////////Name: Vesta Free State
///////Subject: Faction
//////Location:Vesta and Pallas Family Asteroids, several resource asteroids and space stations; Main Belt; Solar system
[hider=/////Government]: The government of the Vesta Free State could best be described as a Limited Franchise Federal Republic. The various asteroids and stations of the nation all have their own local governments which in turn submit to the Central Assembly of Vesta. All voting Citizens may vote for their own local leaders as well as who represents them in the Central Assembly however the vote is not a guaranteed right in the Free State. To gain the right to vote a citizen must spend at least one term in Federal service of some kind, most likely the military. The Leader of the Vesta Free State is the Director; Directors are chosen by a committee of both military officers and Assemblymen from either's ranks. Directors oversee both the military and civilian running of the VFS and are given incredible amounts of power to make sure nation is running as it should. The Term of service for the Director is for life though they can step down at any time. A vote of no confidence by the Central Assembly result in the immediate expulsion of the current Director from his/her position. [img=http://i.imgur.com/47RI0BO.jpg] The current leader of the Vesta Free State is Director Sebastian Thule. Thule rose to the directorship from the military where he held the rank of Strategos. Thule is a troubled man who was thrust into an unfavorable position by a vote of no confidence which ousted his predecessor. Facing a host of threats within and without, Thule's first two years in office have been balanced on a razor's edge, a position where the scarred former soldier seems to truly be at home. [/hider]
////History: The Vesta Free State was originally a small group within the Belt State in the early days who were critical of the former's actions. Not wanting to follow the same path as the Belt State they hoped to break away while the Solar War was still young and avoid serious harm. Unfortunately the conflict escalated before they had a chance. By the time the dust settled the solar system was in shambles, including the Belt State. Finally seeing their chance they people of Vesta broke away from the Belt State and formed their own nation. Having come out surprisingly intact from the war Vesta found itself in a powerful position in the Belt and quickly absorbed the other asteroids in the Vesta family into its growing sphere of influence. Less than a decade later Peacekeepers from Vesta were fighting to restore order to the chaos riddled corridors of Pallas and in doing so forged a binding alliance between the second and third largest objects in the asteroid belt. Attempts to take Ceres, and with it control of the seat of power of the Belt State, were shut down when the Belt State recovered faster than expected. The Vesta Free State decided not to risk war with resources as thin as they were at the time and simply moved to consolidate its power base at home. Using its rich resource base the VFS quickly began rebuilding its infrastructure in order to assert its independence against would-be invaders.

///Culture: The people of the Vesta Free State are a fiercely nationalistic and precision oriented people. They see themselves as genuine proof of the Belter ideal unlike the Belt State who they have come to consider Insular and foolish; too busy plotting revenge against Mars to truly thrive on their own and reach prosperity. They do not find mars to be truly to blame for the chaos in the belt anymore than fire is responsible for burning down one's house instead of the person who started the fire. They instead view what they consider "the old order" to be responsible for the chaos of the Solar War and have great disdain for those remnants of the former power blocks: Belt State and Venus included. They have managed to retain the obsessive attention to detail that kept early colonists alive in an environment where minor oversights killed. The VFS also has a pronounced futurist bent, always seeking the bleeding edge in efforts to bring about true prosperity. It is a common practice among Vesta citizens to alter their children's genome in the womb to get certain desired traits. While this is a widespread phenomena its not a societal requirement nor is it particularly encouraged.

