For The Tyrants Fear Your Might (A quest of interstellar rebellion)

AKuz · Dec 10, 2020

THE ALL-RADIANT CONGRESS

Setting Information: The Solarian Compact:

Initially formed as the Solarian Treaty Organization from the ashes of the old United Nations Security Council, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and the Global Climate Relief Organization in the worst decade of Earth's environmental collapse. The STO was originally a body tasked with overseeing the granting of offworld mining permits and the purchase and distribution of the resources to countries struggling from climate change.

The advent of the Korolev-Chandrashker gates and the construction of the first one under STO oversight in 2063 led to the beginning of the transformation of that body into the de facto single governing body of the Human species.

Reorganized into the 'Solarian Compact', the first Charters were granted to massive corporate conglomerates to explore and exploit the cosmos for Humanity with little to no regulation or restriction.

In the early decades, the Solarian Compact oversaw the construction of KC gates in the systems closest to Sol and began the process of granting colonization rights to the most habitable worlds within that region with colonization rights granted to a number of national and international blocks.

With the growth of the Solarian Compact's power came calls for the body to become more representative and democratic, and in 2099, the Solarian Compact held its first elections and constitutional convention, inviting representatives from the Sol system and the five systems that held permanent Human settlement.

Over the course of the 22nd and 23rd centuries the Solarian Compact has held fast to what it sees as its duty to act as the mediator and financier of the Charters, the unifying agent of the disparate first Human colonies, and the guarantor of interstellar peace for Humanity.

As of 2252, the three most important bodies within the Solarian Compact are the Solarian Parliament -Located on Earth, the Solarian Compact Navy -based in the Korolev-Chandrashker system, and the Solarian Central Bank, -based out of the Columbia System.

Organized as a liberal democracy, with universal suffrage, the Solarian Compact is theoretically overseen by three equal institutions: the Solarian Parliament, the office of the Solarian Secretary General, and the Solarian High Court.

Though the Solarian Compact prides itself on being a Constitutional government, the actual original document merely outlines the terms of admitting new MPs and High Court Judges, and the electoral procedures of the Compact Parliament, with subsequent Parliaments meeting to add items like the Declaration of Property Rights, the founding of the Central Bank, the creation of the Solarian Navy, and the Laws on Freedom of Navigation and Travel being added later.

The Solarian Parliament is made up of two thousand six hundred and twenty seats representing ridings on Earth, Columbia, Atlantis, Penglai, Olduvai, and Epsilon which are elected every three years to a Parliament that meets in the New York prefecture of Earth.

Though the many frontier colonies do not have direct representation in the Parliament due to being owned and operated by private entities, their inhabitants are considered 'Absent for Employment' and may register with a home riding and submit a physical ballot (for security reasons) by courier from when polls open until they close. Though this process was suitable for the closely settled regions of space at the time of the ratification of the Compact Constitution in 2100, the rapid growth of Human settled space in the century and a half since has seen the de facto voter suppression of over 90% of Human settled space.

At the first sitting of each new Compact Parliament, the assembled members will elect a Secretary General and a slate of Ministry officials on a majority basis, and those individuals will oversee the executive branch of government and day to day operations. Though the average Compact Parliament contains between seven to nine parties in each Parliamentary sitting, the vast majority of seats belong to one of either the Party for Human Rights and Liberties or the Justice and Development Alliance and have since the very early 2100s. The governments formed this way can be brought down by losing the confidence of the Parliament for example, by failing to pass a budget, the process of finding a majority government will repeat again.

Though a democratic body that has maintained stability for over a century and a half, the Solarian Compact Parliament has been dogged by accusations of dynastic politics, Charter influence, voter suppression, regulatory capture, inability to reign in the Banks and MIlitary, and corruption at all levels.

Separate from the Parliament is the Solarian High Court that consists of eleven judges that serve terms of up to thirty-three years, with each new sitting of the Compact Parliament selecting one judge from a list provided by the governments of the six main worlds of the Solarian Compact. The High Court rules on matters of adherence of laws to the Solarian Constitution, and have been accused of serving as an arm of the Charters, though this has been strenuously contested by the Solarian legal profession as a whole.

By law the Solarian Compact also oversees a number of other important institutions including the Earth Reconstruction Commission (In a permanent public-private partnership with the Earth Reconstruction Association), the Solarian Central Bank, and the Solarian Compact Navy, though these important institutions often exhibit an alarming degree of autonomy from Parliamentary control.

The Charters:

The result of a cleverly conceived merger between specialty transport vessel manufacturer Titan Staryards and Private Military contractor Martian Military Solutions, Ares cut its teeth not just supplying material to the skirmishes between Mississippi Shipping and United Starhaul, but in supplying military contractors to both sides.

The professionalism of Ares mercenaries and quality of Ares gear led to the rapid expansion of business opportunities for the company and investment skyrocketed even after the Mississippi-Starhaul war ended in a hostile takeover of Starhaul by Mississippi.

Thanks in part to Mississippi debts held by Ares, when the RT-2102 Gate was opened up for settlement strategic maneuvering saw the Compact grant Ares mining and settlement rights to the newly opened system.

The rest, as they say, is history. Leveraging the immense resources of the Alexander system with their existing military expertise, Ares expanded nearly exponentially over the following century. While they maintain a dominating edge in the military field, they now integrated companies in fields from agronomy to personal fitness centers to xenobiology.

Internally Ares very self consciously styles itself as a hierarchical military organization complete with a semi-formal rank structure and an ethos of respect for the chain of command, professional courtesy, and treating your subordinates with respect. In practice Ares is hidebound, authoritarian, filled with passive aggressive sniping and rampant empire building.

While Ares remains headquartered on Mars, they have holdings in several systems and own the distant system of Alexander outright.

Rhodes Mining

One of the three original Charters that the Compact granted, Rhodes considers itself the singular reason that Humanity survived ecological collapse and spread past Sol. Immensely wealthy, over 52% of all material mined and processed by the entire Human race has passed through Rhodes hands at one point or another.

While founded merely to provide Earth the vital materials that it needed to rebuild itself after the lost decades of ecological collapse, Rhodes quickly expanded into all areas of the economy to support their mining, refining, and processing operations.

Dedicated to their vision of logistical chain efficiencies they've developed an entire chain of star systems into an efficient production center based around the resource rich system of Foundry, and the nearby feeder systems of Ecrams, Qem, and Crucible.

Rhodes considers itself home to a version of meritocracy built on hard work, education, and good old fashioned personal drive. This has developed over time into a stratified internal divide between the rank and file workers, the lower level management, and the highly lauded senior management. Each class lives in entirely separate worlds, attending separate schools, consuming different products, and leading very different lives in what many observers have labelled a de facto caste system.

they make food and medicine, the 120 year old CEO is kinda creepy tho?

Techbros, some of them science, some of them explore

Born from the union of Hermes Interstellar Services and The Ishtar Group, the Hermes-Ishtar Corporation owns and operates not only the communications backbone of Compact space, but much of the content that crosses over it.

The results of increasing consolidation of pre-spaceflight communications infrastructure and content creation and management firms, Hermes Communications and Ishtar Entertainment Group were both part of the second round of Charters established after the advent of the KC gates.

While Hermes quickly established operations throughout Compact space, their waystations, couriers, and communications repeaters a common sight in every corner of Human occupied space; Ishtar Group mainly limited their own operations to Sol and the Radiant system, where Ishtar owned and operated the world of Elysium to support their many projects.

Following a wave of Compact space wide reorganizations following the Mississippi-Starhaul conflicts of the 2130s, a desire for complete vertical integration on Ishtar's part led to a mostly amicable union with Hermes in 2139.

Since then Hermes-Ishtar have dominated all communications across Human space with only the privileged internal high-level communications of the other Charters managing to avoid consolidation under Hermes-Ishtar.

While Hermes-Ishtar make a great show of respecting individual creativity, initiative, and drive from their employees; in practice this amounts to rampant internal fighting involving the parasocial personality cults of different "genius" inventors, artists, and executive that rise and fall inside of Hermes-Ishtar at a dizzying rate.

Sketchy buggers, they can get you anything tho

Historical Topics:

Between 2036 and 2071 the Democratic Federation was the governing body of much of Earth's Western Hemisphere.

Initially comprised of a Federation of Socialist, Anarchist, Communist, and other far left social movements, militias, and political factions controlling regions of Earth's North American continent during and after the decline and collapse of the United States of America (1776-2034) due to the effects of unaddressed climate change amplifying existing political and economic crisis.

Eventually solidifying into the governing body of the former United States of America, United States of Mexico and the Dominion of Canada, the Democratic Federation embarked on an ambitious program of cultural revolution and economic reform designed to mitigate and reverse the effects of the climate change crisis.

As the patron of much of the central and southern western hemisphere, the Democratic Federation attempted to chart a course of environmental restoration separate from that of the Solarian Treaty Organization (In 2063 reorganized into the Solarian Charter), choosing not to contest Eurasian and African domination of outer space.

Having never existed out of crisis conditions, a combination of pre-existing economic damage, sabotage, and instability drove the Democratic Federation into decline in the Grey Decade of 2062 to 2070 and eventually forced the Democratic Federation to ratify a series of treaties giving the Charters economic access to Federation member states in order to conduct vital reconstruction work.

A last ditch uprising by radical elements in 2072 to eject the Charters from the Democratic Federation failed when Solarian Compact peacekeepers were called in and in seven months of street fighting pacified most of North America's key urban centers via strategic use of orbital weapons on the areas of greatest urban resistance.

Though guerilla warfare would continue in the Western Hemisphere for another three decades, the Democratic Federation was officially defunct by December 2072 and parcelled out into a number of Charter owned reconstruction areas under Compact authority.

Today radicals still pine for the four decades that the Democratic Federation attempted to build an alternative to the emerging Charters, and the polity's distinctive black, red, and green flag is brought out for each and every Great Black Summer. Well into the twenty second century, riots were often accompanied by demands to 'Avenge the Martyrs of 72!'.

