RPG: Starscape

[Xomeron]

Starscape

 

 

Sixty Stars

 

 

Formed of nuclear fire, blazing with light and life, held together by the spiteful pull of gravity, the sixty stars of the Starscape Cluster are a powder keg. Intelligent life has long lived on these stars, peacefully unaware of each other. But now that comes to a close; the Light Barrier is broken, and suddenly the thick, overpopulated Homeworlds look out, and see realms they can colonize. But they also see enemies, competition, those who would stamp out their species and claim the realm for themselves. And now, you command your species. Will they conquer the stars by laser, sword, and railgun? Or will they be peaceful, colonizing and growing free of war? The choice is up to you.

 

 

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Starscape is an RTSRPG, where players control and roleplay an entire species in a thickly populated Star Cluster. The RTSRPG format has its own dedicated following, but that’s all the more reason to get into it; if you have any questions, one of the regulars will be happy to help.

 

 

Interacting With An Entire Universe

 

 

Controlling an entire species may seem hard at first, but it's simple to get the hang of. Here's a quick example of a normal fight between ships.

IC:

 

 

Alarms sounded aboard the Skelvan Battleship as radar signatures from the edge of the trojan belt came in; four ships, Alansik by their configuration, had appeared some two million miles away. Knowing that was far outside missile range, the Skelvan Captain gave the order to sight in with his Frigate's laser. A kill at this range would be the wildest stroke of luck, but he had to try, knowing reinforcements would be arriving as soon as they could, since the planet's warning system sent out the alert the moment the radar signatures came in.

 

 

IC:

 

 

“Transition successful, all systems nominal, wait.” A lieutenant on the Alansik lead cruiser reported. “Laser damage to the outer skin of the ship. Looks like they're hitting us already. Minimal damage, but that means they've found us.” The Alansik Captain sighed, and gave the order to move at full burn towards the Skelvan planet.

 

 

Now, the important part here is that the player controlling the Alansik let the Skelvan player have the hit; if he'd just declared the Laser was an outright miss, it wouldn't be fair. But by ensuring the Skelvan's laser didn't do much damage, and it wouldn't at that range, he kept it fair for both sides but still sensible. And that's the most important part, keep it fair but sensible. Don't go breaking too many laws of physics.

 

 

Building Your Empire

The first step to playing the game is to design your species. This is a very open-ended process, but drawing inspiration from your favorite science fiction series can be a good idea. Once you have a basic idea down, take a look at the Advances post. You get six points to spend. These points are spent on physical advantages, advanced technologies, the setup of your system before the game begins, your species’ society and, most importantly, which form(s) of Faster-Than-Light travel you use. If you have ideas for another trait you want for your species, feel free to drop me a PM. There’s also technologies that everyone has, in the Common Technologies post.

 

 

Once you’ve created your species, they need a Homeworld. Drop me a PM, and I’ll create a star system for you; the maps, linked below, show both what type of star each system has, and which species owns which stars.

 

 

After that, you’ll need to design your starships; check out the Ship Design post; it’s a good explanation of how Starships ought to be set up.

 

 

Once you have that, your empire should be good and ready to go.

 

 

Industry

 

 

In Starscape, every species’ economy is built on two resources; Money and CHON. Money is an abstract idea of value, representing whatever your species use for currency. It’s mostly used for buying metals and paying your spaceship’s crews. CHON, by contrast, is four chemical elements; Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen. These six chemicals are used in nearly every form of life, and are highly useful for other functions. It it helps, think of CHON as a Food resource.

 

 

CHON and Money are both produced by Planets; a planet that has been civilized for a long time produces more than a fresh colony. This is explained in depth in the post on Resources.

 

 

Colonization

 

 

Colonizing a planet is a long, expensive process. The first step to it is building a Colony Ship. If you’re colonizing something in a solar system you already have a planet in, a colony ship is basically a steel can with engines, a radar, and the materials you need to start your colony. If you’re headed to another star system, you can do just as well by slapping a Faster Than Light drive on the ship and call it a day. Colonizers can be reusable, or they can disassemble on use to give the colony extra raw materials to work with. Once your colony is set up, it produces the resources listed for its planet type in the Resources post.

 

 

The Ancient Past

 

 

Civilizations rise and fall. With the terrifying, destructive weapons utilized in war among the stars, this is even more true for spacefaring civilizations. The current set of races in the Starscape Cluster are hardly the first. Previous civilizations left great ruins, but most have decayed. Only a few, held in Stasis Fields, have escaped the rush of time, These Stasis Fields, thus, are very valuable, containing ancient technologies, powerful and sometimes beyond comprehension, or other secrets of the far past.

 

 

The Outsiders

 

 

The Outsiders are a species in the Starscape cluster who do not own any planets, or any other central power base. They live entirely on starships, and never pass the speed of light, preferring the cold darkness to the reckless terrors of high-speed travel. An Outsider ship will occasionally drop into a system, often looking to replenish its resources by selling technological oddities before heading out again.

 

 

Rules

 

 

1: BZP Rules Apply

2: Use IC and OOC

3: No godmoding, auto-hitting, or auto dodging

4: Yarn

5: Be respectful of myself, Rover, and especially your fellow players. These are other people's thoughts, work, and in a lot of cases, opinions out in text, so be nice.

6: If you don't know of a scientific or practical reason you couldn't do it, you can try it. It might get shot down by the GMs, though. Try anyway, we might be asleep

7: Anyone who invokes Godwin's Law by making deliberate parallels to Nazis, Fascist Italy, or WWII Era Imperial Japan will have a -1 penalty to all their planets’ Money and CHON production for three days. Calling someone Hitler or a Nazi(even jokingly) is -2 for one week.

 

 

Joining Up

 

 

The process for joining is simple; Fill out this form, and PM it to me.

 

 

Username: (Obvious)

Species Name: (Make it interesting!)

Biology: What do they look like? What chemicals are their bodies built on? Do they have DNA, or some other way to pass genes on? What do they eat?

Government: Generally, by the time it reaches space, a species will have tried enough systems to figure out what works best for them. So what do your guys use? Democracy? Theocracy? Communism? Democratic Communist Theocracy?

Psychology: Species can have wildly different ideas of thought. A human, finding an ancient superweapon that once destroyed all life, might think "How terrible if any race but mine should find this" But a Kzinti, on the other hand, would think "Now I can conquer the galaxy, as is my right." So how do your people think?

History: (Why are they in space? Why do they use the government they do? Details like that)

Homeworld Name: (Humans call our planet Earth for a reason. Why do these people call their world what they do?)

Homeworld Location: (Try for one that's not taken.)

Map Color: (So we can see what you own)

Advances Taken: (You get six points worth)

 

 

Now get out there, conquer the stars, and have fun!

 

Note: Everyone gets a free, small, scout style ship to explore with at the start of the game. However, your Treasuries do begin empty.

 

Political MapAstrographic Map

Edited April 21, 2013 by Xomeron

[Kothra]

