Crispy Octopus

Divinus: The God RP, Mk. IV

Order - Contracts

Calling it.

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

The Babylon Bar – High Orbit of Parousia – The Halcyon Continuance

“Fuck.”

“Oh please, it's not that bad.”

“...”

“Ok, sure, some people died-”

“Five thousand people, Arthur. Five thousand people died.”

“Pah,” Arthur shrugged, “Not even in the top ten accidents this year then.”

“That's not the fucking point! Do you seriously not have any idea how bad this is? That fucking ship was supposed to be our ticket to a place at the table, nobility Arthur, a god damn legacy! It was the culmination of five years of work. Five. Fucking. Years.”

Patrick pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply before going on, “How the fuck did this happen, Arthur? How the fuck did a prototype stealth ship run into a fucking space station at speed? This isn't some classical fucking movie, that, this doesn't happen. It just doesn't.”

“Well,” Arthur hesitated and emphasized, “Obviously, there wasn't anything left to pick over. Well, anything bigger than your pinkie finger. Best I've got so far is either pilot error, which seems unlikely given the pilot we hired is going to cost nearly a tenth the godforsaken ship if we pay out his life insurance, or sabotage. I'm inclined to go that way myself, given the ITC Conference, our big chance as you wont stop reminding me, is about to kick off.”

Patrick slumped in his chair and uttered a familiar refrain, “Fuck.”

This time his brother Arthur didn't do more than bite his lip. The truth was, this absolutely was a big fucking disaster. Top ten in terms of fatalities or not, the money that had been sunk into the ironically named Splinter, given that was what it was mostly composed of now, wasn't insignificant. In truth, it was a hell of a lot more than they actually had.

Not that Patrick knew that. One didn't borrow money from the largest criminal enterprises in the cluster, promise them access to your proprietary technology, and then go and tell their brother and business partner about it. Especially when ones brother and business partner would have had a panic attack at the mere thought.

Though, in retrospect, perhaps that might have averted Arthur feeling the beginnings of a panic attack coming on now. Yes, everyone knew it was idiocy to take loans from the Cartels and the Triads and all the other reprobates in the Eden Cluster, but guess what? It was even dumber to go to Adamantium Bank. At least Arthur was probably only going to get killed over this.

Arthur waved at a passing server girl and ordered a very stiff drink. Actually, he ordered three.

Patrick eyed his brother, and decided to order two himself. Aware of his impending peril or not, the red haired businessman was absolutely not going to get through the rest of the day sober.

Still, ignoring the problem wouldn't make it go away, “So, Arthur, is there any good news then? We've lost our largest single asset, the proof our technology even works, the ITC Conference is about to start and we have nothing to present, oh and god knows how many lawyers to hire so the accident claims don't sink us further.”

“We still have time to run away?”

“Excuse me?”

“Look,” Arthur met his brothers eyes, “We're done. Fucked. You said it. We don't have anywhere close to the cash reserve we need to survive this and we have no evidence it was sabotage, so any lawyers we hire are going to have a hell of a time deflecting liability. Do you want to spend the rest of your life on the lower levels of Raygon? Or on a factory world? This is a fucking disaster. There I said it, happy? It's a big, colossal, assfucking mess, but there’s one plus here Patrick, one.”

Patrick looked at his brother incredulously, “And what the fuck is that Arthur.”

“Nobody knows we did it, not yet. Nobody has a goddamn clue that it was our stealth ship that hit that station so hard there are body parts strewn across half the system. We have time to liquidate everything and fuck off. We have time to run away.”

As it happens, every living sapient has a point in their life where they're given a choice. Patrick had thought that was a bit of a platitude, but now he found himself in that position. To his, and his species credit, he did exactly what any other intelligent, self respecting, arguably moral, businessman would.

“Ok.” Patrick stood up, “Fuck. Lets skip on the drinks and drain everything. Thank god almighty that mother is dead.”

Arthur nodded, grabbed one of his drinks anyway, and all but took off to the docks, Patrick close behind him. After all, bravery and morality had their place, and that place was absolutely not above an arid Putt infested shithole like Parousia.