Despite this underground extremist nostalgia, Charter and Compact schools teach that the Democratic Federation was a collectivist state whose iconoclastic behavior saw the destruction of famous landmarks like Mount Rushmore, Stone Mountain, and other monuments to Liberal Democracy and the Free Market in a mad attempt to remake the human race, but whose doctrinaire adoption of command economics saw them unable to deal with the ever-changing complexities of climate change.

Misc Details:

The first five systems to hold permanent Human colonies are known as either "The First Sisters" or "Earth's Daughters", depending on who you are asking and their political persuasion. From oldest to youngest, these worlds are:

Columbia: settled by billionaire American expats and tens of millions of refugees who had fled the unfolding revolutionary violence of the North American continent several years beforehand. Columbia was founded under a vision of fidelity to the American dream and to prove the indomitability of the soul of the United States of America and liberalism in the face of the red flags of the (North American) Democratic Federation. Fiercely loyal to the Compact and the dream of Charter prosperity, and home of the Solarian Central Bank, Columbia is often known as the "Gilded World" in reference to what many see as a return to American Gilded Age wealth and social inequality. Ares Conflict Solutions' central command is located here.

Atlantis: With colonization rights to this majority oceanic planet initially granted to the waning power of the European Union, the nations of the EU opened up colonization opportunities to other allied powers, especially Russia and Egypt. Atlantis was often seen by the EU as a place to dump unwanted refugees from outside of Europe's borders, and Russia and Egypt's tendency to see the world as a genuine project led to the usurpation of colonization rights away from Europe in the mid 2080s. Known today as the most restive of the first wave of colonies, Atlantis is the most skeptical of Charter power and plays a delicate game of wealth redistribution to underwrite the greatest social security net in Human Space. Cernunnos is de jure headquartered here.

Penglai: Originally the world in the most need of terraforming of the original colonies, Colonization rights were granted to the People's Republic of China and their allies after a lackluster bidding campaign. As China's focus was mainly on attempting to stem the damage of climate change on Earth herself, colonization of Penglai initially lagged until the Chinese Politburo struck upon the strategy of subcontracting colonization rights to Pacific adjacent nations suffering from the rise of that ocean. As colonization unfolded in the early 22nd century Penglai became known as a multicultural mosaic as hundreds of millions from across the Pacific settled and intermingled on the wine darkened shores of that world. Known today for its vibrant cultural milieu, violent clashes between labour unions, and private police, Penglai hosts the headquarters of the Hermes-Ishtar, Omoikane and Rhodes corporations.

Olduvai: With Colonization rights granted to a coalition of African nations at the height of the 'African Century', the African Colonization Organization did not see their colony as a refugee destination, dumping ground, or resource colony like their fellows. Instead the ACO saw the colonization scheme as an opportunity to preserve and export the rich traditions and cultures of Africa on their own terms, fully intending to set up healthy and self-sufficient colonies. To the current day, Olduvai has the closest relations with the home nations and is the heartland of Daughter sentiment and a bedrock for the Party for Human Rights and Liberties.

Epsilon System: While not technically a single world, the cluster of heavily inhabited space colonies in the Epsilon system are always considered the 'Fifth Sister' or 'Fifth Daughter'. As the most mineral rich system of the original colonies, Epsilon was the source of many of the materials that helped pull Earth through her darkest hour, and the system was recognized for their efforts by being invited to send delegates to the 2099 Solarian Compact Constitutional Convention. Epsilon is famous for its people's long roots in spacing and for being the headquarters of Mississippi Shipping Interstellar and thus the most heavily trafficked system in history.
Technologies: Nanomanufacturing, summary:

The contemporary gold standard for manufacturing. These devices use mechanosynthesis, a process that guides chemical reactions by placing reactive molecules with atomic precision. Ribosomes in the body's cells use a form of this method.

While the largest units can create objects up to 2m x 2m x 2m, smaller units (halving the units each time) are viable on basically any human scale. Projects larger than this size (such as ships or buildings, need to be either grown layer-by-layer via nanofabricators attached to robotic arms, or assembled from smaller parts through traditional assembly line, dry dock, or construction processes.

In principle basically anything can be made with these devices, and some materials can only be manufactured via these methods in microgravity. All manufacturing patterns in Compact Space feature Charter DRM using embedded explosive molecules like octaazacubane or cubic gauche nitrogen that will damage a disassembler or x-ray machine making reverse engineering of their products difficult.

A common part of 23rd century life is the near ubiquity of Artificial Intelligences in daily life, from consumer grade VIs through specialist TLIs, controversial AGIs, finally the perpetually 10 years away Artificial Super Intelligences.

The common consumer will daily run into what are properly known as Narrow AIs, and generally labelled as VI -Virtual Intelligences- by people outside the field. This category covers a broad swathe of techniques, from search and pathfinding to expert systems to genetic fuzzy trees to deep neural networks, which are mixed and matched with each other to optimize for the designed task. VIs are ubiquitous, exceeding human peak skill in their areas of specialization (though real world applications often don't do all that much better than trained humans), and have spent the past two centuries getting augmented with more and more clever algorithmic tricks for improving VIs. In order to do this, the Charters employ large teams of analysts and software engineers to develop clever algorithmic tricks that supplement or outright supplant neural networks, exploiting machine precision where stochastic methods are inadequate.

The use of VIs in everyday life is well accepted by the vast majority of the population, with professionals mixing and matching various consumer VIs to analyse data or assist them with creative or scientific works. Some VI lines are well loved by both the populace and the Charters themselves, with Charter programmers often deliberately leaving VIs with behavioral quirks and unpredictable glitches that not only save money on quality assurance, but are considered endearing traits that lead to anthropomorphization by the consumer market

Despite the mass comfortability and profitability of VIs of all kinds, the introduction of AGIs has been, to put it delicately, controversial. Though computer science has advanced to the point of producing programs that can not only pass the Turing test, but demonstrate sapience and match 23rd century human intelligence, flexibility, and creativity, the public reaction to the introduction of AGI saw the companies of the time rapidly pull them from the market, and even say the Compact itself move to heavily regulate the AI sector.

First introduced in the 2060s, the great tech firms began replacing their work staff with AGIs who did not require food, rest, housing, or pay. This shift led to an alliance between white collar workers fearing that automation would put them out of work and radicals who opposed what they insisted was AGI Slavery, a growing movement that would climax in the First Great Black Summer of 2084. When the ashes of the First Black Summer settled, the Compact's Parliament moved to grant rights to AGIs, and the resulting economic damage saw dozens of formerly great names in computing consolidate under the aegis of several of the first Charters who flaunted their extra-Solarian wealth by buying up prestigious brand names and research divisions on the cheap.

Since the 2080s, while the regulation surrounding AGI production and use have been severely weakened none of the Charters have sought to reintroduce them into the market, perhaps fearing another backlash like the First Black Summer and the few hundred thousand surviving AGIs that were granted Solarian Citizenship rights have found spread throughout the Compact and Charter Space where they usually work at the same white collar jobs whose workers they were designed to replace.

Perhaps due to the risks of attempting to reintroduce AGIs to the market, Omoikane has instead introduced their flagship product the "TLI" or Temporary Limited Intelligence. Approximately as effective as an AGI, a TLI is billed as a more moral replacement for AGI that uses a suite of high end VIs and a proprietary batch of creativity algorithms in order to complete complex tasks.

TLIs are used as a fire and forget program designed to be licensed to solve a single issue, no matter how complicated and then delete itself. Though the TLIs are a black box product, scientists from the other Charters believe that the central creativity algorithm in the TLI is inherently unstable and rapidly degrades in ability with time, making the TLI an instance of Omoikane attempting to market a critical technical flaw as a selling point that is accepted due to the ubiquitous market practice of planned obsolescence and artificial scarcity.

Though expensive, most businesses and successful professionals will keep a few licensed Omoikane TLIs on hand to throw at difficult problems or to supplement manpower in crunch situations.

While AGIs have been possible for nearly two centuries, the promise of a Seed AI, a recursively self-improving general superintelligence, is perpetually 'a decade away from the market', and no successful ASI ever been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Charters or the Compact.

This is not to say that the Gödel machine architecture or the AIXI model has somehow been forgotten in the past 230 years, but that the Friendly AI problem has yet to be cracked. Every demonstration has either stalled out or gone immediately rampant, attempting to overthrow Charter Space before being stopped by the safety net of Narrow AIs. The small trickle of roughly human intelligence level AGIs that are created every decade typically come from these projects.

Urban legends persist that a few Seed AIs managed to escape and hide out beyond known space, plotting to return and crush humanity, or that they control all of society in secret, puppeting the Compact and Charters from their very foundation and occasionally engineering publicly failed ASI attempts to allay suspicion. These rumours are, of course, patently false, and simply the fevered imagination of crackpots at work, no doubt inspired by entertainment made by Hermes-Ishtar that feature AI supervillainy.
Systems: Map made by @Redshirt Army

The Spinward Frontier:

The Middle Spinward Frontier

The Core Region:

UNDER RADIANT CONTROL OR ALLIED:

The Radiant system is host to a G-class star, only slightly smaller than Sol. The system itself is rather small and resource-poor; experts believe that one or more Jovian planets ejected much of the system's bodies and then followed themselves. This is evidenced by the system's asteroid belt degrading over time, with high levels of eccentric orbits and impacts on planetary surface.

Radiant 1: A rather unremarkable airless iron planet, gravity 0.4 Earth Standard.

Radiant 2: A slightly larger unremarkable airless iron-silicate planet, gravity 0.6 Earth Standard.

Radiant 3: A binary planetary system and the outermost of the Radiant systems' planets.

