atmawpn
17th Sep 11, 12:17 AM
The incident at Ursae Majoris opened our eyes to the truth of the Eon: their downfall at the hands of the Propagators, their sacrifice to seal the threat of the Specters. A threat that may well return to finish the job. But we had little time to devote to such affairs of galactic history.
If Ursae Majoris opened our eyes, then it was Damocles that steeled our resolve: to stand together or perish separately.
For four gut-wrenching weeks we fought the armada of the Krayak Hierarchy. They advanced mercilessly towards Sol, sweeping aside everything the USC could muster. And they nearly succeeded in claiming their prize, were it not for the pivotal turning point in the war.
The Union, Imperium, even the hopelessly anarchic forces of the Frontier and Fringe - all arrived in a desperate show of unity in orbit over Earth itself. Alongside the last remnants of the Coalition forces we held the line and pushed the Hierarchy back whence they came. Even then it was not nearly enough: were it not for the League of Carinus announcing their existence to all.
Five years have passed since then, and an uneasy peace now exists between the emerging powers. The Eon Gate Network has allowed this: steps toward the Utopia of a new Galactic Civilization. But even as Humanity rebuilds under the unified banner of the Terran Alliance, there is the understanding that the ghosts of the past are coming.Welcome to the second instalment in the Astral Millennium universe: a space-RPG exploring the Milky Way and beyond. With the activation of the Eon Gate Network in the previous instalment (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?256420-Astral-Millennium-Fools-Rush-In-%28IC-thread%29&daysprune=-1) the known universe has expanded, and the adventure is no longer Humanity's alone.
Three powers have emerged to claim ownership of the Milky Way: the Terran Alliance, the League of Carinus, and the Krayak Hierarchy. But even as each of them endeavour to become the rightful inheritors of the Eon legacy they must contend with the relics of the past: the growing menace of the Propagators, and the remaining threat of the Specters. Compounding affairs further is the emergence of a strange multi-racial cult group: the Order of the Divine.
Players will control a ship and crew aligned with any of the three powers. Depending on these alignments their goals may differ, for the three powers all have differing priorities. You don't necessarily have to follow these railroads though, if you have backstory ideas of your own. Maybe you are a paragon of virtue and truly want to help save the galaxy and defeat the Specters. Maybe you're just an opportunist drifting with wherever everyone else goes. Or maybe you just want to be a jerk making trouble for anyone and anything that is not your crew or your ship.
General rules:
1) No power/metagaming: 1-2 OOC warnings for correction, following which repeat violations will involve horrible fates for your ship and crew.
2) Forum/IRC hybrid: Don't go inactive for the sake of jointposting. As nice and integrated as that is, time zones sometimes favour asynchronous back-and-forth posting. My posts will generally be geared towards back-and-forth, so as to accommodate limitations in my schedule.
3) ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL: What it says on the label. Please try not to be unnecessarily inactive. At least, give us fair warning before you do so.
4) Karma system: Flawless victories are allowed, but do so all the time and you will pay a heavy price. Feel free to take casualties in battle - you may end up winning the war in time. In order to make this system more transparent, I will drop by OOC/IC every now and then to indicate where your guys are on the "karma scale." This is to alleviate uncertainties whether you were allowed to destroy X NPC flawlessly, and also to reduce the micro-management/structuring needed on my part.
Note: This is part of the powergaming tracking system, and also a general guide to appropriate play in AM2. Your characters are fairly capable, but not godlike invincible and invulnerable. Play reasonably!
5) Heroes and Minions: Named player crews that are part of the ship's "core" operations will be more durable and more able to pull off otherwise impossible stunts thanks to Hero Shields. This will be allowed up to a maximum of 3-4 such crew (including the Captain), depending on whether I perceive players to be able to handle and personalise so many characters in the first place. Beyond those thresholds a redshirt effect will occur, eventually reducing them to no more than dispensible mooks.
Note: This is intrinsically linked to the Karma system. Take heed.http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/5086/milkywayam2.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/milkywayam2.png/)White tiles indicate systems with Hypergates
Green circles indicate systems with at least one planetary colony
Pink lines indicate Hypergate jump routes
Each tile represents a distance of 2 lightyears
The Eon Gate for the Local Cluster is in Ursae Majoris, USC space
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9241/astralmillennium2.gif (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/astralmillennium2.gif/)1) Wave Motion Guns
- The key word for wave motion gun use is "reasonableness" - primarily in terms of damage per shot and drawbacks.
- Spinal mounts: to aim the gun, you must aim the entire ship
- Charge time: even with "emergency protocols" you must have a reasonable charge time before firing. Negotiable depending on the gun's power/design conditions.
- Cooldown time: your ship must be left vulnerable for some time thereafter to dump heat/reset systems. Negotiable depending on the gun's power/design conditions.
2) Newtonian Physics
- An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force
- Don't overly nitpick this.
3) FTL Sensors/Communications
- Reaction window of about 1 minute or so for the ship to pass you and exit FTL sensor range.
- FTL communication may be assumed to be instantaneous across interstellar distances, with minimal light lag only from the non-FTL communication links inbetween (between an FTL comm satellite and a planet, for instance).
4) Power/Tech level
- League of Carinus at the top (Basic zero-point tapper/High efficiency Antimatter), Terran Alliance in the middle (Antimatter plant), Krayak Hierarchy at the bottom (High-efficiency Fusion).
- The League is still below Eon/Propagator tech overall, but they've mastered energy-based weaponry like long range plasma beams/plasma shards, as well as drive tech.
- The Alliance uses a mix of ballistics/missiles/energy weapons (usually shorter range or less power per ton vs League).
- The Hierarchy focuses on ballistics and missiles, as well as sheer armor tonnage and class superiority. Tend to be clumsy in manoeuvres, but very survivable.
5) FTL Propulsion
- Warp drives require a charge time before use (1 minute for Frigate and below, +1 minute per class increase)
- Minimum distance 1AU (No tactical jumps)
- Exceptions: Luyten Imperium (Terran Alliance), League of Carinus
- Speed: 4ly/day (Warp Drive), 2ly/hour (Intra-cluster Hypergate), Near-instantaneous (Intra-galactic Eon Hypergate)
- Only the Local Cluster, Kronos Cluster, and Montalaar Cluster have Intra-cluster Hypergates.
6) Cloaking
- Cloak is perfect to both eyes and sensors
- Weapons fire causes cloak distortion
- Energy weapons cause the most distortion
- Ballistics/Missiles cause minimal distortion
- Passive munitions dumping causes no distortion
- Shields are weakened greatly during cloak to preserve cloak perfection.Escort class: The escort class vessels are the lower range of starships - numerous and used all throughout known space. Ships in this category are typically tasked with their namesake: to provide escort coverage to their larger brethren in the capital and super capital categories. Ships of this class are also light enough to dock directly with starbases, as well as perform planetary landings on most worlds.
While by no means definitive powerhouses as singular vessels, they excel in harassment roles due to their superior manoeuvrability and acceleration relative to the heavier ship classes. A "run and gun" approach is common for ships of this class, with capable captains able to win against heavier vessels if they know where to strike to deal the most damage.
The following are the subclasses of ships within this category, and their average structural length.
Fighter - 25m
Corvette - 125m
Frigate - 250m
Capital class: Vessels of the capital class are the workhorse of spacefaring cultures, forming the backbone of many fleets. Ships in this category are typically found in the military due to their capabilities and expense, though wealthy individuals and corporations have also been known to own vessels of this range. Ships of this class cannot dock directly with starbases, requiring shuttle transport for passenger transfer. In addition they can only perform atmospheric entry on most worlds, with landing possible only on specific low-gravity planets.
Capital class vessels combine the best of the escort and super capital class, permitting some extent of tactical versatility. They are not so heavy and cumbersome so as to preclude the use of "run and gun" tactics, or so fragile as to preclude traditional stationary broadside turret attacks. This strength is also their greatest weakness - for they are masters of neither aspect of warfare. Nevertheless they are sufficiently powerful to scare off hostile parties, and are usually enough to deter and dissuade escalations in most situations.
The following are the subclasses of ships within this category, and their average structural length.
Destroyer - 400m
Cruiser - 600m
Super Capital class: The ships of the super capital range are the most massive and mightiest starships to be fielded, forming the core elements of most navies. Ships in this category are much rarer than the capital and escort classes due to the astronomical expense needed to simply build and field one. As a result they are more or less exclusive to governments, though rumours hint that the most powerful corporations and other non-governmental entities may possess a few of these mighty warships. These starships are strictly spacefaring only, with no capability whatsoever for any kind of atmospheric entry or planetary landing.
Super capital ships have low manoeuvrability and acceleration, making them rather cumbersome in moving about. However they make up for this by being extremely resilient to hostile fire, while being able to retaliate in kind. These massive vessels are also commonly used in a planetary bombardment role, bringing their massive weapons to bear on particularly stubborn colonies. In a way, super capital ships are like military starbases with mobility and FTL capability.
The following are the subclasses of ships within this category, and their average structural length.
Battlecruiser 900m
Dreadnought 1200m
Carrier 1500m
Megalith class: Ships so massive and terrifying they are spoken of only in legend and theory, Megalith class vessels do not exist among the galactic powers of the Milky Way, and are believed to be exclusive to the ancient Eon, Propagators, and Specters. While some would argue that Hypergates might be considered as part of the category, there remains the distinction that Hypergates are merely stationary structures. The true definition of a Megalith class would be a supermassive starship capable of independent motion as well as FTL travel. It was a damaged Megalith class Propagator vessel that saw battle at the incident of Ursae Majoris - one that inflicted horrific losses on both the USC and Imperium forces stationed there.Terran Alliance
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpUujOGYC98&feature=related)
Empire Ability: Desperate Ingenuity
- Maximum class: Cruiser
- Pick one ability from this sublist:For backstory fluff on the sub-factions within the Alliance, refer to: Backstory Fluff/Other Factions/Sub-factions within the Terran Alliance.
United Solar Coalition: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGLphQPp3dc&feature=related) Overcharge - Wave Motion Gun pre-charge time reduced to near-zero, or triple general weapon firepower for one salvo. Use more than once per mission will cause internal damage.
Frontier Union: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFXKBTTY1OE&feature=related) Shield Boost - Bring downed shields back to full instantly. Use more than once per mission will down shields permanently if they go down after that second use.
Luyten Imperium: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFMOhHGowE) Tactical Jump - Instant Warp without minimum distance but render Warp Drive unusable until end of engagement, or Warp without minimum distance without penalty. Unaffected by Hyperspace Inhibitors.
Frontier Systems: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EBBrtD3kbg) In Recompense - Karma bonus: flawless victory without penalty up to two times in the BW, subject to plot-compulsory effects.
Fringe Systems: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkU7RYDGgdA&feature=related) Birds of the Same Feather - No trouble from scumbugs of all kinds, ability to call for 'unorthodox help' up to two times in the BW, subject to plot-compulsory effects.Known to the other civilizations as the "Harbingers of the Eon," the Terran Alliance represents the united interests of all of Humanity's various factions. While things are not entirely smooth-sailing for this supposedly utopian achievement, the scars left by the infamous Damocles War with the Krayak Hierarchy serve as ghastly reminders of the consequences of a Humanity divided.
The Terran Alliance occupies a region of space roughly 50 lightyears across within the Orion Spur, dubbed the "Local Cluster." Within this area it is further divided into the respective territories of the still-separate factions. At the core of the cluster is the United Solar Coalition, whose space includes the Ursae Majoris star system where the local Eon Gate is found. The other surrounding factions include the Luyten Imperium, Fringe Systems, Frontier Systems, and Frontier Union respectively. The Alliance capital sits at Earth itself, though some of the other factions express displeasure at the transparent display of superiority by the USC.
In comparison with the other galactic civilizations, the Terran Alliance possesses an average-sized economy and tech level as a result of the devastating self-inflicted conflicts it has gone through. The only saving grace of such an outcome has been the emphasis on direct military applications, leading to somewhat more advanced accomplishments in military sciences and technologies. These tendencies have only been further reinforced by the Damocles War, as well as the preceding Propagator Incident.
The Alliance maintains polite trade relations with the League of Carinus, but essentially remains in a state of cold war with the Hierarchy with the barest margins of trade possible between the enemies. Tensions on both sides remain high despite League intervention, and skirmishes between the civilizations are still a common occurrence.
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League of Carinus
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icms6Y1ChxI&feature=related)
Empire Ability: Arrogant Apex
- Maximum class: Destroyer
- Instant warp without minimum distance without penalty
- Near Macross-grade wave motion gun capability if using energy-based WMG
- Energy weapons more powerful than other factions even on a class-for-class basis
A union of several peaceful spacefaring cultures, the League of Carinus seeks a united galactic whole existing in harmony. Averse to the notion of separateness and mindless conflict, they prefer to present overtures of peace and offers of trade to their neighbours. The Alliance and Hierarchy for the matter are less convinced by their apparent goodwill, the former remaining wary as a result of the disastrous first-contact incident of Damocles, and the latter frequently accusing the League of the far more sinister "cultural assimilation."
The League of Carinus occupies an elongated region of space approximately 35 lightyears wide and 100 lightyears long, making it the second-largest civilization in terms of territorial extent. Its space is found within the Montalaar Cluster, directly east of the Galactic Core. The League's capital is at the star system of Avari, which is also coincidentally the location of their local Eon Gate.
With history marked mostly by peace and only the occasional minor skirmish, the League is considered the dominant economic power on the galactic scene, as well as the most technologically-accomplished entity compared with either the Alliance or the Hierarchy. Despite this its actual military force is considered rather weak on a per-capita basis, with such vessels primarily designed for local enforcement or ceremonial purposes. This seems liable to change in future due to the emergence of the Eon Gate at Avari, widely considered to be both a boon and bane: while spelling convenient wonders for trade, it poses an uncomfortable threat to the prevailing status quo.
The League was initially wary of the expansionary and ambitious Alliance, but eventually settled for a polite relationship with a potential new alien market, which the recovering Alliance seemed more than happy to reciprocate. Relations with the Hierarchy followed a similar progression, though they are now somewhat more tense due to the latter's apparently unquenchable thirst for conquest.
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Krayak Hierarchy
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9LWQWOWEaA)
Empire Ability: Brute Force
- Maximum class: Battlecruiser
- Hyperspace Inhibitor capability. Can prevent enemies from using Warp, or interrupt Warp jumps. Vessels pulled out of Warp suffer significant internal damage.
- Reduced acceleration and manoeuvrability. Cannot keep up with other factions' ships even on a class-for-class basis.
A mishmash of subjugation and interstellar ruin, the Hierarchy is ruled by the large reptilian bipeds known as the Krayak, and they do so with an iron fist. Nearly a third of their demographics is made up of genocide survivors or subjugated alien populations. While the occasional uprising does occur due to these entities' dissatisfaction with the powers-that-be, the majority have simply given up and allowed themselves to become loyal partners of the Krayak war machine.
The Hierarchy possesses the largest territorial extent of the present galactic powers - an area of space greater than both the Alliance and League combined in the Kronos Cluster to the northwest of the Galactic Core. However a good number of worlds have been bombed into uninhabitable husks or brutally stripped bare by the unsustainable demands of the Krayak, which is probably a good thing for both the Alliance and the League. The Hierarchy's capital is the Krayak's own capital of Kratos, itself located at the heart of moderately-unspoiled Krayak territory. The local Eon Gate is on the outskirts of Krayak space, in the fortress system of Haydez.
With a history somewhat parallel to that of the Alliance, the Hierarchy began when the Krayak pushed outwards from their region of influence in a brutal surprise attack, relying on industrial might to literally steamroll its closest neighbours. The victims were either utterly destroyed or subjugated to fuel their conquest efforts, with scant regard given to the sustainability of such operations. The result is a mighty industrial-based war engine that achieves victory by sheer force of numbers.
The hostilities between the Hierarchy and the Alliance are unparalleled, given that the entire Damocles War was waged between the powers for some time. While an uneasy truce exists for now the situation remains what it is: bitter and tense. Only the most limited forms of trade have emerged between the Hierarchy and the Alliance, and even then only under the strictest levels of internal security. Relations with the League of Carinus are less troubled, though from the Hierarchy's perspective it is only a matter of time before they muster the strength to steamroll both the League and Alliance to claim their grand prize as Masters of the Galaxy.Late 21st Century - Advances in quantum mechanics lead to the discovery of gravitons: gravitational force expressed in quantum particle form. Discoveries kickstart new revolution of thought regarding new possibilities for interstellar travel.
Early 22nd Century - Continued graviton research leads to the discovery of hyperspace: a state of warped space where the known laws of physics do not apply. First "quantum tunnel" theories put forth regarding the potential for faster-than-light travel.
Mid 22nd Century - First graviton control systems enter service, enabling economical means of achieving escape velocity and miniaturising nuclear fusion plants. New "space race" sparked off, leading to rapid establishment of mining operations within the Inner Solar System in the span of several years. Earth's resource crisis is solved by this new "Space economy."
Late 22nd Century - Increasing influx of resources from interplanetary mining operations pushes the development of industrial technologies. Applications of quantum mechanics enable development of high-efficiency fusion reactors, revolutionising power generation technologies. Fresh postulations of "hyperspace FTL" put forward on grounds of access to increased power generating capacities.Early 23rd Century/AM:0000 - First successful application of hyperspace technology following decades of development in hyperspace theories and related power technologies. Earth enters new intellectual golden age and the "Astral Millennium" begins, heralding the true arrival of the Final Frontier as humanity begins to colonise the stars. Earth Colonial Authority established to oversee the colonisation process.
AM:0000 to AM:0042 - First colony established in the Beta Comae system, followed rapidly by colonies in Eden, Epsilon Indi, Leonis, and Beta Canum.
AM:0043 to AM:0073 - Hypergate technology refined for practical interstellar use. Hypergate deployment begins en masse to first generation settlements, near-Sol operations, and northern systems Vector Sigma, Axon, Beta Hydri.
AM:0074 to AM:0121 - Advent of the "Frontier Era." Rapid colonisation and expansion efforts in the northern frontier. Beginnings of hypergate deployment and pre-colonisation preparations for systems in the vicinity of Luyten's Star.
AM:0122 to AM:0154 - Latter half of the "Frontier Era." Luyten region settled and preparations made for expansion into the southeastern fringe and the Aquos system to the north.