Besides, it was only five thousand people. Not the worst disaster of the year. Not even close! It probably wouldn't even make the news in the core worlds. After all, what were the chances that anyone important was on that station? Minuscule. Arthur and Patrick would hide out for a while, a few years, and then when everything had blown over they could come back. Try to forge their legacy again.

It was all going to work out...

Right?

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

Schloss Habingen, Kempf Demesne, Halcyon, Trachis System, Eden Cluster

The Sky Garden

“Pft. No, I don’t think that will be necessary Anthony,” Lord Christoph Kempf waved his hand dismissively before the hologram sitting across from him and went on, “The drones are unpleasant at the best of times, but dangerous? They wouldn’t be concerning themselves with pretexts if they had the strength or, or the will, to be anything more than the annoyance than they already are.”

The digital recreation of Lord Anthony Hawthorn frowned, clearly unconvinced. “I can’t say I agree with that Christoph. A cancer can only be ignored for so long. The CCN is ideologically incompatible with the status quo. They’ll keep doing things like this, expecting nothing, until the day comes when, as you say, they don’t need a pretext anymore. It will be too late then.”

“They haven’t the balls, and they’re well past the point where they could grow a pair.” Lord Kempf chuckled airily before pointing to the other Lord, “But! If it will cure you of this... Anxiety, I’ll agree to your proposal. I can spare a few Men-At-Arms, and lord knows they need the experience.”

Lord Hawthorn hesitated before answering with a sigh, “My thanks, Lord Kempf. The unit I’m forming will certainly be an… Opportunity, for your troops to get real experience in battle.”

“One hopes. There aren’t enough ways to keep my men’s blades sharp. Speaking of, I trust you’re aware of the situation on Duro one? I’m thinking I’ll-” Christoph stalled as a servant, a young Ataraxian woman with long black hair, coughed into her hand behind him.

He looked positively irate at the interruption, but waved her over nonetheless. She leaned down to speak into his ear and after a brief exchange of whispers he refocused on the hologram before him and spoke again, “I’m sorry, Anthony, but something has come up, we’ll have to hammer out the specifics later.”

For his part, Lord Hawthorn only nodded before severing the connection. With a sigh Christoph stood from his chair and took a deep breath, taking in the exotic scents of the rare plants that surrounded him, before turning to his servant with a frown, “So he’s run off again, has he?”

“I’m… I’m afraid it’s not like the other times, my Lord.” The Ataraxian woman faltered, eyes on the floor.

It was, in Christoph’s mind, explanation enough. No servant of his, let alone Amelia, would be that spinelessly deferential unless the news was bad. With a grunt the Lord motioned for Amelia to follow him to the ornate windows that fenced in the lurid garden and sighed heavily when they reached them. His eyes found the Habingen spaceport, a stout building on the edge of the property. “So,” He spoke evenly, “Hans has decided to get serious.”

Amelia gulped before explaining, “He stole one of your racing skiffs last night my Lord. After last time he shouldn’t have had access but, well, he managed to take the ship out of the planets atmosphere. Your men at the port reported that he had a valid security code. No alarms were raised until one of your men at the Gate station inquired as to why a family vessel was taking an unscheduled trip to a frontier planet.”

Christoph cocked a brow and looked at his servant, “Is that all? I admit, this is the first time he’s had the gall to use the Gate, but we can track the ship.”

“Ah,” Amelia pursed her lips before answering, “I’ve also been informed that, well, your investment account is missing some ten million credits.”

“Oh.” Christoph blinked before, rather suddenly, bursting out in raucous laughter, “That takes balls! Oh that boy has something coming, but that’s more than I ever dared take when I tried that nonsense.”

“Lord?” Amelia was taken aback by the laughter, and hazarded a small smile before asking, “Would you, ah, like me to dispatch a retrieval team?”

“No, no!” Christoph answered loudly, “Not until he’s had his fun. If he’s going to dig himself a hole, I’ll damn well let him dig it. Don’t tell Clara a word of this. Lovely as my wife is, she worries enough already. I’ll bring Hans back eventually, but not before the boy learns what it’s really like out there, especially for people with millions of credits on their damn personal implant.”

