[hider=Ghost Nebula Republic]
[h2][color=39b54a]Ghost Nebula Republic[/color][/h2]
[img]https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58a5e94bbf629a9623ff80f9/1547845181538-90FCX1V0JM97HKJ968V0/Lansing_FINAL2.png?format=500w[/img]

[h3][color=39b54a]Government Type[/color][/h3]
[b]Bioriod-Assisted Presidential Republic[/b]
The government of the Ghost Nebula Republic is made up of democratically elected leaders and legislators who are assisted by bioroid assistants and bureaucrats. The legislature is made up of two bodies, the Assembly of Planets (2 assemblymen are elected per planet) and Parliament (proportional representation). The President can issue an Emergency Executive Order that takes immediate effect, bypassing both Assembly and Parliament, but automatically expires after 30 days, unless it is ratified by a two-thirds vote in a session of either the Assembly or Parliament. While historically the office of the President has been seen as the dominant power in the government; the creation of the Grand Council by the Assembly has resulted in a war of influence over control of the government. 

The Grand Council is a body of six assemblymen who can issue Executive Mandates on behalf of the entire Assembly. These executive mandates are then later reviewed by the entire Assembly which votes on whether to retroactively ratify or reject the mandate. This allows the Grand Council to act swiftly when necessary, but ensures the full Assembly retains ultimate oversight. The six seats of the council rotate between each planet, with two seats being rotated out every two years.  

The Apex Court of Precedent (often just called the Apex Court) is the supreme judicial body in the Republic. It has nine justices, three appointed by the President, three appointed by the Grand Council, and three appointed by Parliament.

[h3][color=39b54a]Demographics[/color][/h3]
The major species of the Ghost Nebula Republic are the Yrrani-Twei, Yrrani, and Humans, with the Twei making up roughly 80% of the total population. Bioroids are not considered part of the population.
[hider=Yrrani-Twei][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/90/9e/4c/909e4c91c284b07a1cd298e7188fafa9.jpg[/img][img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/90/5a/a8/905aa8ea8013e7fcd24ea8249270c8d7.jpg[/img][img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/048/670/315/large/jenna-vanpelt-jennavanpelt-soulmaster-01.jpg?1650624006[/img]An offshoot of the Yrrani, the Twei are an ethnic minority that are most easily distinguished by the fact that they have longer ears. They are usually fair skinned, pale even, but can be darker skinned. Much like their cousins, the Twei are blessed with longevity, general physiological resilience, unnatural beauty as well as graceful aging, and generally keen minds. They are also noted as possessing great spacial awareness and reflexes, both of which are often further enhanced by cybernetics.[/hider]

[h3][color=39b54a]Military[/color][/h3]
The Republic Joint Armed Forces (RJAF), initially formed by the Ghost Nebula Provincial Defense Legion, are the military services responsible for the defense of the Ghost Nebula Republic. The military is broken up into two competing branches: the Republican Navy (RN) and the Republican Ground Forces (RGF). The personnel of both branches are made up primarily of bioroids, with biological personnel still serving as officers and, to a lesser degree, non-commissioned officers.

The Republican Navy is a battle-hardened and highly loyal force that is often referred to as the Sword of the Republic. As a general rule of thumb Republic Navy warships are very durable and very effective brawlers. Most Republic Navy warships possess a spinal particle beam cannon that serves as its primary killing weapon. RN warships tend to have fewer main weapons batteries than other navies, instead opting for more and better secondary batteries that serve as hybrid anti-ship/strikecraft defenses. As a general rule of thumb Republic Navy warships tend to lack very long range weaponry, relying on a few missile batteries per ship and fighter craft to cover combat ranges outside the reach of their particle beam cannons. 

On the subject of fighter craft: every Republic Navy ship carries at least a few fighters and shuttles, although the bulk of fighter operations are still centralized on specialized carriers. RN doctrine calls for 3 destroyers and 1 cruiser to screen every capital ship, with each warship carrying a small number of strikecraft and shuttles.. 

