain about the shipboard decorations, the time spent on rituals, and don’t remove any of the icons either. The Kamasaugh regard space travel as voyaging through a realm of powerful spirits, and all the ritual and ostentation is protection from the malicious aspect of that spirit realm, as well as a visible history of the ship’s interaction with that realm. Given the Kamasaunis’ relatively clean track record as a star nation and spacefarers, they don’t dare tamper with what works and neither should you.”

“Having been privileged enough to spend time living amongst both the Bushi Oni and the Kamasaugh, I can, with some degree of confidence, render an informed opinion. Despite the fact that the Kamasaugh are much more spiritual in their everyday lives than the Bushi, what with the Kamasaugh constantly talking to and placating the various household and nature spirits, casting wards to keep the evil ones at bay, and ever conscious of the supernatural world laying just below the surface of the everyday, the Kamasaugh are actually a lot more laidback and calmer that the Bushi Oni. There’s a sense of a more sedate pace to lifem a greater sense of community, and less work-to-death competition . Maybe it’s a lack of the draconic bushido codes practiced by the Bushi, or a less obvious warrior-caste, or the missing high pressure culture of the big -zaibatsu- corporations, but the Kamasaugh are just plain more peaceful and friendlier. Strange that a people who built up their own spacefaring culture in the relative isolation of the Wycott Nebula would be more open-minded and tolerant of outsiders than the supposedly more cosmopolitan Hoshinoans, but that’s just part of the mystery of the megaverse.”
--- Almac Reesan, Anthropologist & Diplomat, University of THrant, CCW

The Kamasaugh people are a race seemingly related to the Oni of the Bushi Federation, but somewhat smaller statured(roughly 5 ft tall on average), with a culture distinctly their own. The Kamasaugh lay claim to a three system star-nation on the edge of the Wycott Nebula in the Anvil Galaxy, and have managed to remain relatively free from involvement with any other major power block(though the Golgans and Central Alliance have occasionally bothered them). They are a deeply spiritual and superstitious people, though they lack much of the psionic prowess of their cousins.
The Kamasaugh get along generally well with their neighbors, and are seeking to expand interstellar trade in their sector(they have been assisted in this by WZTechyards, which has helped expand their ship production and sales). Part of the damper on expension of trade, however, is navigation around and through the Wycott Nebula; gravitational anomalies and reports of ‘monsters’ make for tricky travel in the region. The Kamasaugh, however, get by well enough, and their trade is beginning to increase as more people learn of their society and the products they have to offer.
The Oni of the Bushi Federation, however, upon learning of this apparent branch of their species in a distant galaxy were at first disbelieving, then openly contemptous, of the reports. The current mindset of the Federation is that the Kamasaugh are ‘ainnu’, barbarous castouts of a long-discarded branch, shunned by Amateratsu, denied her blessing, and tossed far away among the gajin barbarians. The lack of technological and psionic prowess(the incidence of psionics is even rarer among the Kamasaugh than among the Bushi Oni, about HALF that of the Oni, and none of the psi-enhanced martial arts) among the Kamasaugh only points up their backwardness, and their small stature clear indication of their inferiority; the Bushi Oni will not even allow comparative genetic testing to see how far back the two peoples might have diverged. The slightly higher incidence of magic-users(or at least belief in magic) among the Kamasaugh is totally ignored as superstitious mutterings of self-deluded primitives. As far as long-lost cousins are concerned, the Bushi Federation Oni would prefer the Kamasaugh remained lost. This frankly, though, doesn’t bother the Kamasaugh, as the Bushi Federation is clear far away in the Thundercloud Galaxy, and has few, if any, dealings in the Anvil, so the likelihood of the two peoples crossing paths is virtually zilch(the only way the Kamasaugh learned of the possible relationship is from casual remarks made by xenosociologists visiting the KSC). Interestingly, though, the Kamasauni Stellar Coalition is on increasingly good terms with the much closer Cisen-Adeta star nation, which incidentally counts among its population a large percentage of Oni of an ethnic sect also considered ‘ainnu’ and cast out of the Bushi Federation.

The Kamasaugh know of the same gods and goddesses as the Oni of the Bushi Federation, but place less emphasis on the worship of Amatersatsu. Though animism dominates the religious culture of the Kamasaugh, they notably have a strong regard for what have been identified as the Shichi Fukujin, or Seven Shinto Gods of Fortune. There are also intriguing(to xenosociologists) threads of Chinese religious influences woven through Kamasaugh culture.
Among the Bushi Oni who secretly make a list of reasons to disavow, if not outright despise, the ‘barbarian’ Kamasaugh, this is yet another black mark against them. It’s also seen as a sure sign of Amatersatu’s displeasure with the Kamasaugh that they have not been ‘blessed’ with the same knowledge of advanced technology as the Bushi Oni.
The Kamasaugh do not have a large military, owing to their more laid-back and pacifistic attitudes, though they have a number of security organizations and monster-hunter clans(mainly associated with the priesthood). Magic guilds are also a facet of Kamasaugh life, with a recent interest in technowizardry fueling demand for new guilds to teach the new discipline.

Despite their general apathy to being entangled with larger polities, the KSC has become more intimately involved with the United Systems Alliance, with at least nominal membership being likely in the future.

A. Size: Small; three star systems.
-Quishin(Kamasaugh home system)---Blue Dwarf star system w/ six planets(4 terrestrial, 1 gas giant, 1 cluster of ort-trees)
-Hakama---Yellow Dwarf star system w/ six planets(4 terrestrial, 2 gas giants). Hakama is a temperate, but virtually atmosphere-less world nearly entirely covered by a world-ocean.
- Sojah---Binary star system, with two Red Dwarf stars and a retinue of seven planets( 5 terrestrial, 2 gas giants). Sojah possesses a dense-atmosphered world with a thin local ecosystem based around deep water ‘black smokers’, but it is best known for its ‘space seiners’, the Kamasaugh equivalent of Belters, who harvest the dense Wycott gas clouds for exotic chemicals.
B. History
Newcomers, though their biological and cultural relationship to other ‘oni’ polities suggests some common point of ancestry.
C. Level of Technological Sophistication
Advanced Space Age---The Kamasaugh have just graduated from Mature to Advanced Space Age; they have FTL drives and forcefields, but their technology is still fairly primitive.
D. General Attitude/Culture
Non-Interventionists---The Kamasaugh are currently not interested in getting involved with anybody politically or militarily, but just want to trade. That membership in the USA has even been put on the table surprises many outside observers, so it is suspected that the trade incentives of being a USA member must be REALLY good for the Kamasaugh.
E. Racial Composition---Variant of a known major sept; the Kamasaugh are a shorter, more squat version of the Bushi Federation Oni.
F. Government
Gendocracy---The Kamasaugh are ruled by a matriarchal society, with women holding the key administrative roles, heads of household, religious high offices and corporate top seats. Men generally do most of the hard labor, fill out the ranks of the military, and do the heavy lifting. Though not rabidly gender-biased and perfectly willing to work with other cultures, at home the Kamasaugh defer to their women for leadership. There is also a strong religious component in the government, and priestesses can hold government office in addition to their holy duties.
G. Administrative Control
Tight; the Kamasaugh government is well-organized and maintains close control over its various aspects. State religion is a form of animism(with various sub-sects paying homage to identificable Japanese and Chinese god-beings), and the government helps subsidize the temples and certified priests, especially those involved in blessing the space program and merchant fleet.
H. External Trade
Raw Materials---The Kamasaugh have been tapping the rich resources of the Wycott Nebula to export large quantities of refined metals and chemicals.
H1. Commodities
Exports: Besides raw materials, Kamasaugh ships ship out large quantities of consumer goods unique to their culture; especially prina-cloth textiles and a range of ‘primitive’ ground vehicles that have caught the eyes of motorist enthusiasts, such as the Krimagi-CZ700 Power-Trike and the Ulang TQ-series UniBike. The KSC has also found a potential gold mine in vrilsah, a potent alcoholic drink brewed from a cranberry-like fruit grown only in the KSC. Tsaokola is another beverage that has caught Galactic attention; the mead-like, but non-alcoholic, drink being commended for its refreshing taste and mild stimulant properties.
Imports: Consumer Goods; the Kamasaugh have a keen interest in sampling Galactic culture, and their ships bring back an eclectic selection of everyday consumer goods that many CCW citizens might take for granted, like stasis-fridges, holodisplays, grav-bikes, and the like.
I. Status
Ascendant, albeit slowly. The Kamasaugh are content to build up their trade and develop their already colonized star systems without needing to look to acquire more territory as yet.

Quishin(Kamasaugh Home System)
“Spent a layover on Takama after we’d just established the new trade route. Found the people wonderfully friendly and charming, very hospitable and friendly to outsiders. Crew and I were something of a novelty to the locals, and they were eager to question us and invite us to various local social events. Modern conveniences all around, but a very traditional feel to things. Noticed though that anything went bump or rattle in the night that wasn’t immediately explainable by late night wandering or animals, the locals were quick to raise an alarm and bring in the black robes---local exorcists---running with their charms and wards ready.”

Quishin lies in a large region of high ambient PPE activity, though it lacks ley lines and nexi as such. Lesser Entities are a constant problem on Takama. There is also ample evidence of the, at the least, past presence of faerie folk and kappa.
The Kamasaugh thus have a higher belief and incidence of magic-use, though not of attendant psionic powers. Magic use among the Kamasaugh follows a more nature-based philosophy, so Mysticism. Old Believer, and Druidism equivalents are the most most common. More recently, the Kamasaugh have produced an unusually high number of Spacial Mages, for a nation of their size, possibly owing to their regard of deep space as a spiritual realm. The Kamasaugh are intrigued by Technowizardry and part of their trade with the USA is in TW items of all sorts.

Solar System(Quishin)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars:
-Blue Dwarf
Number of Planets: 6
-Terrestrial (Kyata)---A miniscule rocky world without any ambient atmosphere and only fossil water. Despite its small size, Kyata is home to a large chunk of the Kamasauni’s heavy industry, thanks to rich mineral deposits and a lack of paranormal activity to gum up the works. Also site of the growing Tienhou Shipyards, greatly improved with WZT help.

-Terrestrial (Takama)---System lifeworld

-Terrestrial (Adu) ---Mars-like in size, temperature, and climate, Adu possesses a thin ecosystem of its own, so the Kamasaugh have tread lightly on this world, though some 12 million colonists also call it home.

- Exotic(Akasuka Jinja)----(aka ‘Green Asteroids’) A cluster of small Ort Trees, or free-space macroflora. This is considered a sacred site by the Kamasaugh, and only members of the mage priesthood are allowed to live in Akasuka Jinja full-time.

-Gas Giant(Hachia)---This large gas giant has six large moons, and is the site of industrial development, mainly gas-scooping operations.

-Terrestrial (Gamru)---Large and cold, Gamru is too inhosoitable to attract much attention. though its large moon Hygaki shows intriguing signs of possible xanthine deposits.

Planet (Takama)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 12,580 km
Gravity: 0.93 g
Temperature: Temperate
Unusual/Special Features:
- Moons(6) ---Takama’s six small moons feature prominently in the local spirutual culture, due to their positioning having an effect on local supernatural conditions. Kamasaugh-Takama astrology features ‘bad moon’ and ‘good moon’ days and nights when detrimental spirits can be expected to be most active, or at bay, and conditions favorable for certain activities.
-High Ambient Magic Field---This has been known to fluctuate, waxing and waning with the seasons and the positions of the moons.
Atmosphere: Dense breathable nitrox mix
Terrain:
Varied, but primarily islands, (sea)mountain chains, and archipelagoes.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Colombite
- Antimony
- Cobalt
- Amethyst
- Emerald
- Asbestos
- Platinum
- Barite
Hydrosphere:
Soaking Wet; roughly 83% of Takama’s surface is covered in open water. There is one large major land mass and numereous smaller islands and archipelagoes. The watery distances between habitable islands encouraged boatbuilding and cooperative trade among the early Kamasaugh.
Biosphere:
Dense. Had dropped to Moderate due to over-exploitation of the environment, but a spate of global misfortune followed by a strong religious revival encouraging a return to more conservative ways and respect for the nature spirits has resulted in a strong comeback for the biosphere. The Kamasaugh have been zealously ‘green’ since then.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
5 billion Kamasaugh Oni
Technology:
Early Stellar Age
Economy:
Commercial---- With travel in the regions around the Wycott Nebula increasing, the worlds of the Kamasauni Stellar Coalition are becoming natural stopovers for travelers in the sector, and both trade and piracy are on the rise as results.
Wealth:
Prosperous---The Kamasaugh, despite their technological limitations, are doing quite well by interstellar trade.
Government:
Matriarchal Gendocracy---Women have traditionally dominated government on Takama, an outgrowth and natural extension(at least to the Kamasaugh) of their roles as family anchors and guardians of honor. While many male-led organizations exist in Kamasaughan society, overall governance and policy-making has always been womens’ work.
Law Level:
Lawful---The priesthood can be a little Overbearing in reminding people to keep up with their daily rituals, but when the alternative is , as is warned, swift bad luck, few people mind.
Popularity:
Beloved----High government officials are reverently and affectionately refered to as ‘High Mothers’ or ‘High Grandmothers’, and lesser officials may be titled ‘Small Mothers’. There is a sense of familial respect and loyalty to the government, which, in turn, takes good care of its citizenry.
Stability:
Dynastic---The current government system has been around for so long that the Kaamsaugh hardly know any other sort of possible government(they find the variety of other types out in the megaverse to be amusing, and a source of one of the few times the Kamasaugh show any sort of condescension torwards non-Kamasaugh).

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:01 pm

*Vanderlund (Anvil Galaxy)(Unted Systems Alliance member)(Expansion)
“Though the Central Party preached austerity and moderation to save resources to benefit the greater society, you wouldn’t have guessed that was their byline looking at their properties on Vanderlund. The estates there are outright palatial and precious metals seem to be a favorite decoration. You can rent some of those ‘modest’ palaces for an equally ‘modest’ fee.”

“Weather and water’s just lovely on Vanderlund, and the fishing’s very good too....not deep sea, but lake and brook kind. Just make sure you take your anti-tox and run your catch through an autochef module before eating it; Vanderlund’s heavy on mercury and thorium byproducts, so you don’t want to expose yourself too much if you don’t want to poison yourself.”

Thought to be a State stronghold because of its decent climate, breathable atmosphere, and human-safe local ecosystem which attracted the Cynoceran upper crust to establish pastoral dachas and country retreats on the planet, the Vanderlund planetary council shocked everybody by voluntarily and peacefully dissolving the local branch of the Central Party and voting to join the United Systems Alliance. Vanderlund’s revolution was among the most peaceful in the former Republic worlds, with the local government allowing Central Party adherents to evacuate their holdings and take their possessions with them to the still-loyal worlds, even though this cost the newly free government a considerable amount of potential treasure-by-seizure. Vanderlund made it back up in short order, however, by launching a slick and effective tourism campaign to outsiders that was whipped up so professionally and quickly that many exiled Central Party loyalists have expressed wonder about how long the Vanderlanders were planning such a thing.

Nowadays, Vanderlund advertises its tourism strengths, including rental of the palatial former estates of the Central Party(though one has been converted into an upscale brothel).
Given the large deposits of amethyst and emerald on Vanderlund, the Vanderlunders are considering seeking a license to manufacture the amethyst-based TW PS-TWP18 ‘Amether’ TW Pistol, similar to another amethyst-heavy Alliance member, Skenzi. Though the Cynocerans did not recognize or practice magic, the Vanderlunders are more open-minded and eager to pursue avenues that will make them more distinct from the old Cynoceran Republic and marketable.

Solar System ( Cemundi)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars: Yellow Dwarf
Number of Planets: 4
-Terrestrial ( Vanderlund) ---System lifeworld

-Gas Giant (Hoster) ---Small gas giant. Hoster ‘s large moon Celestran is home to a large Cynoceran military base that voted to secede from the Central Party and throw its support to Vanderlund, perhaps many of the senior Fleet officers had residences on Vanderlund. Though some ships left with the evacuating Party loyalists, the Celestran garrison remains largely at strength, and has been bolstered by the arrival of visting USAJC ships and a training program to bring the former Republic naval units up to the emergent USAJC standards and protocols. Given the increase in traffic through the Cemundi ssytem and a correspomding rise in sector piracy, the Celestran-based squadrons are already seeing action policing their section of space.

-Gas Giant (Gemli) ---Huge gas giant with rings. Ever mindful fo potential profits, the Vanderlund Ministry of Commerce has started hosting the equivalent of wine and cheese cruises in specially commissioned transports to view the rings. One of Gemli’s moons plays host to a mining colony.

-Gas Giant (Rostan)---Gargantuan cold gas world. There’s been some talk about establishing tourism outposts on the planet’s more interesting moons. Adding to the draw is an unusual energy field around Rostan that generates sweeping leyline-like patterns visible through its clouds. Besides being visually spectacular enough to attract sightseers, the phenomenon has also attracted scientific interest.

Planet ( Vanderlund)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 10,300 km
Gravity: 0.8 g
Temperature: Temperate
Unusual/Special Features:
-Odd Revolution---Vanderlund has a peculiarly long annual rotation by baseline terrestrial standards; a Vanderlund ‘year’ is roughly 2.3 Terran years.
-Craters---Vanderlund is pockmarked with large craters, some of which proved convenient for fortified private estates or game parks.
-Energy Field--Vanderlund exhibits a significantly high ambient PPE field; although the Cynocerans never developed or evinced any interest in magic, magic visitors will find themselves able to perform SDC-level magics with ease on Vanderlund. The energy field may also be repsonsible for the longevity that has increasingly discerned in those born on the planet; according to recent statistics, a native Vanderlunder can expect to live at least 50% longer than offworlders. Though this has been kept quiet from the public, the planetary PR organs have subsequently played up Vanderlund’s ‘rejuvenating properties’.
Atmosphere: Earth-like breathable nitrox mixture
Terrain: 3 terrains; low mountains, rolling hills, and large plains
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Amethyst
- Gold/Silver
- Magnesium
- Mercury
- Emerald
- Calcite
- Thorium
- Sulfur
Hydrosphere: Balanced; roughly 43% surface water coverage
Biosphere:
Verdant----Venderlund has a native ecology that is very rich and diverse. Hoever, the native life is also prone to absorbing the high local mercury levels, so eating unprocessed local foodstuffs carries a risk of long term health problems. The Cynocerans also imported a god deal of offworld life to stock their game farms, though these animals constantly have to be constantly replaced if allowed to free-range, due to their own ultimately fatal uptake of local contaminants. Still, there are enough biocompatible local plants and animals that can be consumed safely to warrant Vanderlund being deemed ‘human-safe’.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
2.8 billion Humans
Technology:
Galactic, lower-end. The Central Party didn’t stint on outfitting their playground with the best etchnology they could produce or buy.
Economy:
Agricultural, but increasingly Service and Information Technology. As Vanderlund became the playground of the Central Party’s rich and powerful, it began to cater more to the needs of the resident bureaucracy, including upgrading of its interstellar communications facilities, to allow the Central Party members to keep apace with developments on the capitol world and around the Cynoceran Republic from the comfort of their estates. This has been carried over into the post-Republic era, and Vanderlund is offering the services of its technical staff to keep any outside business interests who want to relocate their HQs to Vanderlund plugged into the galactic communications net.
Wealth:
Wealthy----Even after the Central Party loyalists carted off their riches, Vanderlund is still considered very well off, with a growing Gross National Product from its tourism, agriculture, and mineral exports.
Government:
Syndicracy---The former service blocs under the Central Party have banded together to form a government dedicated to making Vanderlund a prosperous, profitable operation.
Law Level:
Overbearing----The newly minted Vanderlund government has taken a hardline aprpoach to law enforcement, making sure nobody makes off with any more loot from the old regime, or causes trouble for the money-making potential of the planet. That law enforcement is done by Cynoceran ex-military types who want a slice of the good life now that their political bosses have left the planet has ensured that troublemakers are dealt with quickly and forcibly.
Popularity:
Ambivalent---Not everybody is entirely satisfied with the current arrangement; there’s been some squabbling over who got what in the redistribution of power and property, the radicals think the Central Partyists were allowed to walk away with too much, the conservatives think the new rulers burned too many bridges with the Old Regime, and thre are those locals who think there’s entirely too much hoipoli tourists gaggling around. While folks are happy to be out from under the arrogant Central Party, not everybody’s satisfied with how thinsg have shaken out.
Stability:
Solid---For now, though, things are going well.