AM:0155 to AM:0191 - "Era of Disquiet." The Earth Colonial Authority begins to show signs of strain: administering the new human empire is proving to be a bureaucratic nightmare. Suggestions and calls made by colonies for greater autonomy to solve the problem, but are rejected by the ECA. Increasing unease over the central Earth government, particularly in the Luyten region.
"Anomalous material fragments" discovered in Nexus system during an incident with hypergate deployment. Speculators and conspiracy theorists go wild, but the ECA hushes up the matter and clamps down on the voices.
Southeastern fringe development slowed in favour of "controlled expansion" via Horizon, Farhaven, and Aquos. Fledgling colonies in the Fringe struggle in the early years as a result.
AM:0192 - An independent group of scientists travels to Mu Cassiopeiae via the newly-deployed Chiron hypergate. More anomalous fragments are uncovered, determined to be artificial and far beyond the current extent of human metallurgical sciences. ECA forced to reveal their knowledge of the purported extinct alien race, designated the "Priori." Public outrage ensues over additional revelation that the ECA had been aware of this since the colonisation of Beta Canum - one of the first generation colonised systems on the outskirts of the newly-dubbed "Priori Expanse."
AM:0193 to AM:0213 - Increasing public unrest throughout the empire of humanity, centred upon the "unreliability" of the central Earth government. Various demonstrations within the core systems that end with clashes with law enforcement units. In a bid to deflect attention from the Priori scandal and other public relations incidents, the ECA begins ramping up development efforts in the much-neglected Fringe region.AM:0214 - Otto Kaocho stages a synchronised and well-planned coup throughout the Luyten region, removing the prevailing ECA government and installing himself as the self-proclaimed Lord of the new "Luyten Imperium," with overwhelming public support. The Imperium immediately secedes from the authority of the Solar System and declares independence. The move is met with silence from the ECA.
AM:0215 to AM:0217 - "The Calm." Tensions are at an all-time high throughout the empire of humanity. Trade between the ECA and the Luyten Imperium has completely halted with harsh penalties on flouters, but illegal smuggling continues via Hypergates in the Fringe and elsewhere.
AM:0218 - Start of the Unification War. The ECA launches a sudden attack on Luyten Prime itself in tandem with fleet deployments to other "particularly vocal" colonies. The assault on Luyten Prime is quickly blunted with unexpected sabotage and other covert efforts by Imperium elements within the ECA core systems.
AM:0219 to AM:0223 - The Unification War. Colonisation and expansion efforts have all halted in favour of war production, essentially cutting off much-needed economic support to the Fringe. Skirmishes occur throughout the empire, with particularly contested areas being the Axon, Luyten, Gozan, and Beta Hydri systems. The Solar System and the other first-generation colonies are ravaged by guerilla strikes and other sabotage efforts from both Imperium and Frontier elements. The Fringe Systems align themselves with the Imperium unofficially, adding their own efforts to Lord Kaocho's cause.
AM:0224 - ECA headquarters on Earth is destroyed by a tactical fusion device, in tandem with other lesser attacks on various ECA facilities all around Earth. With much of the command structure in tatters the ECA collapses, causing chaos throughout ECA fleets everywhere. This allows Imperium and Frontier forces to begin pushing towards the core systems.
AM:0225 to AM:0228 - The United Solar Coalition is formed following emergency meetings between whomever is left. Retired general William Clarke steps up to the role as the new USC's first President. Personally directing the war efforts at the strategic level, he recalls the remainder of the ECA's fleets for a last-ditch defence of Sol and the other core systems. The effort succeeds, with Frontier and Imperium forces pushed back to their respective territories. A bloody stalemate ensues for the following two years.AM:0229 - Prime Minister Samantha Jones of the newly-formed Frontier Union steps into the fray, travelling to Luyten at great personal risk. She, along with representatives from other factions within the Frontier Systems opposed to the war, beseech the remaining parties to consider peace. Following a tense ceasefire and negotiations that takes nearly the entire year, the Treaty of Luyten is concluded and with it over a decade of unending war.
AM:0230 to AM:0243 - Era of the Status Quo. An uneasy peace and balance of power exists between the factions of Humanity, all rebuilding and recovering from the War but really seeking an appropriate moment to renew their old ambitions.
AM:0244 - Astral Millennium: Fools Rush In. The threat of the Specters and their servants, the Propagators, is revealed. They are found to be responsible behind the fall of the Priori, an ancient high-tech race known as the "Eon." Following a climactic battle at Ursae Majoris, the Eon Gate Network is activated, revealing a series of long range Hypergates scattered throughout the galaxy. True intragalactic travel becomes possible.AM:0245 - The USC Battlecruiser Damocles jumps to the Haydez star system and encounters the Krayak Hierarchy. The Damocles is disabled and captured, her crew never heard from again. Shortly thereafter the Hierarchy launch a massive invasion into the Local Cluster via the Eon Gate Network, marking the start of the Damocles War.
The USC fights a desperate defence in their core territories, attempting to contain the Hierarchy within the Ursae Majoris system. However the sheer might of the Hierarchy's industrial engine breaks through, sweeping through to Sol and Earth itself in the space of a month. As the remaining elements of the shattered USC forces prepare to fight a final desperate battle in Earth orbit, they are suddenly reinforced by a unified fleet consisting of the combined navies from all other Human factions. The united forces of Humanity win the Battle of Earth, beginning a series of victories that eventually pushes the Hierarchy back through the Eon Gate at Ursae Majoris. Despite these results it is clearly evident that eventually the Hierarchy will overwhelm the combined fleets of Humanity with sheer industrial might.
Salvation comes in the form of the League of Carinus, which succeeds in accessing both the Ursae Majoris and Haydez gates from their own gate at Avari. Despite having stumbled unwittingly into a bitter war, their technological prowess does not go unnoticed by either side. The Krayak Hierarchy, reluctant to fight Humanity alongside a technologically superior opponent, offers an unconditional truce. The treaty is accepted and signed, with Humanity left embittered by its first catastrophic contact with alien life.
AM:0246 - Realising that the individual factions of Humanity stand no chance against the militaries of the full-fledged alien civilizations, past grudges are put aside grudgingly as the banner of the Terran Alliance rises on Earth. Formal diplomatic relations are established with the League of Carinus, sparking the beginnings of a new intragalactic trade network. Relations with the Hierarchy remain frosty, with the Alliance focusing the majority of its efforts into rebuilding and arms development.
AM:0247 to AM:0249, Present day - Concerns grow in the galactic community over the rise of the Order of the Divine. Defections have remained steady despite all attempts at mitigating the flow. Fears are raised over the Alliance revelation of the link to the Eon Gate Network's activation, though skepticism remains a large obstacle in the League regarding the existence of the Propagators and Specters. The Hierarchy is all the more resistant and hostile to the "subversive ideas of Humanity," choosing to relent slightly only under the advice of Lucius Stewart, the so-called "Eon Paladin."
But any remaining doubts in the alien communities will inevitably be washed away by the coming tides...United Solar Coalition
Emerging from the ashes of the Earth Colonial Authority, the United Solar Coalition is a tightly-knit federation between the Solar System and humanity's earliest colonies: Epsilon Indi, Beta Comae, Beta Canum, Eden, and Leonis. Thanks to a considerable head-start on these colonies and the foundation of humanity, the Solar System, the USC is the most powerful single faction of humanity in space - both in economic and military might.
Despite these advantages, the USC is severely limited in its strategic options: any suspicious movements on the USC's part are watched carefully by the rest of the colonies, particularly those of the Frontier and Fringe Systems. Nonetheless, the USC still keeps to its grand goal: to succeed where the ECA failed by uniting all of humanity under a single banner. The USC in the present day is the core of the Status Quo, and central to the delicate balance of power in the Local Cluster.
Typical USC doctrine is to overwhelm the target with sheer force and firepower. Therefore ships of the USC fleet are designed to be heavy-hitters intended for anti-capital and orbital bombardment roles, with a considerable reliance on specialised Escorts for point defence and anti strike craft purposes.
Frontier Union
Located on the northern reaches of known space, the Frontier Union comprises the colonies of Horizon, Farhaven, and Aquos. These systems were settled in the later stages of humanity's coreward expansion, initially trailing behind most of the other colonies in economic development.
All that changed with the advent of the Unification War, when the old Earth Colonial Authority sought to bring the wayward colonies back in line. While many colonised systems suffered considerable damage from the incessant battles, the farther off colonies escaped relatively unscathed due to their remoteness. Horizon, Farhaven, and Aquos were among those least touched by the fires of war, which allowed them to catch up and even leapfrog the more affected systems. Still, fears of history repeating itself took hold, and the three systems were quick to form what is now known as the Frontier Union.
Typical Union doctrine is that of defensive warfare, enduring incoming enemy attacks that must suffer the double whammy of attrition warfare and the remoteness of Union space, which strains supply lines and reinforcement routes. Ships of the Union fleet feature hardened shielding and armor, along with multiple system redundancies to make them exceedingly durable to hostile fire. While their armament appears lacking compared with USC and Imperium vessels, it is more intended for the purpose of sustained suppressing fire to wear away incoming enemy forces.
Luyten Imperium
Located to the southeast of USC space, the Luyten Imperium has its capital in the system of Luyten's Star, or Luyten. Other systems under the Imperium's control include Gozan, Ceros, and Minerva - all settled in the Earth Colonial Authority's initial expansion towards the southeastern fringe. The Imperium is presently regarded to be the next most powerful faction after the USC. It was also this region of space that triggered the beginnings of the Unification War.
A particularly charismatic individual by the name of Otto Kaocho operated in the region during the pre-war era as an interstellar merchant, using shrewd wit to forge a corporate empire across the four systems and then some: one whose reach touched even Earth itself. Eventually, following decades of cultivating anti-colonial sentiments within the region, Otto staged an extensive coup to topple ECA authority across the four systems. This, in conjunction with increasing cries for autonomy across known space, triggered the beginnings of the Unification War. Today the Imperium is led by the latest descendent of the Kaocho line, Pensami Kaocho, who seeks nothing less than the jewel of humanity itself: Earth.
Typical Imperium doctrine involves bypassing strong points to strike supply lines and logistics, with the effect of isolating and weakening the main elements of a forward assault. Hit and run manoeuvres are also favoured over defensive tactics, with a focus on interdicting incoming forces with fast strike groups so as to weaken them before they reach the main defensive lines. Ships of the Imperium feature powerful propulsion systems for mobility and range, in conjunction with precision long range weapons to deal maximum damage within short windows of opportunity.
Frontier Systems
A vast expanse of space located to the north of the USC, the Frontier Systems represent a loose conglomeration of colonies settled during the Frontier Era. This region of space is rich in resources, making it a much coveted area for those who would seek to seize control of it. Economically and militarily, the individual systems of the Frontier cannot hope to compare with either the USC or the Imperium.
While the diversity of viewpoints and mini factions within the Frontier theoretically makes the region vulnerable to incursions by the USC, this weakness is well-known among the ephemeral powers within the Frontier. As a result they are quick to unite in the face of calamity or opportunity - a lesson which the old Earth Colonial Authority learned too late, and continues to haunt the USC even to this day.
Fringe Systems
An expanse of space located on the southeastern fringe of known space, the Fringe Systems make the systems of the Frontier appear tame by comparison. While power changes in the Frontier occur mainly via democratic process or various other peaceful means, in the Fringe this occurs via battle and violence. Expansion into this region by the Earth Colonial Authority was halted prematurely by the Unification War, which also slowed and halted development of the fledgling colonies in the area. Combined with the devastating effects of the Unification War, the result is that the Fringe is probably the interstellar equivalent of a slums region in the Local Cluster.
While the Fringe has much to do if it is to catch up to the rest of the human colonies, it is lucky in that the region is also somewhat rich in resources - though not quite on the scale enjoyed by the Frontier. There is an ad-hoc alliance between the Imperium and the Fringe, which is sometimes nicknamed the "Bandit Systems" for the considerable number of criminal and pirate elements that choose to take up their headquarters in the area. In return to the Imperium for providing a buffer zone to USC space, gangs and factions of the Fringe assist the Imperium in their efforts against the USC with premeditated "pirate attacks" in USC space. In recent years however, a growing crime wave has expanded throughout nearly all of known space - causing concerns even in areas as remote as the Frontier Union.Order of the Divine
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjmNQG_dGSY)
A disturbingly recent development, the Order of the Divine is best described as a multi-racial cult with interstellar reach. Intelligence reports suggest the Order began as early as during the Damocles War itself, with instances of defection not to the Hierarchy side but to a then "unidentified cause." Following the truce and opening of relations with the League it appears that the Order's formation is not solely a human endeavour, and that similar defections have occurred throughout Hierarchy and League space as well.
Defectors to the Order, coming from a wide spectrum across both human and alien societies, have enabled this cult group to flourish surprisingly well. Even under the threat of reprisals from the Hierarchy, the Order appears to have simply gone about their affairs with a wave of indifference, quickly establishing a colony base in the Rael star system and operating from the SA-1701 Cluster.
For now the Order of the Divine have appeared to be somewhat peaceful in their intentions, though their zeal and fervour remain significant. Most of the followers claim to have been contacted by the Divine Himself at some point or other, an unexplainable phenomenon that makes its presence felt as a mental whisper. While those in the upper echelons of the Order have been somewhat tight-lipped on their own experiences, it seems that the voice is dreadfully alluring and irresistible to those who hear it.
Alliance Intelligence in particular has been disturbed by the only correlation in the data: on the Divine's Voice only manifesting after the activation of the Eon Gate Network.
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Propagators
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqoilXBBH1Y)
Best described as sentient nanites, the Propagators were created by the Specters after they were uplifted by the Eon. They served as the loyal frontline troops for the Specters, acting as shock troopers and infiltrators to bring the almighty Eon to their knees. Their nanite-based nature grants them a disturbing ability to take over any biological or mechanical system by force, as well as giving them a particular tenacity and ability to survive all but the most severe of damage.
Their shapeshifting is advanced to the point whereby they can build whole starships from nothing but large masses of themselves, though structural integrity requirements force them to sacrifice their nanite nature to forge the tough shells and hulls needed. Nonetheless, Propagator starships are tough entities more than capable of disturbing feats of on-site repair and regeneration.
The Propagators were first encountered by Human Professor Maya Hitomi, who was unfortunately subverted and morphed into the false identity Sierra Vox. It was she who orchestrated the events of the Priori Extranet Incident, leading Humanity to unseal the Eon Gate Network and open the eventual path to unsealing the Specters from their prison.
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Eon
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXaELug47Q)
An ancient race whose civilization once spanned the entirety of the Milky Way, the Eon were known for their remarkable achievements in science and technology. It was they who built the Gate Network that Humanity unsealed, yet it was also they who unleashed the horror of the Specters on an unsuspecting Universe.
Seeking to explore the far reaches of the Universe itself, the Eon constructed an experimental hyperspace gate of unimaginable power - one with a theoretically infinite jump range. With it they touched a galaxy in the neighbouring supercluster, and it was there that they encountered the quantum life form known as the Specters. The Eon were fascinated by this anomaly of sentience and sapience, a truly unique life form that had no parallel other.
The Eon believed in their potential, and so made the mistake of uplifting the Specters. When the uprising came it was swift and deadly, the Specters ravaging the Eon civilization alongside their Propagator minions. Faced with a hopeless battle in the face of the Specters' apparently invulnerable nature as quantum energy beings, the greatest minds of the Eon devised a means of using that very nature to seal them away. And so the Eon faded from existence and memory - but not before they succeeded in locking the Specters in the Central Gate: heart of their remarkable Gate Network.
Today the legacy of the Eon lives on in various forms: as the Gate Network now used extensively by the present galactic powers, as well as various derelicts and ancient artifacts scattered throughout the sectors of space.
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Specters
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfXKp5UCWtE)
A unique quantum life form foreign even to the local supercluster, the Specters are a bizarre form of existence that baffled even the greatest of Eon scientists. Best described as energy beings straddling both the dimensions of realspace and hyperspace, the Specters represent higher order frequencies of quantum energies that have inexplicably become life itself: much like the development of amino acids into organic lifeforms.
As energy life forms they feed on energy in order to survive and generate offspring. In their natural state they consumed the ambient quantum signatures associated with that of single-celled organisms. Some scientists suggested that these signatures were the closest thing there was to an actual physical "life force," and it was this force that the Specters required for sustenance.
Unfortunately, their uplifting at the hands of the Eon led them to desire nutrition more satisfying than their original diets - complex quantum signatures analogous to the living consciousness of sentient and sapient living beings. So great was this hunger that as they ravaged the falling civilization of the Eon they left entire sectors silenced: minds left empty husks devoid of any shred of consciousness or "soul."
The Specters remain sealed in the depths of hyperspace, locked behind the sealed doors of the Central Gate. The galaxy is safe as long as they remain there, but the Propagators have already set the wheels in motion...William Clarke - a brilliant strategist forced into early retirement from a sabotage operation by the Imperium in the early years of the Unification War. He spent years recuperating from his horrific wounds and nursing a festering grudge against the scum of the Imperium. The first and current President of the USC, he is fiercely devout, almost fanatical, in his belief of a Humanity reunited under the banner of the Solar Empire. He currently represents the USC in the Terran Alliance Assembly.
Pensami Kaocho - the ruthless son of the infamous Otto Kaocho, his ambition and thirst for power are no less than that of his father. He applies his father's doctrines to devastating effect, complementing them with his own style to lead the Imperium to greater heights. When war re-emerges once more, as it inevitably will, the USC may well face its darkest times yet. He currently represents the Luyten Imperium in the Terran Alliance Assembly.
Anthony Carver - second Prime Minister of the Frontier Union, he is an academic beneath the skin of a politician. It was he who set in stone the Union's current focus on unbridled research, drawing critical talents to the remote north and preparing the three peaceful colonies for the next storm. He currently represents the Frontier Union in the Terran Alliance Assembly.
Gatak Kaar - Grand Taskmaster and leader of the Krayak Hierarchy, he is a large specimen of a Krayak standing nearly 3m in height. Kaar interacts minimally with alien diplomats, preferring instead to leave such negotiations to the diplomatic teams of the Hierarchy. It is rumored that he is a ruthless and ferocious warrior in both the political and military realms, with few of his enemies living to tell the tale in either arena.
Sorina Golgotha - Secretary-General of the League of Carinus Trade Council, Sorina acts as the ad-hoc leader of the unified species making up the League. She is known as a shrewd trader and economist, widely regarded for bringing the League economy to its present height today. She is expected to face her greatest challenge yet with the appearance of the Hierarchy and Alliance on the galactic scene, owing to her nonexistent knowledge on military affairs.
Mr. Black - an enigmatic figure who leads the USC's Azure Sun, his true identity is unknown. He is believed to at least be a member in the highest echelons of USC government, potentially in the same tier as President Clarke himself.
Ares "Bones" Feros - a hulking bandit lord from the Fringe Systems, he leads an infamous and powerful gang called Sledgehammer. Bones is feared and respected even among his peers in the Fringe, having killed and bludgeoned his way to his present position. In recent years he has expanded his strikes beyond the anarchic space of the Fringe: much to the chagrin of foreign law enforcement and merchant shipping.
Maya Hitomi/Sierra Vox - Deceased senior professor from the Union Interstellar University based on Horizon, her work in xeno-archaeology was very well received in academic circles throughout the Local Cluster. She led the Frontier Union's science team to the Proteus system on an exploratory research mission, where she fell victim to the Propagator infection and took on the identity of Sierra Vox. As Vanguard for the Propagators it was she who orchestrated the unsealing of the Gate Network, setting in motion the plans to free the Specters.
Lucius Stewart - Human by DNA but inhuman by mind, Lucius is the "Eon Paladin," a living weapon created by the Eon in their final days to complete the task of sealing the Specters. In accordance with the Eon policy of noninterference with lesser civilizations, he mostly keeps a hands-free approach from affairs on the galactic scene, intervening only in matters relating to the Propagators and the Specters. He continues to search for a means of defeating the Specters permanently, while trying to foil the Propagators' plans where he can. Assisting him is the Eon starship Excelion and its onboard AI: Lorelei.Sol - At the heart and core of the Local Cluster is the Sol system, which contains the pride and jewel of Humanity: Earth. It is from here that Humanity began, and from here that the United Solar Coalition commands its resources. Sol is by far the most developed star system thus far, with extensive orbital facilities around nearly every planet. Three equidistant Hypergates beyond Pluto orbit connect the Sol system to Beta Comae, Alpha Centauri, and Tau Ceti. Today, Earth itself houses the headquarters for the Terran Alliance: a reminder of the difficult victory achieved in the Damocles War.
Luyten - A system infamous for housing the capital of the Luyten Imperium, which triggered the Unification War, the Luyten system has rapidly recovered from the ravages inflicted during the war, when it was a hotly contested system between USC and Imperium forces. Luyten itself is part of the major trade route between the Fringe and the USC, resulting in a booming economy from considerable trade volumes - a good deal of which is illegal. Luyten's Hypergates orbit just beyond the system's asteroid belt, connecting to Minerva, Leonis, and Lyrae.
Keros - Widely considered to be the heart of the Fringe, Keros is strange in that it has developed ahead of the other Fringe systems despite its lack of Hypergates: perceived to be an economic bane. Keros is probably the most dangerous system in known space due to the concentration of criminal elements and activity here, assisted by the presence of an unusually large asteroid belt. Sometimes nicknamed "Tortuga" for its similarities to the fictional pirate port of old, Keros is off-limits to all but the most seasoned of spacefarers.
Axon - The heart of the Frontier, Axon is a bustling system of activity and considered one of the Local Cluster's most important centres of economic activity. 70% of resources and manufactures going through the Frontier passes through Axon at some point, resulting in the need for the largest space construction by Man: the Hub, a massive 3km radius multi-torus starbase that serves the region's trade activities. The Hub is also one of the most well-armed starbase in known space, and even super capital ships are wary about offending it. The Hypergates are fixed in position relative to the Hub, which itself orbits just beyond the colony world of Axon 3. They connect to Epsilon Indi, Vector Sigma, and Beta Hydri.
Horizon - The capital system of the Frontier Union, Horizon is a remote but peaceful system on the far north of known space. Despite this remoteness many scientists regularly flock to this system for its idyllic lifestyle and research-friendly policies. This is a shrewd move on the Union's part, which realises it must make up for its lack of numbers with top-of-the-line tech at every opportunity. Horizon is also the test location for the first known planetary defence shield, which is still in its experimental stages on the capital world of Horizon Prime. The Hypergates are located in the outskirts of the Horizon system, connecting to Aquos and Corus.Haydez/Kronos Cluster - A heavily defended fortress system, Haydez is the entry point for travellers brave enough to visit the Krayak Hierarchy. It was here that the USC Battlecruiser Damocles met its end, triggering the war between Humanity and the Hierarchy. The Kronos Cluster itself is filled with systems ravaged by historical wars, with many worlds left barely habitable by the Krayak war machine.
Avari/Montalaar Cluster - The heart and soul of the League of Carinus, Avari contains a nexus of League-built Hypergates that provide easy access to the majority of League space. Trade traffic here is awe-inspiring and heavy, making it the perfect location for the establishment of the League's all-powerful Trade Council. Recent efforts have been made to bolster security in this system, following its connection to the Eon Gate Network.
CS-8472/Propagator Cluster - A gate marked as off-limits to all shipping and even military fleets, this particular gate in the Network is thought to connect to the home territories of the Propagators. Efforts are continually made by the Terran Alliance to ensure that all Eon Gates are purged of any potentially hostile Propagator progamming, so as to prevent a devastating attack into the territories of all galactic powers. However, this has been delayed by general alien disbelief regarding the Propagator/Specter threat, as well as suspicions regarding allowing the Alliance to tamper with "their sovereign property."
Rael/Cluster SA-1701 - An uninhabited cluster made accessible by the Eon Gate Network, it was once considered for colonisation efforts by the Terran Alliance. However those efforts came to naught when the Order of the Divine was discovered to have claimed the entire cluster for themselves. While clearly lacking the numbers to initiate proper colonisation efforts on their own, the Order possesses sufficient resources to fortify their home base in Rael significantly against any would-be aggressor.
Protos/Cluster NA-6666 - The Protos system bears striking signs of having been a thriving Eon colony in the distant past, but now it stands testament to the ravages of time and war with the Propagators and Specters. Ruins are extensive across the surface of Protos-3, with a significant debris ring in high planetary orbit. The rest of the cluster bears similar trinkets, making it a treasure trove of Eon relics second only to the Priori Expanse in the Local Cluster. Research teams from all galactic powers scour this cluster fervently, each seeking some technological advantage over the other.
Illuminen/Cluster OA-8988 - The Illuminen star system is a prime candidate for human colonization. First discovered by Human explorers shortly after the Alliance's formation, it contains a beautiful Earth-like world rich in natural resources. A derelict Eon wreck occupies the high orbit region above the planet, believed to be once a research station of some kind. It is believed that the Eon were interested in the strange dimensional phenomena here - the barrier separating realspace and hyperspace is thinner in the system, with hyperspace sensors picking up traces of other exotic non-hyperspatial dimensions in the vicinity, suggesting a nexus point of sorts to as yet undiscovered extradimensional realms.
Frontier/Dark Space - An anomaly in the Eon Gate Network, the Frontier Gate opens inexplicably to dark space: the blank starless region beyond the galaxy's horizon. It is unknown why the Eon would build a Gate here given the lack of any apparent strategic value. Preliminary reports suggest a malfunction during the Gate Network's resurfacing from hyperspace, causing the Frontier Gate to emerge off-target and in its present location. For now, the criminal scum of the galaxy have been content to use this lawless region as a prime location for their bases of operation.
Hara/Shiva Cluster - The Hara system is noteworthy for its iconic landmark: the derelict Eon Supergate of Hara. Presently a nonfunctional wreck destroyed during the Specter uprising, it is believed that this was the legendary gate that connected the Milky Way to the neighbouring supercluster. The rest of the Shiva cluster contains similar gate-like derelicts of varing configuration, suggesting that the Eon might have been attempting to forge a nexus of Supergates leading to the rest of the visible Universe.Ship name: Excelion
Class: Light Frigate
Length: 200m
Origin: Eon
Ship description: A sleek white vessel shaped like a diving bird of prey with wings folded back. This vessel is functionally yet beautifully designed - a far cry from the more practical approaches in human ship construction. The resident AI, Lorelei, is an advanced quantum intelligence whose presence raises Excelion's status to that of "sentient starship."
The only ship of its class, the Excelion was built in the last desperate days of the conflict between the Eon and the Specters. With the Central Gate under Spectre control and the blockade impossible to breach, it was only a matter of time before their insidious plans came to fruition. With that in mind, the Excelion was constructed to protect its sole inhabitant from the effects of the Etheric Nova, as well as to keep him safe for as long as was needed to deal with the Spectre threat.
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/5829/shipm.th.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/shipm.jpg/)
Armament:
x8 Impulse Blaster (2 forward mounted, 3 side mounted in each wing for circle-strafing) - The impulse blaster compresses high-energy plasma into tiny needle-sized shards of gravitic distortion, whose glow make them appear much larger and fitting to the apparent bores of their weapons. When these shards impact their target the gravitic shards' collapse, creating focused gravitic implosions followed immediately by a plasma explosion. This two-stage process is most devastating to ship armor.
x1 Plasma Laser Array (10 firing mounts distributed around the main body of Excelion) - The plasma laser array provides omni-directional coverage for the Excelion, featuring 10 plasma laser mounts all around the primary hull. The plasma laser utilises advanced gravitics and a carrier wave to combine both a gamma laser and plasma stream into a single coherent cutting beam that may be flexed in nearly any direction. A powerful point defence system, and dangerous when directed in a full forward salvo.
x1 Quantum Nullifier (Excelion's "tail" that must be pivoted about for forward fire) - Intended as a means of penetrating the Specters' incredible energy barriers, the Quantum Nullifier fires a variable wave of null-frequency quantum spectral energy to nullify all energy effects in an area around the beam. As an anti-shield gun the Nullifier can be said to be perfect, with no barrier it cannot breach. Its effects on ships are considerably minimal, as the nullification energy does not penetrate far into solid matter. Still, it tends to temporarily shut down most external and outer hull systems by nullifying all energy flow through them.
Defences:
Dispersion shield - A durable shield that is highly efficient at dissipating incoming blasts over the entire surface area of the barrier, with excess energy either radiated off into space or directed to internal capacitors. It's closest equivalent in terms of Human tech is the Aegis shielding system: a barrier optimised for high-energy attacks. However the considerably advanced nature of Eon technology makes it significantly more durable in comparison, and is far less susceptible to a multitude of lesser attacks.
Hyperphasic barrier - An advanced one-of-a-kind shield intended as a means of blocking the Etheric Nova, the hyperphasic barrier wraps the ship in a multi-layered field of quantum spectral energy, randomly oscillating through varying quantum frequencies so as to dampen the Etheric Nova's effects sufficiently for the dispersion shield to counter. Due to the randomly shifting nature of the quantum energies, the hyperphasic barrier cannot isolate the Excelion in a space-time pocket like a quantum distortion barrier, and so it is largely useless against most conventional attacks.
Crystal-polymer nanite armor - part of the Excelion's self-repair system, the advanced nanite armor is resilient to most attacks, capable of reinforcing and adapting individual sections to firepower types according to Lorelei's direction.
Propulsion:
Plasma impulse thruster array - A triple nozzle high thrust plasma drive backed up by multiple high thrust vector thrusters, the thruster array uses impulse compression to vastly increase drive efficiency as well as thrusting power. The thruster array alone is more than sufficient to drive the Excelion with near fighter-class acceleration and mobility.
"Eternity" drive core - An advanced hyperspace drive that allows the Excelion to make gate-independent hyperspace jumps with ease, at speeds of up to 1ly/minute. This drive variant, the epitome and last of Eon technological achievement, allows Excelion to shift between hyperspace and realspace at will with pinpoint precision and accuracy. The drive even allows the Excelion to become a "hyperspace native" - a ship that resides in hyperspace indefinitely at minimal energy cost.
Other:
Guard Robot "Atalanta" - A transformable escort mech with its own onboard AI. While the intelligence is not as advanced as Excelion's Lorelei, it is still more than sufficient for the carrying out of its protection duties. In vehicular form the Atalanta is optimised for high-speed aerial transport of up to 4 passengers, with two shoulder-mounted plasma pulse cannons and a forward-biased omni-directional energy barrier. In humanoid form the Atalanta is optimised for ground combat scenarios, with triple barreled laser vulcan cannons on each arm to complement the shoulder cannons. In addition the energy barrier operates at optimum output due to the converse reduction in thruster use for humanoid form.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2033/guardrobot.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/i/guardrobot.jpg/)
Onboard medbay - Excelion's medbay features the essentials of Eon medical technology, along with an emergency neural imprint transfererence system complete with flash cloning suite. The system also retains emergency stockpiles of the Paladin's nanites, which are themselves another pinnacle of Eon technological development. All this is to ensure that the Paladin's life expectancy may be extended as much as is needed to combat the Specter threat.
Ship name: Parang
Class: Cruiser
Length: 600m
Origin: Krayak Hierarchy, now under Sledgehammer ownership
Ship Description: After the destruction of the Machete in the Battle of Earth, Bones acquired a salvaged Type-23 derelict from the USC as grudging thanks for Sledgehammer's involvement against the Hierarchy. The bandit lord has since adapted the ship to the needs of both himself and his gang, transforming it into a veritable flagship for the growing might of Sledgehammer.
Armament:
x1 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon (Spinal mount, bottom auxiliary hull) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships.
x4 Ion Cannon Turrets (Two on top, one on left/right flanks) - The Ion Cannon weapon is a classic Terran weapon of USC origin. This is a medium range sustained-beam energy weapon designed to hit hard and fast, typically used to great effect against Capital class ships.
Defences:
x1 "Valkyrie" Energy Shield (Modified) - The Valkyrie is a shield design tried and tested in the Frontier Union's Steward-class series of destroyers. Fairly resilient to most fire, this variant has been modified by Sledgehammer techs for use on cruiser-class vessels. In cases of heavier resistance it features a dynamic shield-shunt capability that replaces the shield bubble with a focused trio of mobile "pinpoint barriers" that can halt even super capital class weaponry. Combining the barriers allows the shield to shrug off even anti-capital heavy cannon fire, without the overload weakness of the original destroyer-class variant.
The Parang features heavier armor than standard cruiser-class specifications in the Terran Alliance.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. The Parang is less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis.
Other:
Fighter Hangars - The Parang holds a complement of 40 Sledgehammer multi-role fighters, giving the ship a potent ability to counter hostile strike craft or bomb heavier ships at all ranges.Ship name: Skaalfa
Class: Battlecruiser
Length: 950m
Origin: Krayak Hierarchy
Ship Description: A variant of the Type-35 Hierarchy battlecruiser and belonging to Senior Taskmaster Karos Vorash, the Skaalfa is shaped like a double bit axe with a short handle. The "axe" section is nearly 600m wide, forming the front of the battlecruiser and housing the majority of its weapons. The "handle" section is a thick fuselage that extends for about half the ship's total length. The Skaalfa can deliver a withering hail of forward firepower upon its victims.
Armament:
x2 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon (Fixed forward, one housed in each axe half) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships.
x8 Twin-barrelled Kinetic Cannon Turret (one on top/bottom of each axe blade half, one on top/bottom/flanks of rear fuselage) - The Kinetic Cannon is a staple weapon of the Hierarchy, firing a tungsten slug at hypersonic velocities every second. The standard ammunition is particularly effective at penetrating armor, while specialised superconductor-tipped ammunition can be used to drain energy shielding.
x8 Heavy Rapid-fire Railgun (one on top/bottom of each axe blade half, one on top/bottom/flanks of rear fuselage) - The heavy variant of the Rapid-fire Railgun fires a stream of detonating metal shards at hypersonic velocities, lending it to a devastating point-defence role. Fighters and corvettes cannot last long under such withering fast-tracking firepower, while frigates would do well to stay away from such destruction.
x4 Multipurpose Triple Ordinance Launcher (four forward) - A launcher that accepts a variety of warhead types, ranging from anti-escort swarm missiles to capital-busting high yield torpedoes. The launcher can fire up to three warheads in a single salvo, capable of reloading in as little as two seconds.
Defences: The Skaalfa's shielding and armor specifications are nearly on par with both League and Alliance average standards for the dreadnought class, making it a difficult target to wear down.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. Like most Hierarchy vessels the Skaalfa trades mobility for increased armor protection and firepower, making it less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis.Ship name: Riviera
Class: Carrier
Length: 700m (Width: 1350m)
Description: The flagship of the League Navy and command vessel of Secretary-General Sorina Golgotha, the Riviera is a beautiful work of aesthetics, featuring a sleek delta-wing hull structure that is wider than most dreadnoughts are long. It was originally designed as a mobile office for the Trade Council, serving more as a trading extension of the Avari Citadel and tourist attraction. With the emergence of the Hierarchy and Alliance it has since been retrofitted to a more military-oriented role.
Armament:
x2 Quantum Cascade Cannon (Destroyer-class Wave Motion Gun, forward fixed, one in centre of each wing) - The Quantum Cascade Cannon signifies the pinnacle of League technological achievement, firing a sustained beam of high-frequency quantum energy diverted directly from the ship's own Warp drive. This beam is exceedingly lethal to solid matter, literally causing the bonds between atoms and molecules to break down on contact. In addition the beam disrupts space-time in the vicinity of the firing zone, causing massive gravimetric distortions that can cripple or destroy escort ships not directly in the line of fire. The massive energy requirements demand a significant charge time and cooldown time of 1 and 2 minutes respectively. Riviera's massive zero-point tappers are more than capable of firing both cannons simultaneously without disabling other systems.
Defences:
Refraction Barrier - The Refraction Barrier is a recent League innovation. While it performs according to standard specifications against ballistic and missile weaponry, it particularly excels against energy weapons, which are harmlessly refracted away without shield drain. While high caliber energy weapons are too powerful to be dealt with similarly, the refraction is efficient enough that low to medium caliber energy weapons can be refracted to hit hostile targets with unerring accuracy.
The Riviera is equipped with standard armor specifications for a carrier class.
Propulsion: High-efficiency antimatter thrusters. The Riviera has standard mobility for a carrier class.
Other:
x140 Sprite-class Combat Drones - The Riviera holds maintenance and construction facilities for the Sprite-class Combat Drone, a highly agile AI drone fighter each equipped with a single Plasma Laser and fighter-class shield. The Sprite is unaffected by G-force limits imposed by an organic pilot, allowing their AI to evade significant amounts of even point-defence fire to neutralise an enemy with a thousand cuts.Ship name: Titania
Class: Heavy Cruiser
Length: 750m
Description: A veritable heavy cruiser of the Eon Navy, the Titania features a sleek dagger-shaped hull optimised for focusing forward firepower. It is believed to have fought in key battles during the Specter invasion, eventually being withdrawn to the Nostrum system for cold storage. By then the war had been believed lost, and the Titania formed part of a plan to leave a surviving remnant and legacy, one that might later rise up again to avenge the fallen civilization. Sadly, that never came to pass.
Armament:
x8 Twin-barrelled Impulse Cannons (four on top/bottom, each pair on either side of central prow) - The Impulse Cannon is the scaled up version of the deadly Impulse Blaster, compressing high-energy plasma into tiny needle-sized shards of gravitic distortion. When these shards impact their target the gravitic containment collapses, creating focused gravitic implosions. The increased scale of the cannon allows the implosion to trigger nuclear fusion in the compressed plasma, essentially creating fighter-sized "microstars" for a second or so. This makes the Impulse Cannon deadly effective against the most resilient of ship armor and shielding.
x2 Warp Ordinance Launcher (forward mounted) - The Eon Warp Ordinance Launcher propels warheads and other detonation devices to FTL speeds by wrapping them in their own individual Warp fields. Though the Warp fields easily dissipate on contact with even the weakest of energy shielding, the result is an ability to hit targets with warheads before point defences even have a chance to engage. The launcher's weakness is it can only fire a single warhead at a time, with a reload time of about five seconds. It is compatible with both the tactical and strategic variants of the Eon Quantum Cascade Warhead, as well as the workhorse Eon Nova Torpedo.
x1 Plasma Laser Array (10 firing mounts distributed around the ship for full coverage) - The plasma laser array provides omni-directional coverage for the Titania, though given ther ship's size the perfect coverage comes at the cost of a somewhat overstretched point defence system for Eon standards. The plasma laser uses advanced gravitics and a carrier wave to combine both a gamma laser and plasma stream into a single coherent cutting beam that may be flexed in nearly any direction. It is powerful for a point defence system, and dangerous when directed in a full forward salvo.
Defences:
Quantum Distortion Field - The Quantum Distortion Field is the pride of Eon defence technology, working by isolating the ship in a separate pocket of space-time. This makes equipped ships virtually immune to any conventional weapon effects as long as their QDF is up. The field itself is not invincible, and is vulnerable to disruption by weapon impacts. Also, its energy and maintenance requirements mean that it is typically mounted only on Capital class ships and heavier. Nonetheless, the QDF is sufficiently resilient to outperform any other conventional energy barrier by several orders of magnitude. Even Excelion's Dispersion Shield can only come in a distant second.
Crystal-neutronium composite armor - This armor plating is found only on warship classes of the Eon Navy. Its neutronium reinforcement combined with superconducting crystal lining make it tougher than even Excelion's crystal-polymer nanite armor. The trade-off is that the armor is much harder to work with, and is time-consuming to repair even with Eon nanite technologies.
Propulsion:
Inertial drive array - The Inertial drive array is typically found on the heavier vessels on the Eon Navy due to the energy requirements involved. By finely manipulating gravitics and space-time, the array achieves near-inertialess acceleration in any direction. A side effect is that hostile weapons fire can be randomly deflected by distortions in space-time curvature while the drive is in operation, requiring enemy vessels to divert processing power to compensate. This array allows the Titania to achieve near frigate-class acceleration and mobility. However, the array's performance tends to suffer while in proximity to gravity wells.
Eon warp drive - The Eon warp drive represents generations upon generations of refinement to FTL technology, easily exceeding any equivalent in the current galactic era. It can push Eon ships up to 12ly/hour - faster than even current era Hypergate technology. It is also capable of jumping from nearly any position for nearly any specifiable distance with extreme precision - even from within Jovian giant gravity wells.
Other:
x10 Ythotha-class Assault Mechs - The Titania is equipped with construction and maintenance facilities to maintain and even expand this ground attack formation of mechs. The Ythotha-class is more formidable than the multipurpose Atalanta, truly specialised for frontal assault and combat roles. It is equipped with a single vehicle-grade Impulse Gun on the right shoulder, a plasma laser weapon on the left shoulder, and two triple barrelled laser vulcan cannons on each arm to complement. In addition to being plated with self-repairing crystal-polymer nanite armor, the Ythotha-class also features a small-scale Dispersion shield that can temporarily withstand even orbital strikes from starship-grade weapons. The mech flies slower and is less mobile than even Atalanta's humanoid mode due to the energy demands of its combat systems.Ship name: Saarkin
Class: Heavy Dreadnought
Length: 1500m
Description: The flagship of the Hierarchy fleets and command vessel of Grand Taskmaster Gatak Kaar, the Saarkin is a warship bristling with heavy anti-capital weapons of every kind. The hull is somewhat dagger-shaped, and designed to project a lethal hailstorm of forward firepower. When the Saarkin appears on the battlefield it brings ill-tidings for the forces opposing the Hierarchy.
Armament:
x1 Hypervelocity Rail Array (Dreadnought-class Wave Motion Gun, fixed forward, the ship is wrapped around the weapon) - Essentially a scaled up machine gun weapon, the Hypervelocity Rail Array accelerates reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds. Each slug impacts with less energy than a standard HVRC, but the array more than makes up for it with a startling rate of fire of 10 shots/second. This withering hail of fire can easily drill through the toughest shielding and armor within moments. It is matched with a disturbingly quick pre-fire charge time of 3 seconds, thankfully offset by the fact that it can only sustain fire for a maximum of 10 seconds before needing to shut down and dump heat for 5 minutes or so.
x4 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon Turret (Two on top and bottom, each turret on either side of central prow) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships. This turreted version strikes fear into the hearts of any captain not commanding an escort-class vessel.
x12 Heavy Rapid-fire Railgun (Six on top and bottom, each trio on either side of central prow) - The heavy variant of the Rapid-fire Railgun fires a stream of detonating metal shards at hypersonic velocities, lending it to a devastating point-defence role. Fighters and corvettes cannot last long under such withering fast-tracking firepower, while frigates would do well to stay away from such destruction.
x8 Multipurpose Triple Ordinance Launcher (Forward fixed, each quad on either side of central prow) - A launcher that accepts a variety of warhead types, ranging from anti-escort swarm missiles to capital-busting high yield torpedoes. The launcher can fire up to three warheads in a single salvo, capable of reloading in as little as two seconds.
Defences: The Saarkin is the mostly heavily armored and shielded super capital ship among the current galactic powers.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. Like most Hierarchy vessels the Saarkin trades mobility for increased armor protection and firepower, making it less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis. It is easily the least agile super capital ship among the current galactic powers.Hyperspace refers to the alternate dimension above realspace where the known laws of physics do not apply. This is the one and only working principle of faster-than-light travel known to humanity in the Local Cluster. Utilising this basic principle are two differing faster-than-light options: Warp drives, and Hypergates.
Warp drives:
Warp drives are compatible with any class of starship and were the primary (if slower) means of interstellar travel in the early years of the Astral Millennium. Analysis of Eon hypergate technology has allowed refinements to current generation Warp drives, which are now capable of FTL speeds of approximately 4ly/day, with jump range and prejump charge time varying with ship class.
Due to technical limitations of hyperspace entry systems, Warp drives work by shaping a sustained hyperfield around the starship in question. This allows a starship to achieve FTL speeds without needing to enter hyperspace - a task that requires considerable and apparatus impractical for most starships. The trade-off is a much lower FTL speed relative to that of a true hyperspace jump.
Warp drive use comes with certain risks: because the starship remains in normal space while travelling FTL, it is vulnerable to debris in its path too large to be deflected by the sustained hyperfield. This size threshold tends to increase with the class of starship involved. In addition, Warp drives are particularly vulnerable to the effects of external gravity wells, which may result in feedback damage and other negative effects to both the drive and the ship. For this reason it is standard (or sane) procedure to use Warp drive only from high orbit and beyond.
Hypergates:
Hypergates are orbital constructions larger than even carrier-class starships. The main structure is a disc with a 1.5km radius and 600m thickness oriented horizontally to the ecliptic plane. Jutting through the centre is a large axle-like structure 600m wide and extending 1km in both directions beyond the disc surface. Also arranged across the disc surface on both faces are smaller pylons about 250m high - these are the quantum array projectors responsible for much of the Hypergate's operations. Hypergates offer FTL speeds far superior to that of Warp drives - an approximate 2ly/hour following refinements based on Eon technology.
Hypergates operate in pairs, there being a gate at both the point of origin and destination. For a starship to use a Hypergate it must move within at least 1km of the gate and obtain jump clearance via an automated process. The Hypergate then opens a hyperspace portal for the starship - essentially a gateway to a targeted quantum tunnel through hyperspace itself. On entry into the tunnel threshold the starship is then propelled at FTL speeds to the receiving gate, where the starship exits from another portal with the same relative velocity it entered hyperspace with.
Because quantum tunnel events are charged with just enough energy for a ship to reach its destination, the receiving Hypergate is not critical for the hyperspace exit process of an incoming starship. Therefore while interstellar borders may be closed to outgoing traffic via gate shutdown or reprogramming, they cannot be closed to incoming traffic due to this principle. Still, exiting hyperspace without a receiving gate is extremely risky due to random drift from the intended destination, which increases with jump distance traversed. If a hyperspace exit occurs in close proximity to a planet, star, or some other massive object, the results are usually fatal for the jumping ship.Empire: (Terran Alliance/Krayak Hierarchy/League of Carinus)
Sub-faction: (Which faction in the Alliance/Alien in the Hierarchy or League?)
Group/Team/Gang name: (Optional, whatever floats your boat)
Backstory: (Why is this crew doing whatever they're doing? Highly recommended)
Ship details
Ship name:
Class: (Class maximum varies according to Empire choice. Fighter class is not disallowed, but not recommended - you cannot magicdodge forever!)
Length: (Some variance from average Class length permitted)
Ship Description: (A brief history and overview of the ship-type/capabilities. Pictures are neither compulsory nor disallowed.)
Armament:
Defences:
Propulsion:
Other: (Any special abilities/shuttles declared here)
Crew Details
Total Crew: (Number here)
Captain: (Name, followed by brief description. If you want to go full-swing into proper character sheets, feel free.)
Other core crew 1: (If applicable. As above - name, followed by brief description. Again, you may go full-swing into proper character sheets if you wish.)
Other core crew 2: (If applicable etc.)Notes: The following ships are NPC ships, and so they may appear somewhat underwhelming. Player ships are permitted to exceed this to a small extent as these should be regarded as rock-bottom baselines.
Ship name: Steward-class
Class: Destroyer
Length: 390m
Description: The Steward-class is a long-serving workhorse of the Frontier Union navy - only recently is it being replaced by updated classes of the next generation. This destroyer exemplifies Union doctrine, being a durable platform designed for attrition warfare.
Armament:
x2 twin-barrelled Ion Focus Turrets (mounted topside) - The ion focus is a modified ion cannon weapon, sacrificing sheer power for increased range. The result is an accurate sustained-beam energy weapon excellent for wearing down targets with ranged bombardment.
x8 Ion Pulsar Turrets (2 mounted on top, bottom, and flanks) - the ion pulsar is essentially a smaller-scale ion focus designed for use in lighter turrets for faster tracking. It differs from its larger sibling in that the sustained beam is fired in short bursts, providing all-round coverage and decent damage output. This is the Steward-class' primary weapons group, as it can bring at least 4 turrets to bear on any target attacking from most angles.
x8 Light Railgun (2 mounted on top, bottom, and flanks) - a straightforward concept requiring little explanation, the light railgun group is intended to cover the capital ship from high-mobility fighters and corvettes, while supplementing the ion pulsars in dealing with the more durable frigate class.
Defences:
The Steward-class features the venerable "Valkyrie" energy shield that is fairly resilient to most fire. In cases of heavier resistance it features a dynamic shield-shunt capability that replaces the shield bubble with a focused pair of mobile "pinpoint barriers" that can halt even super capital class weaponry. Combining the barriers even allows the Steward-class to shrug off even anti-capital heavy cannon fire - albeit at the cost of the entire shielding system.
Backing up the energy shield is a compressed ablative ceramic composite armor interweaved with high-conductivity filament. This provides superior protection on a per-tonnage basis compared with equivalent armor of the other factions.
Propulsion: Capital-class Ion-thruster array (unremarkable)Ship name: Etherion-class
Class: Strike Frigate
Length: 270m
Description: The Etherion-class originally served as a testbed for various experimental technologies on in the early decades of the ECA. In its present incarnation it serves as an improvised capital ship killer using the USC's traditional Hyperpulse Cannon.
Armament:
x1 Hyperpulse Cannon (firing mount to the front, frigate is wrapped around the weapon) - The hyperpulse cannon is basically a pulse cannon on steroids, featuring a more cohesive carrier wave capable of incredible range. It was originally intended to be used on destroyer-class vesesls, but in the darker years of the Unification War the USC was forced to slap these mighty weapons onto a frigate chassis so as to roll them out quickly for combat.
In standard operation it works like its lesser sibling, sending successive plasma pulses down the carrier beam to impact the target with explosive force. In comparison with the standard turret-mounted pulse cannon the hyperpulse has greater range and stopping power, making it ideal for wearing down greater opponents from safe distances.
In anti-capital mode the plasma pulses are focused into a single highly compressed sphere that is then launched down the carrier beam into its target, capable of seriously damaging even cruisers and super capital ships in a single shot. The drawback is that the frigate must shut down the majority of its systems for a time thereafter to vent the excess heat from firing.
x4 Light Pulse Laser (2 on each flank) - The pulse laser is a simple concept, using successive pulses of ultraviolet laser beams to cause damage to targets. The Etherion's light pulse laser array is sufficient for handling fighters and corvettes to some extent, or to provide suppressing fire in assistance to other fleet elements. Ultimately this ship is rather vulnerable in situations where it is unable to bring its main gun to bear.
Defences: The Etherion-class is equipped with USC standard shields but lighter armor for accommodations to the heat venting systems and chassis constraints. The shields appear to suffer as well whenever the mismatched hyperpulse cannon is used.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. The Etherion suffers from somewhat reduced mobility due to a mismatch between its chassis and destroyer-oriented main gun.Ship name: Type-23
Class: Cruiser
Length: 630m
Description: The Type-23 is a common sight in most Hierarchy fleets, serving as a multi-role workhorse platform. It either acts as a command vessel for a strike squadron, or in hunter-killer packs to deal with larger super capital classes.
Armament:
x1 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon (Spinal mount, bottom auxiliary hull) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships.
x4 Twin-barrelled Kinetic Cannon Turret (Two on top, one on left/right flanks) - The Kinetic Cannon is a staple weapon of the Hierarchy, firing a tungsten slug at hypersonic velocities every second. The standard ammunition is particularly effective at penetrating armor, while specialised superconductor-tipped ammunition can be used to drain energy shielding.
x6 Rapid-fire Railgun (Two on left/right flanks, one on top/bottom) - The Rapid-fire Railgun fires a stream of metal shards at hypersonic velocities, lending it to an effective point-defence role.
x3 Multipurpose Triple Ordinance Launcher (Two forward, one rear) - A launcher that accepts a variety of warhead types, ranging from anti-escort swarm missiles to capital-busting high yield torpedoes. The launcher can fire up to three warheads in a single salvo, capable of reloading in as little as two seconds.
Defences: The Type-23 is equipped with standard shielding specifications for a cruiser-class, but is noted for its heavier armor tonnage when compared with Terran Alliance counterparts.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. Like most Hierarchy vessels the Type-23 trades mobility for increased armor protection and firepower, making it less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis.Ship name: Seraphim-class
Class: Destroyer
Length: 400m
Description: Originally developed for police duties and ceremonial functions such as gun salutes, the Seraphim-class has since been fully weaponised in response to the League's encountering the Alliance and the Hierarchy. Today it is feared as a premier gun destroyer design on the galactic scene, more than capable of bringing even super capital ships to their knees in a single shot.
Armament:
x1 Quantum Cascade Cannon (Forward mounted, the destroyer is wrapped around the weapon) - The Quantum Cascade Cannon signifies the pinnacle of League technological achievement, firing a sustained beam of high-frequency quantum energy diverted directly from the ship's own Warp drive. This beam is exceedingly lethal to solid matter, literally causing the bonds between atoms and molecules to break down on contact. In addition the beam disrupts space-time in the vicinity of the firing zone, causing massive gravimetric distortions that can cripple or destroy escort ships not directly in the line of fire. The massive energy requirements demand a significant charge time and cooldown time of 1 and 2 minutes respectively, during which time there is simply insufficient energy to power other weapons.
x8 Plasma Laser Turret (Two mounted on top/bottom/left/right sides) - The Plasma Laser is a commonly-used League weapon, combining a plasma stream with a high-energy ultraviolet laser beam. The result is a highly accurate and long ranged sustained beam weapon with devastating anti-armor capability. The Seraphim-class uses these turrets to provide ranged supporting fire primarily, though they can be relied upon to repel escort class hostiles at all ranges.
Defences: The Seraphim-class is equipped with standard shielding and armor specifications for a destroyer class.
Propulsion:
x1 Micro-Warp Reactionless Drive Array - A recent development by League scientists, the Micro-Warp Drive is a standard Warp drive scaled down for use as conventional propulsion. The result is that the Seraphim-class has agility comparable to that of a frigate, enabling it to bring its main gun to bear on just about any target too large for its turrets to repel. The drive seems to suffer in the presence of an inhibitor field, which slows the Seraphim-class so much it becomes less mobile than even a cruiser.Karma Meter: As part of transparency efforts, all players will have their positive/negative karma updated regularly on a 9-point scale: -5 to 0 to +3. Actions deemed "balanced" will incur no movements, actions with setbacks exceeding benefits will incur a positive movement, and actions with benefits exceeding setbacks will incur a negative movement. Magnitude depends on how far the imbalance swings, as well as how well/badly the imbalance can be justified by IC preparations.
If a player's Karma hits -4 a "corrective penalty" will occur to bring this back into the safe range of -3 to +3. A Karma of -5 will incur a more forceful penalty that could be crippling to the player, while actions sending Karma beyond the -5 limit will result in "corrective death."
Player Karma: Updated as of 7/12/2011
Mokino: 0, 1 of 2 faction abilities used (single encounter Eon drone deployment)
Fuel: +2
Yoshi: -1
wildcat: 0, 1 of 2 faction abilities used (single encounter additional firepower)
Master_Chief: 0
typhoonoftempest: -1
If Ursae Majoris opened our eyes, then it was Damocles that steeled our resolve: to stand together or perish separately.
For four gut-wrenching weeks we fought the armada of the Krayak Hierarchy. They advanced mercilessly towards Sol, sweeping aside everything the USC could muster. And they nearly succeeded in claiming their prize, were it not for the pivotal turning point in the war.
The Union, Imperium, even the hopelessly anarchic forces of the Frontier and Fringe - all arrived in a desperate show of unity in orbit over Earth itself. Alongside the last remnants of the Coalition forces we held the line and pushed the Hierarchy back whence they came. Even then it was not nearly enough: were it not for the League of Carinus announcing their existence to all.
Five years have passed since then, and an uneasy peace now exists between the emerging powers. The Eon Gate Network has allowed this: steps toward the Utopia of a new Galactic Civilization. But even as Humanity rebuilds under the unified banner of the Terran Alliance, there is the understanding that the ghosts of the past are coming.Welcome to the second instalment in the Astral Millennium universe: a space-RPG exploring the Milky Way and beyond. With the activation of the Eon Gate Network in the previous instalment (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?256420-Astral-Millennium-Fools-Rush-In-%28IC-thread%29&daysprune=-1) the known universe has expanded, and the adventure is no longer Humanity's alone.
Three powers have emerged to claim ownership of the Milky Way: the Terran Alliance, the League of Carinus, and the Krayak Hierarchy. But even as each of them endeavour to become the rightful inheritors of the Eon legacy they must contend with the relics of the past: the growing menace of the Propagators, and the remaining threat of the Specters. Compounding affairs further is the emergence of a strange multi-racial cult group: the Order of the Divine.
Players will control a ship and crew aligned with any of the three powers. Depending on these alignments their goals may differ, for the three powers all have differing priorities. You don't necessarily have to follow these railroads though, if you have backstory ideas of your own. Maybe you are a paragon of virtue and truly want to help save the galaxy and defeat the Specters. Maybe you're just an opportunist drifting with wherever everyone else goes. Or maybe you just want to be a jerk making trouble for anyone and anything that is not your crew or your ship.
General rules:
1) No power/metagaming: 1-2 OOC warnings for correction, following which repeat violations will involve horrible fates for your ship and crew.
2) Forum/IRC hybrid: Don't go inactive for the sake of jointposting. As nice and integrated as that is, time zones sometimes favour asynchronous back-and-forth posting. My posts will generally be geared towards back-and-forth, so as to accommodate limitations in my schedule.
3) ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL: What it says on the label. Please try not to be unnecessarily inactive. At least, give us fair warning before you do so.
4) Karma system: Flawless victories are allowed, but do so all the time and you will pay a heavy price. Feel free to take casualties in battle - you may end up winning the war in time. In order to make this system more transparent, I will drop by OOC/IC every now and then to indicate where your guys are on the "karma scale." This is to alleviate uncertainties whether you were allowed to destroy X NPC flawlessly, and also to reduce the micro-management/structuring needed on my part.
Note: This is part of the powergaming tracking system, and also a general guide to appropriate play in AM2. Your characters are fairly capable, but not godlike invincible and invulnerable. Play reasonably!
5) Heroes and Minions: Named player crews that are part of the ship's "core" operations will be more durable and more able to pull off otherwise impossible stunts thanks to Hero Shields. This will be allowed up to a maximum of 3-4 such crew (including the Captain), depending on whether I perceive players to be able to handle and personalise so many characters in the first place. Beyond those thresholds a redshirt effect will occur, eventually reducing them to no more than dispensible mooks.
Note: This is intrinsically linked to the Karma system. Take heed.http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/5086/milkywayam2.png (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/milkywayam2.png/)White tiles indicate systems with Hypergates
Green circles indicate systems with at least one planetary colony
Pink lines indicate Hypergate jump routes
Each tile represents a distance of 2 lightyears
The Eon Gate for the Local Cluster is in Ursae Majoris, USC space
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9241/astralmillennium2.gif (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/astralmillennium2.gif/)1) Wave Motion Guns
- The key word for wave motion gun use is "reasonableness" - primarily in terms of damage per shot and drawbacks.
- Spinal mounts: to aim the gun, you must aim the entire ship
- Charge time: even with "emergency protocols" you must have a reasonable charge time before firing. Negotiable depending on the gun's power/design conditions.
- Cooldown time: your ship must be left vulnerable for some time thereafter to dump heat/reset systems. Negotiable depending on the gun's power/design conditions.
2) Newtonian Physics
- An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force
- Don't overly nitpick this.
3) FTL Sensors/Communications
- Reaction window of about 1 minute or so for the ship to pass you and exit FTL sensor range.
- FTL communication may be assumed to be instantaneous across interstellar distances, with minimal light lag only from the non-FTL communication links inbetween (between an FTL comm satellite and a planet, for instance).
4) Power/Tech level
- League of Carinus at the top (Basic zero-point tapper/High efficiency Antimatter), Terran Alliance in the middle (Antimatter plant), Krayak Hierarchy at the bottom (High-efficiency Fusion).
- The League is still below Eon/Propagator tech overall, but they've mastered energy-based weaponry like long range plasma beams/plasma shards, as well as drive tech.
- The Alliance uses a mix of ballistics/missiles/energy weapons (usually shorter range or less power per ton vs League).
- The Hierarchy focuses on ballistics and missiles, as well as sheer armor tonnage and class superiority. Tend to be clumsy in manoeuvres, but very survivable.
5) FTL Propulsion
- Warp drives require a charge time before use (1 minute for Frigate and below, +1 minute per class increase)
- Minimum distance 1AU (No tactical jumps)
- Exceptions: Luyten Imperium (Terran Alliance), League of Carinus
- Speed: 4ly/day (Warp Drive), 2ly/hour (Intra-cluster Hypergate), Near-instantaneous (Intra-galactic Eon Hypergate)
- Only the Local Cluster, Kronos Cluster, and Montalaar Cluster have Intra-cluster Hypergates.
6) Cloaking
- Cloak is perfect to both eyes and sensors
- Weapons fire causes cloak distortion
- Energy weapons cause the most distortion
- Ballistics/Missiles cause minimal distortion
- Passive munitions dumping causes no distortion
- Shields are weakened greatly during cloak to preserve cloak perfection.Escort class: The escort class vessels are the lower range of starships - numerous and used all throughout known space. Ships in this category are typically tasked with their namesake: to provide escort coverage to their larger brethren in the capital and super capital categories. Ships of this class are also light enough to dock directly with starbases, as well as perform planetary landings on most worlds.
While by no means definitive powerhouses as singular vessels, they excel in harassment roles due to their superior manoeuvrability and acceleration relative to the heavier ship classes. A "run and gun" approach is common for ships of this class, with capable captains able to win against heavier vessels if they know where to strike to deal the most damage.
The following are the subclasses of ships within this category, and their average structural length.
Fighter - 25m
Corvette - 125m
Frigate - 250m
Capital class: Vessels of the capital class are the workhorse of spacefaring cultures, forming the backbone of many fleets. Ships in this category are typically found in the military due to their capabilities and expense, though wealthy individuals and corporations have also been known to own vessels of this range. Ships of this class cannot dock directly with starbases, requiring shuttle transport for passenger transfer. In addition they can only perform atmospheric entry on most worlds, with landing possible only on specific low-gravity planets.
Capital class vessels combine the best of the escort and super capital class, permitting some extent of tactical versatility. They are not so heavy and cumbersome so as to preclude the use of "run and gun" tactics, or so fragile as to preclude traditional stationary broadside turret attacks. This strength is also their greatest weakness - for they are masters of neither aspect of warfare. Nevertheless they are sufficiently powerful to scare off hostile parties, and are usually enough to deter and dissuade escalations in most situations.
The following are the subclasses of ships within this category, and their average structural length.
Destroyer - 400m
Cruiser - 600m
Super Capital class: The ships of the super capital range are the most massive and mightiest starships to be fielded, forming the core elements of most navies. Ships in this category are much rarer than the capital and escort classes due to the astronomical expense needed to simply build and field one. As a result they are more or less exclusive to governments, though rumours hint that the most powerful corporations and other non-governmental entities may possess a few of these mighty warships. These starships are strictly spacefaring only, with no capability whatsoever for any kind of atmospheric entry or planetary landing.
Super capital ships have low manoeuvrability and acceleration, making them rather cumbersome in moving about. However they make up for this by being extremely resilient to hostile fire, while being able to retaliate in kind. These massive vessels are also commonly used in a planetary bombardment role, bringing their massive weapons to bear on particularly stubborn colonies. In a way, super capital ships are like military starbases with mobility and FTL capability.
The following are the subclasses of ships within this category, and their average structural length.
Battlecruiser 900m
Dreadnought 1200m
Carrier 1500m
Megalith class: Ships so massive and terrifying they are spoken of only in legend and theory, Megalith class vessels do not exist among the galactic powers of the Milky Way, and are believed to be exclusive to the ancient Eon, Propagators, and Specters. While some would argue that Hypergates might be considered as part of the category, there remains the distinction that Hypergates are merely stationary structures. The true definition of a Megalith class would be a supermassive starship capable of independent motion as well as FTL travel. It was a damaged Megalith class Propagator vessel that saw battle at the incident of Ursae Majoris - one that inflicted horrific losses on both the USC and Imperium forces stationed there.Terran Alliance
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpUujOGYC98&feature=related)
Empire Ability: Desperate Ingenuity
- Maximum class: Cruiser
- Pick one ability from this sublist:For backstory fluff on the sub-factions within the Alliance, refer to: Backstory Fluff/Other Factions/Sub-factions within the Terran Alliance.
United Solar Coalition: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGLphQPp3dc&feature=related) Overcharge - Wave Motion Gun pre-charge time reduced to near-zero, or triple general weapon firepower for one salvo. Use more than once per mission will cause internal damage.
Frontier Union: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFXKBTTY1OE&feature=related) Shield Boost - Bring downed shields back to full instantly. Use more than once per mission will down shields permanently if they go down after that second use.
Luyten Imperium: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahFMOhHGowE) Tactical Jump - Instant Warp without minimum distance but render Warp Drive unusable until end of engagement, or Warp without minimum distance without penalty. Unaffected by Hyperspace Inhibitors.
Frontier Systems: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EBBrtD3kbg) In Recompense - Karma bonus: flawless victory without penalty up to two times in the BW, subject to plot-compulsory effects.
Fringe Systems: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkU7RYDGgdA&feature=related) Birds of the Same Feather - No trouble from scumbugs of all kinds, ability to call for 'unorthodox help' up to two times in the BW, subject to plot-compulsory effects.Known to the other civilizations as the "Harbingers of the Eon," the Terran Alliance represents the united interests of all of Humanity's various factions. While things are not entirely smooth-sailing for this supposedly utopian achievement, the scars left by the infamous Damocles War with the Krayak Hierarchy serve as ghastly reminders of the consequences of a Humanity divided.
The Terran Alliance occupies a region of space roughly 50 lightyears across within the Orion Spur, dubbed the "Local Cluster." Within this area it is further divided into the respective territories of the still-separate factions. At the core of the cluster is the United Solar Coalition, whose space includes the Ursae Majoris star system where the local Eon Gate is found. The other surrounding factions include the Luyten Imperium, Fringe Systems, Frontier Systems, and Frontier Union respectively. The Alliance capital sits at Earth itself, though some of the other factions express displeasure at the transparent display of superiority by the USC.
In comparison with the other galactic civilizations, the Terran Alliance possesses an average-sized economy and tech level as a result of the devastating self-inflicted conflicts it has gone through. The only saving grace of such an outcome has been the emphasis on direct military applications, leading to somewhat more advanced accomplishments in military sciences and technologies. These tendencies have only been further reinforced by the Damocles War, as well as the preceding Propagator Incident.
The Alliance maintains polite trade relations with the League of Carinus, but essentially remains in a state of cold war with the Hierarchy with the barest margins of trade possible between the enemies. Tensions on both sides remain high despite League intervention, and skirmishes between the civilizations are still a common occurrence.
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League of Carinus
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icms6Y1ChxI&feature=related)
Empire Ability: Arrogant Apex
- Maximum class: Destroyer
- Instant warp without minimum distance without penalty
- Near Macross-grade wave motion gun capability if using energy-based WMG
- Energy weapons more powerful than other factions even on a class-for-class basis
A union of several peaceful spacefaring cultures, the League of Carinus seeks a united galactic whole existing in harmony. Averse to the notion of separateness and mindless conflict, they prefer to present overtures of peace and offers of trade to their neighbours. The Alliance and Hierarchy for the matter are less convinced by their apparent goodwill, the former remaining wary as a result of the disastrous first-contact incident of Damocles, and the latter frequently accusing the League of the far more sinister "cultural assimilation."
The League of Carinus occupies an elongated region of space approximately 35 lightyears wide and 100 lightyears long, making it the second-largest civilization in terms of territorial extent. Its space is found within the Montalaar Cluster, directly east of the Galactic Core. The League's capital is at the star system of Avari, which is also coincidentally the location of their local Eon Gate.
With history marked mostly by peace and only the occasional minor skirmish, the League is considered the dominant economic power on the galactic scene, as well as the most technologically-accomplished entity compared with either the Alliance or the Hierarchy. Despite this its actual military force is considered rather weak on a per-capita basis, with such vessels primarily designed for local enforcement or ceremonial purposes. This seems liable to change in future due to the emergence of the Eon Gate at Avari, widely considered to be both a boon and bane: while spelling convenient wonders for trade, it poses an uncomfortable threat to the prevailing status quo.
The League was initially wary of the expansionary and ambitious Alliance, but eventually settled for a polite relationship with a potential new alien market, which the recovering Alliance seemed more than happy to reciprocate. Relations with the Hierarchy followed a similar progression, though they are now somewhat more tense due to the latter's apparently unquenchable thirst for conquest.
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Krayak Hierarchy
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9LWQWOWEaA)
Empire Ability: Brute Force
- Maximum class: Battlecruiser
- Hyperspace Inhibitor capability. Can prevent enemies from using Warp, or interrupt Warp jumps. Vessels pulled out of Warp suffer significant internal damage.
- Reduced acceleration and manoeuvrability. Cannot keep up with other factions' ships even on a class-for-class basis.
A mishmash of subjugation and interstellar ruin, the Hierarchy is ruled by the large reptilian bipeds known as the Krayak, and they do so with an iron fist. Nearly a third of their demographics is made up of genocide survivors or subjugated alien populations. While the occasional uprising does occur due to these entities' dissatisfaction with the powers-that-be, the majority have simply given up and allowed themselves to become loyal partners of the Krayak war machine.
The Hierarchy possesses the largest territorial extent of the present galactic powers - an area of space greater than both the Alliance and League combined in the Kronos Cluster to the northwest of the Galactic Core. However a good number of worlds have been bombed into uninhabitable husks or brutally stripped bare by the unsustainable demands of the Krayak, which is probably a good thing for both the Alliance and the League. The Hierarchy's capital is the Krayak's own capital of Kratos, itself located at the heart of moderately-unspoiled Krayak territory. The local Eon Gate is on the outskirts of Krayak space, in the fortress system of Haydez.
With a history somewhat parallel to that of the Alliance, the Hierarchy began when the Krayak pushed outwards from their region of influence in a brutal surprise attack, relying on industrial might to literally steamroll its closest neighbours. The victims were either utterly destroyed or subjugated to fuel their conquest efforts, with scant regard given to the sustainability of such operations. The result is a mighty industrial-based war engine that achieves victory by sheer force of numbers.
The hostilities between the Hierarchy and the Alliance are unparalleled, given that the entire Damocles War was waged between the powers for some time. While an uneasy truce exists for now the situation remains what it is: bitter and tense. Only the most limited forms of trade have emerged between the Hierarchy and the Alliance, and even then only under the strictest levels of internal security. Relations with the League of Carinus are less troubled, though from the Hierarchy's perspective it is only a matter of time before they muster the strength to steamroll both the League and Alliance to claim their grand prize as Masters of the Galaxy.Late 21st Century - Advances in quantum mechanics lead to the discovery of gravitons: gravitational force expressed in quantum particle form. Discoveries kickstart new revolution of thought regarding new possibilities for interstellar travel.
Early 22nd Century - Continued graviton research leads to the discovery of hyperspace: a state of warped space where the known laws of physics do not apply. First "quantum tunnel" theories put forth regarding the potential for faster-than-light travel.
Mid 22nd Century - First graviton control systems enter service, enabling economical means of achieving escape velocity and miniaturising nuclear fusion plants. New "space race" sparked off, leading to rapid establishment of mining operations within the Inner Solar System in the span of several years. Earth's resource crisis is solved by this new "Space economy."
Late 22nd Century - Increasing influx of resources from interplanetary mining operations pushes the development of industrial technologies. Applications of quantum mechanics enable development of high-efficiency fusion reactors, revolutionising power generation technologies. Fresh postulations of "hyperspace FTL" put forward on grounds of access to increased power generating capacities.Early 23rd Century/AM:0000 - First successful application of hyperspace technology following decades of development in hyperspace theories and related power technologies. Earth enters new intellectual golden age and the "Astral Millennium" begins, heralding the true arrival of the Final Frontier as humanity begins to colonise the stars. Earth Colonial Authority established to oversee the colonisation process.
AM:0000 to AM:0042 - First colony established in the Beta Comae system, followed rapidly by colonies in Eden, Epsilon Indi, Leonis, and Beta Canum.
AM:0043 to AM:0073 - Hypergate technology refined for practical interstellar use. Hypergate deployment begins en masse to first generation settlements, near-Sol operations, and northern systems Vector Sigma, Axon, Beta Hydri.
AM:0074 to AM:0121 - Advent of the "Frontier Era." Rapid colonisation and expansion efforts in the northern frontier. Beginnings of hypergate deployment and pre-colonisation preparations for systems in the vicinity of Luyten's Star.
AM:0122 to AM:0154 - Latter half of the "Frontier Era." Luyten region settled and preparations made for expansion into the southeastern fringe and the Aquos system to the north.
AM:0155 to AM:0191 - "Era of Disquiet." The Earth Colonial Authority begins to show signs of strain: administering the new human empire is proving to be a bureaucratic nightmare. Suggestions and calls made by colonies for greater autonomy to solve the problem, but are rejected by the ECA. Increasing unease over the central Earth government, particularly in the Luyten region.
"Anomalous material fragments" discovered in Nexus system during an incident with hypergate deployment. Speculators and conspiracy theorists go wild, but the ECA hushes up the matter and clamps down on the voices.
Southeastern fringe development slowed in favour of "controlled expansion" via Horizon, Farhaven, and Aquos. Fledgling colonies in the Fringe struggle in the early years as a result.
AM:0192 - An independent group of scientists travels to Mu Cassiopeiae via the newly-deployed Chiron hypergate. More anomalous fragments are uncovered, determined to be artificial and far beyond the current extent of human metallurgical sciences. ECA forced to reveal their knowledge of the purported extinct alien race, designated the "Priori." Public outrage ensues over additional revelation that the ECA had been aware of this since the colonisation of Beta Canum - one of the first generation colonised systems on the outskirts of the newly-dubbed "Priori Expanse."
AM:0193 to AM:0213 - Increasing public unrest throughout the empire of humanity, centred upon the "unreliability" of the central Earth government. Various demonstrations within the core systems that end with clashes with law enforcement units. In a bid to deflect attention from the Priori scandal and other public relations incidents, the ECA begins ramping up development efforts in the much-neglected Fringe region.AM:0214 - Otto Kaocho stages a synchronised and well-planned coup throughout the Luyten region, removing the prevailing ECA government and installing himself as the self-proclaimed Lord of the new "Luyten Imperium," with overwhelming public support. The Imperium immediately secedes from the authority of the Solar System and declares independence. The move is met with silence from the ECA.
AM:0215 to AM:0217 - "The Calm." Tensions are at an all-time high throughout the empire of humanity. Trade between the ECA and the Luyten Imperium has completely halted with harsh penalties on flouters, but illegal smuggling continues via Hypergates in the Fringe and elsewhere.
AM:0218 - Start of the Unification War. The ECA launches a sudden attack on Luyten Prime itself in tandem with fleet deployments to other "particularly vocal" colonies. The assault on Luyten Prime is quickly blunted with unexpected sabotage and other covert efforts by Imperium elements within the ECA core systems.
AM:0219 to AM:0223 - The Unification War. Colonisation and expansion efforts have all halted in favour of war production, essentially cutting off much-needed economic support to the Fringe. Skirmishes occur throughout the empire, with particularly contested areas being the Axon, Luyten, Gozan, and Beta Hydri systems. The Solar System and the other first-generation colonies are ravaged by guerilla strikes and other sabotage efforts from both Imperium and Frontier elements. The Fringe Systems align themselves with the Imperium unofficially, adding their own efforts to Lord Kaocho's cause.
AM:0224 - ECA headquarters on Earth is destroyed by a tactical fusion device, in tandem with other lesser attacks on various ECA facilities all around Earth. With much of the command structure in tatters the ECA collapses, causing chaos throughout ECA fleets everywhere. This allows Imperium and Frontier forces to begin pushing towards the core systems.
AM:0225 to AM:0228 - The United Solar Coalition is formed following emergency meetings between whomever is left. Retired general William Clarke steps up to the role as the new USC's first President. Personally directing the war efforts at the strategic level, he recalls the remainder of the ECA's fleets for a last-ditch defence of Sol and the other core systems. The effort succeeds, with Frontier and Imperium forces pushed back to their respective territories. A bloody stalemate ensues for the following two years.AM:0229 - Prime Minister Samantha Jones of the newly-formed Frontier Union steps into the fray, travelling to Luyten at great personal risk. She, along with representatives from other factions within the Frontier Systems opposed to the war, beseech the remaining parties to consider peace. Following a tense ceasefire and negotiations that takes nearly the entire year, the Treaty of Luyten is concluded and with it over a decade of unending war.
AM:0230 to AM:0243 - Era of the Status Quo. An uneasy peace and balance of power exists between the factions of Humanity, all rebuilding and recovering from the War but really seeking an appropriate moment to renew their old ambitions.
AM:0244 - Astral Millennium: Fools Rush In. The threat of the Specters and their servants, the Propagators, is revealed. They are found to be responsible behind the fall of the Priori, an ancient high-tech race known as the "Eon." Following a climactic battle at Ursae Majoris, the Eon Gate Network is activated, revealing a series of long range Hypergates scattered throughout the galaxy. True intragalactic travel becomes possible.AM:0245 - The USC Battlecruiser Damocles jumps to the Haydez star system and encounters the Krayak Hierarchy. The Damocles is disabled and captured, her crew never heard from again. Shortly thereafter the Hierarchy launch a massive invasion into the Local Cluster via the Eon Gate Network, marking the start of the Damocles War.
The USC fights a desperate defence in their core territories, attempting to contain the Hierarchy within the Ursae Majoris system. However the sheer might of the Hierarchy's industrial engine breaks through, sweeping through to Sol and Earth itself in the space of a month. As the remaining elements of the shattered USC forces prepare to fight a final desperate battle in Earth orbit, they are suddenly reinforced by a unified fleet consisting of the combined navies from all other Human factions. The united forces of Humanity win the Battle of Earth, beginning a series of victories that eventually pushes the Hierarchy back through the Eon Gate at Ursae Majoris. Despite these results it is clearly evident that eventually the Hierarchy will overwhelm the combined fleets of Humanity with sheer industrial might.
Salvation comes in the form of the League of Carinus, which succeeds in accessing both the Ursae Majoris and Haydez gates from their own gate at Avari. Despite having stumbled unwittingly into a bitter war, their technological prowess does not go unnoticed by either side. The Krayak Hierarchy, reluctant to fight Humanity alongside a technologically superior opponent, offers an unconditional truce. The treaty is accepted and signed, with Humanity left embittered by its first catastrophic contact with alien life.
AM:0246 - Realising that the individual factions of Humanity stand no chance against the militaries of the full-fledged alien civilizations, past grudges are put aside grudgingly as the banner of the Terran Alliance rises on Earth. Formal diplomatic relations are established with the League of Carinus, sparking the beginnings of a new intragalactic trade network. Relations with the Hierarchy remain frosty, with the Alliance focusing the majority of its efforts into rebuilding and arms development.
AM:0247 to AM:0249, Present day - Concerns grow in the galactic community over the rise of the Order of the Divine. Defections have remained steady despite all attempts at mitigating the flow. Fears are raised over the Alliance revelation of the link to the Eon Gate Network's activation, though skepticism remains a large obstacle in the League regarding the existence of the Propagators and Specters. The Hierarchy is all the more resistant and hostile to the "subversive ideas of Humanity," choosing to relent slightly only under the advice of Lucius Stewart, the so-called "Eon Paladin."
But any remaining doubts in the alien communities will inevitably be washed away by the coming tides...United Solar Coalition
Emerging from the ashes of the Earth Colonial Authority, the United Solar Coalition is a tightly-knit federation between the Solar System and humanity's earliest colonies: Epsilon Indi, Beta Comae, Beta Canum, Eden, and Leonis. Thanks to a considerable head-start on these colonies and the foundation of humanity, the Solar System, the USC is the most powerful single faction of humanity in space - both in economic and military might.
Despite these advantages, the USC is severely limited in its strategic options: any suspicious movements on the USC's part are watched carefully by the rest of the colonies, particularly those of the Frontier and Fringe Systems. Nonetheless, the USC still keeps to its grand goal: to succeed where the ECA failed by uniting all of humanity under a single banner. The USC in the present day is the core of the Status Quo, and central to the delicate balance of power in the Local Cluster.
Typical USC doctrine is to overwhelm the target with sheer force and firepower. Therefore ships of the USC fleet are designed to be heavy-hitters intended for anti-capital and orbital bombardment roles, with a considerable reliance on specialised Escorts for point defence and anti strike craft purposes.
Frontier Union
Located on the northern reaches of known space, the Frontier Union comprises the colonies of Horizon, Farhaven, and Aquos. These systems were settled in the later stages of humanity's coreward expansion, initially trailing behind most of the other colonies in economic development.
All that changed with the advent of the Unification War, when the old Earth Colonial Authority sought to bring the wayward colonies back in line. While many colonised systems suffered considerable damage from the incessant battles, the farther off colonies escaped relatively unscathed due to their remoteness. Horizon, Farhaven, and Aquos were among those least touched by the fires of war, which allowed them to catch up and even leapfrog the more affected systems. Still, fears of history repeating itself took hold, and the three systems were quick to form what is now known as the Frontier Union.
Typical Union doctrine is that of defensive warfare, enduring incoming enemy attacks that must suffer the double whammy of attrition warfare and the remoteness of Union space, which strains supply lines and reinforcement routes. Ships of the Union fleet feature hardened shielding and armor, along with multiple system redundancies to make them exceedingly durable to hostile fire. While their armament appears lacking compared with USC and Imperium vessels, it is more intended for the purpose of sustained suppressing fire to wear away incoming enemy forces.
Luyten Imperium
Located to the southeast of USC space, the Luyten Imperium has its capital in the system of Luyten's Star, or Luyten. Other systems under the Imperium's control include Gozan, Ceros, and Minerva - all settled in the Earth Colonial Authority's initial expansion towards the southeastern fringe. The Imperium is presently regarded to be the next most powerful faction after the USC. It was also this region of space that triggered the beginnings of the Unification War.
A particularly charismatic individual by the name of Otto Kaocho operated in the region during the pre-war era as an interstellar merchant, using shrewd wit to forge a corporate empire across the four systems and then some: one whose reach touched even Earth itself. Eventually, following decades of cultivating anti-colonial sentiments within the region, Otto staged an extensive coup to topple ECA authority across the four systems. This, in conjunction with increasing cries for autonomy across known space, triggered the beginnings of the Unification War. Today the Imperium is led by the latest descendent of the Kaocho line, Pensami Kaocho, who seeks nothing less than the jewel of humanity itself: Earth.
Typical Imperium doctrine involves bypassing strong points to strike supply lines and logistics, with the effect of isolating and weakening the main elements of a forward assault. Hit and run manoeuvres are also favoured over defensive tactics, with a focus on interdicting incoming forces with fast strike groups so as to weaken them before they reach the main defensive lines. Ships of the Imperium feature powerful propulsion systems for mobility and range, in conjunction with precision long range weapons to deal maximum damage within short windows of opportunity.
Frontier Systems
A vast expanse of space located to the north of the USC, the Frontier Systems represent a loose conglomeration of colonies settled during the Frontier Era. This region of space is rich in resources, making it a much coveted area for those who would seek to seize control of it. Economically and militarily, the individual systems of the Frontier cannot hope to compare with either the USC or the Imperium.
While the diversity of viewpoints and mini factions within the Frontier theoretically makes the region vulnerable to incursions by the USC, this weakness is well-known among the ephemeral powers within the Frontier. As a result they are quick to unite in the face of calamity or opportunity - a lesson which the old Earth Colonial Authority learned too late, and continues to haunt the USC even to this day.
Fringe Systems
An expanse of space located on the southeastern fringe of known space, the Fringe Systems make the systems of the Frontier appear tame by comparison. While power changes in the Frontier occur mainly via democratic process or various other peaceful means, in the Fringe this occurs via battle and violence. Expansion into this region by the Earth Colonial Authority was halted prematurely by the Unification War, which also slowed and halted development of the fledgling colonies in the area. Combined with the devastating effects of the Unification War, the result is that the Fringe is probably the interstellar equivalent of a slums region in the Local Cluster.
While the Fringe has much to do if it is to catch up to the rest of the human colonies, it is lucky in that the region is also somewhat rich in resources - though not quite on the scale enjoyed by the Frontier. There is an ad-hoc alliance between the Imperium and the Fringe, which is sometimes nicknamed the "Bandit Systems" for the considerable number of criminal and pirate elements that choose to take up their headquarters in the area. In return to the Imperium for providing a buffer zone to USC space, gangs and factions of the Fringe assist the Imperium in their efforts against the USC with premeditated "pirate attacks" in USC space. In recent years however, a growing crime wave has expanded throughout nearly all of known space - causing concerns even in areas as remote as the Frontier Union.Order of the Divine
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjmNQG_dGSY)
A disturbingly recent development, the Order of the Divine is best described as a multi-racial cult with interstellar reach. Intelligence reports suggest the Order began as early as during the Damocles War itself, with instances of defection not to the Hierarchy side but to a then "unidentified cause." Following the truce and opening of relations with the League it appears that the Order's formation is not solely a human endeavour, and that similar defections have occurred throughout Hierarchy and League space as well.
Defectors to the Order, coming from a wide spectrum across both human and alien societies, have enabled this cult group to flourish surprisingly well. Even under the threat of reprisals from the Hierarchy, the Order appears to have simply gone about their affairs with a wave of indifference, quickly establishing a colony base in the Rael star system and operating from the SA-1701 Cluster.
For now the Order of the Divine have appeared to be somewhat peaceful in their intentions, though their zeal and fervour remain significant. Most of the followers claim to have been contacted by the Divine Himself at some point or other, an unexplainable phenomenon that makes its presence felt as a mental whisper. While those in the upper echelons of the Order have been somewhat tight-lipped on their own experiences, it seems that the voice is dreadfully alluring and irresistible to those who hear it.
Alliance Intelligence in particular has been disturbed by the only correlation in the data: on the Divine's Voice only manifesting after the activation of the Eon Gate Network.
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Propagators
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqoilXBBH1Y)
Best described as sentient nanites, the Propagators were created by the Specters after they were uplifted by the Eon. They served as the loyal frontline troops for the Specters, acting as shock troopers and infiltrators to bring the almighty Eon to their knees. Their nanite-based nature grants them a disturbing ability to take over any biological or mechanical system by force, as well as giving them a particular tenacity and ability to survive all but the most severe of damage.
Their shapeshifting is advanced to the point whereby they can build whole starships from nothing but large masses of themselves, though structural integrity requirements force them to sacrifice their nanite nature to forge the tough shells and hulls needed. Nonetheless, Propagator starships are tough entities more than capable of disturbing feats of on-site repair and regeneration.
The Propagators were first encountered by Human Professor Maya Hitomi, who was unfortunately subverted and morphed into the false identity Sierra Vox. It was she who orchestrated the events of the Priori Extranet Incident, leading Humanity to unseal the Eon Gate Network and open the eventual path to unsealing the Specters from their prison.
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Eon
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXaELug47Q)
An ancient race whose civilization once spanned the entirety of the Milky Way, the Eon were known for their remarkable achievements in science and technology. It was they who built the Gate Network that Humanity unsealed, yet it was also they who unleashed the horror of the Specters on an unsuspecting Universe.
Seeking to explore the far reaches of the Universe itself, the Eon constructed an experimental hyperspace gate of unimaginable power - one with a theoretically infinite jump range. With it they touched a galaxy in the neighbouring supercluster, and it was there that they encountered the quantum life form known as the Specters. The Eon were fascinated by this anomaly of sentience and sapience, a truly unique life form that had no parallel other.
The Eon believed in their potential, and so made the mistake of uplifting the Specters. When the uprising came it was swift and deadly, the Specters ravaging the Eon civilization alongside their Propagator minions. Faced with a hopeless battle in the face of the Specters' apparently invulnerable nature as quantum energy beings, the greatest minds of the Eon devised a means of using that very nature to seal them away. And so the Eon faded from existence and memory - but not before they succeeded in locking the Specters in the Central Gate: heart of their remarkable Gate Network.
Today the legacy of the Eon lives on in various forms: as the Gate Network now used extensively by the present galactic powers, as well as various derelicts and ancient artifacts scattered throughout the sectors of space.
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Specters
Theme: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfXKp5UCWtE)
A unique quantum life form foreign even to the local supercluster, the Specters are a bizarre form of existence that baffled even the greatest of Eon scientists. Best described as energy beings straddling both the dimensions of realspace and hyperspace, the Specters represent higher order frequencies of quantum energies that have inexplicably become life itself: much like the development of amino acids into organic lifeforms.
As energy life forms they feed on energy in order to survive and generate offspring. In their natural state they consumed the ambient quantum signatures associated with that of single-celled organisms. Some scientists suggested that these signatures were the closest thing there was to an actual physical "life force," and it was this force that the Specters required for sustenance.
Unfortunately, their uplifting at the hands of the Eon led them to desire nutrition more satisfying than their original diets - complex quantum signatures analogous to the living consciousness of sentient and sapient living beings. So great was this hunger that as they ravaged the falling civilization of the Eon they left entire sectors silenced: minds left empty husks devoid of any shred of consciousness or "soul."
The Specters remain sealed in the depths of hyperspace, locked behind the sealed doors of the Central Gate. The galaxy is safe as long as they remain there, but the Propagators have already set the wheels in motion...William Clarke - a brilliant strategist forced into early retirement from a sabotage operation by the Imperium in the early years of the Unification War. He spent years recuperating from his horrific wounds and nursing a festering grudge against the scum of the Imperium. The first and current President of the USC, he is fiercely devout, almost fanatical, in his belief of a Humanity reunited under the banner of the Solar Empire. He currently represents the USC in the Terran Alliance Assembly.
Pensami Kaocho - the ruthless son of the infamous Otto Kaocho, his ambition and thirst for power are no less than that of his father. He applies his father's doctrines to devastating effect, complementing them with his own style to lead the Imperium to greater heights. When war re-emerges once more, as it inevitably will, the USC may well face its darkest times yet. He currently represents the Luyten Imperium in the Terran Alliance Assembly.
Anthony Carver - second Prime Minister of the Frontier Union, he is an academic beneath the skin of a politician. It was he who set in stone the Union's current focus on unbridled research, drawing critical talents to the remote north and preparing the three peaceful colonies for the next storm. He currently represents the Frontier Union in the Terran Alliance Assembly.
Gatak Kaar - Grand Taskmaster and leader of the Krayak Hierarchy, he is a large specimen of a Krayak standing nearly 3m in height. Kaar interacts minimally with alien diplomats, preferring instead to leave such negotiations to the diplomatic teams of the Hierarchy. It is rumored that he is a ruthless and ferocious warrior in both the political and military realms, with few of his enemies living to tell the tale in either arena.
Sorina Golgotha - Secretary-General of the League of Carinus Trade Council, Sorina acts as the ad-hoc leader of the unified species making up the League. She is known as a shrewd trader and economist, widely regarded for bringing the League economy to its present height today. She is expected to face her greatest challenge yet with the appearance of the Hierarchy and Alliance on the galactic scene, owing to her nonexistent knowledge on military affairs.
Mr. Black - an enigmatic figure who leads the USC's Azure Sun, his true identity is unknown. He is believed to at least be a member in the highest echelons of USC government, potentially in the same tier as President Clarke himself.
Ares "Bones" Feros - a hulking bandit lord from the Fringe Systems, he leads an infamous and powerful gang called Sledgehammer. Bones is feared and respected even among his peers in the Fringe, having killed and bludgeoned his way to his present position. In recent years he has expanded his strikes beyond the anarchic space of the Fringe: much to the chagrin of foreign law enforcement and merchant shipping.
Maya Hitomi/Sierra Vox - Deceased senior professor from the Union Interstellar University based on Horizon, her work in xeno-archaeology was very well received in academic circles throughout the Local Cluster. She led the Frontier Union's science team to the Proteus system on an exploratory research mission, where she fell victim to the Propagator infection and took on the identity of Sierra Vox. As Vanguard for the Propagators it was she who orchestrated the unsealing of the Gate Network, setting in motion the plans to free the Specters.
Lucius Stewart - Human by DNA but inhuman by mind, Lucius is the "Eon Paladin," a living weapon created by the Eon in their final days to complete the task of sealing the Specters. In accordance with the Eon policy of noninterference with lesser civilizations, he mostly keeps a hands-free approach from affairs on the galactic scene, intervening only in matters relating to the Propagators and the Specters. He continues to search for a means of defeating the Specters permanently, while trying to foil the Propagators' plans where he can. Assisting him is the Eon starship Excelion and its onboard AI: Lorelei.Sol - At the heart and core of the Local Cluster is the Sol system, which contains the pride and jewel of Humanity: Earth. It is from here that Humanity began, and from here that the United Solar Coalition commands its resources. Sol is by far the most developed star system thus far, with extensive orbital facilities around nearly every planet. Three equidistant Hypergates beyond Pluto orbit connect the Sol system to Beta Comae, Alpha Centauri, and Tau Ceti. Today, Earth itself houses the headquarters for the Terran Alliance: a reminder of the difficult victory achieved in the Damocles War.
Luyten - A system infamous for housing the capital of the Luyten Imperium, which triggered the Unification War, the Luyten system has rapidly recovered from the ravages inflicted during the war, when it was a hotly contested system between USC and Imperium forces. Luyten itself is part of the major trade route between the Fringe and the USC, resulting in a booming economy from considerable trade volumes - a good deal of which is illegal. Luyten's Hypergates orbit just beyond the system's asteroid belt, connecting to Minerva, Leonis, and Lyrae.
Keros - Widely considered to be the heart of the Fringe, Keros is strange in that it has developed ahead of the other Fringe systems despite its lack of Hypergates: perceived to be an economic bane. Keros is probably the most dangerous system in known space due to the concentration of criminal elements and activity here, assisted by the presence of an unusually large asteroid belt. Sometimes nicknamed "Tortuga" for its similarities to the fictional pirate port of old, Keros is off-limits to all but the most seasoned of spacefarers.
Axon - The heart of the Frontier, Axon is a bustling system of activity and considered one of the Local Cluster's most important centres of economic activity. 70% of resources and manufactures going through the Frontier passes through Axon at some point, resulting in the need for the largest space construction by Man: the Hub, a massive 3km radius multi-torus starbase that serves the region's trade activities. The Hub is also one of the most well-armed starbase in known space, and even super capital ships are wary about offending it. The Hypergates are fixed in position relative to the Hub, which itself orbits just beyond the colony world of Axon 3. They connect to Epsilon Indi, Vector Sigma, and Beta Hydri.
Horizon - The capital system of the Frontier Union, Horizon is a remote but peaceful system on the far north of known space. Despite this remoteness many scientists regularly flock to this system for its idyllic lifestyle and research-friendly policies. This is a shrewd move on the Union's part, which realises it must make up for its lack of numbers with top-of-the-line tech at every opportunity. Horizon is also the test location for the first known planetary defence shield, which is still in its experimental stages on the capital world of Horizon Prime. The Hypergates are located in the outskirts of the Horizon system, connecting to Aquos and Corus.Haydez/Kronos Cluster - A heavily defended fortress system, Haydez is the entry point for travellers brave enough to visit the Krayak Hierarchy. It was here that the USC Battlecruiser Damocles met its end, triggering the war between Humanity and the Hierarchy. The Kronos Cluster itself is filled with systems ravaged by historical wars, with many worlds left barely habitable by the Krayak war machine.
Avari/Montalaar Cluster - The heart and soul of the League of Carinus, Avari contains a nexus of League-built Hypergates that provide easy access to the majority of League space. Trade traffic here is awe-inspiring and heavy, making it the perfect location for the establishment of the League's all-powerful Trade Council. Recent efforts have been made to bolster security in this system, following its connection to the Eon Gate Network.
CS-8472/Propagator Cluster - A gate marked as off-limits to all shipping and even military fleets, this particular gate in the Network is thought to connect to the home territories of the Propagators. Efforts are continually made by the Terran Alliance to ensure that all Eon Gates are purged of any potentially hostile Propagator progamming, so as to prevent a devastating attack into the territories of all galactic powers. However, this has been delayed by general alien disbelief regarding the Propagator/Specter threat, as well as suspicions regarding allowing the Alliance to tamper with "their sovereign property."
Rael/Cluster SA-1701 - An uninhabited cluster made accessible by the Eon Gate Network, it was once considered for colonisation efforts by the Terran Alliance. However those efforts came to naught when the Order of the Divine was discovered to have claimed the entire cluster for themselves. While clearly lacking the numbers to initiate proper colonisation efforts on their own, the Order possesses sufficient resources to fortify their home base in Rael significantly against any would-be aggressor.
Protos/Cluster NA-6666 - The Protos system bears striking signs of having been a thriving Eon colony in the distant past, but now it stands testament to the ravages of time and war with the Propagators and Specters. Ruins are extensive across the surface of Protos-3, with a significant debris ring in high planetary orbit. The rest of the cluster bears similar trinkets, making it a treasure trove of Eon relics second only to the Priori Expanse in the Local Cluster. Research teams from all galactic powers scour this cluster fervently, each seeking some technological advantage over the other.
Illuminen/Cluster OA-8988 - The Illuminen star system is a prime candidate for human colonization. First discovered by Human explorers shortly after the Alliance's formation, it contains a beautiful Earth-like world rich in natural resources. A derelict Eon wreck occupies the high orbit region above the planet, believed to be once a research station of some kind. It is believed that the Eon were interested in the strange dimensional phenomena here - the barrier separating realspace and hyperspace is thinner in the system, with hyperspace sensors picking up traces of other exotic non-hyperspatial dimensions in the vicinity, suggesting a nexus point of sorts to as yet undiscovered extradimensional realms.
Frontier/Dark Space - An anomaly in the Eon Gate Network, the Frontier Gate opens inexplicably to dark space: the blank starless region beyond the galaxy's horizon. It is unknown why the Eon would build a Gate here given the lack of any apparent strategic value. Preliminary reports suggest a malfunction during the Gate Network's resurfacing from hyperspace, causing the Frontier Gate to emerge off-target and in its present location. For now, the criminal scum of the galaxy have been content to use this lawless region as a prime location for their bases of operation.
Hara/Shiva Cluster - The Hara system is noteworthy for its iconic landmark: the derelict Eon Supergate of Hara. Presently a nonfunctional wreck destroyed during the Specter uprising, it is believed that this was the legendary gate that connected the Milky Way to the neighbouring supercluster. The rest of the Shiva cluster contains similar gate-like derelicts of varing configuration, suggesting that the Eon might have been attempting to forge a nexus of Supergates leading to the rest of the visible Universe.Ship name: Excelion
Class: Light Frigate
Length: 200m
Origin: Eon
Ship description: A sleek white vessel shaped like a diving bird of prey with wings folded back. This vessel is functionally yet beautifully designed - a far cry from the more practical approaches in human ship construction. The resident AI, Lorelei, is an advanced quantum intelligence whose presence raises Excelion's status to that of "sentient starship."
The only ship of its class, the Excelion was built in the last desperate days of the conflict between the Eon and the Specters. With the Central Gate under Spectre control and the blockade impossible to breach, it was only a matter of time before their insidious plans came to fruition. With that in mind, the Excelion was constructed to protect its sole inhabitant from the effects of the Etheric Nova, as well as to keep him safe for as long as was needed to deal with the Spectre threat.
http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/5829/shipm.th.jpg (http://img200.imageshack.us/i/shipm.jpg/)
Armament:
x8 Impulse Blaster (2 forward mounted, 3 side mounted in each wing for circle-strafing) - The impulse blaster compresses high-energy plasma into tiny needle-sized shards of gravitic distortion, whose glow make them appear much larger and fitting to the apparent bores of their weapons. When these shards impact their target the gravitic shards' collapse, creating focused gravitic implosions followed immediately by a plasma explosion. This two-stage process is most devastating to ship armor.
x1 Plasma Laser Array (10 firing mounts distributed around the main body of Excelion) - The plasma laser array provides omni-directional coverage for the Excelion, featuring 10 plasma laser mounts all around the primary hull. The plasma laser utilises advanced gravitics and a carrier wave to combine both a gamma laser and plasma stream into a single coherent cutting beam that may be flexed in nearly any direction. A powerful point defence system, and dangerous when directed in a full forward salvo.
x1 Quantum Nullifier (Excelion's "tail" that must be pivoted about for forward fire) - Intended as a means of penetrating the Specters' incredible energy barriers, the Quantum Nullifier fires a variable wave of null-frequency quantum spectral energy to nullify all energy effects in an area around the beam. As an anti-shield gun the Nullifier can be said to be perfect, with no barrier it cannot breach. Its effects on ships are considerably minimal, as the nullification energy does not penetrate far into solid matter. Still, it tends to temporarily shut down most external and outer hull systems by nullifying all energy flow through them.
Defences:
Dispersion shield - A durable shield that is highly efficient at dissipating incoming blasts over the entire surface area of the barrier, with excess energy either radiated off into space or directed to internal capacitors. It's closest equivalent in terms of Human tech is the Aegis shielding system: a barrier optimised for high-energy attacks. However the considerably advanced nature of Eon technology makes it significantly more durable in comparison, and is far less susceptible to a multitude of lesser attacks.
Hyperphasic barrier - An advanced one-of-a-kind shield intended as a means of blocking the Etheric Nova, the hyperphasic barrier wraps the ship in a multi-layered field of quantum spectral energy, randomly oscillating through varying quantum frequencies so as to dampen the Etheric Nova's effects sufficiently for the dispersion shield to counter. Due to the randomly shifting nature of the quantum energies, the hyperphasic barrier cannot isolate the Excelion in a space-time pocket like a quantum distortion barrier, and so it is largely useless against most conventional attacks.
Crystal-polymer nanite armor - part of the Excelion's self-repair system, the advanced nanite armor is resilient to most attacks, capable of reinforcing and adapting individual sections to firepower types according to Lorelei's direction.
Propulsion:
Plasma impulse thruster array - A triple nozzle high thrust plasma drive backed up by multiple high thrust vector thrusters, the thruster array uses impulse compression to vastly increase drive efficiency as well as thrusting power. The thruster array alone is more than sufficient to drive the Excelion with near fighter-class acceleration and mobility.
"Eternity" drive core - An advanced hyperspace drive that allows the Excelion to make gate-independent hyperspace jumps with ease, at speeds of up to 1ly/minute. This drive variant, the epitome and last of Eon technological achievement, allows Excelion to shift between hyperspace and realspace at will with pinpoint precision and accuracy. The drive even allows the Excelion to become a "hyperspace native" - a ship that resides in hyperspace indefinitely at minimal energy cost.
Other:
Guard Robot "Atalanta" - A transformable escort mech with its own onboard AI. While the intelligence is not as advanced as Excelion's Lorelei, it is still more than sufficient for the carrying out of its protection duties. In vehicular form the Atalanta is optimised for high-speed aerial transport of up to 4 passengers, with two shoulder-mounted plasma pulse cannons and a forward-biased omni-directional energy barrier. In humanoid form the Atalanta is optimised for ground combat scenarios, with triple barreled laser vulcan cannons on each arm to complement the shoulder cannons. In addition the energy barrier operates at optimum output due to the converse reduction in thruster use for humanoid form.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2033/guardrobot.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/i/guardrobot.jpg/)
Onboard medbay - Excelion's medbay features the essentials of Eon medical technology, along with an emergency neural imprint transfererence system complete with flash cloning suite. The system also retains emergency stockpiles of the Paladin's nanites, which are themselves another pinnacle of Eon technological development. All this is to ensure that the Paladin's life expectancy may be extended as much as is needed to combat the Specter threat.
Ship name: Parang
Class: Cruiser
Length: 600m
Origin: Krayak Hierarchy, now under Sledgehammer ownership
Ship Description: After the destruction of the Machete in the Battle of Earth, Bones acquired a salvaged Type-23 derelict from the USC as grudging thanks for Sledgehammer's involvement against the Hierarchy. The bandit lord has since adapted the ship to the needs of both himself and his gang, transforming it into a veritable flagship for the growing might of Sledgehammer.
Armament:
x1 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon (Spinal mount, bottom auxiliary hull) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships.
x4 Ion Cannon Turrets (Two on top, one on left/right flanks) - The Ion Cannon weapon is a classic Terran weapon of USC origin. This is a medium range sustained-beam energy weapon designed to hit hard and fast, typically used to great effect against Capital class ships.
Defences:
x1 "Valkyrie" Energy Shield (Modified) - The Valkyrie is a shield design tried and tested in the Frontier Union's Steward-class series of destroyers. Fairly resilient to most fire, this variant has been modified by Sledgehammer techs for use on cruiser-class vessels. In cases of heavier resistance it features a dynamic shield-shunt capability that replaces the shield bubble with a focused trio of mobile "pinpoint barriers" that can halt even super capital class weaponry. Combining the barriers allows the shield to shrug off even anti-capital heavy cannon fire, without the overload weakness of the original destroyer-class variant.
The Parang features heavier armor than standard cruiser-class specifications in the Terran Alliance.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. The Parang is less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis.
Other:
Fighter Hangars - The Parang holds a complement of 40 Sledgehammer multi-role fighters, giving the ship a potent ability to counter hostile strike craft or bomb heavier ships at all ranges.Ship name: Skaalfa
Class: Battlecruiser
Length: 950m
Origin: Krayak Hierarchy
Ship Description: A variant of the Type-35 Hierarchy battlecruiser and belonging to Senior Taskmaster Karos Vorash, the Skaalfa is shaped like a double bit axe with a short handle. The "axe" section is nearly 600m wide, forming the front of the battlecruiser and housing the majority of its weapons. The "handle" section is a thick fuselage that extends for about half the ship's total length. The Skaalfa can deliver a withering hail of forward firepower upon its victims.
Armament:
x2 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon (Fixed forward, one housed in each axe half) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships.
x8 Twin-barrelled Kinetic Cannon Turret (one on top/bottom of each axe blade half, one on top/bottom/flanks of rear fuselage) - The Kinetic Cannon is a staple weapon of the Hierarchy, firing a tungsten slug at hypersonic velocities every second. The standard ammunition is particularly effective at penetrating armor, while specialised superconductor-tipped ammunition can be used to drain energy shielding.
x8 Heavy Rapid-fire Railgun (one on top/bottom of each axe blade half, one on top/bottom/flanks of rear fuselage) - The heavy variant of the Rapid-fire Railgun fires a stream of detonating metal shards at hypersonic velocities, lending it to a devastating point-defence role. Fighters and corvettes cannot last long under such withering fast-tracking firepower, while frigates would do well to stay away from such destruction.
x4 Multipurpose Triple Ordinance Launcher (four forward) - A launcher that accepts a variety of warhead types, ranging from anti-escort swarm missiles to capital-busting high yield torpedoes. The launcher can fire up to three warheads in a single salvo, capable of reloading in as little as two seconds.
Defences: The Skaalfa's shielding and armor specifications are nearly on par with both League and Alliance average standards for the dreadnought class, making it a difficult target to wear down.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. Like most Hierarchy vessels the Skaalfa trades mobility for increased armor protection and firepower, making it less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis.Ship name: Riviera
Class: Carrier
Length: 700m (Width: 1350m)
Description: The flagship of the League Navy and command vessel of Secretary-General Sorina Golgotha, the Riviera is a beautiful work of aesthetics, featuring a sleek delta-wing hull structure that is wider than most dreadnoughts are long. It was originally designed as a mobile office for the Trade Council, serving more as a trading extension of the Avari Citadel and tourist attraction. With the emergence of the Hierarchy and Alliance it has since been retrofitted to a more military-oriented role.
Armament:
x2 Quantum Cascade Cannon (Destroyer-class Wave Motion Gun, forward fixed, one in centre of each wing) - The Quantum Cascade Cannon signifies the pinnacle of League technological achievement, firing a sustained beam of high-frequency quantum energy diverted directly from the ship's own Warp drive. This beam is exceedingly lethal to solid matter, literally causing the bonds between atoms and molecules to break down on contact. In addition the beam disrupts space-time in the vicinity of the firing zone, causing massive gravimetric distortions that can cripple or destroy escort ships not directly in the line of fire. The massive energy requirements demand a significant charge time and cooldown time of 1 and 2 minutes respectively. Riviera's massive zero-point tappers are more than capable of firing both cannons simultaneously without disabling other systems.
Defences:
Refraction Barrier - The Refraction Barrier is a recent League innovation. While it performs according to standard specifications against ballistic and missile weaponry, it particularly excels against energy weapons, which are harmlessly refracted away without shield drain. While high caliber energy weapons are too powerful to be dealt with similarly, the refraction is efficient enough that low to medium caliber energy weapons can be refracted to hit hostile targets with unerring accuracy.
The Riviera is equipped with standard armor specifications for a carrier class.
Propulsion: High-efficiency antimatter thrusters. The Riviera has standard mobility for a carrier class.
Other:
x140 Sprite-class Combat Drones - The Riviera holds maintenance and construction facilities for the Sprite-class Combat Drone, a highly agile AI drone fighter each equipped with a single Plasma Laser and fighter-class shield. The Sprite is unaffected by G-force limits imposed by an organic pilot, allowing their AI to evade significant amounts of even point-defence fire to neutralise an enemy with a thousand cuts.Ship name: Titania
Class: Heavy Cruiser
Length: 750m
Description: A veritable heavy cruiser of the Eon Navy, the Titania features a sleek dagger-shaped hull optimised for focusing forward firepower. It is believed to have fought in key battles during the Specter invasion, eventually being withdrawn to the Nostrum system for cold storage. By then the war had been believed lost, and the Titania formed part of a plan to leave a surviving remnant and legacy, one that might later rise up again to avenge the fallen civilization. Sadly, that never came to pass.
