Fractal Galaxy
Infinite Iterations of Nightmares and Madness
Do you remember what it was like, that first time we looked upon our world from the outside? What about the first time we made contact with other species? Perhaps the first time anyone discovered darkspace travel? Do you know how to speak Russian or Arabic? Do you even know what they are? If you do, count yourself among the few - the privileged - who can. Much - perhaps too much - went into this achievement, from the dawn of the scientific method until today. Thousands died as a direct cause and millions indirectly, all for one thing: immortality. And for all of our technological might and our ability to implant, alter, and improve the human body and thought processes, nothing is more valuable than the experience of ages. Remember always that even though you were not the first and will not be the last, if you are clever you will be there at the end of time, when the universe goes dark and utters its death rattle of black holes and forgotten neutrons.
Remember. You won't be alone.
-Dr. Omega
Contents
The Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (this post)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79935)
Mechatroids (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79936)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79937)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79938)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79939)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.last)
The Milky Way
Mankind once believed that when they learned to travel fast enough through space that the galaxy and the universe would be divided into simple regions based on the inhabitance of species. They were wrong - darkspace is a dangerous technology, one that has cost the lives of countless pioneers of the various spacefaring species in seeking out paths. The simplest way to travel darkspace was and remains to keep to the routes seemingly laid out between key areas by those long gone - something that ultimately led to the designation of sectors by their connections to other "Obelisks" that marked stars of interest. Indeed, to state that a system is in "Human Space" or "Gray Space" is relatively meaningless compared to saying that a species controls a sector. And this brings us to the Thaxus Sector.
Previous installment for reference (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?71271.post)
Night Between Worlds: The Modern Galaxy
[ooc=Details]In this section, I'll be talking out-of-character about the way the galaxy and setting function, and try to answer questions pertaining to why this or that hasn't happened and whatnot, and also will try to go into modern philosophical movements where appropriate.[/ooc]
Space Travel
Unlike the universe of Star Wars or many other space-based settings, in Fractal Galaxy space travel for normal individuals is still relatively uncommon, and only after a thousand years of human space access (and much longer periods for some other species) are civilian Galactic Shuttles or Galactic Spacecraft (abbreviated G.S., a common part of the formal title for any spacefaring vessel) becoming numerous. Although public charter and transport between planets, stations, and sectors has had a strong infrastructure for several hundred years, most of the non-military and non-public space travel is limited to very wealthy and powerful organizations (which includes larger mercenary groups; the exception to this rule is pirates and other fugitives).
The main reasons for this remain the question of resources - the systems that drive and link spacecraft and their crew have been revolutionized, refined, and optimized time and time again (most considerably with access to the Darkspace Network and more recently the development of stable and efficient wormhole drives and communications tech), but the means to build and propagate the technology remains expensive, and training - even with artificial intelligence units and mechatroids becoming commonplace throughout the galaxy, natural intelligences and fleshy bodies are more efficient except in special cases.
The Lunnolli Art Movement
The modern social/artistic Lunnolli Movement is a very nature-based one at heart; the basic concept is that in nature one finds the most beautiful and exquisite examples of complexity and genius, and the imagination should fuel the means to capture this beauty. Artists who render imagery in this style paint and compose fiercely realistic and detailed images of vistas and creatures that exist, from the lowly beetle to the mighty mountain range to the haunting and eerie Crab Nebula. Reflections of this art style are found in a growing number of media, from architecture to flags and other symbols and marks that people and factions may use to signify things.
The Lunnolli Movement originated shortly after the fall of Earth. Contained primarily within the heartlands of the Alliance, it was at first a human upheaval before spreading furiously through the Iasilath of the tetrobor and then quickly into the various societies throughout Alliance space, a testament to the increasing familiarity between various species. Lunnolli is considered the first true multi-species artistic revolution, although it is technically not the first to be popular with more than one at a time.
The Darkspace Network vs Wormhole Drives
Two major technological advancements have allowed the galaxy to become what it is today, and both of these have their limitations. The Darkspace Network is a mathematically complex tech that is still not fully understood, built to last eternally by a long-dead civilization of the galaxy. The basic concept involves destruction and reconstruction of a spacecraft to travel through "dark" alternate dimensions that, due to bizarre geometries will cut the trip to a under half of a day (the same reconstruction process occurs again near the destination, this time in this dimension). Unfortunately, both the lost civilizations and modern scientists seem to be unable to make nodes of the Network more numerous, limiting darkspace's potential future as a means of galactic transportation. While it is suspected that the original builders of darkspace obelisks perished in a great interstellar war, uncertainty in how darkspace travel fundamentally functions is still commonplace and a diminishing amount of research goes into it now that the development of wormhole drives are a sure thing.
Unlike the Darkspace Network, the utilization of a wormhole for travel does not actually transport a spacecraft into another dimension - although it has been experimentally verified that this is possible, if it were ever desired - instead creating a "fold" or "crumble" in space. Some experts have described the action of initiating a stable, controlled wormhole as the implosion of space followed by an "infinite shortcut" where space as it is known is instantaneously absent, while others have likened space to a highly adhesive, unending sponge, with holes ready to open and close at a surge or ejection of energy. Wormhole drives are hideously power-hungry and as a result difficult (and by extension, costly) to construct, making them a rare and valuable capability and as-of-yet failing to make darkspace use obsolete.
Regardless of the method, a journey from one point to the next in the galaxy takes roughly the same amount of time. The primary advantage of wormholes is that they can be made to theoretically end at whatever point those piloting the ship desire. The relative youth and inefficiency of the first generation of wormhole drives however make any jump inaccurate enough to put a ship an average of a few hours from their destination at best (and usually more, as few are daring enough to risk leaving the wormhole inside an object, forcing them to "land" in deep space). This vastly outstrips the speed of using a darkspace lane, as even the most advanced spacecraft still move through normal space at small fractions of the speed of light, making some trips from the darkspace node to the required destination in a system take days (for example, in the Sol system, the fastest ships of the Alliance would take roughly three days to get from the orbit of Neptune where the darkspace obelisk orbits to Earth).
Exploration, Development, and the Size of Space
There is one simple fact that prevents the denizens of Fractal Galaxy from populating every fragment: space is incredibly vast. Even many of the pilots and space-born explorers of every species routinely forget this until they look out on the void from a viewpoint.
Billions of star systems wait to be plundered and explored, but the limited lifespans and frail bodies of the spacefaring species combined with the sheer expansiveness of the galaxy leave much of it unexplored. Between all of the spacefaring species in the Alliance and elsewise, perhaps only five percent of the star systems of the galaxy have been visited ("visited" being very loosely applied here, as a visit ranges from anything to colonization to a pass-by while travelling the Darkspace Network), and a tiny fraction of these are inhabited. The dreamers of modern civilizations say it is a hauntingly eerie feeling calling a place that so little is known about home; knowing that at the edge of the star system lies a gateway that could lead somewhere no one has seen before.
As years pass it seems to become increasingly common for various organizations with enough resources to expand far into the uncharted and unclaimed regions of the galaxy to claim systems, planets, and anomalies as their on - and who would stop them? Militaries and security forces already have the daunting task of policing known, populated, heavily-travelled areas, and it would be mad for them to attempt to police a few thousand distant and difficult-to-reach systems when billions more await.
Communications: Global/Stellar Information Networks
Naturally, global and solar system communications established at the beginning of a species' spacefaring days quickly become an essential facet of life; there are few worlds and systems that do not feature some extensive communications network that can quickly and easily be accessed by those who require information. Unfortunately, limitations in faster-than-light technology inhibit the capabilities of said networks to be strung across systems and darkspace nodes (although hope is materialized in the claim that further development of wormhole tech will allow the creation of permanent communications shortcuts). This has first and foremost developed a kind of galactic courier/information service known as the GOS (Galactic Outrider System; some others also exist and theoretically any spaceflight mission can serve in this fashion when docking, but GCS is the most prominent) that is constantly on the move, helping to provide effective knowledge on even the smallest elements of society in every system wherever possible.
As for local networks, the inhabited worlds and stations in a system all tend to broadcast their own individual hub, which in addition to serving all of the economic, social, and entertainment functions it might be tasked to do, is frequently updated and backed up many times with updates in the status quo of other systems and territories when the respective courier vessels arrive. When a spacecraft leaves dock, it does so normally only after having the databanks of the ship computer updated with the most recent information about the galaxy, and crews are well aware that on long missions away from large outposts or civilized areas at all, the knowledge contained in their database can quickly become outdated. To help combat this on particularly long missions, some groups have utilized specialized mechatroid crew members whose manufacture focuses around massive numbers of simulations with the goal of accurately predicting trends and "unforeseen" events by considering every detail in the database from the tiniest bacterium to the most violently exploding supernova.
The Hilbert Sector: Humanity's New Genesis
Someone, somewhere had to know it would come to this.
"When humanity lost Earth and Sol-Artyr to the vorovka, the galaxy was in complete awe. Never before had an attack so abrupt been so devastating and so complete. It drew a great dividing line through the vast darkness of space; on one side lay the lost Sol-Artyr, and on the other lay the hostile and the unknown realms that humanity would need to learn to call home. They were cold and unforgiving places with few luxuries other than those that the allies of humankind would bring, taunting our desire to survive and harrowing attempts at a great, new civilization. And in all of the uncertainty before us, we forged a future.
Now the human race stands a greater chance against the threat of the vorovka, the Traitors and the allegiances they've created, and the universe itself. We stand united as the most dangerous force the universe has or will ever see, for even though we may not possess the power that the Lost Civilizations could have, we possess the drive and the knowledge to prevent our fall. We are citizens of the Unified Human Command, and today - nay, every day - is our greatest."
-The "New Genesis" speech of Hamas Deleucid, first Prime Minister of the Unified Human Command, 3197
Los Alamos Prime
"Los Alamos burns so bright that it's often mistaken for Ophicus itself when you're on the outskirts of the system. There are few things so magnificent, so evocative to the mind."
The new "homeworld" of humanity, Los Alamos Prime evolved from what was originally a large space platform primarily concerned with manufacturing into possibly the largest artificial structure continuously populated by over 10 billion inhabitants. Such a colossal populace ensures endless diversity and ingenuity, and as to be expected of any massive population, it is entirely possible that a person may spend all their lives there and encounter a tiny portion of those around them. In fact, it is believed to be impossible now to explore the entire station in a lifetime. The station continues to grow in its inhabitants' constant lust for greater and grander living space, and the center, which is a much less elegant and spacious region of the station, gradually is forgotten.
While Los Alamos Prime is considered the homeworld of humanity, many of the Unified Human Command's administrative offices and the largest corporations and factions associated with it are headquartered off-world. Los Alamos Prime has almost complete command over the two-star Ophicus system it orbits, with a few major companies such as the surveying giant Terrestrial Insights found in the outer regions. Harvest operations from Los Alamos exist primarily around the gas giant Ophelia and its twenty-three moons, which make the station nearly self-sufficient and help fuel its bustling markets. Three of the moons are inhabitable naturally and another two are in the process of terraforming, with plans for them to become ecological preserves.
Los Alamos Prime's size also causes military and security forces a great deal of frustration regarding the policing of the population; especially in the lower levels (the central parts of the station), illegal activities are difficult to prevent. It is known that there are an increasing number of gangs and pirate bands taking up residence in the depths as time goes on. Along with the standard illegal goods and services to be found there, rumor has it that a trade of sentients exists where those with the means to purchase may find themselves the owners of a wide assortment of creatures and mechatroids with the freedom to do as they wish with them.
Broken Outpost
Named for the graveyard of old Alliance vessels on one of the planet's moons, Broken Outpost is a relatively small spaceport two obelisks away from the Ophicus system, sitting on a dark, Earth-sized world with a warm subsurface ocean in the outer reaches of the Basilisk system. The Outpost mainly serves as a military base but features a supporting population of slightly under one-hundred million and several kiosks of powerful corporations. The system and spaceport are otherwise uninteresting except for the Basilisk Obelisk.
The Basilisk Obelisk is a prized possession that the Alliance is eager to protect due to its links to other obelisks - it is one of the few in Alliance possession that connects to the unknown regions of the Milky Way known as the Mandelbrot Void, where obelisks stretch off forever on their subspace grid into untouched and undocumented systems and nebulae. Exploration here is potentially rewarding but dangerous, as there are untold numbers of lost civilization artifacts to be found in the seemingly endless reaches of the Mandelbrot Void, and equally many systems and resources to claim for one's own - but if one were to run into trouble, rescue may be difficult or impossible.
