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The Reluctant Vassal's Guide to Living in the Frontier (with some Treason)
Cycle 1.1
[X] Plan: First Steps
-[X] [Character] Violet d'Iris, Solar Princess
--[X] [Stewardship] Construct Building. Meet with contractors and architect a new specific industry in the system. Cost varies. Each building chain may only be built once per system.
---[X] New Helm
----[X] Data Reliquary.
-[X] [Character] Dorothea, Lycoris Knight
--[X] [Intrigue] Infiltrate Cells. Plant the seeds now for future spycraft opportunities by establishing local support and cover opportunities to slip agents hidden among the populace. Create a spy network in another power. Requires four (4) progress. Further sabotage options require this option first.
---[X] Older Sister/Andernia III
-[X] [Character] Kat, Hyacinth Prism
--[X] [Learning] Design Ship. Break out pencils and call up interested naval contractors to kickstart the race to create, prototype, and sell an entirely new spaceship design for your forces. Cost varies.
---[X] Destroyer
-[X] [Character] Radana, Camellia Knight
--[X] [Stewardship] Develop City. Expand the outreaches of the urban jungle, developing infrastructure and encouraging greater urban incorporation to grow a settlement taller. Increase Industry by one (1). Requires two (2) progress.
-[X] [Character] Violet d'Iris, Solar Princess
--[X] [Stewardship] Construct Building. Meet with contractors and architect a new specific industry in the system. Cost varies. Each building chain may only be built once per system.
---[X] New Helm
----[X] Data Reliquary.
-[X] [Character] Dorothea, Lycoris Knight
--[X] [Intrigue] Infiltrate Cells. Plant the seeds now for future spycraft opportunities by establishing local support and cover opportunities to slip agents hidden among the populace. Create a spy network in another power. Requires four (4) progress. Further sabotage options require this option first.
---[X] Older Sister/Andernia III
-[X] [Character] Kat, Hyacinth Prism
--[X] [Learning] Design Ship. Break out pencils and call up interested naval contractors to kickstart the race to create, prototype, and sell an entirely new spaceship design for your forces. Cost varies.
---[X] Destroyer
-[X] [Character] Radana, Camellia Knight
--[X] [Stewardship] Develop City. Expand the outreaches of the urban jungle, developing infrastructure and encouraging greater urban incorporation to grow a settlement taller. Increase Industry by one (1). Requires two (2) progress.
The slight glint of light reflecting off the lens of the hidden camera went completely unnoticed by the room's occupants, even those who cast their gaze randomly about in boredom. Though had they noticed, the odds were significant high that they'd think it just a reflection of the digital clock casing instead of an actual spy camera. Adding to that, few would even dare suggest it belonged to the Solar Princess, meaning that overall, the risk of discovery was astronomically small.
That number only became more non-existent given the intensity of the ongoing debate between the assembled Prisms.
"Missiles are clearly the superior naval weapon!" A Prism roared and slammed a fist into the table, the enhanced strength resulting in a crack that was promptly ignored. "They fire from a long range that helps in striking first, and then they also possess a tracking system to adjust if need be, making it difficult to simply evade!"
"Yet all it takes is a little bit of chaff and point defense, then it's cooked!" Another Prism fiercely countered with a snarl before smacking the table, creating a new dent. "But the beauty of ballistics is that it can't be shot! Ancient scientists from Terra knew already knew that it's impossible to stop a mighty force without an opposite force, so investing in ballistics is how we pierce through our enemies!"
"That opposite force is just good armor plating, you relic! The thing that every ship designers with good sense would insist on prioritizing, so we should as well!"
"Oh, how very typical for the one who happens to have connections to a new smithy to suggest. Can we eject this blatant corruption from the discussion already?"
"Like you're any better, isn't your son the one who just joined that threat detection software company, you complete fraud-!"
"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
The gathered Prisms, some of the wisest and most knowledgeable technical experts of their people, winced when one of their youngest hefted her hammer and slammed it down on the table in her workshop, the poor furniture finally giving up and cracking into two halves. Kat growled and hefted her tool of the trade threateningly, a far cry from the stuttering young lady who had just gotten out of a meeting with the Solar Princess an hour ago. Now in her natural environment, any sort of nervousness or politeness was replaced with an unfiltered genius who glared harshly at her bickering fellows, most of whom were older than her.
But Kat just didn't care and snarled at them all the same, her undeniable passion coming out completely without any sort of restraints. "I invited you all here today to discuss a new Destroyer class project, not to start having a circuit-counting contest! We can't use the old ones, not without me popping a blood vessel at their shit and shoddy design. So I don't care who's got connections to what company, only that you've got the responsibility and know-how to contribute! So do your damn jobs, and start talking about what we're designing! Start from the goddamn basics so I know you aren't all full of shit."
There was a moment of silence, then one of them awkwardly cleared their throat. "Well, according to the widely accepted doctrine across civilized space, Destroyers are the smallest sort of ship meant for engagements in space. But they're not meant for such engagements in the first place."
"That's right." Another spoke now, easing into their field of expertise. "Destroyers are usually supposed to be the screening vessel that protects the defenseless troop ships as they journey between planets. Not to say that they can't hold their own in a pinch, but they can only have so much armor and weapons to keep up with the troop ships unlike the larger ships built for proper battle."
"Still, never underestimate what bravery could be found in the couple hundred or so crew that operate such tight vessels. Especially those led by our Brilliance Knights!" This was said rather fervently and apparently, it was the right thing when the leader of this Prism assembly laughed.
"Brave bastards all, even the fairer lot!" She cackled and then gestured to her workshop's ceiling. The lights dimmed, then faces were illuminated by a holographic projection coming from a machine installed above them all. The broken mundane table was ignored so while the Prisms gathered closer, studying the blank hull awaiting input. "So then, time to knuckle down and figure out what the fuck we're doing then. Let's put together something that'll make you lot profit and make Her Majesty very happy! Making a ship that'll take many eager lads and lasses to new brothels and whorehouses across the galaxy!"
There was a chorus of agreements with many politely ignoring the last bit, then the true discussion and debate began on how to design a new ship class.
Create a Design Plan!
[ ] Plan ____
-[ ] Template
-[ ] Weapons
-[ ] Defenses
-[ ] Name
-[ ] Template
-[ ] Weapons
-[ ] Defenses
-[ ] Name
Choose a Template
-[ ] [Template] Basic Escort (Mark 1) A balanced design that boasts a careful mix of both offensive and defensive modules for wide coverage. It is an incredibly versatile design that is well suited to a variety of roles, but comes at the cost of excelling at none.
Hull: 30
Offensive Modules: 1
Defensive Modules: 1
Hangers: 0
Escorts: 5
Offensive Modules: 1
Defensive Modules: 1
Hangers: 0
Escorts: 5
None
Choose Weapons
-[ ] [Weapons] Arrowhead Missiles (Mark 1) A common and versatile automated reloading system that is popular throughout members of the United Empire for its ease in usage.
Slots: 1
Stage: Long
Attack Modifiers: +10 (Missile)
Target: Point Defense
Damage: 2
Stage: Long
Attack Modifiers: +10 (Missile)
Target: Point Defense
Damage: 2
None
-[ ] [Weapons] Sword Cannon (Mark 1) When it comes to firing hunks of steel hurtling through space, the United Empire certainly has no shortage of lovers for the most popular design out there.
Slots: 1
Stage: Medium
Attack Modifiers: +10 (Ballistic)
Target: Armor
Damage: 3
Stage: Medium
Attack Modifiers: +10 (Ballistic)
Target: Armor
Damage: 3
None
Choose Defenses
-[ ] [Defenses] Mage Turrets (Mark 1) Threat detection software swiftly identifies incoming dangers and spins up linked turret systems to rapidly fill the air with a protective layer of lead.
-[ ] [Defenses] Kite Armor (Mark 1) All that stands between the crew and the void is often times a simple block of steel that will shield them from being shot into the vacuum of space.
Slots: 1
Defense Modifiers: +10 (Point Defense)
Special: May make a +0 (Ballistics) attack in Close range against Armor for a Damage 1 attack.
Defense Modifiers: +10 (Point Defense)
Special: May make a +0 (Ballistics) attack in Close range against Armor for a Damage 1 attack.
-[ ] [Defenses] Kite Armor (Mark 1) All that stands between the crew and the void is often times a simple block of steel that will shield them from being shot into the vacuum of space.
Slots: 1
Defense Modifiers: +10 (Armor)
Special: None
Defense Modifiers: +10 (Armor)
Special: None
None
Finish it with a Name!
-[ ] [Name] ____ Class Destroyer (Mk 1)
--[ ] Design Company (Optional0
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- So let's try this system then. I'm optimistic that it'll work out, and I'm interesting in hearing feedback from what people think. It should have room for expansion/improvement, and I look forward to hopefully fleshing it out as time passes with more options and new considerations.- Long/Medium/Close weapon range is mainly defines when the ship will actually get to fire when it engages and 'jousts' an enemy ship. All weapons, if the ship is still intact when passing by, should have a chance to fire in their matching zone so don't worry if a weapon becomes ineffective. It will always fire if possible unless disabled.
- You might notice an optional fluff option under name. This is for people who want to really get involved and create a design company behind their equipment plans, so if you ever wanted to create Lockheed Martin or General Motors, this is your chance to flesh things out. Or you could go wild and say it's the work of a prominent Duke or Count, which does track with the theming. Just try to have it keep with the setting.
24 hour moratorium to create a next tincan mafia.
Naval Battles
Battle Lineup and Target Selection
Due to the vast void of space, naval battles between vessels require each of them to make attack runs on one another to get into range with one another while avoiding being a predictable target for enemy vessels to focus onto. This "jousting" maneuver is ingrained into naval doctrine across civilized space and leads to full broadside attacks as ships pass by one another, separate by a great distance but in an intimate dance that could not be any closer.
Once the ships involved in a battle have been established, a number pool is then generated to use for determining what a each ship will target in the moment. The values are based on the tonnage and the most common are listed below:
Destroyer: 1
Cruiser: 2
Warship: 3
Each ship has only one "joust" attempts but can be the target of multiple attempts throughout an engagement. They can always respond to said attacks with their own, so long as they are able to.
The turn order of which ships will attack first is one after another down the line, from biggest to smallest, swapping sides with every other ship. There is an initial roll at the beginning to determine who will strike first, with modifiers based on character stats or any other situational considerations.
Joust Ranges
When the attack vectors have been lined up, then to rush to face one another begins.
There are three distinct engagement stages at which weapons will open fire in: Long/Medium/Close. If a weapon's range matches the current stage, it can open fire. The one making the attack will strike first and the defender will hit back afterwards. Once both sides have exhausted all weapons they can fire in the current range, the clash proceeds to the next stage.
After Close range, both ships involved will back off to assess their damage and ready themselves for whatever other more "jousts" will come their way until the current battle is over.
Weapons and Defense
Each weapon, if in the right range, will have an attack roll with modifiers. There are different results depending on the threshold hit.
1-25: Total Miss (No damage)
26-50: Glancing Hit (Only minimum damage)
51-75: Good Hit (+1d10 damage)
76-100: Solid Hit (+2d10 damage)
If the attack roll exceeds 100, then the spillover will carry as a negative modifier to the attempted defense roll. Each attack will be met with an overall defense roll that indicates how well the ship can endure or reduce incoming damage. Like attack rolls, there are different thresholds with different results.
1-50: Badly Recovery (No reduction)
51-75: Partial Recovery (-1d10 damage)
76-100: Good Recovery (-2d10 damage)
100+: Outstanding Recovery (-2d10 damage. Can reduce minimum damage)
In most cases, the lowest a successful hit can be reduced to is the weapon's individual damage stat. However, the exception to this is in a result over 100, which can reduce a minimum down to one (1). This is the lowest it can go, and is meant to represent gradual attrition even in the finest of ships.
Escorts
Escorts are very small frigates that orbit around their attached ship, consisting of only about a dozen or so crew. Their main job is to ensure that in the "joust," their assigned ship isn't swarmed or focused upon by opportunist enemy escorts. Though should they themselves have the chance, they'll happily lend their own aid to the clash to support the fight.
At the start of every run, they'll engage enemy escorts and keep them occupied in a 1:1 ratio. For those who are still free after the match up, they will instead aid attacking the opposing ship, giving a positive modifier equal to however many are available. Their weapons deal mostly ineffective damage to larger ships, so this is the most they can do to help tip the scales.
At the end of the "joust," escorts will break from the fight and assess their losses. It is a simple d10 roll from both sides to determine the victor, and the difference is how many escorts the loser has lost. Afterwards, they'll regroup and prepare for the next possible engagement their assigned ship may get involved in.
Critical Checks
As ships come under fire and get damaged through a battle, they start suffering malfunctions and issues on board that complicate their willingness to keep fighting. However, it is far from certain and sometimes, a ship will endure magnitudes more than it should. Take heed that the reverse can also occur.
A Critical Check occurs everytime a ship's Hull reaches a threshold of ten (10) damage. A dice roll is made to see the severity of the newly sparked issue, with modifiers to adjust.
1-25: Severe Crit (+1 to crit table)
26-50: Regular Crit (+0 to crit table)
51-76: Minor Crit (-1 to crit table)
77+: Ignored Crit (No crit roll)
There are two primary modifiers to this roll. The first is a positive modifier based on the remaining Hull divided by half to symbolize the ship's overall health. The second is a negative modifier based on the damage of the last hit the ship suffered, aiding in determining just how severe the last attack was.
If a ship crosses multiple thresholds in a single hit, it only needs to make one critical roll to check. However, it may still be required to make multiple rolls depending on the outcome for the rest of the current fight.
Hull Fate
When a ship is too badly damaged, it can no longer fight and must withdraw from the battle for the safety of the surviving crew. That is the safest outcome, but far too tragically, many are unable to even have enough remaining functioning systems to move on their own terms.
When a Hull dips below zero (0) or the most severe crit effect is applied, the ship must now roll on a Hull fate table to determine how torn apart it is. The most gentle of these have the crew surviving and coaxing their wounded ship out of the engagement zone. But often times, the damage is too much and the ship is adrift, the survivors within in need of dire rescue by any surviving escort frigates or lifeboats. The most severe case involves a conplete ship detonation, the vessel ripped apart with all hands lost. In all cases, those performing evacuation and humanitarian efforts must be clearly broadcasting a withdrawal signal on all frequencies.
Attacking such a defanged and defeated vessel is considered a war crime of minor severity.
Due to the vast void of space, naval battles between vessels require each of them to make attack runs on one another to get into range with one another while avoiding being a predictable target for enemy vessels to focus onto. This "jousting" maneuver is ingrained into naval doctrine across civilized space and leads to full broadside attacks as ships pass by one another, separate by a great distance but in an intimate dance that could not be any closer.
Once the ships involved in a battle have been established, a number pool is then generated to use for determining what a each ship will target in the moment. The values are based on the tonnage and the most common are listed below:
Destroyer: 1
Cruiser: 2
Warship: 3
Each ship has only one "joust" attempts but can be the target of multiple attempts throughout an engagement. They can always respond to said attacks with their own, so long as they are able to.
The turn order of which ships will attack first is one after another down the line, from biggest to smallest, swapping sides with every other ship. There is an initial roll at the beginning to determine who will strike first, with modifiers based on character stats or any other situational considerations.
Joust Ranges
When the attack vectors have been lined up, then to rush to face one another begins.
There are three distinct engagement stages at which weapons will open fire in: Long/Medium/Close. If a weapon's range matches the current stage, it can open fire. The one making the attack will strike first and the defender will hit back afterwards. Once both sides have exhausted all weapons they can fire in the current range, the clash proceeds to the next stage.
After Close range, both ships involved will back off to assess their damage and ready themselves for whatever other more "jousts" will come their way until the current battle is over.
Weapons and Defense
Each weapon, if in the right range, will have an attack roll with modifiers. There are different results depending on the threshold hit.
1-25: Total Miss (No damage)
26-50: Glancing Hit (Only minimum damage)
51-75: Good Hit (+1d10 damage)
76-100: Solid Hit (+2d10 damage)
If the attack roll exceeds 100, then the spillover will carry as a negative modifier to the attempted defense roll. Each attack will be met with an overall defense roll that indicates how well the ship can endure or reduce incoming damage. Like attack rolls, there are different thresholds with different results.
1-50: Badly Recovery (No reduction)
51-75: Partial Recovery (-1d10 damage)
76-100: Good Recovery (-2d10 damage)
100+: Outstanding Recovery (-2d10 damage. Can reduce minimum damage)
In most cases, the lowest a successful hit can be reduced to is the weapon's individual damage stat. However, the exception to this is in a result over 100, which can reduce a minimum down to one (1). This is the lowest it can go, and is meant to represent gradual attrition even in the finest of ships.
Escorts
Escorts are very small frigates that orbit around their attached ship, consisting of only about a dozen or so crew. Their main job is to ensure that in the "joust," their assigned ship isn't swarmed or focused upon by opportunist enemy escorts. Though should they themselves have the chance, they'll happily lend their own aid to the clash to support the fight.
At the start of every run, they'll engage enemy escorts and keep them occupied in a 1:1 ratio. For those who are still free after the match up, they will instead aid attacking the opposing ship, giving a positive modifier equal to however many are available. Their weapons deal mostly ineffective damage to larger ships, so this is the most they can do to help tip the scales.
At the end of the "joust," escorts will break from the fight and assess their losses. It is a simple d10 roll from both sides to determine the victor, and the difference is how many escorts the loser has lost. Afterwards, they'll regroup and prepare for the next possible engagement their assigned ship may get involved in.
Critical Checks
As ships come under fire and get damaged through a battle, they start suffering malfunctions and issues on board that complicate their willingness to keep fighting. However, it is far from certain and sometimes, a ship will endure magnitudes more than it should. Take heed that the reverse can also occur.
A Critical Check occurs everytime a ship's Hull reaches a threshold of ten (10) damage. A dice roll is made to see the severity of the newly sparked issue, with modifiers to adjust.
1-25: Severe Crit (+1 to crit table)
26-50: Regular Crit (+0 to crit table)
51-76: Minor Crit (-1 to crit table)
77+: Ignored Crit (No crit roll)
There are two primary modifiers to this roll. The first is a positive modifier based on the remaining Hull divided by half to symbolize the ship's overall health. The second is a negative modifier based on the damage of the last hit the ship suffered, aiding in determining just how severe the last attack was.