Perotii VII (Anvil Galaxy)(Unted Systems Alliance member)
(Aka ‘Venicesar’)

“Perotii Seven’s a good example of why you better keep the faith with your hired guns. Leveraged Negotiators did the job they were hired to do and with minimal collateral damage, and even got the support of the locals. They would have turned the planet over without a fuss, except that DeKac Corp. tried to stiff them on the deal. Didn’t help they sent in their executive management team to take over the local government and start working on ‘asset reclamation’, which was corp-speak for outright colony robbery. So LNI instead hired themselves out to the Perotiins as the new planetary protection force and turned to their arms supplier for help. DeKac Corp lost an entire perfectly habitable planet just because they got stupid-greedy and tried to save a few meg-credits.”

“The Delians tried to make the Perottins an offer they couldn’t refuse, especially since the Duneseans were in no position to drive the Delians off with either a counteroffer or brute force. They just weren’t expecting the Perottins to dig deep in their pockets and pony up the credits to make the Delian-hired mercs an offer THEY didn’t refuse to push the corporates off and keep them off.”

“Venicesar’s one of those wet worlds where a strong wet-navy is a good idea. The Boradi mercs controlled the planet by checkpointing the bridges and ferries connecting the various archipelagoes. The Leveraged Negois cut them off by bringing in submarines and amphibious combat vehicles. Now with more locals investing in submarine habitats, there’s even more of a demand for submersible combat craft on the planet. Some of the local inventors are tricking up underwater combat drones, but they’re some ways from being independent of offworld suppliers for their heavy weaponry.”

Mostly water-covered world and offshoot colony of the Dunesean Republic, Perotti VII was settled as a ‘nerds’ retreat’ by a conglomerate of software engineers and small engineering firms seeking to take advantage of the Duneseans’ encouragement of innovation(before they became corrupted). The planet’s colonial culture became typified by the opulent techno-villas of computer-app designers, apartment and studio-lab/workshop complexes of startup engineers, and the supporting agro-plexes and fishfarms of small business agri-techs. For a time, Perotti VII was the place to retire, or aspire, if one was involved in the technical professions in the DR.
Perotti VII gained greater attention when it became the contested prize between two Delian Consortium firms who were looking to acquire both the ecological riches of the planet and the technical services of its highly skilled population, after trouble over took the Duneseans and the DR was unable to protect its various outposts. Civilization was almost hijacked on the planet when one of the two antagonistic offworld factions vying for control of the planet hired the Boradi Rangers mercenary group to take over and garrison the world. The opposing faction brought in Leveraged Negotiations Inc., which broke the stalemate, forcing the Rangers to withdraw. The Perottins turned to the United Systems Alliance for protection from further Delian interference, especially after LNI had a falling out with their employers and signed with the USA’s Irregulars program to keep themselves supplied(they’d already bought Manta subs from WZT and knew how the USA corporations operated). Perotti VII became a member of the USA soon afterwards.
Perotti VII is characterized by lacking any large continents; instead its dry surface area is in the form of many islands divided by numerous shallow seas and deep channels. The planet is also fairly active, geologically speaking, though not dangerously so. The planet continues to be a minor powerhouse of technical innovation, producing various software apps and programs, as well as technical designs applicable to self-sustaining colonies, but whereas before the Perottians saw themselves as something of a solar system-sized suburb of the Dunesean Republic, the colonists are now seeing themselves as a more independent world(even as a new state of the United Systems Alliance) with a greater amount of local R&D going to make themselves better able to fend for themselves. Leveraged Negotiations Inc, continues to serve as the planet’s de-facto armed services; though accepting that long-term role has effectively cut short the organization’s trajectory as career mercenaries, LNI still occasionally manages to cut loose small units to serve offworld as contract enforcers, security details, and military advisors.
There has been recent talk of the USA’s United Systems University setting up a technology campus on the planet. This would also provide a local headquarters for ongoing studies of neighboring Perotti VI’s interesting ‘inhabitants’.

Perotti VI/Zalnev is worthy of mention because of the presence of the Reevin Mind-Pits dotting its surface. 720 excavated stone-lined pits are spread across the planet. Each pit is roughly a kilometer wide and half that deep. At the bottom is access to an antechamber containing a three meter-wide crystal hemisphere. These hemispheres are said to contain the recorded, and possibly last, mental essences of the Reevin species. Little is known of the Reevin, save that they were last active in the Anvil Galaxy before Three Galaxies converged into their current formation. The Reevin peaked and disappeared from the scene well before the current crop of native sophonts appeared, though the older Splugorth Intelligences have records of encounters with them. The Reevin left little in the way of artifacts of their civilization, and it is not known why they established a presence on Perotti VI. Whether the mind-pits are truly the last refuge of the ancient Reevin or merely a forgotten archive remains unknown.
Using either telepathy or radio signals, one is able to question the quiescent intelligence inside the dome and communicate with it.
Sadly, the (recorded?) Reevin essences have either gone senile or been operationally corrupted by time; over half the mind-pit domes are dead and of the remaining ‘living’ Mind-Pits almost all communications have been of virtually inarticulate gibberish, and even when lucid, the Reevin are prone to digress and mentally wander in their stream of thought. Even when hard data is communicated, it is often woefully out of date. Of twenty-six star system coordinates positively identified in Reevin contacts, over half no longer exist as viable solar systems.
During exploration of the Perotti system, both the Duneseans and Delians attempted to communicate with the Reevin, but neither group made much headway, and soon abandoned their efforts as unprofitable(though the Delian Consortium corporate science teams would be criticized for dismantling several of the ‘dead’ sites). The planet still attracts those scholars willing to make the effort to tease any knowledge out of the Mind-Pits, and the United Systems Alliance’s United Systems University has hosted several archaeological study efforts to the planet.

Solar System(Perotti Sympel)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars:
- Orange Dwarf
Number of Planets: 8
-Asteroid/Dwarf Planet---Perotti 1---Tiny sun-blasted planetissimal.

-Terrestrial ---Perotti II --Enormous rocky world, believed to be the remnants of a gas giant that was stripped of its atmosphere Despite the extreme gravity, orbital scans of the planet have indicated tantalizing hints of exotic, potentially valuable, minerals in its crust. Further research is ongoing into identifying, classifying, and potentially exploiting these finds.

-Terrestrial ---Perotti III ---Small Perotti III is airless and rocky, with little to offer visitors. Science teams are still doing an exhaustive survey of it and the other bodies in the system in case there are any more Reevin artifacts to be found.

-Terrestrial ---Perotti IV ---Tiny, airless, and rocky, Perotti IV plays host to several small scientific research labs operated by groups from Perotti VII, the idea being that it’s far enough from Perotti VII that any mishaps in experimentation won’t endanger the lifeworld.

-Terrestrial ---Perotti V--Enormous rocky world, Perotti V’s heavy gravity and super-dense atmosphere make it ill-suited for colonization or exploitation.

-Terrestrial ---Perotti VI/Zalnev. Despite being 25% larger than Earth, this planet possesses only light gravity and a trace atmosphere. It possesses a great deal of subsurface water, though surface temperatures average Death Valley highs. The planet might be suitable for colonization, especially using subterranean habitats, but a lack of industrial metals and the nearby presence of the much more habitable and attractive Perotti VII has curtailed any immediate colonization plans. Its main attraction is the aforementioned Reevin Mind-Pits.

-Terrestrial ---Perotti VII/Venicesar, system lifeworld

-Gas Giant ---Perotti VIII--Jovian-sized gas giant, responsible for sweeping the outer system free of debris. Several of its moons, thanks to Perotti VIII’s looping orbit high above the system’s ecliptic, have become the sites of early warning scanners looking for incoming ships. The moons also play host to a USAJC naval station that services a near-permanent local patrol flotilla of destroyers and frigatesm backed by the occasional light cruiser patrol.

Planet (Perotti VII/Venicesar)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 11,500 km
Gravity: 0.98 g
Temperature: Temperate
Unusual/Special Features:
-Craters---Perotti VII bears the scars of past meteoric bombardments that weren’t caught in time by Perotti VIII’s gravity.
Atmosphere: Thin, but breathable, terrestrial nitrox mix
Terrain: 3; craggy volcanic mounts, sloped island hills, and broad beach-plains
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Sapphire
- Iron
- Lead
- Zinc
- Barite
- Talc
- Diamond
- Fluorite
Hydrosphere:
78% surface water coverage
Biosphere:
Verdant; rich diverse ecology with many exploitable species
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
35 million, a balanced mix of Humans and Noro
Technology:
Stellar Age, with a focus on computers and small-scale industrial robotics, but local industry is limited, with most factories being small workshop manufactories and prototyping works.
Economy:
Service economy; Perotti VII produces software and small patents services, prototyping new inventions for marketing.
The planet also has a small, but growing, aquaculture exports market.
Wealth:
Prosperous; Perotti VII has rebounded quite nicely from the troubles with the Delian s, and a steady flow of revenue, mainly royalties from software apps and patents, keeps the planet on steady fiscal ground.
Government:
Gendorcracy---One would expect a colony of technical geeks and nerds to be a technocracy, but Perotti VII has made the decision to be ruled by females, who the general local consensus is, are the wiser of the species. On Perotti VII that means some very smart women indeed are in charge, either double-shifting scientists and engineers, or(so it is joked) the trophy wives of successful(and shy) software moguls.
Law Level:
Lawful---The ingabitants of Protti VII may consider themselves entrepreneurial mavericks, but they really appreciate law, order, and quiet to helpthem focus on their work and making more money.
Popularity:
Unpopular; not everybody’s onboard with the current regime; a lot of the farther-out-there technician settlements feel left out of participation in government, and there’s more than a few protests(mainly from recent immigrants) who feel that males have been shut out of the ‘women's’ clubhouse’ that the government has become. Most of the complaints, though, have been directed personally at the current president-pro tem Huran Suzienne and several of her policy rulings, which would seem to financially benefit her and her immediate political party adherents.
Stability:
Solid---Despite the unpopularity of the Huran Suzienne regime, the Delian occupation is still fresh in everybody's minds, so they’re not about to tear the colony apart with infighting and invite another attempt by outsiders to take them over. If there’s a move t unseat the Suzienne presidency, it will be done legally and by the book, and there are already several candidates waiting in the wings willing to show the system works.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 03, 2021 9:27 pm

Kretig Space/Haunez Sector(Anvil Galaxy)
“The Kretig Domain sector is still a hotbed of trouble. Be aware of what’s happening there, so you aren’t unpleasantly surprised by any developments coming out of there. The Three Systems War may have settled to a smolder, but there are still embers that can flare up. Know the players and the playground.”

The aftermath of the Three Systems War has drawn attention to this previously pretty much ignored region of space. The post-Minion War CAF’s unexpectedly aggressive slapdown of the Kretig Domain has brought greater attention to the region of space and the war that ground on for decades there.
Currently, regional powers are dealing with the fallout of the war; three devastated planets, a destabilized stellar polity, and the CAF virtually controlling interstellar travel through Kretig space.

Gemines---Kretig homeworld. Earth-like terrestrial, with a pleasant climate, it has been well-developed by the technological Kretig. Notably, it has two moons, one large and the other smaller and closely orbiting the larger one, in a stable orbit around their host planet. Gemines was relatively untouched by the events of the Three Systems War, thanks to a military-imposed media censorship campaign until the CAF’s LIMELIGHT raids blew away that comfortable illusion.

Bahern---Second of the Kretig core systems, located roughly 0.8 light years from Gemines, Bahern was originally settled by fusion-powered ramships. The cool, wet, thick-atmosphered planet has been extensively developed with domed cities. Bahern seemed set to be a bastion of the Kretig military, what with what amounted to techno-fortified communities, but the destruction of the nearby Keljek AM refineries has instead gotten civic leaders on Bahern demanding the central government sue for peace with the CCW.

Keljek---An enormous gas giant in the Kretig core system Bahern. Its powerful electromagnetic field has trapped a large belt of radiation and plasma that is rich in antimatter particles. The Kretig have tapped this field ad harvested its AM particles for starship fuel, greatly accelerating their territorial expansion in the sector. The energy-processing facility and adjacent naval yards were destroyed during a suspicious accident. The Kretig are attempting to rebuild the works, but the loss has crippled the Kretig military and is sending aftershocks through the already propped-up Domain economy.

Dwelse---Third of the Kretig core systems, and roughly 4.7 light years from Gemines. Dwelse has low gravity and a cold climate, but a breathable atmosphere and plenty of water. Dwelse is poor in strategic minerals and heavy metals, so it is mainly agricultural in economy, and the military junta has only a light hand on the system.

Schaltez----Fourth of the Kretig core systems, located 10.4 light years from Gemines. A hogh-gravity tropical world with a dense native ecosystem. Schaltez notably serves the exotic animals trade in the Domain. The Kretig military acquired and selectively breeds a number of war animals(watchbeasts, bomb-sniffers, and security animals) from the jungles of Schaltez. Some of these creatures have ended up in the hands of civilians. CAF BACKSCRATCHER and LIMELIGHT raids obliterated two major naval facilities on Schaltez’s moons.

Kasaree---Second-generation Kretig colony world, settled from Bahern, and like that world, under a strong military government presence. Cool and wet Kasaree was used as a refuge world for colonists displaced from the settlements abadoned on Uanus, ahead of the impending CAD invasion. Kasaree was selected because of its available resources, but the real reason was a ploy by the Kretig high command to sequester and hide how many civilians had been evacuated, and use the ambiguity about the evacuations to stoke up rumors of CAF ‘massacres’ of helpless colonists. Though the news censorship campaign was at best lukewarm and word of the relocated colonists slowly got out through informal sources, the lack of communications with the refugees was ascribed to ‘chaotic conditions’ and ‘CAF sabotage’, rather than a deliberate government gag order implementation. Ironically it would take a CAF (dis)information effort, VENTRILOQUIST, to leak classified military communiques detailing the deliberate disinformation. This has caused a fair amout of post-War civil unrest on Kasaree.
Despite the strong military presence in the system, Kasaree receiced only cursory attention from the CAF’s LIMELIGHT raids. that hit communications and deep space sensor arrays on the planet. However, shortky afterwards, the one Kretig military fleet that came through the system to refuel and resupply was obliterated by a BACKSCRATCHR taskforce apparently waiting for it to leave the system.

Klybeam---Remote outpost colony inhabited by rugged and reclusive Kretig colonists who huddle around the few deep canyons and sink-pits where the atmosphere is warm enough to breath. The Klybeamists took little notice of the military station in the nearby asteroid belt until a massive explosion, later determined to be a deep-layered space minefield spontaneously going off, obliterated the facility. Kretig military records later uncovered after the war indicate a convoy bearing a high-rank military official was lost in the area to ‘unknown causes’.
Currently Klybeam, or “Deephole’, has become something of a watering stop for both ex-military Kretig and outworlder mercenaries and rogues to meet, get a few supplies, and catch up on news from the coreworlds. The rogues rarely bother the colonists, so the place is ‘no questions asked’ for anybody wanting to lay low from the law.

Ceti Grendee---Kretig outpost world roughly halfway between the Kretig coreworlds and the Alzaric Nebula. Ceti Grendee was used by the Kretig military as an assembly and staging area for forces being fed into the Three Systems conflict. A massive logistical hub and anchorage facility was established orbiting the planet, as well as depots on the planet itself.
The Ceti Grendee bases were obliterated during the CAF’s BACKSCRATCHER raids. While the Kretig military still retains a tenuous grasp on the system and is attempting to salvage what they can from the debris, there is little indication of them attempting to restore the facilities there.

Alzaric Nebula
A supernova remanent gas cloud, about 52 light years from Gemines, encompassing a region of space some eight light years across and holding three systems with habitable worlds. The Alzaric Nebula was immediately adjacent to the Kretig Domain who had already colonized one of the three worlds, when they discovered the CCW had begun developing the two others. The Kretig military command seized on this ‘encroachment’ as cassus belli and started the Three Systems War, anticipating a quick win and a boost in the polls with the Kretig people. Instead they got a twenty-five year expensive meatgrinder.
The Alzaric Nebula exerts an unusual energy field that makes generating forcefields difficult, if not outright impossible. Man-sized and vehicle forcefields, even of Naruni make, have a 90% failure rate in that they flicker off 90% of the time, and have trouble rebooting(takes 2d4 times as long to restart/reset/regenerate). Heavy fighters and starship shields up to destroyer-sized vessels have a 60% failure rate. Even large ships have a 25% shield ‘flicker-failure’. Conditions also may vary the farther one penetrates into the nebula, with reports of some regions where shields fail altogether. Interestingly, ordinary magnetic anti-particle screens, psionic and magic barriers are unaffected.

The titular worlds of the Three Systems War are Retos, Oecetane and Uanis. Over two decades’ of fighting with Galactic weaponry have rendered the worlds damaged and strewn with the wreckage fo war. Though the general consensus is that the CCW has ultimately won the Three Systems War, and CF ships patrol the three star systems, the fact is that there is still a lot of still active and dangerous military hardware in both space and on the planetary surfaces. Holdout outposts of Kretig military, either deserters or disbelievers in the lost cause, haunt two of the worlds, and, despite teh ebst efforts of the CAF to police the systems, mercenaries and arms dealers have become a problem, raiding the planets to acquire weaponry and ships.

