Futuristic The Cantolia Incident - Codex

[Caboosemoose]

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Codex


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"I don't dwell on the morality of my choices. Friends are not a luxury I can afford to have. This life is not for those with a conscience for I am a wolf in a den of wolves"


- Adam Dupont, Smuggler


 


THE SETTING



The Universe


The Ceres galaxy is a long long way from the Milky Way. Earth is merely a name relegated to old tales that have all but faded from history. None alive now recalls the reason for the great exodus or how the wormhole to Ceres was discovered. Some say it was war, others say the sun finally died, either way 600 generations have come and gone since the first diaspora settled on the habitable planets in Ceres. Humanity has moved on and discovered great and many things, including alien life.

 Ceres is a much larger galaxy than the Milky Way, boasting two suns and over 1000 inhabited planets - a handful of which can comfortably support human life. The settlers of these human friendly planets quickly formed a government called the 'New Earth Alliance' (NEA) and began prospering through trade. Over time, the NEA planets became an economic powerhouse attracting and peacefully assimilating other intelligent alien-lifeforms, and with the use of cunning diplomacy, alien worlds and neighboring non-human settled planets were slowly annexed into the early NEA empire. These mostly earth-like M-class planets, formed the core systems for the NEA. 



Beyond the orbit of Ceres's main star Adris and divided by a large asteroid belt lay the K and N class planets and the smaller star Eldon. Gas giants and rocky planets were plentiful but most were uninhabitable by humans. However, curiosity and the ever expanding hunger for resources drove the NEA to terraform the ore rich outer planets and moons. Invariably disputes arose with the local inhabitants of these planets but the NEA with its new Colonial Navy were quick to persuade and even suppress outright dissent. Thus began the bloodiest civil war in Ceres's history, often called the 25 year rebellion against the NEA. Despite the name, the rebellion lasted for over 25 years and waged between the NEA and the newly formed Na'daash Dominion, who formed as an alliance between the inhabitants of the outer planets. The 25 year rebellion however should not be confused as a human vs non-human war, as that is far too great a simplification. The war took on many faces during its course and were fought for and against by many races, the NEA and the Dominion both had humans and non-humans alike in their ranks who sympathized and/or agreed with the other faction values and ideals and fought to defend them as they saw fit. 



The bloodshed finally ended with the NEA halting its aggressive expansion into what is now Dominion territory and the Dominion reclaiming some lost un-terraformed planets from the NEA. The Eldon Pact, heralded the end of hostilities with the NEA and allowed the aggressors to retain a small fraction of its  terraformed territories in Dominion space. Trade and commerce was set to resume with the NEA providing the Dominion with much needed agricultural produce and processed luxuries in exchange for the much needed Ore and refined minerals that the Dominion produced in abundance. 


17 years after the Eldon Pact the Na'daash Dominion have consolidated its power in the Outer rim forming its own core sectors and bolstered its military presence to patrol its borders. Tensions between the two factions still remain high despite the peace accord; two years prior an incident involving a NEA cruiser crashing onto a Dominion orbital military outpost triggered an escalation to war which was only resolved through independent tribunals that proved the incident to be an accident. Distrust is still high among the two factions and it is no secret that both would prefer dominance over the other. An attempt to alleviate this resentment and foster a sense of good-will as envisioned by leaders of both factions resulted in the joint exploration initiative of 'The Deep'. Beyond the Dominion 'Rimwords' - the outermost barren and inhospitable planets to orbit Eldon and even beyond the great asteroid belt 'Karvora' lies 'The Deep'. A region of space that is uncharted to the inhabitants of Ceres. Large radiation belts and electromagnetic storms make telescopic and orbital observations near impossible and was ripe for exploration. So began the voyages of exploration ships to 'the Deep', the most successful of these voyages were those of the Cantolia. Crewed by a multi-faction team the Cantolia embarked on the most adventurous 2-year exploration mission of the Deep transmitting valuable scientific data and historic milestones to the NEA and Dominion. 


For a while at least there seems to be less tension in Ceres.