If a ship crosses multiple thresholds in a single hit, it only needs to make one critical roll to check. However, it may still be required to make multiple rolls depending on the outcome for the rest of the current fight.
Hull Fate
When a ship is too badly damaged, it can no longer fight and must withdraw from the battle for the safety of the surviving crew. That is the safest outcome, but far too tragically, many are unable to even have enough remaining functioning systems to move on their own terms.
When a Hull dips below zero (0) or the most severe crit effect is applied, the ship must now roll on a Hull fate table to determine how torn apart it is. The most gentle of these have the crew surviving and coaxing their wounded ship out of the engagement zone. But often times, the damage is too much and the ship is adrift, the survivors within in need of dire rescue by any surviving escort frigates or lifeboats. The most severe case involves a conplete ship detonation, the vessel ripped apart with all hands lost. In all cases, those performing evacuation and humanitarian efforts must be clearly broadcasting a withdrawal signal on all frequencies.
Attacking such a defanged and defeated vessel is considered a war crime of minor severity.
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Travels of Dr. Trench: Pogora
Dr Tamara Trench's Guide to the Realms and Peoples of the United Empire: The Preatorium of Pogora
Founding of Pogora and Birth of the AEEs:
Pogora, which at its birth had another name now long forgotten to time, was founded to extract the planet's valuable gases and oils. Pogora itself is not an easily inhabitable planet, covered in endless bogs and swamps, only broken up by the occasional small sea and massive mudflats. The fauna was even less friendly, with massive water snakes inhabiting the swampwater and other bug-like tiny reptiles spreading a plethora of new diseases.
Still, swamps were cleared, settlements founded and massive gas wells built to extract the planet's noxious riches. Workers, researchers and administrators made the planet their home and generation by generation. What began as mere work camps grew into proper towns and a few exploding into real cities.
But Pogora remained a humble planet, just one of many extraction colonies. Or, it did, until the discovery of the Artificial Evolutionary Enzymes (AEE).
Pogora was in one sense a remarkable planet, namely in the sheer diversity of exotic biological gases its lito- and biosphere possessed. These were, with a few very profitable exceptions, mostly useless. Still, researchers worked for years and years to try and find a combination which could be of any use (and therefore profit).
And in the end, they found the first AEE. The researchers were testing just one of countless novel gas combinations, when their lab rats began having weird reactions. Rapid growth, enhanced speed and reflexes and heightened intelligence. They had just discovered a nearly unrivalled biological enhancement tool. The fruitless search had reached its end and a new search had just begun.
When the discovery began circulating across the planet a new race for advancement began. While the first AEE was effective, it was unpredictable in its results and did eventually lead to the slow and painful deaths of all the lab animals exposed to it. Still, the experiment was a breakthrough and by using the novel ideas it had implemented new, more stable AEEs were quickly discovered.
Development of Pogora and Light of the AEEs:
With the first generation of AEEs having been developed, the desire to mass produce them appeared. The planet's biosphere, which had so long been seen as nothing but a hindrance, now became a goldmine. Teams of extractors, from every settlement, ventured out to collect the gases mother nature provided them, be they from plant or animal.
Industries grew, producing AEEs to be sold across the planet and beyond, though by now every new successful AEE became a closely guarded trade secret to their respective corporation or settlement.
The Pogorans loved their AEEs. Administrators huffed AEEs to remove the need to sleep, the researchers huffed AEEs to increase their mental faculties, common workers huffed AEEs to enhance their strength and endurance and everyone huffed AEEs to feel relaxed, feel energised or feel happy. Some warned of the moral degeneracy of mass drug use, others of the still largely unknown side-effects, but few listened and basically no one tried doing anything about it.
As AEEs prolifered through Pogoran society, the planet grew ever greater. Productivity increased, scientific breakthroughs grew more common and wealth continued to flow into the planet's coffers.
Troubles of Pogora and Darkness of the AEEs:
No golden age lasts forever and as humanity as a whole entered a new age of strife, so did Podgora.
Podgoran society was now wholly centred around the AEEs, with all political power centres around the corporations and guilds which produced them and the merchant houses and gangs who distributed them. But a new problem had appeared with this status quo.
A biosphere, especially a newly colonised one, is a fragile thing. Podgora's biosphere had begun collapsing, the extraction teams slowly killing it. The men and women who led the planet's various factions knew this, they were no fools (especially when high on intelligence-enhancing AEEs). Attempts were made to limit the damage, to preserve areas for sustainable extraction, but with an entire planet's population hooked on AEEs, more was always needed.
But words and cordial agreements failed. Conflict followed.
At first, small security detachments clashed in the wildlands, but before anyone realised, it was private armies battling in the streets of major cities. Corporate espionage evolved into mass assassination campaigns. Handguns and riot shields were replaced by artillery and combat speeders.
All while the supply of AEEs grew smaller and smaller, with industrial capacity redirected for war production and collection crews being constantly harassed by enemy soldiers.
Probably the only good thing to come out of the constant conflict was the rapid advancement of hover technology. Since many wars were mainly focused on protecting local environments, no faction wanted to risk damaging the delicate ecosystems they were fighting in. Therefore, speeders, hovering APCs and mobile bases were developed to allow warfare with minimal damage to its surroundings.
This level of thoughtfulness was not granted to the cities and settlements though and with the systematic destruction of the logistical and industrial systems which had made life of Pogora not only livable, but comfortable, slowly being broken under the pressure of constant low-intensity (and intermittent high-intensity) combat, the planet was on the brink.
Yes, goods kept flowing in and out of the docks, the AEEs continued being produced and the guilds and merchant houses continued their internal politicking, but anyone with a keen eye could see how the planet had decayed and anyone with a sharp mind could see it wasn't improving. The Troubles was set to drag yet another part of human civilisation into the abyss.
The Unification of Pogora and Mastery of the AEEs:
Yet it seemed history had another plan for them, for in this darkest hour came salvation, salvation in the form of the Stellarch, the herald of hope and unification. While his word had reached Pogora much earlier than the Stellarch themself, it had mostly gone ignored by the movers and shakers of Pogora. Civil war had left the planet largely cut off from galactic affairs, the few merchant ships selling gases and AEEs to the neighbouring systems the only exception.
So when the Stellarch arrived in the system with their fleet, it caught the Pogorans very much off guard. Still, if there is one thing an age of strife teaches a person, it is to see opportunity in the unknown. Hundreds of small ships, carrying the cream of the political and economic elite, ventured forth to meet the Stellarch.
When the Stellarch met with these hundreds of merchants, industrialists and scientists, they managed to do what had never been thought possible, they managed to sway the planet's hundreds of leaders to their side. Through charm, guile and shrewd negotiations, the Stellarch played the leaders like they were mere children. The Stellarch would stay in the planet's orbit for one standard year and in that year they managed to end the conflicts, kickstart the restoration of both AEE production and research and to unify the planet under one authority.
So complete was their authority by the year's end, that all the leaders of the planet prostrated themselves before the Stellarch, begging them to stay, to rule the planet as they had come to rule its rulers.
The Stellarch did not stay, but did not leave before appointing one out of the hundreds to lead Pogora in their name. So was appointed the first Praetor of Pogora.
Once the Stellarch left, to go find more wayward realms to bring back to humanity's fold, life would begin anew on Pogora. Industries would be rebuilt, new trade fleets constructed and a new, sustainable system of extraction would be designed.
This new golden age also brought with it new ideas and ideals and most preeminent of these was the Stellarch themself. Even the oldest, most AEE affected Boss (for that is the title the vassals of the Praetor would take) could not have navigated the political stage like the Stellarch had. The Stellarch was an unattainable ideal, an unrivalled mind in an rivalled body, but untainted by the side-effects of the AEEs.
For while the AEEs brought with them innumerable gifts, they still stained the body and mind. Even in these early days the most AEE altered barely looked human. But they knew, while they might never attain the undivided and untainted perfection of the Stellarch, they might attain at least an aspect of that whole.
So once more the Pogorans delved ever deeper into the science of the AEEs. No longer would they constrain themselves, for no amount of alterations, physical or mental, would stop them from grasping for a piece of perfection.
Nowadays few of the Pogoran elite resemble human beings, in mind or body, so altered by AEEs that many live most of their extended lives in opulent mechanical suits. AEE still filters down to the lower classes as well, though not nearly to the same extent as in the first golden age.
But be they merchant lords in flying palace complexes, no longer able to live without cutting-edge AEEs or humble workers in a concrete block, scraping together money for the next month's huff of AEE, they all live in service to the Stellarch. Few are the planets so obsessed with their sovereign.
"I arrived on Pogora just a week ago, but already I have noted down so much for my book. Pogora is one of those planets so markedly different from the average planet I have the pleasure of visiting. While I would never call any planet wholly uninteresting, Pogora is exceptional in its uniqueness, like Khepron or Helm. On the first day I met my host and local contact, Boss (yea, that's his actual, official title!) Tsakhia. The Boss' of Pogora live in these massive flying palaces, according to Tsakhia because no one wants to damage the valuable wetlands by clearing land for building space. Tsakhia himself spent the first few days in this massive mech suit, though it's not like any of the combat suits I have seen previously, instead this one is slow, kinda bulky and extremely richly decorated. I asked him if the suit uses hover tech to be able to carry so much gold. He only laughed at that.
On my fourth day I ventured down to Tsakhiaiin Khüree (you can guess who the place is named after). The settlement is on the smaller side, but from what I've come to understand, so are most settlements on the planet. I met some charming fellows at a bar who told me about life as a Collector. The Collectors are the workers responsible for going out into the wetlands to collect the surprisingly diverse set of gases the biosphere offers. I asked one of them if I could go with them the next day to better document their job. I was sadly rejected, apparently the tech they use is a guild secret. Plus, they didn't want the Boss' honoured guest to be eaten by the giant snakes. I couldn't agree more.
Another thing I noted in the city is how many statues there are of the Stellarch. I asked both the locals and Tsakhia about this. While their explanation had to be left for the book proper, I feel I can safely classify the Pogorans as a "Stellarch Worshipping" culture.
I stayed a few more days, before returning to the palace today. Boss Tsakhia had prepared a massive feast for me, this time in his personal chamber. I didn't know at the time that this meant I would be meeting him face to face. His personal chamber is precision built to allow him to leave his life-supporting suit, at least for a time.
The Boss isla very. There is no polite way to say it, he's basically a massive mound of flesh, a face with a few too many eyes buried inside a body a few tons heavier and a few shades bluer than any human body has a right to be.
I'm going to have to check with Tsakhia if I should remove that part (Edit: He said it was one of the nicer descriptions he'd heard of his real form).
He explained that the AEE (that being thedrug chemical enhancer the planet is so famous for) had changed him to what he now was. When I asked why he allowed it to happen, he explained how the AEE had enhanced his mind to the level that he now ran a trade empire which would usually have needed a support staff of 500, all on his own. He barely even used AI, being able to do unimaginably complex calculations in his head.
At the end of the night he asked me if I wanted to try a huff of his personal cocktail of AEEs. He'd started huffing from a nearby barrel by the end of the feast, having started reaching the end for what his altered body could handle. I said yes and tried it and can now wholly admit to understanding why the entire planet seems hooked on the stuff. I am writing this still under the effect and my mind is running a mile a minute and the past months memories are as vivid to me as if they happened less than a minute ago. It's overwhelming yet such a wonderful feeling.
Anyhow, I should get back to organising my actual notes. A book doesn't write itself after all."
-Excerpt from the Personal Diary of Dr Tamara Trench
Well, that was one hell of a night.
I was busy working on the next Blood Runs Cold Omake when I saw Celeshiro asking for Omakes here and I realised I couldn't not have the first Omake be mine. So I sat down for three and a half hours and wrote this.
I'm so happy I got a chance to write worldbuilding like this, it's something I'm much better at than the character-focused Omakes I usually write, so... Thank your Celeshiro, the quest seems great. If the muses will it we'll surely see more of Dr Trench's travels in the future.
Guess I should get around to writing something for Digital Higabana now
/Royalist
-[X] [Primary Technology] Genetic Manipulation. One's own body is a laboratory in itself, with the very building blocks at one's fingertips to manipulate as so willed.
--[X] The deviant human. Incorporate aspects of others to strengthen the body, sprouting a variety of features to accelerate evolution through diversity itself.
-[X] [Technology] Powered Armor. Miniaturization of mechanical components gradually accomplish the ability to mount it on exo-suits meant for direct personal control.
--[X] Armored protection. The suit features heavy armor plates meant to deflect or absorb blows as needed while installed subsystems prolong the user's survival for as long as possible.
-[X] [Technology] Gravity Thrusters. Manipulating the forces emitted by gravity allows for perfect control over what is affected by said gravity, including what repels it instead.
--[X] Sustained hover. A constant stream of energy emitting from the thrusters allow for objects to stay in perpetual flight as needed.
-[X] [Pillar] Stellarch Worship. The people hold a strong belief that the First Stellarch was a mortal saint, and their descendants harbor a shard of divinity for the hope of mankind.
-[X] [Pillar] Fortunate Soldier. Patriotism for the nation is a good reason to fight for, but the lure of coin is an even stronger one for these people.
--[X] The deviant human. Incorporate aspects of others to strengthen the body, sprouting a variety of features to accelerate evolution through diversity itself.
-[X] [Technology] Powered Armor. Miniaturization of mechanical components gradually accomplish the ability to mount it on exo-suits meant for direct personal control.
--[X] Armored protection. The suit features heavy armor plates meant to deflect or absorb blows as needed while installed subsystems prolong the user's survival for as long as possible.
-[X] [Technology] Gravity Thrusters. Manipulating the forces emitted by gravity allows for perfect control over what is affected by said gravity, including what repels it instead.
--[X] Sustained hover. A constant stream of energy emitting from the thrusters allow for objects to stay in perpetual flight as needed.
-[X] [Pillar] Stellarch Worship. The people hold a strong belief that the First Stellarch was a mortal saint, and their descendants harbor a shard of divinity for the hope of mankind.
-[X] [Pillar] Fortunate Soldier. Patriotism for the nation is a good reason to fight for, but the lure of coin is an even stronger one for these people.
Founding of Pogora and Birth of the AEEs:
Pogora, which at its birth had another name now long forgotten to time, was founded to extract the planet's valuable gases and oils. Pogora itself is not an easily inhabitable planet, covered in endless bogs and swamps, only broken up by the occasional small sea and massive mudflats. The fauna was even less friendly, with massive water snakes inhabiting the swampwater and other bug-like tiny reptiles spreading a plethora of new diseases.
Still, swamps were cleared, settlements founded and massive gas wells built to extract the planet's noxious riches. Workers, researchers and administrators made the planet their home and generation by generation. What began as mere work camps grew into proper towns and a few exploding into real cities.
But Pogora remained a humble planet, just one of many extraction colonies. Or, it did, until the discovery of the Artificial Evolutionary Enzymes (AEE).
Pogora was in one sense a remarkable planet, namely in the sheer diversity of exotic biological gases its lito- and biosphere possessed. These were, with a few very profitable exceptions, mostly useless. Still, researchers worked for years and years to try and find a combination which could be of any use (and therefore profit).
And in the end, they found the first AEE. The researchers were testing just one of countless novel gas combinations, when their lab rats began having weird reactions. Rapid growth, enhanced speed and reflexes and heightened intelligence. They had just discovered a nearly unrivalled biological enhancement tool. The fruitless search had reached its end and a new search had just begun.
When the discovery began circulating across the planet a new race for advancement began. While the first AEE was effective, it was unpredictable in its results and did eventually lead to the slow and painful deaths of all the lab animals exposed to it. Still, the experiment was a breakthrough and by using the novel ideas it had implemented new, more stable AEEs were quickly discovered.
Development of Pogora and Light of the AEEs:
With the first generation of AEEs having been developed, the desire to mass produce them appeared. The planet's biosphere, which had so long been seen as nothing but a hindrance, now became a goldmine. Teams of extractors, from every settlement, ventured out to collect the gases mother nature provided them, be they from plant or animal.
Industries grew, producing AEEs to be sold across the planet and beyond, though by now every new successful AEE became a closely guarded trade secret to their respective corporation or settlement.
The Pogorans loved their AEEs. Administrators huffed AEEs to remove the need to sleep, the researchers huffed AEEs to increase their mental faculties, common workers huffed AEEs to enhance their strength and endurance and everyone huffed AEEs to feel relaxed, feel energised or feel happy. Some warned of the moral degeneracy of mass drug use, others of the still largely unknown side-effects, but few listened and basically no one tried doing anything about it.
As AEEs prolifered through Pogoran society, the planet grew ever greater. Productivity increased, scientific breakthroughs grew more common and wealth continued to flow into the planet's coffers.
Troubles of Pogora and Darkness of the AEEs:
No golden age lasts forever and as humanity as a whole entered a new age of strife, so did Podgora.
Podgoran society was now wholly centred around the AEEs, with all political power centres around the corporations and guilds which produced them and the merchant houses and gangs who distributed them. But a new problem had appeared with this status quo.
A biosphere, especially a newly colonised one, is a fragile thing. Podgora's biosphere had begun collapsing, the extraction teams slowly killing it. The men and women who led the planet's various factions knew this, they were no fools (especially when high on intelligence-enhancing AEEs). Attempts were made to limit the damage, to preserve areas for sustainable extraction, but with an entire planet's population hooked on AEEs, more was always needed.
But words and cordial agreements failed. Conflict followed.
At first, small security detachments clashed in the wildlands, but before anyone realised, it was private armies battling in the streets of major cities. Corporate espionage evolved into mass assassination campaigns. Handguns and riot shields were replaced by artillery and combat speeders.
All while the supply of AEEs grew smaller and smaller, with industrial capacity redirected for war production and collection crews being constantly harassed by enemy soldiers.
Probably the only good thing to come out of the constant conflict was the rapid advancement of hover technology. Since many wars were mainly focused on protecting local environments, no faction wanted to risk damaging the delicate ecosystems they were fighting in. Therefore, speeders, hovering APCs and mobile bases were developed to allow warfare with minimal damage to its surroundings.
This level of thoughtfulness was not granted to the cities and settlements though and with the systematic destruction of the logistical and industrial systems which had made life of Pogora not only livable, but comfortable, slowly being broken under the pressure of constant low-intensity (and intermittent high-intensity) combat, the planet was on the brink.
Yes, goods kept flowing in and out of the docks, the AEEs continued being produced and the guilds and merchant houses continued their internal politicking, but anyone with a keen eye could see how the planet had decayed and anyone with a sharp mind could see it wasn't improving. The Troubles was set to drag yet another part of human civilisation into the abyss.
