[color=2E8B57][center][u][b]Preface[/b][/u][/center][/color] Thank you for your interest, first of all, and sorry for this somewhat long preface! This idea is one that has existed for a few years, and even briefly been ran elsewhere. There is an intent to provide a large degree of freedom in this, despite any indications otherwise. As such, given the inherent problems, whenever you see a nation referred to in a post-Earth ( Spoilers? ;) ) context, understand it in the appropriate frame of mind. LotE is intended to keep the same general universe theme I envisaged with the same general set up of multiple human nations and information that has grown over time, whilst not pinning people into specific, roles or, that is to say nations, despite the need to band names about - and ultimately to prevent the feeling that you have to adhere to my specific vision of what something should be - while I will out and out try and keep mentioned countries in the same "colonization origin blocks" that's about it, and probably won't fight too hard even with all the outs that are baked in. I appreciate all [b]constructive[/b] feedback and am looking forward to making this fun for anyone who wants to partake. In essence, the original main themes were, om the one hand, a new cold war in space - with 5 super powers and a handful of majors and minors, as well as a lot of pre-made smaller "NPC" nations to help things along and provide flashpoints, though these smaller elements could of course be roleplayed by those with less time. These aspects are enhanced by the minor but ever present issue of outside alien interference and a number of issues already exacerbating the general cold-war esque environment. This is not to say there is not conflict, or that there should not be conflict - there is, and no doubt will be. Please, feel free to ask any questions, I will have missed things and don't want people thinking that just because something is not mentioned doesn't mean it can't be fleshed out or your idea included. As such, this is the content of the original LotE post, used for posterities sake and possibly missing some corrections. [center][img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v34/Nevrex/earth-with-rings_zps7c755b97.jpg[/img][/center] Legacies of the Exodus (LotE/LE) is something I've imagined up, with the inherent cribbing from other sources, both as an outlet for inspiration, a microcosm of influences and a dozen other things that has, ultimately, come to be intended as a separate universe constructed to provide a interesting, and hopefully fun avenue for RP. While there is no intent to hem people in around a rigid story, rather than there being a situation relative carte blanche based on a vague galactic backstory, LotE is built upon a "somewhat reasonable" sci-fi premise - and I use the term reasonable loosely, if only by necessity due to its smaller scope in galactic terms. Consequently, there is a source of lore and direction to call upon, while still having room to develop yourself around a few core basic principles. There is, for example, a relatively well established technological baseline with a feel of "semi-realistic" but with allowance for space opera, intended so that people will not be worried about veering from or being on the low end of an arbitrary scale. There are political machinations to be had and conflict flashpoints that can come pre-prepared or altered to suit with numerous elements that will hopefully make LotE not just another throwaway universe, but more. The following section will have back history and a few relevant elements explained through the glory of hiders. Please enjoy my terrible writing and bear in mind previous statements ;). [center][b]The Short Version[/b][/center] As covered in the below information, LotE's PoD (Point of Divergence) is in 1990. An "incident" sparks the Second Korean War, distracts the world from the USSR who cracks down both positively and negatively and manages to stay together, barely, and then eventually refocuses the world, first unified and then separately on an "Alien Threat" - this continues for around a hundred or so years until the eventual necessity of escaping Earth and the dispersing of Humanity into the local cosmos. Using alien technology to a limited extent, but combined with a lot of brutal suffering and bad planning, it eventually works out and Humanity becomes a web of "nations" that are once again interacting, though politics seems somewhat stuck in a Cold War Deux come modern economics first mentality. These nations that formed trace themselves back to their nations of origin and any multi-national alliances (British Commonwealth, EU, etc) as well as private and commercial attempts to "assist" in the evacuation. Just because, say, Switzerland eventually joined the EU in the "story" does not mean there was not a Swiss independent colonial attempt, as due to the desire to create some international organisations centred around a particular planet, there was, and it was successful, so let your imagination work to create unique states or vanity projects, as well as perfectly viable successor states, if you so wish. ----- [hider=Timeline]-= Basic Timeline Historical Record Listing Please note that a number of historical records have been damaged and reconstructed from partial sources, they may be inaccurate or otherwise short of key information, if extant at all. Please bear with the United Nations "History Project" Central Archives as we continue to work on digitization and recovery of Pre-Exodus records. The First Incident, Febuary 12th-March 21st, 1990. The First Incident is considered the precursor to the first series of conflicts that came to mark the transition of mankind into the third millenium and its ascent from the bounds of Earth's gravity, as well as its tumultuous introduction to all the wonders and dangers that entailed, both on the home front and amongst the stars. Original official documents are now a rarity, but surviving records indicate that on Febuary 12th, 1990, at 7:15am Japan Standard Time, three unidentified craft entered the detection screen of radar emplacements utilized by the JSDF and the United States Military. Ultimately, two of these contacts were lost and the third was tracked into the Sea of Japan. Meanwhile, two separate but similar contacts were identified in the North Sea by British and American tracking stations, though the signals were lost. The tracked contact was thus investigated by elements of the 7th Fleet of the United States Navy, stationed in Japan. For a month, the 7th Fleet conducted operations in the area of the contact, utilizing war games and other cover stories for continued investigation of the area. Whilst elevating tensions with neighbouring countries and the USSR, attempting to stabilize, protesting, the 7th Fleet was able to thoroughly investigate the area. Shortly after the recovery of Codename “Oracle”, all 7th Fleet assets and civilian vessels within 2nm of any 7th Fleet vessel in the Sea of Japan are lost. However, “Oracle”, out of the area by transport plane, is safely transported to the mainland United States. Unable to cover up the loss of portions of the 7th Fleet and accordingly diminished in East Asia, North Korea becomes emboldened and begins a full scale invasion of South Korea by the beginning of April. The Second Korean War (The Korean War, The Continuation War), April 1st 1990 – January 11th, 1993. The North Korean offensive is quick, has the element of surprise and is able to utilize a number of