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Old 09-17-2007, 12:43 PM   #1
Dreamer128
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Join Date: March 21, 2001
Location: Europe
Age: 39
Posts: 6,136
Default Dystopia: Backgrounds and Equipment

This first post is a responce to Legolas' questions about the crew and the available equipment. From now on, I'll post all background information here, rather than have it clog up the OOC-thread.

First, CMO and CTO stand for Chief Medical Officer and Chief Tactical Officer. The CAG is the Captain of Airgroup. Naturally, since the Arioch is a small ship with only 75 crewmen, the number of officers is relatively low. The make up of the crewmen per department is as follows:

Medical: 5
Military: 20
Operations: 30 (this includes engineers)
Pilots: 20

Since the Arioch only has a limited number of pilots and marines, there is no need for a CAG or CTO, since their functions mainly include planning. Therefore, the Chief of Operations can be considered the highest-ranking officer after the captain.

Next, I'll go through some of the more important points of the inventory.

Spacecraft:
-TFS-Hermes (3)
The Hermes class shuttle is known for its speed, low-armor and maneuverability. This makes it a first choice for missions with a low projected threat level, but generally unsuitable for tactical insertions. It has room for about a dozen people, not including its two pilots.

-TFS-Cicero (2)
The Cicero is the Federations premier troop transport shuttle. It boasts heavy, radiation-proof armor as well as two launchers for TFM-21 ship-to-ship missiles. Its limited maneuverability makes deployment without fighter-cover hazardous, to say the least.

-TFF-Ares (12)
The Ares is the Federations all-purpose space superiority fighter. When flying on fuel, it manages a reasonable 0.7/SMS (0.7 Solarmiles per second), as compared to the 0.2 that is generally managed by the fastest TF destroyers, such as The Hades. When out of fuel, the Ares can use its rechargeable weapon-banks to power its engines. Its main offensive options are two high-power plasma-cannons, and it can be outfitted with a variety of missiles.

-TFB-Saturn (4)
The Saturn is the heaviest bomber available to Federation pilots. It is a large, unyielding craft that requires at least two pilots to fly. When a third pilot is present, several of the missiles and torpedoes can be remote-controlled for greater accuracy. The Saturn compensates for its lack of speed and maneuvability with two computer-controlled plasma-turrets, that are capable of taking out both enemy ordenance and fighters. It has a maximum speed of 0.4/SMS

The Armory:
-TFA-211 'Godzillah' (5)
The 'Godzillah' is the largest anti-personel rifle currently available to Federation military personel and is so heavy it can only be carried by someone with superhuman strength. When discharged, the shooter is faced with its extreme recoil. The A-211 fires large armor-piercing bullets that are capable of penetrating walls. Its thermal visor allows the riflemen to target any hostiles on the battlefield, even when they are taking cover behind solid objects. It is generally considered unwise to use this weapon aboard spacecraft.

-TFA-199 'Cobra' (20)
The Cobra Assault Rifle is the most popular weapon in the Federation Marine Corps. It is light, does not require ammunition and its high rate of fire makes accuracy redundant. It fires super-heated plasma that will disable or kill all but the most heavily armored foes.

-TFA-198 'Eel' (30)
The civilian 'Eel' energy-pistol is a popular (and often the only legal) self-defence weapon on many Terran worlds. It fires a relatively light electric charge that is capable of temporarily stunning an unarmored human. The military version of this pistol also features a number of higher settings, that are suitable for disabling electronics and robots and that can have a lethal effect on humans. Its silent nature makes the 'Eel' a popular weapon among Special Forces.

-TFA-012 'Jaguar' (30)
The 'Jaguar' laser-knife is one of the oldest weapons that is still used by Terran Naval personel. Engineers, marines and even kitchen staff commonly use it.

-TFA-314 (20)
The TFA-314 is a high-yield explosive that is capable of destroying most armored objects and reinforced doors. In smaller quantities, it can be used as a grenade.

-TFE-349 (30)
The TFE-349 is a highly advanced portal scanner that can perform a variety of functions on the battlefield. It has an advanced set of sensors, that can pick up thermal or electro-magnetic images. It can also be used as a medical tool, by releasing a set of nanoprobes into someones blood that send information back to the datapad. To a limited degree, they can also be used to stop internal bleeding or temporarily patch-up damaged organs. In addition, it is considered to be a hackers best friend, since it allows even novice hackers to access poorly protected systems. Its small hard disk also allows for some amount of customization. For instance, scientists could bring along translation programs, while marines might decide to upload maps of a target area.

Combat suits:
-TFX-003 (20)
The 003 is light, standard-issue marine-armor that offers limited protection against small-arms fire. It also contains a set of internal sensors that allows its wearer to keep track of his life-signs.