Unity Nine
Unity Nine is a prime example of the bizarre tendencies of long-dead civilizations in building massive structures in the void, far from the relative warmth of the stars. Unity sits in relative darkness far from any stars, attached to an obelisk at the darkspace junction between the Hilbert Sector and the Halov sector. Its location and solitude suggests that either the ancients sought the eerie beauty of the stars apparent from this vantage point - or that they wanted to hide something terrible far from the civilized regions. Unity Nine, which is in the shape of a very long hyperboloid, is even more massive than Los Alamos Prime. However, it is largely uninhabited - much of the structure has as of yet been impossible to penetrate, with its complex security systems and sometimes ruined passages making exploration into its depths difficult. As the largest of the artifacts of the aforementioned lost civilizations, most factions interested in the structure are very hesitant to damage it for fear of losing the vital information within. It is apparent that the vorovka are interested, too - combat on and around Unity Nine with them is frequent, and they control - or at least used to, as there have been few attacks as of late - part of the structure.
In addition to the primary station, many small satellite structures that appear unfinished orbit it, and the Alliance controls two of these, staging expeditions into Unity from them. They are reasonably large and very active military bases from which the Alliance closely monitors the movements of the vorovka - and the lack of recent activity has some of the brass on edge.
The Itagica Colony
Despite almost 200 years of existence and a well-developed and unique culture, Itagica is still under exterior management and has no independent representation in galactic affairs. The result is a rapidly growing system filled with small orbital research stations and spaceports who appear politically much like the galactic equivalent of America prior to the Revolutionary War. Between the lack of independent governance, limitations on growth, and the use of Itagica's people, mechatroids, and resources fighting the ever-growing wars with the Eternal Empire, the vorovka, and various smaller conflicts in fringe systems, the Itagian population is extremely frustrated with the entire Alliance. Small cases of civil unrest and rioting have been witnessed in the past, but D.R.A.E.C.H. is growing more focused on Itagica by the day, expecting the big one to take place soon.
Itagica was originated by a group of Martian scientists and soldiers who suffered severe damage to their vessel during battle with an Imperial craft. The Martian ship managed to reach darkspace and jump to the Itagica system, luckily finding a very pleasant planet to land on. By a harsh twist of fate the ability to repair the ship's damages (including the darkspace comms) was impossible, leaving the population of a few hundred people and half that number in mechatroids stranded for over four decades - long enough for the population to grow significantly - while construction mechatroids were built and attempts were made to contact the Alliance. By the time the survivors were located, the colony had grown to over 1000 residents, and it was determined that Itagica was plentiful enough for permanent development. The primary world is the fourth planet from Itagica and only hosts a single, but sizable city. Most of the population is in orbit at a radius similar to the system's obelisk. The rest of Itagica Prime is home to the ranches of several retired members of the Military of the Wraz Republic.
The Iasilath
The Iasilath, also known as the Gray Void, is the largest tetrobor nation and sector within the Alliance. Where the human sectors are filled with densely populated orbital stations with the occasional planet featuring only a few large cities, the Iasilath is an example of the ultimate desire for modification and control; any planet that could be terraformed has been, and massive cities sprawl seemingly forever across the surfaces (and occasionally below) of populated worlds. To a human, the Gray Void's architecture is vaguely reminiscent of archaic Mediterranean civilizations, with pyramids, grand temples and streets, and colossal monuments. A common feature of all tetrobor design in the region is the limitation on the height of occupied structures - rarely do they surpass 50 meters in height - while statues and honorary obelisks stretch far into the sky. In reality roughly a third of all functional structures and living space is underground.
under construction
Other Ideologies
Although the Hilbert Sector is considered humanity's true new home in the Milky Way, there are other factions of humankind who long ago separated from the Unified Human Command and the Alliance seeking other homeworlds, some of whom were large and resourceful enough to become their own states, and others more disparate in philosophy who would join with different coalitions far from Sol-Artyr. These factions are called "The Traitors" by their Alliance brethren for failing to come to the aid of Sol-Artyr in the brief war (and for varying reasons, the humans of the Alliance are called the same by them).
The Eternal Empire
The Eternal Empire is every totalitarian, militaristic, conquest-hungry nation ever seen or theorized by humanity in its past, a rabid wolf brought to strength by the chance acquisition of all of the ingredients necessary to build a great and powerful empire from next to nothing. The Empire was born in 3102 when a separatist movement known as Fyodor succeeded in rallying over two-hundred million people to their cause, seizing a relatively plentiful star system on the fringe of the galaxy from the UHC's meager guard stationed there. Although by galactic standards this population was small (and hardly reduced the size of the 25 billion human population of the UHC throughout the Milky Way), it flourished and grew to a great size within half of a century (in part due to its liberal creation of mechatroids).
As its population grew, Fyodor was quick to take hold of many systems previously claimed by the Alliance, sparking a war that has not yet ended. It was not long after the war began that Fyodor became the Eternal Empire, and imperial vessels, troops, and propaganda began appearing throughout the galaxy. As a galactic state, the Eternal Empire is fearsome because of its unity - the strict and absolute control of the population shows no signs of losing strength, and in the twisted unity it possesses exists a disciplined and mighty military that relentlessly pushes upon the borders of its enemies. The imperial leaders - which are not known directly by any of the people - seek no allegiances with anyone, not even the myriad federations and coalitions that populate the galaxy and its nearest neighbors. When Imperial soldiers are encountered on neutral ground, their gold-and-black uniforms with faces obscured bring much suspicion, awe, and terror to those who see them.
Halov
Halov is a peculiar case of an independent human faction that isn't - Halov is the first and continues to be the largest of the supercorporations, so large and powerful that it controls its own home sector and many claims and outposts elsewhere in the galaxy. The Halov Sector, more commonly known as the Euclidean Verge, is a ghostly region of space; a series of solar systems closely connected by obelisks (an anomaly in itself) to each other and both artyrian and tetrobor space, full of lonely planets without moons and dim suns. It is made more ghostly by the numerous ancient vessels that drift dead through the darkness between the planets and the ruins that crumble on the planets themselves. The nature of their territory fuels a highly scientific society - with occasionally extreme and horrific methods.
Halov is populated by approximately three billion humans, with another billion citizens of primarily the tetrobor and wraz species. Although this is a relatively small population to be spread across the galaxy, it is supplemented by a large force of mechatroids, who in the Halov territories receive autonomy equal to that of biotics. Although Halov is capable of going to war and has a considerable standing private security force and a fleet of armed vessels, they seldom take part in combat on a large scale. Halov is known for many goods and technologies that it manufactures and sells to its allies - which it counts the Alliance among at times. Its relations with most factions can be rough, as different sections of the corporation-state - particularly "The Division" - perform experiments and operations that those who would call them close allies disapprove of and consider inhumane.
Thaxus
Hey
Have you seen the blind man in disguise
Looking for his eyes
Hey
Have you seen the rain man lookin' to the skies
Beggin' for sunlight
The darkest times ain't always at night
-Black Stone Cherry, Blind Man
Thaxus is a trio of star systems that puzzle archaeologists and provide shelter for pirates, connected by very efficient darkspace routes and linked to the rest of the galaxy by some of the most tedious and difficult to traverse. In short, those who go there want to escape the dense channels of the Heartland Sectors. They might be criminals, or organizations that would be criminal if prominent powers could keep an eye on them, or even armed tourists. The sector is not known for being predictable.
[note=Wait a minute... what?]I thought Darkspace was nearly instantaneous travel? I've been going on for a while about how this fictional technology known as darkspace functions in Vibrant, and have heralded it as a near-instantaneous method of travel. The difficulty in getting places is realized by understanding that with darkspace routes, the galaxy (and the universe) is a tangled web of lines long, short, perforated, and broken entirely, and these are the trails that one must follow to get from one place to another. At some point long before any of the Alliance races can remember (the vorovka might, but they're not fond of talking), other civilizations used them and left behind things now called Obelisks that mark the ends of trails between the stars. They disappeared, and over many hundreds of thousands of years the Obelisks began to decay, some faster than others. Many trails were lost, leaving darkspace to be easiest between the relatively few that were still functioning. Someone with a darkspace drive in their vessel can always attempt to forge a new route, but it requires extremely complicated mathematics to map one without ending up in the middle of a star, black hole, or some other catastrophic obstacle - even an AI can't do it without a skilled mathematician helping out, and even then the planning takes up the majority of the overall process. This is one of many reasons why the vorovka are so feared - they seem to possess a nearly-complete chart of the most efficient routes from one place to another in the galaxy and perhaps outside of it, too, meaning they can go anywhere they want very quickly. [/note]
The Systems of Thaxus
As mentioned earlier, the Thaxus Sector contains three star systems, and two of these have at least one habitable planet. The connections between them confuse scholars who study the artifacts left behind by ancient civilization, as the third star system is of little interest - unless you don't want to be found.
Thaxus A
Thaxus Alpha is the most active of the three systems in the sector, with two hubs of civilization - one on its habitable planet, Thaxus Alpha IV (the fourth planet from the star) and the space platforms orbiting the sixth planet from the sun, a sub-Jovian called Holan. Harvest probes built by a company called Simoxon (whose leadership is almost entirely tetrobor) mine the surfaces of Thaxus Alpha I-III and are plumbing the depths of Alpha VIII. In orbit around most of the planets beyond the first three are offices and outposts of larger organizations from other parts of the galaxy as well as headquarters of local factions and private territory. Thaxus Alpha receives the majority of the attention that comes to the sector because of the larger Obelisk located on the outskirts of the system.
Percentage Population of Species
Wraz 26%
Dyen 23%
Human 17%
Tetrobor 17%
Loomaus 14%
Other 3%
Thaxus B
While Thaxus Alpha receives the most sanctioned traffic, Beta is what the sector is known for - a chaotic system controlled by either organizations seeking to do things that would cause them to be shut down anywhere else, or pirates who call the vast emptiness between planets and the debris that litters the system their base of operations. Most notable is the fourth planet, called H4-D11 - a purchase by Halov Corporation - which is a planet that is very similar to Earth in terms of habitability and resources. No one without Halov clearance has ever observed what goes on there, and the company speaks little of any activities other than "biotech research". Many attempts have been made to mine other parts of the system, but have been met with marginal success - it's literally teeming with warring criminal factions who will tear apart any installations that aren't heavily guarded. A significant spaceport exists orbiting the tiny planet Beta VIII, built by the Wraz Republic in an early attempt to colonize the system before being abandoned and resettled by a ragtag assortment of factions and curious individuals.
Percentage Population of Species
Human 39%
Gray 24%
Wraz 12%
Dyen 11%
Wzzev 10%
Other 4%
Oonossh
A weird name for an equally weird system, Oonossh is the quietest (but still dangerous) system in the Thaxus Sector. Oonossh is strange because out of its twelve planets, none are sufficient for colonization, nor do any of them appear to have any remnants of old civilization present other than crashed ships and decaying satellites - and as far as researchers can tell, no other remaining Obelisks are tied to systems without at least potentially habitable planets and their builders rarely placed them in such systems to begin with. A major question remains, then: why Oonossh? Orbital platforms exist around the third, ninth, and eleventh planets, and mostly consist of abandoned research facilities and still-functioning mining stations, as well as a few small spaceports. Countless archaeologists would die for the opportunity to come to the Oonossh system and conduct research, if only they weren't threatened by attack by pirate vessels - and many have done so trying to study Oonossh without armed escort.
Percentage Population of Species
Human 54%
Other 46%
Major Factions
Dasschanon
A marginally effective force, Dasschanon (usually shortened to Dass by frequent visitors and inhabitants of Thaxus) serves as the local armed forces and security for the sector. The majority of its influence lies in Thaxus Alpha, and this is where its headquarters is located, orbiting Thaxus VII. Dass is surprisingly well-funded considering that its sphere of influence lies exclusively within the Thaxus Sector, and has a considerable permanent force and eager volunteers. Where Thaxus sees little in the way of large conflicts however, Dass serves mostly as a security force and its personnel can be found protecting businesses and their employees, spaceport docks and marketplaces, and even the entrances to clubs and restaurants. The organization's uniform is a simple grey jumpsuit with forest green secondary coloring (including badges and insignia). Dasschanon's symbol is an inverted white triangle with an orange star in the center.
The Division
Halov Corporation's most infamous collective, The Division has an extremely large presence in Thaxus and employs almost 30% of the sector's population directly or indirectly. The Alliance and wealthy individuals who owned portions of Thaxus B and Oonossh allowed Halov nearly free reign over these areas provided that 1) said owners could move freely throughout and maintain small orbital "ranches" where desired; 2)The Division brings in some of The Divisions special defense troops to "police" the areas, and 3) things were kept quiet about their research. The Division has been very busy in the sector, doing many things one can only speculate at on and around the planets in their jurisdiction. Many of their space installations and research facilities have been abandoned as of late with no explanation why and only a warning for all to avoid them. The Division also advertises Attharos, the spaceport orbiting Beta VIII, as the ideal place to do business (of all kinds), as it's far from Alliance jurisdiction and lies solely in Division control.