Retos---- CCW colony world in the Alzaric Nebula. A high gravity world with a thin breathable atmosphere and borderline hothouse climate, it barely passes muster for ‘habitability’, but nevertheless was colonized in part due to rumors of a Tyridium find. The colony was hurriedly abandoned when the Kretig invaded during the opening phases of the Three Systems War, then CAF forces arrived to force the Kretig out. After several years of fighting, the Kretig withdrew, though not before exploding several dirty nukes in the mining fields, contaminating them with long-lasting radioactive debris. Despite the Kretig haveing exhibited no magic abilities or interest in magic, it is rumored that they made off with a substantial hoard of Tyridium when they pulled out. The original colonial sponsors are debating the economics of attempting to clean up and redevelop the colony.

Oecetane---- CCW colony world in the Alzaric Nebula. After driving off the original colonists, the Kretig established their own colonial settlements on the Earth-like planet in an effort to solidify their claim to it, and erected an impressive number of infrastructure projects using military engineers. The Kretig settlements were just as quickly abandoned when the CCW came roaring back. Entrenched Kretig ground forces hidden among the ghost towns of Kretig and CCW settlements, however, have turned the reoccupation into a decades-long murderfest. The Kretig established several major underwater bases in Oecetane’s deep oceans, that gave the CAF no end of headaches trying to find and neutralize. It is rumored that the Kretig military high command established several black project WMD lab facilities on Oecetane under the CAF’s noses, intending to unleash them on the CCW forces. Certainly, though, either to spoil capture attempts or as part of a withdrawal strategy, the Kretig used ‘tsunami nukes’ to destroy several of these complexes as the CAF closed in, with massive collateral coastal damage resulting.
Post-war, Oecetane seems the best prospect for recovery, though numerous ‘hot sites’ dot its surface, requiring decades, perhaps centuries, of clean-up.

Uanis---- Kretig colony world in the Alzaric Nebula. Though on the cool side for the Kretig, it was hurriedly heavily developed in anticipation of a land rush, with massive investment in transport infrastructure put down. Instead, the colony became a battlezone when the CCW counter-invaded. The ‘massacre of innocent colonists’ by CCW forces(although the civilians had been evacuated well in advance of the CAF’s arrival) was used as a rallying cry for the Kretig military’s campaign. As on Oecetane, deep water submarine bases played a major role in the Kretigs’ military planning, and are rumored to have played host to several ‘black projects’ borne of military desperation. The Kretig military high command had several large command complexes on the planet to direct the defense and counterattacks on the other two systems. It was the mysterious(as in the CAF had nothing to do with it) destruction of these headquarters complexes and the loss of the high command staff that effectively collapsed the Three Systems War.
Despite its earlier stated importance to the Domain, post-war Uanis has been largely abandoned by the Kretig, aside from a few salvage efforts and diehard holdouts. The planet requires as much rehabilitation work as Oecetane, but there has been no indication of allocation of resources from the central government for the effort. The CCW has considered demanding Uanis as war reparations, but is evaluating whether the effort of cleaning up the planet-sized war zone would be worth it. Currently, they are content to patrol the system dismantling any still-functional Kretig space defenses, keep the Kretig from bringing in any additional military forces, and from approaching certain areas.
A recent wrinkle to the problem, however, is the discovery that not all the large strucures on Uanis were constructed by the Kretig, but are instead the work of an ancient, presumed extinct, starfaring sophont species. The Kretig built on top of these structures both because of convenience and to disguise them from CCW scrutiny and capture. This has raised the spectre, in the minds of some CAF officials, that at least some of the ‘super-weapon’ prigrams udertaken by the Kretig may have involved plumbing the Uanis ruins for ancient secrets. This has placed a fresh emphasis both on monitoring Kretig activities in the region and the CCW sendng its own investigatory personnel in to determine if the ancient ruins constitute a potential threat.

Military Operations:
BACKSCRATCHER---Post-Shaw Reform CAF campaign to break the back of the Kretig military and finally bring the Three Systems War to a close-out, by hitting the infrastructue supplying the forward forces in the war front. BACKSCRATCHER used CAF heavy naval divisions equipped with more modern warships to hit known Kretig bases and fleet anchorages, including facilities in the core systems, by way of telling the Kretig ‘we know where you live’. BACKSCRATCHER squadrons also hunted down any Kretig capital units that dared venture out from the relative security of the Kretig core systems.

LIMELIGHT---This was a series of deep-system raids launched by the CAF on the Kretig Domain coreworlds, targeting specific facilities such as deep space communications and sensor arrays, interstellar traffic control, shipyards, arms factories, and junta military command/ intelligence/internal security complexes. LIMELIGHT was intended to drive home the point that distance from the Three Systems warzone woudl not shield the Kretig Domain from the consequences of their actions. Though overall damage from the LIMELIGHT raids was light compared to the sheer devastation wrought on the Kretig military by the BACKSCRATCHER attacks, the overall effect on the metroworld Kretig populace has been profound, with the frantic redeployment of the Kretig fleet to the immediate area of the Kretig homeworls, and the discredation of the junta’s claims that Kretig space is secure.
Ironically, the most devastating attack of the LIMELIGHT raids, the destruction of the Keljek AM refineries, was not actually conducted by the CAF. CCW military intelligence now suspects that the United Systems Alliance had something to do with it.

VENTRILOQUIST----Disinformation campaign launched in conjunction with LIMELIGHT, VENTRILOQUIST has leaked classified junta files discrediting the military government to the civilian press, taking advantage of the destruction of government media transmitters/jammers and censorship facilities to fill the vacuum. Government media services have been hacked on several occasions, and non-government approved scripts inserted. Several FTL radio media stations in CCW territory, run with Kretig dissidents, broadcast uncensored accounts of the Three Systems War and growing civilian dissatisfaction with the military juntas.
Ironically, the ‘truth’ aspect of the transmissions has embittered many Kretig Domain citizens, giving them a beter idea of how pathetic they seem to other Galactic polities.

Foreign Relations:
Consortium of Civilized Worlds---The CCW remains the Kretig Domain’s primary nemesis, with bad blood having accrued during the decades-long war that veterans on both sides have essentially polarized into two camps; the angry-vengeful and the war-weary. Even many in the Kretig civilian government(s) blame the CCW for their peoples’ loss of stature in the Galactic community. Many diehards in the remaining military command structure would like to resume hostilities with the CAF, if only to ‘regain their honor’.

TransGalactic Empire----The TGE has taken little notice of the Three Systems War except as another sideshow useful for diverting the CCW’s attention and bleeding its resources. The TGE has contented itself with long range scanning of the situation.
For their part, only the most desperate or stupid Kretig junta officials ever contemplated any sort of dealings with the Kreeghor-led Empire, seeing them as more monstrous than the CCW. This opinion hasn’t ben helped by the disappearance or deaths of agents sent to negotiate with the TGE(on the few occasions that the TGE learned of these feelers and their fate, it gave the Kreeghor the impression of the Kretig Domain as incompetent idiots).

Golgan Republik---Pretty much the same as the TGE; the Golgans have rightly pegged the Kretig Domain junta as an overly-ambitious bunch of would-be empire-builders who would be considered a threat to the Republik were they any closer. The only use the Golgans have for the Kretig Domain is as a distracting fire in the shorts of the CCW. While the Golgans have had some small-scale technology exchanges with the Kretig Domain, no larger interactions have taken place(pr been successful, owing to their failure under inauspicious circumstances).
The Kretig Domain junta sees the Golgan Republik as a useful source of intelligence and better technologies, and would very much like to see more extensive hostilities break out between the CCW and the Republik as a distraction, but would not want to enter into a more formal military alliance. From the Kretig point of view, the Republik is an old staggering has-been of a Galactic polity that has its hands full just trying to cope with its rebellious former territories and regain lost ground.

United Systems Alliance----Though the Kretig Domain and the USA do not share any borders, the United Systems Alliance has gotten deeply involved in the Domain’s affairs, largely on the strength of their intelligence services’ prognosticators, who had warned of the junta getting involved in some ‘dangerous depths’. This apparently led the USA’s Office of Positive Outcomes to launch a series of sabotage campaigns aimed at crippling the KD junta’s war effort. The extraction/disappearance of individuals of interest from the Kretig coreworlds is now suspected of having been conducted by the OPO as subtle destabilization operations, while the disaster at Keljek was less subtle.
Only fairly recently has the CCW learned of the United Systems Alliance’s war in the shadows on their behalf. Post-Shaw Reforms, the CCW’s military intelligence services have become more accepting of the third party meddling, and that the situation in the Kretig Domain sector might be a lot worse if not for the OPO’s covert actions. It just irks them, however, when they’re credited or blamed for something they did not do and become aware of only long after the fact.
For their part, the Kretig junta remained (and remains) unaware of the USA’s involvement, the United Systems Alliance falling below their threat radar. The OPO’s actions against them have been blamed on the CCW’s ‘treacherous agents’, this despite Kretig Domain military and USA OPO agents tangling on many occasions(the Kretig apparently believed themselves to facing CAF secret service operatives). .
That having been said, some of the largest enclaves of Kretig outside the Kretig Domain exist in United Systems Alliance territory. Numbers coexist with other sophont species on TemsenSkoya and Kaldia/New Providence.

EShemarrians---Like the USA’s OPO operations, the EShemarrians, though quite distant from Kretig Domain territory, seem to have felt -something- wrong with junta activities, and were moved to action. At least one of the actions that brought down the Kretig military’s command structure in the Three Systems shows signs of Shemarrian involvement.

United Worlds of Warlock---Like the USA and the SSN, farseers in the UWW have seen the Kretig Domain walking, on occasion, a ‘path of darkness’. This has prompted them to offer advice to their CAF allies and warn them to look out for certain suspicious activities. It has also resulted in the quiet dispatch of several Warlock Marine operatives, disguised as mercenaries, to scout out Kretig worlds and known watering holes frequented by the junta’s agents, to keep tabs on their movements.

Pirates/Mercenaries---The Three Systems War generated a lot of disgruntled and trigger-happy soldiers from both sides. Deserters and the dispirited have often drifted into a lawless limbo in the Alzaric/Kretig Sector. While some ex-soldiers feel that the CCW hasn’t done ENOUGH to punish the Kretig Domain, and Domain diehards refuse to believe the war could be really effectively over(and they lost), the real danger comes from sellswords and pirates marketing their skills to any of a large number of Galactic factions wanting to keep things stirred up to their benefit. Elements of the Kretig junta and CCW use mercenaries as proxies to search the ruins for incriminating intelligence or evidence, seek advantage, or settle old scores. Arms dealers scour the old battlefields for still-functional weaponry, including WMDs. Pirates seek to prey on military convoys, refugees fleeing the still unsettled sector, and suddenly exposed Kretig shipping in the sector. The Kretig Sector is still considered to be dangerous to the casual traveler....or a potentially lucrative hiring ground for the more militantly-inclined.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 9:16 pm

Pikta---(Thundercloud Galaxy)(United Systems Alliance Protectorate)
(aka ‘Tinderbox’)

“’Jacking a load of Piktan incense sticks can set up a fellah for a good portion of their life if they can successfully fence the stuff, what with what the Altess and metroworld highbrows are willing to pay for it. But you better not try boosting the stuff not until the shippers transfer it from the usan transports; the usans are right famously snarly about piracy in their own backyard, and the few operators I heard who tried to steal the stuff from the source got sentenced to serving time on Pikta itself, which I hear is a death-sentence really.“

“First time I experienced a fire-squall on PIkta I thought I was a goner. First sign we had of one in the area was a hissing crackling sound for several minutes that we couldn’t make sense of, then the tree line literally exploded. Those na-palms really lived up to their name, blowing up in flames and showering us with hot splinters---we later learned they spread their seeds that way. Then we were surrounded by smoke and flames. Good thing we were all wearing sun-grazer-rated space EBA while we were doing our surveying, because if it hadn’t been for our closed-cycle life support cutting in and the insulation shielding us, we’d have suffocated or been cremated in seconds. As it was, it still got pretty sweaty hot in our suits for a while there without somewhere to radiate the heat to while we were still in that giant open oven. But it quickly burned off and we were left standing in the middle of a field of burnt stumps and lots of ash.“

“Honestly, I didn’t think lava could move that fast. I stand...and I still have legs to stand on, thank the gods!---corrected. I will NEVER forget that.”

“A forest fire on Pikta, especially at night, can resemble a fireworks display more than anything else. And in a way, it IS a celebration; most organisms on Pikta count on fire to aide in their reproduction or renew their food supplies, so while fire is still dangerous, it’s a sign of a vibrant ecosystem around here.”

“Pikta’s like a large open fire; pretty to look at, but it’s easy to get burned by it if you’re not careful.”

Pikta is a planet in the Thundercloud Galaxy. It has been recently discovered by United Systems Alliance stellar survey, and tentative trade/colonization has begun to exploit the planet’s unique characteristics.
Pikta is notable for having a particularly strong connection to the Elemental Plane of Fire; just about every living organism on the planet contains some small essence of Elemental Fire. This makes Pikta an incredible source of magic components for Elemental Fire spells and creations.
Pikta has a native population, the Dosla, who admit that they came from someplace else(as told in their oral traditions) but have adapted to Pikta’s unique conditions. The Dosla are, however, nearly as volatile as their planet. While generally friendly and accepting of offworlders, their complex and often violent tribal politics can prove lethal to bystanders caught in the crossfire. As tribal conflicts can include crude musket cannon, firebombs and flame-throwers, heavy armor, heavy cover, or increasing distance are advised to anybody not actively picking a side in the local fight.
Due to the dangerous conditions on the planet, Pikta has only been lightly settled by outworlders. Constant volcanic activity, raging brushfires, dangerous local lifeforms, and the Dolsans’ constant tribal wars and revolutions make casual travel on the planet dangerous. The largest permanent settlements are on a chain of islands long past the volcanic stage(though geologists and vulcanologists are constantly monitoring the sub-crustal strata to make sure no lava spikes are coming up under the islands), further protected by forcefields. Several trading posts and commercial plantations have been established on the mainland. A Plymouth-class space station sits in orbit, monitoring conditions through a constellation of sensor-satellites, and serving as an orbital annex for the planet. For obvious reasons, Bursters and MAGMA DEVA augments are much sought-after for work on Pikta.

Solar System (Dathis 319)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars:
-Blue Dwarf
Number of Planets: 7
-Terrestrial (Nicro)---Of similar size to Pikta, Nicro is sometimes called ‘Pikta’s Twin’. It is a mini-Venus, swathed in thick, hot, acidic clouds and is uninhabitable by most lifeforms. However, shielded probes to the planet have detected a thin ecosystem of extremophile organisms.
-Terrestrial (Pikta)---System lifeworld
-Terrestrial (Elg)---Almost a dwarf planet, tiny Elg possesses an unusually smooth surface and high albedo, that led early discoverers to suspect the planet was artificial, but later studies showed natural processes were at work. Elg would be lost against the celestial background if not for its high reflectivity; the Dosla name for the planet translates as ‘Bright Messenger’ for its fast course across the heavens as seen from Pikta.
-Terrestrial (Gifa)---Large rocky world with a thin methane atmosphere
-Terrestrial (Higo) ---Large rocky world with no atmosphere, but a heavy covering of water ice. Higo plays host to a United Systems Alliance naval base that services a destroyer flotilla and several armed merchant-cruiser conversions, felt necessary with the increase in commercial interest in the system.
-Planetissimal(Dedrarch)--- Tiny rocky body that plays host to an Alliance navigational beacon station.
-Terrestrial (Smoot) ---Named by the outworld scientists who discovered it, Smoot is a gargantuan rocky world on the far edge of Dathisian space. The planet is covered in dirty ice, giving it an ashy burnt look.

Planet (Pikta)
Pikta is Earth-like for the most part, but the highly flammable conditions on the planet make it dangerous to the casual visitor. Even foolhardy USU and UWW scholars coming to explore and study the planet find it a challenge, perhaps because its placid appearance and amenable environment can lull a visitor into a false sense of security ....before a stand of na-palms is triggered by a hephastan-beetle mating swarm or the local hot-mud bog erupts into full-blown spit and smoke mode. However, the commercial potential of many of the planet’s minerals, plants, and animals, draws in the profit-minded looking to trade with the locals or try direct harvesting. Offworlders are thus advised to invest in god thermal armor and heat-shielded transportation when venturing out of the heavily protected island enclaves.
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 7,800 km
Gravity: 0.6 g
Temperature: Temperate-Tropical. Pikta has small ice caps, and is generally considered to be humid-steamy over most of its surface area.
Unusual/Special Features:
*Strong Ambient Magic Field--Pikta possesses a strong local magic field, allowing for easier casting of magic spells, though only Fire magic is megadamage.
*Prevalence of Elemental Fire----Elemental Fire is strong on Pikta
*Unusual Geology----Despite its small size, Pikta has an actively heated core and frequent volcanic activity.
Atmosphere: Arguably Hostile or Tainted. Breathable terrestrial nitrox mix, but local conditions tend to vary from Tainted Smokey-smoggy, to Clear But Oxygen-Rich/Highly Combustible. Unwary travelers can suffocate or become oxygen-drunk if they don’t regularly check their enviro-monitors.
Terrain:
Hostile; volcanic eruptions, steam outbursts and flash fires are frequent occurrences on Pikta. Travelers are advised to wear thermal protection. There are a few stable zones, such as the islands in Pikta’s oceans, which is where the majority of the offworlder enclaves are located.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Gold/Silver
- Sapphire
- Magnesium
- Mercury
- Emerald
- Samarskite
- Platinum
- Nickel
-Ruby
-Topaz
Hydrosphere:
40% of the planet is covered in open water.
Biosphere:
Verdant---Despite the frequent fires, the planet’s ecology is booming; plants and animals are either fireproof, or are revitalized by the burn cycle cleaning away old growth(and slow animals) freeing up nutrients.
Notable animal species include the varcoon; a tarsier-like creature which has learned to spark fires to smoke out prey , the spwegg, a giant radulla-like insect-analogue with slashing claws and the ability to make rocket-propelled hops, and the anarudda, a snake-like predator with long fearsomely-toothed jaws and slashing knife-scales. Ro-weed is a motile carnivorous plant that preys on other plants and animals with equal opportunity, and sprays an acidic spray that softens wood and blinds unprotected eyes, giving the normally slow-moving cobra-like fern-heads of this predator the opportunity to strike and strangle its prey.
Civilization:
Established native population+ small colonial settlements
Population:
63 million Dosla + some 13,000 offworlder colonists
Technology:
Iron Age, assisted by generous amounts of Fire magic
Economy:
The native economy is Agricultural; farmers and herdsmen. The offworlder settlements mainly focus on mining and harvesting.
Wealth:
Has been graded as Wealthy given the potential wealth from the harvesting of materials. The Dolsa, however, prefer to live simply, buying a few useful tools and luxuries from the offworlders.
Government:
Democracy--Arguably, the Dolsa are ruled by an extreme form of democracy, with the various regional tribes being governed by popular vote. The closest some xenosociologists have come to finding an equivalent is the Botwhin Char’chugas’ “media war’ full-participation democracy, only without the armed uprisings.
Law Level:
Lawful---The Dolsa are bound by common tribal law codes that lay out the rules for criminal behavior, enforcement and punishments, conflict resolution, and protection of property. However, the same traditional law codes also encourage ‘Wars of Renewal’, trials by combat, and the questioning and contesting of established authority.
Popularity:
Ambivalent; there’s always some discontent with the authorities in charge(even after a local revolution), so Dolsan leaders always have to keep sharp and wary, aware of popular sentiment. There’s also some difference of opinion on how much cooperation and exchange the Dolsans would have with offworlders; while nobody wants to outright exterminate or drive them offworld, some Dolsans want a better rate of exchange with them and more cooperation, while others want to leave the offworlders to their own devices and let them learn the hard way how to survive on Pikta.
Stability:
Uprising; somewhere on Pikta, there’s always a native uprising to protest the status quo. The Dolsa accept this as part of the natural order of things, emulating as it does the ecological cycle of burn and re-growth. By tribal guest law, offworlders are considered to be off-limits as long as they stay neutral, but some Dolsa have expressed the opinion that as the offworlder settlements become more permanent, they should be considered subject to the local cycles of renewal. Naturally this triggers another fight. Colonists are advised to seek shelter and stay out of the line of fire when they receive warning of Dolsan ‘Wars of Renewal’ in their area.