-TFX-004 'Chameleon' (6)
The 'Chameleon' is thé most popular suit of armor among the Special Forces. The 004 is light and capable of altering its colors to match its surroundings, making its wearer practically invisible during nighttime operations. In addition to the standard life-sign monitor, it also contains a motion-detector with a maximum range of thirty meters.

-TFX-008 'Golem' (6)
The 'Golem' is one of the heaviest protective suits currently available to the Federation Forces. It is a large, almost immobile piece of armor with its own life-support system. Allowing it to operate in the most hostile of environments. It also protects its user from light- to medium radiation and all but the heaviest of weapons and has a set of muscle-enhancers that allow any wearer to use heavy weapons, such as the 'Godzillah'. Magnet-locks also provide support for operations in Zero-G environments. The downside is that anyone wearing this armor is a sitting duck in situations in which the enemy has access to air-support or heavy weapons.

Weapon Systems:
-TFT-005 'Plasma Turret' (16)
The plasma turrets are the last line of the defence of any Federation vessel. Although they are typically operated by marines or highly trained Operations' personel, they can also be controlled by the computer, should there be a lack of available crewmen. They are light anti-fighter guns that are also capable of destroying bombers, incoming projectiles, astroids and even subsystems of Capital Ships. Although the turrets are considered to be medium-ranged weapons, they do the most damage when their target is nearby.

-TFML-009 'Paladin' (5)
The Paladin is a state of the art launch-system that is capable of supporting a broad variety of missiles and torpedoes. Typically, it used to fire the anti-fighter/bomber TFM-21 ship-to-ship missile and the slow`TFM-34 'capship killer', a torpedo that is capable of seriously damaging small- to medium-sized Capital Ships.

-TFT-011 'Flak-Cannon' (4)
The TFT-001 is a short-range defensive weapon that makes extremely heavy use of ammunition, making it virtually useless on long-range missions. It can be used to deflect or destroy incoming craft and missiles, by launching a barrage of energy-grenades that do extensive damage and disrupt homing systems.
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Old 09-19-2007, 03:56 PM   #2
Dreamer128
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Join Date: March 21, 2001
Location: Europe
Age: 39
Posts: 6,136
Default Re: Dystopia: Backgrounds and Equipment

Character Creation



Creating your character is done in three steps.

1) Select your skills
2) Spend your attribute points
3) Create a name, description, personality and background for your character

Skills and Professions

Your 'skills' basically determine your characters profession. Each skill-tree consists of three standard professions (or, 'skills') and two 'specialist-professions', of which only one can be chosen. Note that a person that chooses a profession that is above level 1, typically gets the perks of all of the lower-tier skills as well. For instance, a 'capship controller' will also be able to pilot smaller ships. A new character starts with four skillpoints. This means that you can choose to pick either two level two skills, a level one and a level three skill or a single level four skill. It also needs to be noted that profession is typically unrelated to rank.

Piloting:

(1) Civilian Pilot
The player can pilot simple spacecraft, such as Shuttles and Transport ships.

(2) Fighter Pilot
The player can pilot all small- to medium-sized Naval-spacecraft, such as Fighers, Freighters and Corvettes.

(3)Capship Controller
The player can pilot all Navy spacecraft, including Destroyers, Dreadnaughts and Carriers.

(4)'Ace'
The player is an expert pilot and gets high bonuses when flying Naval-ships or Fighters.

(4)'Rogue'
The player is a veteran spec-ops operative, capable of flying virtually every human made spacecraft.

Military:

(1)Conscript
The player has received some basic military training. He gets a small bonus when engaging in hand-to-hand combat, ranged combat and is proficient in the use of all light-weapons.

(2)Marine
The player has received extensive military training. He receives a moderate bonus when engaging in hand-to-hand or ranged combat and is proficient in the use of all standard-issue military weapons. He is also trained to operate the turrets and other similar weapon-systems on any Federation-Capital ship.

(3)Specialist
The player is specialised in infiltrating hostile environments. He receives high bonuses in hand-to-hand combat and moderate bonuses when using standard-issue military weapons. He gains an additional bonus when using the sniper-rifle and has an extremely high stealth-modifier.

(4)Commando
The player is trained to deal with every perceivable emergency. He automatically gains all level 1 skills on the skill-tree and is a proficient hacker.

(4)Cyborg
The player has various cybernetic implants that allow him to survive without oxygen and in small- to medium-radiation environments. Due to his enhanced strength and constitution, the Cyborg gains a massive bonus when engaging in hand-to-hand combat and is almost impervious to small-arms fire. He is also capable of using the heaviest weapons in the human arsenal. He does, however, incur a penalty to charisma and dexterity.

Medical:

(1) First aid
The player is capable of using basic medical equipment to treat small injuries and can try to keep his more seriously wounded fellows alive until a doctor can look at them.

(2)Medic
The player is skilled in all basic medical procedures. He may also try his hand at more complex treatments, but gains a significant penalty when doing so. His specialisation is stabilising heavily wounded troops, even when under fire himself.