Ghosts of Tannomine
The Ghosts are a smaller band of pirates of the Thaxus Sector, but are a powerful and feared faction because of how difficult they are to locate - they are believed to have an interstellar installation located somewhere far outside Beta's outer asteroid belt. Many of the Ghosts have some psionic ability - although no one is sure how many are natural psionics and how many have had their biochemistry altered in laboratories. The Ghosts are notable for being one of the only criminal groups in the sector that aren't readily welcomed to the Beta VIII Spaceport by authorities - many mercenary groups that are known to be untrustworthy and to have membership that raids civilian and military vessels openly move on Beta VIII, and also have recruiting stations and business there.
Voil
Voil is a faction of the tetrobor operating mainly in Oonossh, with significant numbers of moglin forces at their disposal. Voil broadcasts itself as a nonviolent research operation with focus on cataloging new biota present in various sectors. This is in stark contrast to what they actually appear to be doing in Thaxus, however - they have constructed at least five large space stations in the past century, all in orbit around outer planets in the three systems; and as far as anyone can tell the only life not yet fully archived is that on H4-D11, which The Division will not readily allow access to.
D.R.A.E.C.H.
Dyen Reconnaissance and Advance Enforcement CHarge (shortened to DRAECH, pronounced "drake") is the closest thing the Milky Way has to a galactic police force, with membership exclusive to those of the praetor species. While the headquarters of DRAECH is located far from Thaxus via darkspace travel, it has a presence even here, where it primarily seeks to try to work with Dasschanon to secure the systems (and goes a step further, seeking to gain a foothold in Thaxus B and Oonossh) as well as enforce galactic laws on those who would come to Thaxus for illegal purposes. DRAECH's most notable achievements have been in the intelligence world, infiltrating and exposing phony organizations that most large corporations and factions would operate under to disguise their practices as the work of unaffiliated groups. They possess a small fleet of vessels - mainly light cruisers, stalker vessels and enough individual fighter craft for a force twice the size of their roughly 2000 regular staff in the sector. DRAECH officers posted to the region are some of the most courageous and hardy dyen in the Alliance; they'd have to be, considering the high morality rate of DRAECH's personnel in the sector.
Xabris
Xabris is one of the most interesting features of all of the Thaxus Sector - and perhaps, all of a large part of the galaxy. Since the first species ever made its way into space there have been members of them that sought to enhance - or even entirely replace - their bodies with cold, mechanical structures. Xabris is an outpost of a "race" of "mechatroids"; super-intelligent machines who construct and improve other mechatroids. Xabris, like the other known robotic "races", does not conform to a single body form and various models of being are created for different purposes within their society. The most versatile form is vaguely humanoid, but even these base forms are subject to a vast number of potential add-ons and modifications that differentiate them from others. Xabris is rarely uncooperative when interacting with forces such as DRAECH and most biota in the sector, which allows them to go about their existence in relative peace. Only a few vagabonds have been bold enough to assault them seeking to harvest something or anything of value, and the few of the few who return speak in fear of the fabled mechatroids geared for war.
Laterris
Named after a deadly species of wolf-like creatures on Alpha IV, Laterris is one of the largest mercenary groups in the sector, and while not known for being heroic, they are certainly much less wicked than some of their rivals. Laterris controls a large facility located on the lower levels of the Camarra Spaceport around Beta VIII. The faction - which advertises itself as a protection agency and private defense resource for anyone with the funds - in reality spends much more time on its own assignments with only its leadership giving directions and offering jobs. Membership has very light requirements and mercs on the payroll can denounce membership at any time, but they must adhere to the Mercenary Affiliation Conduct Code (Laterris being one of eleven major mercenary groups across the galaxy to help create the Code) while on jobs under their banners - or a bounty will be placed on their head. Laterris frequently finds itself in minor skirmishes in the back passages and areas of the station, going against other mercenary soldiers; only some are with major rivals.
The Guild of Surgeons
Like many other large operations in Thaxus, The Guild of Surgeons is not based in the sector but it does have a significant role and sends many more of its agents there than other parts of the galaxy. The Guild is a support/utility company that has its roots in a group of those from the medical profession who sought to lend aid during the Frozen Star Conflict. With a strong body of medical staff as well as a large base of freighter pilots, logistics specialists, and businessmen, The Guild operates as often and as quickly as is possible, using their funds (from mainly private sources) to assist in crises and effectively augment armed forces during conflicts. Their interests in the Thaxus Sector are mainly in attending to the frequent casualties of mercenary skirmishes and other, stranger sources of injury and sickness; they are even working openly against The Division after recent events allowed them to rescue several individuals of different species claiming to have been subject to experiments on H4-D11.
Economy
The economy of the Thaxus Sector is often considered to have two facets in local culture - the "Alliance Market" and the "Thaxus Market." The Alliance Market consists of all standard business between corporations, organizations, and individuals throughout the days and using standard Alliance credits. The Thaxus Market is linked to the Alliance Market through its similar use of credits as one currency but is much wider, includes the trade of work, salvage, technology, and is highly illegal. The Thaxus Market is known for its literal underground called simply "The Sublevel," which is actually a series of levels throughout spaceports where purchases of otherwise unavailable goods can be made. Crime is said to actually be quite low in these lawless areas in most cases; different mercenary groups and guilds are careful to prevent anything from taking place that would cause a law enforcement push into The Sublevel. DRAECH, Dasschanon, and Kalleiri (a small civilian security agency based solely in major spaceports) do not move easily on shutting down the Thaxus Market or into The Sublevel at all because of the unrest it would cause - including a potential civil war between Alliance affiliates and the various mercenary groups united against them - although it is rumored that there are many infiltrators present in circles of interest, some sabotaging the future prosperity of the illegal markets.
The Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79934)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (this post)
Mechatroids (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79936)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79937)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79938)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79939)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.last)
The Uvanlic Sector
Occasionally, when the engineers of the now stable wormhole drive ran test trials, things would go horribly wrong. Uvanlic is the result not of a terrible accident but a simple miscalculation that revealed to the galaxy the great secret it is now realized to be. In 3108 an error jumped a military research craft far outside the Milky Way, but not so far that they could not communicate with home and eventually be reacquired. Instead of finding the relative emptiness of intergalactic space, however, they found a lone star system with a horde of planets and moons in orbit, and a great deal of evidence that the lost civilization(s) of the galaxy had explored deep into the void, or at least had intended to.
Uvanlic is still a frontier, and few exploration/survey missions or even vagabonds and private operations have found their way there simply due to the cost. The system is not reachable by the Darkspace Network (although it seems the original creators of the Network were constructing a node), making the only option the still highly-exclusive wormhole drive. This disappoints scientists and politicians alike, as the wonder of Uvanlic is unmistakable - those who have seen it liken it to the modern equivalent of a sunken hoard of treasure.
What makes Uvanlic so special is its status as a "Class Zero" region, meaning it is essentially a garden system - four of its planets are readily inhabitable (three of these by nitrogen-oxygen breathers) and the other eleven are rich in many of the resources essential to the needs of the present, with countless moons and compounds that are in high demand. The garden system classification is only accentuated by the mesmerizing view of the night sky from its worlds - Uvanlic is in such a position that on one horizon the Milky Way engulfs a large swath of one's view, while on the other sit no stars but several distant galaxies shining. The view is both inspiring and melancholy, and seems fitting for an epic, desperate battle or the lair of a romantically evil villain to be perched upon an outcropping should ever there be one throughout the entire galaxy.
Planetary Body Alpha II: Codename Calypso
Calypso is the unofficial name for the second planet in the Uvanlic system, and is one of the four inhabitable planets of great interest to outsiders. Calypso is a highly fertile and incredibly beautiful world that is untarnished by development and shows few signs of previous settlement. Calypso is the planet that the original re-discoverers of Uvanlic orbited and landed upon when entering the system, and is the one which tales of Uvanlic's unimaginable elegance originates from. The continents of the world form a large ring around an inner sea, which is in turn surrounded by a vast and deep ocean. Entire catalogs of undocumented creatures and plant life await any scientist who might land there, and it is suspected that given time and the proper equipment, evidence of a now-extinct civilization might be found there. A few locales on the planet with spectacular views of the natural landscape are populated with the ruins of a lost galactic civlization's attempt at leaving a monument, or perhaps a message, to any who would come here, as crumbling arches and other simple structures dot these areas.
Much interest exists for a new expedition to Calypso above all other planets in Uvanlic. Military surveys are in the planning stage and a great deal of scientists, scouts, and explorers have volunteered their hands for the mission, but it is becoming clear that any such journey will be tied to a lengthy selection process to determine the best hands to take along. Other organizations with major scientific capacities such as Halov and Morvana Systems Solutions also are beginning to express interest in the sector, but the extent of the Alliance Unified Forces desire to get there first is unusual - some believe that a conspiracy involving the ruins is admist...
Earth - The Lost Homeworld
[note=A Short Detour]Some things written in the previous installment of Vibrant contradict the new direction I'm taking, mostly because they don't fit the feel I'm trying to evoke now. As a result, I'm changing some things, and I'll mention here the ones relevant to Thaxus here. With as many of the people likely to go on adventures in the sector originating from outside it as not, it's important for things happening elsewhere to be known. There are a few notable retcons to be mentioned...[/note]
In 3195 the Sol-Artyr system - the location of the human homeworld Earth and the independent human world Mars as well as countless human space colonies and outposts; the primary operating region of the United Defense Network and the Martian Orbital Force; the place from which all human knowledge was born and its future drawn around - was attacked. For centuries, human researchers and explorers had been uncovering artifacts suspected to be of vorovka origin within Sol-Artyr's primary limits, and outside in interstellar space, all without an understanding of why. Whether or not this was related to the attack is still unknown, however the vorovka did invade the territory on June 17th, 3195. The attack was quick, devastating, and by the end of the ensuing five-month war, resulted in the loss of all but roughly three billion of the sixty-two billion civilian population within the system - either to destruction or abduction. Sol-Artyr is now a forbidden zone to which few Alliance vessels venture, and the systems bordering Earth via darkspace were evacuated and now are solely the habitat of many military first-warning posts and patrol ships.
The Invasion
The invasion began early in the evening on June 17th, 3195. Human scanners based on gamma field technology were insufficient in detecting the fleet of vorov craft entering the system - initially a "shock-and-shatter" battle group that quickly advanced to major population centers and wiped them out - this included both Earth and Mars, which contact with was entirely lost within an hour. The stationary planetary defense platforms were mostly ineffective in repelling the invaders, although declassified military reports state that a vorov light carrier, four light cruisers, and over two-thousand assault drones were destroyed before being overrun (popular opinion states that the number was less). The vorov force vastly overpowered human defense groups in both naval and ground attack power, with human forces sustaining an 8:1 casualty ratio. Full mobilization of naval forces in the region took only a few hours, but by that time the vorovka had effectively secured all space within the reach of the asteroid belt and were pushing on colonies near Jupiter. Only seventeen million inhabitants of Earth and twenty-six million inhabitants of Mars escaped before total lockdown by the vorovka.
The Homeworld War officially began on June 17th, but it did not end until november 28th - over five months later. Following the initial surprise attack and scramble to defense, what was left of the United Defense Network and the Martian Orbital Force combined into a single Emergency Human Joint Command, and their attempts to fight off the massive vorov assault were enough to allow the majority of the civilian population of the Sol-Artyr system to be evacuated over the next five months. Actual ground combat between human military forces and vorov soldiers and their technology was rare, witnessed briefly on Earth and Mars by special assault teams; the Ganymede and Titan colonies as the vorovka pushed through the gas giants; and the few space installations that were not vaporized once vorov vessels were in range. Occasional breaches, pushing the vorovka back if only for days at most were made possible by the arrival of reinforcements from human colonies in other parts of the sector and outside of it altogether. It is suspected that even M.O.T.H., the infamous rogue organization known for murdering untold numbers throughout their existence, played a part in the defense of Sol-Artyr - although their allegiance remains uncertain.
The decision to abandon the system was made by Admirals Warn O. Brillan and Kelera Vasmute of the UDF and MOF as well as the Acting Superintendent of Sol-Artyr, Colonel-General Daedalus Abrams when the EHJC had been pushed to the inner boundary of Uranus and the colony Amber Solitude was lost. Withdrawal began on November 19th and the last ships left the Trans-Neptunian obelisk gate in the early morning of November 28th, "ending" the war. Forces retreated to the surrounding systems of the sector where a further attack was expected and a massive fleet of ships had been assembled in preparation; no such attack ever came.