undiscovered invasion tunnels. Conducted in sequence with a number of commando attacks on civilian and military targets, notably the assassination of Prime Minister Kang Young-hoon, the DMZ is a glorified roadblock and Seoul becomes a battleground within a day, though it takes a month of fierce fighting for the city to fall. The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea is condemned worldwide for an unprovoked invasion, as NATO allies in Asia, notably, but not only, the forces of ANZAC, the Japanese Self-Defence Forces and the United States mobilize to aid South Korea. With the USSR still stabilizing, the likely hood of a worldwide war erupting from the conflict lessens. The Peoples Republic of China remains uncommitted, the prevailing opinion being that if North Korea succeeds, they have an ally – and if South Korea can be saved, they have a partner they can gain influence with. With persistent NATO lobbying and assurances, this attitude prevails. Whilst the Korean War rages for nearly 3 years with a staggering loss of life, NATO Forces and their allies prevail, securing the peninsula under a new Republic of Korea. The Republic of Korea consequently begins the gruelling task of rebuilding and rehabilitating an impoverished northern populace. The Second Incident, June 2nd - June 3rd, 1999. The Second Incident is the first confirmed encounter with the Juhseungi (See: Korean Mythology/Korean Reports of First Incident Aftermath) and the first indications of what was awaiting the humanity in the near future. On June 2nd at 3:43pm Local Time, two unidentified craft took positions over the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. For four hours, they maintain a position high above the city and respond to no signals, at approximately 7:43pm, all contact with the city of Kinshasa is lost. Four hours after this, the city of Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo also ceases all contact. On June 3rd, when rescue teams and aircraft can finally enter the area, both cities have been razed to the ground and small “fields” of energy are being maintained in the former city centres. The world is gripped by panic even as teams from around the world move in to investigate the unknown technology. The Formation of the Global Defence Authority, January 22nd, 2002. The Global Defence Authority, or GDA, was formed after 2 years of intense discussion, debate, wrangling and concessions – and even then that was a year after the energy fields in the Congo had expanded to meet each other, effectively blocking a small section of Earth off from human interaction. The GDA was charged with investigating, primarily, the fields, and uncovering a means to deal with them as well as any and all further incursions by extra-terrestrial craft, with its self proclaimed authority ultimately entailing the defense of all signatory nations in the face of aggression from non-earth bound entities. On paper, the forces it commanded were formidable, but for the USSR and the USA, it is merely a hiccup in the ongoing somewhat lukewarm new cold war – with possible alien technology on the line, of course, neither side were willing to commit full authority to the GDA for military operations. This was a mistake that was only rectified at great cost. The First Incursion, The Incursion War, 2006-2009. In Spring 2006, GDA Scientists finally devise a means to enter the energy fields in Central Africa – which have remained relatively stable since the time they merged in mid 2000. The experimental technology opens a breach in the until-now impenetrable fields. A number of specially picked and equipped reconnaissance teams are tasked to explore the area inside the breach. Whilst the field and breaching tool show no signs of instability and the interior remains breathable, if not more-so, the teams are tasked to return within one hour or remain inside, perhaps permanently. After 20 minutes, one of the teams dispatched reports in that there are “strange structures” and “alterations to the terrain” on a “grand scale”. They then report “hostile contact” and cease communication. The local GDA command orders a with-drawl from the interior and orders support to maintain a safe exit at the breach. Of the twelve teams dispatched, only four return. Three hours later, the field collapses and The Incursion War begins. For 3 years, a war rages in Central Africa as the GDA pours thousands of men and tonnes of material into the area to contain the threat that is emerging. The only seeming advantage is that of numbers – the Juhseungi possess incredible offensive technology but are few in number, seeming to rely near exclusively on automated drones – both biological and technological in nature, that they have not yet created in great number. Separate operations conducted by the USSR and the USA meet with massive loss of life and the destruction of numerous prototypes – as well as a limited nuclear attack that meets with failure - it is only when they finally subsume some measure of authority to the local GDA military command structure and co-ordination is achieved is some success met. The Incursion war ends when the Juhseungi seem content with overrunning much of the Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo and establish lines of defense. The GDA does the same and begins co-ordinating with the United Nations for the aftermath – a massive humanitarian crisis as millions of people now occupy refugee camps in the surrounding countries. Whilst the GDA survived the war, it does not survive the peace. 2012 – A New Era. The GDA is officially dissolved as a military force and all its captured technology is disseminated – with no engagements with the Juhseungi since the end of the Incursion War, and what is seen as largely a failure to live up to its task, the world begins to divide itself into polities and alliances to best serve their own interests. In the United States, President Gingrich tasks his nation with measuring up to a new, incredible task using this technology, to put an American base on the moon with which better to defend themselves and Earth along with it whilst preparing his nations military with new weaponry to face the threat in Africa. Around the world military development increases, and such a measure as a moon base - once thought ludicrous or beyond reach - is now a serious element of government policy. The European Space Agency, Japan, China, the USSR, and even smaller nations and alliances such as the Korean Republic and The North African League consider doing the same. As in all things, this leads to yet more division. Nations lay claim to swathes of Lunar territory – and by 2018 when the first elements begin to come into place on the Lunar Surface, limited skirmishes are reported. However, by 2020, a new lunar accord is established and whilst military forces on Earth keep watch on Central Africa, the new lunar settlements begin their job of early warning and resourcing concerns. The Second Incursion War and the New Frontier 2020 – 2040 ERROR – Partial Record Recovery only, recompiling data and extrapolating as relevant. Throughout the 2020's, the nations of Earth turned their causes to the rest of the Solar System. With the Juhseungi seemingly content to sit idle, at least offensively – as their “terraforming” continued apace and their new energy fields blocked most reconnaissance – the ideal of colonization to secure resources, warning stations and means of creating new technology was more of a requirement than a want. ERROR – New Frontier file corruption, processing. File Year 2031 opening. -cond Incursion War started and put an end to humanities bickering amongst the moons of the gas giants. The Juhseungi launched a massive assault in all directions at the same time as several Juhseungi craft entered the solar system. The African Union, comprised of most sub-saharan states, – propped up by most major world powers, began to orchestrate its local defense, the main established defence fleets of the system move to engage the six Juhseungi craft moving into Earth orbit. Whilst two of the Juhseungi craft are ultimately destroyed – being woefully under armed transport vessels of some description – four are able to disgorge thousands of undescript pods into Juhseungi held territory. This shifts the balance, and the bitter fighting in Kenya and Tanzania, primarily, now turns into a bloodbath. ERROR – file not extant, moving to next bookmark. File Year 2038 opening. -sion War. The Juhseungi were bloodied, but most of sub-saharan Africa had now fallen – and whilst the ongoing defence of South Africa and the North African states had proven successful for the time being, it was clear that humanity would face an immense challenge if it was to emerge victorious. The continued Juhseungi offensive, however, could not simply be stopped on hope alone. “Fortress South Africa” became yet a footnote to history – and the images of the thousands of ships attempting to escape will remain an image that is etched into the mind of everyone fortunate enough to make it to sea before the last hardpoint fell. Although it had taken decades, Africa would ultimately end up in Juhseungi hands, as the last civilian and military transports departed the North African coast. However, in all things there are victories – and for the Egyptian government it was the use of new technologies to preserve – and take with them, some of their national monuments. Stroke and Counter-stroke, 2040-2060. The loss of Africa was met with dogged determination. For the next several years, thousands of counter-attacks into the continent were conducted, whether from the Commonwealth base of Gibraltar, a French Raid, or the Arab League taking a foray into the periphery of Egypt, the Juhseungi quickly learnt the pace at which human technology was developing and the continued drive to use it. However, as in all things, there was a Juhseungi response in the works. In 2043, the last and final “incident” occurred. When, without any warning, several Juhseungi transport vessels appeared in Earth orbit and unloaded their cargo upon Earth – primarily the Indian subcontinent and South America. These actions would lead into the gruelling and bitter Amazon and Indian campaigns. In the former, for several years the South American states were forced to march their forces into the now twisted amazon to confront, root out and destroy concentrations of Juhseungi biological drones – and every few weeks, these same drones would re-emerge and destroy anything they could reach. In India, the same transports that had unloaded their cargo impacted urban centres as a kinetic weapon – putting the country into chaos and forcing the nascent Commonwealth of Nations (See: British Commonwealth in the 2020's) to bring the full might of its military forces to bear. The Indian campaign was far more brutal – all manner of Juhseungi drones systematically moved through the country, killing and destroying anything that did not get out of the way until the battle of Calcutta (2049) at which the majority of the Juhseungi forces in India were boxed in and destroyed with great loss of life. ERROR, RECORD CORRUPTED. The End of the New World 2060-2070. With the rebuilding of the 2050's largely attended to, but with the severe damage inflicted outside of Africa by the Juhseungi, particularly in India and Brazil well remembered, the various polities and nations of man saw fit to come together – the Juhseungi would not be defeated by anything less than total commitment of all military forces to evicting them from Earth – and making sure their vessels could no longer penetrate deep into the Solar System without warning. The advent of the Oracle drive permitted such rapid, faster than light movement to respond if the system could be secured. But it was not to be. In 2061, the Juhseungi began a full offensive in all directions utilizing all means at their disposal. With forces of the world on standby – this offensive was, largely, blunted, but it saw great destruction visited on nearly all corners of the world. While the Juhseungi were pushed back by early 2062, unlike all previous engagements, the Juhseungi launched another offensive. It was now becoming apparent that the Juhseungi would continue their offensive indefinitely, and by all accounts, mankind would not be able to weather the blows forever. By 2065, The Juhseungi had achieved a breakthrough in Brazil and has pushed most of the military forces in the region out of the country, along with millions of refugees. The new Andean Alliance, did however, manage to stem the tide – with the Juhseungi offensive in South America stalled slightly, the forces of the world saw a chance for a second wind. Engaging on all fronts in concert, and utilizing the forces of the combined fleets of the system in orbit, the Juhseungi were forced to abandon their Middle Eastern and European offensives. RECORD NOT YET FULLY COMPILED, MOVING FORWARD, MARK 2071 AVAILABLE. It was, however, as if all mankinds resistance and success at this point had alerted some Juhseungi somewhere that their war, at least on Earth, was still ongoing and was meeting some measure of trouble. The arrival of the Juhseungi Fleet was the last battle of the war – the rest is, in no unfair terms, an organized rout. The records available indicate the Juhseungi flagship approached Luna, and over several hours, utilizing some form of advanced planet cracker or advanced mining device, cracked the mantle of the moon and caused it to break apart – the alien fleet ultimately remaining at range and ignoring our own fleets, no doubt, to them, a pale imitation. The arguably over dramatic destruction of our solitary moon and its thousands of inhabitants would be a blow in and of itself – it if did not also make the, at least immediate, future of human life on Earth near impossible. While the damage to our fleets in orbit was minimal, the descent of lunar debris into the pacific ocean, primarily, caused a number of natural disasters – battering nations that had not yet suffered by the hand of the Juhseungi. In the end, however, the actions of the Juhseungi that day, regardless of our advances into Africa, decided the course of humanities future. With the Juhseungi offensives on Earth momentarily crippled, but continuing, it was only a matter of time before Earth fell – and even as the Juhseungi Fleet moved to eliminate our colonies throughout the solar system, humanity began its desperate attempt to survive. It is only through retrospect that we must find the sudden departure of the Juhseungi Fleet of concern. 2091 – The Hundred Years Exodus. PERSONAL RECORD AVAILABLE. It is with some truth mankind must look to the first incident – the year 1991. Since that day, and since the second incident, Mankind had become embroiled in a war that it was slowly losing, slowly falling back – an exodus over the course of a hundred years that would finally culminate in some ironic destiny – we would flower amongst the stars, but only because our seed was lost to us. Humans, however, are a selfish lot sometimes – if we couldn't have it, nor could they. The Exodus was a hurried affair, even if it took as long as it did – every polity on Earth had its official program - some later than others, some more successful than others - but everyone could not be saved before the Juhseungi on Earth broke our defensive positions. Private programs were thus allowed – more could be saved, but again, not everyone could leave Earth before the appointed hour. A necessary, but regretful sacrifice. One our race makes, and will make, many a time. There is some humour to be found, even amongst the exodus – national monuments, of all things, preserved and transported away. The Exodus also did much to preserve other tangible elements of our history. Art, literature – many decried it, but a few thousand less hungry refugees amongst the stars for the total sum of our existence as a species. I could not say I support such a thing, but there is a different sort of satisfaction found within. As the last transport we could field escaped, our fleet opened fire on our own world. It burned. Yet, the Juhseungi burned with it. Our home in ruins. Our Solar system a graveyard. Yet, we live. ----- Notes: 2091 to 2291 is the Age of Establishment. This gives 200 years for the Exodus to result in a web of human based nations. It also gives you 200 years to develop a society and a culture so fractured by near-extinction and rebuilding from the ground up as to create something that is as similar, or as different, as you like. Concerning a few notable non-mentioned nations. Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan are Soviet Republics, through either internal dissent or war becoming part of the USSR. The same applies to Mongolia. Most African Nations were thrown into dis-array, with their governments in exile in shambles and most of their populations killed or reduced to refugees, these refugees were resettled elsewhere - such as the Commonwealth to which they may of belonged - or ultimately through UN Programs forming some of the independent colonies. The Northern African nation's populations largely either assimilated into their new host nations or ended up as part of the Muslim African diaspora in the Arab League, notable exception being Egypt.[/hider] [hider=FTL]FTL drives as they stand are capable of system to system jumps (from fixed points known as Jump Points (JP's) or "Nodes" depending on drive origin) and short in-system hops (roughly equivalent to half the distance between Earth and Mars for the most efficient of jumps). These latter jumps effectively "skim" subspace to move ships through real space in a few minutes to a few hours, that is, the time it takes to travel through a subspace tunnel - whilst system to system travel transit subspace nodes, points in space where tunnels between systems exist naturally and can be easily accessed. These latter journeys are much the same in terms of travel time, though it can vary depending on the distance. In the most general of terms, the larger the ship, the larger the dedicated drive is required. These drives are, by modern technological standards, independent systems - internal to the ship and powered by their own fusion reactors or actively tapping subspace energy itself (albeit a risky proposition). These drives create apertures or "portals" into subspace that are then transited. This transit is typically through a "subspace tunnel". Subspace Nodes themselves are charted - but if no nodes, or even safe ones can be found - systems are often left uncharted or unexplored and assigned to future unmanned relativistic or hop-jump probe teams. When an FTL drive is "disabled" by offensive action, this typically means damaging a ships sensors so it cannot plot vectors for safe travel or provide the necessary information to create a stable aperture. It can also refer to the disabling of a ships engines so that it simply cannot enter the aperture to escape. More aggressive means include having simply fired Mass Driver cannons through an area where an FTL drive is normally housed, thus eliminating the possibility of escape entirely but negating any real prize capture. These drives can be initiated in orbit, though gravitational fields can throw off exit vectors. Jumping out in orbit is generally a crash jump and as such is a last ditch means of escape with an unknown exit vector - or in some cases a daring tactical manoeuvre. Exit Vectors near planetary bodies are usually a few minutes - better pilots shaving off time here and there - from the L5 point, though playing dice with gravitational fields will get one closer. Fighters and other small craft are capable of jumps, though the cost of outfitting every single fighter in military terms is, for most, beyond what can be justified and thus the prevalence of carriers should likely be a noted part of naval doctrine. As such Fighter Jump Drives are typically the privilege of fast response teams and special forces. In practical terms, Jump drives typically take 7 to 15 minutes to charge, smaller vessels charging faster than larger vessels, as one would expect. Jump drives draw their power from independent, small scale-fusion reactors and as such do not hinder normal ship operation as a rule. As a consequence, FTL and sub-light drives are, rather uniquely, independent of each other, though FTL is useless without subspace power to traverse an aperture.[/hider] [hider=Web of Nations]Prior to the Exodus, a number of nations and private or public institutions had begun charting space in a manner far beyond what had previously been attainable. While this article focuses primarily on the Japanese Exploratory Program, nations such as Korea, The Commonwealth and the Soviet Union all begun charting programs prior to the coming of the Oracle Drive's reliable FTL or the need for settlement outside of the Solar System. In the case of most of these programs, charting using new telescopic and other observational technologies and platforms provided the basis, and in the case of the Japanese Program, small relativistic probes dispatched decades before the Exodus became critical in colonial planning. The General U.N. Recognized Categorization for potentially habitable worlds was revised, rather boringly - from Class A through to Class E. Class A worlds, in theory, were Earth-like, or Garden Worlds. They had their own sustained ecosystem, provided fresh water and maintained an oxygenated atmosphere all on a world not too prone to temperature extremes or other elements hazardous to human settlement. Class B would be somewhat similar, though requiring the use of terraforming or protective equipment. C & D worlds were those that required either the most work, lacked easily accessible freshwater, or even required the most protection. Class E worlds were ultimately the last resort - Arid, tidally locked, or any numerous issues that made human settlement difficult if not impossible. Class F was ultimately added to the categorization system providing the vast majority of barren or lifeless worlds prevalent in star systems. Gas Giants are sometimes erroneously classified in this way - however, the reserved Class J is now ascribed to gas giants. To take into perspective the early challenges of the colonial period, we once again turn to the example of the Japanese. Of the 927 Stars intensively observed by their program, recorded and charted either by exploratory teams courtesy of the Oracle Drive, or probes or other mechanisms, the Japanese Program found only 2 Star Systems containing worlds falling into the Category of Class A. One of these is now the famously reviled "Devil's World" known for its many virulent forms of symbiosis - vital for the planets ecosystem, but deadly to its first unprepared human settlers in the chaos of the exodus. Whilst the Japanese Program was fortunate to survey a vast majority of worlds - many colonial projects were directed to Class B worlds, numerous though not ideal, and many more were forced to settle for Class C & D worlds, though many of these colonies, today, through the fruit of technological labor and advances in terraforming, are unrecognizable as the harsh worlds they once were. All the same - the early colonial period, noted in such events as the Breach of the Iko Dome (Independent Colony), was fraught with tragedy and mishap. Not only did colonies often contend with worlds unsuited for their arrival, let alone long term settlement, they were often dangerous and fraught with poverty. The desire for colonial authorities to guarantee population growth through methods both tried and untested, brought more misery to this period - though many are now familiar with the pseudo-cloning techniques ultimately pioneered on Outreach that formed the basis for most of the astronomical growth in mid-tier colonial periods. The "age of establishment" is, in retrospect, double edged. To many, it is a pretty collection of words for a horrifying and brutal time for many. As humanity spread itself across countless worlds in a desperate bid to survive, mistakes were made, entire generations died and then were reborn anew on a whim. In some cases, whole colonies burned by intent or disaster or outright turned away from their brothers and sisters. To others, it is a reminder of human tenacity and ingenuity. We used our greatest assets to turn strange technologies to our advantage, we shaped worlds and then emblazoned the new great cities of mankind upon them. Yet, we remain apart, opposed, disunited. Houses very much divided. It is thus astounding that humanity - overall - survived. However, one must cast their thoughts back to the early days of our nascent rebirth. We must remember - and not forget. Too must we honour those who still continue to push humanity's borders ever forward. Though they face hardships fewer than those our ancestors did, they are all the same fraught with danger and harken back to the times when we were cast adrift with, in many cases, naught but a wreck to carry us forward.[/hider] [hider=Earth and Sol]The Exodus and ultimate abandoning of Earth, is, quite without much explanation, a defining period in Human history and a point of immense cultural significance to the varied cultural backgrounds we still continue to share in the modern age. Earth was left to heal from her war wounds, restore herself from the strain of nuclear bombardment, although not purely of her down doing - to be elaborated upon momentarily - she has excelled in this capacity. Earth has, also, consequently become another front in the great political game. Knowledge of Earth in the immediate post-Exodus is scant, but clearly the world endured a "nuclear winter" of some severity - as well as a micro ice-age for roughly half a century, though it experienced only minor glaciation. Foremost - the remaining larger segments of the moon, bootstrap developed and mined during the Exodus, largely disintegrated - and those fragments that did not fall to Earth or head into deep space ultimately, over time, coalesced into a semi stable ring system around the world. These fragments can, though rarely, break the ring system. In most cases, they too head off into the abyss, yet some fall to Earth. This is one of her new hazards. While many of these fragments pose no threat or burn up, some cause minor damage and present a risk to anyone on the surface who is unaware, though the presence of the orbital warning net now alleviates this issue. The loss of the Moon, too, presented challenges. Earth's climate now tends to feature much more extreme changes, and her days are somewhat shorter - and her nights much darker. All this said, however, she has returned to a state largely fit for Human life. In terms of Earth's stabilization - the militaristic Gaia Movement lays at the heart. Largely over dramatic and named with little originality, the Gaia Movement broke the UN treaty forbidding settlement on Earth or its immediate environs and established a number of small asteroid based colonies in the Ring System, as well as a number of settlements on the surface. This pan-nationalist movement to repair, preserve and inhabit Earth (in their own stylistic way) was considered illegal, doubly so for illegal genetic replication (of earth-based species) and triply so for illegal use of terra-forming equipment. The hotly debated UN Taskforce was ultimately dispatched in 2199 to remove the Gaia presence was damaged and forced to withdraw by a questionably well armed Movement. The subsequent reinforcement of the UN Taskforce by forces from around the numerous powers put an end to this threat, however, and through political wrangling and near threatened outright war, Earth was re-opened to limited resettlement despite the fear of Juhseungi re-appearances. The Movement, has, however, remained in the outskirts of the System and continues to be a threat. The Sol System had at large remained largely uninhabited save for a few minor commercial concerns and the martian test colonies, both as a memorial and the fact that, aside from national investments that could be seen as a threat, there are numerous more worlds of practical import, either easier to terra-form or richer in needed resources. Sentimentalism, however, is a powerful tool - as is nationalism, and most Orion powers have planted colonies around the numerous bodies of the system, though all fall under UN Protection and the presence of anything above Destroyer Class is forbidden to all but the UN SolForce itself. While the population on Earth continues to grow, settlement is largely concerned with recovering lost pre-exodus technologies, records and artifacts. The Presence of the Movement, Established UN Resolutions and Treaties, as well as an inability to formulate a reliable account of sovereign rule over sections of Earth's Surface - a matter one would of thought would be simple - frustrates the few camps in the region who long for a more permanent return to Earth. All of the colonies in Sol are thus consequently under the auspices of the UN. Most of the Colonies in the Solar System, ie, Martian, Jovian, etc, are either independent or tied to the major powers, though other nations are now spoiling to make their own settlements in the system, if only for prestige's sake.[/hider] [hider=Technology]Technology, for a long period after the Exodus, understandably, stagnated or was directed completely to areas of relevance like xeno-agriculture, space based manufacturing, terraforming and the like. I will however break down a few areas. As a quick note, please note that Humanity is pretty oddly juxtaposed, that is, advanced technology like terraforming stolen from the Juhseungi with relatively advanced agricultural understanding and decent industrial bases, yet utilizing kinetics and until the turn of the 22nd century, ships often still used rotational sections for gravity, etc etc. Resource shortages in smaller nations and even some of the majors are quite common, and what have you - not due to a lack of possession, in many cases, but the ability to extract and refine across vast stellar distances before, again, distributing. That is, not to say, that some nations are not more advanced and some more behind. I'm not attempting to prevent diversification and a little illegality in certain fields and what have you - that's variety, this is only intended to give a general feel and to prevent any accidental bloatings of power. Weapons/Shields: Shielding is in existence but not at as a catch-all. Nearly all spacecraft have a form of energy shielding to deal with micro-space debris and other standard dangers, these are simple fields that negate or push aside such dangerous debris or protect against certain forms of energy, such as cosmic radiation, that harmful to human life. These same fields have proven to be effective at absorbing energy and low-mass/velocity kinetic impacts, particularly when employed by ground-placed locations due to the access to large amounts of energy from planetary grids and specialized reactors. However, shielding on spacecraft, particularly the largest, is primarily to avoid damage from travel in space, and as a form of mitigating energy based damage, such as from the effects of the post impact of a nuclear weapon or the initial energy burst, rather than a comprehensive defensive option. As a consequence to shields weaknesses (and its strengths in negating most basic energy weapons), kinetic weapons are largely still at the fore of military thinking and heavily armoured ships, particularly hardened against nuclear weapons would likely be the norm. Weaponry is, as noted, ideally based around kinetics. Such as large scale MAC Cannons, Gauss Cannons, Flak and oodles of torpedoes and missiles and the like - military technology should likely of stagnated for a long period in the Exodus where simply surviving was the greatest ordeal. Recent military developments have largely made things more efficient and provided a large element of finesse to what existed before. As I may mention elsewhere, consider yourself in a universe slightly ahead of Battlestar Galactica in terms of military technology and you are likely on the right track. It is worth a mention that "Battleships" - that is, whatever you call the largest vessels currently engineered by your variant of man - are relatively rare. The Shipyards to lay down their hulls are generally specialised and of course, particularly large. The Soviet Union, for example in one iteration I thought up, could only produce its largest battleships at one specific shipyard complex, so it is worth noting, whether you are willing to make this infrastructure commitment. Biotechnology/Cloning/etc: Particularly due to the Juhseungi, Biotechnology has a certain taboo attached to it - though that is not to say it is ignored out of fear but rather, very tightly regulated both by state governments and UN Treaty. There is very little impetus to develop biotechnology that cannot be directly controlled though the obvious medical benefits for some aspects have long since entered the realm of acceptability. There is also a tacit acceptance of gene therapy for colonial purposes as well as minor genetic alterations to clear up defects, though much beyond this "frightens" people in ways few other fields of advancement do. Cloning was widespread and in many cases, poorly executed in the Exodus. For many colonies, first, second, and third generation clones generated from genebanks taken from Earth matured erratically - some even slower than naturally when it was intended to speed it up - and often held limited lifespans of around 30-40 years of age. While the sheer amount and need for these "clones" to prop up populations (Children birthed from one or two cloned parents did not seem to inherit flaws) and procreate made such practices acceptable, most 3rd Generation Clones, as a testament to failing technology, had died a mere 25 years after their creation. The advent of Gene-Pool Clone Creation, that is, "clones" collected from a randomized sampling from a pool of genetic donors became a much more preferred and safe way to create unique, rather than copied individuals. Whilst GPC's became widespread, they were not intended to mature at an accelerated rate and their impact came at the tail end of the 2100's, after many of them campaigned to end Cloning itself. Where utilized, many of the largest families can consequently claim to hail from at least one GPC parent or grandparent, as the desire for them to create large, genetically varied families was the main goal of the program in the first place. Most GPC's lived "natural" lifespans (60 years, an improvement over most colonial standards of the late 2100's) and the last known GPC died in the mid 2240's. Cloning was thereafter largely limited to medical purposes, such as cloning a single organ or replacement limbs, in the late 2240's and the GPC program was ultimately ended due to the controversy involved. If theres any other concerns, please ask.[/hider] [hider=General Information and Organisations in the Orion Arm][b]-= General Information[/b] This post is intended as general information for existing organisations or other information of note that is of interest. This can, and should of course, be updated or taken liberally as appropriate. Please feel free to create your own Alliances or groups - I am also sure other organisations exist for economic or humanitarian reasons, these are just the ones of note that I have created to help establish some lore and background. The pre-established alliance blocks will likely be changed/removed based on how things develop. [b]Interstellar Organisations[/b] [i]The United Nations:[/i] The United Nations, headquartered on the planet Geneva, a member of the self-named, but adamantly independent Geneva Confederation, is still in existence in the current era. The United Nations maintained an element of relevancy during the continued chaos on Earth - and after the dissolution of the GDA, built upon its own institutions, continued to attempt to create a common consensus and assisted in dealing with the continued global refugee crises that marked much of the Incursion Wars. The United Nations is credited with ensuring, too, that many refugees were granted allocations of resources for nations no-longer extant in order for them to construct and field appropriate transport and colonization vessels during the period of the Exodus. Throughout the Age of Establishment, the United Nations continued to bring together the nations of man for common good - and has been reformed since its final establishment on the planet of Geneva. The United Nations receives a healthy budget collected from signatory nations, as well as through its own logistics and resource divisions - and uses these funds for humanitarian, education and exploration purposes, as well as maintaining oversight of the Sol System and the Juhseungi Quarantine and Exclusion Zones in the Orion Arm with the assistance of local military forces. The United Nations, though reformed - still maintains a structure similar to that of its Earth-bound self - namely a General Assembly - and a Security Council. The Security Council has 3 Rotating Council Members (5 Year Basis) and 5 Permanent Members, though an individual member state's Security Council Veto is rendered null and void if 60% of the General Assembly can agree to the resolution. The Security Council Consists of the "People's Republic of China", the "USSR", "Democratic Federation of American States", "The Commonwealth" and "The Empire of Japan" as permanent members. The United Nations itself marshals a small but effective military force, though it still turns to its member states for matters where force is a sad necessity. Current Rotating Members are: Germany Tanarsus Brazilian Unitary [i]Free Traders Union[/i] The Free Traders Union or FTU is an interstellar organisation founded by trading and mercantile groups and based out of their Headquarters in the Outreach System. The FTU is a voluntary organisation that any individual trader or company can join. In return for a small monthly fee, it offers its members access to FTU Equipment via its own Warehouses found throughout most trading systems, access to all systems signed up to the "Supply System" organised by the FTU (basically access to most known systems for trading purposes) and organizes convoys and escorts (mercenary or state) for traders in treacherous areas of space. Most regional governments have welcomed, or at least seen the benefits from working with an organised group for trading purposes and as such the FTU enjoys a reasonable amount of political influence, though it is distanced from any individual ambition or member agendas, keeping a healthy detachment from the larger cartels and corporations. The FTU continues to foster good trade relations where possible, and is credited for securing rights and protection for its members even in systems oft-contested between numerous powers or groups. [i]Information on the Quarantine Zone and Zone of Exclusion[/i] The Quarantine Zone and Zone of Exclusion are two elements of the ongoing desire of Humanity to avoid conflict with the Juhseungi. After two centuries of study, exploration, observation and analysis, most have come to the conclusion that the gradual invasion of Earth was an automated terraforming and/or pre-emptive removal of a future threat instigated by a secondary alien presence (Oracle). Whilst it cannot explain the involvement of the Juhseungi Flotilla and its sudden disappearance during the final phase of the conflict - it can explain why Sol, nominally a distant and unimportant star to known Juhseungi zones of occupation, was targeted at all. Foremost, the Quarantine Zone functions as known areas of Juhseungi - either believed occupied worlds, patrols, automated operations or other elements of concern with a healthy barrier of systems between. The Quarantine Zone is thus expressly forbidden to all and any civil and military operations. The Quarantine Zone is sparsely protected, in order to not draw attention - and the United Nations Quarantine Oversight Taskforce maintains a network of observation posts in order to maintain the watch - with a small force to deter civilian vessels from attempting to traverse the zone. The Zone of Exclusion is the second component. Namely, as its name implies, the Zone of Exclusion is an area of the Orion Arm forbidden to permanent colonisation - as it lies in the path of the normally ordered and predictable pattern of Juhseungi expansion. Whilst limited military and civil resourcing operations are conducted in the Zone of Exclusion, and its security is largely left whom it borders, the outright settlement of colonists or permanent installations in the Zone of Exclusion is strictly forbidden. ----- NOTE: Obviously, without concrete nations these preliminary alliances are subject to change or elimination, depending on responses. [i]The Alliance of Free Worlds[/i] The Alliance of Free Worlds is the modern equivalent of NATO - a defensive military alliance between nations opposed to the October Pact in terms of ideology whom have come together to foster defensive co-operation. Formed only a few decades ago, the Alliance of Free Worlds functions primarily as a economic and defensive alliance - although allowances for offensive action exist if all individual member states agree - though the alliance has no mechanisms for combined operations. The Alliance of Free Worlds has 7 Member signatories at the current time, notably the independent world of Sanctuary - but including The Democratic Federation, The Commonwealth of Nations, The European Union, The Korean Republic, The Unified Centauri Protectorate and, Unified Benelux Republic. The Alliance as such forms a political counter-balance to the October Pact, but is yet to prove itself outside of a few minor treaties and its economic successes. [i]The October Pact[/i] The October Pact is an economic and military alliance formed by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to form a mechanism to spread the ideology of modern communist ideals and to form a counter-balance to the political and economic weight of the Democratic Federation and its allies, whom in turn formed their own counter-part alliance in the continuance of the sometimes forgotten but never idle Cold War. The Pact is nominally intended to function purely as a defensive alliance and a mechanism for economic growth, but the anti-piracy campaigns conducted by the Pact prove that the alliance has and is willing to utilize its mechanisms for offensive actions - even if limited to matters of internal security. The October Pact is ostensibly open to all nations - yet has largely attracted Soviet Allies or nations aligned to the political left, regardless of their economic situations. With the Soviet Union itself more than liberalised in a large number of economic affairs, this suits all parties involved. The October Pact currently has 6 signatory nations, including but not limited to: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, The Andean Alliance, Confederation of Tau Ceti, and the Brazilian Unitary - The world of Galleria is also currently a signatory. Additionally, the Peoples Republic of China currently holds observer status, though rumors persist that China would prefer heading up its own community of nations centered around the regional dominance of China's economy.[/hider] [hider=Known Races][b]Races[/b] [i]Information on the Juhseungi[/i] Despite a century of conflict on Earth, little is known about the Juhseungi themselves - if they are at any reasonable factor distinct from their automated forces utilized on Earth. The Juhseungi, namely, utilize their automated forces near exclusively in all their discovered and past operations - both technological and biological in nature. While the Technological Drones are, for humanity, easy to comprehend and see the utilizations of - the biological "drones" the Juhseungi have employed have always raised more questions than answers. These biological drones are often based on existing non-sapient, but always sentient, biological life in the area the Juhseungi have occupied - on Earth, whilst some clearly exotic and not earthbound basis were used for a number of Juhseungi Drones, animals such as Bovines and Canines were clearly used as a basis for growing biological drones driven by a higher purpose to attack targets. All the same, Juhseungi drones only superficially represent their original base DNA and are often grafted with technological elements. It is theorized that these drones, while effective to a number of degrees in combat, mainly serve in a morale damaging capacity, which itself raises questions with no answers. It is also possible that larger technological drones also possess biologically based drone components such as Navigators (Subspace travel, at least in human terms, requiring some form of biological input). It is therefore possible that most of the Juhseungi are no longer individual sapient life forms - and their space based forces may simply be extensions of the technology already "understood" by Mankind. Given