(3)Doctor
The player is proficient in the use of all medical equipment and is specialised in recognizing and treating virtually all common diseases.

(4)Surgeon
The player is extremely skilled in the use of all medical equipment and can treat almost any disease. The surgeon can even attempt to revive someone who has been dead for less than 12 hours. He does, however, incur a small penalty when practicing his craft on the battlefield.

(4)Xeno-Medicus
The player has studied alien plantlife, animals and diseases on a variety of planets and is skilled in recognizing and treating even the most exotic conditions. He is also proficient in the use of all medical equipment and is an expert researcher.

Operations:

(1)Maintenance Officer
The player is a highly trained computer-specialist that can perform virtually all functions that centre involve extensive data processing, such as Communication and Research.

(2)Engineer
The player is capable of maintaining and repairing almost all forms of military-equipment.

(3)Operations Officer
The player is capable of using all basic primary capital-ship systems. However, he does incur a moderate penalty when attempting to pilot the ship or use its weapon systems. He is also a skilled hacker.

(4)Scientist
The player is a highly trained Operations Officer that can identify virtually all ships, weapons and astrological phenomena. He has access to a wealth of knowledge that can be applied to virtually every situation.

(4)Senior Engineer
The player is capable of working with virtually all terran-made equipment. His repair skills greatly surpass those of a regular engineer.

----------------------------------------

Attributes

While the Skill-Tree determines what characters can do, their attributes generally determine how well do they it. Although it needs to be noted that common sense and roleplaying also go a long way towards determining if an action is successful. For instance, an engineer that decided to bring a tech-guide along on a mission will gain a temporary Knowledge-bonus. In total, a character gets twelve points to divide over his attributes. The average on each skill is 2, with four being exceptionally high. You must put at least one point in each skill. The DM automatically makes all rolls, although it needs to be noted that some actions or events are scripted. Ability scores can also be raised by training or through experience. For instance, if a character spends most of his time studying, his knowledge will eventually rise.


Physical: A high score in this attribute will grant your character significant strength and constitution. This allows him to operate under demanding circumstances and dish out more damage in hand to hand combat. A below-average score will make your character more likely to get sick or perish because of his wounds. Cyborgs get an automatic +4 on this skill.

Dexterity: This attribute determines how well a character performs when in ranged combat or piloting small-ships. Surgeons and (Senior) engineers also gain bonuses from their dexterity during certain actions. The Commando and the Ace get an automatic +2 bonus on this skill, while the Cyborg loses 1 point.

Charisma: This attribute determines a characters social skills and empathy. A character with high charisma has a greater chance of getting through to another person or conducting successful negotiations. The Cyborg automatically incurs a -2 penalty on this skill, although his charisma attribute still cannot go below 1.

Knowledge: This statistic is essential in determining if an engineer can repair a device or if a scientist recognises a certain object. For all of these actions, minimum-knowledge scores are required, depending on the complexity of the action. For instance, a regular engineer with 5 points in knowledge may be able to fix a machine whereas a senior-engineer with just 2 points in the same attribute may not. Note that the knowledge skill only applies to the specific profession of a character. For instance, a Marine with a high Knowledge-score may know how to disable an enemy ship, whereas a Surgeon with an equal score would not. A Character with the Xeno-Medicus or the Research skill gets an automatic +2 bonus on this attribute.

Wit: This statistic determines how well a character can improvise and how fast he works. It can occasionally be used as a substitute for Knowledge. For instance, a character may use his wit skill (deductive reasoning) to determine the function of a device, whereas a person with a high knowledge score might simply have recognised it.

Attribute Overview:

1] Weak
2] Average
3] Strong
4] Exceptional
5] Super-human

Background information:

-The Terran Federation
The Terran Federation is a coalition of wealthy planets that have joined hands to protect their mutual interests. Despite the absence of large amounts of natural resources and agricultural planets, the Federation is well ahead of larger groups (such as the Confederation of Independent Planets and the Orion Alliance) in terms of technology and wealth. The Federations main advantage comes in the form of the Wayfarer Space-stations, which allow for instant communication between two points in space. The Federal Planets are often referred to as the ‘cluster-planets’, since they are located remarkably close to each other.

-The Confederation of Independent Planets
The Confederation consists of a large number of barren but resource-rich planets. Since the ties between the Confed worlds are mainly economical in nature, it is home to a wide range of political systems, some of which can be considered less-than-democratic. Although the number of CO-ID planets has grown steadily over the years, population growth has stagnated decades ago. This is mainly due to the low life expectancies on many of the mining-outposts. Many of the Confed worlds are reluctant to deal with the Terran Federation, fearing that the dwindling resources on the cluster-planets will eventually make them a target.