Asphodel (Radiant 3a): The larger of the Elysium 3 pair, Asphodel might have once hosted life of its own. That life has been snuffed out for hundreds of millions of years, though, as the planet's significant atmosphere began the runaway cycle of your usual hothouse planet. Hermes-Ishtar maintained a significant aerostat and automated surface miner operation for in-house manufacturing, given that the frequent asteroid impacts from the asteroid belt keep digging up chunks of the upper crust and having low-melting-point metals rain out of the sky and solidify, unoxidized, on the surface for collection. Gravity 1.4 Earth Standard.

Elysium (Radiant 3b): Elysium was settled in the late 2190's, being a relatively simple affair. Simple life had already begun to evolve under its oceans, but continued orbital bombardment far past the lengths of things like Earth's Late Heavy Period had kept it there. It was a simple matter of forming up a small anti-asteroid task force armed with tugs and mining lasers to artificially end the pummeling, and the surface proved amenable to Terran life transplants. The colony is energy-self-sufficient, using a variety of solar, tidal, and nuclear power. Gravity 0.9 Earth Standard.

Radiant I: The outermost significant feature of Radiant, this asteroid belt is more a loose mixture of a primordial asteroid belt much like Sol's with a Kuiper belt. The shepherding gas giants which once nudged all these rocks into their orbits are gone, and with it the entire outer system is a maelstrom of chaotic orbits as the belts lose their coherence. This requires constant vigilance from Elysium's anti-asteroid team, but the high eccentricity of many asteroids also makes it cheap and easy to mine the ones that might come Elysium's way, which provides a trickle of basic resources for upkeep and personal goods. All large-scale building and infrastructure projects have been supplied from out-system, however.

A G-K far binary system, Gaid is simply a transit point to Radiant. Gaid's own gate maintenance techs and SAR rotated in and out through Radiant itself. There is no infrastructure other than a set of buoy lines for communications in Gaid A, and nothing in Gaid B.

Gaid A1: An airless world. Quality 10.

Gaid A2: A planet much like mars with a vestigial CO2 atmosphere. Quality 7.

Gaid A3: This planet boasts a methane hydrosphere. Quality 4.

Gaid AI: An asteroid belt.

Gaid A4: A turbulent Jovian planet, its storms would make resource extraction difficult. Quality 5.

Gaid A4a: An icy moon, with tidal heating creating a large ocean under a thin icy shell. Quality 9.

Gaid B1: A molten Cthonian world hosting a simply ludicrous amount of iron. Quality 15.

Gaid B2: An airless world. Quality 10.

Gaid B3: An airless binary system with two near-identically sized planets. Quality 7 and 8.

Gaid B4: This airless planet boasts a large and beautiful ring system, famous as a screen background option across human space. Every few years, a cruise or scientific expedition will stop by for more images.

Gaid B5: A small icy planet. Quality 3.

Gaid B6: A frozen world. Quality 7.

Gaid B7: An interesting gas dwarf sometimes referred to as an 'ice dwarf.' Quality 14.

A close K-M binary, Shei is home to an old Ares penal colony.

Shei 1: A Cthonian world. Quality 15.

Shei 2: An airless world. Quality 12.

Sheol (Shei 3): A boreal world, with a large, decaying ring, the planet features two large continents. The population of the consists of a large prisoner population on the larger of the two continents and a small Ares training base on the smaller. Records show that the prison consists of several million persons convicted to "high risk labour" and dropped on the continent with automatic resupply via Ares contractors and watched from orbit by weapons satellites. Most of the planet's land area is covered in a native tree analogue with a strange multi-stranded trunk.

Sheol is actually home to a population of over 100 million made up of prisoners and their descendants taht Ares was usuing as a live fire training course. Cooperation between Radiant agents, Ares mutineers, and the Sheolites themselves have seen the planet freed.

Gravity .95 Earth Standard. Quality 12.

Watchman (Shei 3a): Once the outer of two moons, this body now boasts Ares' local light shipyards and system command center. Quality 13.

Shei 4: Spiraling in from the outer system, this planet will eventually evaporate near-entirely as it closes towards the dual suns of Shei. Quality 3.

Shei 5: Martian planet with an active methane cycle. Quality 5.

Shei I: Asteroid belt.

Shei 6: Jovian planet with high rotation rate. Slightly squashed as a result. Quality 8.

Shei 6a: An icy capture, this moon will be torn into a ring sometime in the next hundred thousand years. Quality 2.

Shei 6b: Cold Martian planet, covered in a thin layer of water and carbon dioxide ices. Active methane cycle. Quality 8.

Shei II: Asteroid belt.

Shei 7: Jovian planet. Quality 13.

Shei 7a: An icy moon with significant cryovolcanism. Quality 6.

Shei 7b: A tiny icy moon, this is on the edge of hydrostatic equilibrium. Quality 2.

Shei 8: Ice giant. Quality 6.

Shei 8a: An icy moon. Quality 9.

Shei 8b: An icy moon, orbiting in an unusual polar orbit. Quality 9.

Population: 103,000,000

While lacking any currently-habitable planets, Five Lions' large size and potential have made it a significant point of Rhodes' recent extraction efforts. Ambitious terraforming efforts have recently begun.

Carajas (Five Lions 1): A Cthonian ball of iron, it's actively mined by robotic Rhodes-built landers. Gravity 2.3 Earth Standard. Quality 12.

Five Lions 2: A small rocky ball. Quality 3.

Five Lions 3: A rocky ball. Quality 7.

Grasberg (Five Lions 4): A large rocky world, glaciation has rendered it uninhabitable for now, but terraforming efforts have begun to artificially ramp up the greenhouse effect and restore liquid water to the surface, along with mining its ice. Gravity 1.11 Earth Standard. Quality 14.

Five Lions 5: This planet's atmosphere is so significant it verges on a gas dwarf. While a solid surface covered in a thin layer of ice is at the bottom, no reasonable colonization is possible. Quality 7.

Five Lions I: This asteroid belt, along with all the others, is being mined heavily.

Five Lions 6: This Jovian planet forms the center of current Rhodes extraction efforts. Quality 4.

Five Lions 6a: This Martian planet boasts significant ice caps and active plate tectonics, though only a vestigial atmosphere. Debate on whether to put resources into terraforming it are ongoing. Gravity .81 Earth Standard. Quality 17.

Oyu Tolgoi (Five Lions 6b): Home to the local population in covered shelters, this Martian planet, while nearly completely lacking water or plate tectonics, has its own atmosphere. Comet bombardment away from populated areas is ongoing and is already beginning to show results. Gravity .79 Earth Standard. Quality 11.

Five Lions II: An asteroid belt.

Five Lions 7: An unremarkable Jovian. Quality 2.

Five Lions III: An asteroid belt.

Five Lions 8: Jovian planet, its rotation speed has resulted in an unusually calm upper atmosphere. Quality 15.

Five Lions IV: An asteroid belt.

Five Lions 9: Jovian planet. Quality 9.

Five Lions V: An asteroid belt.

Five Lions 10: Neptunian ice giant. Quality 8.

Five Lions 10a: A small icy moon. Quality 5.

Five Lions 10b: A large icy body, this was probably its own planetoid at some point before being captured due to the complex interplays of no less than 5 gas giants.

Population: 15,000,000

A rare system with a brown dwarf orbiting a G-type star (just barely in the limits of what's considered a single system rather than a binary), and with a Jovian planet orbiting that, and on top of that treasure trove a dual ice giant binary, Osliam presents a golden research opportunity, and was bid on by Omoikane despite its otherwise sparce resources and poor habitable prospects.

Osliam 1: A rare hot ice giant, this planet is actively shrinking on a measurable time scale. It must have migrated in as a much larger planet recently.

Osliam 1a: This once-rock-ice moon is now a tiny molten ellipse barely holding together.

Osliam 1b: This somewhat larger moon changes color unusually with its day, as the shade of its parent cools lava to a dull red before emerging back into the light heats the lava back to a healthy orange glow.

Osliam 1c: This entire moon glows dull red in its day, just barely solid, and cools to an unusually smooth moon in its night.

Osliam I: This asteroid belt was probably a planet before Osliam 1's passing tore it to shreds.

Osliam 3: A hothouse planet with a relatively thin atmosphere, it retains temperatures and pressures that are survivable with heavy-duty equipment on the surface—when it's not raining sulfuric acid, that is.

Osliam 4: This small Martian planet seems to have collected some of Osliam 1's offgassing in its move inwards, and has a renewed temporary atmosphere.

Osliam 5a: This planet seems to have survived at the edge of the frost line by siphoning gas off its smaller twin.

Osliam 5b: Barely a gas giant, this planet was probably only slightly smaller than Osliam 5a in the distant past.

Osliam 6: The focus of Omoikane colonization in-system, Osliam 6 retains plate tectonics from the nearby brown dwarf but no atmosphere, an odd combination.

Osliam 7: A brown dwarf, this substellar object long ago burnt its deuterium and now lies slowly cooling, glowing dimly red. It is, however, still giving off a prodigious amount of low IR radiation.

Osliam 7a: Once its own planet, Osliam 7a was captured at some point by Osliam 7, perhaps in the same interaction that threw Osliam 1 to its suicidal innermost orbit.

Osliam 7a1: This icy moon is simultaneously shrinking and becoming more habitable—while its outer layers of ice are sublimating, the fierce tides of its complex interplay with Osliam 7 and 7a are heating the inner ocean to temperatures comparable to terrestrial water sources. Some scientists even suggest a pocket of water vapor is forming under the ice, and may form an internal "sky" for as much as a hundred million years before the outer shell sublimates entirely.

Osliam 7a2: This moon is less lucky; its tides are so strong that they seem to slowly be ripping the moon apart. It won't have the honor of becoming more than an ephemeral ring; the same complex tides tearing at it will rapidly disperse its debris field. While it lasts, though, it's easy water harvesting.

Population: 650,000

UNDER CHARTER CONTROL:

A distant double G binary, Xotreh hosts a small habitable moon around Xotreh B, the smaller of the two stars. As such, development has focused on the second star, despite the fact that the jump points center closer to Xotreh A.