“Very well, my lord.” Amelia nodded, “I’ll see that we keep an eye on him, then.”

“Do so.” Christoph waved Amelia off before grinning again and staring into the expansive blue sky.

As the only door to the Old Garden hissed shut behind him Lord Christoph Kempf shook his head happily and muttered, “You’re in for it now, Hans."

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

The Halcyon Continuance

Government

The Continuance is, at least ostensibly, a representative democracy. Of course, by now that ruse has been all but completely exposed. It is true that at one point in the distant past the Continuance functioned much like the democracies of old earth, but time has seen those traditions and institutions eroded. Centuries ago wealthiest members of society, almost exclusively members of corporate dynasties, were able to leverage their influence and establish a legal system of peerage in the Continuance, and ever since the nations government has seen its power diminish.

Today the Continuance’s Parliament is entirely made up of members of the Peerage, as commoners are forbidden from running for office. As such, the legislative body of the nation acts as little more than a political arena for the elite and a rubber stamp factory when an issue affecting the whole peerage arises. Members of an enfranchised class may vote for any noble in the nation they please, but more often than not the companies those nobles control compel their employees votes, a practice that while deeply and unequivocally undemocratic is entirely legal and even encouraged.

Demographics

61% Human:
Halcyon’s Human population is largely descended from the passengers of the Arc Vasco da Gama. One of many Arcs financed by the European Union and its private partners. They are, as a whole, about what one could expect. Some have been subject to genetic or cybernetic alteration, others are no different from their ancient ancestors, and all are no more or less than what they are. Human.

23% Ataraxin:
Of all the tragedies to play out in the Eden luster, perhaps there is none greater than that of the Ataraxian species. A people who have lost their culture, history, their very being, the Ataraxians exist today as little more than the favoured vassals of their Human masters. Casualties of a migration they could not have predicted.

Of course, it was not always so. Centuries ago, on the world known today as Ataraxia, there were a proud, if young, people. The ancestors of today’s Ataraxian’s, native sons and daughters of a planet whose true name is now long forgotten. They were a unique and alien people in the midst of a prosperous iron age, rapidly spreading out across the surface of their world and beginning the inexorable conquest of nature that all sapient beings embark upon.

They were every bit the captains of their own destiny. They fought, they loved, but they did all this themselves. Not one of them could have expected that to change, but change it did. When the Halcyon Continuance sent a Gate to their world, two centuries before it arrived, they hadn’t even discovered the secrets of Iron. How could they have even begun to suspect that their children's children would live to see all their accomplishments turn to dust?

For that is what happened. As soon as that first connection was made all was lost. Halcyon sent diplomats to every kingdom and tribe on Ataraxia, but they were not sent to secure peace. They were sent to secure surrender. Few complied, but they didn’t need compliance. Merely an excuse. Forty eight hours after the first human stepped onto Ataraxia half a million Ataraxian’s were dead and the rest second class citizens of an alien power.

Though, perhaps that is too generous a description. Humans flooded onto Ataraxia until its native people were a minority on their own planet, and that was only the beginning. Soon it became illegal for Ataraxian’s to own property, illegal for Ataraxian’s to work in administrative positions, and it wasn’t like they had ever been permitted to vote.

For over a century the Ataraxian species suffered under the Human boot, and then came the offer. The Halcyon Continuance had been effectively overthrown by the corporate dynasties it had elevated to nobility, and one of those dynasties had a plan for the Ataraxian species. Ricci Biotechnical developed a genetic treatment that could, if taken for a few generations, alter the Ataraxian people to look, think, and behave more like their Human masters. It was, in effect, genocide in a bottle. Of course, that mattered little when committing to the treatment guaranteed an Ataraxian full rights for their children, so long as they too stayed on it.

The price was high, in the beginning, but soon Ricci Biotechnical was able to sell the treatment for pennies. After all, they had just recently been awarded nearly a quarter of Ataraxia as their fief. They had no reason not to ‘improve’ its populace. At least, no reason its noble board controllers could see.