-The Orion Alliance
The signatories of the Orion-treaty are the breadbasket of humanity. Together, they provide nearly eighty percent of the Confederations total food-supply. They also export significant amounts of food to the Terran Federation. Oddly enough, none of the OA worlds are located in Orions Belt.
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Old 09-19-2007, 04:03 PM   #3
Dreamer128
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Join Date: March 21, 2001
Location: Europe
Age: 39
Posts: 6,136
Default Re: Dystopia: Backgrounds and Equipment

Ask and thy shall recieve. For the people that don't have half a lifetime to study the backgrounds, I'll post a summary later.

Prologue

The darkness in the small room seemed almost unnatural. ,,This is it'', whispered the old man, more to himself than to his partner. The light of his portable torch danced across the wall for a few seconds, before finally settling on an antiquated console. ,,You sound as though we'd made the archeological find of the century'', commented his partner, a giant of a man in an orange jumpsuit. ,,I don't get it. You spend half a lifetime searching for this place, and now that you're finally here, your first stop is the datacore?'' The old man threw him an annoyed look. ,,The datacore is the only reason I'm here, boy. Now quiet yourself, I need to concentrate.'' His nimble fingers moved over the console, and after a few seconds the dust began to give way to small keys, covered with vaguely recognisable symbols.
,,Hold on'', muttered the large man, as he connected a small machine to the console. He glared at the small datascreen on the device. ,,As we suspected, there are some compatibility issues. However, I think I should be able t..'', his voice was drowned out by the roar of the machine. Seconds later, the console came to life for the first time in many lifetimes. ,,You've done it!'', shrieked the old man, while rapidly working the buttons. Suddenly, a small part of the wall lit up, revealing a viewscreen of about a meter in diameter.
,,Welcome to the New Terra Historical Database'', stated a pleasant female voice. ,,Her accent is alien, but her tongue.. it sounds like Anglo-Terran'', observed the old man. The man in the orange jumpsuit merely nodded and activated his retinal-camera.
,,Please state your request'', the voice continued.
,,Access Central Archive. New Human Calender, year 50'', ordered her eager operator. The viewscreen flickered, then showed the picture of a lush waterplanet. ,,Planet Mars, during the First Colonial Project'', commented the voice. Within seconds, the camera turned to reveal a dozen large spaceships launching from the planets surface. ,,The first Colonial Project was launched at the request of the Martian Planetary Government. Fearing the same disaster that befell Earth would also devastate this last bastion of humanity, they financed a large scale interplanetary resettlement project.'' The camera closed in on the ships, which all looked identical. ,,The is original footage, taken from an orbital media-satellite'', explained the computer. ,,The MC1-Colonial Voyager was over twenty km in length and at least six kilometer wide. Each of them held over ten thousand colonists''. The camera whirled around, focussing again on the planet. ,,Although the project was a success, it also bankrupted the Martian Government.'', the voice continued. ''During the Economic Crisis of NHC 76, the..''
The old man worked the buttons, immediately silencing the computer. ,,I switched to manual control, seeing as we have to work under severe time-constraints, he answered the unspoken question of his partner. The viewscreen flickered, displaying a small moon in orbit around a massive gas-giant. ,,Mycenea III'', stated the computer. ,,Colonized in NHC 112. This small moon owes its claim to fame to the fact that the Gölzman drives were created by Mycenean scientists in NHC 128. The G-drives allowed intersystem-travel in months, instead of decades.'' The viewscreen displayed a 3-dimensional map of space, on which a dozen systems were highlighted. ,,In NHC 132, a Mycenean team of explorers set out in an attempt to locate the other orginal colonists. Although this attempt was largely successful, decades of isolation had brought about severe social- and political changes on five of the twelve colony worlds. The most well-known is the Neo-Marxist Alliance of Alpha-Centauri, but on at lea..'' The computer-voice died yet again as the old man's fingers ordered another leap through time. This time, the viewscreen displayed rather grizzly images of human corpses floating through space, occasionally colliding with the wrecks of massive spaceships. The computer remained silent for several seconds. When the woman did begin to speak, the camera turned towards a planet that looked to be mainly covered with forests and lakes. Seconds later, whole continents were engulved in flames as dozens of ships open fire from orbit. ,,With the destruction of New-Babylon, the last of the so-called Utopian League-Planets, the Colonies were united under single rule for the first time in history. The Centralists initially decided to create a systems-wide parliamentary democracy, but were soon confronted with the limitations of the S3 Gölzman drives. Because even the fastest courier ships needed days to weeks to travel between worlds, effectively communicating government decrees proved to be impossible. Therefore, under the Revised Unified Systems Pact of NHC 189, all planets gained greater autonomy in several areas, including regional trade, ..'' The computer fell silent as images of unknown politicians and events flashed by. After a few minutes, the old man found what he was looking for. The word 're-enactment' appeared briefly on the monitor, followed by footage of a pale, small man with almost rat-like features being chased through the streets of what looks like a ghost city. His pursuers look strangely out of place in the desolate town, wearing black metal armor and carrying large weapons. ,,Doctor A.L.'', stated the computer, using only his initials. ,,The first to combine the standard DNA-modification sequences with advanced nano-tech. His failed experiments led to the first ban on Nano-Genetic technology in NHC 195.''