The Unification of Pogora and Mastery of the AEEs:
Yet it seemed history had another plan for them, for in this darkest hour came salvation, salvation in the form of the Stellarch, the herald of hope and unification. While his word had reached Pogora much earlier than the Stellarch themself, it had mostly gone ignored by the movers and shakers of Pogora. Civil war had left the planet largely cut off from galactic affairs, the few merchant ships selling gases and AEEs to the neighbouring systems the only exception.
So when the Stellarch arrived in the system with their fleet, it caught the Pogorans very much off guard. Still, if there is one thing an age of strife teaches a person, it is to see opportunity in the unknown. Hundreds of small ships, carrying the cream of the political and economic elite, ventured forth to meet the Stellarch.
When the Stellarch met with these hundreds of merchants, industrialists and scientists, they managed to do what had never been thought possible, they managed to sway the planet's hundreds of leaders to their side. Through charm, guile and shrewd negotiations, the Stellarch played the leaders like they were mere children. The Stellarch would stay in the planet's orbit for one standard year and in that year they managed to end the conflicts, kickstart the restoration of both AEE production and research and to unify the planet under one authority.
So complete was their authority by the year's end, that all the leaders of the planet prostrated themselves before the Stellarch, begging them to stay, to rule the planet as they had come to rule its rulers.
The Stellarch did not stay, but did not leave before appointing one out of the hundreds to lead Pogora in their name. So was appointed the first Praetor of Pogora.
Once the Stellarch left, to go find more wayward realms to bring back to humanity's fold, life would begin anew on Pogora. Industries would be rebuilt, new trade fleets constructed and a new, sustainable system of extraction would be designed.
This new golden age also brought with it new ideas and ideals and most preeminent of these was the Stellarch themself. Even the oldest, most AEE affected Boss (for that is the title the vassals of the Praetor would take) could not have navigated the political stage like the Stellarch had. The Stellarch was an unattainable ideal, an unrivalled mind in an rivalled body, but untainted by the side-effects of the AEEs.
For while the AEEs brought with them innumerable gifts, they still stained the body and mind. Even in these early days the most AEE altered barely looked human. But they knew, while they might never attain the undivided and untainted perfection of the Stellarch, they might attain at least an aspect of that whole.
So once more the Pogorans delved ever deeper into the science of the AEEs. No longer would they constrain themselves, for no amount of alterations, physical or mental, would stop them from grasping for a piece of perfection.
Nowadays few of the Pogoran elite resemble human beings, in mind or body, so altered by AEEs that many live most of their extended lives in opulent mechanical suits. AEE still filters down to the lower classes as well, though not nearly to the same extent as in the first golden age.
But be they merchant lords in flying palace complexes, no longer able to live without cutting-edge AEEs or humble workers in a concrete block, scraping together money for the next month's huff of AEE, they all live in service to the Stellarch. Few are the planets so obsessed with their sovereign.
"I arrived on Pogora just a week ago, but already I have noted down so much for my book. Pogora is one of those planets so markedly different from the average planet I have the pleasure of visiting. While I would never call any planet wholly uninteresting, Pogora is exceptional in its uniqueness, like Khepron or Helm. On the first day I met my host and local contact, Boss (yea, that's his actual, official title!) Tsakhia. The Boss' of Pogora live in these massive flying palaces, according to Tsakhia because no one wants to damage the valuable wetlands by clearing land for building space. Tsakhia himself spent the first few days in this massive mech suit, though it's not like any of the combat suits I have seen previously, instead this one is slow, kinda bulky and extremely richly decorated. I asked him if the suit uses hover tech to be able to carry so much gold. He only laughed at that.
On my fourth day I ventured down to Tsakhiaiin Khüree (you can guess who the place is named after). The settlement is on the smaller side, but from what I've come to understand, so are most settlements on the planet. I met some charming fellows at a bar who told me about life as a Collector. The Collectors are the workers responsible for going out into the wetlands to collect the surprisingly diverse set of gases the biosphere offers. I asked one of them if I could go with them the next day to better document their job. I was sadly rejected, apparently the tech they use is a guild secret. Plus, they didn't want the Boss' honoured guest to be eaten by the giant snakes. I couldn't agree more.
Another thing I noted in the city is how many statues there are of the Stellarch. I asked both the locals and Tsakhia about this. While their explanation had to be left for the book proper, I feel I can safely classify the Pogorans as a "Stellarch Worshipping" culture.
I stayed a few more days, before returning to the palace today. Boss Tsakhia had prepared a massive feast for me, this time in his personal chamber. I didn't know at the time that this meant I would be meeting him face to face. His personal chamber is precision built to allow him to leave his life-supporting suit, at least for a time.
The Boss is
I'm going to have to check with Tsakhia if I should remove that part (Edit: He said it was one of the nicer descriptions he'd heard of his real form).
He explained that the AEE (that being the
At the end of the night he asked me if I wanted to try a huff of his personal cocktail of AEEs. He'd started huffing from a nearby barrel by the end of the feast, having started reaching the end for what his altered body could handle. I said yes and tried it and can now wholly admit to understanding why the entire planet seems hooked on the stuff. I am writing this still under the effect and my mind is running a mile a minute and the past months memories are as vivid to me as if they happened less than a minute ago. It's overwhelming yet such a wonderful feeling.
Anyhow, I should get back to organising my actual notes. A book doesn't write itself after all."
-Excerpt from the Personal Diary of Dr Tamara Trench
Well, that was one hell of a night.
I was busy working on the next Blood Runs Cold Omake when I saw Celeshiro asking for Omakes here and I realised I couldn't not have the first Omake be mine. So I sat down for three and a half hours and wrote this.
I'm so happy I got a chance to write worldbuilding like this, it's something I'm much better at than the character-focused Omakes I usually write, so... Thank your Celeshiro, the quest seems great. If the muses will it we'll surely see more of Dr Trench's travels in the future.
/Royalist
Cycle 1.2
[X] Plan Small Flower big punch
-[X] [Template] Basic Escort (Mark 1)
-[X] [Weapons] Sword Cannon (Mark 1)
-[X] [Defenses] Mage Turrets (Mark 1)
-[X] Wisteria class destroyer (mark 1)
--[X] Developed by Heliophile Voidworks, Ltd.
-[X] [Template] Basic Escort (Mark 1)
-[X] [Weapons] Sword Cannon (Mark 1)
-[X] [Defenses] Mage Turrets (Mark 1)
-[X] Wisteria class destroyer (mark 1)
--[X] Developed by Heliophile Voidworks, Ltd.
Kat reviewed the final target specifications that the Prisms under her had put together. "So our first ship is basically something that screams 'fuck you' and then hurls a ton of lead in their general direction until they get the message," She bluntly summarized and her subordinates nodded. "Nothing too ambitious for now. Good, I was worried I was going to have to beat it into your knuckle brains that we're a far cry from Helm right now."
The reminder of their old home had some faces adopting a downtrodden look, and it didn't go unnoticed. With a huff, the Hyacinth Prism tapped the concept drawings to draw their attention. "Hey, don't go into the shitters just because of that. We're just getting started here. Once we get this done and impress the Solar Princess, maybe she'll throw more projects our way. Maybe even give us a Solarium Forge to finally get workshops rolling for all of us!" That sparked a renewed flame that Kat clearly took pride in. "See? Now then, let's get this all stamped and approved, then we can start actually putting it all together! Get off your ass and get ready once I come back, because I'll be driving you all to the bone!"
There was a chorus of eager agreement while their unofficial leader gathered up the proposed design and stepped outside the converted workshop. She took a single step across the door, paused, then turned to face her subordinates with suddenly shy and fidgeting fingers. "A-and thank-k you," Kat stuttered out, her voice meek and tiny with overwhelming nervousness. "Your help is, um...appreciated!" She squeaked and darted off, the sudden personality shift having some of the Prisms chuckling fondly under their breath.
Unbeknownst to them, there was another joining in the soft laughter in an office while idly preparing to go over the design.
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(Develop City (New Helm): 43 +7 (Radana) +11 (Wealth) = 61)
Progress: 2/2. Finished!
New Helm has increased by one (1) Industry.
Radana smiled encouragingly and raised her voice to carry it through the room, subtly weaving a little enhancement through the circuits in her body to do so. "It would appear then that the motion to accept these new districts to our burgeoning capital has been carried. Please give a round of applause for your new colleagues of the assembly."
Said colleagues flushed at the energetic welcome they were given, but stood up just a little bit straighter when it was all done. The Camellia Knight nodded with a pleased expression and sat back down to relax, lending nothing but her presence to further discussions. Her job was done, especially with New Helm's governing body already beginning to enthusiastically discuss what this incorporation of additional suburbs entailed. Though they wouldn't remain so undeveloped for long, especially if the new capital for the Helmsmen away from their ancestral home continued to grow.
But if they did indeed wish to grow further, then they could do so after an excellent cup of tea.
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(Design Ship (Wisteria-class): 41 +15 (Kat) +11 (Wealth) = 67)
Progress: 2/4. Ongoing.
"A work by Heliophile Voidworks, Ltd. How interesting," You muttered while going over the proposal. "I should learn more about them."
"I-I'll ask around!" Kat eagerly promised with violent head nodding. "B-but you can trust them!"
"We'll see once the prototypes are in production." Which they already are, you knew already. But you'd let Kat still roar and push for progress updates in her workshop, to keep up your facade if nothing else. Still, it seemed like there was good progress and the design could be finalized relatively soon.
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(Construct Chain (Data Reliquary)): 16 +10 (Violet) +11 (Wealth) = 37)
Progress: 2/2. Finished!
New Helm has built a Data Reliquary.
You took a deep breath, smothered the deep desire to scream in despair, and put on a wide plastic smile on your face. Your walk up to the podium to stand before the gathered crowd felt more akin to walking to a firing squad, complete with faces looking at you in judgment and anticipation. Your hands gripped the sides of the stand before you, and you sucked in a deep breath that unfortunately only heightened the tension in the scene.
Just...get this over with! "Today is a landmark moment for us, the date upon which we commit to our presence in this system," You began, glancing at the short bullet point list that your best friend had jotted down for you. "Even should we depart or fade away in time, our honor and legacy will still be forever preserved in the Data Reliquary we open today. Our people know only too well the value of knowledge passed on through time, reaching to enlighten and enrich those far in the future beyond us."
You swallowed, already feeling your knees quiver, but clutched the stand tighter. One last push! You distracted yourself with mentally screaming, thus not catching the words slipping out of your mouth until it was too late. "So should wicked thoughts tug at you, selfish ones even, do not heed them so. Remember that it is the choices we make now that forge the future we wish to see. If you feel your resolve slipping, then it is for this very reason that this repository of knowledge is open for all. Remember the words of those who have walked in these very steps before, and seek the wisdom of the yesterday to guide a vision of tomorrow."
Moments after those words left your lips, you realized you had made a very grave error. One that quickly compounded with the first cheers and claps from the spectators that swiftly cascaded into rousing applause at your simple, short, but empathetic speech. But perhaps there was a chance they hadn't made the connection-!
"The Solar Princess is right! We just can't forget and throw away our past!" One cried out and the blood froze in your veins. "Remember that she was the one who led the charge to save everybody regardless!"
"Even if she could not save His Majesty in the end, she still honored him so by being at his side at the very end!" Another added, then their tone began to sour. "Unlike a certain other!"
"Aye, we support the one who is righteous!" A pause, then a daring suggestion. "And still, she's kind enough to offer an open hand for redemption! It's clear that House Iris still has a chance at greatness under her!"
"Such generosity!"
"Such forgiveness!"
"Such leadership!"
With each additional heaping of praise thrown your way, you felt something inside you shatter just a little bit more. In a completely unintended manner, it seemed like you had turned what was supposed to be just a regular ceremony speech into an improvised rally on why you were just, and your sister the disgraced. Your mind flashed to a casual mention from Dorothea right before the event that she had vetted all those here, to ensure that none would act disgracefully in the presence of House Iris.
It only just occurred to you know that she had only picked those who did lean already in your direction. Your head mechanically turned to where you knew a camera lens was, livestreaming this event across the entire system and showcasing what appeared to be popular support for your side in comparison to your older sister. This had undoubtedly helped push some more people on the fence to fervently believe in your supremacy...and thus further doom any attempt to hand it all over to fade away later.
You wanted to scream and storm off the stage. But instead, you plastered the widest grin you could put on, and resolved to curl up sobbing in the privacy of your office later.
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(Infiltrate Cells (Sister): 97 +14 (Dorothea) +11 (Wealth) = 122)
Progress: 4/4. Finished!
House Iris Separatists have been infiltrated...
Footsteps echoed through the empty streets of the city, rushing and hurrying along to reach their destination as swiftly as possible. It was long past curfew, meaning that those 'commissioned enforcers' still awake and stalking the streets were the most vicious of their kind, seeing those who violate the commandment as nothing more but heads to present for a nice reward. Already, the haste was causing unnecessary noise and drawing greedy eyes.
Yet by the time they arrived, hands a little too close to their blades, they were disappointed with the sight of nobody there. After a few minutes of grumbling and kicking empty containers about, they sullenly accepted their prey had likely already escaped and departed the area in search of other possible violations. Beneath a set of cellar doors, relieved breaths were exchanged and those who had fled descended deeper into the dimly lit basement. One of them went to a seemingly random stack of items to withdraw a battered looking radio. Then they slid the fake case off and activated a communicator, dialing in a private channel to reach a remote outpost that then bounced the signal off planet.
It took a moment for the screen to confirm the connection and visual feed established. "You are behind on your check-in," Dorothea mentioned with narrowed eyes. The agent could practically feel the Lycoris Knight's hand coming to a rest on the hilt of her weapon. "Explain yourself."
The infiltrator gave a single nod and stepped aside to beckon an exhausted looking individual step up. At the intense questioning look from the woman a planet away, they nervously coughed and clear their throat. "A-ah. I'm...well, I don't want to share my name, just in case. But I work with city administration."
That immediately grabbed Dorothea's attention and they gave a single grim nod. "I've tried my best to try and bridge what the people need with what our lady wishes, but it's been a losing battle from the start. So much so that I and many others are prepared to already throw in the towel, but we can't. We're effectively chained to our jobs due to how it's been all setup. Needless to say, all of us aren't so happy...and are more than willing to provide information if it helps topple this regime."
The Lycoris Knight leaned in slightly, none noticing the faint glint of a bugged button beneath her collar. "I'm listening," She spoke, unknowingly voicing two individuals at once.
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- Just resolving the turn results in one post, then we'll flow into a setup for the next cycle soon.- Progress in peacetime is as follows: 1 (1-25), 2 (26-75), 3 (76-100), 4 (100+)
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Travels of Dr. Trench: Noatans
Dr Tamara Trench's Guide to the Realms and Peoples of the United Empire: The Preatorium of Noatun
Founding of Noatun and Ingenuity of Naumsium:
The story of the people who would become the Noatans begins with the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Engineering and Research Company. Lauritzen & Lauritzen was one of the oldest and most preeminent ship designers during the Age of Expansion and developed many technologies still used today. Their greatest achievement was the creation of Naumsium, one of the most efficient cloaking alloys humanity has ever produced. When the celebration of its development was over, Lauritzen & Lauritzen turned its eyes to the matter of mass production. A great amount of new minerals would need to be acquired and therefore many new mining colonies would need to be founded, among these was Noatun.
The Noatun sector contained among other things the Noatun Asteroid Belt, a massive belt of mineral rich asteroids containing reserves of every component mineral of Naumsium, making the systems colonisation of vital importance to the company.
The planet Noatun itself wasn't given much focus though, its only city of Noatun City founded to cement Lauritzen & Lauritzen control over the sector. Noatun is a very cold planet, mostly covered in giant glaciers with a thin strip of inhabitable land along the equator, meaning the company saw little use in establishing a greater presence on it, so Noatun City remained only a local administrative hub and not much more.
The real focus was put on Port Njor and the massive mining-ship fleet. Port Njor was built to be the logistical, economic and industrial hub of the sector, a cutting-edge space station in which the minerals would be deposited, Naumsium refined and then shipped out to the rest of the galaxy. Its fleet was similarly advanced, a massive armada of the finest mining-ships the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company could produce.
But economic growth wasn't the only thing the colony experienced during its early days, but a cultural one too, as a new cultural identity was born in the system. The workforce, living under the firm hand of the Lauritzsen & Lauritzen company, learnt in these early days the importance of cooperation and solidarity. Self-reliance and hard work were likewise highly valued, the ideal of a strong and productive worker an ever present part of company propaganda.
Development of Noatun and Creation of the Njor Frames:
Noatun, at the time located at the edge of colonised space, still became a regional economic hub, vast amounts of wealth flowing into the system as the valuable Naumsium alloy was exported en masse. This economic freedom allowed the local directorate to delve into its own R&D efforts to further increase the efficiency of the colony.
One of the directorates biggest problems was that both the Noatun system and its surrounding systems lacked many actual colonists who could work on the massive mining and refining operation. Every death and retirement came at a great cost to the company. Ideas to bring in robotic workers were brought up, but the AI systems needed to retain the same level of efficiency as humans proved too expensive. Then came a new idea, the idea to not replace their workers with robots, but merge them.
The result was the Njor Frames. The Njor Frames are robotic bodies into which human organs can be transferred, the person's mind taking the place of an AI in running the suit. The system keeps the few biological organs alive and the human enjoys the many benefits of their new cyborg body. Increased strength and endurance, no need to sleep, 360 degrees of visions, extended lifespans, etc.
While few workers wanted to get transformed into a Njor Cyborg, the company exploited its economic and policing stranglehold over its workers to coerce a sizeable part of its workforce to undergo the irreversible operation to become a Njor Cyborg, though popular pressure never allowed them the full transition some in the local directorate wanted. Still, the frames pushed the system's output to even greater heights.
Some of this wealth even trickled down to the common workers, allowing for a sort of cultural flourishing. The ship-bound workers (who made up the vast majority of the workforce and general population) developed ship-specific traditions, the inhabitants of Port Njor helped develop small-scale consumer industries which markedly improved the lives for the systems workers and the inhabitants of Noatun City helped build up their city to a small, yet respectable capital for the system.
The Troubles of Noatun and Development of the Home Ships:
These good times would, like all others, come to an end as the Age of Troubles brought humanity into a new dark age.