Dolsa Species
“Some of the fastest-reacting beings I’ve ever encountered, and having seen fire-nadoes and ash-squalls sweeping across the Piktan landscape, I can understand why the Dolsa are so damn fast off the start. And that’s just the unthinking stuff that could kill them.”

Dolsa are the established native sophonts of Pikta. They are a felinoid people with a tribal society and a freeform democracy that often results in clashes between factions, many of which quickly form and dissolve in a matter of months or years at best. They are fast and agile, and almost immune to Pikta’s frequent outbursts of fire. The Dolsa have learned that some of the best farming conditions can be found near the hazard zones where the cycles of growth and burn-off have created extremely fertile conditions. Dolsa are quickly to take to their heels, however, when volcanic eruptions or brushfires threaten their communities; they often craft their larger possessions to be able to be quickly wheeled to safety, or broken up and distributed amongst tribe members for quick portage out of the danger zone. They are also very alert to dangerous wildlife around them.
Few Dolsa have left Pikta, most finding offworld environments in general to be too cold for their taste. However, a few adventurous types have taken advantage of the USA’s interest in their world to travel offworld.

Alignments: Any
Life Span: 75 years on average
Size: 3-4 ft tall
Gender: Two genders; male and female. Give birth to 1-3 live young after an eight month gestation period. Reach sexual maturity at 12 years, though cultural maturity is generally regarded as 18-19.
Physical Description/Appearance:
Felinoid; resemble long-limbed hairless cats, with dark purple/violet skins(lightening to almost glowing levels in the extremities), high triangular ears, and large stark white eyes. Hands and feet end in six long dexterous digits. They possess a long prehensile tail. They are insanely agile, which helps when avoiding flash fires, lava bombs, and natural predators.
Disposition/Attitudes:
The Dosla are generally friendly, but take violence in stride; their frequently spontaneously destructive environment has inured them to random violence and destruction. For the most part, the Dosla are not attached to material possessions, aside from a few essential tools and readily portable keepsakes.
Physical Attributes:
IQ: 3d6
ME: 2d6+6
MA: 2d6
PS: 3d6+12
PP: 4d6+26
PB: 3d6+5
PE: 3d6+20
SPD: 6d6 +48
(ISP):----
(PPE): 4d6
Hit Points: 60+1d6 per level of experience
SDC: 130
MDC:-----
Horror Factor:----
Natural Abilities:
*Strong-Minded: +1 save vs psionic attacks, +2 save vs insanity
*Heat Resistance--Dolsa take no damage from ordinary heat and fire, and only HALF damage from megadamage fire(which does SDC damage to the Dolsa( and magic fires.
*Breath Tainted Air---Dolsa can easily breath Pikta’s frequently tainted air. They can also hold their breath for as many minutes they have P.E. points.
*Prehemsile Tail--Generally half their height in length, HALF their P.S., and adds +1 APM. It is dexterous enough to grasp objects and swing a club or sword, but not manipulate complex objects like firearms.
Psionics:-----
Magic: Besides their natural abilities, by Magic Class
Cybernetics/Bionics: None
Available OCCs: Primitive/Low Tech OCCs(though the Dolsa have been exposed to high tech and can use it, they are not yet at the stage of really understanding it or producing their own). Magic classes are predominantly Mystics, Mystic Herbalists, and Elemental Warlocks(Fire)
RCC Skills:
Native Language at 98%
One Ancient W.P. of choice
Skills of Note:----
Culture:
Tribal, with a tradition of full-participation democracy. There is no discrimination between males and females, and there are just as many female tribal headsmen as there are males. Though fatalities from their frequent disputes are uncommon, the Dolsa are enthusiastic enough in exercising their opinions that injuries ARE very common. Evacuation drills are a common part of community life, despite extensive fireproofing of structures and goods, with most household wares being made with ready portability in mind.

Some Piktan Products:
*Thermaskin---Leather from a native Piktan herbivore; it is completely impervious to normal fire, and takes only HALF damage from magic heat and fire.

*Sternofruit---Natural wax candle. Lighting the stem of this apple-like fruit, it can be used like a candle or small heat source, an average sternofruit burning for 1d4 hours.

*Oxoo---A bamboo-like plant saturated with oxygen-rich compounds. If ignited, it actually gives off breathable oxygen, seemingly in reverse of normal combustion chemistry. An average foot-long piece of oxoo can burn for 30 minutes and produce enough oxygen to supply a small room.

*Cindeye Drops---The extract from a native plant; when squeezed into the eyes, the drops protect the eyes from the irritant effects of smoke and chemical agents such as acid vapors ad tear gas. Effects last for 45+4d6 minutes.

*Scorklaw---Talon or claw from a native predator. When infused with 2 PPE or 4 ISP, the claw glows white hot, doing 4d6 SDC touch damage. Effect lasts 3 minutes before the claw cools down.

*Piktan Blue Ginger----A locally harvested spice-root that causes consumers’ breath to sparkle. In high enough concentrations, it can also cause Blinding Flash breath, through this has the unfortunate side effect of also blinding the consumer(unless they’re prepared, by shutting their eyes or donning eye protection beforehand) and temporarily knocking out their tastebuds for 2d4 hours. The active ingredient in the recently-introduced Pikta-Plazi Sparkla Na-Ale soft drink.

*Doslor Joss-Sticks---Made from the dust of aromatic Piktan woods, these incense-sticks are growing in popularity as meditation aides with Fire Warlocks and Fire-Elemental Fusionists(they gain an extra +1d6 PPE per hour of meditation with these burning around them), and they seem to have a calming effect on Fire Elementals(GM’s prerogative as to the extent of the effect; maybe the Fire Elemental only does HALF damage to whoever is blowing joss-stick smoke at them, or may ignore them completely). Altess claim the smoke adds a tangible sense of ‘zing’ to negotiations or other social activities, and others are following their lead in buying these things.

Kalipsis(Thundercloud Galaxy)(United Systems Alliance Protectorate)
(aka ‘Rocdel’)
“They grow cotton and pyramids on Kalipsis in equal abundance. The school of mines there is also one of the more innovative, given the unique challenges the planet presents. And if a local child offers to show you their pet rock, odds are that thing can move on its own.”

“Even before they got ‘teched-up, the Sudarians enjoyed a high quality of life; the laws and magicks the Egyptian gods left them emphasized hygiene and clean living, even, maybe especially, among the peasantry. The average Suderian had a natural life expectancy better than many tech-societies we’re familiar with. And now that they have access to high magicks and Galactic technology, things have only gotten better.”

“T-wizardry and gemstones are common enough that after a big lode of emerald was found locally, we saw a lot of cheap gemstone-pumped invisibility amulets showing up, and not where you’d expect it. A lot of the young Suderian adults thought it great fun to go around nude...not that clothing’s a big thing around here, but still.... wearing only mystic invisibility, hovering around their significant others waiting for a chance to surprise them. It worked out for the most part though there was a couple of relationships that broke up, and a few misunderstandings when some of the usan servicepeople went on the alert upon detecting magic cloaking in their vicinity, but fortunately nobody was hurt, expect for some philanderers caught in the act and there was one tazing, but he forgave her.
Good thing too that the Suderians are so law-abiding, otherwise this place would be a burglary nightmare.”

“I don’t know how it happened, being a mere sergeant and not a high officer, but apparently for my service in the Memphis-Sudar campaign I got a land grant and a title from the su- Pharaoh’s holdings. When I was rotated with the jay-cee from Dahaz and expected to be barracked with the rest of the garrison to train the new local defense forces, I learned there was more than just a land parcel; it was already developed with a waterfront villa on the River Dush downstream from the pharaoh’s new summer palace and the villas of a few dozen other old hands of the Twenty-Sixth, a seneschal who was actually happy to see me and tell me how he’d been investing my combat pay bonus, a household staff, and several dozen tenant farmers who I didn’t know had been working for me. Came as a shock to suddenly learn that I was considered to be gentry with a small fortune from cotton and some mining operations. Worked out nicely, though, because I was kinda expecting to put my adopted Dahazian daughter into a Company school while I was at work, but living on the estate’s a lot more comfortable for her, what with the servant women doting on her.”

If Pikta is a planet of Elemental Fire, then Kalipsis is a planet of Elemental Earth. Kalipsis was effectively titled to the United Systems Alliance in payment for actions in the Minion War, but arguably it was also to develop a local industry based on its magically-imbued local materials.
Virtually every life form in the Kalipsian ecology has some mystic link to the Element of Earth. This could be natural spellcasting abilities, a physiology partially stone, embedded stones in the body, or Earth-associated natural abilities. Like Pikta, materials harvested from Kalipsis can be used as the material components in Earth Element magic spells and TW creations. For this reason, a large school for Earth Warlocks, Elemental Fusionists, and Stone Masters has been set up on Kalipsis.
In addition to the United Systems Alliance having a stake in Kalipsis, so does the Egyptian Pantheon. Roughly 60% of the population hail from an Earth-analogue Ancient Nile culture, the Sudarians, who inhabited a pocket universe, Memphis-Sudar, that became endangered by a Demonic Invasion, apparently drawn by magical aspects of the pocket. The Egyptian Pantheon could not respond to the threat in time(there are indications they were distracted by other fronts in the Minion War), but agents of Thoth were able to contact the United Systems Alliance, offering them the coordinates of Kalipsis in return for the USA rescuing the Sudarians and escorting them to safety.
The USAJC managed to pull together roughly three divisions of troops and threw them into a rescue mission, in the face of hellacious resistance as they broke through the demonic siege. Though the rescue force arrived too late to prevent some loss of life(the old SuPharaoh died along with most of his elite palace guard in a valiant rearguard action before USAJC troops could fight their way to his position), they were able to evacuate most of the pocket dimension’s 12 million residents, including the late SuPharaoh’s son and family. As the USAJC force retreated from Memphis-Sudar, the pocket became catastrophically destabilized; it is not known if this was a spiteful action of the demons or some last action ordered by the SuPharaoh of his elder priests(or perhaps initiated by one of the Egyptian pantheon) to deny the demons their prize. What is known as that the last reading through the closing dimensional rift showed Memphis-Sudar self-destructing.
The refugee Sudarians and their new SuPharaoh, Auhum Sushuf, have been resettled on Kalipsis, to reestablish their society. The USAJC troops who participated in the rescue expedition were all given land grants on Kalipsis as well; though many sold off their stakes, others became in effect absentee landlords while others have retired to the planet as their enlistment ran out. Other colonists have also come from various parts of the United Systems Alliance, including a number of Vinobes and Aurelog Goblin goldsmths, eager to set up shop on Kalipsis.
This has led to an interesting social experiment, with a devout population with an ordained king communicating with a known deity-pantheon, living and working alongside a smaller atheist-agnostic population working towards democracy and charged with helping the former culture adapt to the megaverse. Fortunately, the SuPharaoh finds power-sharing with the Colonial Governor a novel and enlightening experience. There has already been some intermarriage between the two groups(among the new unions, one of the younger sisters of SuPharaoh Auhum Sushuf has become engaged to one of Colonial Governor Sanford’s senior adjutants).
Since the establishment of Sudera-en-Kalipsis, and at least a temporary easing of the local Minion War tensions, several members of the Egyptian Pantheon have managed to visit the planet in passing and offer the settlements their blessing(Hathor most definitely to talk to the Vinobe, Ptah gave his approval to local industry, Seshat to bless the new public library built by the USU, as part of their growing branch-campus nearby, and though Min didn’t think there was enough of a social scene yet to stick around, he still offered his blessings for good crops and fertility). This has been occasion for great celebration(and subsequent baby-booms), and a unique opportunity for the GNE/USA to observe the Egyptian Pantheon and potentially cultivate contacts.
As with Pikta, as Kalipsis’s commercial value grows, it is feared the planet’s commerce may attract piracy; the USAJC is looking at establishing a larger presence in the system. Currently the space station around Kalipsis plays host to docking facilities for three sector -patrolling light cruisers, and several surface bases host aerospace fighter squadrons and several Haizams.

The existence of planets like Pikta and Kalipsis has USA scientists and warlocks wondering if there are planets representing Water and Air.

Solar System (Ra-Hela)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars:
-Yellow Dwarf
Number of Planets: 10
-Gas Giant (Fharan)----Small ‘warm’ gas giant Pharan shows a definite corona of gas excited by Ra-Hela, leading to it being nicknamed, among other things, the ‘hairy star’ or the ‘mouse star’ when it is visible from Kalipsis.

-Gas Giant (Hilanis) ----Jupiter-sized Hilanis is readily visible from Kalipsis and is four-five times brighter in the Kalipsian sky than Venus is from Earth. Later scientific probes of Hilanis’s atmosphere[here discovered a strange spacecraft, shaped like a double-pyramid, floating in Hilanis’s clouds. Though USA crews did not board the vessel, markings on its exterior lead them to believe the vessel is an automated probe used by Thoth’s organization, and was used in the initial studies of the Ra-Hela system. The probes has thus been left alone to continue whatever it’s been doing.

-Terrestrial (Kalipsis)----System lifeworld

-Gas Giant (Tonk) ----Miniscule Tonk is sometimes used as gravity slingshot post for spacecraft traveling in the system.

-Gas Giant (Kharphon) ----Large gas giant Kharphon would be a logical site for gas mining in the system, but for a lack of substantial moons. Usan scouts are still prospecting the smaller bodies for base sites. In the meantime, a heavily shielded Plymouth-class station provides a base-camp for gas-skimming operations.

-Asteroid(Arlo)---- This large rocky planetiissimal wasn’t named by the Suderians, but in honor of Corporal Kath Arlo, one of the heroes and casualties of the Memphis-Sudar evacuation. Its most prominent feature is a ‘Arlo’s Brow’, large rock outcropping that resembles a human face with jutting nose, heavy eyebrows, and a grimacing mouth(no Elemental presence has been detected; they checked).

-Gas Giant (Phton) ----Large Phton sports a set of rings, hinting at a former moon system that apparently bashed itself into rubble sometime in the ancient past. What intrigues USU researchers is the recent discovery of organic traces consistent with exolife in the debris, suggesting that the moons may have hosted extremophile life, or perhaps been large exolife organisms themselves.

-Gas Giant (Reth) ----Tiny Reth is notable for an orbital track some eight-five degrees off Ra-Hela’s true ecliptic plane. Usan scientists are at a loss as to why this is. When informed of the curious motion of one of their new neighboring planets, Suderian astrologer-priests joked that ‘Reth wanted to get away from the crowd every once and a while’. The joke has subsequently stuck, and Reth is sometimes called ‘the Tourist’ or the ‘Recluse’ planet. One of its two tiny moons plays host to an automated sensor station set up by USU.

-Terrestrial (Nivah) ----Large icy planet in the outer solar system. Descriptions of it led the Suderians to nickname it the ‘cold house’. Aside from a dense methane atmosphere, there’s little to interest the casual traveler to Nivah, though geoplanetary scans have detected hints of potentially valuable metal deposits deep under the gray clouds.

-Asteroid(Tribo)----Another planetiissimal named by the Usans, Tribo was named for another martyr of the Memphis-Sudar campaign, Sergeant Woslan Tribo. Tribo the rock plays host to a deep space sensor array monitoring FTL traffic around Ra-Hela’s neighborhood.

Planet (Kalipsis)
Mostly dry and covered in desert and rocky wastes, Kalipsis seems imbued with the essence of Elemental Earth. Even its ecology seems entangled with Earth Elemental magic, ranging from antelope-analogs with silica armor, to rocks that move of their own accord.
From a mineralogy standpoint, Kalipsis is a miner’s dream-hoard; traces of precious minerals are in abundance, especially gold, silver, and various gemstones. The problem is the shifting geology, making mining efforts exercises in speed-extraction before the landscape shifts and reshapes itself. Magic is often required to exploit mineral deposits, stabilizing the geography while mining crews get at the minerals. Mining on Kalipsis has sometimes been compared to commercial fishing, with caravans of mining vehicles tracking down, and in some cases pursuing, moving mineral deposits. Some areas of Kalipsis are so seismically active that miners boast of needing to get ‘land legs’ to walk across the shaking landscape.
Civilization has been established in several large fertile river valleys, of which the largest is the River Dush, followed by the Viac and the Diar. A large lake, Ohranca, provides opportunity for aquaculture. The refugee Sudarians have, with assistance, quickly regained their stability and have built clean and well-planned communities that astonish visitors, who are surprised to learn the elegant buildings and monuments are only about ten years old. Pyramids are a common feature of Kalipsian architecture, but also serve a utilitarian purpose as magic concentrators and stabilizers. Ka-Suderians, even with the trauma of losing their original homeland in the recent past, are a handsome, generally peaceful, gregarious people who enjoy arts and crafts and active lifestyles, but also are class-oriented by their long history as a hierarchal society. The usan colonists alongside them are more technically-inclined, generally less spiritual, and more given to active social advancement and change careers more frequently. Many are ex-servicemen who have taken the Suderians’ invitation to settle down with them and have established households, but who also act as reserves for the planetary militia.
SuPharaoh Auhum Sushuf has reconstituted his Palace Guard, but they train with modern weapons and armor, and with technowizardry created from local materials. The SuPharaoh is dedicated to making sure his people are better prepared to defend themselves against future trouble. For their part, the USAns have established a military presence on Kalipsis, with several bases hidden in the shifting desert.
Kalipisis is currently served by an orbiting Plymouth Multipurpose Space Platform/Habitat handling commercial traffic and maintaining a satellite network.

Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 12,800 km
Gravity: 1.1 g
Temperature: Temperate, albeit on the warmer side over most of the planet(“But it’s a DRY heat”). Nights can get quite cold, and the polar ice caps are fairly substantial(and a potential source of tappable water).
Unusual/Special Features:
*Strong Ambient Magic Field--Kalipsis possesses a strong local magic field, allowing for easier casting of magic spells, though only Earth magic is megadamage.
*Prevalence of Elemental Earth----Elemental Earth is strong on Kalipsis.
*Unusual Geology----Volcanoes are few and far between on Kalipsis, though it does have the occasional warm springs, mud geysers, and plate tectonics. Earthquakes are common, often reshaping natural features on a regular basis. Civilization has been established in the few stable zones(which coincidentally is where most of the water is).

Atmosphere: Breathable terrestrial nitrox mix, but sand- and dust-storms are an issue. The farmers don’t mind these, though, because the dust deposited is inevitably rich in nutrients that fertilize their soil.
Terrain:
Hostile; besides craggy, rocky ground, Kalipsis’s unusual geology reshapes itself with landslides, mudslides, up-thrustings, dune migrations and earthquakes. That having been said, there are a few stable areas; large river valleys, plateaus, and oasises, where civilization is possible(and indeed, where the settlements have been established).
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Cobalt
- Gold/Silver
- Molybdenite
- Chromium
- Fluorite
- Quartz
- Salt
- Samarskite
-Garnet
-Onyx
Hydrosphere:
Badlands---Most of Kalipsis’s water is locked under the crust, but there are regions where it bubbles to the surface forming large lakes, oasis-ponds, and large fertile river valleys. In other areas, natural springs have been known to appear spontaneously as the geography shifts.
Biosphere:
Dense---Kalipsis has a surprisingly dense and diverse ecosystem. Some notable animals include the granigote, a sheep-like animal that grows a rock-hard battering ram on its head able to crack reinforced concrete, sand-panths, catlike predators that spray streams of high-velocity sand particles, yorgos; pangolin-like creatures sheathed in stone accretions, and jackhers, vulture-like avians with woodpecker-like beaks able to jackhammer through reinforced skin and shell to get at the meat inside. The related hydril can sense water even through several meters of rock and can dig to get at it. Peeblators are landcrab analogues that live inside sand dunes and have developed a taste for synthetic rubber, making them a menace to unattended tire-shod wheeled land vehicles. Stone Bugs(see Rifts England) are also fairly common.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
27 million. 59% Sudarian Human, 28% Human (87% total ), 13% other
There is a large number of Vinobes who recognize their patroness, Hathor, among the deities the Sudarians worship. The Vinobes thus often serve as mediators and liaisons between the Sudarian and Usan populations.
Technology:
Information Age, with some Galactic technologies and plenty of Technowizardry.
The Sudarians still live at a simpler agrarian level of technology, but have become acclimated to various technological conveniences, seeing them as simply another form of applicable magic. Technowizardry they are even more accepting of, and the Suderians, in conjunction with their neighbors, have been developing some interesting forms of Elemental Golemancy, creating giant animated statues(including giant stone sphinxes).
Economy:
Mining, Technowizardry, and Agriculture. The harvesting of magical components/minerals and crystals dominates the economy, the GNErs/Usans produce TW products, but the agrarian Sudarians also lend a hand to the economy with their gold/silversmithing, gemstone cutting, and agriculture. Kalipsian kotton is beginning to gain in offworld sales for its quality.
Wealth:
Rich; Kalipsis’s mineral riches, plus the growing local technowizardry industry, are making the colonists all very wealthy. Even the traditionally impoverished Sudarian peasants and class servants can afford good things, even with local inflation.
Government:
The Sudarians are ruled by a hereditary Pharaoh who serves as head of the Sudarian church, and who communicates with the Egyptian gods and goddesses.
The Usans are governed by a colonial governor selected by the GNE, pending a large enough local population to support democratic elections.
A power-sharing arrangement has been organized between the SuPharaoh and the Colonial Governor, the former tending to handle issues of land distribution and spiritual matters, and the latter handling planetary defense, industrial operations, and offworld trade, but not exclusively.
Law Level:
Lawful----Both cultures have well-organized comprehensive codes of law with many points in common. They’re also willing to leave the haggling over the differences to their respective professional lawyers, who can be found at just about any time of day in the public spaces, arguing the finer points of law over a meal or drinks.
Popularity:
Fanatical----The Sudarians are worshipful of the memory of the martyred late SuPharaoh, and equally devoted to the son who succeeded him. They see the Usans as servants of the gods sent to rescue them(technically correct; Thoth has been manipulating the United Systems Alliance as a trusted tool in his campaign against the Forces of Darkness). The blessings of the gods has only set this in stone.
The USAn colonists are arguably just as fanatically loyal to their constitution, securing the resources of Kalipsis for the Alliance, and doing right for the displaced Suderians.
Stability:
Long-Standing; both cultures have strong traditional cultures or at least well-organized ones. The Suderians are grateful to the usans for rescuing them, the usans are happy to have a ptofitable happy colony with peaceful neighbors.
There is some friction with the more conservative Sudarians who disapprove of other Sudarians embracing the more liberal institutions of the Usans, just as some of the more conservative GNErs and other Usans disapprove, or are taken aback by, some of the traditional customs and social mores of the Sudarians, such as indentured servitude and peonage. Some of the older Suderians are SHOCKED that the usans don’t take more than five wives to establish dynastic bloodlines, while many usans are agog at Sudarian class-caste acceptance, with many generations accepting being servants to established landed aristocracy(there has been no small amount of change in this with the Suderians having access to more land on Kalipsis and a growing amount of intermarriage and other consorting with the more liberal usans) . In general, though, such disagreements over details are grist for long libation-lubricated debates or yet another bone thrown to the already well-libationed lawyers.

Some Kalipsian Products:
*Kalipsian Kotton-----Brought by the refugees from Memphis-Sudar, the seeds of this plant have thrived in Kalipsis’s soil. The fiber is considered exceptionally silky yet strong, and is beginning to command good prices in offworld markets.

*Thoughtstone----A clay-like material, laced with granulated psylite, thoughtstone can be reshaped with thought. Though too soft to make tools from, thoughtstone is currently sold as a novelty item, though some researchers are exploring he possibilities of creating regenerating stonework or amorphic golems from the material.

*Aeroroc----Pumice-like stone that attracts and traps airborne contaminants. Raw aeroroc is sold as air fresheners, while processed sheets of it are part of air filtration systems.

*Ril-Stones---Ril-stones are billardball-sized spheres of polished stone that have proven useful as meditation aides for Earth Elemental Warlocks and Earth-oriented Elemental-Fusionists. Holding one in hand while meditating gives a +1d4 PPE per hour(yes, holding two will give a +2d4 per hour, but holding a third in your lap will not add additional PPE recovery). Ril-stones will also begin quivering in the presence of Earth Elemental magic within a 500 ft radius.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Thu Sep 09, 2021 9:14 pm

The United Systems Alliance and the Georgia Protectorate
“Together we of the Protectorate and the Alliance could unify the Rim as it should be unified...or between us we could tear it so far apart that unification would become a dirty word for millennia to come.”

“Your Highness, the Georgian Guard may have been bloodied and blooded fighting the enemies of the realm without the promised Consortium support, but the usans...well, if our armed forces are the scarred and wary loyal watchdog, they’re angry junkyard mastiffs. They fight dirty and they make their own shivvs. We may have more heavy iron in our squadrons, but that’s all older ships we’ve either inherited or bought, while the Alliance is actively developing and building their own.”

“The Georgians got the bad habit of trying to take stuff that wasn’t theirs to take, so the Consortium moved to take them back. The Alliance never did that; they take stuff the Consortium doesn’t want back.”

The Georgia Protectorate was formed by breakaway worlds from the Consortium of Civilized Worlds, after much disaffection with the way the CCW addressed the concerns of their less-advantaged members. The Georgia Protectorate has painted itself as a champion of the disaffected and dissatisfied in the CCW, and has off-and-on launched publicity campaigns to rally other disgruntled worlds to their banner, especially after the CCW ‘showed its true colors’ by taking up arms against them and trying to take back several worlds(or at least neighboring assets) by force.
In that the Protectorate and the USA would seem very similar, drawing on worlds that have been abandoned by the CCW, or feel dissatisfaction with CCW policies. While some have predicted the two organizations would make natural allies, the fact of the matter is they don’t really get along well. The GP has advocated complete secession and break away from the CCW, while the USA doesn’t care if its members hold dual allegiance to both the CCW and the USA, as long as nobody gets boned in the process.
Recent revelations that the Demons of Hades have been manipulating events to promote war between the Protectorate and the CCW, and the upheavals in the CCW government following the Infernal attacks on Terra Prime and other metroworlds, have changed the political landscape. A rescued and returned Princess Jillian has blown open doors on Georgia Prime, adding new life to anti-secessionism in the Protectorate.
However, enough bad blood and legitimate dissatisfaction remains active in the worlds of the Georgia Protectorate that any negotiations to halt secession proceedings, let alone rejoin the CCW, have been delayed at the very least. Not everybody believes that ‘demons’ or ‘dyvals’ have been behind every incident that set the Protectorate and the Consortium at each others’ throats, and some believe the CCW is using the Minion War incursion as a fallback excuse to cover their real cupability. The conspiracy-mongering and suspicion has left Protectorate-Consortium relations in an uneasy limbo.
This has led to opportunity for the USA to attract those worlds that would have flocked to the Protectorate’s tent. The USA is seen as doing things for the disadvantaged worlds, and with the CCW’s at least quiet approval, which gives them a legitimacy the Georgians lack. In many ways, the USA is many things the Protectorate would LIKE to be; innovative, pro-active, uplifting, growing, and self-reliant, without incurring CCW backlash. It has its own growing professional military(they build their own warships!), strong industry, and strengthening ties to major power blocs. On the minus side, its core, including the GNE, are relative unknowns and wild card factors, while the Protectorate has a history with the CCW and is familiar to many of the CCW worlds. The USA is also accumulating a list of enemies or at least conflicts of the sort the Protectorate is complaining about lacking assistance from the CCW to deal with.
For now, the Georgian Protectorate has continued to remain back from the CCW, waiting to see if the ‘Shaw Reformation’ has more widespread and lasting effects, before committing to a more decisive course of action. The United Systems Alliance is looked at with equal caution, as either a positive force of action that is diminishing Georgian pull, or a disguised front for CCW policy enforcement, given rumors of how the Fringe-state has dealt with some of its enemies. There’s also many in the Protectorate who see the USA as an example that it IS possible to be separate from, yet arguably equal to, the monolithic CCW, and that encourages those in the Protectorate to continue pursuing secession.
The USA is fortunate in that its own members are not located anywhere near the Protectorate, but it does trade with both the GP and its neighbors. That has put on hold any pressing need to make a decision with regards to the Georgian question. No formal agreements or treaties exist between the two currently.
The Georgians neither wish to antagonize the Alliance, which the eyes-open leaders in the Protectorate have rightly ascertained has the greater combat experience and better military, nor do they want to get involved with a polity that is involved in so many side-actions. Despite some in the Protectorate wanting to pursue closer relations or even a mutual assistance pact, many political analysts in the Protectorate, especially on the staff of the Georgian Royal Family, fear that a disagreement over who would assume leadership of the breakaway worlds would ensue.
On their side, while the USA respects the Protectorate’s desire to manage its own affairs and help its own people, free of the stifling bureaucracy of the CCW’s power structures, the Alliance has its misgivings about how the Protectorate has gone about distancing itself from CCW politics. The USA also sees the Protectorate being slow to react to the changing political scenes in the HA and CCW and move to make positive change to its benefit. It’s possible, for example, that the Protectorate could, if they moved fast enough, supplant the currently discredited Human Alliance as the new spiritual, in a sense, leaders of humanity in the CCW, but the Georgians’ caginess is making that difficult.
The CCW’s take on all this is that it’s all very well and good if the Protectorate trades with the USA, because maybe the illusion of being independent of the Consortium will defuse some of the Georgians’ anger. Just as long as they don’t acquire anything too powerful, or use any of their new toys to swipe stuff from the CCW, the Protectorate can slide away from the CCW peacefully and make their own mistakes on their own dime.
In all likelihood, though, were the Georgia Protectorate to open hostilities with the CCW, unless the CCW had gone COMPLETELY mad, the USA would cut off all but humanitarian aid to the Protectorate(the USA would not supply ships or weapons to them), and would oppose any Protectorate ‘asset recompensation’ raids if they were initated against USA worlds or trade ports. The USA does NOT want an unstable CCW for a neighbor, given their proximity and balance of trade.

The United Systems Alliance and the Golgan Republik at War
“Again, we’ve managed to **** off a major power and escaped its full-on retribution....so far.”

“The Golgan Front’s proving an eye-opener for many. The Usans are learning how paranoid the froggos can be when traveling abroad, with as many ships as they can group up in a formation, while the Golgies are learning just how tenacious the fringies can be when cornered. The Ultrovians in particularly have been gobsmacked by the magic they’re seeing being deployed by the usans, both as casters and hardware. It’s leading some of the ulties to try stupid stuff, while driving others to hard liquor.”

Though the Battle of Altess Prime would firmly cement the USA as an enemy in the eyes of the Golgan Republik, and an open state of war declared by the Argosy on the USA, the declaration has changed little between the two nations.
The USA has few points of contact in terms of cosmic borders between themselves and the Republik. Vivisand is one of the exceptions, but as it represents the furthest extent of the Golgan Republik towards the CCW colonies of the Thundercloud Hollan Gulf and Oswoe Arm(several USA outposts are much closer to Vivisand than Golgan worlds), trying to push the issue any more aggressively invites getting the effort nipped off far more easily than the Republik can reinforce it. Unless the Republik is willing to risk overextending itself, it cannot easily hit vital targets within the United Systems Alliance. With more immediate opposition closer at hand to deal with, the Republik isn’t yet willing to dedicate the ships and troops to specifically go after the far-flung USA worlds(real-time FTL sensors making it much easier to track major fleet movements over interstellar distances), but will use opportunities when attacking traditional adversaries like the Central Alliance, with ties to the USA, to go after any USA assets they encounter.
The USA lacks the manpower, hulls, and resources to take on the numerically larger Golgan Republik, so offensive strategic operations are out of the question. Taking over Golgan worlds is unthinkable in the current political and logistical climes.
Thus, the war between the USA and the GR is a series of chance encounters between ships sniping at each other, the USA responding to Golgan raids on outposts and allies, and the USA stepping up its aid to breakaway elements of the Republik’s buffer states. The Golgans have been targeting(either directly with the Argosy or encouraging proxy-states) USA shipping, especially when they suspect the USA is helping those same breakaway factions. In return, the USA has released an unknown number of their high-powered ‘hobo’ parties to conduct spoiler attacks ad sabotage on Golgan facilities, disrupting communications, military logistics, and research and development. The Republik has been quick to jump on this and try to make it a negative public relations issue for the the USA, claiming that the United Systems Alliance has hypocritically unleashed ‘pirates’ on legal, honest, and vulnerable Golgan merchantmen.

Omegasgundam · Unread post by **Omegasgundam** » Fri Sep 10, 2021 2:22 am

taalismn wrote:The United Systems Alliance and the Georgia Protectorate
“The Georgians got the bad habit of trying to take stuff that wasn’t theirs to take, so the Consortium moved to take them back. The Alliance never did that; they take stuff the Consortium doesn’t want back.”

That last part capitulates the relationship with the CCW quite well doesn't it. That those things become worth having after a great deal of time and effort doesn't factor into the equation, as the CCW of old would never have managed to do so in the first place.

As for the issue at hand, the Georgians just have too much of the 'Core World Taint' for much of the rim to be fully comfortable with, and the USA being a viable alternative means that they will be massively preferred by those of the independent mindset.

taalismn wrote:The United Systems Alliance and the Golgan Republik at War
“Again, we’ve managed to **** off a major power and escaped its full-on retribution....so far.”

The relative direct threat of the Golgans was balanced against how much they could divert from their Reconquista campaigns, and the USA higher ups decided that the development funding the Altess could bring to bear well exceeded the how much damage the frogs could manage without crippling themselves even faster. As far as notable powers to **** off, the Golgans are one of the least bad, and simple distance is enough to limit the extent of the problem. Many of the more significant economic power blocks would prefer to deal with the various break away states rather than the Golgans, so its not just the USA that's going to help prop them up either. My current outline is that the Golgan ultimately collapse well short of their goals, but just how far they get and how messy it will be is an open to debate.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:23 am

Omegasgundam wrote:

As for the issue at hand, the Georgians just have too much of the 'Core World Taint' for much of the rim to be fully comfortable with, and the USA being a viable alternative means that they will be massively preferred by those of the independent mindset..

And the total 'us first' diehard worlds aren't going to go seeking unions that tie them to other worlds in the first place, so they're easily bypassed until they decide a little give-and0take is in their best interest and they come out ready to play with the rest of the kids.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:11 pm

And now for some (more) people in need of help....

GRAND VORARCHY OF PANMANDU(Anvil Galaxy)

The Ghawdeen militia sergeant looked down the line of her assembled squad, then squinted again at the ship in the blindingly bright red and gold gracing the end of the landing apron. If she knew her ships at all, that looked like an ancient Suraflite long range shuttle groaning under the weight of that paint job and an elaborate assemblage of utterly superfluous fins and wings that must have added a third more to the small ship’s mass. As she and the honor guard watched and waited, the ship’s cargo bay doors groaned open and a gilded stage platform squealingly extended out on tracks on the lowered ramp. A fanfare of brass music blew...played, the soldiers could see, by LIVE musicians along the back of the stage, as two figures in nearly as much cloth-of-gold and ornamentation as adorned their ship, stepped forward. The taller of the two stepped up, unrolled a large scroll, and began to intone in a loud voice that carried the undertones of electronic amplification:
“WE, THE SOVEREIGN PEOPLE OF THE GRAND VORARCHY OF PANMANDU, DO GREET OUR STAR-KIN OF THE UNITED SYSTEMS ALLIANCE, AND HONOR THEM WITH THIS, OUR EMISSARY PARTY, TO BESTOW UPON THEM OUR FAVOR WITH OUR APPLICATION TO JOIN THEIR MOST AUGUST COMPANY AND LEND THEM OUR GREAT STRENGTH IN INTERSTELLAR HARMONY!”
Each sentence of that proclamation was punctuated by the shorter, but broader, figure standing next the crier and very solemnly shaking a very elaborate rattle staff that must have weighed as much as a crew-served rail gun.
For her part, the sergeant kept her eyes forward, and her ears alert for anybody in the ranks snickering at the display. All they had to do was behave dignified, while being quietly alert for anything suspicious. Just keep up the ‘honor guard’ front until the politicos could take over, take this bunch off her hands, and then she and her men could gratefully fade back to guard positions behind the spaceport buildings and the heavy fighting vehicles stationed there under cover. Just like the other times ‘diplomatic envoys’ had arrived to announce themselves on the doorstep of this outpost of the Alliance. Like the two last week, and the one last month...
But damned if it didn’t seem to her that they were getting -weirder-.