Suddenly, the images on the viewscreen fade, and the room returns to darkness. ,,The generator is still working'', states the large man, after having re-activated his torch. The old man opens his mouth to speak, but is silenced by bombastic classical music that sounds from unseen speakers. On the monitor, the words 'the Age of Expansion' appear, only to be replaced by brief images of lines being drawn across galactic-charts and small spaceships soaring between the stars. After the initial presentation is over, the viewscreen shows images of a small number of men and women in white coats, presenting a small device to a cheering crowd. ,,The first S4 Gölzman Drive'', the computer comments. ,,Allowing for unparalleled mobility. Although this engine heralded the start of the second large Colonial Project, it also allowed the weakened central government on New-Terra to directly govern its planets for the first time in history. This led to tensions between New-Terra and several of the border-worlds. Ultimately resulting in the military occupation of Haven IV in NHC 212.'' The monitor showed the wreck of what appeared to be a medium-sized passenger-ship. ,,The Zulkov-incident proved to be another boon for the Centralists. After passenger-liner Zulkov 5 was destroyed after it hit a so-called 'mini-wormhole', or 'micro-rupture' as it is more commonly referred to, government-scientists quickly discovered ways to detect these tiny ruptures in subspace. While these mini-wormholes were to small to utilize for the transportation of goods between two points, they did allow for instant communication between two points in space, provided there were similar holes on both locations.'' The screen showed the fast-forwarded construction of a large, cylinder-shaped spacestation. ,,In order to retain their monopoly on internet-systems communication, the Parliamentary Systems Government, or PSG, ordered the construction of the Wayfarer-spacestations on the sites of the mini-ruptures.'' After displaying a map with the locations of various inhabited worlds, the computer stated: ,,through the Wayfarer-Network and a vast network of courier ships, a message from New-Terra could make its way to any PSG planet in less then two days.'' The chart of Terran space gave way to a larger map, on which several new planets were highlighted. All of which seemed to be located at a great distance from any human planet. ,,The only exceptions were the mining-planets TX15, TX17, SL29 and SL36'', the womans voice stated. The computer showed pictures of the uninviting, rocklike surfaces of several planets. ,,These planets were deemed too desolate and too far removed from Terran space to be suitable for terraforming. They were also light-years away from the nearest rupture, making communication with the PSG-planets difficult at best. Since the New Terran government had no interest in colonizing these distant planets, they were sold to the Cortez & Sons Mining Corporation in NHC 219.'' The old man grabbed his partner by the arm. ,,Be sure to record this'', he ordered. The large man nodded. ,,I've got everything'', he assured his partner. The computer proceeded to show several statistics. ,,These are demographic charts of the Silverfall population. Silverfall quickly became the capital of what would become briefly known as the 'Cortez-Republic' in NHC 248. At first, the planet was a small mining outpost and the regional corporate headquarters of Cortez, but since it wasn't under PSG-jurisdiction it began attracting tens of thousands of refugees after the Haven-Crisis. Although terraforming was beyond the budget of the Cortez-Corporation, dozens of orbital- and surface-habitats were placed to meet the requirements of the massive population growth.'' The old man frowned as he saw dozens of warships circling Silverfall. ,,Although several successive PSG-presidencies advocated military action against the Cortez-worlds, the wealthy corporation had enough supporters in parliament to prevent the Yung and Sanders administrations from gaining the two/thirds majority required for war'', the computer explained. ,,However, as the PSG collapsed after the bombing of the Planetary Parliament in Novaterra in NHC 253, so did the so-called Cortez-Republic. Santiago Cortez, who had declared himself President for life, was lynched by an angry mob after famine and the yellow-plague began spreading through The Republic. In NHC 254, the former Cortez-worlds declared themselves independent from both their corporate masters and any future Terran government. They proceeded to found the Confederation of Independent Planets, or CO-IP. All Cortez-holdings were seized and nationalized.'' The viewscreen went black for few seconds, then continued to display pictures of war. Scores of spaceships firing on each other, planets burning and soldiers discharging their weapons at hordes of panicking civilians. ,,The mass-disruption of trade-routes during the Terran Civil War of NHC 255 led to a crisis on dozens of worlds, which were now cut off from vital resources, such as food and the various quarillium-fuels'', the computer said, and continued to display four flags on the viewscreen. ,,The Unified Terran Alliance, or UTA, consisted of New-Terra and several other technologically advanced worlds with low-degrees of industrialisation. They fought to restore PSG authority, yet were seriously hampered by their lacking infrastructure'', the voice stated while zooming in on the first flag.
The signatories of the Orion-treaty were mostly agricultural worlds that had elected to remain neutral, but feared they would prove to be too tempting a target to the larger planets, where famine was rapidly proving to be a major source of social-disruption. Pooling their resources, they successfully resisted several UTA incursions.
The mineral-rich Confederation of Independent Planets was devastated by famine and civil-unrest during the conflict, and its collective population dropped from 800 million to 554 million. And lastly, the Separatist Movement consisted of a rag-tag collection of religious- and political groups that demanded the right to reform their worlds without the interference of any kind of inter-systems government. Although they made significant strides in the early years of the war, they were fought to a standstill in NHC 262, after the UTA managed to seize control of their primary shipyards at Mycenea III.''