It began with a downturn in trade. Isolationism and protectionism were the words of the day and for such a trade-dependent society like Noatun that meant the end of the prosperity it had previously enjoyed. Still, profits (though markedly smaller ones) could still be made and the threat of intervention by the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company in defence of its colony kept the hungry eyes of Noatuns neighbours turned elsewhere. If things had continued like that then maybe Noatun could have ridden out the storm, surviving the Age of Troubles largely unscathed. But knowledgeable readers know this would not last.
The Burning of Luyten was a massive event in Human history. One of the first planets to ever be colonised by humans and a galactic centre of trade, industry and science, was nearly wholly destroyed in a brutal war against its neighbours. While I could write a whole of book on the Burning of Luyten (like many of my colleagues have done), what is important to this chapter is that the planet was home to the headquarter of Lauritzen & Lauritzen and it the surprise attack upon the planet, the entire board of directors perished and most of the governing body of the company was destroyed. (1)
With Noatun's suzerain effectively whipped off the face of the galaxy, the wolves began circling the system. While the directorate had begun the construction of a small defence fleet, it was not nearly enough to stave off an attack from the system's neighbours.
When the first enemy fleet came(2), the directorate in Noatun City knew they would never be able to meet them in open battle. Having used Naumsium in the construction of their ships, the Noatan fleet was able to inflict costly wounds against the enemy fleet in quick hit-and-run attacks. But their enemy was a veteran fighting force and the Noatans had not a single professional officer in their ranks, so in the end, the fleet was caught and destroyed.
With any hope of a successful defence now no more than space scrap, the board of directors in Noatun City sent out a message of surrender. But the enemy, which had only planned on raiding Port Njor's Naumsium stores, was now out for revenge. The enemy fleet proceeded to occupy Port Njor before beginning to indiscriminately bombard Noatun City from orbit, reducing the city and killing the system's leadership. (3)
With their goals achieved the enemy fleet returned home to their own system, but not before leaving a final message. One of their rivals was apparently amassing a fleet of their own, larger than the first enemy's fleet, to come and properly conquer Noatun.
The entire war had thrown Noatan society into chaos and with a second enemy fleet on the way there was little time to stabilise. But stabilise they did. With company control now reduced to ash, the workers of Port Njor and the mining ships took control and a giant assembly was held at Port Njor to discuss what was to be done. Everyone agreed that active military opposition was a doom endeavour and an ambitious plan of withdrawal was instead agreed upon.
Port Njor would be evacuated, its population distributed across the great mining ships. The ships themselves would be rapidly reconstructed to become more self-sufficient, expanding their farm and housing sections and retrofitting the ships with hastily produced Naumsium to better hide them. Even the massive alloy forges of Port Njor were deconstructed and rebuilt as parts of these new "Home Ships" to allow for the production of Naumsium on the move.
Finally there was the most controversial of the emergency projects, the expansion of the Njor Cyborg corps. The Njor Frames were widely disliked as a concept due to their tainted history, but during the battle against the first enemy fleet, they had proven themselves as great fighters, especially in boarding actions. With heavy hearts the assembly sent out the calls for volunteers to join the Njor Cyborg Corps, but this time no one would be forced into it and anyone who volunteered was rightfully considered a great hero.
While some doubted if this ambitious list of actions could be put into effect before the second enemy fleet came, though hard-work the Noatans managed to do it and as the first scouting ships entered the system, the last Home Ship left a now empty Port Njor, headed back to the asteroid belt.
The occupation would prove bloody and fruitless for the invaders. The Naumsium stores of Port Njor had been emptied and its industrial infrastructure deconstructed. When the enemy realised that the Noatans were hiding in the asteroid belt, they sent ships to hunt them down.
This would prove a deadly mistake.
The asteroid belt was filled with small mining bases, many of which the Njor Cyborgs had converted into ambush points. The enemy officers quickly learnt that behind every asteroid there could be an ambush waiting to strike, cyborgs sneaking close before ripping open holes with their mining drills and flooding into the ship. While these early guerilla fighters were untrained, their enhanced bodies made them brutal fighters and with every engagement they learnt and became yet deadlier.
Tracking down either Cyborg bases or Home Ships proved a futile task. The Home Ships buried themselves in the deepest depths of the asteroid belt and their farms made it so they didn't have to leave for resupply. The Cyborgs mechanical bodies allowed them to survive with even small stores of food for years and whenever they needed resupply they would just raid another enemy ship unlucky enough to have been given scouting duty. And of course both groups used their Naumsium to its full effect, keeping them well hidden from all enemy scanners.
In the end, the enemy just gave up. There was no heroic final battle, just an anticlimax, in which the second enemy fleet slowly withdrew from the system, seeing no reason to continue to expend lives on a system in which resources couldn't be safely extracted for risk of cyborg ambushes.
But just because there wasn't a great final battle doesn't mean that the joy of victory was any less sweet. The Home Fleets came out of hiding, all converging on one point, Port Njor. Port Njor had been used as a command hub by the enemy, but just like the Noatans they had stripped it bare before leaving.
With the first heroic struggle over, the heroic struggle of rebuilding restarted. Port Njor was restored to its pre-war glory, with one exception, the forges. The Noatans had since their society's birth been a largely ship-bound people and after the war the only people who still remembered station-bound or planet-bound life were the oldest of cyborgs.
A small group of people would opt to stay on Port Njor, to handle the duties of diplomacy and trade with the wider galaxy. But most people stayed on the Home Ships, for as the name implied they were their real homes. The ships returned to the asteroid belt, to mine and produce Naumsium. The Naumsium (at least that which wasn't needed for the maintenance of the ships and the Cyborg corps) was regularly shipped back to Port Njor, in which the station's inhabitants once more began selling it to the wider galaxy, brotherly sharing the profit with the Home Ships.
The Cyborg Corps kept to itself even more than the Home Ships, only coming out of their hidden bases to recruit new members of resupply, but even then only from the Home Ships in the asteroid belt. To protect their homes the Cyborgs had given up much to assume their new forms, but from this hardship emerged a form of warrior philosophy. The Cyborgs offered themselves for the protection of their people, they suffered so that their families, friends and countrymen could live safer lives.
This philosophy proved itself many more times. Be it invasions from other systems or incursions from pirates, whenever the Noatans were threatened they Home Ships dove into the secure depths of the asteroid belt and the Cyborg Corps decimated whatever enemy dared enter Noatan space. That, combined with the surrounding polities not wanting the stream of Naumsium to dry up, kept the system largely safe from outsiders, though the ever present threat still left the Noatans distrustful of outsiders.
Reunification of Noatun and Flow of Naumsium:
Then came the Stellarch and they would do with one ship what no other had been able to do with a thousand.
When Port Njor and subsequently the Home Ships were made aware of a giant fleet on the way to the Noatun System, they did what they always did. Port Njor prepared for occupation, the Home Ships delved into the asteroid belt and the Cyborg Corps was informed to prepare their weapons.
But when the fleet arrived, only one of its countless ships, a small unarmed yacht, entered the asteroid belt. When the ship was eventually ambushed and boarded by cyborgs, the ship's captain revealed themselves to be the Stellarch themself. While what they said is not known, what is known is what happened next.
The Stellarch had managed to convince not just one, but an entire chapter of cyborgs to not only lay down their weapons, but lead the Stellarch to the nearest Home Ship. When the Stellarch arrived chaos ensued in the Home Ship, but when everyone realised it was only one unarmed ship and that it was led there by the cyborgs, chaos was replaced by confusion.
But once again the Stellarch showed their unrivalled diplomatic ability, swaying the Home Ship's leaders to reunite with the rest of humanity, to share their gifts with not only the surrounding systems, but all mankind (for by now Noatun was the only remaining of Lauritzen & Lauritzen's old colonies who still had the complete formula for the production of Naumsium). (4)
And so the Stellarch would do, again and again, meeting with Cyborg chapters and Home Ships, until there remained no part of Noatan society which was not part of the United Empire. With them on this journey was a Cyborg, the commandant of the first Cyborg chapter they met. On the final day before their departure, the Stellarch would appoint this Cyborg as Praetor of Noatun.
The choice to appoint a Cyborg as Praetor was a shocking one, but not unwelcome. The Njor Frames had a stained history, but the Cyborgs themselves were rightly seen as heroes and noble warriors by Noatan society and the Stellarch knew that in Noatun they could have no braver or more loyal representative than a Cyborg Commandant.
"Now that I'm on the way to the FTL Beacon I can finally write a bit in my diary again. The Noatans are a lovely people once you get to know them, but by the Stellarch they are a paranoid lot and I prefer to write in my diary without having someone figuratively (or sometimes literally) looking over my shoulder.
Yes dear future reader, I know these pages are literally published in a book, but it's very different to have your diary scrutinised in a moment I'll have you know.
Now, where were we, right, Noatun. Unlike the Stellarch I had to take the usual route to get to visit any of the Home Ships, that being Port Njor. Port Njor itself is in and of itself not too remarkable, but by its geographic position in the galaxy it's quite exceptional. While Noatun is no longer on the edge of civilised space, it certainly isn't part of the core, but just going by Port Njor you could be excused for thinking it was.
Port Njor is a massive space station, full of life and even fuller of money. It's a trade station and one of the few ones in which you can get your hands on Naumsium, which means that people and ships from all across the galaxy come here. A lot of them have even settled down in the massive station. It was here I met by contact, Jan Haraldsen, one of the Noatan diplomats responsible for communication with the Home Ships. I stayed with him for a couple of days while he negotiated my visit to one of the ships.
Port Njor is a very comfortable place to stay, like most large space stations, though I will have to admit that I found the food not entirely to my taste. For a people with easy access to all possible spices and herbs, the Noatans shun using all but a handful, leaving their food kinda… underwhelming. It's at least very filling. Plus, Port Njor has so many immigrants from across the galaxy (according to Jan, the vast majority of the inhabitants are not native Noatans) that it was easy to find some more flavourful food. I even met some interesting people while eating at a restaurant. There was a pair of scavengers by the name of Kadimba and Oskar, who apparently work with excavating and scavenging the ruins of Noatun City for old tech and relics.
But after a couple of days, Jan informed me that the Home Ship Rán was mining at the edge of the asteroid field and would be more than willing to let me visit. So off I went!
The ship-bound Noatans are not nearly as familiar with outsiders and Jan and his colleagues, but they were polite enough. The ship itself was familiar yet not. It's very old and heavily modified, but you can still see similarities with modern mining ships.
I made several notes on their art and traditions (not very many on their food though), but the main reason I wanted to visit a Home Ship is because I wanted to know their history. The Noatans insist on not writing their history down, instead preserving it via oral traditions. Thankfully, seeing as I am publishing for a non-Noatan audience, the ship's Commodore (that's what the leaders of the ships are called) allowed me to take notes on my tablet.
It went on like that for a couple of days, one of a handful of professional storytellers telling me their history and me taking detailed notes.
Once I was done with that I was informed that the ship would be heading deeper into the asteroid belt and that I would have to leave. Apparently the routes by which they travel are to be kept secret from outsiders. But this dark cloud at least had a silver lining (even though that feels like understating it a bit). The Commodore told me that I had been approved to visit one of the Cyborg Corps chapter bases. I had asked Jan about it before I left for Rán, but I hadn't actually had much hope I would be approved.
The next day, I left on one of the Commodore's personal transports and flew deeper into the asteroid belt. After several hours of what felt like just random flying, we were stopped. A group of cyborgs had flown out from behind an asteroid. They quickly connected to the ship comms system and after the pilot explained the situation we were ordered to follow them.
Their base was surprisingly small. There wasn't space for us to dock, so I had to put on my space suit and be carried by one of the cyborgs over to the entrance.
I thought they were quite scary at the time. They move in an unnaturally coordinated way and they communicate via their squad network, which means they barely ever talk. That, combined with their lack of a face made them seem like robots. Very, very, dangerous robots if one goes by the stories.
But when I got to their base, I got to meet their Commandant, one Eirik Haraldsen (Apparently the great-great-great-grandfather of Jan) and he was very different from the squad I had first met. They do have faces, these screens that can make rudimentary facial expressions (They look like ascii faces) that are honestly kinda cute. They use these solid black masks while on mission for the intimidation factor.
I stayed there for the rest of the day, mostly talking with Commandant Haraldsen. He was nice, reminded me a bit of the knights I met on Helm, except ya know, a cyborg. He explained the wide strokes of their mission (nothing too detailed) as well as their philosophy. I imagine I'll write about that in the chapter proper, so I won't go into it here.
By the end of the day I sadly had to leave, but not before getting a nice little gift from the squad which had first collected me. A pirate had tried sneakily mining the asteroid belt a couple years back and the chapter had "taken care" of him. They had collected a few trophies and among them the pirate captain's own gold engraved space helmet, which I got. It's sitting next to me on my desk as I'm writing this.
But this wasn't the final encounter I had in Noatun, no, Jan had a final surprise for me when I got back to Port Njor. Apparently, when the Praetor had approved my request (apparently only the praetor can approve meetings with the Cyborg Corps) she had asked to meet me. So yea, I got a personal audience with the Praetor of Noatun (no need to be jealous, dear reader, it doesn't suit you).
It was a short 10 minute meeting, but it was still very interesting. The Praetor is a cyborg, which would have caught me quite off guard if Jan hadn't informed me a minute before the meeting itself. Praetor Idun is a very stern woman, but seemed curious about my work and asked me a bunch of questions about my travels and by the end of the audience I gifted her a copy of the latest edition of my book.
After the meeting I ate a goodbye dinner with Jan. He'd noticed my lacking enthusiasm for Noatan cuisine and had updated the menu a bit, something I very much appreciated. The next day (that being the day I'm writing this) I said my final goodbye to Jan and began my journey to the next system."
-Excerpt from the Personal Diary of Dr Tamara Trench
Footnotes:
(1) If you want to know more about the Burning of Luyten I will especially recommend the works of my colleagues Dr K. Nanda and Dr B.L. Volkov. Their books, Harrowing of Luyten and In the Shadow of the Burning of Luyten respectively are wonderful sources on the subject.
(2) You, dear reader, might have noticed that I never specify who these two "enemies" are. That is because the nature of Noatan record keeping, that being almost purely oral, has lead to confusion on exactly who each enemy is. We can with certainty say that the two groups are the Elox System (at the time the Elox Hierarchy) and the federation of systems at the time known as the Kamachin Federation, but which was the first and which the second is unknown. I was given one version of the history on board the Home Ship Rán, but my colleague Dr J. Kowalski was given another during his visits to the system. I recommend his books Legacy of Lauritzen & Lauritzen 1-4, which goes into more detail on the post-Lauritzen & Lauritzen conflicts than this book ever could.
(3) The destuction of Noatun City would completely destroy any remnants of the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company in the Noatun System. There exists a few successor companies in the modern day elsewhere, like the Lauritzen, Lauritzen & Konev Company and the Lauritzen, Lauritzen & Johnson Company, Noatun is not an example of this.
(4) Noatun agreed to hand over some copies of the complete formula to the Imperial court for the establishment of three Imperial Companies responsible for producing and selling Naumsium in the other three quadrants of the Empire. The Praetorship of Noatun holds a 35% stake in all these companies as a reward for the peaceful handover of formula copies for the betterment of mankind.
The Muses command and I write...
Wow, that's by far the longest Omake I've ever written and it was only planned and written in one day. Honestly feeling quite proud about this one. As I said in yesterdays Omake, this kind of informational worldbuilding is what I'm actually good at.
And yea, Dr Tamara Trench has been basically everywhere. If you can name a start system it's more likely than not that she's been there. She's been going strong compiling her great guide for a few centuries now (life extending tech is great). This specific chapter was first seen in the 42nd edition of her book.
Also, regarding the title of Praetor, I imagine there exists a list of standard titles (Praetor being one of them) most of the vassals use, with some societies (like the Helmsmen) getting to have a unique title as a prestige symbol.
Anyhow, this has been today's episode of of "Tamara covers up her extended vacation as a research project"
Edit 1: Forgot to add the Origins thing
Edit 2: I'll be pleasantly surprised if anyone knows the book series I'm referencing in this one
Edit 3: Fixed up the footnotes a bit
/Royalist
-[X] [Primary Technology] Phantom Cloaking. A special material which bends and reflects light surrounding it provides a way for something to practically vanish from visible view.
--[X] Sensor ghosts. The cloak also discretely interferes with electronic systems to create false readings meant to confuse any sort of detection and recognition software.
-[X] [Technology] Mobile Factory. When built at a large enough scale with enough automation, it is possible for spaceships to become vessels of industry themselves.
--[X] Ark homes. The spaceship features all the necessities to host a population onboard for theoretically forever, should resources continue to resupply its holds.
-[X] [Technology] Robotic Form. The body is but a machine using biology, meaning that a machine of mathematics is can only be superior in comparison.
--[X] Form extended. Linking flesh to machine until they are one and the same means that one could replace almost all of themselves, at which point one must ask if they are still them.
-[X] [Pillar] Defense Clause. It is enshrined in the tenants of these people to never be the first to draw the sword, only the one who is left standing.
-[X] [Pillar] Oral History. While the society knows and utlises written language, its people insists that its history should be preserved orally.
--[X] Sensor ghosts. The cloak also discretely interferes with electronic systems to create false readings meant to confuse any sort of detection and recognition software.
-[X] [Technology] Mobile Factory. When built at a large enough scale with enough automation, it is possible for spaceships to become vessels of industry themselves.
--[X] Ark homes. The spaceship features all the necessities to host a population onboard for theoretically forever, should resources continue to resupply its holds.
-[X] [Technology] Robotic Form. The body is but a machine using biology, meaning that a machine of mathematics is can only be superior in comparison.
--[X] Form extended. Linking flesh to machine until they are one and the same means that one could replace almost all of themselves, at which point one must ask if they are still them.
-[X] [Pillar] Defense Clause. It is enshrined in the tenants of these people to never be the first to draw the sword, only the one who is left standing.
-[X] [Pillar] Oral History. While the society knows and utlises written language, its people insists that its history should be preserved orally.
Founding of Noatun and Ingenuity of Naumsium:
The story of the people who would become the Noatans begins with the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Engineering and Research Company. Lauritzen & Lauritzen was one of the oldest and most preeminent ship designers during the Age of Expansion and developed many technologies still used today. Their greatest achievement was the creation of Naumsium, one of the most efficient cloaking alloys humanity has ever produced. When the celebration of its development was over, Lauritzen & Lauritzen turned its eyes to the matter of mass production. A great amount of new minerals would need to be acquired and therefore many new mining colonies would need to be founded, among these was Noatun.