Though the Grand Vorarchy’s initial diplomatic approach to the United Systems Alliance has become comic legend for its bombasity and overplaying, the Panmanduans were deadly serious about wanting to join the USA. The tiny star nation(by virtue of having a handful of decrepit civil spacers acquired fourth- or fifth-hand from random spacers) needed help to survive. Their planet is facing climatic crisis and they have no idea why or what to do about it, so they have turned to the stars for help. Given their proximity to the T’ghari Domain and the Brualli warzone, the Panmanduans saw little chance of receiving help from their neighbors, though. Then they heard of a new power in the region, the United Systems Alliance, which was helping out underprivileged worlds. Though embarrassed to admit it, the Panmanduans figured they qualified. They assembled a suitably dignified-looking diplomatic mission and sent it off to the nearest USA outpost to introduce themselves and make their case.
The Panmanduan homeworld is undergoing dramatic climate change, the planet cooling more rapidly than their limited technologies can compensate. Their space capabilities are too limited to build orbital solettes or evacuate enough of their population to avoid extinction, so they are desperately looking to find a Galactic organization who will save them. The United Systems Alliance seems to be their best hope and they are willing to negotiate for their help.
Once the diplomats on Ghawdeen got past the loud mummery of the Panmanduan introduction and parsed the bloviated speech of their emissaries, communication of a more serious nature managed to take place and the visitors were able to convey their urgent appeal for assistance.
An expedition to survey conditions and evaluate the situation in the Hargana system has been launched, accompanying the Panmanduan diplomatic vessel back to its homeworld.

Solar System(Hargana)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars:
-Red Dwarf
Number of Planets: 6
-Terrestrial(Panmandu)---System lifeworld

-Gas Giant(Doaddi)---- Tiny Doaddi is a constant presence in the Panmandu sky and serves as their ‘morning star’. It has an eccentric orbit trailing Panmandu, suggesting a gravitational lock. There’s little to interest the casual visitor, and even the Panmanduans on their occasional spaceflight/joyrides around their solar system no longer stop by to look at the clouds of Doaddi.

-Terrestrial(Hoate) ----Average-sized Hoate is cold and almost entirely covered in ice, giving it a high albedo. Occasionally, one of the Panmanduans’ few spacecraft will make a trip to Hoate and load up with water ice as a novel treat at some festival. Aside from Panmandu, Hoate is where most visitors to the system stop to stock up on water(especially AFTER visiting Panmandu, with all that desert still on their minds and inspiring thirst).

-Terrestrial(Chodel)---- Small Chodel is another cold and icy world that the Panmanduans have landed on, picked up some rocks, kicked some ice, and declared themselves satisfied with having reached another world in their solar system. They haven’t been back since.

-Gas Giant(Dremesnu) ----Microscopic Dremesnu describes an eccentric, almost cometary, orbital path that takes in inside the orbits of Hoate and Chodel. It has been suggested that in the ancient past, Dremesnu may have orbited even closer to Hargana, and lost much of its original gas mass due to evaporation.

-Terrestrial(Dalmandu)----Huge Dalmandu’s existence was postulated by Panmanduan astrologer-astronomers observing Dremesnu’s eccentric orbit even before visiting tramp spacers confirmed it with their own hypermass-readings.

Planet(Panmandu)
Panmandu is an arid rocky world sparsely speckled with oasis wells, small fertile river canyons and tiny ice caps. Nevertheless, life has achieved a foothold here, first with what appears to be a native ecology, and later with human colonists who have physically adapted to the local conditions.
Panmanduans can be characterized as a lusty, energetic people who have adapted well to their arid surroundings on Panmandu. They are fond of festivities, spectacle, and drama; live theater ranging from epic opera to standup comedy is alive and well on their homeworld, and story-spinners can be found in just about every community. At any given time somewhere on Panmandu there is some sort of musical or performance festival going on, and some of the wealthier Panmanduans spend their lives/retirements traveling from one celebration to another.
Panmanduans don’t need to drink very often, so social drinking are special occasions and the locals do not stint on quality; dahooz is a particularly potent local liquor distilled from a cactus, and is considered so good that some Panmanduans will not drink for weeks in advance of a dahooz-serving to heighten its effects.
The Panmanduans have a small ‘fleet’ of spacecraft, six functional(two FTL shuttles, a small scoutship with a broken FTL drive, and three local space lighters) and two more ships that are cannibalized for parts.
The sudden cooldown of their world has come as a shock to the normally carefree Panmanduans and prompted them to reach out to the larger galaxy for help.

Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 13,000 km
Gravity: 1.7 g
Temperature: Temperate, but Cooling; Panmandu seems for some reason to be sliding towards a cryogean period. The average temperature was 127 degrees F, but has cooled down over a 12 year period to 110 degrees, and the trend seems to be accelerating. The locals have begun to see killer cold spots hitting more frequently.
Unusual/Special Features:
-Moons(2)---Panmandu has two moons, a huge one(Hamoii) and a smaller one(Pactoli). The Panmanduans have visited both with their limited space capability, and Hamoii has yielded treasure in the form of several metal-rich meteor impact sites that the Panmanduans are digging out.
-Rings---Panmandu has a set of thin rings of rocky debris where a small asteroid or moonlet broke up.
-Craters---The Hargana system’s lack of large ‘sweeper’ gas giants to gravitationally police loose space debris shows in the cratered surfaces of its planets. Dry Panmandu has less water erosion to wear away ancient craters so they remain a prominent part of the landscape.
Atmosphere: Thin, but breathable terrestrial-style nitrox-mix.
Terrain:
Unusual Seismology----While Panmandu lacks volcanoes(at best they have some ht springs and fumaroles), it does have earthquakes with some regularity, in distinct ‘seasons’ like hurricanes.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Manganese
- Cobalt
- Mercury
- Wolframite
- Borax
- Fluorite
- Graphite
- Ruby
Hydrosphere:
Desert. Water sources are few and far between; waterholes, deep crevice canyon streams, and oasis-’islands’.
Biosphere:
Dense----Despite the scarcity of open water, Panmandu possesses a vibrant ecosystem well-adapted to the arid conditions. Many native plants and animals sequester water, and predators often hunt their prey as much for their water-storage organs as for meat.
Unfortunately, the Panmanduans have begun to see die-offs of some species as the planet inexplicably cools. This includes some species the natives use for food.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
84 million variant sept Humans---Panmanduans have large pointed ears, their skins are thick and scaly(+30 SDC), and bright yellow and orange hair is common in the population. Living under high gravity and in an arid environment, they have the following bonuses under regular terrestrial gravity: -2 to P.P.(appear lumbering and clumsy), +2d4 to P.S, Speed x3, +2d4x10 SDC. They do not sweat, and have very efficient water retention, being able to go without drinking for 8 + their P.E. in days.
Technology:
Industrial Age(though of the cottage industry sort, using refined materials from a few larger factory-like concerns), with a few pieces of legacy technology and imported high-tech(such as their spacecraft). They have a few airships(mainly used for government travel) and heat-engine automobiles(including closed cycle steam engines and a unique mercury-vapor engine type). A few technicians with offworld training make comfortable livings maintaining and modifying the high tech equipment the Panmanduans have acquired from what trade they have with passing starships.
Economy:
The local economy is based around barter, with itinerant traders moving foodstuffs, raw materials, and finished goods from community to community. This has also contributed to the art of haggling becoming something of a pastime on Panmandu, though the looming climatic crisis cut the inherent desire to bargain long and dramatically short in the emissaries sent to the USA colony on Ghawdeen.
Wealth:
Impoverished by Galactic standards; though they can feed their own population(at least until recently), the Panmanduans have little surplus to pursue other projects.
Government:
Gendocracy---Women run Panmandu. Though not quite a matriarchy, women are realized as being more organization-minded than men, who traditionally do the heavy labor. The Panmanduans have a global government of sorts: a grand council of regional headswomen known as the High Vorcan, who select a chairwoman, known as the Prima Vorca.
Law Level:
Overbearing---Though Panmanduans are a generally a well-fed happy lot, their harsh environment still demands strict laws to make sure nobody endangers the communities by abusing available resources. Visitors to the planet would find the sight of long-blade-armed zytu squads led by female magisters and empowered under law to kill water-wasters and other felons on the spot disconcerting. Career criminals on Panmandu lend to live flamboyant, but short, lives.
Popularity:
Popular--- Panmanduans LIKE their government; it keeps them on course, safe, fed, and entertained. There was some unease when word of the cooldown got out into the public, but they have since been reassured that their elected officials have taken action and sought expert help with the problem.
Stability:
Dynastic---As long as anybody can remember, the Vorcan councils have ruled the Panmanduan people wisely and fairly.

(GM Notes: I’ve deliberately NOT decided to reveal what the cause of Panmandu’s crisis is; it could be an extradimensional phenomena sapping the planet’s heat, a deliberate attack---maybe the Arzhur trying a different tack in their war on the Warm?----or maybe some megacosmic thing going on)

Dejorah and the Thidians(Thundercloud Galaxy)
“If anything, the Thidians were even more desperate than the Panmanduans to solicit our help. You don’t get several thousand people to don chains and march voluntarily into slavery in a foreign land to escape enslavement in another foreign land unless they’re REALLY desperate.”

“This thing’s a six hundred year-old Dultrex Cee-Eighty converted into a cryogenic livestock transport somewhere along the line. These ships were demobbed after the Lanator Accords ended the First Great War! And the stasis chambers aren’t much newer! Somebody should be shot...I don’t know whether it should be the Thidian party or the spacers they hired...for committing two thousand plus passengers to the mercies of this piece of space junk! How the hell they managed to land it, load it, get it here, and land again safely is ...well, I rate it among the mysteries of the cosmos, but they are NOT taking this thing back into space again, loaded or unloaded, if I have any say in the matter!”
-Port Master Vescarr Alord, Tarr-Eba Station, United Systems Alliance Thundercloud

“The Reapings cast a shadow over our lives constantly. Even between them, knowing we have years yet to worry about them, there is always the fear; what if they decide to come early? What if they change their patterns? Do we dare for something of longevity, or permanence, knowing it might be taken or destroyed in the next Reaping?”

Thidians are a variant Human sept settled on the terrestrial planet of Dejorah, where they have lived for over eight hundred years.
The Thidians desperately fear what they call The Reaping, a periodic (every fifty years) invasion from extradimensional space in which the planet’s population is visited by aliens or possibly demonic beings, who take a number of Thidians, by force if necessary, and an attendant weeks-long looting of the more interesting communities and artifacts. Attempts to resist have resulted in more violent responses from the Reapers, a greater number of Thidians either taken or killed outright, and more collateral damage inflicted. A few Thidians are taken but released, after what sounds like medical study or experimentation. There is evidence that some past Reapings have been particularly vicious, taking Thidian society to nearly Stone Age levels.
Interestingly enough, the aftermath of the Reapings is marked by a spike in both crop and Thidian fertility, with a ‘baby boom’ making up population losses in short order.
As the next Reaping approaches, some Thidians decided enough was enough. They managed to contact a passing tramp-spacer and arranged to hire them to carry an emissary party to seek help in resisting the Reapings. The spacers agreed to help them, or at least transport their party, after being rather well compensated(the USA’s ITC would politely say the Thidians were gouged) in raw gemstones.
The Thidians were desperate enough that they offered up the USA over two thousand of their own people as slaves(and they found volunteers) in their opening negotiations. It’s debatable whether the Thidians were unaware of the antislavery clauses in the Alliance charter, or if they were fully aware of them and using the slave offer as a shocker to show how desperate they were, knowing the USA would refuse the slaves and offer to help them anyway. There was also some thought that the two thousand cryostasis’ed would-be slaves might be the nucleus of a refugee colony if the mission failed to get more substantial help.

Depending on the situation, defeating the Reaping may be as simple as building a few dimensional pyramids to seal any dimensional rifts from forming...or it may take a full-blown military taskforce to forcibly close. The Thidians’ descriptions of the Reapers do not match any Infernal or alien faction the USA is familiar with, but the invaders could be using disguises, or the Thidians could be simply confused by the chaotic conditions accompanying Reapings. The USA is sending agents to investigate.

Thidians-----Variant-Sept Humans
Thidians are a variant human sept featuring among other traits, expression of s bright blue skin colors. USA intelligence has speculated that the Thidians are being eugenically manipulated to be bred to some standard, though why and what standards remains uncertain, as many of the variant traits appeared after the Reapings began.
-Odd Skin Color(s)---01-32% normal human range, 33-84% bright blue, 85-00% purple w/ gold accents
-Odd Eye Color(s)---01-25% normal human range, 26-61% dark blue, 62-00% gold.
- Breath Tainted Air----Thidians have no problems breathing their planet’s tainted air and, aside from a few hours’ discomfort, adapt quickly to other tinted nitrox atmospheres.
- Improved Health---+3 save vs disease, +1d4 P.E.
- High Inherent PPE----Adult Thidians have 5d6 PPE on average
- Cold Tolerance---Takes HALF damage from regular cold exposure.

Solar System(Theidos)
Number of Stars: 2
Types of Stars:
-Red Dwarf(Theidos-A)
-Red Dwarf(Theidos-B)
Number of Planets: 5
-Asteroid(Theenos)---Planetissimal that describes an orbit between the two red dwarf stars

-Asteroid(Deskar)--Planetissimal that orbits both red dwarf stars.

-Exotic(Dovashor)-----Dovashor(‘Pale Light of the Night‘ in the local Thidian tongue) is a roughly spherical cloud of softly glowing gas roughly 35,000 km in diameter orbiting Theidos’ twin stars in a stable orbit. Though initially mistaken for a gas giant or failed protostar, it is now suspected that Dovashor is a white dwarf remnant somehow reacting with exotic matter. Its pale glow radiates little heat. Dovashor’s orbit or presence doesn’t seem to have any bearing on the Reapings, at least as far as the Thidians have been able to determine, from trying to find correlation between the anomaly’s orbital position and the timing of the Reapings.

-Terrestrial(Dejorah) ---System lifeworld

-Terrestrial (Thiatani)-----Large Thiatani is a frigid, high-gravity world with a frozen atmosphere...which would interest scientists because the ‘ice’ covering the planet could very easily be defrosted into breathable atmosphere, making ice-mining Thiatani a potentially profitable enterprise, with the right equipment.

Planet(Dejorah)
Type: Terrestrial
Diameter: 7,000 km
Gravity: 0.9 g
Temperature: Cool---Average temperature range is between -30 and 60 degrees F
Unusual/Special Features:
-Moons(4)----Dejorah has four small Phobos-sized moons. These moons are too small to have any tidal effects on the planet’s water bodies, but have been part of the Thidians’ celestial calender for centuries.
-Energy Field----Dejorah has an ambient magic field on a par with the Palladium world’s.
Atmosphere:
Tainted nitroc mixture---The Thidians have adapted to breath this tainted air, and can switch between atmospheres with some temporary hacking and sneezing, but others visiting Dejorah will need to use filters and carry supplemental oxygen or other necessary trace gases to survive.
Terrain:
Hostile----Dejorah’s colder latitudes are known for underground ice pockets that sometimes melt away, leaving soil-roofed sinkholes that can give way under an unwary traveler, dropping them onto jagged rocks or plunge them into fatally cold melt water.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Sapphire
- Magnesium
- Mercury
- Zinc
- Emerald
- Arsenic
- Samarskite
- Barite
Hydrosphere:
44% open water surface coverage. There are also many large lakes and wide rivers on Dejorah, with a fairly even distribution of water sources across the planet.
Biosphere:
Cornucopia World---Dejorah has an ecology that would be the delight of any biologist wanting a lifetime of study. Dejorah’s rich ecology may be partially responsible for the planet’s relatively high ambient PPE field. Even after hundreds of years of occupancy, the Thidians are STILL discovering new species in the wilderness.
A case in point is the desperfruit, a melon-like growth that is highly nutritious and very tasty, to an almost addictive degree. It was first discovered by refugees fleeing from wrecked village to wrecked village during one of the more violent Reapings, while they were scrounging for food and found it growing in the ruins. The hardy plant has since been cultivated as a staple crop in many communities, though not everybody has acquired a taste for it, and there are some Thidians who have their doubts about desperfruit’s native origins.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
29 million Variant-Sept Humans
Technology:
Early Industrial Age---The Thidians have firearms of the musket/shotgun type, and water/steam-powered hammermills for working iron and steel. They have a few steamboats and a semaphore communications system in place.
Economy:
Agricultural, supplemented by some mining and timbering.
Wealth:
Thidia has the current potential rating of Average, with the factories and mines producing enough to feed its population, though hiring(at exorbitant prices) the spacers to supply the Thidian delegation with transport and the Resistors with weaponry required some hat-passing. Dejorah could potentially join the Crystal Trade, and its ecology produces a number of products with Galactic marketability, such as several aromatic woods.
Government:
Thidians have traditionally been governed by a Hierarchy of landowners, guildmasters, priests, and proctors.
Law Level:
Normally Lawful, but as the time of the Reaping approaches, law and order is increasingly breaking down. By the time the emissary group returns, conditions may have declined to Moderate, shading towards Lawless.
Popularity:
-Ambivalent-----There are many among the Thidians who disagree with the outreach to the USA and outsiders in general. There is a faction that believes Thidian survival lies with appeasement, and that only a regular sacrifice of a portion of their population to the Reapers will insure their survival as a people. They point to the devastation inflicted on the Thidian people in previous attempts to resist, and also point to the ‘gifts’ of fertility and health given by the invaders as proof that the Reapers are reasonable. Inviting outsiders to interfere will only cause unnecessary suffering and sell out a portion of the population to yet another group of slavers. The most extreme Appeasers belong to a cult that worship the Reapers as cyclical punishers of sin and reminders of the importance of humility.
The Appeasers are opposed by the equally fanatical Abasers who are perfectly willing to surrender themselves and their freedom to a kinder and better-known group of protectors in THIS universe. Abasers will willingly serve anybody who will protect them from the Reapings and give their children a chance at living free.
The majority of Thidians lie between the two extremes. They’re worried that the Appeasers may be right and the the would-be protectors aren’t up to the task of saving them, and they’re willing to let the Abasers pay the cost in their own flesh of hiring the Alliance(or whoever).
Several smaller groups are arming to oppose the Reaping regardless, by hiding or, as a last resort, fighting. The largest of these, the Resistors, have managed to amass an arsenal of a thousand local hunting rifles and several hundred firearms and pieces of personal military equipment acquired through the same tramper crew who provided the Thidian emissary group with the old cold-freighter they used. These weapons are third- and fourth-hand weapons scrounged from a variety of barrel-bottom sources, many of them older Naruni types, and most of dubious functionality with limited available ammunition.
Stability:
Unrest, bordering on Uprising. There’s a sense that there’s going to be, or has to be, something different about this latest Reaping. If nothing else, the survivors will throw down the government and most nonAppeasers will try to leave the planet by whatever means possible.