Ship-based missiles used by the RN are usually more than just a means to transport an explosive to a distant target; they are more of a utility weapon. Common examples of RN missiles include: missiles designed to fire a targeted particle beam when it nears with an enemy (blaster missiles), missiles that explode into a “shotgun” of shrapnel designed to defeat enemy stealth systems and shred lightly armed targets (shredder missiles), high mobility missiles designed to linger near and follow friendly ships before peeling off to intercept incoming hostiles (stinger missiles), specialized electronic warfare missiles designed to disrupt enemy sensors or create decoys (jammer/foxer missiles).

The Republican Navy does not have a specialized marine corps, but it does possess naval infantry. Republican naval infantry are specialized in defending warships and space stations. Their training emphasizes close quarters combat and damage control in zero-g, resulting in them being less capable in large-scale open-field combat. There are some naval infantry special forces groups that specialize in orbital drops, orbital assaults, and boarding actions.

The RGF’s strength lies in its technology, information superiority, and the devastating application of concentrated mobile firepower. A robust core of infantry, supported by heavy infantry (powered armor), holds the line of battle as light and medium mechs form an armored fist that smashes the Republic’s enemies. All the while heavy artillery barrages and airstrikes disrupt and destroy the enemy.

The Republic Ground Forces employ a Hi-Lo mix of units; pairing a small number of extremely capable, but expensive, units with cheaper, less advanced, units in order to maximize the army’s size and give the RGF a wider range of capabilities. Often the Hi units in the mix represent units from the High Republic Era that are either too expensive to be widely produced/maintained or simply can no longer be created at all. 

The RGF doesn’t often field typical armor, the kind that use wheels or tracks, except for a few specific use cases such as infantry fighting vehicles or self propelled artillery. Instead the RGF prefers to field mechs as mechs because 1) they perform better on very rough terrain such as urban battlefields, 2) mechs are better capable of handling threats in extreme proximity (such as a swimmer wrapping its tentacles around a vehicle), and 3) due to the nature of bioroids they perform better as something with arms and legs than wheels or tracks.

[hider=Warships][hider=Valiant-class Dreadnaught][img]https://i1-e.pinimg.com/1200x/04/1f/fc/041ffccfcbe78e670f2122f898bda61b.jpg[/img]
The largest class of dreadnaughts ever built by the Republic, the Valiant-class’s size and power has many calling it a super dreadnought. Ships of this class are few in number and require powerplants built during the High Republic Era, meaning that they are irreplaceable. Due to their size, Valiant-class dreadnaughts are capable of carrying several full squadrons of strikecraft, shuttles, and heavy shuttles.
Known ships of this class: Valiant, Vanguard, Victorious[/hider]
[hider=Colossus-class Dreadnaught][img]https://i1-e.pinimg.com/736x/01/bd/b7/01bdb74c4903e43a49fc74ac3fac634f.jpg[/img]
The Colossus-class is the embodiment of the Republic Navy’s doctrine. Its powerful, heavily armored, but slow. It's covered in secondary particle beam batteries, while a comparatively small number of missile batteries gives the Colossus-class some flexibility and long range capabilities. Its hangar has enough space for a full squadron of strikecraft, shuttles, and heavy shuttles.
Known ships of this class: Colossus
[/hider]
[hider=Steadfast-class Battleship][img]https://i1-e.pinimg.com/1200x/d1/48/89/d14889e741d751f20358f18068ce4e4c.jpg[/img]
The Steadfast-class forms the backbone of the Republican Navy. In many ways it is a smaller version of the Colossus-class, however it generally lacks missile launching capabilities and can only carry 8 strikecraft and shuttles.
Known ships of this class: Steadfast[/hider]
[hider=Myth-class Carrier][img]https://i1-e.pinimg.com/1200x/36/8d/c6/368dc65f4c54c2d52257839bc1c61b61.jpg[/img]
The Myth-class, naturally, doesn’t have a spinal cannon. What it does have instead is greatly expanded hangar space, electronic warfare capabilities, and an upgraded sensor suite. The Myth-class serves the fleet not only as a means of bringing strikecraft to distant battlefields, but also as the fleet’s eyes and ears. Following in the tradition of the Republican Navy, the Myth-class is very heavily armored for a carrier and possesses a moderate array of secondary particle beam batteries, as well as having more missile launching capabilities than any other ship in the Republican fleet. This does come at the cost of reducing the Myth-class’s strikecraft complement to about two-thirds that of a normal fleet carrier.
Known ships of this class: Witch of the Void, Witch of the Stars[/hider]
[hider=Typhoon-class Light Carrier][img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/009/608/068/4k/maxime-bibi-38.jpg?1519917008[/img]
With half the carrying capacity of a Myth-class, the Typhoon-class light carrier seems like an unnecessary addition to the fleet, however it was added to the fleet in order to grant smaller formations of ships greater strikecraft capabilities. The Typhoon-class is faster than the Myth-class, but has less secondary batteries (even when accounting for its smaller size) and less electronic warfare capabilities (though still more than most other warships). The Typhoon-class comes in two configurations. Configuration A is for fleet operations. Configuration B is a planetary assault configuration used to transport ground troops to hostile planets.
Known ships of this class: Typhoon[/hider]
[hider=Guardian-class Heavy Cruiser][img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/008/963/098/4k/maxime-bibi-40.jpg?1516327394[/img]
The workhorse of the GNR navy, the Guardian-class is a fairly well rounded and versatile warship. Like other GNR warships, the Guardian-class has a spinal particle beam cannon, thick armor, and powerful secondary batteries. It also has a comparatively large number of missile batteries as well as expanded space for naval infantry. As Guardian-class cruisers often serve as the flagship of smaller formations of ships, it also comes with enhanced CIC capabilities. The guardian class can carry 8 strikecraft and shuttles. All of these capabilities come at a cost and there are simply never enough Guardians to go around.
Known ships of this class: Guardian, Sentinel[/hider]
[hider=Justice-class Light Cruiser][img]https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/009/342/517/4k/maxime-bibi-41-3.jpg?1518441380[/img]
Justice-class light cruisers were designed to make up for the GNR’s inability to build enough Guardian-class heavy cruisers. The Justice-class is effectively inferior to the Guardian-class in every way except it is faster and much cheaper. Its particle beam cannon is weaker than the Guardian-class’s, although it isn’t weak given the size and mass of the Justice-class. The Justice-class also lacks the Guardian-class’s CIC capabilities and has no missile batteries. Block II Justice-class cruisers have single use missile launchers added to the exterior of the hull and are intended to deploy fixer missiles, but these warships are fairly rare. The Justice-class light cruiser carries 6 strikecraft and shuttles.[/hider]
[hider=Weapon-class Destroyer]
Weapon-class destroyers are in the awkward position of possessing more direct firepower and being cheaper to build than an Aegis-class, but being a generally less capable warship. Weapon-class destroyers are large, large enough to often be called a large or super destroyer. They have especially thick armor, although the quality of that armor is often considered inferior to that of an Aegis-class, and their spinal particle beam cannon is comparable in strength to that of a Justice-class light cruiser. It is worth noting that the Weapon-class has only a single missile battery and its spinal bean cannon is surprisingly vulnerable. It carries 4 strikecraft and shuttles.
Known ships of this class: Halberd, Pike[/hider]
[hider=Aegis-class Destroyer][img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d1/cf/ec/d1cfecc31725a5b9709db7d90ec03650.jpg[/img]
The Aegis-class destroyer is an old design, dating back to the High Republic Era. They are very capable and versatile destroyers, but are also expensive to build and maintain. Their spinal particle beam cannons are comparatively weak, even for a warship of its size, but are capable of firing much faster. Its armor, although comparatively light when compared to the Weapon-class, is very durable and well made. The Aegis-class is quick and nimble for a GNR warship, with only the Amethyst-class being more so. Several missile batteries round out the Aegis-class’s armaments. Most of the Aegis-class's currently in service are Block IVs and Vs, with Block Vs being notable for doubling down on the general expensiveness of the Aegis-class by greatly expanding its ECM capabilities. The Aegis-class carries 4 strikecraft and shuttles.
Known ships of this class: Aegis, Buckler[/hider]
[hider=Amethyst-class Corvette][img]https://i1-e.pinimg.com/1200x/a3/b5/d9/a3b5d98bb580ed746498e3a6dea8208c.jpg[/img]
The Amethyst-class is the only combatant in the GNR navy, besides dedicated carriers, that doesn’t have a spinal particle beam cannon. Amethyst-class corvettes have three roles in the GNR navy. First they act as scouts. Second they provide close-in protection to other warships, serving as mobile CIWs of sorts. Finally they are often used to covertly deploy ground troops. There are two models of the Amethyst-class: A and S. Both models are fairly stealthy, possess some ECM capabilities, and for armaments have a few secondary particle beam batteries and two missile launchers. The S model is distinct as its stealth and ECM capabilities are greatly expanded. Amethyst-class corvettes do not have a hangar capable of deploying strikecraft or shuttles, although it does have a small one that can fit a ground vehicle or two. In a pinch a shuttle or strikecraft can be docked and locked to the exterior of the corvette.
Known ships of this class: Amethyst, Diamond, Carnelian[/hider][/hider]
[hider=Strikecraft][/hider]
[hider=Infantry][/hider]
[hider=Armor/Mechs][/hider]

[h3][color=39b54a]Technology Overview[/color][/h3]The Ghost Nebula Republic was very advanced when it came to AI, robotics, cybernetics, and energy storage. The invention of room-temperature nonpressurized superconductors and bioroids were some of the Ghost Nebula Republic’s greatest technological advancements.

[b]Superconductors:[/b] The creation of room-temperature nonpressurized superconductors had contributed greatly to the Republic. These superconductors were used in digital circuits, magnetic levitation devices, robotics, energy storage devices, particle beam weaponry, and electric motors to name a few.

[b]Bioroids:[/b] Bioroids, or more properly named biomimetic AI, are highly advanced AI that saw widespread use throughout the Ghost Nebula Republic. Bioroids are distinct from traditional AI (called nominal AI in the Republic) in that they are an artificial brain based on biological brain mapping (bioroid brain is the term used to talk about the actual artificial brain hardware). Bioroids are broken up into four classes based on the size and general capabilities of their bioroid brains. Class A bioroids possess very large bioroid brains, often about the size of a car, and have a lot of processing power. They often have numerous “built in” supportive nominal AIs that help them perform numerous tasks at once. These levels of AI are often used to control spacecraft and stations. Class B bioroid brains are the same size as a human brain. Intellectually they are the same as a cybernetically enhanced human. Class C bioroids are considered to be a sub-human intellect bioroid. They aren’t exactly unintelligent, only super focused on one specialty, thus comparably inflexible. Class D bioroids utilize very small bioroid brains and are considered to be animalistic in intellect; people often compare them to canines or birds of prey. They are often used in robots that don’t require high levels of intellect or where the use of a man-machine link is likely to be employed.

At the height of development, Bioroid developers had gotten very good at creating and altering bioroid personalities; they could give a bioroid any kind of personality they desire. In practice this was often used to make a bioroid enjoy whatever task they are likely to be given, turning what might be argued a state of slavery into a blissful existence.

Bioroid developers had also gotten very good at making humanoid, or animal based, bioroids as indistinguishable from the living beings they were based off of as possible. Synthskin and artificial muscle could make a bioroid feel perfectly human; in fact some are advanced enough that without performing a specialized scan or invasive search, it would be impossible to tell that a bioroid is not a human.

[b]Cybernetics:[/b] Cybernetics were a fairly advanced and common technology in the Ghost Nebula Republic. Most citizens had nanomachine grown brain circuitry that acted as an internal computer. This brain circuitry could be connected to via a terminal that was usually located on the index finger. Cybernetics were also used to delay the effects of aging by a decade or so.

[b]Robotics:[/b] Robotics was a very developed field of science in the Republic. Android bodies could be built that are nearly impossible to distinguish from a biological body without specialized scans or an invasive search. 

[b]Man-Machine Link:[/b] Man-Machine Links, shortened to MML, use a humanoid’s cybernetics to directly connect his/her brain to a bioroid through the use of specially designed ports usually installed at the base of the human’s skull. MMLs allow a bioroid to effectively read a human’s mind, thus enabling it to act on the human’s will before they have even given their intentions coherent thought. An example of this link in action would be a fighter pilot determining that he wants to attack a target and the bioroid performing the act of aiming and firing weapons. In other words it allows for superhuman reactions at human direction.

[b]Adaptive Camouflage:[/b] In short adaptive camouflage changes patterns and color schemes to match the surrounding environment. This is not to be confused with active camouflage or cloaking and instead is more of a “pallet/pattern” swap. For example a soldier’s uniform would have a woodland pattern when in the forest and if he walked into a city the uniform’s camouflage would change to an urban design and color set. At first adaptive camouflage was limited to armored vehicles, but advancements in the technology and general reduction in price has expanded it to clothing as well.

[b]Foxers:[/b] Foxers are advanced decoys that can spoof sensors, as well as create holographic projections, in order to draw enemy fire. While very convincing, they are expensive, limiting how much can be used in combat. They are also very fragile, often breaking down after taking any direct hits, or even near misses depending on the weapon.

[h3][color=39b54a]History[/color][/h3]
[b]Pre-Republic Era (Before 704 PY)[/b]
Historically the Ghost Nebula had always been a somewhat isolated region. Intelligent life was slow to evolve in the region and a mixture of gasses and heavy asteroid presence made navigation and exploration more difficult than other regions of the galaxy. What intelligent life did evolve in the region was all but exterminated when the Yrrani expanded into the Ghost Region.

Development of the Ghost Nebula was never much of a priority for the Yrrani Empire. The aforementioned lack of natural resources and difficulty in exploring made it useful for little more than military outposts. The Twei Expulsion changed everything.

The Twei were a Yrrani ethnic minority, notable for being physically distinct from Yrrani due to their long ears, who were more democratically leaning then their Yrrani cousins. Relations between the two ethnicities had never been warm, but what had previously been a lack of warmth turned to downright freezing after a number of large-scale Twei protests over the mistreatment of non-Yrrani species. The Empire cracked down on the Twei, prompting a brief, but bloody, insurrection. This insurrection ended when the Yrrani gave their Twei cousins an ultimatum. Leave or die. Some of the Twei remained to continue their fight against the Empire, but once Imperial troops began executing women and children, the fight left the Twei populace, which fled their homes by the billians.

The Ghost Nebula proved to be the Twei’s only safe haven. It remained an undeveloped, nearly resourceless, region, but it was now home to the Twei. The Twei proved to be an industrious people, quickly building cities to house their population as they explored the largely unexplored Ghost Nebula. Once these explorers began finding resource rich asteroids and planetoids, Twei society experienced an economic boom. By 704 PY, some of their largest cities had begun to rival those of the Yrrani Imperium’s greatest cities, if not in size then in wealth. And it wasn’t just Twei that lived in the Ghost Nebula by this point, humans, numerous other species, and even some Yrrani had come to call the Ghost Nebula home. 

Had nothing changed, perhaps the Ghost Nebula might have developed into a true rival to the Yrrani Imperium’s core worlds. Or perhaps the Ghost Nebula might have led a revolt against Pax Yrrani. Either way, the Yrrani had other plans. One day without warning the Yrrani Imperium deployed the [i]Astral Sword[/i] against the Ghost Nebula. This superweapon literally tore holes in space around the Ghost Nebula, isolating it from the rest of the galaxy. These tears in space would take over fifteen hundred years to close and until they did so the Ghost Nebula was truly isolated from the rest of the galaxy. Travel into and out of the Ghost Nebula was impossible and this proved to be the case for all forms of information as well.