[hider=//Military]The military of the Vesta Free State is primarily based around its strong fleet which is essential to defending the wide area of the asteroid belt from invaders or privateers seeking to muscle in on VFS holdings. Being a predominantly space based power their ground forces are not very extensive and lack much in the way of indirect fire artillery or heavy armor. Even with artificial spin the gravity on Vesta and Pallas are lower than that of earth and many other worlds, to account for this most of their forces make use of powered armor to lower the strain on the soldier. The Military of the VFS Is divided between Vesta Fleet Command which oversees the spaceborne units of the military, and Vesta Fleet Strike which covers all ground based operations.
[hider2=Vesta Fleet Command] [img=http://i.imgur.com/PCHTTXs.jpg] Resplendent Class Super Carrier. Forming the backbone of Vesta Battlegroups, the Resplendent is a massive vessel whose cavernous interior can house hundreds of strike craft and/or transports and boasts impressive defensive firepower for a carrier vessel. A brand new and highly expensive design, there are currently only three such vessels in service with Fleet Command: The [i] Resplendent, Ardent,[/i] and [i]Exultant[/i] [img=http://i.imgur.com/C1GuASm.jpg] Triumphant Class Battleship. A capable battle wagon bristling with weaponry in all arcs, the Triumphant can go toe to toe with any of its contemporaries. [img=http://i.imgur.com/6Fc8O5H.jpg] Achilles Class Heavy Cruiser. Achilles are a common sight as squadron flagships given their multipurpose design. Its respectable Strike Craft compliment and heavy armament make it a powerful combatant, though it has thin armor for a ship its size.[img=http://i.imgur.com/jHTg2DA.jpg] Ricce Class Battlecruiser and Kallus Class Destroyer. Coming from the same shipwrights responsible for the iconic Strongarm, the Ricce was once the premier heavy hitter of Vesta FleetCom. Having been replaced in its role as chief battlewagon by the Triumphant and its later role as squadron flagship by the more versatile Achilles, the Ricce has found new life as a warship capable of operating independently for long periods of time on long patrols around the Solar system as well as hunter-killer missions against hardened targets. The Kallus was the original spinal gunboat of Fleet Command. Even older than the Strongarm, the Kallus is a truly ancient vessel which is only just being phased out of service by the Destiny. Its spinal gun is far more powerful than its newer cousin, but is notoriously finicky, requiring massive upkeep to keep in anything resembling fighting condition. Mostly kept in rear-line actions the Kallus is beginning is entering a retirement with dignity. As they are stricken from the fleet register, many Kallus Class destroyers are sold as is(all classified technologies being removed beforehand of course) to developing states wishing to expand their space forces. [img=http://i.imgur.com/BZUXXU5.jpg] Strongarm Class Cruiser. An aging workhorse of the Vesta fleet the Strongarm has been in service for nearly half a century getting constant upgrades to keep it in fighting shape and extend the life of the line. These ships are everywhere that Vesta has a presence and have become the de facto face of the Vesta Free State. A powerful missile armament gives these ships powerful standoff firepower but their kit lacks the balance of newer ships. The Latest Refit saw most of the existing ship getting a powerful laser cannon mounted in the nose turret capable of shooting down ordinance and slagging enemy ships. [img=http://i.imgur.com/Mrmqvq4.jpg] Destiny Class Strike Frigate. The Destiny is a cheap design that is beginning to appear in ever increasing numbers. Often found operating in squadrons with strongarms and Achilles, these swift vessels also make excellent raiders and pirate hunters in equal measure, their spinal mass drivers giving them the punch to take on ships far larger than themselves. [img=http://i.imgur.com/AIS4g1o.jpg] Huntress Aerospace Interceptor. [img=http://i31.tinypic.com/9tn3ix.png] Thresher Strike Bomber. [/hider2]

[hider2=Vesta Fleet Strike] VFS Light Combat Armor [img=http://i.imgur.com/li6zdhO.jpg] VFS Light Combat Armor. Standard issue armor to troops aboard warships and at home [img=http://i.imgur.com/jp5smKN.jpg] Koloss Heavy Combat armor. This heavy powered suit is the mainstay of Fleet Strike forces. A highly versatile unit capable of operating in many environments with a host of different armament options [img=http://i.imgur.com/KuS26Bg.jpg] Orca Super Heavy Assault Armor. This massive suit of powered armor is very rarely deployed under normal circumstances and is only deployed during the infrequent occasions when VFS forces land on a high G world or need an otherwise great showing of force This particular armor is too large to fit through many corridors aboard ships. [img=http://i.imgur.com/gyXNcIX.jpg] War Golem. War Golems are a controversial weapon system deployed by the VFS as shocktroops in desperate scenarios. To overcome the limitations of artificial intelligence in both creativity and simple portability, War Golems use cloned nervous tissue as an alternative primary processor slaved to conventional computer systems. As there is a simple circulatory and digestive system to keep these biological CPUs running, War Golems are technically living beings thrown into battle with little care for their survival. War Golems do in fact bleed, and are capable of feeling pain yet have priority programming which keeps them fighting until they are no longer able. The intelligence of an average War Golem is only enough to provide basic battlefield improvisation, their commands come from handlers somewhere behind the front line, however they are still at a marked advantage over standard mechanical drones. Some handlers attest that War Golems are capable of learning human patterns and older Golems begin to show signs of a personality and attachment to their handlers should they survive long enough. The central government has an entire PR division dedicated to whitewashing the images of War Golems and keeping these stories hidden, but word spreads. For this reason the 2.5 meter tall juggernauts of steel are just as nightmarish an ally as they are an enemy [/hider2]
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/Technology: The Vesta Free State makes extensive use of genetic engineering in many areas including the vat grown minds in their infamous "War Golems" as well as in the general populace to limited degrees.