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The Factions


Ceres is divided between the two major factions but it also houses many smaller factions that also make the delicate heartbeat in this quadrant of space. Here you can find further information about each faction


New Earth Alliance


The NEA, sometimes referred to by scholars as the 'Colonial Empire', consists of three core systems; Pegasus, Naiobe and Dun-Karran. There are 28 inhabited planets within these three systems and over 120 inhabited moons. The NEA also posses two territories in Dominion space as per the conditions of the Aldon Pact. These territories; Acrohan and Newthia add eight other habitable planets to the NEA empire. The planets in these systems however are not self-sufficient as their core brethren and require periodic supply drop from the core in the form of medicines, food and water. In turn they provide the Core with much needed valuable ores and Tylon fuel reserves which are essential in spacecraft propulsion.
 


The NEA seat of power lies in the Pegasus homeworld of Caladon. Here, Valentine LaCroix the Steward of NEA Colonies rules over his empire much as his father once did. The LaCroix family has been in power of the New Earth Alliance for the last 70 years. The NEA enjoys near unlimited wealth thanks to its strong economy generated from the three core systems. Born from a monopoly on water reserves and an exploding technology industry the core systems have purchased as many of its neighboring planets as it has through military spending. The NEA sectors are giant commercial hubs bustling with activity and crime reports are the lowest in the quadrant. The wealthiest of citizens live sheltered, luxurious lives spanning across sandy coastlines to floating cloud cities.
 


The Colonial navy, the primary defense for the NEA, is the most advanced and largest military presence in Ceres. Its primary role during peacetime is patrolling the borders of NEA space and escorting supply ships between the core systems and the NEA territory in Dominion space.
 


The Pegasus system is predominantly settled by humans though other alien species also co-exist in the region. The worlds of Naiobe are predominantly settled by the Benhusi, a tall yet fragile appearing humanoid race processing extraordinary agility. The planets of Dun-Karrack are mostly occupied by the Auslav, a race of lizard men. Finally, the planets of Acrohan and Newthia house small human populations, just sufficient to maintain the mining and military presence for the NEA along with a substantial populations of Orachs, a half-human, half beast creature, similar to the centaurs of myth from Earth.
 


The symbol for the NEA is a double-headed grey eagle emblazoned on a hexagonal blue shield. Crowning above the two-headed eagle is the image of a silver star representing Adris with its rays spreading outward.


Na'daash Dominion
Consists of nine core sectors: Sakkara, Argor, Capthillius, Vigon VI, Menteldar, Taurac, Vallarrim II, Scanar and Marku. There are over 1800 inhabited planets among these sectors and over 7000 inhabited moons, making Dominion the largest faction in terms of both population and border size. The Dominion also claims control over the exoplanets and trans-Marku planets (collectively referred to as the Rimworlds) and have successfully seeded some of these celestial bodies in an attempt to extract ice and water for the core planets.
 


Formally independent and self-governing celestial bodies, these planets amalgamated into the nine sectors to form the Dominion, a representative republic government authority risen to halt NEA expansion and hostile incursions. Some of these systems, like Argor and Viogon VI, were ravaged by the NEA to the point of extinction, others were left scarred as a few nuclear detonations turned the once plentiful land into a wasteland. More than a decade after the Rebellion the  systems have begun to heal and show signs of recovery. Sectors such as Sakkara, Taurac, Scanar and Vallarrim II have come the furthest in rebuilding what was once lost to them and now harbor several large industrial planets. Scanac in particular boasts planets with vast Tylon reserves and massive deposits of gold, platinum and diamonds.


Though rampant poverty and crime is a problem throughout the Dominion systems, solving the food shortages has been the most critical issue for the government. Impeding recovery somewhat has been the NEAs diplomatic (and covert) efforts to undermine the government in an attempt to force the Dominion to join the Empire. Adding to this is the occasional intrusion of NEA battleships into Dominion space causing diplomatic upheavals. Despite the occasional hindrances however the Dominon have grown to maintain and secure their own presence in the quadrant. Once a powerhouse shipyard sector, Vallarrim II has recently rebuilt their mighty Harrowind shipyard above the planet Laegon. While the Dominion naval presence is still no match technology wise for the NEA, the rapidly increasing military ranks prove that the Dominion will fight back if pressed into a corner.