(GM Notes: Like the Pandmandu situation I leave it up to GMs to determine the composition of the expeditionary force and what they find. Maybe the PCs are USA regulars, or an adventuring party attached as Irregulars. The solution might be as simple as building rift-locking dimensional pyramids, setting up entrenchments, or sending a commando party to the other side of the Reapers’ portals to destroy whatever means they use to invade Dejorah. It may involve teaching the Thidians magic...maybe some of the refugees or volunteer-slaves? And what other unseen changes have the Reapers affected on the Thidians? New organs with strange functions? Mental changes? )

SolCannibal · Unread post by **SolCannibal** » Tue Sep 14, 2021 2:00 am

Little aside, what does OPO stands for? Have seen the acronym a few times in the thread but seem to have utterly missed its meaning/source.

Omegasgundam · Unread post by **Omegasgundam** » Tue Sep 14, 2021 2:50 am

SolCannibal wrote:Little aside, what does OPO stands for? Have seen the acronym a few times in the thread but seem to have utterly missed its meaning/source.

Office of Positive Outcomes, previously the Positive Outcomes Office.

SolCannibal · Unread post by **SolCannibal** » Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:46 am

Omegasgundam wrote:
SolCannibal wrote:Little aside, what does OPO stands for? Have seen the acronym a few times in the thread but seem to have utterly missed its meaning/source.

Office of Positive Outcomes, previously the Positive Outcomes Office.

Did they have something with jumpstarting the Solex Civil War into full gear somehow? Think i have seen something along those lines amidst the many posts, but missed why and how did they do it, if they did.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:33 pm

SolCannibal wrote:[

Did they have something with jumpstarting the Solex Civil War into full gear somehow? Think i have seen something along those lines amidst the many posts, but missed why and how did they do it, if they did.

Not much really, the Solex factions were all really well along to blasting each other. The most the OPO did was eliminate a few blatant criminals on both sides who were selling slaves over the border or buying WMD technology. That, the disappearance of their agents, likely got the extremists they were working for concerned that the other side might be onto them, and so they stepped up their own schedule to kick off civil war before they lost all their advantages.

Later, the USAJC and OPO would be raidingextending antipiracy patrols into SF space after the war was well underway to save people caught in the crossfire and keep the war from going fullout Case Ragnarok.

SolCannibal · Unread post by **SolCannibal** » Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:52 pm

taalismn wrote:
SolCannibal wrote:[

Did they have something with jumpstarting the Solex Civil War into full gear somehow? Think i have seen something along those lines amidst the many posts, but missed why and how did they do it, if they did.

Not much really, the Solex factions were all really well along to blasting each other. The most the OPO did was eliminate a few blatant criminals on both sides who were selling slaves over the border or buying WMD technology. That, the disappearance of their agents, likely got the extremists they were working for concerned that the other side might be onto them, and so they stepped up their own schedule to kick off civil war before they lost all their advantages.

Later, the USAJC and OPO would be raidingextending antipiracy patrols into SF space after the war was well underway to save people caught in the crossfire and keep the war from going fullout Case Ragnarok.

That is what i was aware of, but for some reason one of the posts or other got me thinking there might have been some more directly active intervention i missed that somehow heated things up fully. Good to know it was mostly my imagination.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:55 pm

Omegasgundam does make a comment, from the CCW POV, that suggests a more deliberate action in triggering the war, but that can be interpreted as, well, the CCW intelligence agencies' clouded data on what was going down. :wink:

Of course, conversely, a lot of CCW covert ops might be interpreted through the fogged lens of incomplete information and unreliable sources in the same way.

Omegasgundam · Unread post by **Omegasgundam** » Wed Sep 15, 2021 3:02 am

taalismn wrote:Of course, conversely, a lot of CCW covert ops might be interpreted through the fogged lens of incomplete information and unreliable sources in the same way.

Intel agencies are going to Intel agency. Just how closely words on paper reflect actual reality will always need at least a hint of reconciliation. The question is just how much.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Wed Sep 15, 2021 5:21 pm

Tetrak(United Systems Alliance Protectorate)(Anvil Galaxy)
(aka ‘Ackores II’, ‘Mioonland’)

“We’re going to find it hard to reconcile our military operations and ranks with the local peerage titles, especially where those titles carry civil governance responsibilities. I cannot both be the General in charge of local defense operations and the Duchess of Pekskill if I have to run the civilian side of things as well. I KNOW we’re not the only region where the locals have been handing out peerage titles to our troops; find out how those other sectors are handling the situation and if any of it can be applied to us. And if not, find me some local we can designate mayor or majordomo to run things in my name! I have spoken!”
---General Hala Treslan, Tetrak Defense Command Section, United Systems Alliance Joint Command

“This is what old money looks like when it goes senile on a solar systemwide scale. Or when big amusement projects go bad. Ackores II just happens to be both.”

“A lot of the ‘manors’ started out as luxury housing, covered with frilly architectural embellishments, but when the local bigwigs started fighting among themselves with limited weaponry, they began to build more functional -castles- with fully functional fortifications for real. Makes a hellworlder like myself feel at home, it does.”

“Welcome back, Master Taren! Your patrol has gone well? Teshen has set out a fresh change of uniform for you in the locker room, and when you have finished debriefing with the colonel, we have prepared a late dinner for you at the manor. And of course I am always at your service, milord!”

“Don’t the household help have proper uniforms for this sort of thing? I thought posh aristo-societies were all into class-distinctive uniforms or livery or something like that. Those people are wearing what looks like two thin sheets of paper-cloth taped to their fronts and backs.”
“-those -are- their uniforms.”
“...oh...”

The early success enjoyed by the Paradise Foundation in establishing the Paradise Federation encouraged others to try the same, on lesser or greater scales. However, without the virtually unshakable financial support of an institution like Naruni Enterprises or the Altess, most of these efforts were doomed to fail, and of the successes, none came close to approaching the success of the Paradise Federation. Not that this record has kept organizations from trying, smelling opportunity and profits to be had.
Tetrak is an early case in point. Nine hundred years ago, Tetrak was founded by the Melgard Corporation, a colonial development megacorp with plans to found their own version of the Paradise Federation that would attract investment from across the Human Alliance. Melgard thought they’d acquired a real plumb when they bought rights to the Ackores system. With a large dollop of ecological engineering, they made the sixteen large moons of Ackores II into various habitable worlds.
Rather than follow a more conventional pattern of opening up a new world to general colonization, Melgard decided to turn Tetrak into the hub of a systemwide luxury amusement park.
Melgard then scoured the metroworlds for impoverished people willing to trade their current situations for jobs as service workers and servants on paradise worlds, Many were also offered incentives if they’d trade away some of their baseline biological humanity, to suit the fads of the time. In a classic case of vanity genetic engineering, signers were subjected to minor biotech alterations that would alter their appearance to suggest various animal features: lupine, vulpine, feline(and others) ears, tails, and other additions. There were an shocking number of people who agreed to these terms, some figuring that with time, the terms of employment could be re-negotiated and the futures of their children assured, though most didn’t think so far ahead, and out of desperation sprang at the chance for gainful employment. Hundreds of thousands of new workers were shipped out to populate the numerous resort communities, support farms and manufactories that would surely draw the well-heeled from the metroworlds to carouse and retire on the many moons of Ackores II.
The Tetrak development effort collapsed. The massive expense of theme-modifying the many moons went way over budget and some began to fail as soon as they were activated. Anticipated subsidization from the Human Alliance government failed to materialize as Melgard lost credit with its traditional government friends and failed to make new ones fast enough. On the stable worlds, the ‘utopia’ quickly soured and the fads that powered its creation at least temporarily faded. Worse, the ‘valued support workers’ who’d been promised great opportunities for themselves and their children found that their alterations were effectively permanent and these features would be passed to the recipients’ offspring, marking them as different. They were genetically- marked and treated as second-class citizens by the descendants of the investors. Culture stagnated on Tetrak, though a few Melgard officials made attempts to salvage the situation, but to little avail. In part, their efforts were sabotaged by other Melgard executives who, seeing the writing on the wall back home in the Human Alliance, decided to quit the company and ‘retire’ to Tetrak, to establish themselves effectively as feudal lords, protected by their own private armies.
Later, the CCW TVIA would dredge up the files on Melgard, and drag its rump(what remained of it as a corporate entity) into court for various abuses, but by then the damage was already done. Melgard, post-dissolution, became a textbook example of corporate abuse of power and colonial excesses(though one that would be forgotten in time as still other examples cropped up). A few people legitimately received due justice and compensation from the disbanded remains of MelC, but the real victims remained in the Ackores system, far enough outside the declared boundaries of the Human Alliance(and the nascent CCW) that few law enforcement agencies bothered trying to enforce any verdicts against whatever fugitives escaped there. With the main body of Melgard and its executives legally hung and displayed on the pike of public opinion, and with the more pressing matter of the TGE’s War of Unification knocking at the door, rounding up some overreaching colony developers and gene-tweakers was a low priority at best. The Melgard scandal(s) soon vanished into the media cycle.
Ackores/Tetrak became something of a backwater slum. The few investors who landed on Tetrak to claim their estates lived as feudal overlords, and even, with time, expanded their holdings over the unclaimed resort lands, and even began to war with their neighbors for control over hot properties, such as the other resort moons. A few starships visited from time to time, bearing news from the metroworlds, and giving the Tetrakian aristos opportunity to arrange for goods to be bought on the galactic market and shipped to them. By and by, though, high-tech slipped away for most Tetrakians, with the estate lords and ladies holding the most advanced technology, including what limited space capability the system had. Increasingly, to supply their need for luxuries and maintain their superiority over their vassals, the less scrupulous ruling families cultivated contacts with galactic organized crime to get what they needed, afraid that making more extensive contacts with the CCW would allow the TVIA an excuse to to come in and arrest them. However, as time went by, the CCW grew less interested in the fates of a few corrupt corporate exec fugitives and their descendants, and the criminal cartels grew more demanding of their clients in the Ackores system.
When the Dalamay Group, an ‘asset optimization corporation’ in paper but really a pirate armada running a protection racket on the Rim, tried to muscle in and run things directly, wiping out most of the local middlemen to rule the peons and crack down on the other aristocrats, the besieged reformist King of Tetrak sent out a cry for help. The United Systems Alliance responded and sent a small fleet and army that sent the Dalamays reeling back into deep space. The 27th AnthroArmor Regiment, a power armor unit, in particular distinguished itself in cracking the siege of the Royal City from Dalamay mercenaries. The King and surviving nobles invited the Alliance to stay, offering generous terms. Fearing that the Ackores system could become a pirate haven without a strong military presence, the USA accepted, making Tetrak a protectorate and probationary member.
The system has since seen a turnaround as the USA works to make the Ackores system a sector anchor for their antipiracy forces.
Alliance soldiers are not simply well-regarded on Tetrak, they’re treated like nobility. This goes beyond simple courtesy; the members of the original Regiment have not only received knighthoods, but land grants and estates as well.
Most common-folk Tetrakians consider it a privilege to work for the Alliance offworlders, especially since the newcomers treat the peon-class much better than most of the old-guard aristos did or do. Needless to say, the planet is a popular shore leave with Alliance personnel.
Slowly, though, Tetrak is being uplifted into a more liberal and equal society by the Alliance’s efforts. The economy is being improved, new technology and industry is coming in(including a number of Belters to renew the asteroid mining operations). A greater trade traffic has begun, and USA technical help is securing the life support systems of the moons, including those faltering or abandoned. GNE biotechs are dealing with remedying some of the genetic instabilities that have cropped up in the population. A native defense militia, composed of former aristo houseguards and new recruits, is being trained up.

Solar System (Ackores)
Number of Stars: 1
Types of Stars:
-Blue Dwarf
Number of Planets: 4
- Gas Giant(Hofner) ---Miniscule Hofner isn’t much of a gas giant, but its proximity to the Ackores primary has allowed it to accumulate a powerful belt of trapped plasma that can be seen with the naked eye. Viewed from a safe distance, this is a spectacular sight, and the Melgard Corporation was considering setting up space resort stations for tourists. More recently, USA scientists have raised the possibility of tapping the ring-shaped plasma fields as a source of energy for the system.

-Gas Giant (Ackores II/Antahs) ---This enormous gas giant supports a moon system, with sixteen sizable moons up to small planet size, plus another twenty-five smaller asteroid bodies. Antahs also possesses an unusual magnetic field that has created a radiation-trapping ‘donut’ around it, with a large safe ‘eye’ around Ackores II and its larger moons. The radiation belt has essentially irradiated those moons that orbit in it, and poses a hazard to unshielded vessels traversing it. It also incidentally interferes with sensor readings taken through it, which has proven attractive to vessels trying to hide in the field’s ‘eye’. Ackores II/Antahs is the center of development in the Ackores system.

- Asteroid Belt---The Ackis Belt is the main source of heavy metals in the Ackores system. During the post-Melgard era, only a few robot miners worked the rocks, but with the USA coming in and reinvesting in the system, several Belter hab-ships have come in and set up shop.

- Terrestrial(Ackores III/Temir)----Miniscule rocky Temir lies far out from the inner system. Cold and dark, it nevertheless was prospected by MelC. More ominously, evidence from Melgard’s old files suggests that the corporation was surveying the planet as a possible site for a ‘lay-low’ habitat facility for corporate officers and special clients to hide out away from the hubbub of the more active resort worlds in-system. As MelC’s surviving records are incomplete, it is unknown how far along this plan was when the corporation hit hard times. The USA has considered a more in-depth follow-up survey of Ackores III just to be on the safe side.

Planet(Tetrak)
Tetrak is the largest of Ackores II/Antahs’ moons, and was developed as the effective centerpiece and hub of the resort moon enterprise. It continues as the most populous of the former resort moon constellation.
The moons of Ackores II all generally lack heavy industrial metals, but are laced with enough radioactives that they possess tappable internal heat.
Tetrak can be taken as a good average of the various resort moons/worldlets of Ackores.
Type: Terrestrial/Large Moon
Diameter: 2,225 km
Gravity: 1.1 g
Temperature: Temperate
Unusual/Special Features:-----
Atmosphere: Normal terrestrial nitrox mix
Terrain:
-Unusual Seismology---Tetrak is small, but possesses an unusually dense core for a moon. resulting in its high gravity for its size. Melgard geoplanetologists speculated the core may be composed of exotic degenerate white dwarf material that accreted a surface ‘foam’ of less dense materials.
Notable Mineral Concentrations:
- Aluminum
- Cobalt
- Magnesium
- Pitchblende
- Borax
- Emerald
- Arsenic
- Samarskite
Hydrosphere:
43% surface coverage of open water
Biosphere:
Dense---- A dense ecosystem stitched together from various terrestriod species covers Tetrak, including a variety of game animals.
Civilization:
Settled
Population:
28 million Humans (80% bear the signs of inherited bio-modification)
Technology:
Stellar Age with regards to the terraforming and environmental maintenance systems, and for the aristocracy, though the general population lived at a simpler Industrial Age level. The few spacecraft in the system were owned by the upper class, who controlled travel to the other moons.
Economy:
Agricultural, forced by the cutoff of supplies from the CCW.
Wealth:
Technically Prosperous for the upper classes. The harvesting of exotic plants and animals from those moons where exotic imported species have run feral has given Tetrak a good source of Galactic income, as has increased mining of the Ackis Belt.
Government:
NeoFeudal Monarchy---Tetrak has been led by an aristocracy descended from the original Melgard Corporation investors who fled to the planet to escape TVIA interference. They elected the son of MC’s former CEO, who had been arrested, as the nominal ‘King’ of their little enclave of fugitives, and the title and role stuck. Four generations later, though, the role was little more than a figurehead, with offworld pirates like the Dalamay Group calling the shots and pulling the strings, when King Prestok V, tired of watching HIS kingdom degenerate, decided to resist and called for help from the USA. With many holes blown in the aristocracy by the Dalamay Group, both of conservatives and liberals, King Prestok V sought to plug them by awarding them to Alliance members and heroic lower class yeomen and peasants.
Law Level:
Overbearing; local law codes tended to favor the aristocracy, while the peon-class peasantry were regularly discriminated against, harshly in many cases, for the mildest of crimes. Even though the USAJC maintains a very visible military presence among the public, at least one can appeal to their fair legal codes without fear of being physically pilloried for speaking out.
Popularity:
Unpopular; the common people of Tetrak have smelled change in the air and they want it sooner rather than later. While they love their liberators and the fair-mindedness they bring to the feudal society, many of the lower classes want an end to discrimination and as many of the still-obstinate Old Guard as possible swept away. They see the elevation of a number of their classes to the peerage as a good start. They may like the King, but they can do without a substantial portion of the old-family aristos.
There are a few diehard Tetrakians who resent the fawning adoration paid the Alliance; these groups feel they’ve simply exchanged one set of masters for another. The USA is aware of these groups and has encouraged the Tetrakian government to pay heed to their concerns and try to give them equal representation in local affairs.
Stability:
Prestok V’s efforts at reform have not gone unappreciated; he has gone up in the ratings to Popular and his regime’s support is considered to be Solid.

Other Resort Moons
Ackores II/Antahs’ other terraformed moons are smaller, but possess interesting engineered ecosystems. Some are inhabited, ranging from peon strandees to full earldoms and duchies. Some, though, have failed, the result of the original MelC engineers overreaching, or subsequent neglect and breakdown of the sypport technologies.

- Ceops--Dry desert moon, Among its attractions was to be an equatorial raceway, There’s little worth fighting over on Ceops, so it was generally left alone during the internecine House Wars.

- Primatov--Tectonically-active moon rife with hot springs, hot mud gushers, and geysers, Geothermal taps keep more violent eruptions in check and also produce enough power to keep the automated environmental modification plants operating, and even beam a little extra to the other moons. Occasionally the Tetrakian aristos would send shuttles to Primatov to gather chemicals or some of the extremophile life that inhabit the hot springs.