The Aftermath
As a result of The Homeworld War, the human race is the first and only spacefaring race that now considers a space station (the massive space platform Los Alamos Prime), rather than a planet, its primary world. Thirty-three years have passed since the loss of Earth, and an entire generation has grown up not knowing what Earth was like firsthand. As a result, the sentiment that the Alliance should gather and retaliate has diminished, although in those old enough to remember and in the descendants of refugees, this remains strong. Although the war is considered to be "over", the other systems of the Artyr sector are now purely military hotspots, serving as both regions to be patrolled and weapons testing ranges. Interestingly, attempts to return to the Sol-Artyr system have been met with much difficulty, as the vorovka seemingly destroyed the Sol-Artyr obelisk's linking algorithms, leaving the only option for those daring enough to go there a darkspace plot through a region rarely mapped to the necessary level of detail. This makes Earth the "Lost Homeworld," as it is popularly called, in more ways than one.
The loss of Sol-Artyr also did something for the technology of the EHJC, which later became the Unified Human Command - it drove them to vastly improve their military and communications technology as well as prompt a massive expansion of military size and capability to levels even beyond that of their most powerful galactic peers. It displayed that their capabilities were far below what was needed to be functional on the galactic scale and that they could no longer rely on what little friendly forces of other races would provide them with to improve. In the thirty-three years since The Homeworld War, the UHC and most other human factions have advanced to become arguably the most technologically advanced forces in the Milky Way.
Other Things Lost
Immortality?
"I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? ... All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood, and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to overman: a laughingstock or painful embarrassment. You have made your way from worm to man, and much in you is still worm. Once you were apes, and even now, too, man is more ape than any ape.... The overman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the overman shall be the meaning of the earth.... Man is a rope, tied between beast and overman'"a rope over an abyss ... what is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end."
-Frederick Nietzsche
Immortality is not longer fantasy. In human history alone, thousands of the most brilliant scientists have sought the answer to aging; apparently, a gray named Evasha Leed found it around 2508. Among the most gifted of minds in her time, Dr. Leed expanded upon the work of doctors and chemists who had sought the unimaginatively-named "fusion gene": a DNA rendering that prevented cells from dying. Most of those whose work she had built upon were horrible, psychopathic monsters in the eyes of the galaxy who only spawned new cancers and death; Dr. Leed's discovery however was entirely different.
Official accounts state that sometime early in the spring of the planet Lonuron-II that year, Leed spoke to a friend and ally from a university's center of biochemical research, saying that she had uncovered what might be the greatest secret of the universe. Leed's laboratory was mysteriously and tragically destroyed in an explosion powerful enough to destroy the reinforced composite structure and several others connected to it - with Leed inside - shortly after informing her colleague of her discovery. No records or reports of Leed's knowledge could be found on the various networks she frequented, and everything within her lab was utterly destroyed, leaving this knowledge seemingly lost.
Some say that it was no accident and Leed was murdered, her lab sabotaged and the secret stolen by malicious organizations - perhaps the fledgling Halov or Tro Vasc - trying to get their hands on the most valuable secrets of the future. Other stories say Leed was insane, keeping the secret solely for herself and destroying all research that might lead others to the same results. It's often rumored now that there are an increasing number of individuals out there who live on by the virtue of the "fusion gene," and have done so for decades. Some even go so far as to suggest that, in the case of humans, it's been a known technology among the most secretive and elite since the late 1800s...
Generations Eternal
In the middle of the 21st century, the dual threats of ignorance and poor education, and the growing scarcity of traditional fuel sources tore a divide in the future of humanity. Earth and its fledgling space colonies descended into a sort of information dark age; an age with all of the suppression of innovation of knowledge with none of the oppression of the people. During this period, despite rampant anti-intellectualism, some organizations managed to develop to develop their space technology in a haste that would literally move millions - in anger and disgust they used their secret knowledge to construct a host of generation ships which they launched as a fleet into deep space on the primitive - and dangerous - wormhole leap technology. Through a grave miscalculation, a drive jump failed and flung the entire convoy far across space and time, likely to a distant galaxy. Speculation exists and much research has been done into their potential location, but there is no way to know for sure. Scholars call these lost members of the human race the Eternal Generation because the knowledge of them will remain cryptic and mythical for all eternity - brothers and sisters lost within the infinite cosmos.
Technology
Contents
The Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79934)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79935)
Mechatroids (this post)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79937)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79938)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79939)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.last)
Mechatroids: Artificial and Intelligent
Instead of trying to produce a programme to simulate the adult mind, why not rather try to produce one which simulates the child's? If this were then subjected to an appropriate course of education one would obtain the adult brain.
-Alan Turing, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence"
The term "mechatroid" is used to describe any artifically intelligent being, with an "intelligence" ranging from the simplicity of a manufacturing robot to the level of the "mechasapien" and beyond. Historically, most of the prominent spacefaring species have developed and built mechatroids of varying complexity no later than the time they learned of and first utilized darkspace travel. Mechatroids are a complex and still fiercely-contested subject throughout the Alliance and those who associate with it regarding the rights and individuality of them - some are built and utilized for manufacturing, surveillance, policing, archiving, and research, while others have their own individuality and are considered citizens (and in more extreme examples, have formed their own private societies, such as with Xabris). In many cases the mechatroid population of a station outnumbers the biotic population, and often a "Mechatroid First Recon Envoy" or MFRE is launched weeks, months, or years ahead of colonization and exploration efforts to provide an initial assessment of the difficulties or dangers ahead.
Mechatroids born of different species were once structurally and cognitively different, but over time on the galactic stage similarities have appeared and as technology and intelligence continues to grow within the continuously upgraded and rebuilt mechatroids, and the current "grade" has reached a level of near-complete modularity (there are exceptions). One of the major differences between mechatroids now is the degree of interconnectivity between them - there are three "levels" - 0, 1, and 2 - which define the ease and extent of communication:
Level 0: No communication; insufficient intelligence
Level 1: Humanoid-level intelligence; normal and/or "assisted" connectivity
Level 2: Humanoid-level or greater intelligence; interstellar, darkspace, or wormhole network
Anomalies have been observed which fall outside these classifications, but they are rare.
Contents
The Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79934)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79935)
Mechatroids (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79936)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (this post)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79938)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79939)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.last)
Mercenary Groups, "The Division," and Other Organizations
Mercenaries
[ooc]
General Statistics Section Info
Personnel: Total permanent employees (those who have been employed continuously for at least six months). Does not include temporary members, new recruits, or affiliates.
Operations Personnel: Armed members, most of which tend to serve in a security role (with notable exceptions)
Year Founded: The year that the original organization was founded (individual group, not parent organization)
Number of Major Bases: Number of bases that can operate independently for extended periods and possess sizable armories. Usually but not always isolated from civilian spaceports and installations.
Number of Outposts and Secondary Facilities: Includes communications outposts, repair stations, recruiting stations, prospecting units, and warehouses.
Permanent Contracts: Number of contracts that are of at least ten years in length; usually in the form of private security assignments.
Total Current Contracts: Does not include non-contracted (mercenary interest) assignments.
Interstellar Vessels: Number of transport, freight, observation, scientific, and combat craft. These may or may not possess warp technology. Very valuable considering the difficulty in design and use of wormhole technology.
Darkspace Vessels: May be of any type, but larger factions tend to possess these in the form of carriers capable of transporting numerous lesser craft.
DRAECH Relations: The relative ability for a mercenary group to operate in populated areas without law enforcement interference, and the relative level of treatment of individual mercenaries.
Excellent - Strong relations, considered the equivalent of a Private Military Contractor or security firm. Given grants depending on the field of work; often contracted out by law enforcement to serve as supplementary forces. Some groups at this level are permanently contracted as law enforcement for specific sectors.
Good - Few outstanding incidents with the law; is questioned only sporadically. Organizations with a "Good" DRAECH Relations rating can operate freely in populated areas and are treated as security personnel; groups at this level or above can purchase licenses for their personnel to carry restricted weapons have access to Alliance military shipping lanes.
Neutral - Members of group treated as civilians; cannot legally carry restricted weapons.
Poor - Mercenary organizations at this level are regularly monitored and are frequently scanned at spaceports, and cannot avoid surveillance unless using false identification. Shipping is inspected at checkpoints; legal storage areas are limited. Members geared for combat acting in populated areas are subject to arrest. DRAECH investigations and attempts at removing groups begins at this level and below.
Hostile - DRAECH and affiliates do not negotiate with Hostile-rated groups; law enforcement actively opens fire. Significant activity by these groups often causes major lockdowns of populated and industrial areas. Hostile factions are the subject of major DRAECH investigations and raids.
[/ooc]
[note=MCOMC]The Mercenary Conduct and Operational Methods Code is actually a simple set of rules adhered to by roughly half of the mercenary groups in the galaxy, depending on where one is. Almost all small organizations of this nature follow it, while the larger ones usually tend to either serve as major enforcers of it or throw it out entirely. The MCOMC is as follows:
I. A mercenary in the employ of a professional organization will accept any assignment given and perform to the best of their abilities until the job is complete. The mercenary may not accept another assignment until listed as released from the last, and the acceptance of one from another organization is punishable by immediate discharge and a sizable, nonlethal bounty placed upon the mercenary's head.
II. A mercenary in the employ of a professional organization shall follow the local law to the letter unless an assignment is noted with "Supersede", in which case the mercenary may commit illegal acts in moderation to achieve completion.
III A mercenary who in any way causes the reputation of the parent organization to be tarnished and its future to be jeopardized, is to be made subject of a large bounty. A mercenary who kills a civilian, an affiliate, or a member of the organization or another organization who is not hostile is subject to a death warrant.
Most mercenary groups tend to modify or add to the specifics of these very general rules, but for the most part the outline is the same across the galaxy (for those who follow it).[/note]
Malifican's Rout
Malifican's Rout is a mercenary legion that started as little more than a cadre of pirates and continues to live up to the stereotype - they are among the most vile and immoral scum to grace the galaxy. The fact that they have grown to become such a large faction is unusual, but it causes less curiosity than it does fear - more often than not, the Rout's "cells" actually vastly outnumber local law enforcement in manpower and have utilized this to their advantage, occasionally taking control of small regions for periods of time. It is a mistake however to believe that the Rout is not organized or well-disciplined, as this is only true of only exceptional cases - the now-dead founder, Malifican, was a deserter of the Infinity Marines during the Kelesta-Low Crisis, and although he elected not to continue any association with various militaries, he did bring along much of their tradition including strict discipline, drill, and need for excellence and professionalism. As a result, Malifican's Rout was and remains a large force of well-trained and diverse personnel.
The Rout's presence in the Thaxus Sector is relatively small but still dwarfs many other paramilitary factions that have a presence there. Their main headquarters is located somewhere in deep space beyond a star that is one of the most distant from Thaxus by darkspace travel, but they still maintain regular communication and receive quick supplies and support when called upon. Rumor has it that Malifican's Rout is planning a takeover of Thaxus - which is at this point entirely possible considering the weakness of the Alliance forces in the sector and the engagement of the majority of the Alliance Naval Fleet elsewhere. The Rout does not adhere to the MCOMC. Their colors are black and dark orange, and their symbol is a black, inverted fleur-de-lis on an orange background.
Mission and Areas of Interest
Malifican's Rout primarily does shady work for equally shadowy clients, usually in the form of protection, smuggling, raids, and assassinations. However, Malifican's Rout enjoys a significant level of independence because of the size of the organization and its holdings, and because of the high level of professionalism offered by their mercenaries, most clients who do hire them will pay significantly. There is no question that they deal in the illegal, with large stakes in drugs, restricted weapons, stolen spacecraft and technology being regular elements of the Rout's work. They are even known to have an espionage wing that collects informational assets (currently only for the eyes of the Rout high-ups; they do not yet offer this service to clients). The most common shows of force by Malifican's Rout involve the seizing of resources and valuable Alliance shipping.
Recruitment
Malifican's Rout is the "law" where there is simply not enough of a more noble presence to serve as the law. As a result, in backwater systems such as Thaxus Beta and Oonossh, Malifican's Rout can operate openly without considerable worry. They have a major recruitment facility on the Betet Space Installation (located in orbit around Beta VIII) that includes demonstration facilities, and tend to have similar setups across the galaxy in equally base territories. Where the Rout operates on a level of discipline very similar to most militaries, recruits can expect a difficult series of initial tests and a tough selection process overall. Some of those who join have prior military experience and may be disgruntled noncoms or less-than-honorable officers, but the majority of recruits are young and brash individuals believing themselves to be the best soldiers in the universe and/or people who've been rejected elsewhere because of a seeming lack of a moral compass.