Centuries later and now every living Ataraxian looks close to Human, acts close to Human, and speaks exactly like a Human would. Interbreeding is still impossible, with many of the changes to Ataraxian physiology being more cosmetic than functional, but by and large the modern Ataraxian is little different than a Human. While the Continuance still forbids Aliens from holding noble titles there are few Ataraxian’s that don’t at least hold the status of a Commoner, a class with all the rights of a citizen and the ability to settle on Halcyon itself.

They are often seen in noble houses as servants or soldiers.

6% Putt:
For centuries Putts, like most aliens, avoided Halcyon as much as was possible. This was partly due the anti-alien atmosphere within the nation, and partly due to the starkly humid nature of most Continuance planets. However, when Halcyon amended its laws, making citizenship and equal rights something that could be bought, wealthy Putts seized the opportunity. If there was money to be made in the opening of an entire Core worlds economy to alien investment and migration then Putts were there to make it. The annexation of Parousia, an arid world, two hundred years ago only made Halcyon more attractive to a species that had already found homes and opportunities there.

4% Dakku:
Over the centuries many Dakku have found their way to Halcyon space.
(Waiting for more Dakku Info)

2% Jakai:
(Waiting for mote Jakai Info)

2% Simmie:
Raygon’s Simmies have found there way to Halcyon in the centuries since their creation some two centuries ago. While the vast majority remain on Raygon, some of the wealthier or more connected examples of the species have found the Continuance to be a most hospitable home. Valued for their dexterity and skill Simmies generally work in the luxury goods industry. Crafting some of the finest bespoke jewelry and clothing Halcyon’s Simmie population is notable for being the few alien communities to find not only a foothold, but genuine acceptance in the nation.

1% Misle:
With every rule, there is an exception. When considering Halcyon’s infamously hostile stance towards aliens it is the Misle that are the exception. Perhaps it is simply due to their appearance, or maybe the myths that surround why they look like they do, but by and large the Misle have been welcomed as equals by the Continuance. There are small communities of these peculiar aliens on near every world in the Halcyon Continuance.

1% Other (Petalosi, Drazuun, Qurok, etc.)
The Continuance plays host to a number of other species. Petalosi can be found in the nation's universities and labs, Qurok’s have been seen acting as mercenaries in the employ of the Nobility, and the list goes on. For all it can unwelcoming to aliens, if an individual has the money or skills Halcyon will make an exception.

Culture and Society

Halcyon is, above all else, a nation of hierarchies. It’s society and culture revolves around who you are, what you have, and how you use it. An individual's class not only governs their rights and the laws that apply to them, but also how they are expected to act in the presence of their equals, superiors, or inferiors. The influence of class on Halcyon is such that wearing the wrong clothes for your social group can be a grievous offence, or worse yet, a legitimate crime. So it goes without saying that to understand Halcyon one must first understand the nations legally enforced social strata.

There are four legally enshrined classes within the Halcyon Continuance, of which only two are afforded the rights of Citizenship. The nobility and the common classes are considered to be citizens of Halcyon and are thereby entitled to a number of legal rights their non-citizen counterparts lack. Notably, only citizens may vote, only citizens may own property, and only citizens are entitled to legal counsel. Those without the distinction of citizen are almost invariably the poorest members of society, especially considering that membership in the common class has been obtainable via purchase for close to two hundred years.

That said, the common class is the highest one that an individual can buy their way into. Halcyon’s peerage is, by and large, fairly similar in membership to what it was when it was first declared centuries ago. That isn’t to say that there aren’t more nobles alive today than there were then, but rather that there are only a handful of new noble families. To ascend to the rank of nobility is a difficult thing and can generally only be accomplished by marriage into an existing family, or massive and unprecedented success and popularity. A new noble family may only be declared by a two thirds majority vote among the heads of all exist noble families, and thus even some of Halcyon’s most successful commoner businessmen lack the distinction.

However, for all the difficulty in attaining it membership in Halcyon’s peerage is beyond rewarding. A noble is largely exempt from all conventional criminal punishment, being given the option to pay nominal fines rather than suffer any real consequence, and that is only the beginning. Halcyon’s nobility exists apart from all but the richest and most influential in the Eden Cluster. One of the honours which has led to the dominance of the noble class is their sole right to conduct international commerce. While corporations may be run and owned by commoners, only the nobility may operate private entities beyond Halcyon’s borders. Thus, even the most successful commoners are forced to rely on their betters forbearance and sponsorship if they wish to access the vast markets of the Eden Cluster.

The privilege of the nobility extends to almost anything one can imagine. Failing to yield your place in line to a member of the nobility is a legitimate crime, failing to pay proper respect to a member of the nobility is a legitimate crime, and that barely even touches upon the extent of a nobles rights. In truth the quagmire of laws surrounding class interaction means that a noble has, at almost all times, the legal right to imprison or even murder anyone of a lower class. Abuse of this has, historically, been met with harsh punishment within the family, but never justice.

In Halcyon the nobility do not merely make the law, they are the law. However, they are still few. The other citizen class, that of the commoners, is far larger. While they don’t possess anything close to the rights of the nobility most commoners live a rather privileged life. Albeit, one that must be bought into at birth or in life. Educated professionals entitled to subsidized education, free healthcare, and legal counsel Halcyon’s commoners are among the richest civilians in the cluster. Part of this stems from their right to own property, which provides nearly every commoner family a source of income in the form of rent from non-citizens.

Indeed, Halcyon’s commoners may be at the whim of the nobility, but few nobles walk the streets in broad daylight exercising their more questionable rights. In truth, it is the common class that represents Halcyon’s greatest collection of tyrants. Landlords almost to a man commoners not only dictate how the non-citizen classes below them live, but they also hold a great deal of power over their lessers in personal life. Members of non-citizen classes must pay respect to the common class in much the same way the common class pays respect to the nobility. For example, it is considered a legal offence for a non-citizen to besmirch or slander a citizen. It is considered a legal offense for a non-citizen to enter an establishment not specifically designated for their use. It is even considered a legal offence for a non-citizen to die in the employ of one of their betters, the punishment being a fine levied on their surviving family.

To lack citizenship in Halcyon is to lose, and to continue losing. Two classes fall into this category, the peons and the dregs. By definition all Humans, Ataraxians, and Misle without commoner status in Halcyon are Peons, able to purchase entry into the common class at birth or in life but by and large far too poor to do so. Having to pay for education, healthcare, legal counsel, and renters by definition Peon’s are almost always in debt from the day they’re born. Few actually live on Halcyon, being largely relegated to living on the Continuance’s industrial and agricultural Periphery worlds.

Of course, for however difficult it is to rise from the status of peon,dregs have it worse. The lowest class in Halcyon dregs are sufficiently ‘inhuman’ aliens that have either been born in Halcyon or have migrated there and failed to buy their way into a higher class. Dregs suffer all the inhumanities peons do, but they lack even basic rights. Notably dregs are barred from educational institutions, subject to exploitation rates for healthcare, and presumed guilty until proven innocent in trial. None wish to end up as a member of this class, and few generally do. However aliens whose parents have been unable, or unwilling, to buy then membership in the common or peon classes end up in this most wretched class.

History

When the European Union Arc Vasco da Gama landed on Halcyon in 63 E.C. it, unlike some of its fellows, encountered nothing more than a world rich in flora and fauna. Not one pair of alien eyes watched the enormous vessel break through the world's atmosphere, nor did any curious native encounter the Arc’s occupants as they swarmed out and built a city around their ship. Humanity was, in the eyes of the Arc’s occupants, as it had always been. Alone.

The beacons left by the Columbia, the first Arc to reach Eden, told the people of Halcyon that it was possible they still had kin among the stars, but none would dare presume that was the case without evidence. To those early settlers Halcyon was, for all intents and purposes, the last bastion of Humanity. Moreover, it was a world untouched by intelligence, as wild and free as Earth was in the millions of years before the evolution of man. It was a second chance.

The Continuance was declared a year after the Vasco da Gama landed as a government with a singular mission. The continued survival and prosperity of the Human species. There would be no wanton exploitation of Halcyon’s environment, no careless delving into poorly understood sciences, for the people of the Continuance knew they were the last, and they could not take risks.

Self sufficient cities were built up around the vast and humid forests of Halcyon, powered by fusion reactors buried deep below. A new human civilization was born, one in harmony with their home. At least, for a time. The Halcyon Continuance, a grand republic founded to preserve the Human race, eventually made the fateful decision to construct a Jump Gate and learn, once and for all, if any others had found their way to the Eden Cluster.

The answer to that changed everything. When the Jump Gate was activated in 167 E.C. and contact was made with the New Eden Federation, the Halcyon Continuance was shaken to its core. Many hoped the other Arcs had made it, but a century of cautious pessimism had left its mark. Few real plans had been made for contact with other Humans, let alone the aliens. Some even questioned the very purpose of the Continuance in a world where Humanity was expanding across the stars with a reckless abandon.

What was once a government dedicated wholeheartedly to the survival of the Human species became, increasingly, a government dedicated to the individuals who seized the opportunity presented by a greater Human civilization. Private interests began to dominate society, and after two centuries the Halcyon Continuance ceased to exist as a republic. In 385 E.C. the richest members of Continuance society amassed the support and influence to enact what was essentially a coup, seizing control of the government and declaring the formation of a formal peerage.

There was unrest, of course, but what could be done? The wealthy had, in truth, ruled the Continuance for decades before they saw the opportunity to make it official. Over the coming centuries the Continuance would grow, annexing a small number of worlds settled by other Arcs and even sending automated gate ships to nearby systems. It was one of those automated ships that discovered the world of Ataraxia in 538 E.C.

Centuries of being an almost entirely Human nation, one with an enduring culture of Human exceptionalism, led the Continuance to ruthlessly dominate the Ataraxian people. They were not the only aliens who suffered at the Continuance’s hands, but they were the only ones who lost their very essence. It was around the time of their discovery that the formal, legal, hierarchy of classes was declared.

However, the Continuance was and is as pragmatic a state as it is prejudiced. In 760 E.C. the Class Mobility act was passed, permitting Humans and Aliens alike to buy their way into a higher social status. The passing of that act set the stage for the gradual migration of some of the galaxies wealthier aliens to Halcyon. After all, few worlds in the Eden Cluster had been so diligently preserved. If one wishes to live on a true jewel, Halcyon awaits.

Of course, luxury and beauty only go so far. No, the larger reason many aliens migrated to a nation that, at best, distrusts them, is because of what that nation may offer. For Halcyon? That's one of the largest economies in the Cluster, and one of the least restrictive legal regimes regarding corporate practice in the Periphery and Frontier.

Today the Halcyon Continuance stands a great power in the Eden Cluster, a promised land where any can be free and live in prosperity. Provided they can pay for it.

Systems and Planets

Economy

Military

Ground Forces

Men-At-Arms

Knights

Valkyries

Infiltrators

Contractors

Liquidators

MPML

Air and Space Forces

Gallant Class Cruiser

Sentinel Class Destroyer

Shriek Class Bomber

Banshee Class Fighter

OD-6

Characters

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

The Halcyon Continuance

Government

The Continuance is, at least ostensibly, a representative democracy. Of course, by now that ruse has been all but completely exposed. It is true that at one point in the distant past the Continuance functioned much like the democracies of old earth, but time has seen those traditions and institutions eroded. Centuries ago wealthiest members of society, almost exclusively members of corporate dynasties, were able to leverage their influence and establish a legal system of peerage in the Continuance, and ever since the nations government has seen its power diminish.

Today the Continuance’s Parliament is entirely made up of members of the Peerage, as commoners are forbidden from running for office. As such, the legislative body of the nation acts as little more than a political arena for the elite and a rubber stamp factory when an issue affecting the whole peerage arises. Members of an enfranchised class may vote for any noble in the nation they please, but more often than not the companies those nobles control compel their employees votes, a practice that while deeply and unequivocally undemocratic is entirely legal and even encouraged.

Demographics

61% Human:
Halcyon’s Human population is largely descended from the passengers of the Arc Vasco da Gama. One of many Arcs financed by the European Union and its private partners. They are, as a whole, about what one could expect. Some have been subject to genetic or cybernetic alteration, others are no different from their ancient ancestors, and all are no more or less than what they are. Human.

23% Ataraxin:
Of all the tragedies to play out in the Eden luster, perhaps there is none greater than that of the Ataraxian species. A people who have lost their culture, history, their very being, the Ataraxians exist today as little more than the favoured vassals of their Human masters. Casualties of a migration they could not have predicted.

Of course, it was not always so. Centuries ago, on the world known today as Ataraxia, there were a proud, if young, people. The ancestors of today’s Ataraxian’s, native sons and daughters of a planet whose true name is now long forgotten. They were a unique and alien people in the midst of a prosperous iron age, rapidly spreading out across the surface of their world and beginning the inexorable conquest of nature that all sapient beings embark upon.

They were every bit the captains of their own destiny. They fought, they loved, but they did all this themselves. Not one of them could have expected that to change, but change it did. When the Halcyon Continuance sent a Gate to their world, two centuries before it arrived, they hadn’t even discovered the secrets of Iron. How could they have even begun to suspect that their children's children would live to see all their accomplishments turn to dust?

For that is what happened. As soon as that first connection was made all was lost. Halcyon sent diplomats to every kingdom and tribe on Ataraxia, but they were not sent to secure peace. They were sent to secure surrender. Few complied, but they didn’t need compliance. Merely an excuse. Forty eight hours after the first human stepped onto Ataraxia half a million Ataraxian’s were dead and the rest second class citizens of an alien power.

Though, perhaps that is too generous a description. Humans flooded onto Ataraxia until its native people were a minority on their own planet, and that was only the beginning. Soon it became illegal for Ataraxian’s to own property, illegal for Ataraxian’s to work in administrative positions, and it wasn’t like they had ever been permitted to vote.

For over a century the Ataraxian species suffered under the Human boot, and then came the offer. The Halcyon Continuance had been effectively overthrown by the corporate dynasties it had elevated to nobility, and one of those dynasties had a plan for the Ataraxian species. Ricci Biotechnical developed a genetic treatment that could, if taken for a few generations, alter the Ataraxian people to look, think, and behave more like their Human masters. It was, in effect, genocide in a bottle. Of course, that mattered little when committing to the treatment guaranteed an Ataraxian full rights for their children, so long as they too stayed on it.

The price was high, in the beginning, but soon Ricci Biotechnical was able to sell the treatment for pennies. After all, they had just recently been awarded nearly a quarter of Ataraxia as their fief. They had no reason not to ‘improve’ its populace. At least, no reason its noble board controllers could see.

Centuries later and now every living Ataraxian looks close to Human, acts close to Human, and speaks exactly like a Human would. Interbreeding is still impossible, with many of the changes to Ataraxian physiology being more cosmetic than functional, but by and large the modern Ataraxian is little different than a Human. While the Continuance still forbids Aliens from holding noble titles there are few Ataraxian’s that don’t at least hold the status of a Commoner, a class with all the rights of a citizen and the ability to settle on Halcyon itself.

They are often seen in noble houses as servants or soldiers.

6% Putt:
For centuries Putts, like most aliens, avoided Halcyon as much as was possible. This was partly due the anti-alien atmosphere within the nation, and partly due to the starkly humid nature of most Continuance planets. However, when Halcyon amended its laws, making citizenship and equal rights something that could be bought, wealthy Putts seized the opportunity. If there was money to be made in the opening of an entire Core worlds economy to alien investment and migration then Putts were there to make it. The annexation of Parousia, an arid world, two hundred years ago only made Halcyon more attractive to a species that had already found homes and opportunities there.

4% Dakku:
Over the centuries many Dakku have found their way to Halcyon space.
(Waiting for more Dakku Info)

2% Jakai:
(Waiting for mote Jakai Info)

2% Simmie:
Raygon’s Simmies have found there way to Halcyon in the centuries since their creation some two centuries ago. While the vast majority remain on Raygon, some of the wealthier or more connected examples of the species have found the Continuance to be a most hospitable home. Valued for their dexterity and skill Simmies generally work in the luxury goods industry. Crafting some of the finest bespoke jewelry and clothing Halcyon’s Simmie population is notable for being the few alien communities to find not only a foothold, but genuine acceptance in the nation.