[b]Early Republic Era (700 - 1500 PY)[/b]
At first the people of the Ghost Nebula panicked, but this quickly bled away and was replaced with relief and excitement. For the first time the Yrrani-Twei didn’t have to live under the boot of the Yrrani. Within short order the Ghost Nebula Republic was formed, where all were equal regardless of species. The old Ghost Nebula Provincial Defense Legion formed the core of the Republic’s Armed Forces, the founders of the Republic were forward thinking enough to realize that there was always the risk of rebellions or the Yrrani Imperium somehow finding its way back into the Ghost Nebula.

The next one hundred years was a golden age for the Ghost Nebula Republic. Technological advancement, economic development, social and cultural revolutions all were center stage during these hundred years. But like all golden ages, the Republic’s ended. There was virtually no warning before the Swimmers emerged from the depths of the Ghost Nebula’s unexplored regions in 800 PY.

At first the Swimmers weren’t seen as a true threat. They would raid the occasional planet, eating citizens before the planetary defenses could repel them. They were dangerous, but rare. But soon the situation began to get out of hand. Swimmer raids increased in number and severity. Within fifty years of their first sighting the Swimmers completely destroyed a Republic colony. By 880 PY five planets had fallen to the Swimmers. And still the Republic knew little about their enigmatic foes.

By this point the Republic had begun fielding large numbers of AI controlled weapons in their battle against the Swimmers. And soon this became an achilles heel for the Republic. A Yrrani Colonel in the ground forces gathered the support of fellow officers and was able to gain control of the Republic’s autonomous AI weapons. He then began a military coup. His coup would have succeeded, except for the one crucial thing. Bioroids had been in development for the decade leading up to this point. They were seen as more advanced AI that would serve the Republic not because they were told to, but because they wanted to. Bioroid soldiers and warships had just begun to enter service before the coup was attempted. And these new bioroids proved to be what saved the Republic from falling to a Yrrani tyrant.

[b]High Republic Era (700 - 2200 PY)[/b] 
The creation of bioroids heralded a golden age for the Republic. The economy grew at an exponential rate never seen in the Republic’s history, despite the worsening war with the Swimmers. And the new bioroid soldiers and warships not only stabilized the warfront, but even allowed the Republic to begin pushing back the Swimmers.This in turn gave the Republic the breathing room it needed to commit resources to further scientific advancement.

These scientific advancements allowed for further victories to be made against the Swimmers. Victory was still a distant prospect, but an end was in sight. War fighting, as well as most industrial jobs, were increasingly handed over to the bioroids. With the threat of the Swimmers seemingly contained, the Yrrani Imperium a distant memory, and an ever decreasing need to work, the citizens of the Republic became ever more hedonistic.

The Swimmers, for their part, were never passive. Soon different kinds of Swimmers appeared on the battlefield. Some were more clever. Some had developed defenses against the Republic’s weapons. And some had grown to sizes that dwarfed even the largest of warships. And these changes all came at a time when the society of those living in the Ghost Nebula were least equipped to deal with a new threat. The Swimmers launched what could only be described as a large-scale coordinated assault over several star systems. Caught off guard, the Republic’s military took heavy losses and the Swimmers managed to push the Republic off of several important worlds.

[b]Late Republic Era (2200 PY - Current)[/b]
The Swimmers renewed assault ended the Republic’s golden age. Some of the world’s lost were important manufacturing facilities that built the very means by which the Republic had pushed the Swimmers back in the first place. Many of these manufacturing facilities proved difficult or even impossible to build in new locations. This represented not only a loss in production capabilities, but also in technology too. The military suffered further losses as it desperately attempted to slow down the Swimmer assault.
[/hider]