Malifican's Rout has one of the most extreme signing conditions of all mercenary organizations - once you join, the Rout owns you for life. Considering the people it draws and the line of work they are usually in, however, few members protest.
General Statistics
Personnel: 4.81 Million
Operations Personnel: 760,000
Year Founded: 3114
Number of Major Bases: 15
Number of Outposts and Secondary Facilities: Unknown, estimated around 3,500
Permanent Contracts: 7
Total Current Contracts: 38
Interstellar Vessels: 142
Darkspace Vessels: 10000+
DRAECH Relations: Hostile
The Dark Daughters of Ser
The Dark Daughters are one of the larger mercenary groups in the Thaxus Sector and are slowly expanding into others, although they have not yet reached the level of power held by their rivals such as Nelenas. The organization was founded by two dyen, one of which was a pirate and the other a scientist, and a tetrobor naval deserter, all of whom are female. The group is called the Dark Daughters because of this, and even the male members refer to themselves as Dark Daughters. The Dark Daughters' main base of operations in the Thaxus Sector is a pair of space platforms in quiet orbit relatively near to the obelisks connecting Thaxus Alpha and Beta, allowing them quick travel and a wide range of access to any areas of interest. The Dark Daughters of Ser are a mercenary group that adheres to the Mercenary Conduct and Operational Methods Code. Their colors are grey and navy blue and the symbol on the flag of the Dark Daughters is a symmetrical cross with fangs on its two horizontal bars.
Mission and Areas of Interest
The leadership of the Dark Daughters puts little forward in terms of social agenda - the mercenary group is largely a for-profit organization. Unlike many other mercenary groups, the Dark Daughters receive a lot of their income from contracting services out, notably to various mining operations in the sector. That being said, their operations in the sector are often bordering illegal and sometimes will cross the line, but rarely feature raids on major spaceports or registered vessels. It is rumored that they dabble in the trafficking of addictive substances and restricted military-grade equipment on the underground markets, but this is unconfirmed and is given little attention considering the difficulty a relatively small group such as the Dark Daughters might have doing so in the Thaxus markets. The Dark Daughters immediate plans are continued expansion into interstellar space outside of Thaxus Beta, designing massive facilities for the organization that orbit at vast distances.
Recruitment
The Dark Daughters of Ser require that one be of legal age and be in possession of at least civilian-grade weapons and light body armor as well as be physically fit - the "official" guidelines state that the Dark Daughters do not encourage the acquisition of restricted weaponry, but considering they have easy access to military-grade arms anyway, the rule is hardly enforced if a would-be recruit has acquired illegal weapons by various means, unless they are hazardous weapons that will draw attention and law enforcement (such as splash weaponry and implosion rifles). The Dark Daughters typically do not look to employ more than about 5000 personnel at any time, and only 15% of recruits are considered field operatives - the rest are assigned to administrative, logistics, and communication duties, with a rare few (determined from a very competitive selection process at contract initiation) becoming pilots. A newly-recruited Dark Daughter typically has initiated a 6-year contract, and can expect regular assignments for that time period.
General Statistics
Personnel: 12029
Operations Personnel: 1038
Year Founded: 3202
Number of Major Bases: 2
Number of Outposts and Secondary Facilities: 37
Permanent Contracts: 1
Total Current Contracts: 9
Interstellar Vessels: 4
Darkspace Vessels: 30+
DRAECH Relations: Neutral
Claws of Tergaus
The Claws of Tergaus are a ruthless and powerful force of mercenaries known throughout the Hilbert Sector and to a degree within the Wraz Republic. Ran by an incredibly efficient leadership, the Claws have commandeered and now control countless spacecraft and outposts both planetary and orbital. Unfortunately, their headquarters seems to be somewhere within the Mandelbrot Void, making them difficult to deal with. The Claws of Tergaus are often involved in illegal operations in the Wraz Republic at some level and have their own semi-permanent operations on Los Alamos Prime, where their presence has become the second largest crime syndicate present. Interestingly, the Claws are not as threatening as they would otherwise be due to constant battle with the Army of Endless Suns - a mechatroid mercenary company that is encroaching on the Claws' territory.
Mission and Areas of Interest
The Claws are surprising in that they have existed without much apparent internal struggle or fragmentation for over a century, given that their main interest is to simply own and control as much as possible. Interstellar vessels outside of the Hilbert Sector or Wraz Republic have occasionally been identified as piloted by the Claws, but as far as can be seen they operate primarily within those two sectors and within the largely unknown Mandelbrot Void.
Recruitment
Little is known about the recruitment procedure of the Claws of Tergaus other than that those who go to them seeking membership are often slain and left in the cold of interplanetary space.
General Statistics
Personnel: 17.1 million
Operations Personnel: 13 million
Year Founded: 3124
Number of Major Bases: 100+
Number of Outposts and Secondary Facilities: Unknown
Permanent Contracts: N/A, contracts itself
Interstellar Vessels: Unknown
Darkspace Vessels: 700+
DRAECH Relations: Hostile
Organizations
The Extreme Host
The chief exploration and cataloging unit of The Iasilath - the largest of the Alliance tetrobor nations - is also one of the most well-known and active scientific associations in the Alliance. The Extreme Host is concerned primarily with terraforming and the shepherding of undeveloped life as well as its study - and when appropriate, its assessment for use as a weapon. Extreme Host ships are large, lightly armed, and filled with scientific facilities and instruments. Each is outfitted with the recently-developed wormhole technology.
The Extreme Host adheres to a complex philosophic doctrine that, among other things, states that they must wear certain full-body uniforms - which look like neon green-and-black diving suits from the human 20th and 21st centuries and are called UEEs ("Universal Environment Ensembles"), providing full life support in any locale including during a spacewalk. Extreme Host operatives wear this gear for life following induction into the unit.
Contents
The Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79934)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79935)
Mechatroids (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79936)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79937)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (this post)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79939)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.last)
D.R.A.E.C.H. and Other Police and Military Forces of the Galaxy
Motto: "Duty and Daring"
D.R.A.E.C.H. is the largest and most well-known paramilitary/law enforcement organization in all of the Alliance. Founded and still manned solely by the Dyen (at least officially), the group adheres to a strict code based around integrity, courage, and honor. DRAECH is an extremely mobile police force - their aircraft are fast, sleek and deadly helicopters and their interstellar and intergalactic craft are also known for their haste and the strategic ability of those that pilot them. Even DRAECH's headquarters - the Galactic Shuttle Vigil - is a massive spacecraft, with most other DRAECH offices and detachments being nothing more than modest launch bases, communications stations, and orbital platforms (the latter usually being located very close to major shipyards). Exceptions to this rule are fairly rare, but are distributed among heavily-populated sectors of the galaxy in such a way that many people are unaware of the decentralized nature of the organization.
Membership in DRAECH is a lengthy and selective process, and many of the Dyen inducted into the organization are recruited and begin training at adolescence. Basic weapons handling, investigation and breach/assault tactics, and aircraft/spacecraft pilot training are fundamentals of agent learning. It seldom happens that the standard policing operative receives piloting and navigation training on both aircraft and spacecraft, although civilian space travel is finally becoming so commonplace in the galaxy (assisted a great deal by AI's) that many will have some modicum of experience in the latter.
Although DRAECH is known for its high mobility and rapid deployment capabilities, there is a great deal of funding and maintenance sunk into more localized stationary mechatroid detachments. At least one squadron is common to most heavily-frequented spaceports or regions of a planet. These mechatroid groups, sometimes known as ARMS (Armed Robotic Management Squads) are met with mixed reviews among civilians, and in more hostile areas of large spaceports and cities are often constantly engaged patrolling sectors and engaging mercenaries or criminals without the mercy that DRAECH agents might feel inclined to show.
Contents
The Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79934)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79935)
Mechatroids (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79936)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79937)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79938)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (this post)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.0)
Anomalies, Psionics and Strange Creatures of the Galaxy
Anomalies
Arc Angels
Electricity is really just organized lightning.
-George Carlin
Since the first scientist realized that psionic power was possible, experiments have taken place on those who possessed them and on those that others believed could potentially use them. Few of these experiments could be performed in populated areas because of the public outrage towards the often unethical procedures; instead they were brought to distant planets or space stations that would be both difficult for patients to escape, and for authorities to find. Strange and terrible things were done to individuals of all species, some of which were abducted from their homeworlds long before their species ever made it into space. The early tests resulted in little more than madness, severe illness, or birth defects (many pregnant females were abducted for use) in subjects, and later tests would often feature the same atrocities because of a unwillingness to share knowledge between different researchers (and perhaps a sadistic desire in many of the scientists). A few rare experiments would awaken electrokinesis within the subject, but even these "successful" incidences were prone to scarring and insanity, evoking euthanization. The obsession with the potential for psionic power led the parties involved to obtain more test subjects until hundreds of thousands of beings had been stolen away to die.
Experiments with electrokinesis eventually began to change, as if the currents introduced into the bodies of test subjects gained a sentience and violently sought to escape; in the process they would often tear a body to shreds, leaving little but a charred, bloody mess. Some facilities where these experiments took place eventually began going quiet without explanation. Rescue teams reported that the stations they came to investigate were devoid of life, littered with bodies charred and mutilated, and that the stations were unstable - lightning seemed to strike through the walls at random places and times, and random flashes of energy lit up otherwise unpowered and dark corridors without natural explanation.
Some few report the presence of bizarre electrical anomalies floating through the halls that they called "arc angels" - silhouettes that could be considered vaguely humanoid, but at times had the shape of a bird of prey viewed from below, that were essentially electrical storms seeming to have minds of their own. Few fatalies occured then but there is no doubt that they are dangerous phenomena, and some even suggest that they are the psionic remnants of dead test subjects come back in a ghostly energy form to haunt the living and to take revenge - psionic powers have resulted in stranger things. Whatever the case, arc angels are a frightening anomaly found on forgotten outposts and abandoned planets, and something that remains as a testament to the immoral and twisted methods of experimentation with psionics, some of which still take place today...
Usikkryte
We'll meet again,
Don't know where,
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day...
-Vera Lynn, We'll Meet Again
It might be said that many of the spacefaring species of the Milky Way are extremely adaptable; if this is given as fact then one might be inclined to further state that they are mentally, but not physically, adaptable. To build further on this idea, then presumably there might be something out there that is physically so - and the usikkryte is such a creature. A lifeform of much mystery and confusion, the usikkryte is most prevalently believed to have originated somewhere within the territory of the Eternal Empire (but long before the Empire became the entity it is now, and long before several intelligent species ever graced the galactic stage), perhaps on a world of extremes far more chaotic and unforgiving than Earth may have been throughout most of its history. Such a world is the only conceivable place that a creature like the usikkryte may ever arise; a world where simply surviving might require rapid and frequent modification of physical characteristics.
The usikkryte is a thing quite common in the nightmares of many scientists and explorers, and fortunately these are only the professions likely to encounter them. It baffles even the most dedicated and stoic of frontier biochemists and zoologists because of its difficulty in any form of classification. The usikkryte is not known to have a single natural form because of its tendency to take on shapes and characteristics most ideal to their environments. What is known is that it only takes weeks at most to enter a hibernation state inside an organic vessel and emerge ideally suited to its new habitat. They are identifiable by their tendency to very slowly change colors when observed and by the shedding of skins during "re-prioritization". Some "species" of the usikkryte "genus" are even known for their ability to take forms of living, intelligent creatures around them and mimic their qualities almost to the letter. Perhaps the only saving grace for the spacefaring species when dealing with them (especially the mimic breeds) is that they are only moderately intelligent - should they ever decide to look and function like another species they have encountered, they can at best only repeat short phrases and sentences they have heard previously (and at worst can only mimic growls, chirps, whistles, and other vocalizations common to animals). Nevertheless, the usikkryte is a terrifying creature.
The usikkryte's potential as a weapon has always been the concern of those who have passed laws commanding that they be destroyed - and of great interest to those that see them as resources. There is no doubt that many tests have been undertaken by factions other than the Alliance. Most notably, it is said that some particularly mad scientists and genetic engineers sought a way to breed vastly more intelligent variants of the usikkryte. Despite thousands of years of knowledge of the creature, information regarding their ability to adapt to the vacuum of space is unknown or secret - if anyone has ever seen a variant that could do so, they've never lived to tell the tale.