The Core and Rimworld sectors of the Dominion house diverse group of inhabitants, including humans, Benhusi and the Auslav. These planets however are mostly K- class, adaptable planets. Additionally, geo-thermal H-class planets, G-class dessert planets and L- class ice planets also exist throughout the systems. The Dominion capital is the planet Geddion in the Sakkara sector which houses the Dominion senate. It's leader is His Honourable Excellency, Mawald Thannik.


The symbol for the Dominion is a silhouetted planet and moon being wreathed in light from the yellow Eldon star set upon a red background. Below the planet and moon motif is a symbol of two crossed fists; one grasping a pickaxe, the other a sword.


Free Runners


The Free Runner faction is one of the many minor factions in Ceres. However, they are perhaps the most important if not notorious. Compromised of anything and everything ranging from honest merchants to bloodthirsty mercenaries these individuals hold no allegiance other than to oneself and their crew. This is not to say the Free Runners are an entirely lawless faction, they are bound by the laws and customs of the planets, moons and sectors they visit and they also have their own code - one that dictates getting a job done without rustling too many feathers. That said, Free runners (owing to their diversity in background) can be a complected machine to dissect. Pirate Free Runners can exhibit an "honour among thieves" attitude while bounty hunting Free Runners can cash in on friends and foe alike.. if the fee is right.


Often loathed by both major factions but secretly hired to spy, sabotage or interdict the other, the Free Runners have carved out a niche for themselves. "Someone somewhere always has a need for wetwork" is a famous Free Runner saying. Not all Free Running activities are illicit however they in fact are a key cog in keeping trade alive in Ceres. Due to the inherent distrust between the NEA and the Dominion, faction trade ships are often heavily monitored and frequently detained in border sectors. The Free Runner traders therefore offer a faster alternative to faction traders as they are capable of diverting from established shipping lanes without sever repercussions.


In recent years  though, as a response to increase in piracy, smuggling and slavery, both NEA and the Dominion have begun cracking down on the Free Runners. However, their status as a "government-neutral" faction and the benefit this status brings in terms of trade and commerce in foreign sectors make the Free Runners a truly important faction in Ceres. It is important to note that there is no established union or organisation that governs the Free Runners. As their name implies they do not answer to any form of institution or form of government. The rules with Free Runners are simple, they do a job and they get paid.

 

[Caboosemoose]

Known Planets



Caladon
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Capital planet and seat of NEA power. Located in the Pegasus sector, this planet is an M-class earth like planet with over 65% of its surface consisting of water and ice (located at the polar caps). Surface gravity is a comfortable 9.78 with an average surface temp of 295K. The planet experiences seasons much like Earth with longer summer months punctuated with autumn, short winters (except at the poles) and spring. The planet has a single celestial moon, Neb, that is tidally locked with its parent, both of which takes 28 hours to revolve around their respective axes.


Primary industries in Caladon are finance, trade, information and manufacturing. The manufacturing industry ranges from weapons, electronics, digital hardware, luxury smithing and spacecraft components. Secondary, tertiary and other minor industries involve lumber, fishing, tourism and utility services. The largest representative demographic of Caladon are humans (76%) with the remainder consisting of alien life forms (native and non-native). There is no official religion on Caladon though many monotheistic and polytheistic religions have long since taken route and are well established. Crime rate is low throughout Caladon by virtue of advance surveillance and complex crime reporting infrastructures - this coupled with harsh punishments (often forced beatings and lengthy prison sentences) for petty crimes, including brutal suppression of riots and Imperial propaganda have contributed to complete civilian lawfulness and overall low criminal activity on-world.


The capital city of Nouvea, the largest and most populous on Caladon, is home to 56 million inhabitants and the seat of the Imperial Court. Here the Imperial Steward, Valentine LaCroix administers the Colonial empire and the military branches of the NEA. Owing to the high-security nature of the planet all non-residents transiting or visiting Caladon are required by law to have valid identification documentation approved 6 months prior to making landfall or orbit, failure to do so will result in the most severe of penalties. 