THE KALARII FEDERATIONUsername: KothraSpecies Name: Kalarii - imageBiology: The Kalarii are a race of humanoid otter-people with long, flexible bodies. They stand at 2.1 metres on average, with tails about 1.4 metres in length. The purpose of a Kalarii's thick, muscular tail is to steer and and in some cases propel the Kalarii while swimming. Because of its strength and weight, the tail can be used as a blunt weapon in combat. They have retractile claws that serve little purpose aside from grooming their fur in their current evolutionary state, but have proven useful as last-ditch close-quarters weapons. The fur covering their bodies is short, fine, and dense. The colouring is usually a dark brown, but it is not hard to find other colours, from beige and tan to reddish brown. Their diet consists mostly of seafood, primarily crustaceans, but they also eat bread, rice, and fruits.Government: The political system of the Kalarii Federation could probably be best described as a hybrid direct-representative democracy. The citizens of the Federation vote for both representatives of their states to Federal Assembly and the members of the administrative Federal Council. In addition to this, referendums are held for most major legislation, giving the system its hybrid nature. The Federal Assembly is the governments single legislative body, with 600 seats. Its members are elected through a proportional representation system. The Federal Council is the governments executive body, made up of six councilors, each directly elected by the people of the Federation.Psychology: Among the Kalarii, balance and unity are highly valued, and maintaining such is important, even if violent means are required to do so. This is one of the key reasons why the Kalarii Federation was founded. This concept has also been adapted into interpersonal interactions over the centuries: if one Kalarii is wronged by another, it is commonplace for the wronged party to demand some sort of payment or a duel from the wrongdoer to keep a balance of one's honour. As such, insults are not taken lightly by the Kalarii. In recent times however, lethal dueling has been banned, and strict politeness is becoming less common in informal situations. The Kalarii Federation has set up a Judicial Board to enforce that reparations are paid and to keep situations from spiraling out of control. Young Kalarii are encouraged and in some cases forced to band together with others who hold similar interests. Acting separately from any group is widely frowned upon.History: The Kalarii were once split into numerous nations, often warring among one another. One particularly powerful nation, along with several allies came to the conclusion that a world government was a good idea and worked to control or conquer any nations that rejected their idea, and welcoming those who agreed. They eventually succeeded and modern Kalarii Federation was born.The idea of Kalarii space travel came about half a century later, and was originally engineered and pursued by private groups. Only after successful trips around the planet did the government realise the importance that this could have in the future. The consulate, with senate backing, declared space government territory, requiring all private groups register with the government. The government capitalised on things such as orbital weapons and surveillance as things to keep the territories in line, but this mentality wore off after about twenty years and space was opened to private enterprise once more. Plans to colonise other planets and bodies in the system eventually turned into plans to colonise other systems. Within the past two hundred years, the Federation successfully established two colonies in other star systems. Eventually a team of government and corporate scientists developed and perfected a jump drive system, bringing rise to the modern era. As it exists now, system jump technology is limited to government use.The Kalarii were once split into numerous nations, often warring among one another. One particularly powerful nation, along with several allies came to the conclusion that a world government was a good idea and worked to control or conquer any nations that rejected their idea, and welcoming those who agreed. They eventually succeeded and the modern Kalarii Federation was born.The idea of Kalarii space travel came about half a century later, and was originally engineered and pursued by private groups. Only after successful trips around the planet did the government realise the importance that this could have in the future. The consulate, with senate backing, declared space government territory, requiring all private groups register with the government. The government capitalised on things such as orbital weapons and surveillance as things to keep the territories in line, but this mentality wore off after about twenty years and space was opened to private enterprise once more. Plans to colonise other planets and bodies in the system eventually turned into plans to colonise other systems. Eventually a team of government and corporate scientists developed and perfected a system jump technology, bringing rise to the modern era of Kalarii space travel. As it exists at this moment, such technology is strictly limited to government use only.Homeworld Name: Kalaras - imageHomeworld Location: Czion star system, #7Map Color: cerulean blueAdvances Taken: amphibious, CHON independent environments, proud warrior race, mecha, warp-tunnel driveStarships of the Kalarii Federation Celestial NavyCommon systems:-standard sensor suite includes EM sensors, gravimetric sensors, magnetometric sensors, and camerasName: Vikren ×1 light corvetteDescription: A smallish, generally rectangular ship which is at present date the only military spacecraft operated by the Kalarii Federation Celestial Navy. The ship was designed as a light multi-purpose craft capable of dealing with any spacecraft that had been to-date operated within Federation space, as well as an effective scout ship in the event of the Federation expanding beyond the Czion system. The ship’s four laser batteries are arranged with one on each side of the hull, so as to maximise the the potential firing arc of the weapons. The ship’s missile launch system is located near the front of the ship, with the launchers themselves opening to space at the top of the ship. The ship’s crew numbers at twenty, plus a squad of eight celestial marines.Reactor: nuclear fusion reactorPropulsion: nuclear fusion reactorFTL Drive: warp-tunneling driveArmament: 4 laser batteries, 1 missile battery (36 missiles)Defensive Systems: modular plate system with each plate having a layer of open-cell foamed aluminum and water sandwiched between two thinner layers of alumina ceramics, a laser-based point defence systemDetection Systems: standard sensor suiteCost: 3 Money/3 CHON, 5 DaysUpkeep: 2 Money/2 Chon Edited April 15, 2013 by Kothra

[Silvan Haven]

Username: Silvan Haven

 

Species Name: Kohzan

 

Biology: Basically bird people, short feathers ranging from brown to white or black cover their entire body with the exception of the face. Thick muscular arms and legs hold four talons. The feet are like those of a bird of prey while on the hands the fourth digit comes forward and shortened, looking like long thumbs. Wide eyes provide excellent eyesight, much like their genetic ancestors, even if their bones are not hollow like those found in most bones. They reproduce through eggs like you would expect, usually in sets of three or four at a time. Their primary source of food is meat, but they do have slightly omnivoric tendencies.

 

Government: A Republican Dictatorship. A potentate is elected for a period of twenty years aided by an elected council. After their term, the potentate is no longer allowed to run for office. A special organization was put in place to ensure that no potentate would try to stay in place after his time was up.

 

Psychology: Noble hunter might best describe the mindset of a normal Kohzan. Early in their culture they developed a respect for the sanctity of life even as they hunted their prey. They consider it their duty to act responsibly as the only intelligent life on their planet. Peace and strife are held up as equally needed. Warfare is seen as destructive strife and only to be used when other options have been exhausted. Strife such as that between two companies is encouraged since people perform better when trying to beat somebody else. Cultural variety are accepted and encouraged. Science and the arts are prized since they show that a person has drive and is capable of raising above their base traits.

 

History: They can trace their history back for about twenty thousand years, when the first signs of civilization started showing up. After that it was fairly normal, hunter-gathering tribes followed by agrarian communities as they learned how to farm as well as raise livestock. After a couple hundred years of that the first kingdoms started forming. What followed was at least two thousand years of almost constant warfare among the different nomadic tribes and settled kingdoms. Eventually, several kingdoms conquered enough of the surrounding lands to achieve stability. Another thousand years passed with several wars between the different kingdoms, although none of them were big enough to destroy any of them. Eventually a new nation rose. It was separated from the rest by a fair sized sea, allowing it to grow and prosper without needing to worry about being taken over and absorbed by the others. While the others fought with each other, the new country expanded, eventually creating a large empire. The other nations found out how big the newcomer had come and banded together in order to avoid being destroyed. Another thousand years were spent in a stalemate, neither side able to beat the other and survive. It ended when several volcanoes erupted across the alliance’s territory, accompanied by severe earthquakes. The empire took this as a sign that the gods were on their side and invaded. It took a hundred and fifty years, but eventually the kingdoms fell one by one. During this time several of the empires conquered territories were able to rebel due to the fact that most of the troops were across the sea. This started the long decline of the empire, territory after territory rebelling and splitting off into their own countries. The next twelve thousand years were much of the same happening all over the planet. Eventually stability was once again gained for several countries in different spots around the globe. These places entered golden ages of discovery and exploration for those nearby oceans. steps started being made in the fields of medicine, mathematics, physics and the like. Some places rose to become empires and great kingdoms while others were destroyed and their knowledge absorbed by their conquerors. After that, power started being consolidated by different places. The process continued for several thousand years until only three massive powerblocks remained. Gunpowder had been invented by then allowing for firearms, larger armies and greater acts of destruction. Tensions were high between the three nations for about five hundred years until one of them saw a chance and launched a massive invasion of the other two, trying to end the war quickly and become the sole remaining world power. It was a horrific war that lasted for only two years, ending when one of the defending nations launched a series of nuclear strikes that whipped entire armies and cities off the map. Everybody, including the ones using it, was shocked at the destructive power of the weapons and the invaders surrendered. The other countries divided it up between them and settled down with fairly friendly relations. After a couple hundred years of becoming ever more intertwined with each other, the two nations merged, unifying the planet and opening the way for the space age.

 

Homeworld Name: Kaelia. Named such the deity that they believe sent them down to earth.

 

Homeworld Location: 33

 

Map Color: Forest green

 

Advances Taken: Artificial Gravity

AI Systems

Skip Drive

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System 33

 

IC: It was a great day for the Kohzan. The start of a new age of discovery, expansion and progress.

 

It was the day they launched their first proper spaceship.

 

Sure they had sent rockets out to the planet's moon before, it had been one of their first attempts at reaching out into the great Void. After that had been probes, allowing them to thoroughly explore their system from the safety of their own planet.

This however, was on an entirely different level. A fully maned ship, able to fly from planet to planet in a fraction of the time it had taken before and stay out in space for extended periods of time. Sure it might not have been the biggest one they had planned, but it was by no means helpless. The Tlofo Series One was armed with the newest versions of both accelerated plasma beam cannons and laser turrets.

 

Accompanied by the happy shouts of people all over the planet as well as the speeches of the politicians, the one hundred meter long ship rose from it's launch pad in the middle of the ocean and rapidly climbed through the atmosphere, breaking into the Void within a minute. For a minute, the crew stared at the blue and green gemstone of a planet beneath them. The captain almost decided to make a speech to his crew before they continued but decided against it. With a click of his beak, the dark brown plumaged avian being turned to his crew and cried a single word to the bridge crew.

 

"Go."

 

With a graceful turn, the craft faced away from the planet and activated the fusion torch propulsion system. With an unheard roar, a massive column of flames leapt from the engines in the rear and sent the ship flying at almost unheard of speeds towards the second airless planet aside from the moon. The hyperwave stations back home had detected strange readings coming from a particular spot on it. Command wanted to know just what was out there that was able to interfere with the strange waves.

 

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The trip had been short, comparatively speaking to the vast distances that had to be crossed, and once they were in orbit a hyperwave signal was sent out. The odd return came once again and they headed towards it. The low gravity and lack of things they could damage with the fusion torch meant that they could land without worrying about taking off again. What the environmentally sealed and armored crewmen found several hundred feet away from the landing site was an odd box about fifteen feet long and covered in a fine layer of dust.

Not willing to risk the ship, the captain ordered one of the sealed prefab buildings to be set up to allow the scientists to study it.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Silvan Haven

[Xomeron]

Setting: System 33

 

Within the box, the scientists found a strange device made of a hard plastic, with a hinge at one end, a three-dimensional holographic projector that functions when folded out, and a set of low power infrared lasers that continually scanned the air above it. All, though identifiable, were off when it was found. The rest of the box, which was clearly a Stasis Field, contained a strange, clear plastic bag filled with water, about a meter wide by two long, and an ornately decorated steel sword suited for a species with a very large hand.

[BenLuke]

Username: Javert

Name: Drekian

Description: Drekians are warm-blooded bipedal sapient reptiles with thick scaled skin, a set of three horns positioned at the end of the snout and on both sides of the forehead, and similar horns growing along their spine and down their tail. They also tend on the whole to be extremely muscular, although that has as much to do with cultural and environmental factors as physiological ones.