Etterlikn
On occasion, the galaxy wants nothing more than to terrify. Like the dreams of a child there are places in the galaxy and outside of its borders where no sane creature would go; dark corners and dreamscapes where reason and logic dissolve into the most primal of fear. The etterlikn, assuming it is not the creation of a truly evil and sadistic scientist lurking in some ruined facility somewhere, is undoubtedly from such a place. Like the usikkryte it is capable of changing forms, but the etterlikn can take the shape of objects as well as living creatures - and if it wants, its prey might never realize that something was amiss. What makes the etterlikn especially terrifying is that it is telepathic to a degree, capable of tapping into the minds of creatures around it and knowing what frightens them most. It uses this ability to take appropriate forms for hunting and killing its terrified victims, appearing to have a disturbing intuition for complexity in the nightmarish scenarios it generates.
Interestingly, the etterlikn in its natural form appears to be some kind of amorphous swarm of individual "creatures" diminutive in size, but the swarm itself is as large as a small armored vehicle. Small sections of the etterlikn can separate from its body without difficulty, enabling the creature to emulate smaller objects and creatures at will. No one knows from where the etterlikn originates; some insist that it is a creation of the vorovka, while others suggest that it was a creation of M.O.T.H.; and others still suggest that it was born of some sick evolution on a lonely world far beyond known space, or even within darkspace itself. Psionic agents have occasionally attempted communicating with the creatures via telepathy, but have been driven mad in the instances where they escape - most of the time, the existence of an etterlikn within a facility spells a quick and silent doom for those within.
Aproticoids
The Milky Way holds no shortage of terrors - and among the stars, sentients have witnessed many evils. The aproticoids as they are called are one such evil, a "race" of hulking humanoid creatures with many insect-like qualities that appear to exist for no purpose other than to kill. Encountered only in distant parts of the galaxy far from major population centers, aproticoids (often simply called "stalkers") tend to hunt other beings mercilessly and with a haunting determination. They are notoriously effective at remaining unnoticed until it is too late for their victims, and are seemingly educated to the point where they can pilot small craft and access standard security and control systems on space stations and medium-size vessels.
Aproticoids are characterized by a thick biological body suit that is suspected to contain multiple redundant life support systems for the creature inside, although none have ever actually been seen. When slain, the body usually will be consumed by a powerful acid originating inside within an hour. This has made any attempt at studying the aproticoid extremely difficult.
Spacefaring Species
Humans
Human entrance onto the galactic stage caused a great deal of controversy following the conflicts of first contact - unknowingly dredging up a very tense subject among the Alliance species: the subject of overpopulation on a galactic level. Following the dyen discovery and "assimilation" of the loomaus in 2288 AD, a heated debate on whether other intelligent species discovered in the galaxy should be left alone, or aided in their quest for space power, quickly erupted into the Green Sun War; this eventually resulted in the creation of the Alliance and its contemporaries the Tripartite Legion of Vaulon, Woldas, and the Eternal Empire of Draxa. In the aftermath little was actually resolved, but the differing factions were united under what was initially disagreement on the treatment of intelligent life (persistent, friendly encounters and interest in assisting new species is known as "Enlightenment"), and only later during the build-up and mid-war did they look for other reasons to be prejudiced. Thus it was no surprise that leadership of the Alliance (which was and is anti-Enlightenment) was very cold when a wraz and tetrobor joint operation accidentally entered what was considered forbidden human space nearly a century after the Green Sun War - becoming mankind's first alien encounter. Though they were all ready well on their way to discovering the rest of the galaxy on their own (perhaps only a decade from efficient, everyday wormhole tech), humans were given a controversial jump-start into galactic life after a short conflict born of fear and confusion (initiated by human militaries) and became the fourth Alliance race officially in 2370 AD.
Humans (known as vaelartyra or [singular vaelartyr] by tetrobor scientific naming conventions) as a result have a lot to be thankful for: vast amounts of knowledge and assistance gained in obtaining a foothold in galactic civilization; a strong, prosperous friendship with the rest of the Alliance members; continuation as a spacefaring and advanced species as opposed to having their fledgling fleets obliterated and their world reduced to primitive tools and tribes by the Alliance Naval Collective - and human leaders are still expressing gratitude, though their technology, knowledge, and military power has in some ways surpassed other factions' in recent centuries. This, however, did not last even on human fronts - many colonies filled with humans have broken off from the Unified Human Command since joining the Alliance for the continued "oppression" they feel from alien species, some joining other more pro-Enlightenment factions while others went entirely independent. Since joining the Alliance, the UHC has become as anti-Enlightenment as its friends, with humans very careful about encountering new species that could become spacefarers - in fact, the UHC in particular has been very adamant in the last 150 years about approving the "Council for the Destruction of Intelligent Threats" or CDIT (popularly known and pronounced as "Seed-It", in reference to the proposed methods of introducing violent predators with implanted killswitches to eliminate intelligent native creatures, facilitating easy colonization).
Among all of the known spacefaring species, humans have one of the lowest levels of evolutionary development of psionic abilities. Historically, anomalous individuals have usually possessed a faint precognitive ability and little else, with more powerful and varied cases even rarer. Upon discovery of this natural psionic ability late in the 23rd century, a great deal of funding went into research, first through the military and then private parties. Electronic implants, genetic modification and extreme conditioning attempts were all made, and for long years they were met with mixed success, ushering in a new drive for discovery and advancement and founding an age of relative peace and prosperity that would later be shattered during the Psionic Wars. Roughly one out of every twenty-five people manifests strongly as a psionic in the modern human population, still primarily with precognitive powers and little else.
Modern advances and ingenuity in human medicine have extended the human lifespan to such a level that old age is no longer reached until they have lived for an average of 140 years, although recent advancements in gene restructuring have made this advancement as anything but continuous. As a result, there are different "generations of generations" (particularly on more isolated and distant colonies) where people have shorter life expectancies than the projected average based on said science, driving a rift in inter-human relations. Much worry and speculation accompanies this fact; similar situations have previously been significant factors in the decision to perform extreme cybernetic alterations upon entire societies of humanity.
Wraz
"I am the lizard king, I can do anything."
-Jim Morrison
When compared to other spacefaring species of the galaxy, a wrazk has a startling similarity to a human that surpasses all others in all respects (except perhaps certain mechatroid factions) - they are roughly as tall (perhaps only a few centimeters taller on average) as a human but are very lanky and often look as if they should be taller. This trait also tends to mask the physical strength of the wraz, however, as they are very strong and agile. Their eyes are very large and look as if they belong to a lizard or a bird, and they have a mouth resembling a short beak. Their skin is completely hairless and feels somewhere between that of a human's and scales like those of a snake. Having three long fingers and a thumb on each hand was a major factor in the history of wraz mathematics, as almost all cultures of the species throughout their development have used a base-eight counting system. Wraz have a sense of smell unsurpassed by other spacefaring races, although it still pales in comparison to a large number of animal species.
Wrazk culture is as diverse and complicated as other species, but is notable for being perhaps the most religious (some would argue superstitious) of the spacefarers, especially when it comes to the "scion" - an extremely rare birth, male or female, who possesses a brightly-colored series of frills or crests about their head. In wrazk history, the birth of a scion was a powerful (and sometimes destructive) event, with the individuals quickly being labeled as future kings, high priests - and later on - great scientists. Such a birth is marked by a great coalescence of many wrazk factions, even though more recent studies suggest that the gene causing the "holy crest" is actually one from an ancient time when all wraz bore similar crests. Nevertheless, the holiness myth of a wrazk scion is frequently reinforced by the strength of the psionic power within them; the wraz are a much more psionically potent species than the vaelartyra, but scions are incredibly powerful psychokinetics.
Wrazk design and engineering has been mostly the same for centuries, with an "organic" origin to all of their buildings and equipment - the wraz effectively "grow" nearly everything out of crystal and fungi. Though their homeworld is in many respects similar to Earth and like planets, crystallization is such a common phenomenon that wrazk engineers long ago sought to reproduce it, and have since perfected the art into using crystals as the basic structure for everything. This is complemented by complicated work with fungi by the wraz, which has also been engineered to the point where it can serve its primary function as shelter and perform strongly in the secondary role of life support (fungi are engineered to such a degree as to become air filters, food sources, and efficient, sanitary waste disposal all at once in addition to other tasks). The result is a very unique homeworld and series of colonies that still tends to bring the awe of visitors from other species (not to mention scientific inquiry), as well as powerful yet strange vessels that the wraz pilot into space.
Canceranth
The canceranth were Enlightened during the Green Sun War, and thus the last case of Enlightenment to be officially sanctioned by the Alliance. A race of bizarre amphibious, monstrous-looking humanoids, the canceranth are still gaining a foothold on the galactic stage, with much of their activity still taking place within the few star systems in their small, distant sector - all of the stars in which lie at the far edge of the galaxy. The technology and cultural advancement of their civilizations when discovered were some of the most "primitive" of all of the species on the galactic stage, with a lack of industrialization (although this has been debated by other species as much by the canceranth themselves, as they didn't necessarily "need" industrialization and did have advanced global communication ability). Canceranth history has been saturated with mystics and adventurers seeking knowledge of distant and unexplored frontiers, intrigued by the stars above and the darkness below - they have roughly the same depth limitations in the water as other Alliance species, making deep sea exploration off-limits until the development of advanced technology. Out of all of the civilized aquatic species of the galaxy, canceranth infrastructure and cities reach the deepest into the oceans of their homeworld. Their homeworld itself is a breathable world of approximately 84% water cover.
Canceranths stand on average about seven feet tall (in fact, it is rare for a canceranth to not lie within about 3-4 inches of this value), and are covered in frills and what might have once been fins, lining their limbs and their torso. The skeletal system consists entirely of cartilage, resembling that of most species on their homeworld. Canceranth hands and feet look much like very thickly-webbed frog feet. Their heads are more narrow than other spacefaring species but are also much longer, typically with particularly long frills running along the sides, and with very large eyes resembling those of a shark, but in a binocular orientation. A canceranth's mouth appears like an arch on its face, the inside lined with sharp rows of teeth that are replaced by newer ones as they age. One of the most unique features of the canceranths is that they are bioluminescent, their frills and fins glowing colors ranging from green to blue; this seems to have been an adaptation for hunting in the illuminated oceans of their homeworld, as well as being an important method of communication (including mating rituals).
Unlike most of the other spacefaring species, canceranths have almost no external distinction between the sexes - males and females are roughly the same height, same size, and have the same ranges of colors; males are defined most easily by their more numerous poisonous barbs lining the frills of their arms and legs. They do have vocal capability, but it cannot reproduce many sounds typical of other species, and thus they wear specially-designed communication enhancers when outside of home regions. In the water (where canceranths prefer to spend most of their time), the primary method of communication is electroception.
Tetrobor
"When a man witnesses a UFO, he is encountering a Gray. When a Gray witnesses a UFO, he is encountering a god."
-Unknown
The builders of a once-great interstellar empire, the tetrobor were (and still continue to be among) the top scientists and engineers of all societies in the galaxy - and with that vast power and capability, they came to know much of its secrets. Some of their scientists visited planets of would-be spacefaring species such as humans and canceranths, which caused a great deal of curiosity on those worlds and a great deal of turmoil within their own society. It was the leaders of the Tetrobor Empire along with their dyen allies who first considered policies on avoiding or eradicating primitive alien life similar to those addressed in recent years, seeking a solution to the increasing number of discoveries of intelligent life taking place. Until the twilight of the Empire, it was customary for either species to take "samples" of native life (often to levels where it could become an independent population given the right habitat), performing extensive tests and studies to the point where the results became "blank knowledge" - information that served no purpose other than to fill archives. It was the rapid increase in disagreement over the treatment of undeveloped species that led to the Tetrobor Civil War, which would last only a few years but would result in the fragmentation of the Empire into various new stellar nations, including what would become the Alliance, and the Eternal Empire. Most of the current major alliances of the galaxy can actually be traced to the Tetrobor Empire, as almost all the fragmented factions in the aftermath of the Civil War eventually folded into one of the existing ones, or dissolved entirely. Much of their history beyond these more recent events is unknown.
Despite members of the species being some of the founding members of the Alliance, they are a distant species and are more than a little spooky to those who don't coexist with them regularly (and these are merely the feelings towards Alliance tetrobor; there are few who would be able to honestly state that the tetrobor of non-Alliance affiliation, more malicious in intent and method aren't absolutely terrifying). Those who have come under attack from independent tetrobor legions, or surveyed the damage following such raids, speak of a haunting similarity between all of the factions in their methods of destruction - disturbing dismemberment, mutilation, and torture - that leaves the few who survive always raving mad and almost certainly crippled.