-Marim---Water-covered moon. Melgard was intending to staff with this moon with mer-adapts, but never got around to it. The floating resort rafts still exist, but several have become semi-submerged by neglect. A few floating communities(no more than 15,000 residents) hang on on Marim, supplying the Tetrakian Houses with seafood.

- Groverum---This moon is covered in towering trees. Treehouses were meant to be the draw here. Another 11,000 residents call this moon home, and it was the site of some contention during the Tetrakian House Wars, for its lumber and forest foodstuffs.

- Deltalim---A giant marsh, winding canals, and snaking waterways cover this moon. Since fighting for territory here was prohibitively difficult, few aristos bothered vying for control after some early skirmishes. The descendants(some 9,000 in number) of some deserters from those early battles still eke out a living fishing the swamps.

-Botana---This moon was to be covered with gardens and farms, providing both additional food for the resort system and a background for rustic wine and cheese parties. Some of the farms were still operating, and control of this moon was a frequent cause of fighting between the aristos.

- Bizana---Bizana was intended as a casino moon. Its atmosphere and support ecology survive, but the completed casino complexes are now overgrown with weeds and the gaming halls visited only by the rodent species that are now the dominant animal life on the moon. A few peon-communities(another 19,000) survive salvaging metals and chopping out farmsteads.

-Freezah---Cold weather activities were to be the draw here and the moon has an ecology that operates just below freezing. Occasionally the Tetrak aristos mount hunting expeditions to gather furs from the feral animal populations on Freezah. A few hundred trapper peons eke out a hard-scrabble existence on the moon, many of them deliberately stranded as punishment by their aristo-lords, with fur-collection quotas being a common way to reduce their sentence.

-Pekskill----Craggy mountains and deep fertile valleys typify this moon, meant to appeal to mountain climbers, wing-gliders, extreme sports buffs, and those who love mountaintop chateaux. Low gravity was another draw. A number of Tetrakians (21,000) have been settled here during the wars of dominion between the Tetrakian aristos, and they live in small valley villages or mountaintop fortresses.

-Brackburn---Another forest/jungle moon, Brackburn is covered in thick brush and giant ferns. Some eighteen thousand peons live on homesteads and plantations cut out of the undergrowth and grow foodstuffs, as well as some narcotics, for the aristos back on Tetrak.

-Rivara---Another water resort moon, covered with shallow sea and few deeper regions. Large sand bars and archipelagoes were to provide plenty of beach-space, Time and tide have swept the landing platforms and most of the houseboats to wreckage, but some eight thousand hardy Tetrakians make a living, fishing and digging mollusks from the ever-shifting sandbar islands.

-Kajuary---This moon was meant to be a high gravity giant monster safari park. However, the high-gee generating scheme never worked out, and the moon was abandoned and its environment allowed to collapse before it could be stocked with the exotic giants that were to be its main attraction. The fortified support facilities, however, have found a new use as the USAJC has found them perfect for a military base, with the oversized complex halls, meant for channeling megafauna, proving perfect for giant robots and heavy vehicles.

-Malago---Another safari moon whose ecology collapsed from lack of continued support. Rumors that Melgard was intending to create exotic new species using outlawed genetic engineering persist; a secret lab is said to be hidden on the moon, one that has claimed those unlucky enough to discover it.

- Foress---Foress was intended to be another jungle moon and had been planted with initial fast-growth plant species when the Ackores project collapsed and progress on Foress abandoned. Mutations in the starter-growth species led to the vegetation running rampant before suffocating on its own oxygen output, then massive fires broke out, rendering the moon a vast wasteland covered with ash and charred trees, and a tainted, thinning atmosphere.

-Sotta---Meant to be yet another water world, instead, in the absence of maintenance, the atmosphere evaporated or condensed out of the air, and the water froze solid. The original support facilities are locked deep under the ice and inaccessible, even if anybody could remember where they were.

-Comiac---Comiac was advertised as a ‘spectacle moon’ with an exotic atmosphere that would allow all sorts of incredible effects for visitors. Instead, the experimental atmospheric manipulation failed spectacularly during development; over a hundred technicians died when the air generators failed and the atmosphere apparently flash-combusted. The moon remains uninhabited, a thin toxic layer of gases shrouding the long-dead atmosphere towers.

Fortress Barstowe
Fortress Barstowe is a massive and seemingly inert alien space station that was found adrift in a desert system several sectors over from the Ackores system. After determining to the best of their ability that the space station was harmless, the Melgard Corporation, with great effort and at no small expense, had the artifact transported to orbit of Ackores II, intending to use it as part of the theme parks. A few interior spaces were converted into residency halls, but the station went largely untouched and unused for the last several hundred years. The Dalamay Group tried to fortify it, but were winkled out of the sections they managed to hole up in when the USAJC came to kick them out. The Alliance has subsequently spent some real effort renovating the station and turning it back into a working facility...and they’ve been discovering the complex isn’t as dead as everybody thought. It is now suspected that Fortress Barstowe is a relic of the ancient Stinexx.
Fortress Barstowe resembles several rings of roughly conical dark metal ovoids of varying size joined at their sides. It is roughly 13.6 miles long along its largest dimension, and 6.3 miles wide. The station is heavily armored with the compound hull armor being several meters thick over most of its area. No weapons were evident to early explorers, though the USA teams recently discovered and activated a previously unknown particle beam system.

Tetrakian Random BioMod Tables(Roll 1d4 times)
Eighty percent of Tetrakians show signs of genetic modification; a fad of the time of the establishment of the Ackores resort constellation being animal traits(imagine if Hugh Heffner had required workers at his properties to get bunny gene grafts), and it was felt that support staff with such traits would be a draw for the well-heeled investors MelC was attempting to attract. Most of the employees figured it was worth the attendant health improvements, and also figured the cosmetic changes could be reversed if the job didn’t work out. The gene-engineers didn’t see it quite that way, and whether or not Melgard had long-term genetic servitude in mind when they set the whole thing up, the ’cosmetic changes’ were hard-wired into the recipients’ DNA and reproductive cells. Tetrak workers who started families at their new workplace would discover their children would bear the mark of the company labs.
In the post-Fall era, the more visible signs of the gene-grafts became identifying marks distinguishing the peon-class from the upper class investor/executives.
Tetrakians have been breeding amongst themselves long enough that the original gene-grafts have spread through the population and express themselves very often. Only 20% of the population do not show any signs at all(and it’s telling that while the majority of apparently unaffected individuals are in the aristocracy, an increasing number of them DO have biomod traits from past intermingling with the ‘help’).

01-05% Fox/Cat Ears---Can hear higher frequency ranges and can pick out individual sounds from the welter; 30%+5% per level or experience. Also +1 to Parry and +2 to Dodge using sound cues.
06-10% Rabbit Ears---Can hear conversation-level sounds at four times the normal distance, +1 on initiative, +2 Dodge
11-15% Fur---The Tetrakian is covered in short plush fur, Takes HALF damage from normal levels of cold.
16-20% Acute Sense of Smell---Can track by smell (50% +5% per level of experience), detect changes in a person’s emotional state by smell(60% +2% per level of experience)
21-23% Precognition----A useful power for a personal servant, the Tetrakian gets flashes of clairvoyance up to 5 minutes before something happens. Also counts as Sixth Sense. No ISP cost.
24-29% Sense of Balance---The Tetrakian can walk in high heels without problem, and tends to always land on their feet from a fall, thanks to a righting reflex; +4 to retain balance, +2 to Roll, +10% to Acrobatics, Gymnastics, and Climbing skills,
30-35% Enhanced Reflexes---+1d6 P.P.
31-% Enhanced Physical Beauty---+1d6 PB
36-40% Enhanced Sense of Touch---- +10% to skills requiring a fine touch, and can detect very fine differences in texture
41-43% Longevity----The Tetrakian ages at HALF the normal rate as usual, and retains their youthful/mature appearance until about 1d10 years before they would die of old age.
44-49% Increased Physical Strength---+1d6
51-54% Beastly Endurance---+2d4 P.E.
55-60% Tail---Possesses a long(half the person’s height) flexible tail(01-45% thin and fuzzy, 46-00% thick and fluffy). +1 to retain balance.
61-63% Tail, Prehensile---A more articulated tail with HALF the person’s P.S.. Incapable of fine manipulation, but adds +1 APM and +2 to retain balance.
63-75% Skin Patterning---The skin is colored in a way that suggests spots or stripes
76-82% Claw Nails---+1d6 damage
83-85% Fangs--- 1d6 damage from a bite
86-92% Nightvision--- Can see in total darkness out to 100 ft, and in dim conditions x2 farther than normal.
93-95% Fugue---The Tetrakian can enter a temporary hyperactive state like a ferret; +1d4 on Initiative, +2d6 Speed, +1d4 to Strike, Parry, Dodge, and Roll. This state only lasts 5 minutes, after which the person is at HALF normal bonuses for 15 minutes as they recover.
96-00% Pheromones---The Tetrakian naturally emits a musk perfume that subliminally affects others’ behavior, typically libido. +6 to MA and PB, +8% to Seduction skill rolls for 2 hours per day.

Vulnerabilities(Roll 1d4 times)
The gene-tweaking down to the original Tetrakians is in some cases unstable over time(the original state of the art gengineering not being anywhere near equal to the GeneSplicer level); roughly 20% suffer some form of complication. The expression of these genetic flaws was often regarded by the aristo-class as an inevitable sign of the low state of the peon-class, though the longer-lived or better learned knew it for what it really was; the result of shoddy workmanship on the part of the genetic engineers. Roll 1d4 for how many are manifest in an individual:

01-05% Reduced IQ----- The Tetrakian has a more animalistic mind, suffers attention deficit disorders, or otherwise finds it hard to focus their thoughts. -2d4 IQ and skills requiring mental focus, such as Technical, Mechanical/Electrical, and Science skills will take TWICE as long.
06-10% Reduced MA----- The Tetrakian has a tendency to behave anomalistically, reducing their charm. -2d4 MA.
11-15% Restrictive Diet----The Tetrakian has problems digesting certain foods, restricting their diet; 01-50% can only eat meat, 51-00% can only eat vegan. To try otherwise is to court painful indigestion, bloating and nausea.
16-17% Acute Sensory Sensitivity---The person’s senses are easily overwhelmed by over-stimulation, effectively paralyzing them. Loud noises, bright lights, and sudden motion require a roll under ME or spend 1d4 melees writhing in agony(Lose all imitative and bonuses, and limited to 1 APM). (can be corrected with filtering accessories such as goggles, hearing aides, and nose filter plugs)
18-28% Domesticated Mind/Docility--- The Tetrakian has a lack of aggression and is susceptible to being persuaded, bullied, or otherwise resist being ordered about. -1d6 ME, -1d4 on Initiative, and hand to hand attacks do HALF damage.
29-30% Dog Years---The Tetrakian ages twice as fast as normal. They mature faster, but they also decline faster.
31-35% Fragile Bones---This is more common amongst second- or third-generation Tetrakians born on the lower gravity moons; taking a hit that strikes on an unmodified 18-20 does DOUBLE damage and causes bones to shatter. -1 to Roll and Parry. (can be corrected with drug and nanite treatments)
36-40% Discolored Skin--Similar to the Skin Patterning trait, but the effect of blotchy and uneven, looking more like acid burns. -1d4 P.B.
41-45% Allergy: Synthetics---The person cannot wear synthetic fibers; doing so causes the skin to become itchy, break out in hives, and -1 on initiative, -1 APM.
46-50% Skin Sensitivity---The character has trouble wearing anything more covering than a T-shirt and shorts of light fabric. Anything heavier or more covering feels confining, restrictive, and distracting, causing penalties of -1 on initiative, and -2 to dodge and roll. The sensitivity is more psychological than physiological, but it affects the person nevertheless. As a bonus they do get a +2 on Initiative, Dodge and Roll, but only in an uncovered state.
51-55% Mute---Malformed vocal cords make it (01-60%) difficult to speak properly(-30% to Language skills), or (61-00%) speak at all, aside from growls or moans. (can be corrected with reconstructive surgery or vocalizer implants)
56-60% Stress Atavism---Faced with a stressful situation, the Tetrakian must roll versus insanity or temporarily lapse into an animalistic mental state where they will physically attack the perceived source of their stress unless/until the stress is removed or they are restrained/knocked out
61-65% Hyperglycemic----The Tetrakian has problems maintaining their energy levels; they tend to be thin and always hungry, and must eat 1d4 times more than usual or risk becoming lethargic and eventually starving to death.
66-70% Deformed---The animal DNA grafts tried to anatomically express themselves in the individual with poor results. The person has a hunched over posture(they can effectively walk on all fours) and the face is deformed, as if trying to form a snout. -2d4 to bipedal Speed, -2d4 to P.B. (can be corrected with reconstructive surgery)
71-75% Anemia---Efforts to improve stamina backfired with the individual and instead their blood has reduced oxygen-carrying capacity(-1d6 P.E.) and tires twice as fast as normal.
76-80% Albinism----The Tetrakian lacks pigmentation, and is extremely pale, with light or white hair/fur, and red eyes. Though some might find the overall look attractive, the albino is susceptible to skin cancers and cannot tolerate bright light.
81-85% Prey Eyes---The Tetrakian is walleyed, has terrible depth perception, and is -2 to Parry/Strike, -1 to P.B., but +1 to Dodge attacks from the back.
86-90% Nocturnal---Apparently the failure of gene-tweaks to create workers with more readily adjustable circadian rhythms, victims of this are -2 on initiative, -1 to Strike and Dodge, and -5% to skill performance during daylight hours. Tends to dislike bright lights as well.
91-95% Musk-Stench---Rather than persuasive pheromones, the Tetrakian exudes a distinct animal smell that is unpleasantly(some would say overpowering) strong(-2d4 MA), Those allergic to animals will react TWICE as negatively to the reek. (can be corrected with gland-removal surgery)
96-00% Color Blindness---The person has trouble distinguishing certain colors. On the other hand, they aren’t dazzle-blinded by riotous color. (can be corrected with color-corrective lenses or eye implants)

SolCannibal · Unread post by **SolCannibal** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:42 pm

taalismn wrote: *Lucim Imperium---This small stellar polity and offshoot of the Ivoians got on the Botwhin Char’chugas’ **** when the Lucim tried to planetjack a human world and genocide the inhabitants just for some additional real estate. Instead, the Lucim got taken to the ropes and hammered back to almost pre-space travel level by SAAPA enforcers and disciplined by the BABES. During the Minion War, a group of unreformed hard-liner Lucim tried to take advantage of the Botwhins’ distraction and attempted to rebuild their war machine by acquiring outworlder weapons, especially ones that could harm the Botwhin Char’chuga. Unfortunately for the Lucim, ‘the best money could buy’ in the region that the Lucims’ contacts could steer them to was United Systems Alliance-made, and the Lucim, wanting bulk, went for a dealership, rather than more dispersed black market contacts. PS/ASI sales reps quickly got suspicious and recognized who they were dealing with, and before the Lucim realized that the arms dealers they were dickering with actually had an alliance with the hated Botwhin, the SAAPA were let in on the dealings, and the conspiracy simultaneously blown open and stomped flat. The Lucim Imperium, even deeper in the hole now, is now TERRIFIED of both the Botwhin Char’chuga and the USA, though individual Lucim blowhards have still tried to make trouble for the two polities.

Out of curiosity, who would be those Ivoians the Lucim are supposedly an offshot from?
Search gave me no other references for clues.

Also, while i'm guessing their territory is in Anvil due to some references to the Golgan & Golgan breakaway states, i noticed there's no mention of where is located the Botwani Union or the Senexa Arm their territory is apparently a part of.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:34 pm

SolCannibal wrote:[

Out of curiosity, who would be those Ivoians the Lucim are supposedly an offshot from?
Search gave me no other references for clues.

Also, while I'm guessing their territory is in Anvil due to some references to the Golgan & Golgan breakaway states, i noticed there's no mention of where is located the Botwani Union or the Senexa Arm their territory is apparently a part of.

The Ivonians are a species I haven't posted yet, though with interest shown in them, I'l make it a priority to finish them.

Ah, thank you for connecting dots! I shall indeed designate the Botwin Union and the SAAPA agreement states as existing in a far arm of the Anvil where enough primitive cultures have yet to be exploited by unscrupulous older cultures!
Though I should probably see about the Botwani voicing concerns about the gross abuse of aboriginal cultures in the Thundercloud and seeing about expanding the SAAPA, or a new form of it, to the Thundercloud colonization zones.

SolCannibal · Unread post by **SolCannibal** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 2:20 am

taalismn wrote:
SolCannibal wrote:
Out of curiosity, who would be those Ivoians the Lucim are supposedly an offshot from?
Search gave me no other references for clues.

Also, while I'm guessing their territory is in Anvil due to some references to the Golgan & Golgan breakaway states, i noticed there's no mention of where is located the Botwani Union or the Senexa Arm their territory is apparently a part of.

The Ivonians are a species I haven't posted yet, though with interest shown in them, I'l make it a priority to finish them.

Ah, thank you for connecting dots! I shall indeed designate the Botwin Union and the SAAPA agreement states as existing in a far arm of the Anvil where enough primitive cultures have yet to be exploited by unscrupulous older cultures!
Though I should probably see about the Botwani voicing concerns about the gross abuse of aboriginal cultures in the Thundercloud and seeing about expanding the SAAPA, or a new form of it, to the Thundercloud colonization zones.

Part of my curiosity is that info on either the Lucim and the Ivoians is sparse beyond the Lucim SNAFU with the Bothwin. I not even sure if they are humans or some other race.

I'm not 100% sure about locating the Botwin Union in Anvil since i saw things just in passing, might look again just to sure i didn't mix up details, but it is the overall impression i got. Either way a connection or interest in events from the colonial race in Thundercloud sounds sensible. It can certainly be facilitated with the Union coming across a rift or wormhole leading to the galaxy - an accidental discovery resulting from Minion War operations, perhaps - and possibly seeking either UWW or USA for consulting on their more effective use and vigilance.

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:29 pm

SolCannibal wrote:
taalismn wrote:
SolCannibal wrote:I'm not 100% sure about locating the Botwin Union in Anvil since i saw things just in passing, might look again just to sure i didn't mix up details, but it is the overall impression i got. Either way a connection or interest in events from the colonial race in Thundercloud sounds sensible. It can certainly be facilitated with the Union coming across a rift or wormhole leading to the galaxy - an accidental discovery resulting from Minion War operations, perhaps - and possibly seeking either UWW or USA for consulting on their more effective use and vigilance.

The Botwin, I thinlk, are going to be MOST definitely interested in extending the light of civilization and the protective shield-claw to the aboriginal peoples of the THundercloud, and if they don't already have wormhole connections or enclaves of Marshals in place, I'm sure their USA allies will be happy to provide them with wormhole connections. :bandit: