Name: The Grey Stars Coalition Location: Athens Sector Flag: WIP Form of Govt. and Applicable Leader(s): Oligarchy of High Ministers, individual worlds operate on individual systems. History: The GSC was born from a coalition of human colonies set out to bring about their vision of eudaimonic societies through advanced genetic engineering and transhumanism. While many methods were pursued, eventually the social engineering ethos of Markov Geist was realized as the most immediately practical of methods in lieu of efficient matter-replication and difficulties in reliable retroviral genetic engineering. Under the principles of Markov Geist, a social ethos created by New Athens Colony that turned the social paradox of self-fullfillment for some being dependant upon the labor of a large exploited lower-class on its head. Instead of trying to eliminate the need for a unskilled and semi-skilled labor class as robotics and automation-advocates had tried for centuries, N-Athen’s solution was to develop a replacement working class in form of vatforms, genejacks, and biosynths. Combined with developments in gestalt and swarm intelligence and control by the neighboring colony of Brightling, a new mass-producible, adaptable, and obedient working class was created and the human workers of New Athens found themselves in a new society of plenty thanks to the tireless labor of the synthetics. While moralists quarreled over the matters of whether synths had souls (it was eventually judged they did not), and whether the dream of eudaimonia was worth having it built on “neo-slavery” (the masses agreed it was), the ethos of Markov Geist and Synth production rapidly spread across the sector and was adopted en masse by the other eudaimonia-seeking colonies who adapted their own developments in social engineering, genetic engineering, industry, and automation into the principles of Markov Geist. The humans of the Athens Sector were now free to pursue self-fulfillment and satisfaction as they desired. However the principles of Markov Geist promptly ran into problems when attempts were made to spread it further. While Athens colonies were open to neo-slavery and eudaimonia, their more capitalist and power-seeking neighbors were less than receptive to the idea and its implementation and refused envoys of “upgrades”. Furthermore, the social engineering involved in Markov Geist is fundamentally human in nature, unable to adjust for alien views and interpretations of eudaimonia, as well as the genetic engineering involved in Synths being reliant on the flexible human genome. Thus while eudaimonia rapidly developed in the Athens Sector, it did not spread outwards, and several neighbors went so far as to actively block attempts or subvert them in jealousy of their accomplishments. Finally, the principles of Eudaimonia did not lend itself well towards natural development of heavy industry and large militaries, which caused a major rude awakening during the short Lanius-Athens war when a race of metallic entities descended upon the Athens sector in search of food such as dense urban centers made of refined industrial metals and rare elements. Despite the large sums of resources and funds raised to build militias and hire mercenaries, several worlds fell before the power of the Lanius before containment fleets could be built and armies raised, and millions died by Lanius living-metal plagues and advanced weapons or by outside powers raiding the reeling colonies to acquire their unique technology. Eventually, the bulk of the Lanius simply left the sector when they finished feeding, and the new fleets were turned to secure the borders of the sector while the colonies rebuilt. The war changed the Athens sector. More than half of the natural born population was killed before military vatforms were developed in sufficient quality and quantity to replace human troops, and many of the core worlds had been ruined in the crossfire and from Lanius exploitation while the Athens sector realized it was surrounded by hostile foes. The military-industrial complex was not dismantled. Instead the new Grey Stars Coalition armed itself in preparation to exact vengeance on those who sought to attack it while it was weak, and to retake the fallen cradle worlds at any cost. General Military Information: The GSC Military is a blunt warmachine, akin to the Red Army of the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Large fleet formations deployed en-masse, large space-dropped army units, mass-produced weapons and vatform soldiers. While the GSCM loses something in individual initiative and innovation with its extensive use of Synth personnel directed by AI overseers and tacticians, they have little other choice due to low natural-born population and even fewer able commanders and admirals to lead such forces. The flipside is that with mass-production comes deep reserves and plenty of replacement personnel and equipment, backed by highly efficient military-industrial complexes adapted from eudaimonic