A tetrobor stands roughly seven feet tall, and like most of the most prominent Alliance species is vaguely humanoid. They appear almost as if they were humans with no skin, but rather only had thick layers of muscle that is a sickly green-gray. They are completely hairless and have few visible orifices or protrusions such as ears - their mouths are vestigial, shallow holes in their faces and their ears are smaller holes with thick, translucent membranes covering them. The eyes of a tetrobor are one of the most notable exceptions to the lack of large features, being massive, black, slightly ellipsoid orbs that sit on either side of what might have once been the bridge of a nose ending in two tiny slits. The communication of the tetrobor consists almost entirely of telepathy with some use of hand signals, body language and facial expressions. Grays seem to obtain sustenance both from solar light and seemingly from electricity, often sticking their appendages into currents and constructing unusual energy stations on their vessels and homeworlds from which they can feed. They can survive indefinitely on one source of sustenance while lacking the other, although some minor physical and mental health problems may arise. Grays are also noted for possessing some startling regenerative capabilities compared to other species, being several times that of a human's and including the capability to regrow smaller amounts of bone as well as muscle and skin (it is not unknown to see a tetrobor growing its fingers or toes back if they have been lost).
Wzzev
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
-Ethiopian Proverb
The wzzev (pronounced "sef") are unique in that they are the only known spacefaring biological lifeforms that did not originate through evolution - at least, not exactly. Their story originates with a group of human scientists whose names have been lost to the centuries, somewhere in the depths of space. Some say they were being created for a paramilitary faction who sought powerful, intelligent minions for the purposes of infiltration and assassination. Whatever the truth, their creators determined that the best creature for the job would be a massive spider. The creation was not easy, involving many failed trials and what was undoubtedly a great deal of monetary contribution. However, sometime in the 27th century, the wzzev as they are now known were born. Used for a short while as their masters intended, the wzzev quickly overcame them and enough eventually escaped the destruction of the facilities and dangerous locales they were placed in to form their own small societies. Although they are by far the youngest of the Alliance species in the galaxy, they have a rich culture and a sizable population made possible both by their spider characteristics and their generally improving relationships with other species.
The wzzev appear to have been created to be the ideal predator, with its primary "ancestor" being the genus Portia. In most respects the wzzev appears like a Portia whose body 1.5 meters long (its legs make it much larger), although its coloration is darker and males may exhibit a variety of colors and more complex additions to the body. Unlike their "ancestor", the wzzev can and will willingly spin a web, although it uses it as more of a defensive measure for an abode than anything. They are capable of jumping significant heights and distances with their hydraulically-powered legs, which along with the rest of their body seems especially robust and thick compared to that of their smaller relatives. They have human-level intelligence, and their biology was altered to the point of vocative ability, although without advanced translation devices (which most have), this cannot be used to communicate beyond a simple level with other creatures and they can only "speak" to others of their own kind.
Wzzev culture is as complex as that of their contemporaries, with a variety of styles and philosophies. Their scientific methods and knowledge closely matches that of humankind. Wzzev architecture is a reminder of their heritage, as it is very complex and tangled and many structures resemble giant webs on some level. By itself said construction is not particularly bright or colorful, but there are exceptions and some of the "natural" structures are known for their beauty when damp and illuminated by light from the morning or evening sun. While their technological level is roughly equal to that of the rest of the Alliance, wzzev technology and manufacturing (particularly their air and spacecraft) does not translate well to other species, being designed for wzzev anatomy and use.
The standpoint on the wzzev by others is that of genuine interest in friendship and civility, but the same is not always felt by wzzev. Despite several centuries since their origin, there are still some who feel some hostility towards humans in particular, although this is an emotion attributed to radicals and not the majority. A small gap is sometimes noticed because of the inherent differences in the biological qualities and requirements of wzzev and others (particularly in reproduction); they truly do resemble their "ancestors" in this regard.
Dyen
How amusing that we should encounter creatures so similar to the wildly unimaginative aliens of "Space Age" literature, wearing garb and equipment that is in ways reminiscent of human culture. I remember when we first encountered the emissaries of the reclusive dyen; though their physical features were monstrous, the way they carried themselves was powerful and kingly, commanding attention and respect. My colleagues would later call her "The Praetor," a name which stuck as an informal term for her entire species. What was most unique about the emissary however was that she regarded us as equals, and their government welcomed the human race with open arms unlike the other species, which seemed to see us as cattle - or parasites.
The dyen or praetor are the epitome of everything idealists wanted humankind to be in the earliest days of space exploration - they are unified almost exclusively under a single government in a few solar systems that is benevolent and curious about the galaxy, and no other species has spent more time cataloging the myriad planetary systems and anomalies of the Milky Way. One of the oldest of the current spacefaring races, the dyen have been the most helpful species towards humans. For as many pieces of knowledge they may present, however, they are every bit as secretive regarding their technology and their discoveries. It is widely believed throughout the Alliance that they are several degrees more advanced than any other species in the galaxy barring perhaps the vorovka - whom the dyen seem to battle constantly.
The praetorian government's function is determined only by what their technology allows them to do; where their advancement frequently makes other species seem primitive, there is little that they do not have on their agenda. Of all species, the dyen seem most interested in studying the stars and the secrets they still contain. Although taxed by the difficulty in getting them there and maintaining them, dyen research facilities orbit astonishingly close to the stars in the solar systems that they maintain exclusive dominance over, and most of these are binary or trinary systems. Most of the dyen population is concentrated very close to their homeworld, Daisvar. The few colonies of the praetorians that do not reside under the Dyen Federation's jurisdiction choose to locate themselves far away, on the edge of or beyond the opposite side of the galaxy. Perhaps the most notable contribution of the dyen to current galactic culture (at least within the Alliance) is DRAECH; the most diverse and widespread police force among any major faction, of whom they are founders and the largest percentage in membership. For some time, the fashion of dyen military and scientific organizations has appeared similar to that of Rome in human history, which has been part of the reason for their nickname.
A praetorian stands about as tall as a gray, but appears much more muscular and bulky. Instead of five digits per hand they have two very thick fingers and a triple-jointed thumb. Their feet resemble a large bird's, and their arms and legs are very large diametrically. All praetor grow what has been coined an "episkeleton" - while it is not shed at any point in life, nor is it as hard in comparison to an insect's, it provides significant toughness to their epidermis. This includes their heads, which are almost entirely encased in this skin-shell. This episkeleton also serves as the primary means of identification between individual dyen (along with voice) - each episkeleton grows around the face and upper body in a very distinct pattern, while the rest of the body sees varied coloring patterns. Praetorian vocal capability is similar to humankind, although their false vocal folds play a much more active role - resulting in a strange voice that seems as if two individuals were speaking at once. This is coupled with the shape of their jaw - which seems cut into four separate "digits" that move sometimes individually, sometimes in unison - to form a very distinct image in the minds of other species.
Loomaus
The loomaus is not an Alliance species - although some loomain nations have joined The Far Coalition that can be found on the edge of the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy (where the loomai themselves originate), the loomai are strange and disconnected creatures. Vaguely resembling a cross between the red panda and an armadillo, a loomaus stands on average slightly over a meter in height when on its hind legs. They have a very complex bone structure, particularly around the feet, which have opposable thumbs. The loomaus' body is covered in a thick leathery carapace that may have once been for protection, but in their "civilized" society it has fallen from this use. It is apparent that despite their strangeness the loomai are fairly advanced technologically, and much like some other spacefaring species, use exoskeletons and other mechatronics to provide operability beyond their natural capabilities. Because they are neither part of the Alliance nor physically near to the Alliance's galactic borders they are rarely seen, and when they are it is extremely unusual to see them in natural form and not encased in various robotic additions. In fact, when seen in Alliance space (in regions such as the Thaxus Sector) they are often mistaken for mechatroids - whether normal across their culture or only in certain sects, some have had made drastic modifications to their bodies.
Diplomacy between Alliance species and the loomai is limited. Nonverbal communication is certainly possible, but it is used only sparsely on the occasion where one side wishes to gain the resources or technology of the other. It is apparent that some loomain factions have made alliances with themselves and other species on various levels but to what degree and for what purpose is unknown. Often, would-be "ambassadors" to the species speak of the stare of a loomaus as if it were entirely apathetic or even hateful, which certainly does not improve attempts to improve relations.
Evig
[note]I couldn't decide whether to put these guys here or in the Anomalies section - they're definitely not playable but are a spacefaring species. [/note]
The evig as it is known is from a star system near the center of the Milky Way, born on a warm planet basked in the light of an unforgiving and violent sun. It is a puzzling plant with interstellar capability - seeds released from their massive blooms in the wettest season of their world enter the atmosphere, where they undergo a metamorphosis into one of two forms - one of which eventually leaves the atmosphere entirely and drifts off into the cold of space. These seeds might take thousands or millions of years to reach other distant worlds, but eventually they do and a small number will then gain enough of a hold upon the world to spread and flourish. What makes the evig more unique is that it is certainly intelligent, although this intelligence is truly alien from the other species of the galaxy. It has a startling ability to rapidly morph and adapt to sudden, short-term changes and dangers, and has been observed changing its shape and colors entirely within a few days. There even seems to be a primitive culture and kinship among individuals, in which particular "neighborhoods" grow to the same size, blossom in the same colors and do not grow where the dead husks of others still stand.
On other worlds, the offspring of the original evig are almost always carnivorous. They "grow" forward to gradually move themselves about, with the old roots dying off as it progresses. An evig tends to look like a short tree with many, many very long branches protruding from the top and spreading out almost horizontally. These branches sport massive flower-like endings that are different colors depending on the latitude of the plant; additionally, these flowers do not blossom at only specific times of year but rather gradually change color from black in the winter to a bright shade of their latitudinal hue at the height of their blossoming. Some carnivorous breeds take in prey through these oversized flowers, while others do so with their roots, in which case their bases may snake and twist along the ground for many meters beyond the extent of its branches.
Much about the evig is still unknown, but a growing number of botanists eagerly study them, for they are considered both beneficial and a nuisance - the evig can bring life to otherwise dead worlds in some cases (often, if an evig on a planet other than the evig homeworld releases a seed, it carries seeds of many other plants of the world), but is also a nuisance on others, growing incessantly and doing damage to the ancient structures preserved on dyen and tetrobor homeworlds. The extent of evig intelligence is uncertain, but it is becoming increasingly clear to those who have encountered or studied them that they have a natural desire to implant themselves and grow wherever possible. It is also widely known now that the extremity of the radiation of an environment - especially that which comes from a star - has a drastic effect on the evig population of a world, for the more harmful the radiation of a star might normally be, the more massive and carnivorous a population may get. One of the few advantages of colonizing dim and cold worlds far from the stars they orbit is that the evig fails to effectively colonize them - their success in adapting to an environment depends largely on the intensity of the sunlight they receive.
This setting really deserves video game treatment... I can just picture a bunch of gloomy abandoned space-stations with stuttering lights and mysteriously stained corridors, bloodthirsty criminals bristling with bionics, plenty of sinister aliens...
I'm not quite grasping the archeological appeal of Oonosh. What are the archeologists so keen to study?
Quote from: SteerpikeThis setting really deserves video game treatment... I can just picture a bunch of gloomy abandoned space-stations with stuttering lights and mtseriously stained corridors, bloodthirsty criminals bristling with bionics, plenty of sinister aliens...
I'm not quite grasping the archeological appeal of Oonosh. What are the archeologists so keen to study?
Glad you like it. I'm definitely writing it with that kind of action/adventure-style feel, with large amounts of inspiration coming from video games like Mass Effect, Dead Space, Metro 2033, and Starcraft. You're dead-on with the visualization.
Oonossh is of interest because as far as anyone knows, the lost civilizations never built an obelisk in a system without a habitable planet so that travelers could move directly to those systems. Oonossh however, has an obelisk and has no habitable systems nor any planets that appear to have been habitable at any time (there are two Martian planets, a Venusian planet, and even an icy planet further out with a theoretically breathable atmosphere, but even this one is so frigidly cold that anything short of very costly and time-consuming terraforming will make it usable for settlements. Researchers want to get into the system to look for reasons why the obelisk is there and take a closer look at the planets (most of the "searching" has been limited to orbital- or outer-system-scan), with the ultimate goal being to either find what makes Oonossh so interesting or find some evidence that suggests current theories are wrong about the lost civilization only building obelisks in habitable systems.
Okay, that makes a lot more sense - thanks.
Added six factions under the first post, including DRAECH; a sort of galactic police force, and Xabris; the first of the various non-biotic intelligent species I'll eventually be detailing.
Added "Earth - The Lost Homeworld" as part of a series of descriptions about important things that have happened and are happening in the galaxy that would be relevant to Thaxus.
Added a short bit on Economy of Thaxus. A timeline and some spotlights on major spaceports incoming. After that I'll probably detail a few more spacefaring species that I haven't yet covered, then it's up for grabs. Anything anyone wants to see?
Added a few more things - "Immortality?" to the "Other Things Lost" section beneath the "Earth - The Lost Homeworld" entry; added new human and wrazk entries (and will be doing revisions to the entries for all previous species here, as well as detailing new ones), and put down titles for all of the different posts.
Considering the horror/sci-fi nature of the setting I'm trying to evoke, I'm considering a name change again (and for the last time) as Vibrant doesn't seem proper. Is Dark Galaxy too cliche?
Also, is there anything anyone wants to see now in particular, instead of waiting for it to be posted? This includes things it doesn't look like I've planned to address.
Quote from: FREAKINAWESOMEHORSEConsidering the horror/sci-fi nature of the setting I'm trying to evoke, I'm considering a name change again (and for the last time) as Vibrant doesn't seem proper. Is Dark Galaxy too cliche?
It does seem pretty cheesy. You could go for a straight forward descriptive title, such as Galactic Horror - assuming that the name isn't supposed to appear in in-world language.
I second cheesy. I like the name Vibrant; it's evocative and seems like something an actual published setting might be named (that's a compliment, in case it doesn't come across as one)
I think it might be better, if you want it to be less, well, vibrant, to look up some antonyms to the word "vibrant" and consider one of those. :)
Hmm... Vibrant is good but I'm not sure it works anymore - the setting direction has changed a bit. How does Fractal Galaxy/Fractal Star sound?
Sounds pretty psychedelic to me... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal)
Sticking with Vibrant due to overwhelming preference. :D
Added a bit more about mercenaries as well as a new write-up for the tetrobor and an entry for canceranths, an aquatic humanoid species that have been planned for a while but didn't reach finalization until I had a talk with some CBG chat regulars. There's also an entry under "Anomalies" in the same post, for the "Arc Angels."
Progress is a bit slower than I'd hoped - I'm going to try to get some info on DRAECH, several more mercenary groups, and some areas of interest up as well as finish all of the most prominent species' entries.
The Arc Angels are pretty creepy. A good take on the haunting ghost trope, with a more of a sci fi flavour.
Looking good so far.
M.
Been a while since an update. Added the new version of the wzzev as well as the "usikkryte", both of which can be found in the creatures post. I hope they are explained effectively and nothing is left out.
I absolutely love the archangels. The idea is just so cool, and really creepy. Would make a great techno-thriller/horror movie if done right. Lightning ghosts in an abandoned space station full of scorched bodies? Just awesome.
Added the new Dyen ("Praetor") description to the Species section. This could be the last update for a while with school potentially taking over my life again.
Wow, I've only been skimming, but great stuff so far! I will also chime in with the approving masses and say that Arc Angels are really, really, cool.
Name changed. New sector listing is in the works.
A couple more short additions to the first post. Next up? Probably details on FTL transit and communication and some details on mechatroids.
This is terrible.
Because of you, I will be reading this all today in all its glory, and get nothing done.
:D
Added the loomaus and the evig to the Spacefaring Species section.
The evig are very cool as a concept, although there doesn't seem to be much of a role for them, other than as a random monster trying to eat you. Not that you can ever have too many of those! :D
Quote from: GhostmanThe evig are very cool as a concept, although there doesn't seem to be much of a role for them, other than as a random monster trying to eat you. Not that you can ever have too many of those! :D
Yeah, that made it hard to determine which section to put them in. They're definitely meant to be usable in that way, but I also want them to be an important aspect of the setting's science and play a role as part of a series of alien species who are intelligent, have colonized other worlds, and in some way actively travel the galaxy, but are difficult or impossible to communicate with by humans and their humanoid allies - I've actually got quite a few of these that I'll be getting around to posting. :D
ContentsThe Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79934)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79935)
Mechatroids (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79936)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79937)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79938)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79939)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.0)
Updates to the posts on D.R.A.E.C.H., Earth - The Lost Homeworld, and now to the first post ("Night Between Worlds"). I'm very excited for the setting at this point because I think I'm almost to the level where I feel there's enough information for me to run a game!
Would you guys find it easier if I made an index of post links? Should I do that on every page and/or update post?
Aaaand more has been posted. You will now see "The Uvanlic Sector" heading one of the reserved posts. I'm going to go ahead and start setting up convenient links... and perhaps I should move to the wiki?
Updated again with some talks about the FTL-travel options that exist in the setting, and also I've made an effort to detail how long-range communications end up in FG. In ways it might remind one of the limitations on communication and movement prior to the development of radio and other comm techs in the 1800s and beyond. This can be found in the first post.
Updated with some navigation links.
Contents
The Milky Way, Night Between Worlds, Hilbert Sector, The Iasilath, Other Ideologies, Thaxus (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79934)
Uvanlic, Earth, Other Things Lost, Technology (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79935)
Mechatroids (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79936)
Mercenary Groups, The Division, Other Organizations (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79937)
D.R.A.E.C.H., Military and Police Forces of the Galaxy (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79938)
Anomalies, Psionics, Strange Creatures, Spacefaring Species (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?79939)
Mechanics Thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?207506.0)
Took a good look over your species section and first off I want to say that I love the rich detail you've put into things. The fact that you include multiple factions within singular species is great for avoiding mono-cultural stagnation. I liked with the humans how you used the difference in lifespans to affect their culture and generational perception. Overall each species seems distinct and unique and I like where you're taking things. I think perhaps that I would like to hear more about the vorvoka and most of all the mechatroids. These both seem like potential focus points for some fascinating background and opportunities for interesting conflicts. I'd say probably the mechatroids are what I'd most like to hear more of.
Quote from: Nomadic
Took a good look over your species section and first off I want to say that I love the rich detail you've put into things. The fact that you include multiple factions within singular species is great for avoiding mono-cultural stagnation. I liked with the humans how you used the difference in lifespans to affect their culture and generational perception. Overall each species seems distinct and unique and I like where you're taking things. I think perhaps that I would like to hear more about the vorvoka and most of all the mechatroids. These both seem like potential focus points for some fascinating background and opportunities for interesting conflicts. I'd say probably the mechatroids are what I'd most like to hear more of.
Working on several additions to the mechatroid page on the wiki. Should have them up in a few hours. :)
Not sure if you're done working on it yet but I'm already liking what you have, it has a bit of a geth undertone to it (the swapping around of minds and cold logic) while remaining distinctly its own thing. Thoughts here... The first thing that I started wondering about was your mention of wars with malicious machine races, I'd like to hear more about that. In fact that could be a good area to build an example of one mechatroid species to give us an example of what we might expect from them. I'm thinking things like how they approach culture (do they have one? what drives them?), what sort of technologies they might have in comparison to the biological species. How do they handle governance? Popular agreement perhaps? How do they deal with space flight? To be honest if the actual mechatroid itself is merely software I'd imagine they might just upload themselves to orbiting spaceships. Perhaps they are able to act like computer viruses by uploading into an enemies network and causing havoc. If so that could have some potential consequences for the other species and how they interact with or defend against them. Lastly I just wanted to say that I really like how you related them to a linux distro = species and OS installation = individual. That made me chuckle a bit (but it does make alot of sense). Anyhow I'll check back later to see if you've added anything else, I'm really enjoying this.
Quote from: Nomadic
Not sure if you're done working on it yet but I'm already liking what you have, it has a bit of a geth undertone to it (the swapping around of minds and cold logic) while remaining distinctly its own thing. Thoughts here... The first thing that I started wondering about was your mention of wars with malicious machine races, I'd like to hear more about that. In fact that could be a good area to build an example of one mechatroid species to give us an example of what we might expect from them. I'm thinking things like how they approach culture (do they have one? what drives them?), what sort of technologies they might have in comparison to the biological species. How do they handle governance? Popular agreement perhaps? How do they deal with space flight? To be honest if the actual mechatroid itself is merely software I'd imagine they might just upload themselves to orbiting spaceships. Perhaps they are able to act like computer viruses by uploading into an enemies network and causing havoc. If so that could have some potential consequences for the other species and how they interact with or defend against them. Lastly I just wanted to say that I really like how you related them to a linux distro = species and OS installation = individual. That made me chuckle a bit (but it does make alot of sense). Anyhow I'll check back later to see if you've added anything else, I'm really enjoying this.
You're right about some of them just uploading themselves to spacecraft, and I haven't gotten to the viruses yet but I think you'll like them :D. Mechatroid governments often look as much like dictatorships as they do democracies - some operate one way or another. Because of what some would call "ambition" among many mechatroids, there are cases where entire cities are actually just one OS rigged up to thousands or even millions of terminals. Some cultures are odd mockeries of the species that created them, others are strange and incomprehensible. In many ways their technologies are much more advanced than the Alliance and other factions just because they can reason so much faster provided they have sufficiently powerful hardware (and this isn't all that hard to acquire). Most mechatroid intelligences don't see much need to rapidly expand and conquer other civilizations, hence the reality that they haven't destroyed most other species yet. I wanted to really capture the essence of the geth, so the analogy you're making is dead-on - my favorite aspect of the Mass Effect universe is the geth and how they're logical, intelligent machines that despite being unable to feel are very inquisitive, cunning and in a strange way, religious.
I'll definitely try to detail a major mechatroid kernel for you so you can see what they're like. Physical traits are harder, as mechatroid factions are very unattached to specific builds and individual terminals can vary widely in appearance and function and an effort is made to make them as modular as possible. One thing to note is that you're likely to see terminals with tracked bases like tanks and quadrupedal set-ups as you are bipedal forms.
I'll see about adding some more stuff tonight.
Took a look at the wiki and noticed the blurb on ageless crusader (please do tell me if you've added anything else as I'd love to check it out :) ). I read the bit about super accurate biological reading and just knew he (she? it? what is the default pronoun when referring to a mechatroid? heh) was going to wind up as a surgeon. I wonder if he's ever used that power for other things, like say finding weak spots on an attacking opponent.
Can't wait to hear more about the notable individuals. In fact having said that perhaps you could detail other individuals of note, not just mechatroids but from various different species.
I checked out your creatures, definitely alot of interesting information to go over so we'll take it in parts.
The arc angels (love the name, very punny yet not overly cheesy as most puns are) are perhaps my favorite creature on here. They present a unique and authentically creepy danger. The tortured ghosts vibe you gave them certainly adds to this and the result is a creature that I can honestly say I'd probably poop myself a little over if I ever had a run in with one in your game. My suggestion for them would be to run them as a psychological terror (if you ever do any games/stories with them). I'm talking akin to Amnesia where the terror is less from a scary thing that jumps at you and more of an unknown factor that gets under the characters' skin with sudden appearances and disappearances, strange noises in the distance, frightening visual hallucinations, etc. Make them a genuine poltergeist and I think you'll probably end up with something that will abuse peoples fear better than anything else in your setting.
The Usikkryte are an interesting creature. Almost a combination of Vorcha and Shapeshifter. I think however with them you put too much effort into saying they were scary or dangerous without really explaining why they are. Obviously there's the underlying thought that a creature that can adapt to anything could cause chaos but it isn't really driven home by the writing. This is more of a prose issue than a design issue. I think they could make for an interesting encounter, the wiki information on them however could use with a bit of modification. Explain to us why scientists and explorers are so afraid of them, drive home the kinds of things they could do. The best way to do this I'd say would be with a story, give us a short blurb about an event that has stuck in the galactic mind, some horror that people shudder about whenever it crosses their mind. They have alot of potential here.
Now the Etterlikn I think you did much better with in giving reasons why they are fearsome. Some interesting speculation, some truly scary abilities. In fact you might consider dropping the Usikkryte in favor of the Etterlikn or combining them in some way. Seriously a swarm of tiny beings that can mimic anything object or creature with the ability to mess with peoples heads, that's nightmare fuel. I can picture a group of explorers on a derelict being driven slowly mad by an Etterlikn that is using its abilities to screw with their heads. Making members of the group appear or disappear, making strange items show up in strange places, mentally whispering into peoples minds. That crap would break even the most hardened person after awhile. In fact I'd say the Etterlikn fill the Usikkryte niche much better. You did a great job on crafting them into a unique and disturbing creature.
The section on Aproticoids seems unfinished so I'll leave it to you to write more before I seriously review it. I think however you do have an interesting idea here. Insects naturally creep people out and giant insects that can burst from the shadows only add to that. The suggestion I might make is to perhaps do some more initial speculation on where they might come from or allude to references of their unnatural creation. They seem contrived, which I take is your intention, which actually adds to the fear factor. I'd say though that you may want to make it more clear that they aren't natural.
Anyhow, great start. Arc angels are incredible, Etterlikn are appropriately disturbing, Aproticoids show promise. Only real thing is that the Usikkryte need to be reworked or possibly combined with the Etterlikn. I'm looking forward to more stuff from you. It's looking amazing.