Joutoma, their home planet, has a larger axial tilt then most other terrestrial worlds, leading to freezing winters and searing anywhere besides the equator, the landscape transforming from deserts and savannas or rainforests to tundra and taiga within the same year. Proximity to the sun partially melts the poles during their respective warm seasons, causing the winters to be much dryer the then the summers, triggering massive migrations by the planet’s large herd animals to stay on the hemisphere with enough readily obtainable water to sustain then. The plain predators that do not follow them, like many Dreki cultures, have developed a diverse variety of survival method to stay alive during the colder, hungrier seasons, such as retreating to the forests or coasts, places where moisture, and prey, are more abundant. Advanced cultures have generally settles near rivers or dug channels inland, and in the Space Era the Drekians have mined various asteroids and comets for ice to increase farming’s practicality on the vast plain regions, but these anomalies has only had minor effect on the overall picture. The interior of the continent is an unforgiving place, and many that live there like it that way, thank you.

Due to the hostility of their homeworld, Dreki culture tends towards the warlike, but they also have many skilled engineers, writers, scientists, and everything else advanced civilizations inevitably contain. Interpersonal interaction is dominated by a complex system of rituals and tradition (Handshakes, specific phrases, roars, dances, et cetera.) that are fairly universal, though obviously have many minor variations across different cultures. Society, particle that of the dominant Imperial culture, is based around the concept of fealty and loyalty to one’s liege or group. While it’s possible to divide Drekies by social class, they are not set in stone, as a successful military career can catapult a commoner to nobility and an alliance turned sour can reduce a noble to poverty.

Hunting and gathering remains the main food source for a large section of the population, but farming is a major subsistence producer around the mild equator and other fertile regions.

Most of their homeworld is ruled by a single “empire”, really a confederation of various nation states and tribes united by treaty and conquest dominated by a single super state known simply as the Dominion. Governed by parliament with mix of democratically elected officials and members of the aristocracy overseen by a hereditary monarch as it’s’ central government, and member states that range from traditional tribal groups to democracies and everything in between, the planet’s political situation can be described as eclectic at best and more realistically as a pile of logs in search of matches, even if the Emperors have done their best to scatter the fuel and have stood ready to douse any flames if they appear.

History: Drekians, in one form or another, first appeared on Joutoma’s surface millions of years ago, living simple (And extraordinarily dull, from a grand historical view.) lives as hunter gathers, wondering the planet barely eking out an existence among the other animals that provided them with a food source or hunting them as their own sustenance. Things begin to look a little less boring around ten thousand years ago, when agriculture really caught on after first appearing near the equator and soon spreading to the north and the south. This rarely replaced hunting entirely as a primary (metaphorical) breadwinner, but it does allow civilization to form, and that at least means records of what has past beyond mangles tales passed from one club wielding hooligan to another.

The Drekians were no stranger to war before anyone had permanent claims on land that could be fought over, of course, but the growth of civilization meant that they could carry it out on increasingly massive scales. From metalworking to the wheel to gunpowder, Dreki kind is extremely skilled at inventing better ways of killing each other, all the while making life better as ending it becomes easier. The fact that you can divide Joutoma's nations into a handful of hyper-advanced societies and the remnants of countries literally bomber back to the stone age shouldn't come as a surprise, then.

The previous century was perhaps the epitome of bloodthirsty Drekian nature. Shattered by constant wars fought by more nations you could count, peace could only be brought to Joutoma with the reformation of an ancient empire that had claimed the rule the entire world, which was only slightly less true then the claim that their egos were larger then there domain could ever be. Paradoxically, peace was only brought on by even more bloodshed, as the Dominion’s first ruler, Emperor Aral the Great, set out with a campaign of conquest where the enemy armies were circumvented entirely and only their leaders lost their lives. Once anyone that could have posed a threat to them was eliminated, the Dominion’s ended their assignations spree and set out to further their power though the even more underhand tactic of diplomacy, cemented Aral and his descendant’s power for centuries to come.

Homeworld Name: Joutoma

Homeworld Location: System 30, the single terrestrial planet in the system. Its' closest neighbors are an Airless Planet closer to the star, an asteroid belt further out, and two ice giants beyond that.

 

Map Color: Orange-Brown.

Advances Taken:

• · Predatory Physiology
• · Extra Limbs
• · Proud Warrior Race
• · Skip Drive
• · CHON Independent Environments

 

Ships:

 

 

Name: Orbital Shuttle.Description: A reusable surface to orbit craft designed to carry passengers and delicate cargo into orbit (Most cargo is shot into space using land-based railguns.).Reactor: Nuclear FusionPropulsion: Nuclear Fusion.FTL Drive: None.Armament: A single small laser and 10 small missiles both used primarily as a safeguard against dangerous debris.Defensive Systems: Steel armor cover by several layers of heat resistant tiles that often require maintenance.Detection Systems: Radar, a series of camera, and a magnetometric sensor.

Cost: Free.

Name: Starcarrier

Description: The Starcarrier is exactly what it sounds like, a ship designed to ferry other ships into combat. Capable of waging a small war on its’ own, Starcarriers are the backbone of the future drekian fleet.

Reactor: Nuclear Fusion.

Propulsion: The Drive module is a massive ramjet that propels the main payload of the command module and weapon’s modules though space, the massive magnetic sails pose an easy target however, so this is usually left behind the rest of the ship during a fight. The command/living module utilizes Orion Drives, both for movement and as an extra weapon in the arsenal.

FTL Drive: Jump Drive.

Armament: 15 drones/fighters (Either Automated Railguns, Missile Platforms, Lasterstars, shuttles etc.) that dock with the main module and can be used either as tradition spacecraft weapons or detach and maneuver separately, 5 laser ports positioned on the tip of the rocket and the four sides of the hull, and the ship’s nuclear shaped charges that can be uses either weapons or propellant.

Automated Railguns and Lasterstars use fusion engines as for both power and propulsion, while Missile Platforms use Orion drives, essentially accelerating using its’ ammunition. Laserstars and Railguns also sport massive radiators that disperse excess energy as heat, and both must wait between shot to avoid overheating.

Defensive Systems: 2 layers of heavy steel armor around a small vacuum between then to divert any explosion that breaks thought the first layer.

Detection Systems: Knowing the enemy’s exact location is the key to victory, so every module is equipped with a radar, magnetometric sensor and cameras to insure maximum visibility. The Command module is also equipped with a gravimetric sensor to detect any gravity fields that might affect combat or navigation.

Cost: 11 Money, 11 CHON, 15 Days.

Upkeep: 6 Money, 5 CHON

Name: Colony wheel.

Description: A giant passenger/cargo vessel designed to carry everything needed for terraforming and colonization through space. The habitation modules are six massive radial slices of a torus that can gimbal forward when the ship is under thrust to use the acceleration as gravity, and spin to provide gravity when not. The center of the wheel in uninhabited and is used to house the generator and carry cargo and fuel for the engine.

Reactor: Fusion.

Propulsion: Ramjet.

FTL Drive: Jump.

Armament: The ship carries a small complement of missiles and an anti-debris laser, but neither of those are strong enough to pose much of a threat.

Defensive Systems: A bulky metal plate at the front of the ship large enough to protect the wheel from micrometeors , lead radiation shielding, and the aforementioned anti-debris weapons.

Detection Systems: Cameras, Radar, Magnometric and gravimetric systems.

Cost: 5 Money, 6 CHON, 15 Days

Upkeep: 4 Money, 4 CHON

Edited April 24, 2013 by Javert

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

The Shei-Al Drakk Consciousness

Username: Lord of Adders Black

Species Name: Shei-Al Drakk

Biology: The Shei-Al are a type of bacteria, believed to be silicon based. Their...complex cell walls give them a roughly hexagonal shape, a flagellum tail lashing from each corner. They are a kind of iron-eating bacteria, consuming it in either molten form or suspended in liquid, leaving behind a form of sludgy rust. Individually each bacteria has its own sentience and some degree of sapience, but their cell walls have a form of miniature hyperspace gate inbuilt which allow them to instantaneously communicate and share what passes for thought, essentially giving the entire species a single mind. And while individually they aren't too bright, a population that has to be described with words like 'decillions' all merging their thoughts is scary smart.

To manipulate things on a multi-cellular level, or to get around places they haven't got their vein-like tunnels through which iron and magma flow, they have constructs of rock, metal, crystal, or whatever else they can throw together, in which certain colonies will live, making the thing move through hydraulic action. These constructs, which are the Drakk of their full name and can roughly translate to 'city', usually look something like spiders; a central hub with lots of limbs sticking out.

Government: No government. With only one mind, they don't need it

Psychology: Pragmatic. Calculating. Self-interested. They're not the sort to try and wipe out another race just out of spite or anger, but they would if they thought it was the best thing to do to get that race out the way or if it were for the best. With lots of minds to think they tend to do a lot of thinking

History: The Shei-Al evolved on their planet as one of the few life-forms that possibly could, their homeworld being a desolate inferno of a wasteland blasted by all kinds of spacey radiation. And at first they were quite content to simply wallow in their underground pools and tunnels, keeping themselves to themselves. Then something changed. Something suddenly gave them a huge drive to be off the planet and exploring other worlds. Its most likely that some satellite or other piece of foreign technology crash landed on their planet and tipped them off to life beyond the stars, though they claim they just realised that if life could have evolved on their planet it would have evolved elsewhere so decided to seek it out.

The Shei-Al have fought no wars with each other, as such a thing would imply some sort of multiple personality disorder, but an observer might find it odd that they Shei-Al are pretty much the only life of any kind on their planet. Then they might do well to realise that territory exists even for bacteria, and the Shei-Al are far more suited than most single-cellular lifeforms to staking claims. There were other bacteria on the planet...but they got in the Shei-Al's way...