Suddenly, the face of war gave way to room full of diplomats. ,,The Hellespond Conference in NHC 264'', explained the computer, before switching to a picture of a dozen shipwrecks. By the looks of it, the ships weren't merely destroyed, they were almost pulverized. ,,The ET-incident of 264 proved to be the salvation of the unification movement'', said the computer. ,,After entering sector 42/13, all contact was lost with the 12 ships of an UTA-battlegroup that was scouting for Separatist Strongholds in the unexplored space on the other side of the famous 42/11 line. Although it was initially believed that Separatist Kamikaze vessels were responsible for the destruction, the fact that all subsequent missions on the other side of 'The Line' resulted in either the disappearance or the destruction of all vessels involved led UTA-command to suspect the possible involvement of extra-terrestrials. Although several Deep Space Telescopes were placed near the border, no sign of alien life was picked up. However, the belief that humanity might face a common enemy in the near future brought virtually all parties in the conflict to the bargaining table. At the Hellespond Conference, all of the 24 'cluster-planets', or 'central- planets' and an additional 12 'outer-planets' agreed to the founding of a Terran Coalition. All of the member planets agreed to the founding of a unified Terran military, but retained considerable regional autonomy. They also annulled the ban on the nano-genetic technology, allowing for the creation of a new generation of human soldiers.'' The image of diplomats gave way to footage of healthy looking men and women outrunning and outfighting groups of their peers. ,,It did not take long for the politicians to regret their decision, as the modified humans, or Genmods, proved to be considerably stronger, faster and smarter than any of their peers. Within years, their superior abilities had allowed them to dominate the military and their extended life expectancies would allow them to stay at their posts for decades longer than any normal human. In NHC 291, the ban on the creation of 'supersoldiers' through the use of nanotechnology and genetic manipulation was put back into place.'' The screen flashes and showed low-quality camera footage of a single, unarmed woman taking down half a dozen surprised looking soldiers in hand to hand combat. ,,In NHC 293, the Genmods seized control of the Wayfarer stations, throwing The Coalition into disarray. They believed that politicians' fear of their fellow humans had let them to gamble with the future of all of humanity. Their message proved to be popular, especially among the Terran Military. And since most planets no longer had troops of their own, virtually all of them surrendered without a fight. Those that didn't were bombed into submission.'' The computer paused for a few seconds, then continued by showing images of soldiers surrounding what appears to be an ancient ruin. ,,The Genmods installed a highly centralized government on New-Terra. And although the core-systems enjoyed a limited amount of regional self-government, the more distant planets were put directly under the control of the military. Despite the fact that Human Cohesion and the Protection of Humanity were the central points on their agenda, the creation of new Genmods gradually came to a halt during their reign. And as of NHC 300, the Terran defence budget started dropping and the population gradually started gaining more civil liberties. None the less, resistance against the Genmod movement grew during this period. Eventually culminating in the failed attack on Wayfarer 9.'' The computer showed pictures of The Outlands, a massive nebula at the very edge of human space. ,,After the Kerhov-Yokohama expedition returned from The Outlands, the Genmods chanced their policies, launching a project they codenamed 'Salvation'. Although the findings of the expedition and the nature of Project Salvation are still classified today, it is generally believed they are in some way related to the conflicts of 321 and onwards. Certain is that the The Great Repression of NHC 301-306 was directly related to 'Salvation'. During this period, millions of humans were shipped to death-camps and entire cities were bombed into the ground. It was never clear against whom these measures were directed. People and planets seemed to be targeted at random. As fear gave way to anger, many people joined The Red Generation. An inter-systems resistance group that was led by the legendary Gabriella Nicolas. Nicolas herself led several daring raids on New-Terra Death Camps, freeing thousands of prisoners from various planets. The Genmods reacted to this with an unparalleled campaign of intimidation, while also placing a 1000.000 credit reward on the head of Gabriella Nicolas. They also occupied the previously neutral Silverfall, starting a war with the resource-rich Confederation of Independent Planets. Silverfall was quickly turned into a military stronghold, but oddly enough, they mainly focussed the rest of their attention on planets that were strategically irrelevant, allowing the Confederation to win victory after victory. The attention of Genmods, however, had long since shifted from the war to the archeological digs on their fortress-planets. These sites are still locked-down government safe-zones today.'' The viewscreen displayed pictures of statues being toppled and cheering masses in the streets. ,,In 306 NHC, the Red Resistance stormed the so-called Lightning-Palace in New-Terra. All members of the Genmod government were killed. At the same time, resistance forces seized control of all remaining 32 Genmod planets. It is widely believed that spies within the Wayfarer stations allowed them to coordinate these actions. The few surviving Genmods were either executed or imprisoned for life'', said the computer. Next, is showed pictures of warships being dismantled. ,,Resistance Leader Gabriella Nicolas was chosen to head an interim-government that was to lead humanity back to democracy. Despite loud calls for complete decentralisation, she called for the creation of an Inter-systems Federation, that was to be led by a strong executive branch, called The High Council. Her popularity was such that 16 of the original 36 Coalition worlds decided to sign up for this project. The remainder of the planets either became completely independent or joined the Confederation of Independent Planets. The new High Council held strong powers in areas such as Collective Defence, Trade and Healthcare but generally did not meddle in local affairs. Planets were even allowed to maintain their own militia, which would allow them to rise up, should the Federal Government ever become too oppressive. Although Council-members were only elected for eight years, the Senate voted to change the law so the immensely popular Nicolas could be made High-Councilor for life.'' The old man reached into his pockets and produced a small handheld computer, on which he began to take notes. His partner frowned. ,,You do know I'm recording all of this?', he enquired. ,,Yes, yes, just organising my thoughts'', came the reply. After a minute, the old man reached for the console and ordered another leap through time.