Geddion

[SIZE=10pt]Homeworld for the Na'daash Dominion, Geddion, is located in the Sakkara sector. Like many of the K-class planets in the region, Geddion was found to be partially hospitable for human life. With average surface temps of 315K and seasonal solar radiation spikes occurring during the summer months, human life could only thrive via the use of clever engineering, minor terraforming and use of environmental/habitation modules in key high temperature and radiation zones. Human settlements on Geddion have evolved from their initial subterranean dwellings (though some remain active to-date), to modern climate control domes that can span entire cities to ultra-modern "floating cities" - towering, interconnected spires that rise towards the cooler, water rich clouds circulating in the upper atmosphere. Geddion also has three moons in synchronous orbit around the planet, named Caeri - a [/SIZE][SIZE=13.3333px]geothermal[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] active moon, Coludo and Venutia - moons rich in ferrous minerals.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE=10pt]The surface of Geddion is 13% liquid water though its atmosphere contains up to 85% water in the form of clouds. However, water extraction from the atmosphere is complicated somewhat by the presence of sulfur found in these very clouds - thus requiring filtration before human consumption is possible. Soil composition is generally unfavorable for most human foods (with the exception of tuberous foods such as potatoes, which has some moderate success during harvest season), while alien crops seem to grow with relative ease and is already a staple in most human diets (eg: Riviichii, a Bentuusi variation of Earth maize).[/SIZE]


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[SIZE=10pt]Geddion is home to numerous alien races, some sentient some not. Based on the most recent census data, humans make 47% of the planet but are the elected dominant faction in government and often represent or speak on behalf of their alien brethren. The Dominion senate, located in the capital city of Eliya, includes members of these various alien races. The current human leader of the Dominion, Mawald Thannik, resides in the floating city of Eliya along with 19.4 million other inhabitants of the city. [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]Primary industries in Geddion include mining and energy. Energy, harvested from geothermal activity on the planet and its moon Caeri are often in surplus and is exported to neighboring planets. Geddion and its smaller moons (Coludo and Venutia) are abundant in various minerals ranging from iron, platinum and gold with notable reserves of tylon found at the polar caps of the planet.[/SIZE]


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[SIZE=10pt]Crime rates are low in the capital, however distant planetary settlements and lunar settlements often report significantly higher rates of crime. Compared to the NEA and its homeworld, the Dominion and Geddion display greater income disparity among its population. Slums are common in the planet and even suburbs of poverty exist in the capital, however recent political stability and improved trade with the NEA has resulted in increased employment and better economic prospects for more citizens.[/SIZE]





[SIZE=10pt]Geddion is a high-security planet and arriving/departing traffic is closely monitored by the Dominion Navy. Unlicensed vessels, crew and cargo are strictly prohibited from making landfall and carry the maximum penalty and fines if ignored.[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt][/SIZE]

 

 

[Caboosemoose]

Weapons & Gear


The weapons and gear you can wield are dictated by your faction and your chosen role. So this is something to consider before completing the character sheets.


The NEA are widely regarded as the most advanced faction with their weapons and armor, often centered on energy based ordinances as opposed to kinetic weaponry (though the latter does exist in the core systems). For the most part these energy weapons, while having more power and greater range tend to be less accurate and are prone to malfunction if the firing mechanism is overheated. Improvements to the design however has lowered the failure risk from overheating by 45% but this has come at a cost of lowering the rate of fire.


The Dominion continues to manufacture the traditional kinetic based projectiles for their weapons. These bullets while not having the range or power as the NEA ordinances, are extremely reliable, accurate and does not compromise the weapons' rate of fire. Advances in the industry has introduced new types of bullets as well to deal with a wider array of hostiles, such as the incendiary rounds and EMP slugs. However these ordinances can only housed in special cartridges that have diminished magazine capacities.


Mercenaries in general are at home using small caliber weapons given that many spend most of their lives travelling in confined spaces. That said, considering most mercenaries at some point in time have served in the armed forces of either faction, their ability to wield any type of weapon shouldn't come as a surprise. However the years spent without practice might cause some issues with weapon proficiency.