Homeworld Name: Szak Ammah Xkal. A world of red sands and twisting spires dripping with condensing metal

Homeworld Location: System 3. Orbiting a yellow dwarf are a series of three pressure cooker worlds (the one closest to the sun being Szak Ammah Xkal) then a terrestrial world, followed by a gas giant orbited by a further two pressure cookers as moons. An asteroid belt circles the system beyond the giant, and beyond this is an ice ball world and a second gas giant with an ice ball for a moon.

Map Color: Orange

Advances Taken: Hazardous Environment [2]. Skip Drive [2]. Single Mind [2].

Ships

Name: Tesseract

Description: It looks like a cube. Six faces, all lines of equal length. One of the smallest ships in the Shei-Al armament it is used primarily as a fighter, zipping round the battle wearing down the armour of enemy ships, taking their toll unless dealt with

Reactor: Nuclear Fusion

Propulsion: Ramjet

FTL Drive: Skip Drive

Armament: Six plasma blasters, one mounted on each face

Defensive Systems: Just tough external armour

Detection Systems: Cameras, EM Sensors, Magnetometric Sensors, Gravimetric Sensors

Cost: ???

IC: The sun glinted off the mountains of Szak Ammah Xkal, its radiance brilliant enough to melt their heavy iron content. Years of this had made the mountains droops and bend irregularly as the sun hit a different side each day, turning them into crooked corkscrew spires that reached up to skewer the very sky. As if in answer the sky boiled, its noxious atmosphere an angry crimson. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, curses from some forgotten god.

The Shei-Al working down below cared little.

They'd been putting up with it for years, even if it had been from the crevices and cracks deep down in the mantle of the planet. It was neither beautiful nor terrifying to them, merely a fact of existence. It was, in a word, humdrum. So they worked on, the various Drakk constructs they'd designed and built for the purpose of construction scurrying about on any number of legs, toiling with any number of arms. The desire to reach beyond the burning sky required a launch platform, so a launch platform they would have

Edited April 16, 2013 by Lord of Adders Black

[Lara White]

Username: Lloyd: The White Wolf

 

Species Name: Osalieli

 

Description: Technically, there are two Osani (a word which, roughly translated, combines the ideas of a loose caste system, racial differences, and gender divides), the Osalieli and the Osa'noch. The Osalieli have a hard, grey exoskeleton, almost the color of stone. It is often engraved with elaborate patterns. It is warm to the touch, but rather inflexible. Their flesh is visible in their joints, where the exoskeleton stops. Their flesh is bioluminsecent (although they can control whether it emits light or not) and glows a soft red color. Their general build is rather skinny (somewhat sticklike, maybe about five centimeters thick at its thinnest point), but their upper torso (which is shaped in a roughly triangular shape) is rather thick. All of their vital organs are in their chest, which has the heaviest armor on the body and an endoskeleton as well. They can regenerate severed limbs and heads over a period of a few months. Their teardrop-shaped heads have one eye, which takes up the majority of the front of the head to compensate and grant depth perception. This eye has enhanced bioluminescense to compensate for weak night vision, and typically appears to be glowing.Osalieli have no mouths, instead communicating via a language that vibrates their exoskeletons.It sounds similar to a bass. Their lifespans are normally from 120 to 150 years old. The oldest recorded Osalieli was 178 at his time of death. They are the more psychologically-orented of the two Osani and tend toward toward positions of authority and bureaucracy. Osa'noch are quite similar, but are in most cases much more physically durable and larger, with a stronger exoskeleton. They tend toward the more physical, and are often found in the military and in hard labor. The race as a whole is referred to as the Osalieli because A: the Osalieli are typically their representatives and leaders and B: archaeoanthropologists theorize that the Osa'noch are a genetic offshoot of the Osalieli which developed out of a need for physical protection.

 

In general, they are very pragamatic and long-term planners. Individual psychology is incredibly variant, but those two factors are the most common, and essentially dictate the course of the Osalieli.

 

The Osalieli operate a monarchy, the Most August, Holy, and Benevolent Imperium, Crown of the Most Holy Pontiff. The Supreme Emperor-Pontiff rules as monarch and high priest of the Osalieli religion, which revolves around the Sun God Elathon, the Light-Giver, King Among the Pantheon of Star-gods. Its central tenets are that the Osalieli are the children of Elathon, that he raised them to dominance and provided all they needed, and emphasized his supremacy among all the stars of the sky--during the day, he held his court, but during the night he hid his brilliance to permit the lesser stars to show their faces. Many theologians posited the idea of other star-children, and many are eager to assert the dominance of Elethon.

 

History: The origin of the cult of Elethon is lost to the mists of history, but early cave-paintings indicate proto-sun-worship as early as the Stone Age. The cult fought against many oppressors and foes across the millenia, some within and some without. Empires rose and fell, heretics and pagans threatened the faith, but three thousand years before the current date, the Imperium was formed from the ruins of destroyed empires, uniting the people in search of a leader to protect them from barbarians. Since then its power has only grown, until it is the only political power worth speaking of on the planet.

 

Homeworld Name: Ele'gai

 

Homeworld Location: 54

 

Map Color: Dark Red

 

Advances Taken: Hazardous Environment, AI, Skip Drives, Hyperspace Drives

 

IC:

 

And lo, Elethon spoke to his people from on high, saying: "Spread my gifts to all creatures and all nations, for as surely as thou were born on the soil of Ele'gai, just as surely thou art my children.

 

--Book of Elethon, Chapter 6

 

Temple of Elethon

High Priest's Chambers

 

The emissary stood before the great doors of the High Priest's chambers as he waited for his audience to be granted. As he waited, he was reminded of the part he was playing in history by the engravings carven upon the great bronze doors. These doors had seen more history than any child of Elethon, Osalieli and Osa'noch alike. They had stood for the last thousand years, prophetically commissioned by the first High Priest to inhabit the Great Temple of Elethon as a chronicle of what he believed would be a long-lasting empire. He was more right than he could imagine, and the common belief was that the Imperium would last forever. These doors were a chronicle of the Eternal Imperium, new events engraved upon their bronze sheen at the decree of the current High Priest. Once there, they would never be removed. Most citizens of the Imperium could explain the pictographs by memory, so famous were they: A single Osaliel, standing among fire and ruin, the rising sun at his back. The Herald of Elethon, who brought the sun-father's religion to the world. A city, half in fire and ruin while the other half was raised in rebirth: the hallowing of Catalo, the first of many kingdoms to assume their rightful place in the Imperium. A horde of barbarians, with stolen machine guns and vehicles, futilely throwing throwing themselves upon ranks of disciplined Osa'noch, the fall of the Reigen, a great coalition of inferior nations who sought to stem the growth of the Word of Elethon. The list of events and achievements, warlike and peaceful, continued on. And yet there was still a great space of smooth bronze, a place to engrave future achievements.

 

The doors creaked open, stirring the messenger from his reverie. Two Osa'noch in ceremonial red plate armor (the color of a dying sun was symbolic of what they would do in pursuit of their duty), carrying titanium swords with a lethal 3-nanometer-thick obsidian edge, stepped aside to grant him entry into the High Priest's audience chamber. Great pillars lined a long white-blue carpet which led toward the High Priest's throne, and the soldiers of the Priestguard stood before each pillar. Between the pillars hung tall banners, each proudly displaying the symbol of Elethon, a blue sun, brilliant rays striking out around it upon a white field. The messenger proceeded with reverence, finally kneeling at the foot of the dais upon which the High Priest's throne sat.

 

"You may speak." Thrummed the High Priest.

 

He did so, tightly controlling his voice lest he tremble in the sight of such majesty. "O High Priest, Mouth of the Lodestar, Exemplar of Elethon, it has been done as your predecessor decreed. The Word of the Sun waits on your words to travel to the heavens and spread Elethon's message to the galaxy.""The Word of Elethon is quite clear that those not born under Elethon's light are not his children, my son. We spread the word of the sun, not the word of Elethon. The king of gods is our father, and our father alone." The High Priest gave the messenger a gentle reminder. "I speak, and declare that today we shall see the fruition of the ancient prophecies, that the Imperium will walk amongst the gods and yet still marvel at their power, that we shall see the fallen gods who consume all and know no fear, that we shall touch the corpse of dead gods and be humbled. Today, we begin a new chapter in the glory of the Imperium. Send word to the crew of the Word of the Sun, for today they shall be our Herald!"

 

The messenger felt his heart thrill as his High Priest spoke these historic words, with him the only witness. "It will be as you decree, High Priest."

 

So the High Priest spoke, so it was done. The Word of the Sun began spreading its message first to Elethon's cradles of life, exploring them, while on Ele'gai a great many colonists-to-be prepared to be the first to explore thrilling new worlds.

 

OOC: 1x Horologii-A under construction.

 

[Silvan Haven]

System 33

 

IC: The first thing the scientists did was set up a system that recorded just about every single thing possible. Ranging from normal cameras, to at least a dozen different ranges of audio. the entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum. Even hyperwaves were monitored just to make sure.

 

After that had been set up and all the necessary equipment set out, several things were done. First off, they went over the sword, checking to see if there was anything inside it and that it was in fact made out of steel. After that, a very small sample of the water was taken from the bag for testing, the small hole that the needle made was sealed back up as soon as they had the sample.

The holographic projector was set up separately, the hinged part was folded out and and on a hunch, several of the scientists started placing things in the way of the scanners.

 

Back at Kaelia, the second phase of the space advancement project was put into action.

 

OOC: Space elevator construction started. Finished on the 25th.

[Xomeron]

Setting: System 33

 

The sword was mostly normal, though of high quality; carbon nanotubes ran throughout the sword, granting it added stress tolerance(though not increasing its cutting power) The handle was set in silver, and entirely the wrong shape for the scientist's hands. The water from the bag proved to be pure dihydrogen monoxide.

 

When a solid object entered the scanning path of the laser, it emitted a short burst of infrasound that, the recordings would show, was actually a musical scale, and the hologram projector lit up, displaying a series of thirty eight characters of text, each one unique.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Xomeron

[Alex Humva]

FIRST EXPEDITIONARY FLEET OF THE NATSIRT

 

Username: Alex HumvaSpecies Name: Natsirt; First Expeditionary Fleet of the Natsirt.Biology: In a somewhat bland turn of events, the Natsirt look remarkably human. The average height of a full grown male is 5'8”, and in general human physiology applies them. Some things that do set them apart from us homo sapiens though is the fact that they can lighten and darken their skin, a feature evolved due to strange star activity, and a surprisingly malleable genetic code. They have evolved with more failsafes hard-coded into their DNA that it tampering with it is a relatively safe process.Government: They are a military run migratory fleet. While concepts of representation have carried over their journey, the government is still primarily a military dictatorship, and this is fine by everyone because everyone IS the military. Or at least, in the same sense that everyone in Switzerland is the military. Because of this, democracy is far from in effect, though regiments can elect their own regiment leader to serve on a military council.Psychology: Natsirt are... just slightly xenophobic. While not incredibly so, they hold a general distrust of xenos on the basis that they believe a coalition of them destroyed their homeworlds and almost killed their entire race. Despite this, they don't kill xenos on sight because they do remember their allies, the Kalarii and the Osaleii, in high regard due to their efforts to defend the planets. They are a people of extremes, so any sort of action by another race will be judged heavily by them.History: Natsirt history is a long and rich story; what is applicable here is slightly less so. In more modern times, fter a number of military blunders and grabs, the Natsirt found themselves up against an alien alliance in their home sector, fighting a war they could not win. In what would later become known as the Four Hour War, the Natsirt worlds were overrun by the alien species and in desperation a series of nuclear warheads were detonated all around the planets, killing billions of Natsirt and nearly ending their race. A series of colonizing fleets that were offworld at the time then banded together, flying off into the unwarpable region of space surrounding their sector and undertaking a massive journey. However, this fleet was totally unaware that it was its own people that destroyed their worlds, instead thinking it was the alliance that was attacking the Natsirt worlds.By the time of their arrival in this region of space, the Natsirt have suffered heavy losses. Their population of three million has been reduced to thirty thousand, a population count that some sufficiently advanced apartment buildings could house. They have become a wounded species, limping along and hoping to find a new home out in the stars. But even then many have grown use to the ships, and few wish to depart to a foreign world so quickly. For now the Natsirt will simply remain on their ships, while worlds are exploited to continue the might of a long forgotten race.Homeworld Name: N/AHomeworld Location: Thirty four.Map Color: Camo green.Advances Taken: CHON Independent Environments, Genetic Masters, AI Systems, Warp Drive, Fleetborn.

 

IC

 

...r unawarelight.tfx

...initializing

...processing "historicalarchive.fin"

...process complete

...accessing fleet commands

...access granted

 

The artificial AI known as Unaware Light awoke. One hundred and thirty five years he had rested, hidden inside of the computer banks. Now, he aware. The ships had dropped into a warp-avaliable region of space and begun orbit around a barren world in a barren solar system. His program had served its purposes well, and now, he knew what had transpired. It took a moment to fully appreciate what had happened, but he took it all in stride. He was a program, after all; for all his illusions of emotions he was perfectly capable of thinking in a concise and prompt fashion. For now, he would need to gain access to the command ship's computers.

 

>-{0}-<

 

Aboard the command ship Torios, the leaders of the last of the Natsirt were gathered to discuss the future.

 

"I think our immediate course of action is clear." The Head General spoke in a crisp, clear voice that echoed through the enclosed room. "This system has resources that we desperately need. Our scanners have detected a world that's habitable, if a bit exotic. Is there any objections to this?"

 

The assembled generals and colonels looked over their documents, and no response came.

 

"Very well then."

 

OOCColonization of the single terrestrial world begun, henceforth dubbed New Esidara

Edited April 16, 2013 by Alex Humva

[Xomeron]

Outsiders: System 34

 

The younger races were often entertaining.

 

Here they were, basking so deep in sunlight, playing at being gods among the stars, but never slowing down enough to appreciate the true beauty of the realm. The Starseed had been laid here, maybe ages ago, but no one had seen it since, and it had activated just over nine thousand years ago. The Outsiders came, as they always did, and here they found a fleet of bulky, hideous, primitive Starships.

 

But besides the entertainment, the younglings often had trinkets worth trading for, and always loved what the Outsiders sold.

 

One the edge of the star system, a bright white fusion flare flashed its signal at the Natsirt fleet.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Xomeron

[Alex Humva]

IC [Natsirt Exodus Fleet]

 

"Colonel!" A spaceman at a wall covered in panels cried out to the officer strolling the command platform of the single Ithaka class interceptor in the fleet. "We're detecting a flare; the computer says it's high intensity pulse. Eighty seven percent chance that it is an artificial fusion drive signalling; what shall we respond?"

 

"Inform the fleet to warm the warp drives." The colonel strode up to the view screen, looking at the pulse being replayed on it. "Attempt to contact them on hyperwave channels; bounce the following off the Command Ship."

 

The Outsider vessel would promptly receive bursts of hyperwave signals, each burst spaced three seconds apart. Numerically, they followed a pattern. 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, then a ten second gap, 144, 233, 377. It would be clear to any sapient species that had come this far how to respond.

[Xomeron]

Outsiders: System 34

 

The response was characteristic of the source that produced it. A series of trinary pulses, on a single set of the Hyperwave frequencies. If one possessed a computer containing the proper lexicon, the question would render itself simply. "Have we met before?"

 

The ship, for it was definitely a ship now, fired a long, long burst on its fusion flare, beginning to decelerate.

[Alex Humva]

IC [Natsirt Exodus Fleet]

 

The Natsirt did not in fact have the proper lexicon, but they did bring their translator AI online to prepare for true contact.

[Xomeron]

Outsiders: System 34

 

The ship continued its deceleration burn; any ballistic computer could place its trajectory, landing it in orbit of an Ice Ball at the edge of the system. The unspoken message was clear. "We'll wait for you."

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: The blackness between the stars was a lonely road. The craft of the Shei-Al had been sent to travel through it though, so thats what it would do. The information would be valuable. Probably incalculably so. It would allow expansion, force adaption, breed evolution as they blazed a trail onto new worlds.

Which was why their funny little conical scout was quietly zooming along to the farther reaches of their system, with the goal of gathering info on every planet and larger moon that orbited their sun. Only with that data and information could a proper decision be made on what to do next.

However, fortune favoured those who helped themselves. Hmm, no, that saying needed work. It could be left for a moment of introspection, there were things to construct and build. Things of sleek purpose and a somewhat darker design.

The great mind of the Shei-Al turned downwards to their forges, down down, where the earth was so hot the metal slithered through the planet's veins as liquid. While normally a food source it had proven invaluable as construction, and they were siphoning more off now in construction of this new vessel...

 

OOC: Construction on 1 War Egg begun. Completed in 10 days

Edited April 16, 2013 by Lord of Adders Black

[Silvan Haven]

System 33

 

IC: Intrigued, the scientists paused in their attempts to look over the recordings and jot down notes and theories. After about an hour they came back in with a bag. Opening it, the symbols that had been shown by the hologram could be seen, created out of blocks of what amounted to soft clay. One by one they passed the shapes over the lasers, hoping it would do more then just show what it had the last time.

[Xomeron]

Setting: System 33The box's projector had turned off, but when the blocks were placed above it, it did precisely the same thing as before.

[Silvan Haven]

System 33

 

IC: Playing off another hunch, the scientists played the same musical scale as the Music Box had. Meanwhile the scientific AI 182 Inquisitor's Dream tried to see if it could access the computer inside it, either wireless or through a physical connection.

[Xomeron]

Setting: System 33

 

The Box didn't respond, and seemed to have no physical access ports at all.

[Kothra]

System 7 IC: It was morning in Central Kalaras. Up on the northern steppes the Kalarii Federation's first true deep space exploration and patrol craft Vikren ×α was preparing to embark on its maiden voyage. The purpose of the ship's mission would be the first manned warp-tunnel jump to another star system. The destination system was the closest system (system 13) to the Kalarii home system of Czion. The Federation had worked to keep announcement of the launch to a minimum, strategically timing the announcement that the construction the first Kalarii space elevator would being promptly to coincide with the event, in order to keep unwanted attention to a minimum. Meanwhile, construction of the planned space elevator actually began on a plateau just south of the Kalarii capital. And the ship launched, streaking up into the atmosphere over the northern half of the planet. Within a few hours the ship had escaped the planet's gravity well and following the tenth safety check after takeoff, the crew activated the warp drive with bated breath.

 

OOC: Construction on space elevator begun. To be completed 4/25.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Kothra

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

OOC: Heeere I come, to wreck the daaaaaaaay!