technology. Other: [hider=Admiral Creation Chart] The Grey Stars Coalition lacks rigid military tradition, and the training of its human admirals and commanders is uneven and heavily influences by origin world despite efforts at standardized academy training. Whenever a Grey Stars fleet is involved, I'll be rolling on this chart to determine what kind of commander is involved besides my pre-made characters. Origin 1- Artificial 2- Academy Grad 3- Patriot 4- Political Admiral 5- Militia 6- Veteran Personal Traits 1- Badass 2- Charismatic 3- Energetic 4- Machiavellian 5- Trusted Comrade 6- Connected Command Traits 1- Diligent 2- Formation Micromanager 3- Fight Another Day 4- Space Trenches 5- Maskirova 6- Necromancer 7- Strategist 8- Wolf Pack 9- Refuge in Audacity 10- Blitzkrieg 11- Militia Marshal 12- Specialist in [Frigates/Cruisers/Battlecruisers/Carriers/etc] (Must take at least one flaw. Each flaw after first allows one more command or fleet trait) Fleet Traits 1- Prototype Flagship 2- Talented Staff 3- Big Fleet 4- Auxiliaries 5- Deep Reserves 6- Initiative 7- Well Trained 8- Space Marines 9- High Logistics Priority 10- High Tech Personal Flaws 1- Psychological Issues 2- Berserk Button 3- Poisonous Friend 4- War Criminal 5- Hoarder 6- Honorable 7- Romantic 8- Lazy 9- Shoot the Messenger 10- Cannon Fodder Fleet Flaws 1- Small Fleet 2- Reduced Pickets 3- Low Logistics Priority 4- Last Gen Tech 5- Reduced Capitals 6- Dissent in the Ranks[/hider] Characters [hider=Admiral Claus Wander] Name or Designation: Admiral Claus Wander Race/Species: Human, A-type transhuman Sex(as applicable): Male Appearance: Personality: Cheery, go-happy, and nice guy to fellow humans. Aggressive on the battlefield and distrustful of aliens however. Has a possessive master mentality to his Synths, while they are property they are HIS property, and he doesn't like others messing with them. His preferred vice is designing and maintaining his own synth harem. History: Claus Wander was born a typical example of the post-war generation. Born as a augmented A-type transhuman at the very peak of human and transhuman natural ability, he was born with riches and a luxurious lifestyle of plenty and without want. Yet the life of a hedonistic playboy as offered felt hollow to Claus even as he found natural talent and interest in designing fantastic holodramas based on Old Earth culture, designing new models of Synths, and seducing court ladies. There was no challenge, no real thrill or cost to any of his actions. So during one flight of boredom, he gave a try at the GSCN Academy simulations. It was there he began to run into his first real challenges in life. First against AI driven simulated fleets, then in wargames with veteran admirals. The defeats Claus repeatedly fell victim to were just as sweet as his hard-fought victories, and was the first time he had faced a real need to work to succeed. With the fleet's massive expansion plans, Claus was easily able to enter the military academy Other: Origin- Academy Graduate Command Traits- Blitzkrieg, Fleet Traits- High Tech (The 151st is equipped with Fast Battleships in replacement of standard BB's, faster and more powerful), Auxiliaries (The 151st are supported by additional supply ships and repair auxiliaries for their operations) Personal Flaws- Romantic [/hider] [hider=Vice-Admiral Kasador Redrosia] Name or Designation: Vice-Admiral Kasador Redrosia Race/Species: Human, Valkyrie S-type transhuman Sex(as applicable): Female Appearance: A short human girl with green eyes and bright red hair running to her waist, and easily mistaken for a child because of how youthful she looks. Frequently dresses up in a flamboyant piratical fashion. Personality: Kasador often acts as the child she looks like as a side-effect of prolong. History: By a quirk in her genetics, Kasador's prolong treatments that were bundled into her Valkyrie mods kicked in much sooner and with much greater intensity than intended, rendering Kasador with a expected lifespan of 2000 years, but stuck in a young teenage body for the next century. While personally frustrating, it also attracted greatly unwanted attention from the courts of the Grey Stars, from science firms after her super-prolong genetics to famalia seeking the Redrosia name and its rising star importance. Kasador elected to escape all of that over the objections of her parents by joining the military. While lacking innate talent for large-scale fleet action, Kasador learned the ins and outs of commanding squadrons and fleets through determination and desire to rise to the challenges presented before her. While unlikely to rise to line command, her unorthodox tactics and some political leverage got her placed in charge of an independent raiding flotilla that benefited from her abilities and kept her out of the hair of admirals less tolerant of her freewheeling antics. Other: Origin- Political Admiral Command Traits- Maskinova, Wolf Pack Fleet Traits- Frigate Specialized Fleet Flaws- Few Capitals[/hider]