Below are some example weapons used by each faction as categorized by the Acquisition and Distribution department of Joint Interstellar Firearms Bureau:


---WEAPONS CACHE---


Known NEA Weapons:
 


GTX-12 "Longbow" sniper rifle:[SIZE=13.3333px] Comes with a variable magnification scope with night and thermal vision. The weapon fires the slower but more powerful superheated plasma bolt as standard with the ability to swap magazines for kinetic ordnance if stealth and speed is a requirement. The weapon has built in recoil dampeners and bipod attachment for improved stability.[/SIZE]


G-3C7 "Taurus" magnum pistol: fires large caliber hollowpoint/armour-piercing bullets. The weapon sacrifices magazine capacity (holding 7 bullets at a time) for stopping power.


Ji'an Industries MTC-212 "Volcano" Shotgun: Fires single powerful plasma slug for close range combat.


X-15 "Vanquish" Assault rifle: Comes with a targeting scope and optional laser designation attachment. Two fire modes; Burst fire and Overcharge. The latter fires a single powerful burst depleting the energy cell [CAUTION: Increases the risk of weapon failure], Burst fire allows the gun to fire three plasma rounds between shots.


Si'aan plasma blaster: Smaller caliber to the Taurus pistol capable of energy ordnance only. Has a significant longer cooldown between shots but has a significantly larger firing capacity for a handgun (20 rounds)


Concussive grenades (temporarily blinds and deafens)


Reactive body armor (Armor that regenerates from minor damage)


Known Dominion Weapons:


SR-M4 Battle Rifle: Comes with a variable magnification scope, night/thermal vision modes, hollow-point/armor-penetrating (6.5 x 55 mm/7.92 x 57mm)ammunition. Grenade launching attachment is optional.


MA-41B "Screaming Thunder" Machine gun: This weapon fires the standard 7.62x51mm round at a sustained rate of about 12 RPM. The weapon can be set to fire at a cyclic fire rate of 1400 RPM but this will empty the cartridge almost instantly. The MA-41B can also fire incendiary, armor-piercing and EMP rounds but at a much slower rate.


GTC-4 .25 automatic Pistol: Fires the 6.35x16mm round. Standard attachment includes laser sight but the optional silencer attachment is also available.


Dairion "K552" Stealth Gantlet: Built by Dairion Industries the "K552" consists of a single, 11" collapsible blade, concealed in a leather gauntlet. The blade can slide and extend, and collapse and retract in under four seconds and is operated via the fluid-load mechanism on the wrist


BTS-C12 "Ragnarok" SMG with optical sight: Gas operated rotary breech, fires the 4.73x33mm rounds. Capable of firing armor piercing rounds. Silencer is an optional attachment.


Vernon Corp 55-S "Harbinger" Shotgun: Fires the 155mm "beehive round" for close in combat. Capable of also firing EMP slugs, incendiary ammunition.


Reaper grenades (Shrapnel damage)


Anti-ballistic armor with polypyrex pads to suppress plasma burns
 


Known Free-runner Weapons:


SAL "Centurion" revolver: Medium range, fires a.44 magnum round. Can be equipped with energy cell to fire plasma bolts.


ACSA "Viper" pistol: Gas operated, high fire rate. Can fire hollow-point or armor-piercing rounds. Contains built in recoil suppressor for stability and duel-wield capability. Weapon also has an optional 'active' piston attachment for silent operation.


TTR-6X Cobalt Shotgun: Twin mode (Pump action & semi-automatic), 12 gauge shotgun.


CLS-N29 SMG: Semiautomatic, blowback operated firearm with twin fire modes; single shot and burst fire. Fires the standard 9x19mm round.


Teargas grenades [SIZE=13.3333px](non-lethal suppression)[/SIZE]


Smoke grenades (Obscures vision)


Anti-material vest with redistribution meshing


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The above is just a template of the weapons in the quadrant and NOT limited to what you MUST use, though if you can't be arsed then by all means use one of the above guns. Should you want to make your own weapons and armour then go for it BUT don't go overboard; I can't have super weapons in the game . Use the above template as a guide to making your weapon and make sure its faction appropriate. If you have any doubts post in the OOC and I'll check the stats.


Long story short; I don't want death rays and nuclear launchers that fire anti-gravity radiation. Keep it simple, follow the feel of your faction and if in doubt ask.