 

Username: Ymper Trymon

Species Name: Cysgodin

Description

-Biology: The Cysgodin are endothermic vertebrates with four long, tapering limbs, with the front two ending in a set of four ‘fingers’ (two long ones with broad, flat pads and two opposable thumbs, one on each side of the central pair) and the rear two ending with a set of four short toes on the end of a long, flat foot that is capable of alternating between a plantigrade and digitigrade stance. The torso of a Cysgodin is compact, with much of it occupied by a thick boney subdermal shell that serves as a rib-cage analogue, leaving the Cysgodin with only a limited ability to flex its torso. The head of a Cysgodin is round and narrow, with a boxy braincase attached to the neck at a 30 degree angle, causing the head to tilt forward in its most comfortable posture. Two bulbous eyes are present on the front of the head, giving binocular vision, and a third, less advanced ‘eye’ on the back of the head has a limited ability to detect movement, giving some early warning in case of an attack from behind. The front part of the head below the eyes is largely occupied by an oblong tube of bone projecting straight downward, with vents located on the rear surface of the tube to allow for respiration. Two rounded sacs on the side of the head serve as the primary tools for vocalisations, while the respiratory chamber in front serves as an additional resonator, giving the Cysgodin voices that can carry over great distances, but cannot easily produce most consonant sounds. A retractable proboscis is located just behind the respiratory chamber, and is tipped with a serrated radula.

Like many intelligent species, the Cysgodin have carnivorous tendencies, and, in the early history of their species, had to work to capture prey and evade larger predators, for, as is typical of sapient organisms, they would not have been able to survive relying only on strength or speed. Despite their planet’s low gravity (70% of Earth’s gravity), the Cysgodin developed a habit of moving low to the ground, largely to aid in avoiding detection, though this posture gave an unusual benefit. The warm, damp climate the Cysgodin evolved in has very thick air close to the ground, full of water vapour and the nutrient-rich fog given off by certain decomposers, which break dead organic matter down into its constituent molecules using a combination of heat and chemical processes, and release what they do not need into the air. Symbiotic microorganisms living in the facial respiratory chamber extract these nutrients and hydrogen sulfide (which is put out by both volcanic sources and the aforementioned decomposers, and which the Cysgodin and many other terrestrial organisms on this planet have evolved to tolerate) from the dense fog close to the ground, providing an additional energy source for the Cysgodin should prey become scarce.

-Culture: As may be expected from a race that evolved on a world with multiple continents, the Cysgodin are not culturally homogenous, with upwards of one hundred languages, ten major religions (plus strict secularists) and a variety of customs, social standards, and types of clothing. As of the beginning of the RPG, the dominant economic power on the Cysgodin homeworld is located in the high northern latitudes, with a high percentage of the population being secularist.

With the advent of tool use, the Cysgodin adopted a more bipedal posture, and any member of their race in such a hurry that they abandon this posture is viewed with some caution by their peers – which, of course, gives the hurried party the benefit of people getting out of their way quickly.

History: With little to no need for plant matter in their diet, the key agricultural development that allowed the Cysgodin population to grow early in their history was the keeping of animals as livestock. Because of this, Cysgodin agricultural practices required fewer refinements than human agriculture, and, apart from increasing mechanization of the harvest process, has changed little since its beginning.

As competition began pushing portions of the population away from the equator, these migrants entered regions where there was less biomass in general, and an overall lack of food for the symbionts living in their respiratory chambers. As a result, those settling in higher latitudes had to actively hunt for more of their food, and developed more aggressive, militaristic cultures. This served them well early in the land wars that dominated the first few thousand years of Cysgodin history, though the equatorial cultures, with fewer demands on them for the daily sustenance of their existence, were more adaptable, had more spare time in which to do things other than hunt, and, gradually, gained the upper hand, pushing the invaders out of their territory and conquering a few of the northern civilizations in return. Over hundreds of years, technological advances spread to those cultures that had been made part of the equatorial empires, and soldiers from these high-latitude nations were conscripted to fight in wars between these empires, for little or no benefit to themselves or their homelands. Many abortive attempts were made by these conquered peoples to gain their independence, but, with the exception of a colony’s successful defense from invaders after the collapse of its parent empire, none of these attempts were successful until roughly two thousand years ago.

As empires tend to do, the equatorial empires began to fall apart en masse, accelerated by growing rebel movements in the colonies and Byzantine politics in the capitols. Within two hundred years, all of the once-mighty empires had fractured into dozens of small nations, divided either along perceived ethnic boundaries, or, in many cases, according to the whims of military strongmen with dreams of rebuilding an empire in their image.

These new nations developed independently for some time, each of them building upon the technological legacy of the old empires to push forward into a brighter future. Around seven hundred years ago, the dream of heavier-than-air flight was realized, allowing faster trade and new tactics in the wars that neighboring nations still frequently engaged in. Four hundred years ago, the development of nuclear weapons shifted the main arena of competition from warfare to economics, promoting more competitive trade and economic innovation. Internally, many nations’ economic development varied, but all either remained competitive internationally or suffered, prompting either absorption into a neighboring country or a coup. It was early in this period of frenetic economic competition that the moon was first reached, though it was not until a hundred years later that it took on its current practical value for mining and field-testing of equipment and weapons meant for space. In addition to a cloud of communications satellites, several major powers have spy and weapons satellites in low orbit, in keeping with a general habit of trusting people, not to do what is wanted of them, but to know what will happen if they don’t do what is wanted. The first unmanned probe was sent on a course taking it out of the solar system just over a hundred years ago, with manned exploration of the solar system following half a century ago. The technology for long-range space exploration, including the hyperdrive, the laser-reaction drive, and ramjet-style Hydrogen scoops, are all comparatively recent developments.

Homeworld Name: Godin. The name that the Cysgodin will use for themselves when interacting with other races is derived from one of the most commonly-used names for their homeworld, and was agreed upon by several of the nations involved in the space program.

Homeworld Location: 8

Map Color: Crimson

Advances Taken: AI Systems, Mecha, Advanced Cybernetics, Hyperdrive, Technolepathy

Name: Cylell Deep Space ProbeDescription: An advanced unmanned probe equipped with an advanced AI to allow it to react intelligently to its environment without having to ask for help from its masters on the ground. This probe is unarmed.Reactor: Fusion ReactorPropulsion: Laser-Reaction DriveFTL Drive: HyperdriveArmament: N/ADefensive Systems: Double-layer whipple shield over foamed aluminum, with a heat-shield to allow atmospheric entry.Detection Systems: Full suite of scanners, including high-resolution cameras and deployable sensor drones.

Cost: 3 Money, 2 CHON, 5 Days

Upkeep: 0 Money, 0 CHON

I'll be tossing in a blog entry later to keep track of my ships/weapons/suchwhat.

IC(System 8, Heliopause): As instructed, the first true interstellar probe launched by the Cysgodin stopped at the edge of its home system, and turned its cameras homewards one last time. A few minutes later, the Cylell-1's hyperdrive flared up for the first time, leaving familiar space on the trail of a probe that had begun a similar journey more than a century prior. This was not, contrary to some claims in the media, a retrieval mission - such a thing had not been considered when the first probe had been launched, and would not be possible now. Mission Control had simply thought it would be fitting for the first true interstellar probe to look upon the first object flung haphazardly out of the solar system - that it also served as a final test for the shipboard sensor suite was mentioned almost as an afterthought.

[Silvan Haven]

System 33

 

IC: While the scientists continued working on the Music Box and the other things inside the stasis box, the ship took off once again, spooling up it's Skip Drive for the first time. With a blink, the ship disappeared and headed towards the other star system in the small bubble that held Kaelia.

 

OOC: Kohzan ship to system 40.

[Canis Lycaon]

Profile: Username: CanisSpecies Name: CarusBiology: Seven feet tall wolves that stand on two feet. They stand up straight and tall, and have opposable thumbs. Fur can be black, brown, white or any shade in between. It is normally mixed, and not just one color. On average, they live for about two hundred years.Government: Polytheist Theocracy. The religion promotes working for the good of the race, and then for personal gain. It is not communist, and capitalism still exists. The religion is called Lykos, and has a very large pantheon. The prime goddess is called Lang, and is a nature goddess. The Highest Prophet is named Ma Heen Gun, and widely loved by the people. There is a council of six members, as well as the Highest Prophet. The government is called the Lykinian Carus Council, or LCC.Psychology: Peaceful, diplomatic. They want to keep their race safe and make it a player on the game of galactic chess. They live in family packs of about twenty. When ever a child is born, it is raised by the whole of the family pack of the mother. Their names have a surname, then an individual name. An honorific goes in front. An example is Ma Heen Gun. His name consists of 'Ma'- an honorific reserved for the Highest Prophet; 'Heen'- The name of his family pack; and 'Gun', his individual name.History: The Carus used to be a split up, violent, constantly fighting race, full of different, warring tribes. Three major tribe-countries emerged, and were constantly at war. These three tribe-countries remained this way one rebel tribe-country brokered a peace treaty between them. This tribe-country practiced a religion called Lykos, and it was gradually integrated into the other three tribe-countries. Within a hundred years, all of the Carus practiced Lykos, and the four tribe-countries were united together. Now together, the Carus focused on gaining technology, and advancing for the good of their race as a while. They created several interstellar ships, and launched them, discovering FTL travel in the process.Homeworld Name: Canavar, Terrestrial World. Canavar was the name of an ancient Carus who tried to unite the tribe-countries, but was killed by an assassin of the one remaining tribe-country he had not conquered.. His tribe-country fragmented in a violent civil war, with many claiming rulership.Homeworld Location: The Mgeli system, Star System 58, Brown Dwarf, Three airless worlds, two Reduced Atmosphere worlds, one Terrestrial World, one Ice Ball, and one Gas Giant.Map Color: Light GreyAdvances Taken:-Predatory Physiology-Mecha-Interstellar Launch-Superlight Drive-TechnolopathyName: DirusDescription: A large ship. It is shaped like a skyscraper on it's side, and are huge. They are long, somewhat narrow and overall huge. Dirus are called city ships, and never land on planets, instead deploy Aureus. They don't actively fight, instead deploying several Domes and Lycaon to fight for them. They have a large missile battery on the top.Reactor: Laser ReactionPropulsion: Fires three lasers from the backFTL Drive: SuperlightArmament: A large missile battery on top that fires nuclear bombs. The have a large laser in the front and the engine in the back. It fires small orbs called 'Domes' at enemy craft. These Domes carry powered armor wearing, blaster carrying soldiers who try to sabotage the ship.Defensive Systems: A magnetic field. Carries tons of iron fillings to protect against many things. On the ship there is a layer of metal coating a layer of Aerogel. This combination causes anything that hits the craft to hit the layer of metal, and then the shock is absorbed by the gel. The actual ship is not harmed.Detection Systems: Cameras, Electromagnetic, Gravimetric, Magnetometric, uses Hyperwaves to detect stasis fieldsCost: 11 Money, 7 CHON, 15 DaysUpkeep: 6 Money, 4 CHONName: AureusDescription: Medium sized ships. It resembles a trident's top. In the back there are the propulsion systems. In the middle prong, there is the place for the crew. In the outside two, storage for materials. They are sent to land on planets. They can withstand huge forces of gravity and pressure.Reactor: Nuclear FusionPropulsion: Three ports in the back to emit the nuclear fusionFTL Drive: NoneArmament: Lasers.Defensive Systems: Layer of metal coating around an Aerogel layer.Detection Systems: ElectromagneticCost: 6 Money, 5 CHON, 10 DaysUpkeep: 4 Money, 4 CHONName: LycaonDescription: Small craft that resemble modern day jets. They are longer, and much bigger. These are deployed to fight, and swoop around the opponent. They are small, and make use of this.Reactor: Nuclear FusionPropulsion: Three ports to emit nuclear fusion energyFTL Drive: NoneArmament: Nuclear-tipped missiles, and lasers.Defensive Systems: Layer of metal coating surrounding an Aerogel layerDetection Systems: ElectromagneticCost: 3 Money, 2 CHON, Five Days for twoUpkeep: 2 Money, 1 CHON for twoName: LatransDescription: The gigantic colonizer ships. They are shaped like a giant flower, with a small 'stalk' and a wide, flat, circular plate on top. The stalk has all propulsion systems and some storage, the top has room for the passengers and storage. They orbit the planet in the atmosphere, jettisoning their cargo down below by deploying Aureus. The ships can be reused, and are barely armored, seeing as how the never fight or land on planets.Reactor: Laser ReactionPropulsion: One large laser in the 'stalk' portion of the shipFTL Drive: SuperlightArmament: NoneDefensive Systems: Magnetic field that has iron fillings to protect against many things. An layer of metal around a layer of aerogel.Detection Systems: Cameras, Electromagnetic, Gravimetric,Cost: 6 Money, 5 CHON, 15 daysUpkeep: 4 Money, 4 CHON

Edited April 24, 2013 by Canis Lupus

[BenLuke]

IC:

 

Today was the day they would change the world.

 

The tiny vessel flew through the void, ancient light from distant balls of incandescent gas being the only thing in from Joutoma grew distant behind, the Dominion spacestation in the process of becoming a space elevator's counter where their journey began shrinking to a mere dot on a speck of earth rolling though space.

 

Correction, though Gestur Akseli, nervously gazing from the pilots of the ship seated in front of him, then out at the vast expanse of stars, and finally back the scientific papers and diagrams flapping upward in the freefall environment, his four clawed hands barely enough to keep them from flying about the cabin.Today is the day we change the worlds.

 

To think, contact with other sapient species, Drekian face to cyclopian Osalieli face, instead of over hyperwave ansible with 18 days before they even received the message, much less replied. And he was the one chosen to lead the mission. Him! A junior diplomatic officer who would have been happy to get a post on some small backwater planet on the homeworld, much less being the one to make firstish contact.:

 

Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you? Gestur though, flicking his tong into the slightly stale tasting air of the ship that breathed deeply off. by the time he had composed himself the scoutcraft had reached space deep enough to activated the jump. The commander turned to his pilot and have the order to prepare for launch, the subordinate replying with the customary words of rocket crew member, modified for their new context. Gestur might have been fascinated by the culture evolution, if he had been less rapped up in giddy excitement. There is a small chance we'll all end up as base element scattered across the universe, after all. Bit only a small one!

 

The commander swiveled his chair to face the scientist. "Sir?"

 

Gestur grinned. "Yes, we're clear of any gravity fields strong enough to deter us, no reason to keep on waiting."

 

Nodding, the commander turned back to his control panel, punching in the coordinate for System-54.

 

"Engage"

 

There was no indication that anything had changed apart from the stars visible through the viewscreen, but in a moment the ship had spun around to bring the supergiant star of the system they had arrived at the edge of. The sensors confirmed that yes, the first manned test of faster then light travel was a success.

 

"Open an hyperwave link with Ele'gai," Gestur ordered. "Today, we make history!"

Edited April 21, 2013 by Javert

[Lara White]

IC: It did not take long for the hyperwave hail to be routed to the correct office--the Heraldic Eparchy's Directorate for Drekian Affairs, to be specific.

 

The Herald to the Drekian Dominion stood in front of the holo-tank, in the center of its companion scanning device. His hands were folded behind his back and his posture was erect as the Drekian emissary appeared in the tank. "The Holy Imperium greets you, Herald of the Drekian Dominion."

 

[BenLuke]

IC:

 

"Ambassador Gestur Akseli, at your service," Gesture hissed, bowing his head in greeting. "I have came on behalf of our Emperor Aral II, who seeks solidify bonds of friendship between our great peoples." Pausing, he punched a quick command into his computer console. "As a gesture of goodwill, we are transmitting you a complete telemetric map of our system, and hope for you to do the same for the sake of mutual learning and scientific advancement."

[Lara White]

IC: The Herald waved authoritatively to one of the comm officers and nodded. The officer automatically turned and transmitted the telemetry while the Herald turned back.

 

"We accept your gift with gratitude, and give you a similar gesture of goodwill. As a further gesture of good intent, the Imperium hopes that we may use this information to open trade routes with your Dominion."

 

[Kothra]

IC(Vikren ×α, System 13):

Two days later, the Alpha Vikren found itself at the edge of its destination system. Two celestial bodies showed up immediately on the ship's sensors, one assumed to be a gas giant based on its size. The Vikren powered up its thrusters and began moving further into the system, the crew keeping and eye out for any other features. As information was gathered, it would be sent back to Kalaras via hyperwave.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Kothra

[Canis Lycaon]

IC:

Ma Heen Gun, leader of the Carus entered the assembly room. He sat down at the head seat, looking at the other members of the Lykos Carus Council. His dark gray fur bristled in the slight draft coming from an open door in the chamber.

 

He began his speech, "Fellow Carus! For too long we have lived with one tiny scout ship! Today, I propose we advance! We must colonize other worlds in our humble Mgeli system. We wish to be a player in the forces of the galaxy. To achieve this, we must exert full control over our system!"

 

Another member of the council spoke up, "Which planet do you recommend colonizing? How will we colonize? We have no colonizer ships. All we have is that one scout ship! We can't leave our planet right now!"

 

Ma Heen Gun responded, "I say we build the first of our Latrans ships. It will be a huge undertaking, but a must. For a planet, we will get Mahigan, the Gas Giant of our system! We will colonize, and we will prosper!"

 

The council began clapping wildly, cheering for Ma Heen Gun's plan to expand the Lykos Carus Council's grasp over their own solar system.

 

OOC:

Work on a Latrans begun, to be completed May 2nd.

[BenLuke]

IC: The Herald waved authoritatively to one of the comm officers and nodded. The officer automatically turned and transmitted the telemetry while the Herald turned back.

 

"We accept your gift with gratitude, and give you a similar gesture of goodwill. As a further gesture of good intent, the Imperium hopes that we may use this information to open trade routes with your Dominion."