The viewscreen began to flicker, then displayed low-quality footage of an enormous planet. Its surface almost completely covered by a single, large city. The camera zoomed in, showing thousands of civilian- and military-vessels leaving orbit. Seconds later, the screaming began. Countless screams, pleas for mercy and requests for assistance echo through the room as a second monitor shows images of hordes of refugees, all trying to board a small vessel. ,,Can you turn down the volume''', shouted the large man, who had covered his ears with his hands.
,,The Haven IV genocide of NHC 322, said the computer, even as the screaming continued. The old man frowned. The female voice of the computer, which had remained neutral and calm even while displaying planet wide-atrocities, had suddenly turned grim. ,,This was recorded by a military spacecraft'', the computer commented. The old man averted his eyes as the millions of lights on the planet-surface slowly began to fade. ,,Enough'', he muttered as he worked the console.

,,Accessing the Military Archive'', said a male computer voice. ,,Date: NHC 321/09/21 - Sector 42/11 - Pandora-System - Vessel: TF-Arioch, Hades-Class - Mission: Border Patrol - Estimated Mission Duration: 5 months/29 days - Crew: 75'', the computer stated. The viewscreen showed a computer animation of the ship type, which closely resembles an arrow. ,,Perfect'', whispered the old man. ,,Computer, open the mission archives'', he ordered. His partner stepped forward and cautiously tapped him on the shoulder. ,,Francis, I've got C&C on the Comm. They say long-range sensors have picked up a large object heading this way. We're almost out of time.'' The old man stared at the screen, his eyes gleaming fanatically. ,,Don't worry'', he said. ''I've found it.''
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Old 09-28-2007, 12:17 PM   #4
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Default Re: Dystopia: Backgrounds and Equipment

It has been brought to my attention that I have forgotten to upload the list of Terran social and political groups. My apologies.

Social and political groups related to the Federation:

-The Unification Movement

The Unification Movement is one of the few groups that date back to the pre-Colonial era. The UM strongly believes that all of humanity should be united under a single government. Since several of the civil wars from the past three centuries were instigated UM-agents and politicians, their growing influence in the Federation Senate does not sit well with the Federations neighbours.

-The Transcendancy

The Transcendancy is a powerful alliance of various Religious groups, including the Digital Church, the Socratians, the Neo-Christians and the Islamo-Buddhists. Fearful of the growing influence of the Federations secular-movement, large groups of ‘Trancendants’ have fled to distant star-systems to found a new theocracy. These newly colonized worlds do not maintain economic or political ties with the TF.

-The Copernicus-Directorate

The Copernicus-Directorate consists of former government-scientists that have exchanged Terran space for the lawless outer-systems. Their new frontier-home effictively frees them from any ethical-constraints that might have been forced upon them, had they elected to stay in the Federation.

-The Decentralists

As implied by their name, the Decentralist movement consists of senators from outlying worlds that object to the Federal element of the TF. They argue that it is impossible to govern dozens of planets with unique ecological and cultural heritages from a single planet. Their desire to limit the powers of the Central Government tends to place them at odds with the Unification Movement.