the pre-dispensation for using organic material of a neural nature in even basic technology, it is likely the Juhseungi do not even possess artificial intelligence as mankind understands it. All the same - in terms of facts, the Juhseungi clearly require an Oxygen based atmosphere, though at slightly higher concentrations than are ideal for Humans, or their terraforming serves no purpose. Aside from this, very little is known about just exactly what the Juhseungi are, their purpose and their ambitions, let alone any concrete facts about their own biology. [i]Information on "Oracle":[/i] Oracle was a lifeform recovered from the wreck of an alien craft in the Sea of Japan in 1991. Its recovery marked the culmination of the 1st Incident and sparked the final phase of the Korean War. Transported to the mainland United States and classified at the highest levels possible, Oracle was not fully disclosed to members outside of the Security Council and ultimately the G8 until after the Exodus. Credited with most of the early technological advances and in the late 21st century, the first working human built FTL drive, it is argued by many that Oracle's actions can be credited with Humanity's survival. However, it is also argued that without Oracle's arrival in the Solar System in the 1990's, the entire Juhseungi incursion would of been avoided. Oracle, as divulged in now un-classified documents, revealed that in their attempt to escape Juhseungi pursuit after the fall of their own civilization, was forced to head towards the habitable world of Earth (Daemystis 3, by Oracle's designation) in an attempt to hide their craft and undertake repairs. The unfortunate pursuit of several unexpected Juhseungi craft resulted in its uncontrolled entry and the eventual arrival of Juhseungi containment forces. Oracle's information relates that the Juhseungi pursued the remnants of their people for two purposes - one, an unknown directive -the second, they related, was that Oracle's species were easily manipulated and harvested for use in Juhseungi advanced biological technology. Oracle's assistance is thus based on his desire to "make-up" for involving the Juhseungi in Earth-bound affairs. While the assistance of Oracle was arguably of paramount importance, mistrust and suspicion dogged many of his projects - and in particular Oracle's desire that his successful projects were disseminated accordingly. Documents relate that, on at least two separate occasions Oracle was able to disseminate technical data despite having no access to outside networks - thus leading to the United States divulging its existence and officially resolving the technology sharing problem to Oracle's satisfaction. Oracle was eventually placed under UN supervision. During the twilight years of the Pre-Exodus era, Oracle finally completed the technical elements of an FTL drive capable of being utilized by Humanity. Shortly after this, Oracle, without explanation, left Earth in a human built ship with a small human crew. Contact with either Oracle or their species has thus been lost and a certain element of reverence, anger, suspicion and desire for a common ally against the Juhseungi generally prevails in attempts to find the elusive race, if it has survived at all. In terms of Physiology, Oracle - if a typical example of their race, is identified as humanoid of insectoid origination. Featuring large, compound eyes and four upper limbs and two lower limbs, The species is quite flexible and features, like many insectoids found on Earth, a carapace - though Oracle wore "clothing", though it was never discerned whether this was to adapt to Human customs or as their race's culture dictated. Oracle described their species as a "loose-hive" - while interconnected and reliant on each other, each individual was exactly that, capable of independent thought and action. According to Oracle's own information - the species was split into four sexes roughly equivalent to male and female and split into two pairs, a male and female pair that were capable of breeding and a male and female pair that were, typically, of average intelligence but greater strength and incapable of breeding, whom made up the larger working element of the species. There appeared to be little obvious difference between male and females themselves. Due to the reliance of the species on pheromones for large amounts of communication - though capable of vocal speech and limited thought transmission to other species - the largest problem with Oracle was the development of reliable translation methods. Oracle's own capability of learning multiple Earth languages in a short amount of time did, to some measure, alleviate this. While Oracle's own civilization had largely dissolved in the face of Juhseungi aggression, Oracle maintained that their people were still capable of fighting and their established, millenia old monarchal-democratic hybrid system of government was still capable of action. Perhaps the Juhseungi's apparent uninterest in anything outside of their ordered areas is indication that Oracle's race still fights for survival - or that the Juhseungi are engaged in methodical wars of genocide throughout the galaxy for whatever purpose, and eventually their gaze must return to our region of space. [i]The Human Diaspora:[/i] The Human race as it stands in 2291 is not the same as it was at the beginning of the Exodus. Massive migration and depopulation of entire areas and the Exodus itself lead to a reduction in genetic diversity and wiped out many smaller ethnic groups, particularly in Africa and amidst the disasters in South East Asia. Combined with a rushed evacuation effort, poor technological practices in early cloning and the loss of hundreds of colonies and millions of people in particular has somewhat homogenised the human race in its smallest concentrations, whilst technological advancement and necessary modifications for living on certain worlds has brought into being humans that are not quite the same as the multitude of their peers. Indeed, even within specific ethnic groups there is both great diversity (The Han Diaspora of the Chinese colonies) and little divergence (The mandated purity of some of the smaller independent colonies). The Human race has, as such, lost great amounts of its diversity that is only just beginning to heal, and in many cases, only through divergences in specific ethnic groups rather than a great intermingling of the species. Racism is now, more frequently, simple xenophobia, with many nations created along ethnic lines - whilst true cosmopolitanism is largely confined to those evacuations undertaken as a group effort or political philosophy. Culturally, the near death experience of the entire species and the brutal harshness of the initial colonial period has left its mark both on the pysche of proceeding generations and on the historical record. Authoritarianism is more widely accepted, but so too is liberty more fiercely guarded, depending on whom you ask and to which nation or ethnic group you pose the question. There is much division, however, even amongst former allies - and It is remarked by some pessimists that humanity only survived its Exodus in order to spite anyone else that may have done so.[/hider] ----- I also have a list of minor nations, but I think thats enough info dumping for now. EVERYTHING, is subject to change, but I'd like to know what people think or whether this is simply too much to work with in the first. Either way, I'm sorry for making you read all of it :).