The Noatun sector contained among other things the Noatun Asteroid Belt, a massive belt of mineral rich asteroids containing reserves of every component mineral of Naumsium, making the systems colonisation of vital importance to the company.
The planet Noatun itself wasn't given much focus though, its only city of Noatun City founded to cement Lauritzen & Lauritzen control over the sector. Noatun is a very cold planet, mostly covered in giant glaciers with a thin strip of inhabitable land along the equator, meaning the company saw little use in establishing a greater presence on it, so Noatun City remained only a local administrative hub and not much more.
The real focus was put on Port Njor and the massive mining-ship fleet. Port Njor was built to be the logistical, economic and industrial hub of the sector, a cutting-edge space station in which the minerals would be deposited, Naumsium refined and then shipped out to the rest of the galaxy. Its fleet was similarly advanced, a massive armada of the finest mining-ships the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company could produce.
But economic growth wasn't the only thing the colony experienced during its early days, but a cultural one too, as a new cultural identity was born in the system. The workforce, living under the firm hand of the Lauritzsen & Lauritzen company, learnt in these early days the importance of cooperation and solidarity. Self-reliance and hard work were likewise highly valued, the ideal of a strong and productive worker an ever present part of company propaganda.
Development of Noatun and Creation of the Njor Frames:
Noatun, at the time located at the edge of colonised space, still became a regional economic hub, vast amounts of wealth flowing into the system as the valuable Naumsium alloy was exported en masse. This economic freedom allowed the local directorate to delve into its own R&D efforts to further increase the efficiency of the colony.
One of the directorates biggest problems was that both the Noatun system and its surrounding systems lacked many actual colonists who could work on the massive mining and refining operation. Every death and retirement came at a great cost to the company. Ideas to bring in robotic workers were brought up, but the AI systems needed to retain the same level of efficiency as humans proved too expensive. Then came a new idea, the idea to not replace their workers with robots, but merge them.
The result was the Njor Frames. The Njor Frames are robotic bodies into which human organs can be transferred, the person's mind taking the place of an AI in running the suit. The system keeps the few biological organs alive and the human enjoys the many benefits of their new cyborg body. Increased strength and endurance, no need to sleep, 360 degrees of visions, extended lifespans, etc.
While few workers wanted to get transformed into a Njor Cyborg, the company exploited its economic and policing stranglehold over its workers to coerce a sizeable part of its workforce to undergo the irreversible operation to become a Njor Cyborg, though popular pressure never allowed them the full transition some in the local directorate wanted. Still, the frames pushed the system's output to even greater heights.
Some of this wealth even trickled down to the common workers, allowing for a sort of cultural flourishing. The ship-bound workers (who made up the vast majority of the workforce and general population) developed ship-specific traditions, the inhabitants of Port Njor helped develop small-scale consumer industries which markedly improved the lives for the systems workers and the inhabitants of Noatun City helped build up their city to a small, yet respectable capital for the system.
The Troubles of Noatun and Development of the Home Ships:
These good times would, like all others, come to an end as the Age of Troubles brought humanity into a new dark age.
It began with a downturn in trade. Isolationism and protectionism were the words of the day and for such a trade-dependent society like Noatun that meant the end of the prosperity it had previously enjoyed. Still, profits (though markedly smaller ones) could still be made and the threat of intervention by the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company in defence of its colony kept the hungry eyes of Noatuns neighbours turned elsewhere. If things had continued like that then maybe Noatun could have ridden out the storm, surviving the Age of Troubles largely unscathed. But knowledgeable readers know this would not last.
The Burning of Luyten was a massive event in Human history. One of the first planets to ever be colonised by humans and a galactic centre of trade, industry and science, was nearly wholly destroyed in a brutal war against its neighbours. While I could write a whole of book on the Burning of Luyten (like many of my colleagues have done), what is important to this chapter is that the planet was home to the headquarter of Lauritzen & Lauritzen and it the surprise attack upon the planet, the entire board of directors perished and most of the governing body of the company was destroyed. (1)
With Noatun's suzerain effectively whipped off the face of the galaxy, the wolves began circling the system. While the directorate had begun the construction of a small defence fleet, it was not nearly enough to stave off an attack from the system's neighbours.
When the first enemy fleet came(2), the directorate in Noatun City knew they would never be able to meet them in open battle. Having used Naumsium in the construction of their ships, the Noatan fleet was able to inflict costly wounds against the enemy fleet in quick hit-and-run attacks. But their enemy was a veteran fighting force and the Noatans had not a single professional officer in their ranks, so in the end, the fleet was caught and destroyed.
With any hope of a successful defence now no more than space scrap, the board of directors in Noatun City sent out a message of surrender. But the enemy, which had only planned on raiding Port Njor's Naumsium stores, was now out for revenge. The enemy fleet proceeded to occupy Port Njor before beginning to indiscriminately bombard Noatun City from orbit, reducing the city and killing the system's leadership. (3)
With their goals achieved the enemy fleet returned home to their own system, but not before leaving a final message. One of their rivals was apparently amassing a fleet of their own, larger than the first enemy's fleet, to come and properly conquer Noatun.
The entire war had thrown Noatan society into chaos and with a second enemy fleet on the way there was little time to stabilise. But stabilise they did. With company control now reduced to ash, the workers of Port Njor and the mining ships took control and a giant assembly was held at Port Njor to discuss what was to be done. Everyone agreed that active military opposition was a doom endeavour and an ambitious plan of withdrawal was instead agreed upon.
Port Njor would be evacuated, its population distributed across the great mining ships. The ships themselves would be rapidly reconstructed to become more self-sufficient, expanding their farm and housing sections and retrofitting the ships with hastily produced Naumsium to better hide them. Even the massive alloy forges of Port Njor were deconstructed and rebuilt as parts of these new "Home Ships" to allow for the production of Naumsium on the move.
Finally there was the most controversial of the emergency projects, the expansion of the Njor Cyborg corps. The Njor Frames were widely disliked as a concept due to their tainted history, but during the battle against the first enemy fleet, they had proven themselves as great fighters, especially in boarding actions. With heavy hearts the assembly sent out the calls for volunteers to join the Njor Cyborg Corps, but this time no one would be forced into it and anyone who volunteered was rightfully considered a great hero.
While some doubted if this ambitious list of actions could be put into effect before the second enemy fleet came, though hard-work the Noatans managed to do it and as the first scouting ships entered the system, the last Home Ship left a now empty Port Njor, headed back to the asteroid belt.
The occupation would prove bloody and fruitless for the invaders. The Naumsium stores of Port Njor had been emptied and its industrial infrastructure deconstructed. When the enemy realised that the Noatans were hiding in the asteroid belt, they sent ships to hunt them down.
This would prove a deadly mistake.
The asteroid belt was filled with small mining bases, many of which the Njor Cyborgs had converted into ambush points. The enemy officers quickly learnt that behind every asteroid there could be an ambush waiting to strike, cyborgs sneaking close before ripping open holes with their mining drills and flooding into the ship. While these early guerilla fighters were untrained, their enhanced bodies made them brutal fighters and with every engagement they learnt and became yet deadlier.
Tracking down either Cyborg bases or Home Ships proved a futile task. The Home Ships buried themselves in the deepest depths of the asteroid belt and their farms made it so they didn't have to leave for resupply. The Cyborgs mechanical bodies allowed them to survive with even small stores of food for years and whenever they needed resupply they would just raid another enemy ship unlucky enough to have been given scouting duty. And of course both groups used their Naumsium to its full effect, keeping them well hidden from all enemy scanners.
In the end, the enemy just gave up. There was no heroic final battle, just an anticlimax, in which the second enemy fleet slowly withdrew from the system, seeing no reason to continue to expend lives on a system in which resources couldn't be safely extracted for risk of cyborg ambushes.
But just because there wasn't a great final battle doesn't mean that the joy of victory was any less sweet. The Home Fleets came out of hiding, all converging on one point, Port Njor. Port Njor had been used as a command hub by the enemy, but just like the Noatans they had stripped it bare before leaving.
With the first heroic struggle over, the heroic struggle of rebuilding restarted. Port Njor was restored to its pre-war glory, with one exception, the forges. The Noatans had since their society's birth been a largely ship-bound people and after the war the only people who still remembered station-bound or planet-bound life were the oldest of cyborgs.
A small group of people would opt to stay on Port Njor, to handle the duties of diplomacy and trade with the wider galaxy. But most people stayed on the Home Ships, for as the name implied they were their real homes. The ships returned to the asteroid belt, to mine and produce Naumsium. The Naumsium (at least that which wasn't needed for the maintenance of the ships and the Cyborg corps) was regularly shipped back to Port Njor, in which the station's inhabitants once more began selling it to the wider galaxy, brotherly sharing the profit with the Home Ships.
The Cyborg Corps kept to itself even more than the Home Ships, only coming out of their hidden bases to recruit new members of resupply, but even then only from the Home Ships in the asteroid belt. To protect their homes the Cyborgs had given up much to assume their new forms, but from this hardship emerged a form of warrior philosophy. The Cyborgs offered themselves for the protection of their people, they suffered so that their families, friends and countrymen could live safer lives.
This philosophy proved itself many more times. Be it invasions from other systems or incursions from pirates, whenever the Noatans were threatened they Home Ships dove into the secure depths of the asteroid belt and the Cyborg Corps decimated whatever enemy dared enter Noatan space. That, combined with the surrounding polities not wanting the stream of Naumsium to dry up, kept the system largely safe from outsiders, though the ever present threat still left the Noatans distrustful of outsiders.
Reunification of Noatun and Flow of Naumsium:
Then came the Stellarch and they would do with one ship what no other had been able to do with a thousand.
When Port Njor and subsequently the Home Ships were made aware of a giant fleet on the way to the Noatun System, they did what they always did. Port Njor prepared for occupation, the Home Ships delved into the asteroid belt and the Cyborg Corps was informed to prepare their weapons.
But when the fleet arrived, only one of its countless ships, a small unarmed yacht, entered the asteroid belt. When the ship was eventually ambushed and boarded by cyborgs, the ship's captain revealed themselves to be the Stellarch themself. While what they said is not known, what is known is what happened next.
The Stellarch had managed to convince not just one, but an entire chapter of cyborgs to not only lay down their weapons, but lead the Stellarch to the nearest Home Ship. When the Stellarch arrived chaos ensued in the Home Ship, but when everyone realised it was only one unarmed ship and that it was led there by the cyborgs, chaos was replaced by confusion.
But once again the Stellarch showed their unrivalled diplomatic ability, swaying the Home Ship's leaders to reunite with the rest of humanity, to share their gifts with not only the surrounding systems, but all mankind (for by now Noatun was the only remaining of Lauritzen & Lauritzen's old colonies who still had the complete formula for the production of Naumsium). (4)
And so the Stellarch would do, again and again, meeting with Cyborg chapters and Home Ships, until there remained no part of Noatan society which was not part of the United Empire. With them on this journey was a Cyborg, the commandant of the first Cyborg chapter they met. On the final day before their departure, the Stellarch would appoint this Cyborg as Praetor of Noatun.
The choice to appoint a Cyborg as Praetor was a shocking one, but not unwelcome. The Njor Frames had a stained history, but the Cyborgs themselves were rightly seen as heroes and noble warriors by Noatan society and the Stellarch knew that in Noatun they could have no braver or more loyal representative than a Cyborg Commandant.
"Now that I'm on the way to the FTL Beacon I can finally write a bit in my diary again. The Noatans are a lovely people once you get to know them, but by the Stellarch they are a paranoid lot and I prefer to write in my diary without having someone figuratively (or sometimes literally) looking over my shoulder.
Yes dear future reader, I know these pages are literally published in a book, but it's very different to have your diary scrutinised in a moment I'll have you know.
Now, where were we, right, Noatun. Unlike the Stellarch I had to take the usual route to get to visit any of the Home Ships, that being Port Njor. Port Njor itself is in and of itself not too remarkable, but by its geographic position in the galaxy it's quite exceptional. While Noatun is no longer on the edge of civilised space, it certainly isn't part of the core, but just going by Port Njor you could be excused for thinking it was.
Port Njor is a massive space station, full of life and even fuller of money. It's a trade station and one of the few ones in which you can get your hands on Naumsium, which means that people and ships from all across the galaxy come here. A lot of them have even settled down in the massive station. It was here I met by contact, Jan Haraldsen, one of the Noatan diplomats responsible for communication with the Home Ships. I stayed with him for a couple of days while he negotiated my visit to one of the ships.
Port Njor is a very comfortable place to stay, like most large space stations, though I will have to admit that I found the food not entirely to my taste. For a people with easy access to all possible spices and herbs, the Noatans shun using all but a handful, leaving their food kinda… underwhelming. It's at least very filling. Plus, Port Njor has so many immigrants from across the galaxy (according to Jan, the vast majority of the inhabitants are not native Noatans) that it was easy to find some more flavourful food. I even met some interesting people while eating at a restaurant. There was a pair of scavengers by the name of Kadimba and Oskar, who apparently work with excavating and scavenging the ruins of Noatun City for old tech and relics.
But after a couple of days, Jan informed me that the Home Ship Rán was mining at the edge of the asteroid field and would be more than willing to let me visit. So off I went!
The ship-bound Noatans are not nearly as familiar with outsiders and Jan and his colleagues, but they were polite enough. The ship itself was familiar yet not. It's very old and heavily modified, but you can still see similarities with modern mining ships.
I made several notes on their art and traditions (not very many on their food though), but the main reason I wanted to visit a Home Ship is because I wanted to know their history. The Noatans insist on not writing their history down, instead preserving it via oral traditions. Thankfully, seeing as I am publishing for a non-Noatan audience, the ship's Commodore (that's what the leaders of the ships are called) allowed me to take notes on my tablet.
It went on like that for a couple of days, one of a handful of professional storytellers telling me their history and me taking detailed notes.
Once I was done with that I was informed that the ship would be heading deeper into the asteroid belt and that I would have to leave. Apparently the routes by which they travel are to be kept secret from outsiders. But this dark cloud at least had a silver lining (even though that feels like understating it a bit). The Commodore told me that I had been approved to visit one of the Cyborg Corps chapter bases. I had asked Jan about it before I left for Rán, but I hadn't actually had much hope I would be approved.
The next day, I left on one of the Commodore's personal transports and flew deeper into the asteroid belt. After several hours of what felt like just random flying, we were stopped. A group of cyborgs had flown out from behind an asteroid. They quickly connected to the ship comms system and after the pilot explained the situation we were ordered to follow them.
Their base was surprisingly small. There wasn't space for us to dock, so I had to put on my space suit and be carried by one of the cyborgs over to the entrance.
I thought they were quite scary at the time. They move in an unnaturally coordinated way and they communicate via their squad network, which means they barely ever talk. That, combined with their lack of a face made them seem like robots. Very, very, dangerous robots if one goes by the stories.
But when I got to their base, I got to meet their Commandant, one Eirik Haraldsen (Apparently the great-great-great-grandfather of Jan) and he was very different from the squad I had first met. They do have faces, these screens that can make rudimentary facial expressions (They look like ascii faces) that are honestly kinda cute. They use these solid black masks while on mission for the intimidation factor.
I stayed there for the rest of the day, mostly talking with Commandant Haraldsen. He was nice, reminded me a bit of the knights I met on Helm, except ya know, a cyborg. He explained the wide strokes of their mission (nothing too detailed) as well as their philosophy. I imagine I'll write about that in the chapter proper, so I won't go into it here.
By the end of the day I sadly had to leave, but not before getting a nice little gift from the squad which had first collected me. A pirate had tried sneakily mining the asteroid belt a couple years back and the chapter had "taken care" of him. They had collected a few trophies and among them the pirate captain's own gold engraved space helmet, which I got. It's sitting next to me on my desk as I'm writing this.
But this wasn't the final encounter I had in Noatun, no, Jan had a final surprise for me when I got back to Port Njor. Apparently, when the Praetor had approved my request (apparently only the praetor can approve meetings with the Cyborg Corps) she had asked to meet me. So yea, I got a personal audience with the Praetor of Noatun (no need to be jealous, dear reader, it doesn't suit you).
It was a short 10 minute meeting, but it was still very interesting. The Praetor is a cyborg, which would have caught me quite off guard if Jan hadn't informed me a minute before the meeting itself. Praetor Idun is a very stern woman, but seemed curious about my work and asked me a bunch of questions about my travels and by the end of the audience I gifted her a copy of the latest edition of my book.
After the meeting I ate a goodbye dinner with Jan. He'd noticed my lacking enthusiasm for Noatan cuisine and had updated the menu a bit, something I very much appreciated. The next day (that being the day I'm writing this) I said my final goodbye to Jan and began my journey to the next system."
-Excerpt from the Personal Diary of Dr Tamara Trench
Footnotes:
(1) If you want to know more about the Burning of Luyten I will especially recommend the works of my colleagues Dr K. Nanda and Dr B.L. Volkov. Their books, Harrowing of Luyten and In the Shadow of the Burning of Luyten respectively are wonderful sources on the subject.
(2) You, dear reader, might have noticed that I never specify who these two "enemies" are. That is because the nature of Noatan record keeping, that being almost purely oral, has lead to confusion on exactly who each enemy is. We can with certainty say that the two groups are the Elox System (at the time the Elox Hierarchy) and the federation of systems at the time known as the Kamachin Federation, but which was the first and which the second is unknown. I was given one version of the history on board the Home Ship Rán, but my colleague Dr J. Kowalski was given another during his visits to the system. I recommend his books Legacy of Lauritzen & Lauritzen 1-4, which goes into more detail on the post-Lauritzen & Lauritzen conflicts than this book ever could.
(3) The destuction of Noatun City would completely destroy any remnants of the Lauritzen & Lauritzen Company in the Noatun System. There exists a few successor companies in the modern day elsewhere, like the Lauritzen, Lauritzen & Konev Company and the Lauritzen, Lauritzen & Johnson Company, Noatun is not an example of this.
(4) Noatun agreed to hand over some copies of the complete formula to the Imperial court for the establishment of three Imperial Companies responsible for producing and selling Naumsium in the other three quadrants of the Empire. The Praetorship of Noatun holds a 35% stake in all these companies as a reward for the peaceful handover of formula copies for the betterment of mankind.
The Muses command and I write...
Wow, that's by far the longest Omake I've ever written and it was only planned and written in one day. Honestly feeling quite proud about this one. As I said in yesterdays Omake, this kind of informational worldbuilding is what I'm actually good at.
And yea, Dr Tamara Trench has been basically everywhere. If you can name a start system it's more likely than not that she's been there. She's been going strong compiling her great guide for a few centuries now (life extending tech is great). This specific chapter was first seen in the 42nd edition of her book.
Also, regarding the title of Praetor, I imagine there exists a list of standard titles (Praetor being one of them) most of the vassals use, with some societies (like the Helmsmen) getting to have a unique title as a prestige symbol.
Anyhow, this has been today's episode of of "Tamara covers up her extended vacation as a research project"
Edit 1: Forgot to add the Origins thing
Edit 2: I'll be pleasantly surprised if anyone knows the book series I'm referencing in this one
Edit 3: Fixed up the footnotes a bit
/Royalist
Last edited:
Cycle 2.0
You waited for the door to seal behind Dorothea's departure before letting out a strangled half-scream, half-laugh. "By the Codex, what the hell is my sister doing?!" You choked and your hands made a motion akin to wrapping around a certain somebody's throat. "I cannot believe it! This is what the chosen administrator of the expedition team really is like? What the hell was His Majesty thinking!"
Radana winced. "To be quite fair, all her projects have consistently reported record high earnings. There's a reason why there was only praise from those sharing gossip. Many believed her to have a golden touch, able to turn about barren planets into industrial powerhouses." She paused and sighed. "Goes to show just how well crafted her mask has been until now."
"Or more just how clever her scheme is." You ran a hand and shook your head. "I always had suspected there was something when it was mentioned that her followers either loved or hated her, but I never expected something to this scale. Even after hearing it confirmed twice, from the original informant and from Dorothea's other investigations, it stills feels so surreal."
It wasn't as if you and your sister had ever been particularly close, but you thought you had a pretty good read on her between those rare face to face meetings and the spying you've done on her followers. You had her pegged as a decent administrator in many regions, especially those related to monetary topics, and the rumors picked up by Radana from her tea parties had supported this idea. That had been why it was so shocking when she had abandoned the rest of the fleet when disaster struck, that surprising cold and callous dismissal of saving others not fitting with the profile you had made.
Now though, with the testimony from disillusioned followers, you understood your sister was not the person she showed herself to be within the halls of House Iris. Her true colors were exposed the moment it was realized there was no higher power to punish her and it became clear why despite both sharing similar talents, the First Princess and her sister had never worked together. To put it bluntly, thee two would have more likely strangled each other for coin than consider working together for the people.
It appeared that your sister had cultivated a cabal of like-minded individuals who so happened to share her preference for coin, and together they had created a ruling oligarchy where a healthy profit factor took precedence over people's wellbeing. In the time since her faction had made landfall on Andernia III, she hadn't wasted anytime in relaxing several pesky restrictions that had bothered many of her followers so. Annoying obstacles like 'protected worker rights,' 'minimum living wage,' and 'workplace safety regulations.' With those out of the way, profit margins have never been looking any better and many have heard of opulent banquets being thrown in honor of these record-breaking savings and plan further development.
Said many though was certainly not invited to these, not being part of this inner circle. But worry not, for it is actually possible to gain said invitation...by paying a near-outrageous attendance fee to do so. Ironically enough, the fact that said option existed was somehow enough to quell a part of the growing discontent and outrage, a tantalizing promise that working hard would one day earn a lifestyle far richer than what heights of the old world left behind could achieve. All they merely had to do was endure a hellish grind and get lucky.
But still some sparks of dissent were not so easily squashed by promises made up high, and that was where your sister's other policies came, the stick that paired with the carrot. The very few Brilliance Knights under her command were greatly expanded to scandalously include individuals without circuits, a necessity to fill out their numbers to carry out a new mandate of theirs: to enforce law and order in these trying emergency times. They would be granted the rank of a 'commissioned enforcer' and given bonuses based on successfully detaining dissidents. Little wonder then why it so happened that those who rose the fastest happened to be ones who turned in entire disgruntled communities, their grumbling enough grounds for needing strict rehabilitation and stolen wage repayment.
It was a vicious system, one which honored those willing to do whatever was needed to profit instead of those who looked to the past.
You rubbed your eyes and cursed your sister again. This travesty of an attempt to shift the entire cultural identity of the Helmsmen from knowledge to money was going to make it near-impossible to simply unite the divided people now, especially after that recent disastrous speech on your side! You had unknowingly stoked the flames of tradition, while your sister was clearly trying to drag a new future into being. Now public reconciliation and turnover was shot as all hell, so you frantically tried to come up with another option.
Slowly, your gaze shifted to an innocent-looking pile of papers on your desk which you knew actually contained the Solarium Codex, the priceless artifact of your people. Or was it? "Radana," You began delicately. "Hear me out."
Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. "You plan on bargaining with your sister using the Solarium Codex," She guessed in a deadpan tone.
"I plan on making a good bargain with my sister using the Solarium Codex!" You emphasized with more energy, tapping your desk. "Look, hear me out. The current state of things means that right now, it's looking like it's going to be an ugly showdown between me and her with people watching both sides carefully. But if one of us were to suddenly reveal the possession of the Helmsmen's right to rule, then undoubtedly everybody would immediately flock to that side without a second thought!"
"So why not you- oh, because it's you." Radana squeezed her eyes shut and gave a long-suffering sigh. "You just want to lurk in dark rooms all day and leave her to take over."
"Exactly! I don't really care what she does." You saw the hurt expression flash across your friend's face and winced. "Um, okay. I do care that our people shouldn't be exploited so. But that's where the beauty of this plan comes in, where since this thing is so critical that she has to be willing to concede and change her policies as part of the bargain we make! Now that we know how she ticks, the fact that she has much to profit from just a few concessions is how we get to her!"
"I see," Radana said in an unconvinced but wavering tone. You recognized her actually considering the idea, especially when she put her fingers on her chin in thought. "Assuming that you're somehow able to actually get the idea and concept through to your sister, and somehow assuming that she goes for it, then what's the guarantee?"
"Guarantee? Oh." You blinked, then grimaced. "Right. I actually should have one to make sure she doesn't just go back on her word to change. Ugh, guess I need to do a bit more work for that."
"I suppose though that you are always watching from the shadows." Your friend waggled her fingers and let out a small giggle. "Just a little casual reminder that'll have her keep straight in no time!"
"What? And let her know that I'm watching?" You asked with a frown that caught off by surprise. "No, that won't do. Remember, I'm the one that has the puppetmaster dance on a string for me!"
"Of course, Violet, I apologize for forgetting so." She raised an eyebrow. "But then what is your backup then?"
After giving it some thought, you had your solution. "We'll increase the likelihood of any reversions going very awry by giving power to our people. Actual equipment that they can use to fight back in case of the worst returning." You warmed up to the idea as you went along, nodding and already planning how it could go. "Ground, navy, and air all ready to pitch a fit if need be! Maybe even a few inspired officers who aren't afraid to follow the spirit rather than the rule."
"I cannot believe you're actually talking me into supporting your sister if this goes as plan," Radana muttered, then noisily exhaled. "But you are actually taking this seriously and if it's what you think is best, then we should begin making preparations then for a good bargaining position. I can only hope that this works out the way you've planned it."
You grinned and patted your chest. "Please, this is my best conspiracy yet! Let's send out the orders to make it so then."
Resource Stockpile: 30/30
Create a plan that you and your aides will execute over the duration of the cycle. Each person will have a general order that they will attempt to carry out at your command. Orders can be repeatedly taken by multiple characters for greater progression, but characters will be locked in the order until it is finished. Many actions will require a target.
- EDIT: Remember who is crafting this grand conspiracy, then consider her track record at attempting to avoid the spotlight. Not that she can't do great things, but when it comes to trying to avoid getting attention, well...
- Formatting made me unreasonably angry for a time, but it worked out.
Radana winced. "To be quite fair, all her projects have consistently reported record high earnings. There's a reason why there was only praise from those sharing gossip. Many believed her to have a golden touch, able to turn about barren planets into industrial powerhouses." She paused and sighed. "Goes to show just how well crafted her mask has been until now."
"Or more just how clever her scheme is." You ran a hand and shook your head. "I always had suspected there was something when it was mentioned that her followers either loved or hated her, but I never expected something to this scale. Even after hearing it confirmed twice, from the original informant and from Dorothea's other investigations, it stills feels so surreal."
It wasn't as if you and your sister had ever been particularly close, but you thought you had a pretty good read on her between those rare face to face meetings and the spying you've done on her followers. You had her pegged as a decent administrator in many regions, especially those related to monetary topics, and the rumors picked up by Radana from her tea parties had supported this idea. That had been why it was so shocking when she had abandoned the rest of the fleet when disaster struck, that surprising cold and callous dismissal of saving others not fitting with the profile you had made.
Now though, with the testimony from disillusioned followers, you understood your sister was not the person she showed herself to be within the halls of House Iris. Her true colors were exposed the moment it was realized there was no higher power to punish her and it became clear why despite both sharing similar talents, the First Princess and her sister had never worked together. To put it bluntly, thee two would have more likely strangled each other for coin than consider working together for the people.
It appeared that your sister had cultivated a cabal of like-minded individuals who so happened to share her preference for coin, and together they had created a ruling oligarchy where a healthy profit factor took precedence over people's wellbeing. In the time since her faction had made landfall on Andernia III, she hadn't wasted anytime in relaxing several pesky restrictions that had bothered many of her followers so. Annoying obstacles like 'protected worker rights,' 'minimum living wage,' and 'workplace safety regulations.' With those out of the way, profit margins have never been looking any better and many have heard of opulent banquets being thrown in honor of these record-breaking savings and plan further development.
Said many though was certainly not invited to these, not being part of this inner circle. But worry not, for it is actually possible to gain said invitation...by paying a near-outrageous attendance fee to do so. Ironically enough, the fact that said option existed was somehow enough to quell a part of the growing discontent and outrage, a tantalizing promise that working hard would one day earn a lifestyle far richer than what heights of the old world left behind could achieve. All they merely had to do was endure a hellish grind and get lucky.
But still some sparks of dissent were not so easily squashed by promises made up high, and that was where your sister's other policies came, the stick that paired with the carrot. The very few Brilliance Knights under her command were greatly expanded to scandalously include individuals without circuits, a necessity to fill out their numbers to carry out a new mandate of theirs: to enforce law and order in these trying emergency times. They would be granted the rank of a 'commissioned enforcer' and given bonuses based on successfully detaining dissidents. Little wonder then why it so happened that those who rose the fastest happened to be ones who turned in entire disgruntled communities, their grumbling enough grounds for needing strict rehabilitation and stolen wage repayment.
It was a vicious system, one which honored those willing to do whatever was needed to profit instead of those who looked to the past.
You rubbed your eyes and cursed your sister again. This travesty of an attempt to shift the entire cultural identity of the Helmsmen from knowledge to money was going to make it near-impossible to simply unite the divided people now, especially after that recent disastrous speech on your side! You had unknowingly stoked the flames of tradition, while your sister was clearly trying to drag a new future into being. Now public reconciliation and turnover was shot as all hell, so you frantically tried to come up with another option.
Slowly, your gaze shifted to an innocent-looking pile of papers on your desk which you knew actually contained the Solarium Codex, the priceless artifact of your people. Or was it? "Radana," You began delicately. "Hear me out."
Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. "You plan on bargaining with your sister using the Solarium Codex," She guessed in a deadpan tone.
"I plan on making a good bargain with my sister using the Solarium Codex!" You emphasized with more energy, tapping your desk. "Look, hear me out. The current state of things means that right now, it's looking like it's going to be an ugly showdown between me and her with people watching both sides carefully. But if one of us were to suddenly reveal the possession of the Helmsmen's right to rule, then undoubtedly everybody would immediately flock to that side without a second thought!"
"So why not you- oh, because it's you." Radana squeezed her eyes shut and gave a long-suffering sigh. "You just want to lurk in dark rooms all day and leave her to take over."
"Exactly! I don't really care what she does." You saw the hurt expression flash across your friend's face and winced. "Um, okay. I do care that our people shouldn't be exploited so. But that's where the beauty of this plan comes in, where since this thing is so critical that she has to be willing to concede and change her policies as part of the bargain we make! Now that we know how she ticks, the fact that she has much to profit from just a few concessions is how we get to her!"
"I see," Radana said in an unconvinced but wavering tone. You recognized her actually considering the idea, especially when she put her fingers on her chin in thought. "Assuming that you're somehow able to actually get the idea and concept through to your sister, and somehow assuming that she goes for it, then what's the guarantee?"
"Guarantee? Oh." You blinked, then grimaced. "Right. I actually should have one to make sure she doesn't just go back on her word to change. Ugh, guess I need to do a bit more work for that."
"I suppose though that you are always watching from the shadows." Your friend waggled her fingers and let out a small giggle. "Just a little casual reminder that'll have her keep straight in no time!"
"What? And let her know that I'm watching?" You asked with a frown that caught off by surprise. "No, that won't do. Remember, I'm the one that has the puppetmaster dance on a string for me!"
"Of course, Violet, I apologize for forgetting so." She raised an eyebrow. "But then what is your backup then?"
After giving it some thought, you had your solution. "We'll increase the likelihood of any reversions going very awry by giving power to our people. Actual equipment that they can use to fight back in case of the worst returning." You warmed up to the idea as you went along, nodding and already planning how it could go. "Ground, navy, and air all ready to pitch a fit if need be! Maybe even a few inspired officers who aren't afraid to follow the spirit rather than the rule."
"I cannot believe you're actually talking me into supporting your sister if this goes as plan," Radana muttered, then noisily exhaled. "But you are actually taking this seriously and if it's what you think is best, then we should begin making preparations then for a good bargaining position. I can only hope that this works out the way you've planned it."
You grinned and patted your chest. "Please, this is my best conspiracy yet! Let's send out the orders to make it so then."
Resource Stockpile: 30/30
Create a plan that you and your aides will execute over the duration of the cycle. Each person will have a general order that they will attempt to carry out at your command. Orders can be repeatedly taken by multiple characters for greater progression, but characters will be locked in the order until it is finished. Many actions will require a target.
[ ] Plan ____
-[ ] [Character] ______
--[ ] [Task] ________
---[ ] [Target] _____
-[ ] [Officer] ______
--[ ] [Task] ________
---[ ] [Target] _____
-[ ] [Character] ______
--[ ] [Task] ________
---[ ] [Target] _____
-[ ] [Officer] ______
--[ ] [Task] ________
---[ ] [Target] _____
-[ ] [Character] Violet d'Iris, Solar Princess
-[ ] [Character] Radana, Camellia Knight
-[ ] [Character] Kat, Hyacinth Prism
Occupied with Design Ship (2/4)
-[ ] [Character] Dorothea, Lycoris Knight
-[ ] [Character] Radana, Camellia Knight
Occupied with Design Ship (2/4)
-[ ] [Character] Dorothea, Lycoris Knight
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are currently no martial tasks available.
There are currently no diplomacy tasks available.
-[ ] [Stewardship] Develop City. Expand the outreaches of the urban jungle, developing infrastructure and encouraging greater urban incorporation to grow a settlement taller. Increase Industry by one (1). Requires two (2) progress.
--[ ] Requires Target City
-[ ] [Stewardship] Found City. Put forward a concentrated effort to unite previously distant rural communities into a new joint union capable of supporting a concentrated industrial effort. Found a new city that increases Industry by five (5). Requires four (4) progress.
--[ ] Requires Target Location
--[ ] Requires New City name
-[ ] [Stewardship] Construct Chain. Meet with contractors and architect a new specific industry in the system. Cost varies. Each building chain may only be built once per system.
--[ ] Requires Target City
---[ ] Requires Building Choice
--[ ] Requires Target City
-[ ] [Stewardship] Found City. Put forward a concentrated effort to unite previously distant rural communities into a new joint union capable of supporting a concentrated industrial effort. Found a new city that increases Industry by five (5). Requires four (4) progress.
--[ ] Requires Target Location
--[ ] Requires New City name
-[ ] [Stewardship] Construct Chain. Meet with contractors and architect a new specific industry in the system. Cost varies. Each building chain may only be built once per system.
--[ ] Requires Target City
---[ ] Requires Building Choice
---[ ] Data Reliquary. The signature monument of the Helmsmen, a testament to their perceived duty to preserving information at all costs if the worst should ever come. The information kept below is reflected in the grandeur above, with only those ordained with the greatest duties able to access the sacred archives unfiltered. Increases Influence by ten (10). Requires two (2) progress. This building must be constructed first before all others in every system of House Iris.
---[ ] Chrysanthemum Scales. A regal and ornate building that serves as the system's headquarters for marketplace and trade officers. It is staffed by a mix of Brilliance Knights and Prisms suited for administrative duties, using their Solarium circuits to process incoming information quicker and come up with streamlined delivery chains to ensure a healthy marketplace for the people. Increases Wealth by eight (8). Decreases Resources by four (4). Requires four (4) progress.
---[ ] Lycoris Sanctuary. The Lycoris Knights are those Brilliance Knights who help maintain public order, acting as both counselors and confessors for those in need. This also makes them quite keen on what the public currently feel is most pressing, and so what will best appeal to them. Increases Influence by ten (10). Decreases Wealth by four (4). Requires four (4) progress.
---[ ] Chrysanthemum Scales. A regal and ornate building that serves as the system's headquarters for marketplace and trade officers. It is staffed by a mix of Brilliance Knights and Prisms suited for administrative duties, using their Solarium circuits to process incoming information quicker and come up with streamlined delivery chains to ensure a healthy marketplace for the people. Increases Wealth by eight (8). Decreases Resources by four (4). Requires four (4) progress.
---[ ] Lycoris Sanctuary. The Lycoris Knights are those Brilliance Knights who help maintain public order, acting as both counselors and confessors for those in need. This also makes them quite keen on what the public currently feel is most pressing, and so what will best appeal to them. Increases Influence by ten (10). Decreases Wealth by four (4). Requires four (4) progress.
-[ ] [Intrigue] Infiltrate Cells. Plant the seeds now for future spycraft opportunities by establishing local support and cover opportunities to slip agents hidden among the populace. Create a spy network in another power. Requires four (4) progress. Further sabotage options require this option first.
--[ ] Requires Target Faction
-[ ] [Intrigue] Cause Unrest. Instruct your cells to purposefully cause chaos in another power, drawing attention away from whatever other covert operations you have orchestrated at the same time. Reduces the chance of discovery on the turn it completes. Requires four (4) progress.
--[ ] Requires Target Faction (Must have Infiltrate Cells)
-[ ] [Intrigue] Send Spies. Have sharp-eyed spies pass through a rival power, using existing cells to help provide a cover for the experts to work and deduce what the enemy is doing now. Discover what primary action another power is focusing on. Requires one (1) progress. Has a low chance for discovery.
--[ ] Requires Target Faction (Must have Infiltrate Cells)
-[ ] [Intrigue] Military Espionage. Direct agents to circumvent security systems and access classified military information to pass onto you, a highly risky but priceless operation. Reveals a power's military composition and current numbers. Requires six (6) progress. Has a moderate chance for discovery.
--[ ] Requires Target Faction (Must have Infiltrate Cells)
--[ ] Requires Target Faction
-[ ] [Intrigue] Cause Unrest. Instruct your cells to purposefully cause chaos in another power, drawing attention away from whatever other covert operations you have orchestrated at the same time. Reduces the chance of discovery on the turn it completes. Requires four (4) progress.
--[ ] Requires Target Faction (Must have Infiltrate Cells)
-[ ] [Intrigue] Send Spies. Have sharp-eyed spies pass through a rival power, using existing cells to help provide a cover for the experts to work and deduce what the enemy is doing now. Discover what primary action another power is focusing on. Requires one (1) progress. Has a low chance for discovery.
--[ ] Requires Target Faction (Must have Infiltrate Cells)
-[ ] [Intrigue] Military Espionage. Direct agents to circumvent security systems and access classified military information to pass onto you, a highly risky but priceless operation. Reveals a power's military composition and current numbers. Requires six (6) progress. Has a moderate chance for discovery.
--[ ] Requires Target Faction (Must have Infiltrate Cells)
-[ ] [Learning] Outfit Troops. Consider what the gear your soldiers carry into battle, and create a new outfit for the boots on the ground to equip themselves with. Cost varies.
--[ ] Requires Troop Unit
-[ ] [Learning] Design Ship. Break out pencils and call up interested naval contractors to kickstart the race to create, prototype, and sell an entirely new spaceship design for your forces. Cost varies.
--[ ] Requires Ship Class
-[ ] [Learning] Design Aircraft. Defense contractors all but salivate at the call to design a new generation of fighter craft, the chance to leave their brand across the galaxy be it on planets or in space. Requires six (6) progress.
--[ ] Requires Troop Unit
--[ ] Infantry. The very basic, but essential, foot soldiers that both take and occupy ground when ordered so. Even with mechanized transports, they move fairly slowly around on the battlefield but when it comes to holding the line, their numbers help absorb dire hits. Requires four (4) progress.
-[ ] [Learning] Design Ship. Break out pencils and call up interested naval contractors to kickstart the race to create, prototype, and sell an entirely new spaceship design for your forces. Cost varies.
--[ ] Requires Ship Class
--[ ] Destroyer. The smallest of notable navy vessels, but vital for domination of local space along and necessary for group troop transports. Requires four (4) progress.
-[ ] [Learning] Design Aircraft. Defense contractors all but salivate at the call to design a new generation of fighter craft, the chance to leave their brand across the galaxy be it on planets or in space. Requires six (6) progress.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Lots of new options here, have a poke around and figure out what you want to do! Ground and Air designs are also now available as an option and once your ship design is done, more buildings will unlock.- EDIT: Remember who is crafting this grand conspiracy, then consider her track record at attempting to avoid the spotlight. Not that she can't do great things, but when it comes to trying to avoid getting attention, well...
- Formatting made me unreasonably angry for a time, but it worked out.
16 hour moratorium to plot a new conspiracy
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Travels of Dr. Trench: Sakuyan
Dr Tamara Trench's Guide to the Realms and Peoples of the United Empire: The Preatorium of Sakuya-Hime
Founding of Sakuya-Hime and the Power of the MtM-Interface:
Ever since humanity first discovered them, diamonds have been a sign of wealth and prestige and not even FTL travel could carry humanity out of its love for the rocks. The mass-production of laboratory grown diamonds would sate much of the appetite, but this only meant that natural or "True Diamonds" became even more sought after by those who could afford them and no strain of diamond was as sought after as Pink Diamond.
Pink diamonds are the rarest of all diamond colours, to the extent that even the constant expansion of human space in the Age of Expansion could sate the need for natural pink diamonds, with only a handful of worlds being able to profitably support pink diamond mine operations.
One of these handful of worlds is Sakuya-Hime. When it was first discovered it was largely ignored, an extremely volcanically active planet, with a thick, toxic atmosphere which barely allowed any life to exist. But when a survey drone discovered a deposit of pink diamond, all such shortcomings could be forgiven.
The Kagoshima Mineral and Gemstone Corporation (KMGC) would establish a settlement to administer the mining and surveying operation and build several hundred bases across the planet to house the mining crews. But these mining crews wouldn't be the normal type, no, the environment was far too hostile for that, so in order to feed the eternal diamond hunger, cutting-edge tech was needed.
Enter the Mind to Machine Interface, a revolutionary piece of tech developed by the Empyrean Technologies Corporation, which allows the user to temporarily upload their minds to a mechanical body. Sakuya-Hime would be the testbed for the tech, its miners serving as lab rats.
While the tech would prove to have a slow yet steady decaying effect on the human mind, it was still effective in boosting productivity and lowering deaths to an acceptable amount, making it an undisputed success.
The Sakuyan people would suffer under both the boot of corporate rule and the deadly environment of their new home, yet would, like on all planets, manage to develop their own culture and customs. One difference with the Sakuyans however, is the divided way they walked.
The Sakuyans were never a single, unified group, split between City Sakuyans living in the planet's only city of Ninigi and Ashland Sakuyans living in the various mining bases, them, in turn divided based on whichever of the hundreds of bases they originated from. Still, even as the hostile atmosphere made for little contact between these groups, they managed to work together in relative harmony, the Ashland Sakuyans extracting and transporting the diamonds and the City Sakuyans shaping and exporting them.
Development of Sakuya-Hime and invention of the Volcano Wanderers:
Humanity's grasp over the galaxy grew even wider and its wealth grew ever greater. Pink diamonds flowed like a river out of Sakuya-Hime and into the wider galaxy. But more mines were needed to sate even a fraction of the demand.
The problem with expansion was that the largest deposits were found, not in the black mountains and ash deserts, but in the volcano lands, a place the robotic suits couldn't even traverse. But in the face of human ingenuity, nature would never prove an insurmountable obstacle. Once more, KMGC and Empyrean would work together, this time to design a new generation of MtM compatible robots. What they designed was the Volcano Wanderers.
Until this point, the mining robots used had been largely human in size and form, this having proven to reduce the mental decay MtM using humans experienced. For the Volcano Wanderers, this rule was thrown out in the name of efficiency. These new robotic bodies would be more like giant mechs, a horizontally long frame with long, flexible legs would allow for not only easy movement across the hostile planet, but their great size would even allow them to function as transport vehicles.
KMGC and Empyrean had once again brought about a breakthrough in human-centric machinery and an explosion in productivity followed, making the Volcano Wanderers design and implementation more than worth it.
The Volcano Wanderers proliferation across the planet's mining bases did however lead to an increase in cases of Machine Psychosis. Machine Psychosis was the name for the endpoint of mental decay that MtM workers experienced, in which an individual's mind couldn't handle changing between their human and robot body anymore, leading to erratic behaviour, organ failure and eventual death. The huge differences between the human body and the Volcano Walkers only sped up this process.
This proved especially bad for Ashland Sakuyan society, as the MtM workers were held in high regard and often served as community leaders. With their leaders more erratic and unstable than ever before, Ashland Sakuyan society as a whole grew more unstable and the transhumanist ideas so common among MtM workers grew more and more common.
But while the Ashland Sakuyans suffered through the last days of the Age of Expansion, the City Sakuyans thrived, as the productivity increase brought by the Volcano Wanderers brought about a golden age for the city. Ninigi became a regional trade centre, its finely crafted diamonds renowned across the galaxy
Troubles of Sakuya-Hime and the Hegemony of the MtM Interfaces:
The Age of Troubles was harsh for Sakuya-Hime. The destruction of KMGC during the Burning of Luyten and the takeover of Empyrean by the Kheproni left Sakuya-Hime without a suzerain, ripe for picking. Still, the planet wasn't defenceless. In the early days of the Age of Troubles, Ninigi had constructed impressive defences for the city, from shield arrays to massive land-to-space artillery.
So when the first enemy, the Nippan Federation, came to Sakuya-Hime, their first assault was completely crushed. The RenTech Corporate Dominion likewise tried attacking the city with its fleet and was likewise handed a crushing defeat.
But while the City Sakuyans fought for their new-found independence, change was stirring in the ashlands. The breakdown of interstellar trade meant a breakdown in the traditional Ashland Sakuyan way of life, in which diamonds were sold in exchange for basic necessities, such as food and water. It did not take many years until chaos and famine gripped the ashlands.
While there were attempts to restart trade with Ninigi and the wider galaxy, all but a handful of groups were turned away as the decline in trade left Ninigi similarly (but not as extremely) lacking in basic necessities.
Each mining base attempted to deal with this new age in different ways. Some resorted to cannibalism to stretch out their food stores, mass population cullings were not unheard off and other similarly brutal actions grew common. But a handful of bases walked a different road.
While inside of a Volcano Wanderer, the MtM worker didn't need to either eat, drink or sleep, meaning they could survive indefinitely in these harsh conditions. All the Wanderers needed was electricity for their batteries, but easily accessible geothermal energy made that a non-problem. The only problem was Machine Psychosis, but these bases all, independently of each other realised, if an MtM user simply didn't go back to their organic body, they wouldn't be afflicted by Machine Psychosis. It was a radical idea, to permanently abandon their human forms, but in these times it had to be done.
The first to do it were the regular MtM workers, the leaders of the bases. Their transformation allowed for these bases to further stretch their supplies, but everyone knew, as long as humans of flesh and blood remained, the stores would run out, sooner or later.
While the need to transition their populations into machine forms was obvious, no single base had enough Volcano Wanderers to outfit an entire base's population. So another hard decision was made, to go out and gather more Wanderer robots from other bases.
The Ashland Sakuyans who had transitioned ventured out into the ashlands to find more robots to be able to save their friends and families from starvation. Many bases had by now entirely died out, making the collection of their robots relatively easy. More desperate Sakuyans resorted to attacking other bases, stealing their Volcano Wanderers. As the first handful of bases carried out these kinds of expeditions, the concept of an entirely machine population as a way to survive spread. Soon more bases joined this giant competition for survival.
After this age of consolidation, known among the Sakuyans as "The Great Reduction", there remained only 82 Ashland Sakuyan societies left, they the only ones having managed to transition their entire populations.
At about the same time the Nippans returned to Sakuya-Hime, once more to try and the planet for themselves. This time however, they had a plan. While Ninigi was a formidable fortress for any enemy fleet, the Nippans would try to secretly land a small force in the ashlands, to attack the city from the ground, while their fleet attempted another landing.
This expeditionary force would find itself quickly reduced by the hostile environment, but did manage to survive, all thanks to the Ashland Sakuyans. When the Ashland Sakuyans were informed of the invaders mission, they surprised the Nippans by demanding to join in the attack on Ninigi. The Ashland Sakuyans had over the ages grown to despise their city-living cousins and wished to punish them by allying with the Nippans.
The Nippan force managed to organise a massive alliance of Ashlander clans (The Nippans called them clans due to the groups family structures and the name stuck around even after the Nippans left) in their assault on Ninigi, inflicting a decisive defeat on the City Sakuyans. In the aftermath the Nippans occupied the city, while also properly restarting the diamond trade which had been dormant for so long.
The Ashland Sakuyans forms were perfectly designed to harvest the pink diamonds and the Nippan Federation was large enough at the time to make for a suitably big market. So, in exchange for their loyalty and a restart of diamond mining, the Nippans gave the Ashland Sakuyans extensive autonomy and an equitable deal in the diamond trade.
This status quo would continue for the rest of the Age of Troubles. While the instability of the wider galaxy meant that the city would change hands, as regional polities rose and fell, the Ashland Sakuyans were largely isolated from such conflicts. Whoever wanted their share of the diamond trade had just to occupy Ninigi and make a deal with the clans, meaning that any loss of life fell on the City Sakuyans, something the Ashland Sakuyans were completely fine with.
The City Sakuyans as a culture would never really recover from their loss of independence. They would become second class citizens in their own city, slowly being replaced by citizens of whatever power happened to own the city at the time.
Unification of Sakuya-Hime and the Introduction of the SBTs:
When a previously unknown fleet entered the system, the Sakuyans could be forgiven for thinking it just another invasion fleet by some regional power. When the Stellarch's fleet arrived above Ninigi, they had merely threatened an invasion by their overwhelming fleet for the local leader to surrender the city. The Stellarch could have stopped there, like so many before, but they instead decided to descend to the planet and journey into the Ashlands.
The Ashland Sakuyan clans had continued living separately in their clans, only gathering together in temporary alliances when the time called for it. But the Stellarch wished to unify the Ashland Sakuyans like they had unified so much of humanity already, but whenever the Stellarch met with any of the clan chiefs (known as Uji) and told them of their wish, the Uji all asked the same question, why would they agree to it? And to these merchants of the Ashland the Stellarch had one offer which they could not refuse.
The Ashland Sakuyans had, ever since the Great Reduction, been a purely mechanical people, without the ability to reproduce and while their bodies made them ageless and hard to kill, their population did still shrink and they had no way of making children.
So to solve this, the Stellarch offered to give them the knowledge of the Standard Biological Templates(1), a cloning technology which could produce entirely new life, in exchange for them uniting under one leader, appointed by the Stellarch. With the potential that the SBTs represented, the Ashlanders agreed. Using the SBTs the Ashland Sakuyans were able to build cloning vats in their bases, growing humans who could then be uploaded into newly built Volcano Wanderers.
The Ashland Sakuyans had long since moved away from any desire to return to bodies of flesh and blood, having come to see their mechanical bodies as almost divine manifestations of mankind's ingenuity and willpower. But until the Stellarch gave them this final tool by which they could become a complete society, they had been in a slow decay.
With joy in their (figurative) hearts, all 82 Uji of the Ashland Sakuyans swore undying loyalty to the Stellarch. From among these 82, the Stellarch elevated one to become Praetor of Sakuya-Hime, the Stellarch's representative on the ashen planet.
"Dear Diary, I cannot wait to get off this bloody planet.
I do not mean to imply that the people were in any way unkind or that I didn't enjoy learning of the Sakuyans history and culture, but the planet is far too warm for anyone to be truly comfortable.
Well, let's begin the story somewhere fitting, how about the beginning?
I arrived to Sakuya-Hime five days ago. To be specific, I arrived to Ninigi, the planet's only city and spaceport. It's not an especially beautiful city, since it is constantly covered in several layers of ash and dust, making the city a landscape of greys and blacks. Quite fitting seeing as the surrounding ash desert is about the same colour.
But not everything in Ninigi was bad. My contact and host on Sakuya-Hima was one Director Hannah M. Howard, one of my fellow countrymen. We both left our home planet to travel the galaxy, me to write the book you're currently reading, she to participate in the galactic diamond trade.
It felt like meeting family and we got along very well. The food I was served tasted as if it was cooked by my own cooks back home. For such a small city, Ninigi is very diverse, meaning the access to ingredients even from my distant homeland was easily available.
I spent two days at her townhouse, learning the history of the city from her and several of her staff, who were native Sakuyans (Specifically City-Sakuyans. If you've read the chapter this excerpt should be placed below, you can probably guess why the distinction is so important to them). I didn't venture outside as much as I might have wished, the climate truly is horrible and the climate suits you need to use are a hassle to get in and out of.
On my third day I began my journey into the Ashlands. A clan of Ashland Sakuyans had arrived to sell their goods in the city and were gracious enough to allow me to travel with them (for only a small fee, which was well worth it).
I travelled in a sealed container made specifically to allow the Ashlanders to carry us smaller humans around, it even had windows, though I will admit that the environment was kinda repetitive. (2)
We finally arrived at one of their bases. It was way bigger than what I assumed a mining base would have been, though in hindsight it feels quite obvious. The Volcano Wanderers aren't small and the bases have probably been expanded to fit them all.
One thing I found even more surprising though was that there were a few flesh and blood humans walking around too. Apparently the Ashland Sakuyans reproduce via cloning. When someone wants to have a child or the clan just needs more people, they purchase biological material (usually blood) from one of a handful of specialists in Ninigi, slot it into the material into a cloning vat and then wait until the kid is finished.
The children are kept flesh and blood until they're about 15 years old, which is when they are uploaded into a Volcano Wanderer. It's an interesting society and it was even more interesting to live with them for a couple of days. The children asked me a bunch of questions about life outside of the bases. One child even asked why I haven't gone into a robot seeing as I'm so old (one of the adults, who I assumed to be one of the child's parents scolded him for that and told him to apologise. It was a weird yet kinda cute exchange). I did also get the chance to ask my own questions and I learnt a lot about the history of the Ashlands and the Ashland Sakuyans, both from oral stories and from their massive collection of documents (they take preserving their history very seriously).
On the third day I was escorted back to Ninigi, but not before I bought a souvenir. Sakuya-Himan Pink Diamonds are renowned across the United Empire and really bloody expensive. I should know, I own several pieces of jewellery with such diamonds. But anyhow, I had the honour of buying a couple of raw uncut pink diamonds directly from the Sakuyan who mined it. It wasn't cheap, but I didn't regret buying them for even a second.
Anyhow, when I got back to Ninigi, I spent one last night with Director Howard. During the goodbye dinner I gifted her one of the diamonds I had bought as thanks for her hospitality (She made a joke about us "not being that close"... I definitely didn't find it funny).
The next day I got on the ship and am currently procrastinating organising my scientific notes, while on the way to the next system."
-Excerpt from the Personal Diary of Dr Tamara Trench
Footnotes:
(1) The Stellarch had before their arrival to Sakuya-Hime, met and integrated the United Kingdoms of Hallon, who are the original developers of the Standard Biological Templates. They had provided the Stellarch the schematics for the SBT vats and its associated technology.
(2) I learnt from Director Howard that I wasn't the first non-Ashlander to visit one of the Ashland bases, though most people who visit are merchants or lapidarists.
I actually managed to get this out before midnight, which is neat. Hyperfixations are great!
Another exotic planet and people Tamara has visited, though probably not one she plans on visiting again anytime soon, even if the diamonds are very nice.
We also learn some more about the author, like the fact the good doctor isn't exactly strapped for cash.
Speaking of diamonds, I do wonder how much of the House Iris Separatists GDP goes to just buying Sakuya-Hime diamonds. It's a luxury and a damn good looking one at that.
Next chapter will probably be Khepron. I've mentioned it several times and have some plans for it already (like hot AI women), though I probably not have it out tomorrow. I've been writing a lot these last few days and I don't know when the muses will decide to punish me for my hubris.
Anyhow, cheers to Dr Trench and her mission to bankrupt the galaxy's students by forcing them to buy the latest edition of her book, EVERY. YEAR.
Edit: Btw, if you wanna get an rough understanding on how the Volcano Wanderers look, google "robot police dogs". They look a bit like that, except with more flexible joints and an actual head.
/Royalist
-[X] [Primary Technology] Robotic Form. The body is but a machine using biology, meaning that a machine of mathematics is can only be superior in comparison.
--[X] Form extended. Linking flesh to machine until they are one and the same means that one could replace almost all of themselves, at which point one must ask if they are still them.
-[X] [Technology] Mech Walker. The stars are filled with a variety of terrain not conducive to mere treads and wheels, in which case the walker becomes a preferred vehicle.
--[X] Terrain freedom. The walker has evolved to the most extreme conditions, even including the vacuum of space itself, reaching extreme speeds through a variety of means.
-[X] [Technology] Clone Experts. From artificial growth vats comes more life, refined and optimized in a way that cannot be found through natural biology.
--[X] Life anew. The vats are artificial wombs in which genetic material is remixed to bring about wholly new life, one that varies from the donors.
-[X] [Pillar] Merchant Guilds. Exchanging goods and services is sacred to the people, and those who dare seek grand profit in the vastness of the stars revered appropriately.
-[X] [Pillar] Machine Cult. The purity of the machine shall stand when the temple of flesh fails, for it is divine.
--[X] Form extended. Linking flesh to machine until they are one and the same means that one could replace almost all of themselves, at which point one must ask if they are still them.
-[X] [Technology] Mech Walker. The stars are filled with a variety of terrain not conducive to mere treads and wheels, in which case the walker becomes a preferred vehicle.
--[X] Terrain freedom. The walker has evolved to the most extreme conditions, even including the vacuum of space itself, reaching extreme speeds through a variety of means.
-[X] [Technology] Clone Experts. From artificial growth vats comes more life, refined and optimized in a way that cannot be found through natural biology.
--[X] Life anew. The vats are artificial wombs in which genetic material is remixed to bring about wholly new life, one that varies from the donors.
-[X] [Pillar] Merchant Guilds. Exchanging goods and services is sacred to the people, and those who dare seek grand profit in the vastness of the stars revered appropriately.
-[X] [Pillar] Machine Cult. The purity of the machine shall stand when the temple of flesh fails, for it is divine.
Founding of Sakuya-Hime and the Power of the MtM-Interface:
Ever since humanity first discovered them, diamonds have been a sign of wealth and prestige and not even FTL travel could carry humanity out of its love for the rocks. The mass-production of laboratory grown diamonds would sate much of the appetite, but this only meant that natural or "True Diamonds" became even more sought after by those who could afford them and no strain of diamond was as sought after as Pink Diamond.
Pink diamonds are the rarest of all diamond colours, to the extent that even the constant expansion of human space in the Age of Expansion could sate the need for natural pink diamonds, with only a handful of worlds being able to profitably support pink diamond mine operations.
One of these handful of worlds is Sakuya-Hime. When it was first discovered it was largely ignored, an extremely volcanically active planet, with a thick, toxic atmosphere which barely allowed any life to exist. But when a survey drone discovered a deposit of pink diamond, all such shortcomings could be forgiven.
The Kagoshima Mineral and Gemstone Corporation (KMGC) would establish a settlement to administer the mining and surveying operation and build several hundred bases across the planet to house the mining crews. But these mining crews wouldn't be the normal type, no, the environment was far too hostile for that, so in order to feed the eternal diamond hunger, cutting-edge tech was needed.
Enter the Mind to Machine Interface, a revolutionary piece of tech developed by the Empyrean Technologies Corporation, which allows the user to temporarily upload their minds to a mechanical body. Sakuya-Hime would be the testbed for the tech, its miners serving as lab rats.
While the tech would prove to have a slow yet steady decaying effect on the human mind, it was still effective in boosting productivity and lowering deaths to an acceptable amount, making it an undisputed success.
The Sakuyan people would suffer under both the boot of corporate rule and the deadly environment of their new home, yet would, like on all planets, manage to develop their own culture and customs. One difference with the Sakuyans however, is the divided way they walked.
The Sakuyans were never a single, unified group, split between City Sakuyans living in the planet's only city of Ninigi and Ashland Sakuyans living in the various mining bases, them, in turn divided based on whichever of the hundreds of bases they originated from. Still, even as the hostile atmosphere made for little contact between these groups, they managed to work together in relative harmony, the Ashland Sakuyans extracting and transporting the diamonds and the City Sakuyans shaping and exporting them.
Development of Sakuya-Hime and invention of the Volcano Wanderers:
Humanity's grasp over the galaxy grew even wider and its wealth grew ever greater. Pink diamonds flowed like a river out of Sakuya-Hime and into the wider galaxy. But more mines were needed to sate even a fraction of the demand.
The problem with expansion was that the largest deposits were found, not in the black mountains and ash deserts, but in the volcano lands, a place the robotic suits couldn't even traverse. But in the face of human ingenuity, nature would never prove an insurmountable obstacle. Once more, KMGC and Empyrean would work together, this time to design a new generation of MtM compatible robots. What they designed was the Volcano Wanderers.
Until this point, the mining robots used had been largely human in size and form, this having proven to reduce the mental decay MtM using humans experienced. For the Volcano Wanderers, this rule was thrown out in the name of efficiency. These new robotic bodies would be more like giant mechs, a horizontally long frame with long, flexible legs would allow for not only easy movement across the hostile planet, but their great size would even allow them to function as transport vehicles.
KMGC and Empyrean had once again brought about a breakthrough in human-centric machinery and an explosion in productivity followed, making the Volcano Wanderers design and implementation more than worth it.
The Volcano Wanderers proliferation across the planet's mining bases did however lead to an increase in cases of Machine Psychosis. Machine Psychosis was the name for the endpoint of mental decay that MtM workers experienced, in which an individual's mind couldn't handle changing between their human and robot body anymore, leading to erratic behaviour, organ failure and eventual death. The huge differences between the human body and the Volcano Walkers only sped up this process.
This proved especially bad for Ashland Sakuyan society, as the MtM workers were held in high regard and often served as community leaders. With their leaders more erratic and unstable than ever before, Ashland Sakuyan society as a whole grew more unstable and the transhumanist ideas so common among MtM workers grew more and more common.
But while the Ashland Sakuyans suffered through the last days of the Age of Expansion, the City Sakuyans thrived, as the productivity increase brought by the Volcano Wanderers brought about a golden age for the city. Ninigi became a regional trade centre, its finely crafted diamonds renowned across the galaxy
Troubles of Sakuya-Hime and the Hegemony of the MtM Interfaces:
The Age of Troubles was harsh for Sakuya-Hime. The destruction of KMGC during the Burning of Luyten and the takeover of Empyrean by the Kheproni left Sakuya-Hime without a suzerain, ripe for picking. Still, the planet wasn't defenceless. In the early days of the Age of Troubles, Ninigi had constructed impressive defences for the city, from shield arrays to massive land-to-space artillery.
So when the first enemy, the Nippan Federation, came to Sakuya-Hime, their first assault was completely crushed. The RenTech Corporate Dominion likewise tried attacking the city with its fleet and was likewise handed a crushing defeat.
But while the City Sakuyans fought for their new-found independence, change was stirring in the ashlands. The breakdown of interstellar trade meant a breakdown in the traditional Ashland Sakuyan way of life, in which diamonds were sold in exchange for basic necessities, such as food and water. It did not take many years until chaos and famine gripped the ashlands.
While there were attempts to restart trade with Ninigi and the wider galaxy, all but a handful of groups were turned away as the decline in trade left Ninigi similarly (but not as extremely) lacking in basic necessities.
Each mining base attempted to deal with this new age in different ways. Some resorted to cannibalism to stretch out their food stores, mass population cullings were not unheard off and other similarly brutal actions grew common. But a handful of bases walked a different road.
While inside of a Volcano Wanderer, the MtM worker didn't need to either eat, drink or sleep, meaning they could survive indefinitely in these harsh conditions. All the Wanderers needed was electricity for their batteries, but easily accessible geothermal energy made that a non-problem. The only problem was Machine Psychosis, but these bases all, independently of each other realised, if an MtM user simply didn't go back to their organic body, they wouldn't be afflicted by Machine Psychosis. It was a radical idea, to permanently abandon their human forms, but in these times it had to be done.
The first to do it were the regular MtM workers, the leaders of the bases. Their transformation allowed for these bases to further stretch their supplies, but everyone knew, as long as humans of flesh and blood remained, the stores would run out, sooner or later.
While the need to transition their populations into machine forms was obvious, no single base had enough Volcano Wanderers to outfit an entire base's population. So another hard decision was made, to go out and gather more Wanderer robots from other bases.
The Ashland Sakuyans who had transitioned ventured out into the ashlands to find more robots to be able to save their friends and families from starvation. Many bases had by now entirely died out, making the collection of their robots relatively easy. More desperate Sakuyans resorted to attacking other bases, stealing their Volcano Wanderers. As the first handful of bases carried out these kinds of expeditions, the concept of an entirely machine population as a way to survive spread. Soon more bases joined this giant competition for survival.
After this age of consolidation, known among the Sakuyans as "The Great Reduction", there remained only 82 Ashland Sakuyan societies left, they the only ones having managed to transition their entire populations.
At about the same time the Nippans returned to Sakuya-Hime, once more to try and the planet for themselves. This time however, they had a plan. While Ninigi was a formidable fortress for any enemy fleet, the Nippans would try to secretly land a small force in the ashlands, to attack the city from the ground, while their fleet attempted another landing.
This expeditionary force would find itself quickly reduced by the hostile environment, but did manage to survive, all thanks to the Ashland Sakuyans. When the Ashland Sakuyans were informed of the invaders mission, they surprised the Nippans by demanding to join in the attack on Ninigi. The Ashland Sakuyans had over the ages grown to despise their city-living cousins and wished to punish them by allying with the Nippans.
The Nippan force managed to organise a massive alliance of Ashlander clans (The Nippans called them clans due to the groups family structures and the name stuck around even after the Nippans left) in their assault on Ninigi, inflicting a decisive defeat on the City Sakuyans. In the aftermath the Nippans occupied the city, while also properly restarting the diamond trade which had been dormant for so long.
The Ashland Sakuyans forms were perfectly designed to harvest the pink diamonds and the Nippan Federation was large enough at the time to make for a suitably big market. So, in exchange for their loyalty and a restart of diamond mining, the Nippans gave the Ashland Sakuyans extensive autonomy and an equitable deal in the diamond trade.
This status quo would continue for the rest of the Age of Troubles. While the instability of the wider galaxy meant that the city would change hands, as regional polities rose and fell, the Ashland Sakuyans were largely isolated from such conflicts. Whoever wanted their share of the diamond trade had just to occupy Ninigi and make a deal with the clans, meaning that any loss of life fell on the City Sakuyans, something the Ashland Sakuyans were completely fine with.
The City Sakuyans as a culture would never really recover from their loss of independence. They would become second class citizens in their own city, slowly being replaced by citizens of whatever power happened to own the city at the time.
Unification of Sakuya-Hime and the Introduction of the SBTs:
When a previously unknown fleet entered the system, the Sakuyans could be forgiven for thinking it just another invasion fleet by some regional power. When the Stellarch's fleet arrived above Ninigi, they had merely threatened an invasion by their overwhelming fleet for the local leader to surrender the city. The Stellarch could have stopped there, like so many before, but they instead decided to descend to the planet and journey into the Ashlands.
The Ashland Sakuyan clans had continued living separately in their clans, only gathering together in temporary alliances when the time called for it. But the Stellarch wished to unify the Ashland Sakuyans like they had unified so much of humanity already, but whenever the Stellarch met with any of the clan chiefs (known as Uji) and told them of their wish, the Uji all asked the same question, why would they agree to it? And to these merchants of the Ashland the Stellarch had one offer which they could not refuse.
The Ashland Sakuyans had, ever since the Great Reduction, been a purely mechanical people, without the ability to reproduce and while their bodies made them ageless and hard to kill, their population did still shrink and they had no way of making children.
So to solve this, the Stellarch offered to give them the knowledge of the Standard Biological Templates(1), a cloning technology which could produce entirely new life, in exchange for them uniting under one leader, appointed by the Stellarch. With the potential that the SBTs represented, the Ashlanders agreed. Using the SBTs the Ashland Sakuyans were able to build cloning vats in their bases, growing humans who could then be uploaded into newly built Volcano Wanderers.
The Ashland Sakuyans had long since moved away from any desire to return to bodies of flesh and blood, having come to see their mechanical bodies as almost divine manifestations of mankind's ingenuity and willpower. But until the Stellarch gave them this final tool by which they could become a complete society, they had been in a slow decay.
With joy in their (figurative) hearts, all 82 Uji of the Ashland Sakuyans swore undying loyalty to the Stellarch. From among these 82, the Stellarch elevated one to become Praetor of Sakuya-Hime, the Stellarch's representative on the ashen planet.
"Dear Diary, I cannot wait to get off this bloody planet.
I do not mean to imply that the people were in any way unkind or that I didn't enjoy learning of the Sakuyans history and culture, but the planet is far too warm for anyone to be truly comfortable.
Well, let's begin the story somewhere fitting, how about the beginning?
I arrived to Sakuya-Hime five days ago. To be specific, I arrived to Ninigi, the planet's only city and spaceport. It's not an especially beautiful city, since it is constantly covered in several layers of ash and dust, making the city a landscape of greys and blacks. Quite fitting seeing as the surrounding ash desert is about the same colour.
But not everything in Ninigi was bad. My contact and host on Sakuya-Hima was one Director Hannah M. Howard, one of my fellow countrymen. We both left our home planet to travel the galaxy, me to write the book you're currently reading, she to participate in the galactic diamond trade.
It felt like meeting family and we got along very well. The food I was served tasted as if it was cooked by my own cooks back home. For such a small city, Ninigi is very diverse, meaning the access to ingredients even from my distant homeland was easily available.
I spent two days at her townhouse, learning the history of the city from her and several of her staff, who were native Sakuyans (Specifically City-Sakuyans. If you've read the chapter this excerpt should be placed below, you can probably guess why the distinction is so important to them). I didn't venture outside as much as I might have wished, the climate truly is horrible and the climate suits you need to use are a hassle to get in and out of.
On my third day I began my journey into the Ashlands. A clan of Ashland Sakuyans had arrived to sell their goods in the city and were gracious enough to allow me to travel with them (for only a small fee, which was well worth it).
I travelled in a sealed container made specifically to allow the Ashlanders to carry us smaller humans around, it even had windows, though I will admit that the environment was kinda repetitive. (2)
We finally arrived at one of their bases. It was way bigger than what I assumed a mining base would have been, though in hindsight it feels quite obvious. The Volcano Wanderers aren't small and the bases have probably been expanded to fit them all.
One thing I found even more surprising though was that there were a few flesh and blood humans walking around too. Apparently the Ashland Sakuyans reproduce via cloning. When someone wants to have a child or the clan just needs more people, they purchase biological material (usually blood) from one of a handful of specialists in Ninigi, slot it into the material into a cloning vat and then wait until the kid is finished.
The children are kept flesh and blood until they're about 15 years old, which is when they are uploaded into a Volcano Wanderer. It's an interesting society and it was even more interesting to live with them for a couple of days. The children asked me a bunch of questions about life outside of the bases. One child even asked why I haven't gone into a robot seeing as I'm so old (one of the adults, who I assumed to be one of the child's parents scolded him for that and told him to apologise. It was a weird yet kinda cute exchange). I did also get the chance to ask my own questions and I learnt a lot about the history of the Ashlands and the Ashland Sakuyans, both from oral stories and from their massive collection of documents (they take preserving their history very seriously).
On the third day I was escorted back to Ninigi, but not before I bought a souvenir. Sakuya-Himan Pink Diamonds are renowned across the United Empire and really bloody expensive. I should know, I own several pieces of jewellery with such diamonds. But anyhow, I had the honour of buying a couple of raw uncut pink diamonds directly from the Sakuyan who mined it. It wasn't cheap, but I didn't regret buying them for even a second.
Anyhow, when I got back to Ninigi, I spent one last night with Director Howard. During the goodbye dinner I gifted her one of the diamonds I had bought as thanks for her hospitality (She made a joke about us "not being that close"... I definitely didn't find it funny).
The next day I got on the ship and am currently procrastinating organising my scientific notes, while on the way to the next system."
-Excerpt from the Personal Diary of Dr Tamara Trench
Footnotes:
(1) The Stellarch had before their arrival to Sakuya-Hime, met and integrated the United Kingdoms of Hallon, who are the original developers of the Standard Biological Templates. They had provided the Stellarch the schematics for the SBT vats and its associated technology.
(2) I learnt from Director Howard that I wasn't the first non-Ashlander to visit one of the Ashland bases, though most people who visit are merchants or lapidarists.
I actually managed to get this out before midnight, which is neat. Hyperfixations are great!
Another exotic planet and people Tamara has visited, though probably not one she plans on visiting again anytime soon, even if the diamonds are very nice.
We also learn some more about the author, like the fact the good doctor isn't exactly strapped for cash.
Speaking of diamonds, I do wonder how much of the House Iris Separatists GDP goes to just buying Sakuya-Hime diamonds. It's a luxury and a damn good looking one at that.
Next chapter will probably be Khepron. I've mentioned it several times and have some plans for it already (
Anyhow, cheers to Dr Trench and her mission to bankrupt the galaxy's students by forcing them to buy the latest edition of her book, EVERY. YEAR.
Edit: Btw, if you wanna get an rough understanding on how the Volcano Wanderers look, google "robot police dogs". They look a bit like that, except with more flexible joints and an actual head.
/Royalist
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