 

IC:

 

The Drekian ambassador nodded, raising the ends of his lips in a small, grateful grin. "We will be doing the same, and I'm sure both of our empires will profit greatly from these connections. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"

[Toast of Awesomeness]

OOC:I can't really start until I'm interacted with, so feel free anyone. ^_^Username: ToASpecies Name: The Great AllBiology: The Great All takes the form of millions of golden trees spreading across the First World. The bark of these trees is a sort of organic metal alloy similar to bronze, while the leaves and fruits are soft and edible. Each tree forms a sort of computer processor, recording the entirety of the Great All's knowledge. The trees can use sensors in their roots and leaves to detect the world around them, and while they are rooted to the ground, can move their parts slightly. They are connected through massive root and branch networks, sort of like neural cells in the human brain. In addition to this, they possess a sort of natural radio ability, which enables use of the Voices.The Carriers of the Great All are small(about four feet tall), herbivorous mammals covered in oranges fur with a bright yellow "mustache" and beady blue eyes. All look fairly similar, and it is difficult to distinguish between them. While when paired with a Voice they are around the intelligence of the average human, when separated they are simple fruit eaters, content to lie about and forage for fruit, with the intelligence of a smart monkey.The Voices of the great all are very small(slightly bigger than fist sized) mammals that look like white rabbits with oversized heads and little ears. Their eyes glow beady green, and they do not hop, but walk slowly when not being carried. The voices are implanted at birth with one of the Great All's seeds, which makes them basically transmitters for the thoughts of the Great All. They are paired with a Carrier at birth, and when needed, climb onto the Carrier's shoulder, where nerve cells on their abdomen dig through the carrier's skin to access the neural nodes located at the shoulders. This puts the Great All in control of the Carrier, allowing locomotion. Upon death, Carriers and Voices are used to fertilize the Great All, with a new tree growing from the seed implanted in the Voice. The Voices, like the Great All, are photogenic, while the Carriers are fed by the fruit of the trees.The Great All has recorded in its mind the entirety of every genetic code native to First World, and while they have trimmed the biodiversity to its current low levels of six species, are capable of recreating any extinct species, or mixing the genetic codes to create new species. This is done in "Birth sacs", large purple membrane sacs located in the trunks of some trees. It is here Carriers and Voices are birthed, as well as any new creature the Great All wishes to test.Government: Being a single mind, the Great All knows not of this term "Government."Psychology: The Great All sees itself as simply, God. Every form of life on First World is under its control, and no threat has ever formed that was not easily dealt with. After deciding which species were useful to it centuries ago, the Great All simply recorded and removed the others, adapting to release poison spores until its vision of First World had been satisfied. The Great All has never known failure in anything, though that is certain to change as the great mind turns towards the heavens.History: The first tree of the species that was to become the Great All split from the other stock millennia ago. Within a century, the species was thriving, and through the neural connections it possessed, developing a consciousness. In a thousand years they were found in every corner of the planet, and began to catalogue the species they found. They developed the ability to manipulate their own genetics at some point, and in their birthing sacs began creating other beings, copies of species they had found. They trimmed the planet of any life form they had no use for, leaving only six- a form of grass that blankets the planet, the Voices, the Carriers, a waterborne algae, and a species of fish used to fertilize the final species- themselves.After centuries of inactivity, the Great All is stirring yet again. The tallest of the trees has detected a significant change in atmospheric pressure at its top, leading to the theory that perhaps at a far enough distance from the ground, there is no atmosphere. The Great All is currently deciding how best to handle this, developing a new form for itself that can survive in a lack of atmosphere.Homeworld Name: Referred to as First World, not first as in order, but as in importance. World refers to what could best be described as universe, the Great All is ignorant of other planets. So, the literal translation is "Highest Universe".Homeworld Location: System 12Map Color: GoldAdvances Taken: Single Mind, Biotech, Genetic Masters, Natural Radios.

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

The Federalist Hive of Interstellar Colonization Username: The ZytrixSpecies Name: ApocritoxBiology: In terms of overall average shape and biology, the Apocritox are very similar to Earth's Spider Wasp. They communicate by oscillating a winglike protrusion under their mandibles to produce different sounds and pitches. They stand at about two meters on average from mandible to stinger. Their thoraxes point vertically so that their heads and two front-most limbs are held high. These two limbs each end in a four-pronged "claw" of sorts that can be used to grasp and manipulate objects in their environment, and they have four wings: a larger pair used for flight and another significantly smaller pair used for balance and mid-air steering. Most possess stingers in their abdomens capable of delivering doses of paralyzing venom. All Apocritox are also endo-parasitic by nature, meaning that their young grow inside the body of another living organism; they clone ideal specimens of creatures on their world to be used as hosts for their young and occasionally, eggs will be created that are capable of assimilating ideal genetic traits from their hosts to produce stronger warriors.Government: The main legislative body of the Apocritox people is the Inner Hive, a select group of individuals that are responsible for all governmental duties. At the head of the Inner Hive is a Queen/King who, despite the title, is responsible only for voicing the Inner Hive's opinions and announcing new laws and regulations. The Apocritox currently carry out all of their space exploration via the Federalist Hive of Interstellar Colonization (usually called the "Hive" for short).Psychology: As they were originally predatory in nature, the Apocritox are quite aggressive and self-righteous not as individuals, but as a group of individuals--hence "Hive." They are quite like-minded, but it was not always so...History: Almost from the instant they evolved into sentience from a species of solitary wasps on their homeworld, the Apocritox were very warlike. Most of their history consists of conflict after bloody conflict with only brief periods of calm in-between. However, at the turn of their very own industrial revolution, one last war was fought across the entire planet that resulted in the loss of almost 26% of the Apocritox population. It was dubbed the Great Desolation and was followed quickly by several treaties and declarations that set up the governmental system as it is today. Since then, they have united united under one cause: travelling and settling on worlds beyond. And finally, after nearly three centuries of innovation and expansion, that cause has finally come to fruition.Homeworld Name: Zerrax, terrestrial worldHomeworld Location: System 47Map Color: Bluish Purple(8f06d4)Advances Taken: Natural Flight, Extra Limbs, Genetic Masters, Hyperdrive, Proud Warrior Race Name: Drex-Class Transport Description: The Drex is a roughly egg-shaped, frigate-sized craft that bristles with jagged metal implements. An aperture at the thinner end opens to the reveal the laser-reaction drive for combat purposes, while a similar opening at the other end allows for propulsion. Its rounded shape and heat-resistant plating allow for smooth re-entry, and a series of retractable radiators along the equator help with heat dispersal. The interior is equipped with basic life-support systems and cargo chambers; it functions mainly as a colonization vessel.Reactor: Laser-Reaction DrivePropulsion: Fusion ReactorFTL Drive: Hyperdrive Armament: Aside from the laser drive, the Drex also possesses four low-power railguns.Defensive Systems: The outermost plating of the Drex is a fairly tough Steel alloy, and the ship is also equipped with several laser-based interceptors.Detection Systems: Electromagnetic sensors and magnetometric detectorsCost: 4 money, 4 CHON, 5 daysUpkeep: 2 money, 1 CHON Edited April 19, 2013 by The Zytrix

[Alex Humva]

IC [Natsirt Exodus Fleet]

 

It had taken some manner of deliberation before the Ithaka class vessel was permitted to begin true first contact with the alien vessel. The ship powered up it's warp drive, bringing the marvel of science online for an instance as it ripped a path through space and time, towards the outer edge of the solar system. Upon arriving there second later, the Natsirt colonel sent an audio comm-link over, with the following to say.

 

"I am Unbroken Justice, diplomatic translator of the Natsirt First Expeditionary Fleet. If you can understand this message, state your intentions in this system."

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: The little scout ship had propelled it past the two other burnt and boiled planets in the Shei-Al's system and was now hovering over the world of blue that had been assumed in the past to just have blue coloured rocks. Some form of copper maybe, just as the iron of their world turned it red. But no, it was water. In huge quantities. Just lying there. How fascinating.

As this world proved more interesting than the others the scout paused in its outwards path to probe a little more carefully at the life and terrain of the blue marble

[Toast of Awesomeness]

IC: How strange. It had been confirmed that the higher the position, the less atmosphere was available. Hmm.With its adaptable genetic code making the necessary adjustments and sending them to a taller tree, the Great All began to grow. No leaves were found on this new growth, or branching limbs. Instead, they wrapped around a steely grey center, which grew higher and higher.Atmospheric effects negligible. Needed resources supplied by nearby trees.Hmm. Interesting.

[Zulu Yankee Kilo Echo]

IC:

 

This was their dream, and now, it was becoming a reality. The scout ship was already long-gone, but this, this was the true masterpiece. King Dzir-Ve--one of the only males to ever hold the title of monarch--gazed up at the massive metal frame that loomed before him. Yes, this was what they had truly been destined for from the moment they had crawled out of the shadows of bestiality and into the light that was sapience: to journey into the unknown, finding new frontiers and expanding beyond their home planet, a world that suddenly seemed so puny. Their empire would stretch for lightyears in all directions.

And any that stood in their way would be crushed.

 

-----------

 

<<Engage hyperdrive.>>

The command rolled off of Captain Zel-Bjek's speech-wing like smooth nectar. It was, after all, the very command that had led them so far from their homeworld already. The obligatory <<Yes, captain>> was followed quickly by a tugging sensation between his wings that assured him they were entering hyperspace. Who knew what discoveries lay ahead?

 

OOC: One Drex-Class Transport under construction, to be completed 4/23. Scout ship to System 33.

[Toast of Awesomeness]

From the new form of tree new signals were interpreted. From this new vantage point, the various movements of the sky could be observed from a new angle. This led to only one conclusion.There was a beyond-the-sky. An airless place, most likely, but if projections were right, unspeakably vast, perhaps even ten times the size of First World.Most intriguing. Further advances would have to be made into this beyond-the-sky land.

[Xomeron]

Outsiders: System 34

 

The ship didn't respond immediately, but a cursory scan would tel the ship plenty about the vessel. Its radar reflections showed it to be incredibly thin, clearly not a warship. In shape, it was a set of twelve bulbous, oblong sections around ten meters, end to end, all bound to a thirty meter spike that tapered off one direction from the bulbs. In the other direction, bound to this massive central hull was a gigantic mirror, five hundred kilometers across, held by a set of twelve monomolecular shrouds. There was a single, obvious weapon built into the hull of the ship; an X-Ray laser which clearly took up most of one of the bulbs. The ship reflected paper thin in the radar band, reflected a flat silver in the visual and ultraviolet bands, and was carbon-black in the infrared band. It was obviously very cold.

[Silvan Haven]

System 33

 

IC: Within seconds of the ship entering the system it was bombarded by a series on hyperwave pulses that, assuming the scout ship used the same basic programing language, would come out as a series of ones and zeros.

 

OOC: Computer version of "Can you understand me?"