Armament:
x8 Twin-barrelled Impulse Cannons (four on top/bottom, each pair on either side of central prow) - The Impulse Cannon is the scaled up version of the deadly Impulse Blaster, compressing high-energy plasma into tiny needle-sized shards of gravitic distortion. When these shards impact their target the gravitic containment collapses, creating focused gravitic implosions. The increased scale of the cannon allows the implosion to trigger nuclear fusion in the compressed plasma, essentially creating fighter-sized "microstars" for a second or so. This makes the Impulse Cannon deadly effective against the most resilient of ship armor and shielding.
x2 Warp Ordinance Launcher (forward mounted) - The Eon Warp Ordinance Launcher propels warheads and other detonation devices to FTL speeds by wrapping them in their own individual Warp fields. Though the Warp fields easily dissipate on contact with even the weakest of energy shielding, the result is an ability to hit targets with warheads before point defences even have a chance to engage. The launcher's weakness is it can only fire a single warhead at a time, with a reload time of about five seconds. It is compatible with both the tactical and strategic variants of the Eon Quantum Cascade Warhead, as well as the workhorse Eon Nova Torpedo.
x1 Plasma Laser Array (10 firing mounts distributed around the ship for full coverage) - The plasma laser array provides omni-directional coverage for the Titania, though given ther ship's size the perfect coverage comes at the cost of a somewhat overstretched point defence system for Eon standards. The plasma laser uses advanced gravitics and a carrier wave to combine both a gamma laser and plasma stream into a single coherent cutting beam that may be flexed in nearly any direction. It is powerful for a point defence system, and dangerous when directed in a full forward salvo.
Defences:
Quantum Distortion Field - The Quantum Distortion Field is the pride of Eon defence technology, working by isolating the ship in a separate pocket of space-time. This makes equipped ships virtually immune to any conventional weapon effects as long as their QDF is up. The field itself is not invincible, and is vulnerable to disruption by weapon impacts. Also, its energy and maintenance requirements mean that it is typically mounted only on Capital class ships and heavier. Nonetheless, the QDF is sufficiently resilient to outperform any other conventional energy barrier by several orders of magnitude. Even Excelion's Dispersion Shield can only come in a distant second.
Crystal-neutronium composite armor - This armor plating is found only on warship classes of the Eon Navy. Its neutronium reinforcement combined with superconducting crystal lining make it tougher than even Excelion's crystal-polymer nanite armor. The trade-off is that the armor is much harder to work with, and is time-consuming to repair even with Eon nanite technologies.
Propulsion:
Inertial drive array - The Inertial drive array is typically found on the heavier vessels on the Eon Navy due to the energy requirements involved. By finely manipulating gravitics and space-time, the array achieves near-inertialess acceleration in any direction. A side effect is that hostile weapons fire can be randomly deflected by distortions in space-time curvature while the drive is in operation, requiring enemy vessels to divert processing power to compensate. This array allows the Titania to achieve near frigate-class acceleration and mobility. However, the array's performance tends to suffer while in proximity to gravity wells.
Eon warp drive - The Eon warp drive represents generations upon generations of refinement to FTL technology, easily exceeding any equivalent in the current galactic era. It can push Eon ships up to 12ly/hour - faster than even current era Hypergate technology. It is also capable of jumping from nearly any position for nearly any specifiable distance with extreme precision - even from within Jovian giant gravity wells.
Other:
x10 Ythotha-class Assault Mechs - The Titania is equipped with construction and maintenance facilities to maintain and even expand this ground attack formation of mechs. The Ythotha-class is more formidable than the multipurpose Atalanta, truly specialised for frontal assault and combat roles. It is equipped with a single vehicle-grade Impulse Gun on the right shoulder, a plasma laser weapon on the left shoulder, and two triple barrelled laser vulcan cannons on each arm to complement. In addition to being plated with self-repairing crystal-polymer nanite armor, the Ythotha-class also features a small-scale Dispersion shield that can temporarily withstand even orbital strikes from starship-grade weapons. The mech flies slower and is less mobile than even Atalanta's humanoid mode due to the energy demands of its combat systems.Ship name: Saarkin
Class: Heavy Dreadnought
Length: 1500m
Description: The flagship of the Hierarchy fleets and command vessel of Grand Taskmaster Gatak Kaar, the Saarkin is a warship bristling with heavy anti-capital weapons of every kind. The hull is somewhat dagger-shaped, and designed to project a lethal hailstorm of forward firepower. When the Saarkin appears on the battlefield it brings ill-tidings for the forces opposing the Hierarchy.
Armament:
x1 Hypervelocity Rail Array (Dreadnought-class Wave Motion Gun, fixed forward, the ship is wrapped around the weapon) - Essentially a scaled up machine gun weapon, the Hypervelocity Rail Array accelerates reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds. Each slug impacts with less energy than a standard HVRC, but the array more than makes up for it with a startling rate of fire of 10 shots/second. This withering hail of fire can easily drill through the toughest shielding and armor within moments. It is matched with a disturbingly quick pre-fire charge time of 3 seconds, thankfully offset by the fact that it can only sustain fire for a maximum of 10 seconds before needing to shut down and dump heat for 5 minutes or so.
x4 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon Turret (Two on top and bottom, each turret on either side of central prow) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships. This turreted version strikes fear into the hearts of any captain not commanding an escort-class vessel.
x12 Heavy Rapid-fire Railgun (Six on top and bottom, each trio on either side of central prow) - The heavy variant of the Rapid-fire Railgun fires a stream of detonating metal shards at hypersonic velocities, lending it to a devastating point-defence role. Fighters and corvettes cannot last long under such withering fast-tracking firepower, while frigates would do well to stay away from such destruction.
x8 Multipurpose Triple Ordinance Launcher (Forward fixed, each quad on either side of central prow) - A launcher that accepts a variety of warhead types, ranging from anti-escort swarm missiles to capital-busting high yield torpedoes. The launcher can fire up to three warheads in a single salvo, capable of reloading in as little as two seconds.
Defences: The Saarkin is the mostly heavily armored and shielded super capital ship among the current galactic powers.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. Like most Hierarchy vessels the Saarkin trades mobility for increased armor protection and firepower, making it less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis. It is easily the least agile super capital ship among the current galactic powers.Hyperspace refers to the alternate dimension above realspace where the known laws of physics do not apply. This is the one and only working principle of faster-than-light travel known to humanity in the Local Cluster. Utilising this basic principle are two differing faster-than-light options: Warp drives, and Hypergates.
Warp drives:
Warp drives are compatible with any class of starship and were the primary (if slower) means of interstellar travel in the early years of the Astral Millennium. Analysis of Eon hypergate technology has allowed refinements to current generation Warp drives, which are now capable of FTL speeds of approximately 4ly/day, with jump range and prejump charge time varying with ship class.
Due to technical limitations of hyperspace entry systems, Warp drives work by shaping a sustained hyperfield around the starship in question. This allows a starship to achieve FTL speeds without needing to enter hyperspace - a task that requires considerable and apparatus impractical for most starships. The trade-off is a much lower FTL speed relative to that of a true hyperspace jump.
Warp drive use comes with certain risks: because the starship remains in normal space while travelling FTL, it is vulnerable to debris in its path too large to be deflected by the sustained hyperfield. This size threshold tends to increase with the class of starship involved. In addition, Warp drives are particularly vulnerable to the effects of external gravity wells, which may result in feedback damage and other negative effects to both the drive and the ship. For this reason it is standard (or sane) procedure to use Warp drive only from high orbit and beyond.
Hypergates:
Hypergates are orbital constructions larger than even carrier-class starships. The main structure is a disc with a 1.5km radius and 600m thickness oriented horizontally to the ecliptic plane. Jutting through the centre is a large axle-like structure 600m wide and extending 1km in both directions beyond the disc surface. Also arranged across the disc surface on both faces are smaller pylons about 250m high - these are the quantum array projectors responsible for much of the Hypergate's operations. Hypergates offer FTL speeds far superior to that of Warp drives - an approximate 2ly/hour following refinements based on Eon technology.
Hypergates operate in pairs, there being a gate at both the point of origin and destination. For a starship to use a Hypergate it must move within at least 1km of the gate and obtain jump clearance via an automated process. The Hypergate then opens a hyperspace portal for the starship - essentially a gateway to a targeted quantum tunnel through hyperspace itself. On entry into the tunnel threshold the starship is then propelled at FTL speeds to the receiving gate, where the starship exits from another portal with the same relative velocity it entered hyperspace with.
Because quantum tunnel events are charged with just enough energy for a ship to reach its destination, the receiving Hypergate is not critical for the hyperspace exit process of an incoming starship. Therefore while interstellar borders may be closed to outgoing traffic via gate shutdown or reprogramming, they cannot be closed to incoming traffic due to this principle. Still, exiting hyperspace without a receiving gate is extremely risky due to random drift from the intended destination, which increases with jump distance traversed. If a hyperspace exit occurs in close proximity to a planet, star, or some other massive object, the results are usually fatal for the jumping ship.Empire: (Terran Alliance/Krayak Hierarchy/League of Carinus)
Sub-faction: (Which faction in the Alliance/Alien in the Hierarchy or League?)
Group/Team/Gang name: (Optional, whatever floats your boat)
Backstory: (Why is this crew doing whatever they're doing? Highly recommended)
Ship details
Ship name:
Class: (Class maximum varies according to Empire choice. Fighter class is not disallowed, but not recommended - you cannot magicdodge forever!)
Length: (Some variance from average Class length permitted)
Ship Description: (A brief history and overview of the ship-type/capabilities. Pictures are neither compulsory nor disallowed.)
Armament:
Defences:
Propulsion:
Other: (Any special abilities/shuttles declared here)
Crew Details
Total Crew: (Number here)
Captain: (Name, followed by brief description. If you want to go full-swing into proper character sheets, feel free.)
Other core crew 1: (If applicable. As above - name, followed by brief description. Again, you may go full-swing into proper character sheets if you wish.)
Other core crew 2: (If applicable etc.)Notes: The following ships are NPC ships, and so they may appear somewhat underwhelming. Player ships are permitted to exceed this to a small extent as these should be regarded as rock-bottom baselines.
Ship name: Steward-class
Class: Destroyer
Length: 390m
Description: The Steward-class is a long-serving workhorse of the Frontier Union navy - only recently is it being replaced by updated classes of the next generation. This destroyer exemplifies Union doctrine, being a durable platform designed for attrition warfare.
Armament:
x2 twin-barrelled Ion Focus Turrets (mounted topside) - The ion focus is a modified ion cannon weapon, sacrificing sheer power for increased range. The result is an accurate sustained-beam energy weapon excellent for wearing down targets with ranged bombardment.
x8 Ion Pulsar Turrets (2 mounted on top, bottom, and flanks) - the ion pulsar is essentially a smaller-scale ion focus designed for use in lighter turrets for faster tracking. It differs from its larger sibling in that the sustained beam is fired in short bursts, providing all-round coverage and decent damage output. This is the Steward-class' primary weapons group, as it can bring at least 4 turrets to bear on any target attacking from most angles.
x8 Light Railgun (2 mounted on top, bottom, and flanks) - a straightforward concept requiring little explanation, the light railgun group is intended to cover the capital ship from high-mobility fighters and corvettes, while supplementing the ion pulsars in dealing with the more durable frigate class.
Defences:
The Steward-class features the venerable "Valkyrie" energy shield that is fairly resilient to most fire. In cases of heavier resistance it features a dynamic shield-shunt capability that replaces the shield bubble with a focused pair of mobile "pinpoint barriers" that can halt even super capital class weaponry. Combining the barriers even allows the Steward-class to shrug off even anti-capital heavy cannon fire - albeit at the cost of the entire shielding system.
Backing up the energy shield is a compressed ablative ceramic composite armor interweaved with high-conductivity filament. This provides superior protection on a per-tonnage basis compared with equivalent armor of the other factions.
Propulsion: Capital-class Ion-thruster array (unremarkable)Ship name: Etherion-class
Class: Strike Frigate
Length: 270m
Description: The Etherion-class originally served as a testbed for various experimental technologies on in the early decades of the ECA. In its present incarnation it serves as an improvised capital ship killer using the USC's traditional Hyperpulse Cannon.
Armament:
x1 Hyperpulse Cannon (firing mount to the front, frigate is wrapped around the weapon) - The hyperpulse cannon is basically a pulse cannon on steroids, featuring a more cohesive carrier wave capable of incredible range. It was originally intended to be used on destroyer-class vesesls, but in the darker years of the Unification War the USC was forced to slap these mighty weapons onto a frigate chassis so as to roll them out quickly for combat.
In standard operation it works like its lesser sibling, sending successive plasma pulses down the carrier beam to impact the target with explosive force. In comparison with the standard turret-mounted pulse cannon the hyperpulse has greater range and stopping power, making it ideal for wearing down greater opponents from safe distances.
In anti-capital mode the plasma pulses are focused into a single highly compressed sphere that is then launched down the carrier beam into its target, capable of seriously damaging even cruisers and super capital ships in a single shot. The drawback is that the frigate must shut down the majority of its systems for a time thereafter to vent the excess heat from firing.
x4 Light Pulse Laser (2 on each flank) - The pulse laser is a simple concept, using successive pulses of ultraviolet laser beams to cause damage to targets. The Etherion's light pulse laser array is sufficient for handling fighters and corvettes to some extent, or to provide suppressing fire in assistance to other fleet elements. Ultimately this ship is rather vulnerable in situations where it is unable to bring its main gun to bear.
Defences: The Etherion-class is equipped with USC standard shields but lighter armor for accommodations to the heat venting systems and chassis constraints. The shields appear to suffer as well whenever the mismatched hyperpulse cannon is used.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. The Etherion suffers from somewhat reduced mobility due to a mismatch between its chassis and destroyer-oriented main gun.Ship name: Type-23
Class: Cruiser
Length: 630m
Description: The Type-23 is a common sight in most Hierarchy fleets, serving as a multi-role workhorse platform. It either acts as a command vessel for a strike squadron, or in hunter-killer packs to deal with larger super capital classes.
Armament:
x1 Hypervelocity Rail Cannon (Spinal mount, bottom auxiliary hull) - The Hypervelocity Rail Cannon is a scaled up mass driver weapon, using powerful electromagnets to accelerate reinforced metal-composite slugs to near-relativistic speeds every five seconds. The resulting impact releases enough kinetic energy to tear through most capital ship shielding and armor, while posing a significant threat to even super capital warships.
x4 Twin-barrelled Kinetic Cannon Turret (Two on top, one on left/right flanks) - The Kinetic Cannon is a staple weapon of the Hierarchy, firing a tungsten slug at hypersonic velocities every second. The standard ammunition is particularly effective at penetrating armor, while specialised superconductor-tipped ammunition can be used to drain energy shielding.
x6 Rapid-fire Railgun (Two on left/right flanks, one on top/bottom) - The Rapid-fire Railgun fires a stream of metal shards at hypersonic velocities, lending it to an effective point-defence role.
x3 Multipurpose Triple Ordinance Launcher (Two forward, one rear) - A launcher that accepts a variety of warhead types, ranging from anti-escort swarm missiles to capital-busting high yield torpedoes. The launcher can fire up to three warheads in a single salvo, capable of reloading in as little as two seconds.
Defences: The Type-23 is equipped with standard shielding specifications for a cruiser-class, but is noted for its heavier armor tonnage when compared with Terran Alliance counterparts.
Propulsion: High-efficiency fusion rocket. Like most Hierarchy vessels the Type-23 trades mobility for increased armor protection and firepower, making it less manoeuvrable on a class-for-class basis.Ship name: Seraphim-class
Class: Destroyer
Length: 400m
Description: Originally developed for police duties and ceremonial functions such as gun salutes, the Seraphim-class has since been fully weaponised in response to the League's encountering the Alliance and the Hierarchy. Today it is feared as a premier gun destroyer design on the galactic scene, more than capable of bringing even super capital ships to their knees in a single shot.
Armament:
x1 Quantum Cascade Cannon (Forward mounted, the destroyer is wrapped around the weapon) - The Quantum Cascade Cannon signifies the pinnacle of League technological achievement, firing a sustained beam of high-frequency quantum energy diverted directly from the ship's own Warp drive. This beam is exceedingly lethal to solid matter, literally causing the bonds between atoms and molecules to break down on contact. In addition the beam disrupts space-time in the vicinity of the firing zone, causing massive gravimetric distortions that can cripple or destroy escort ships not directly in the line of fire. The massive energy requirements demand a significant charge time and cooldown time of 1 and 2 minutes respectively, during which time there is simply insufficient energy to power other weapons.
x8 Plasma Laser Turret (Two mounted on top/bottom/left/right sides) - The Plasma Laser is a commonly-used League weapon, combining a plasma stream with a high-energy ultraviolet laser beam. The result is a highly accurate and long ranged sustained beam weapon with devastating anti-armor capability. The Seraphim-class uses these turrets to provide ranged supporting fire primarily, though they can be relied upon to repel escort class hostiles at all ranges.
Defences: The Seraphim-class is equipped with standard shielding and armor specifications for a destroyer class.
Propulsion:
x1 Micro-Warp Reactionless Drive Array - A recent development by League scientists, the Micro-Warp Drive is a standard Warp drive scaled down for use as conventional propulsion. The result is that the Seraphim-class has agility comparable to that of a frigate, enabling it to bring its main gun to bear on just about any target too large for its turrets to repel. The drive seems to suffer in the presence of an inhibitor field, which slows the Seraphim-class so much it becomes less mobile than even a cruiser.Karma Meter: As part of transparency efforts, all players will have their positive/negative karma updated regularly on a 9-point scale: -5 to 0 to +3. Actions deemed "balanced" will incur no movements, actions with setbacks exceeding benefits will incur a positive movement, and actions with benefits exceeding setbacks will incur a negative movement. Magnitude depends on how far the imbalance swings, as well as how well/badly the imbalance can be justified by IC preparations.
If a player's Karma hits -4 a "corrective penalty" will occur to bring this back into the safe range of -3 to +3. A Karma of -5 will incur a more forceful penalty that could be crippling to the player, while actions sending Karma beyond the -5 limit will result in "corrective death."
Player Karma: Updated as of 7/12/2011
Mokino: 0, 1 of 2 faction abilities used (single encounter Eon drone deployment)
Fuel: +2
Yoshi: -1
wildcat: 0, 1 of 2 faction abilities used (single encounter additional firepower)
Master_Chief: 0
typhoonoftempest: -1