-The High Council

The High Council is the powerful executive branch of the Terran Federation and consists of eight councilors. The Council is precided by former resistance hero Gabriella Nicolas, who has been elected to her station for life. She is able to handpick her Councilors, only needing the approval of the Senate when their terms have to be renewed after eight years. Although the almost hegemonial powers of this institution are often criticised, the unparalled prosperity and stability humanity currently enjoys does much to silence its critics.

Last edited by Dreamer128; 09-28-2007 at 12:26 PM.
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Old 10-09-2007, 12:57 PM   #5
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Default Re: Dystopia: Backgrounds and Equipment

The various alert-levels (AL's)

AL-Gamma: A hightend state of alert, typically indicating the start of a high-priority non-combat operation.

AL-Omega: All hands to their stations, all Senior Officers are to report to the Bridge or their respective departments.

AL-Beta: Hostilities are expected. Fighters are prepared for launch and turrets are manned. Marines are to secure all critical junctions and rooms. Civilians and non-essential personnel are confined to their quarters.

AL-Alpha: Full Battlestations. The elevators are now controlled from the armoury and the bridge. The residential deck and all critical locations are placed under lock-down.
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Old 11-19-2007, 12:44 PM   #6
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Indepth:

The Terran Federation

Military doctrine

After the fall of The Regime, the vast Terran military was largely abolished. A measure which was only partially symbolic, since the High Council concluded that the long-term military occupasion of planets is both a logistical and political nightmare.
This meant the retirement of virtually all of the Heavy Mech Divisions. Eventually, eighty percent of the total military budget was cut, and later moved to the Federal Navy. Only the Special Forces were left untouched.

The new military doctrines no longer relied on the use of overwhelming force to quickly subdue an enemy. In future conflicts, the Federal Marines were to occupy and hold strategic positions and seize key enemy leaders. Naturally, this means that Space- and Orbital-superiority are vital.
Since it was deemed unlikely that the Federation would be the agressor in any large-scale conflict, post-GenMod military doctrine focussed on forcing the opposing party to the bargaining table. This was done by effectively taking control of vital parts of their infrastructure, thereby seriously distrupting the war-effort. In order to prevent a political backlash, civilian casualties were to be avoided at all costs. Since the Federal Navy is (in terms of technology) decades ahead of any potential enemy, we should be able to take a relatively passive stance without having to gamble with the lives of our population.

Despite the abolishment of concription and the retirement of most Ground Forces, the Infantry budgets have remained more or less the same. As a result, the Terran Marine Corps is now the most professional and feared infantry-force in Regulated Space.

Noticable planets:

New Terra is the political, cultural and administrative capital of the Federation. It is a lush, earth-sized world that boasts a mere 500 million inhabitants. Although migration to New Terra isn't restricted, the high cost of living on 'NT' ensures that most of its inhabitants are either a part of the interstellar elite, or working for the government. New Terra houses both the Senate and the High Council. Unfortunately, the fact that the planet is located in one of the Federations most remote systems forces the government to rely on the two nearby Wayfarer Stations to effictively govern the Federal Planets.

Haven IV is one of the key industrial centres in the Federation. It offers a home to many of the galaxies largest companies, including UltraTech, VR, HoloSoft and McDonalds. This massive planet also has the doubtful honor of being one of the Federations most densly populated worlds. In total, Haven IV has over 50 billion inhabitants.

Mycenea III is a small moon located at the very heart of Federal Space. Despite its relatively small population of fifty million people, Mycenea is home to a large number of military shipyards and research facilities. It is located in the same system as the original Wayfarer station and The Locus, the largest spacestation ever constructed. The Locus consists of a central facility that is over sixty kilometers in diameter, as well as twelve habitat-rings and four docking-rings.

Serris is a barren Mars-sized world that owes its importance to the fact that it is the closest Federation planet to both the Confederation of Independent Planets (CO-IP) and the Orion Alliance. As a result, it has become a major logistical hub. Because of its strategic position, there is a strong military presence. It is not uncommon for large non-Federation companies to move their headquarters to Serris.

Affiliated worlds:

Earth is, for the most part, a lifeless rock. Although attempts at terraforming were made during the days of the PSG, the restoration of our old homeworld was still in its early stages when the project was terminated by the Federation High Council. The Council considered the Earth to be too distant to merrit the massive cost of terraforming. Despite its remote location, the Earth has become a popular destination for rich tourists. A privately owned orbital-habitat allows the rich and famous to witness the remnants of the 'origin-planet' from the comfort of their room.

Mars is one of the few populated planets in existance that is not a part of any treaty-group or inter-systems organisation. This is due to the fact that neither the CO-IP nor the Federation is willing to offer this unattractive world membership status. Its barren surface, lack of natural resources, sparse infrastructure and its remote location ensure that Mars will likely remain one of humanities poorest colonies for generations to come.
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