Xotreh A1: This world boasts an active liquid silicate cycle on its surface, with oceans of basalt and continents of granite. Gravity 0.38 Earth Standard. Quality 8.

Xotreh A2: A rather large airless world, its original atmosphere was likely blown off by a massive impact. Gravity 1.2 Earth Standard. Quality 9.

Xotreh A3: A binary planetary pair of airless worlds about the size of Mars. Quality 6 and 8.

Xotreh A4: A hothouse planet with a planet-wide sulfuric acid storm due to its rapid rotation. Gravity .71 Earth Standard. Quality 8.

Xotreh A5 "Cueball": This planet is remarkably similar to Earth—if earth was buried under a kilometers-thick ice sheet across 90% of the surface. One day, as Xotreh A expands and dies, this world will become an ocean planet, but for now it's a cold desert. Gravity .87 Earth Standard. Quality 5.

Xotreh A6: An unremarkable icy ball. Quality 4.

Xotreh AI: An asteroid belt.

Xotreh A7: A Jovian planet, Xotreh 7 corrals the entire inner system in line. Quality 10.

Xotreh B1: This planet must have once been a gas giant at least the size of Uranus before it was sent inwards. Now all that remains is a dense core with a molten surface. Gravity 1.51 Earth Standard. Quality 13.

Xotreh B2: A binary pair of earth-sized airless worlds. Quality 6 and 7.

Xotreh B3: Another once-gas giant, this planet remains far out enough to boast a wholly-solid surface of iron. Gravity 1.64 Earth Standard. Quality 14.

Xotreh B4: A Jovian right on the frost line, its tidal heating keeps its moons on the edge of habitability. Quality 3.

Xotreh B4a "Sushi": An ocean world with massive polar ice caps, Omoikane has constructed a series of seasteads on the equatorial high ocean plateaus where it was feasible to drive foundations into the sea floor a few hundred meters below the surface. These small facilities serve as housing, data storage, and production centers for the research teams studying the dual Cthonian planets of Xotreh B. Gravity .67 Earth Standard. Quality 2.

Xotreh B4b: The lesser tidal heating here worsened the glaciation, and the planet lies under a planet-wide crust of ice. Gravity 1.13 Earth Standard. Quality 10.

Xotreh BI: The close proximity of this asteroid belt makes it an ideal location for resource extraction.

Xotreh 5: This Jovian is definitively beyond the habitable zone. Quality 6.

Xotreh 6: A dense ice giant. Quality 4.

Xotreh 7: Jovian planet. Quality 6.

Xotreh 8: An exceptionally cold Jovian. Quality 9.

Xotreh 8a: An unremarkable icy sphere. Quality 8.

Xotreh 9: This planet would have a massive atmosphere, if it wasn't so cold it all froze and fell to the surface. Only a few degrees above the space surrounding it. Gravity 1.3 Earth Standard. Quality 9.

Population: 54,000

Besides an interesting Jovian-gas dwarf planetary system, Bestreer holds little of interest other than its connections to other places.

Bestreer 1: An airless world. Quality 2.

Bestreer 2: An airless world. Quality 6.

Bestreer 3: This airless world once had a captured moon, torn apart at the Roche limit and forming a ring. A small gate maintenance and SAR team bases here, siphoning fuel and water from Bestreer 5 and mining into the surface for both resources and safe spaces for housing. Quality 10.

Bestreer 4: A rock-ice world. Quality 5.

Bestreer 5: Another rock-ice world made up more of ice than rock. Quality 5.

Bestreer I: An icy asteroid belt.

Bestreer 6: A large Jovian planet, on the edge of becoming a brown dwarf. Quality 15.

Bestreer 6a: This gas dwarf might have become a gas giant in its own right without its massive sibling. Quality 5.

Bestreer 7: Another Jovian. Quality 14.

Bestreer 7a: An icy moon, with an internal ocean buried under kilometers of ice. Quality 12.

Bestreer 8: An icy ball. Quality 10.

Population: 450

G-class star. A transshipping point to Radiant and environs, Mississippi keeps a substantial support crew on hand for possible cargo ship breakdowns or emergencies in-system, due to the slightly increased risk of issues from the absolute shambles of Akleod's inner system. A minor executive has also put together a cheap refueling and battery exchange station.

Akleod 1: Even actively evaporating and leaving behind a trail in orbit of dissipating volatiles, this body is large enough to have usurped Akleod 1a's orbit temporarily until it disappears away or the chaotic orbit of the two throws one into the star or out of the system. Quality 2.

Akleod 1a: The original Akleod 1, its orbit has been badly disrupted by the current, migrating Akleod 1. Which of the two gets ejected is still uncertain despite a decent amount of computational simulation; odds put it at 48-52% relatively. Quality 6.

Gnat's Ass (Akleod 2): A small, loosely-held-together icy body, perhaps what used to be an asteroid belt before Akleod 1's suicidal inner-system dive. It's not yet had time to fully reach hydrostatic equilibrium. Quality 3.

Akleod 3: An icy planet similar to Akleod 1, perhaps an old sibling. Quality 13.

Akleod I: An asteroid belt.

Akleod 4: A Jovian with an unusually elliptical orbit, it's regarded as the culprit for the chaos of Akleod's inner system. Quality 11.

Population: 5,000

As it turns out, transponder codes from regular priority messages through Gaid (now that we can see them, having backdoored the gate control) bear tags from a system, Thoa, along with navigational chart updates for any ships that happen to stop by. Thoa and Gaid both seem to have been nothing more than transit points to the far-more-valuable Radiant for Hermes-Ishtar, but Thoa holds a small anti-pirate base guarding against raiders from Signia. Hermes-Ishtar was apparently serious enough about it to have a converted corvette on station.

All told, the Thoa system holds gates to 2 systems besides Gaid's. There's also an unimproved jump point simply labelled as "dangerous." that leads to Signia

Thoa System Stats:

Thoa 1: A molten mess of a planet, it's hot enough that a residual atmosphere of vaporized low-melting-point metallics exists.

Thoa 2: An unremarkable airless metal ball.

Thoa 3: A super-earth hothouse, this planet would have been uninhabitable due to its gravity even before turning scorchingly hot.

Thoa 3a: A captured asteroid barely on the edge of hydrostatic equilibrium, the Nasty Bastardhad been excavating rudimentary shelters for "leave" for its crew.

Thoa I: An asteroid belt.

Thoa 4: A normal Jovian planet.

Thoa 4a: A moon much like Mars in climate.

Thoa 5: A Jovian planet with an unusual triangular wind pattern at the poles.

Thoa 6: Blooms of hydrogen well up from the core of this Jovian, perhaps disturbed by some recent impact.

Thoa 7: Bathyscapes would find themselves at home on the surface of Thoa 7. Pressures much like that at Earth's seabed keep a crust of ice 3 stable enough robotic drones could walk on it.

Thoa 7a: Unusually, Thoa 7a is the only large icy body in the system. Scientists are unsure of where the others went. As the only easy source of volatiles, the UNasty Bastard periodically stopped by a handful of obsolete volatile collection systems on the surface to top up.

Thoa II: A Kuiper belt of icy objects.

Empty Systems

Kimberly: A fairly unremarkable and empty system, this site was chosen as Rhodes' spinward boneyard—a place for failed experiments, old equipment, and ships so worn they weren't worth maintaining anymore, but were still valuable enough to warrant not throwing into a gas giant or otherwise completely destroyed. For 2 decades a Rhodes-affiliated salvaging contractor worked here, gathering scrap and other valuables, but following high injury and death rates and low returns, the contract (and most non-local dumping) was cancelled in 2247 (4 years before the March Days.)

Kimberly 1: A large rocky planet, this must have migrated inwards from further out in the system a long time ago to be so large so close to its parent star.

Kimberly 2: A Martian planet that keeps a comfortable daytime temperature despite its lack of atmosphere due to a close orbit.

Kimberly 3: A Jovian world.

Kimberly I: This asteroid belt is actually combined with a thinly-spread junkyard corralled by Kimberly's 2 gas giants.

Kimberly 4: A Neptunian world, this planet has several starship hulks abandoned as the closest stable orbit to the gate out. An old deactivation hub orbits in resonance with Kimberly 4a, the former site of a salvaging operation.

Kimberly 4a: The only significant satellite in the system, this icy moon retains a thin crust and a massive subterranean freshwater ocean.

Total:

Radiant:

Gaid:

Five Lions:

Head of Diplomatic Corps:

Name: Amanda Redcrest, Victoria Blackwell, and Kayla Hayashi

DoB: "2222", 2219, 2227, 2224

Current Position: Influential media figure and figurehead of Social Committee propaganda

Not a traditional diplomat, or a traditional individual 'Veronica Stardust' is the persona of a trio of XP broadcasters who have been working together since 2246 and has consistently been one of the most recognized figures across Charter space and is a local Elysian celebrity.

In Charter space those individuals who choose to make money by recording their lived experiences, of all kinds, for later playback are treated with an indulgent disdain by the polite classes as a mix of internet celebrity and sex worker despite the practice of selling XP experiences being common in the poorer segments of society and a smaller portion of the professional middle class attempting to stay afloat in a tight gig economy.

Amanda Redcrest was a former media programmer whose attempts to supplement her income with XP work backfired and saw her fired from her job. Contrarily, Kayla and Victoria both come from lower class backgrounds, though Kayla's attempts to climb into the middle class by earning a marketing degree were frustrated when her lower class status markers and financing of education via XP work saw her frozen out of the job market.

A former collaborator of Kayla's, Victoria had been a rising XP star in her own right and had no desire to change her station, but as her brief celebrity began to fade Victoria approached Kayla to propose the creation of a dedicated broadcasting persona that both would act as. Later bringing on Redcrest, who they'd both done crossover XP work with, to do technical work, the trio used carefully gathered market data and some intuition to create the "Veronica Stardust" persona of an middlingly-intelligent and freewheeling persona who played to the upper class's picture of what depravities and indignities the poorer class must get up to in their spare time.

From 2246 to 2251 the Veronica Stardust persona (performed by all three at various times, though primarily Victoria) produced experience recordings that were nearly always in the top 10 best sellers across Charter space.

Though they enjoyed the wealth that they brought in, the trio increasingly chafed at the market driven limitations of Veronica, and were considering a number of possibly catastrophic brand shifts when the March Days broke out and all three participated in street actions in a private capacity after sending one last broadcast as 'Veronica' to encourage revolt.

Since the formation of the Social Committee the figure of Veronica has been rebranded to serve as the figurehead of Social Committee Propaganda and several major initiatives have been launched with her at the forefront including a highly successful part of the anti-overproduction initiatives.

As part of the now-completed campaign to maintain the charade that Radiant was still under Charter control, Veronica Stardust continued to sell broadcasts to HI media chains, though the trio could not help but begin a brand shift towards a far more intelligent and radical persona.

Pros: XP Celebrity, influential, well known, inspiring to the middle and lower classes

Cons: XP celebrity, little diplomatic experience, three people

Diplomatic Goals: Defeat the Charters in the field of public opinion, push social revolution and freedom of information and communication, cause public opinion to oppose attacking Radiant

Unlocked FRM

Ares Peacekeeping Grade - Access to planetary army formation

Ares Military Grade - Access to mid-sized shipyards, bonuses to planetary army combat. Bonus to completion of Chinook remodeling

Rhodes Light industrial Grade - 10% increase to all mining income, reduced Cost for BLG and other actions that use basic fabber processes

Rhodes Heavy Industrial Grade - Massive discount on mining upgrades, able to unlock automated technologies with Omoikaine

Cernunnos Consumer Grade - +1 to all Soccom actions

Cernunnos Enterprise Grade - NOT UNLOCKED

Omoikane Consumer Grade - +1 to FRM reserach for each two tech bases unlocked (+6 currently)

Omoikane Enterprise Grade - +5 to blue sky research, automation with Omoikane

Hermes-Ishtar Consumer Grade - Your economy doesn't crash when the turn of funding

Hermes-Ishtar Production Grade - NOT UNLOCKED

MSI Consumer Grade - Consumer Goods, Drones, and personal vehicles, +2 to domestic projects in IndComm and SocComm

MSI Enterprise Grade - NOT UNLOCKED

Original Tech

The Box: Fabber the size of a X-box that can, with time, materials and power, print the components for a full sized box. Less efficient, but easy to print and hide.

Defence Coordinator:

Name: Maria Awhina

DoB: 2165

Current Position: Military Committee Delegate from the Radiant Veterans Guild

Born into poverty on Earth as the twenty-second century began to wane, young 22-year old Maria Awhina caught up in radical anti-Charter politics during the third black summer of 2187 and was convicted of property destruction during the rioting and sentenced to serve as a contractor to Hermes-Ishtar until her contract was paid off.

The stark choice of starvation or service to Hermes-Ishtar caused Maria to descend into self-destructive behavior where for twenty years Ms. Awhina continuously volunteered for the highest paid and most dangerous positions that Hermes-Ishtar had available.

Hermes-Ishtar considers Special Operations Lieutenant Awhina to have served with distinction throughout the heavy skirmishing of that era, though Maria herself continues to carry guilt for her service and her survival.

After performing exceptionally well in a hostage rescue operation Awhina was transferred to the Protective Detail Division of Hermes-Ishtar Security, and was eventually assigned to serve as the head of the Radiant Vice President's protective detail.

Over the next four decades she came to see the world as her home, and while her professionalism never wavered, her loyalty to the company who still owned her contract did.

This March, Maria had the option to gun down her fellow planetary headquarters workers to secure Yang's escape, or to finally return to roots in anti-Charter agitation. The fact that we are all here today shows what choice she made.

Pros:

-Actual Combat Veteran, knows Radiant inside and out, special operations expert, professional.

Cons:

-only academic knowledge of starship operations, logistics, organization command and strategic operations.

Command Traits:

-Objective oriented, unflappable, aggressive, prefers attacks and operations to come from unexpected angles.

Reports from the Permanent Commission for Military Intelligence on hostile forces in neighbouring systems:

Blue Squadron:
-Allegiance: Ares Combat Solutions
-Service: Mars Interstellar Security
-CO: Rear Admiral Weylon Kang
-Flagship: MIS Yorktown

We know little about Rear Admiral Weylon Kang except that he has received a number of commendations from the MIS board for keeping costs low while on deployment. He appears to be making an effort to clamp down on the rumours racing back and forth across the fleet.

MIS Yorktown
-British Empire-class Fleet Tender
MIS Eurymedon
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS La Rochelle
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Cape Rachado
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Second Schooneveld
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Matapan
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Valcour Island
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Kerch Strait
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Galveston Harbour
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Cape Sarych
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS River Plate
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Third San Francisco
-New Model-class Strike Corvette
MIS Scipio Africanus
-Cossak-class Frigate
MIS Suleiman I
-Cossak-class Frigate
MIS Louis Botha
-Cossak-class Frigate
MIS Fort Ware
-Hudson's bay Company-class Fast Fleet Tanker
MIS Fort Mackinac
-Hudson's bay Company-class Fast Fleet Tanker
MIS Fort Osage
-Hudson's bay Company-class Fast Fleet Tanker
MIS Arabian
-Postal-class Courier
MIS Macedonia
-Legionary-class Fast Troop Transport
MIS Hispania Citerior
-Legionary-class Fast Troop Transport
MIS Hispania Ulterior
-Legionary-class Fast Troop Transport
MIS Gallia Narbonensis
-Legionary-class Fast Troop Transport
MIS Sicilia
-Legionary-class Fast Troop Transport
MIS Corsica et Sardinia
-Legionary-class Fast Troop Transport

Fixed Defences:
Battery A
-MSS-54-F LMP Constellation
Battery B
-MSS-54-F LMP Constellation
Battery C
-MSS-54-F LMP Constellation
Shoal A
-ASR-33-C TAM Shoal
Shoal B
-ASR-33-C TAM Shoal
Shoal C
-ASR-33-C TAM Shoal
Shoal D
-ASR-33-C TAM Shoal
Shoal E
-ASR-33-C TAM Shoal
Shoal F
-ASR-33-C TAM Shoal

Fixed Defences:
Battery A
-Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation
Battery B
-Airstrike Pattern LMP Constellation
Shoal A
-Macross-Pattern LMP Constellation
Shoal B
-Macross-Pattern LMP Constellation
Strikecraft Wing, ID# 48603
-Radiance-Type Strikecraft

-None

Local Security Forces
-Approximately fifty strong volunteer station security militia drawn from station personnel

Local Security Forces:
-Deep Space Security Solutions (Omoikane Subsidiary) Customs shuttle squadron based out of Xotreh B-4a's orbital station
-Three companies of Standard Planetary Security Company (Ares subsidiary) troops based out of Xotreh B-4a's habitat complexes for internal security and law enforcement

139th Solarian Navy Squadron:
-Allegiance: Solarian Compact
-Service: Solarian Navy
-CO: Vice Admiral David Visser
-Flagship: SNS Krak de Chevaliers

Thanks to his heavy handed labour discipline and extractive tribute and demands for corvee labour from Ascension Admiral Visser is viscerally hated by the populace of Ascension, and to a lesser degree the rest of the Solarian Force as well. While the gate's completion draws near, it is uncertain what path that Visser will persue.

SNS Krak de Chevaliers
-Star-hold-Class light-tender
SNS Victoria Newman
-Leonard Greyson-Chang-Class Strike Corvette
SNS Julia Stonechild
-Leonard Greyson-Chang-Class Strike Corvette
SNS Robert Chuikov
-Leonard Greyson-Chang-Class Strike Corvette
SNS Wallace Al-Wazir
-Leonard Greyson-Chang-Class Strike Corvette
SNS Dawn's Early Light
-Freedom's Light-class cruiser
SNS Jacob Nagumo
-Herald Kanumba-Class frigate
SNS Alexander Hamilton
-Liberation-class troop transport

Solarian Marines now spread throughout the system

PCMI Provides new system data on the single system that lies beyond beyond Five Lions:

Mobile Force:

Current Orders: Defend the All Radiant Congress by acting as a rapid response in the event of any hostile acts.

CO: Commodore Stephanie Rousseau

CNS Velasco, United States of America-class Fleet Carrier

-CO: Captain Esteri Attar

-Orca Wing, Switchblade-type strikecraft (Customized)

-CO: Wing Commander Jasmine Ang

-Red Wolf Wing, Switchblade-type strikecraft (Customized)

-CO: Wing Commander Heloisa Kimura de Lima

CNS Shieldmaiden, Great Heathen-class Light Cruiser

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

CNS Shamhat, Great Heathen-class Light Cruiser

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

CNS Righteous Tempest, Cossak-class Frigate

-CO: Captain Vehement Shade

CNS August Willich, Cossak-class Frigate

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

CNS Elysium, Cossak-class Frigate

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

CNS Asphodel, Cossak-class Frigate

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

-

Home Force:

Current Orders: Defend Radiant, comet patrol, act as a reserve force

CO: Commodore Erina Kozlova

CNS Blaire Mountain, New Model-Class Strike Corvette

-CO: Captain Guillermo Kageyama

CNS Scutum, Comet-Class Patrol Corvette

-CO: Captain Martin Pagonis

CNS Buckler, Comet-Class Patrol Corvette

-CO: Captain Samuel Smiles

CNS Nasty Bastard, A Jury Rigged Mess of a Drone Carrier

-CO: Captain Jean-Paul Beaumont

-

Radiant System Self Defence Force:

Current Orders: Defend Radiant, comet patrol

CO: Overseen by Admiral Gregory Mansur in his capacity as MilComm Chief of Naval Operations

Radiant Customs Squadron, Arabia-class boarding craft with marine contingents

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

Switchblade Wing, Switchblade-type strikecraft

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

Apogee Wing, Switchblade-type strikecraft

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

Battery A, Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation

(Radiant-Bestreer Gate)

Battery B, Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation

(Radiant-Bestreer Gate)

Battery C, Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation

(Radiant-Bestreer Gate)

Battery D, Airstrike-Pattern LMP Constellation

(Radiant-Bestreer Gate)

Battery E, Airstrike-Pattern LMP Constellation

(Radiant-Bestreer Gate)

Battery F, Airstrike-Pattern LMP Constellation

(Radiant-Bestreer Gate)

Shoal A, Macross-Pattern TAM Shoal

(Radiant-Bestreer Gate)

Radiant Orbital Yard 1

Current construction: None

Radiant Orbital Yard 1

Current construction: None

-

Gaid System Self Defence Force:

Current Orders: Defend Gaid

CO: Commodore Victor Raine

Battery A, Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation

Battery B, Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation

Battery C, Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation

Battery D, Airstrike-Pattern LMP Constellation

Battery E, Airstrike-Pattern LMP Constellation

Battery F, Airstrike-Pattern LMP Constellation

Shoal A, Macross-Pattern TAM Shoal

Shoal A, Macross-Pattern TAM Shoal

Shoal A, Macross-Pattern TAM Shoal

Zephyr Wing, Switchblade-Type Strikecraft (Customized)

-CO: Wing Commander Ara Helge

Aeolus Wing, Switchblade-Type Strikecraft (Customized)

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

Gale Wing, Switchblade-Type Strikecraft (Customized)

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

-

Frontier Force

Current Orders: Keep watch on SolNav force in Raphanus, assist with integration of Ascension military forces, patrol Spinward frontier

CO: Commodore Shayla McLean

CNS Kiel Mutiny, Kaiserreich-class BattleCruiser

-CO: Captain Inana Devlin

CNS Choreographer, Janissary-class Light Tender

-CO: Captain Karl Xanthopoulos

CNS Valiant, New Model-class Strike Corvette, attached to CNS Choreographer

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

CNS Defiant, New Model-class Strike Corvette, attached to CNS Choreographer

-CO: Captain Fool's Errand

CNS Reliant, New Model-class Strike Corvette, attached to CNS Choreographer

-CO: Captain Rouge Napier

CNS Actium, New Model-class Strike Corvette, attached to CNS Choreographer

-CO: Captain John Rankin

CNS Crête-à-Pierrot, New Model-class Strike Corvette, attached to CNS Choreographer

-CO: Captain Nkiru Chaudhari

CNS Valmy, New Model-Class Strike Corvette, attached to CNS Choreographer

-CO: Captain Sumac Barros

CNS Revolutionary Will, Cossak-class Frigate

-CO: Captain Yamamoto Hanae

CNS Revolutionary Grace, Cossak-class Frigate

-CO: -N/A DATABASE ERROR, CONTACT IT FOR HELP-

CNS Under New Management, Don-Class Fast Tanker

-CO: Captain Adras Kierenos

CNS Liberte, Hollywood(C)-Class Frigate

-CO: Captain Colin McRae

CNS Egalite, Hollywood(C)-Class Frigate

-CO: Captain Adelia Swift

Resources
Naval Ship Types: Ship Types (Public Version)
Naval Officers: Congressional Navy Officers (Public Version)
System Codex: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rtNbPCcPsTK7HCHKo9dPgK7ntx5tBKOpltrZb_In7GY/edit#
Blaze Zhang: Blaze Zhang is trans-masc. That means his pronouns are he/him.

DISCORD LINK:

Join the Wordsmiths Discord Server!

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discord.gg

Torgamous · Oct 2, 2021

Tatbee said:
They're already in Tartarus prison, which is a luxury resort.
I'm not sure ARC has a worse sentence than that?

...What could they possibly plea bargain for?

I was under the impression that we do have real prisons, and Tartarus was for people who we don't want to deal with but who couldn't reoffend if their lives depended on it because the political structures that enabled the offense are gone.

Amazing Abzan · Oct 2, 2021

Tatbee said:
They're already in Tartarus prison, which is a luxury resort.
I'm not sure ARC has a worse sentence than that?

...What could they possibly plea bargain for?

People can still be punished while they're in Tartarus. Hell, the first Tartarus event had us deciding on one of those punishments.

In this case, I suspect severe loss of privileges for everyone involved (given that they abused their privileges to organize this), possible forced relocations and social restrictions to break up the group and keep people from re-radicalizing each other, heavy observation of the guilty parties, mandatory counseling programs, etc. Nothing that's punishment for punishment's sake, but still plenty of things that you might take a deal to see reduced somehow.

10ebbor10 · Oct 2, 2021

Torgamous said:
I was under the impression that we do have real prisons, and Tartarus was for people who we don't want to deal with but who couldn't reoffend if their lives depended on it because the political structures that enabled the offense are gone.

If that is the case, why did we release the special ops on the island.

Nah, I think Tartarus is justified as the place where we keep people that we don't want to have in our regular justice system.
The regular justice system may or may not have prisons, but if it does, your sentence has an end date. You can appeal, you can aim for reintregration, you can petition for early release, parole and so on.

Tartarus is where we throw everyone we don't want to think about further. You're not in prison, but you also can't leave.

BlueTwinkleToes · Oct 2, 2021

[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[X] Offer plea bargains or the like for those willing to turn or help break the siege, or to provide information on other co-conspirators.
-[X] Under no circumstances allow them to negotiate you into giving them offworld passage or anything like that.

I'm convinced that them wanting to bait an attack is both more probable and damaging than them wanting to stall for time.

Also, it seems like many of our votes are fractured between minor variations. Will we have a second vote, or do we need to try to consolidate ourselves?

Donkey Hote · Oct 2, 2021

[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[X] Offer plea bargains or the like for those willing to turn or help break the siege, or to provide information on other co-conspirators.
-[X] Under no circumstances allow them to negotiate you into giving them offworld passage or anything like that.

clockworkchaos · Oct 2, 2021

Winged One said:
...how the fuck did this guy manage to turn out so well-adjusted?

Blaze.

'Well-adjusted'.

Winged One · Oct 2, 2021

clockworkchaos said:
Blaze.

'Well-adjusted'.

Compared to the psychopath his upbringing was trying to turn him into, he is.

clockworkchaos · Oct 2, 2021

Checked with other QM's and got confirmation on a few points asked here and on discord.

1. In game, this decision is being made in like, 15 minutes as you get word of the house and the barrier goes up. Hence why having the CROWS come is consider a relavent time difference from storming it immediately. Calling in extra forces will add time, which is also why you are making a decision about which equipment the CROWS get.If you want it all, you can vote to take more time.
2. While this event got split due to QM writing burnout, time-wise, it's all set around the last session, when your very first units of CROWS just finished training, you do not have a second one trained up yet.
3. CROWS are a military Spec Ops unit. While they are your best trained unit, they aren't a deducted 'storm civilian(or even military really) compounds'.

DocSpooky · Oct 2, 2021

Regarding escape tunnels, isn't it established that resort areas like Tartarus are already littered with catacombs for 'the Help to travel through?

bdun140 · Oct 2, 2021

Mr BreaksIt said:
Regarding escape tunnels, isn't it established that resort areas like Tartarus are already littered with catacombs for 'the Help to travel through?

The city proper has a bunch of tunnels, this is out in the sticks.

Cassiemouse · Oct 2, 2021

We did talk in the discord about Inanna answering fan mail and other correspondence from the gacha game she was apart of. Soon the true gacha wars will begin and our real life gacha girl must be ready!

Kirook · Oct 3, 2021

Omake: weFALL2gether

[Loading DelphiOracle chat transcripts…]
[...done.]

MardukMain: Hey does anyone know what this is? I got an OLYMPUS High Command Directive that's just gibberish

[Attached image: A screenshot of a High Command Directive, usually used as the intro to high-level premium quests for players who have purchased the expensive "Psychic Transluminal Communicator" item. Instead of a quest description, however, this Directive contains a series of seemingly random letters and numbers.]

comeonandslam: maybe it's a server glitch?

Zhar's Fangs: Unlikely. All the other quests are fine, including the other OHCDs for this week. Whatever this is, I think it's on purpose.

Robespierres_Footrest: What if its a coded message

MardukMain: That would definitely explain it yeah

MardukMain: Oh man is this some kind of new secret quest? HYPE

comeonandslam: 👀 👀 👀

Guest: Great, more cool content locked behind the PTC paywall

Guest: Is it too much to ask for them to add something that low-ranked players can actually get into? 😔

VIRGININANNAVSCHADZEUS: stfu bronzecuck

VIRGININANNAVSCHADZEUS: git gud

MardukMain: No trolling allowed here

[VIRGININANNAVSCHADZEUS kicked from the chat]

Zhar's Fangs: I hate to say it, but though he was abrasive, he had a point about low-ranked players not being of much help here.

Zhar's Fangs: It will be easier to figure this out if we can coordinate amongst those of us who have PTCs, without having to constantly stop to explain endgame content.

MardukMain: I guess that's a fair point

Zhar's Fangs: Sorry to do this. I wish you the best of luck in reaching Adamantine. 👋

[Guest kicked from the chat]

[Advancing timestamp…]
[...done.]

Robespierres_Footrest: Guys I think @comeonandslam and I figured out the code

Zhar's Fangs: Oh?

MardukMain: Lay it on us

comeonandslam: it's hexadecimal

comeonandslam: but broken up into weird random clusters of letters so you don't notice right away

Zhar's Fangs: Huh. That's easier than I thought it was going to be. Then what's the quest?

Robespierres_Footrest: Thats the fun part

Robespierres_Footrest: Its not a quest description

MardukMain: ???

comeonandslam: it says MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURES DETECTED INFORMATION INTEGRITY FAI and then it just trails off into actual gibberish

comeonandslam: until the very end

comeonandslam: which has a web address for a site called "weFALL2gether"

[External link to weFALL2gether.com]

[Attached video: a recording of the weFALL2gether webpage. The screen cycles with a "glitch" effect between a photograph of a riot during the First Great Black Summer, an image of cheering crowds in the Democratic Federation witnessing the restoration of the Six Grandfathers (known to the Charters as "the destruction of Mount Rushmore"), and a historical photograph of early 20th century Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin speaking to enthusiastic supporters. The images are deliberately "corrupted" and visually degraded, and are shown in black and white except for mysterious red and black tendrils of energy that creep across the screen.]

Straight.Outta.Kaifeng: Sup, everyone?

MardukMain: Anarchist revolt against Olympus High Command event???

Straight.Outta.Kaifeng: ...holy shit.

MardukMain: Okay we have to find out more

Straight.Outta.Kaifeng: Wait, I think I know something that might help with this.

Robespierres_Footrest: 👀

Straight.Outta.Kaifeng: Inanna's not responding to her fans anymore. Gone completely dark. I ~~simp for~~ message her every week, and this is the first time she hasn't responded.

Zhar's Fangs: Have you been sending Priority Dispatches?

Straight.Outta.Kaifeng: Lmao no, I'm too broke for a PTC.

Zhar's Fangs: That's probably why. Ishtar's Light is a popular ship, and it makes sense that Inanna would prioritize higher tier players if she were receiving too high of a volume of messages.

Zhar's Fangs: Now, I'm sorry, but this is a PTC-only chat, and we don't have time to bring you up to speed on premium content.

Zhar's Fangs: Best of luck in reaching Adamantine, though. 👋

[Straight.Outta.Kaifeng was kicked from the chat.]

[Advancing timestamp…]
[...done.]

Zhar's Fangs: @everyone Important news about weFALL2Gether.

Robespierres_Footrest: poggers

MardukMain: OwO what's this?

Zhar's Fangs: ...first of all, we've talked about this. Stop trying to resurrect dead memes. They're not becoming a thing again. It's been literally centuries since any of these were funny.

comeonandslam: :trollface:

Zhar's Fangs: Sigh.

Zhar's Fangs: Anyway, I have someone I want to introduce to you.

[Trump/Clinton OTP entered the chat.]

Trump/Clinton OTP: Hello all!!!

comeonandslam: hi!

MardukMain: 👋

RobespierresFootrest: Hello!

Zhar's Fangs: I sent the weFALL2gether link to my guild in the hopes that one of them could make something of it (don't worry, not only are they all PTC-equipped, they're all Platinum or higher).

Trump/Clinton OTP: And he was right!!! :grin:

:starry_eyes:

Trump/Clinton OTP: You see, I work for Omoikane in VI research, so when a problem involving decoding secret messages in an image came to me, I knew exactly what to do! Or rather, I knew how to know exactly what to do, hehe.

Trump/Clinton OTP: My employees and I had just been working on some of the new NH-VIs! I could tell you exactly what we were doing, but then I'd have to kill you :wink:

😂

Zhar's Fangs: Not that this isn't fun, but there's a point here that needs to be gotten to.

Trump/Clinton OTP: Right, sorry! :embarrassed_laugh: So, we fed the videos to our NH-VI and left it on overnight to do pattern-matching. Pretty handy, right? And it turned out that that nasty red and black goo on the image was spelling out a message!

Zhar's Fangs: To be specific, the tips of the tendrils of energy were tracing out the words BURN IT DOWN and then the Greek letter Omega.

Zhar's Fangs: Is that significant to any of you?

comeonandslam: nope

Robespierres_Footrest: 🤷

MardukMain: Oh shit

MardukMain: It's an Omega Point code phrase

Zhar's Fangs: ...I have no idea what that is.

MardukMain: If you've been Adamantine for over a year without ever dropping tiers OHC gives you access to a hidden room called the Omega Point

MardukMain: If you have access there's like a 0.1% chance that OHCD missions will give you an Omega Point code phrase

MardukMain: And if you go into the room and input the code phrase on the console you get massive rewards

comeonandslam: that's cool as shit

Robespierres_Footrest: How have I never heard of this

Zhar's Fangs: That's an excellent question.

MardukMain: Maybe you all just need to

MardukMain: 😎

MardukMain: git gud

Trump/Clinton OTP: Oh I love Omega Point code phrases!!!

Zhar's Fangs: Wait, you knew about this and didn't tell me?

Trump/Clinton OTP: Of course not! You're not supposed to tell people about the Omega Point unless they get in themselves. There are only so many code phrases to go around, so you don't want other people punching them in without earning it!

MardukMain: Right oops

MardukMain: I was so caught up in the excitement that I forgot

Trump/Clinton OTP: I totally get it! Now let's go input that code phrase. :confetti: :starry_eyes:

[Advancing timestamp…]
[...done.]

MardukMain: That damn Omega Point code almost gave me a heart attack lol

Zhar's Fangs: How so?

MardukMain: It made my computer glitch out like hell for a second

MardukMain: I thought I'd caught a virus

Trump/Clinton OTP: I knew it couldn't be anything like that! Omoikane's security is too good for just any random virus to get through. :muscle_flex:

MardukMain: Anyway, when I checked what had happened the game had downloaded a bunch of random junk files onto my computer

MardukMain: All these anarchist manifestos from the Long Hot Decades and shit

comeonandslam: god I wish they'd stop spamming us with this stuff and get to the actual point

comeonandslam: we get it, there's an anarchist revolt

comeonandslam: now tell us how to get the c o n t e n t

Robespierres_Footrest: Yeah tbh the anticipation is gonna kill me

Zhar's Fangs: Send the files to me, maybe I can sort through them.

Trump/Clinton OTP: Oh, that won't be necessary!

Trump/Clinton OTP: I already used the NH-VI on them. No point in doing things the hard way when you've got the right tool for the job—that's the Omoikane way!

Zhar's Fangs: …

Zhar's Fangs: ...did you find anything?

Trump/Clinton OTP: Funny you should ask!

[Attached video: The first teaser trailer for the event.]

[Advancing timestamp…]
[...done.]

comeonandslam: holy fuck that teaser

Robespierres_Footrest: I am 100% on board with this

comeonandslam: of course you are, the anarchists are coming to turn all your waifus into steppy dommy mommies

Zhar's Fangs: Cease hornyposting or be kicked.

comeonandslam: wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today

Robespierres_Footrest: Yeah! You don't have to be horny for the shipgirls to enjoy the update lol

Zhar's Fangs: Fair enough, I suppose.

Trump/Clinton OTP: Oh, one more thing!

Trump/Clinton OTP: I suppose the cat's out of the bag on the Omega Point now, so I don't feel bad about telling you that the teaser file came with a code!

Trump/Clinton OTP: @MardukMain and I are the first two players ever to own one of these new characters! Check it out!

[Attached image: A screenshot of Ishtar's Light and its associated character, Inanna. The ship has been altered to be much more heavily armed and armored than before, and has been repainted in black and red (bearing little resemblance to the actual CNS Velasco). Inanna, similarly, has an altered appearance: her clothes are more revealing and composed mostly of the same red and black energy from the weFALL2gether website, her expression is angrier and more malevolent, and her weapon set has been altered to emphasize brute force and lethality. The information panel shows that Inanna and Ishtar's Light are at the maximum possible rank for a character and ship, respectively.]

comeonandslam: 👀 the anarchist aesthetic tho

Robespierres_Footrest: She can overthrow my government anytime she wants

[Robespierres_Footrest was kicked from the chat.]

[Zhar's Fangs left the chat.]

[Relevant portion of the transcript ends.]

neutronium95 · Oct 3, 2021

[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[x] Offer plea bargains or the like for those willing to turn or help break the siege, or to provide information on other co-conspirators.
-[x] Under no circumstances allow them to negotiate you into giving them offworld passage or anything like that.

Tatbee · Oct 3, 2021

Surprise tactical vote!

[x] CAW-CAW MOTHERFUCKERS - The house is a deathtrap, but this is your chance to capture a member of the team alive. You need information, so send in the best, send in the CROWS. It'll take almost a day to get them and all their equipment here, briefed, and set up, but there couldn't be a more suited group anywhere.
- [X] Send in drones, too - The CROWS will appreciate having a small army of drones to spot traps and mitigate their risk. This does mean they'll be printing drones instead of any situation-specific equipment, however.

Yippee-CAW-yay! Motherfuckers!
(🤞one of the CROWs is a John McClane and Samuel Jackson expy )

Cyanblackstone · Oct 3, 2021

Scheduled vote count started by Cyanblackstone on Oct 2, 2021 at 12:29 AM, finished with 100 posts and 43 votes.

12 people have voted
[x] CAW-CAW MOTHERFUCKERS - The house is a deathtrap, but this is your chance to capture a member of the team alive. You need information, so send in the best, send in the CROWS. It'll take almost a day to get them and all their equipment here, briefed, and set up, but there couldn't be a more suited group anywhere.
- [X] Send in drones, too - The CROWS will appreciate having a small army of drones to spot traps and mitigate their risk. This does mean they'll be printing drones instead of any situation-specific equipment, however.
- LucidProp
- Questwolf
- masterofmadness
- Constal
- Carcer
- Derpmind
- tankdrop24
- Tatbee
- Model DC.14F
- Joppe
- HeroCooky
- Silverscales15
12 people have voted
[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[x] Offer plea bargains or the like for those willing to turn or help break the siege, or to provide information on other co-conspirators.
-[x] Under no circumstances allow them to negotiate you into giving them offworld passage or anything like that.
- Dessard
- Amazing Abzan
- Rat King
- Cassiemouse
- GretelOstrich
- Nyvis
- Sara
- Solarstream
- BlueTwinkleToes
- Donkey Hote
- neutronium95
- Torgamous
10 people have voted
[X] Drones - The house is a deathtrap, so better to mass fabricate drones to trip traps themselves. Many will die, and it will take time, but their mechanical sacrifice will be long remembered--, or until next lunch; it depends on if they are cute. Nautilus will run out of traps before you run out of feedstock; the only question is how long that will take.
- Model DC.14F
- Joppe
- Rockeye
- Ultrackius
- IndustrialVice2
- buli-buli
- CuriousRaptor
- Winged One
- Torgamous
- bdun140
5 people have voted
[X] Write in: Consult with a expert who has experience in non-violent riot control: "Okay, so like not sure why you are asking me, but like I've got an idea right. What if, what if, you like, waft some smoke in. Like good smoke, for a buzz, not tears and stuff. And like, then they won't be as angry and stuff. Then, you wait outside and promise them munchies if they come out, and then take them in. But like, given them the munchies to snack on. It isn't cool to promise munchies and then flake.
-[X] Plus CAW-CAW MOTHERFUCKERS... with gas masks
- NHO
- Travler66
- Ambit
- HeroCooky
- Silverscales15
3 people have voted
[x] CAW-CAW MOTHERFUCKERS - The house is a deathtrap, but this is your chance to capture a member of the team alive. You need information, so send in the best, send in the CROWS. It'll take almost a day to get them and all their equipment here, briefed, and set up, but there couldn't be a more suited group anywhere.
3 people have voted
[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[X] Maybe offer to let some of them go. Not everyone in the compound is complicit with the worst offenses, and if they were they could lead you to their co-conspirators.
1 people have voted
[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[x] Organize a more formal evacuation of the surrounding area; establish firebreaks and other protections around the siege to prevent conflict spillover.
-[x] Conduct a thorough search of the island to secure any potential alternate escape routes.
- Graf Tzarogy
1 people have voted
[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
- Angelform
1 people have voted
[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[X] Maybe offer to let some of them go. Not everyone in the compound is complicit with the worst offenses, and if they were they could lead you to their co-conspirators.
-[x] Under no circumstances allow them to negotiate you into giving them offworld passage or anything like that.
- bdun140
1 people have voted
[X] Wait them out - Sooner or later, they will have to go out for food and water, and the house is a deathtrap. You can afford to wait, and given Nautilus' predilection for nasty traps, there's no way you can count on predicting or countering everything . Keep the cordon and offer negotiation if they talk.
-[X] But have a CROWS unit on hand, in case things get hot.
- BaseDeltaZero

ScottishMongol · Oct 3, 2021

Oh my God

Model DC.14F · Oct 3, 2021

So, what happened? Are we waiting them out, but also sending for CROWS as a backup?

Tatbee · Oct 3, 2021

We've been through this song and dance before.
If the votes don't match, they're separate votes.

So it's a tie. :drevil:

Neither of the tied votes wants to storm the house immediately.

So a 5 or 10 minute delay will make little difference, if any.
Congress could continue the debate/vote, between the two tied options.

*EDIT Wait... am I mixing quests up?
Maybe it's not a tie?

LucidProp · Oct 3, 2021

Tatbee said:
So it's a tie.

Only one way to decide this then. Trial by combat! Congress must choose their champions for a duel to the death or forever forfeit the vote!

Cassiemouse · Oct 3, 2021

Omake: Full Body Prosthetic Clinical Trials

I awaken but I cannot move. For a breath I panic, struggle to take control of my body but then I remember. Slowly, I count down from ten then visualize the release of the safety locks on my prosthetic body to prevent me from moving in my sleep. The doctors tell me that eventually I won't need the safety locks and I can sleep normally but we are still early in my rehabilitation.

For a long moment I simply lay in the bed enjoying the warm weight of my blankets then begin to mentally fumble for my VI. My clock and schedule for the day populates my overlay seconds later and I smile to see that I awoke at exactly 8:00am. In my previous body I could never maintain a consistent sleep schedule.

A loud bing sounds from my kitchen and I slip out of bed after a moment longer. The kitchen tiles are cool and smooth on my bare feet but they don't hurt. A device like an expensive coffee machine drips a rich chemical mixture into my thermos. The smell is intense but my new body needs a special blend of chemicals to function correctly and keep my brain going. The taste is still a work in progress though.

I flop down into my overstuffed recliner and sip on my thermos. My VI checks off breakfast from the schedule. I could never survive without my VI reminding me what to do every day. Soon I will need to get ready to go into the hospital for my session but right now I just want to check what happened in my favorite forums while I was asleep. Huh. A message from Tera.

"Hey, Heather! Come meet us at the club tonight or I am going to stop by and dig you out of your hole, you rascal. I know you've been having a rough time with the medical stuff but that is no excuse! We are going to discuss the new Jamela Kirkland novel tonight so don't miss it."

Tera is always pretty intense but I hope I will have enough energy to talk to her and the rest of our friends tonight.

Later that day I am waiting in the office of the hospital. The ride to the hospital is sometimes hard. My body is something of a curiosity to many people. It's not as obviously inorganic as it used to be but it's still pretty easy to tell that it's a prosthetic.I always feel a little uncomfortable with the looks but sometimes people even come up to me and try to talk to me about it.I try to be enthusiastic but I am not sure what they want to hear.

Soon enough the nurse calls me back to the office. Doctor Jocina Namal is the one I have been seeing for the past year and a half while I transition to my prosthetic body.

"Good to see you this morning, Heather! How are you doing today?"

"I have been doing great ever since we worked out the rotator cuff issue on my right arm. No difficulties lifting or moving anymore."

"That is wonderful. What about the sensory issues?"

"No issues with sensory overstimulation since we tuned it a few months back. So much better than my old body. I haven't slept this well ever." I smile at Dr. Namal.

"Alright then! Let's get you into the system and we can start today's session."

We go through a standard battery of physical and cognitive tests. I am made to move different parts of my body, test grip strength, dexterity and endurance then we move on to making sure my brain is still healthy. They ask me questions about my personal history, make me perform mathematical problems and even sing at one point.

"Did I really need to sing, Dr, Namal?"

"Of course, I love hearing from you!" She grins and shakes her head, "We are still learning how to optimize the neural links so a broad array of cognitive tests gives us the best data."

"I guess I will have to practice for next time then!"

After I leave the hospital it's time to meet up with Tera and the gang. We have a little building near our apartment that acts as our clubhouse. We used to squat in it back before the revolution and used it as an organizing space but now it's mostly just for our own personal use.

I see Jacob standing out front watching the traffic go by and wave to him, "Not seen you out in a while buddy! Where have you been?"

"You know, I'm still busy with work. Not as much as I used to be but I got so excited with this new project that my time got away with me."

"I know the feeling. Tera had to remind me about the meeting tonight. I would have just relaxed in bed otherwise."

The meeting flies by as I spend time with my friends and before too long I am back in my bed staring at the ceiling. I am glad that I applied to the clinical trials for this model of prosthetic body. It's been a struggle but very worth it.

Tatbee · Oct 3, 2021

AKuz said:
I've described it as "distinctive" and said that it is "red, black, and green" aside from that 🤷‍♀️

An idea for the Democratic Federation flag.

The climate crisis is heavily symbolised in the flag.
- Black Space.
- Red Sun.
- Dull-Green Earth, divided by a black peace symbol (Green + peace = Greenpeace; IRL ecological activists).
- Earth is lit red by the Sun, highlighting the peace symbol with a "pseudo 3D" effect; it looks quite sinister imo.

I figure The "Black Summer" name had to come from somewhere; Black Flag + Red Sun.

AKuz said:
the polity's distinctive black, red, and green flag is brought out for each and every Great Black Summer.

It'd also be ~~totally evil~~ really cool to turn an internationally recognised symbol of peace... into the symbol for Black Summer revolts. :drevil:

ScottishMongol · Oct 3, 2021

The thing about the DemFed is that it was kind of thrown together; even the name is a generic umbrella meant to contain bunch of disparate revolutionaties who aren't sure if they're supposed to be a nascent world government or what.

So it makes sense that their flag would be just something thrown together rather than something complex and dense with symbolism; also something really easy for anyone to make.

CyberFemme · Oct 3, 2021

Tatbee said:
An idea for the Democratic Federation flag.

The climate crisis is heavily symbolised in the flag.
- Black Space.
- Red Sun.
- Dull-Green Earth, divided by a black peace symbol (Green + peace = Greenpeace; IRL ecological activists).
- Earth is lit red by the Sun, highlighting the peace symbol with a "pseudo 3D" effect; it looks quite sinister imo.

I figure The "Black Summer" name had to come from somewhere; Black Flag + Red Sun.

It'd also be ~~totally evil~~ really cool to turn an internationally recognised symbol of peace... into the symbol for Black Summer revolts.

I see your peace sign and raise you a turtle:

The red turtle that represents Humanity suspended between the void of space and the green Earth.
Edit: Turtle Island is also a fairly common name for North American among indigenous groups IIRC, so that's why it's a turtle.

Shard of Victory · Oct 3, 2021

Tatbee said:
An idea for the Democratic Federation flag.

I am not sure if it fits as DemFed flag, but it certanely looks badass.

Kirook · Oct 3, 2021

CyberEnby said:
I see your peace sign and raise you a turtle:

The red turtle that represents Humanity suspended between the void of space and the green Earth.
Edit: Turtle Island is also a fairly common name for North American among indigenous groups IIRC, so that's why it's a turtle.

I like it, but maybe switch the red and green?

For The Tyrants Fear Your Might (A quest of interstellar rebellion)

Been Better

Aspiring Gynoid

DON'T PANIC

Not the Simurgh

Humblest in the World

I have ideas. Sometimes they're even good.

Market Atheist

Mad Rocketeer

Pocky Eating MafiaDoka

Market Atheist