1% Misle:
With every rule, there is an exception. When considering Halcyon’s infamously hostile stance towards aliens it is the Misle that are the exception. Perhaps it is simply due to their appearance, or maybe the myths that surround why they look like they do, but by and large the Misle have been welcomed as equals by the Continuance. There are small communities of these peculiar aliens on near every world in the Halcyon Continuance.

1% Other (Petalosi, Drazuun, Qurok, etc.)
The Continuance plays host to a number of other species. Petalosi can be found in the nation's universities and labs, Qurok’s have been seen acting as mercenaries in the employ of the Nobility, and the list goes on. For all it can unwelcoming to aliens, if an individual has the money or skills Halcyon will make an exception.

Culture and Society

Halcyon is, above all else, a nation of hierarchies. It’s society and culture revolves around who you are, what you have, and how you use it. An individual's class not only governs their rights and the laws that apply to them, but also how they are expected to act in the presence of their equals, superiors, or inferiors. The influence of class on Halcyon is such that wearing the wrong clothes for your social group can be a grievous offence, or worse yet, a legitimate crime. So it goes without saying that to understand Halcyon one must first understand the nations legally enforced social strata.

There are four legally enshrined classes within the Halcyon Continuance, of which only two are afforded the rights of Citizenship. The nobility and the common classes are considered to be citizens of Halcyon and are thereby entitled to a number of legal rights their non-citizen counterparts lack. Notably, only citizens may vote, only citizens may own property, and only citizens are entitled to legal counsel. Those without the distinction of citizen are almost invariably the poorest members of society, especially considering that membership in the common class has been obtainable via purchase for close to two hundred years.

That said, the common class is the highest one that an individual can buy their way into. Halcyon’s peerage is, by and large, fairly similar in membership to what it was when it was first declared centuries ago. That isn’t to say that there aren’t more nobles alive today than there were then, but rather that there are only a handful of new noble families. To ascend to the rank of nobility is a difficult thing and can generally only be accomplished by marriage into an existing family, or massive and unprecedented success and popularity. A new noble family may only be declared by a two thirds majority vote among the heads of all exist noble families, and thus even some of Halcyon’s most successful commoner businessmen lack the distinction.

However, for all the difficulty in attaining it membership in Halcyon’s peerage is beyond rewarding. A noble is largely exempt from all conventional criminal punishment, being given the option to pay nominal fines rather than suffer any real consequence, and that is only the beginning. Halcyon’s nobility exists apart from all but the richest and most influential in the Eden Cluster. One of the honours which has led to the dominance of the noble class is their sole right to conduct international commerce. While corporations may be run and owned by commoners, only the nobility may operate private entities beyond Halcyon’s borders. Thus, even the most successful commoners are forced to rely on their betters forbearance and sponsorship if they wish to access the vast markets of the Eden Cluster.

The privilege of the nobility extends to almost anything one can imagine. Failing to yield your place in line to a member of the nobility is a legitimate crime, failing to pay proper respect to a member of the nobility is a legitimate crime, and that barely even touches upon the extent of a nobles rights. In truth the quagmire of laws surrounding class interaction means that a noble has, at almost all times, the legal right to imprison or even murder anyone of a lower class. Abuse of this has, historically, been met with harsh punishment within the family, but never justice.

In Halcyon the nobility do not merely make the law, they are the law. However, they are still few. The other citizen class, that of the commoners, is far larger. While they don’t possess anything close to the rights of the nobility most commoners live a rather privileged life. Albeit, one that must be bought into at birth or in life. Educated professionals entitled to subsidized education, free healthcare, and legal counsel Halcyon’s commoners are among the richest civilians in the cluster. Part of this stems from their right to own property, which provides nearly every commoner family a source of income in the form of rent from non-citizens.

Indeed, Halcyon’s commoners may be at the whim of the nobility, but few nobles walk the streets in broad daylight exercising their more questionable rights. In truth, it is the common class that represents Halcyon’s greatest collection of tyrants. Landlords almost to a man commoners not only dictate how the non-citizen classes below them live, but they also hold a great deal of power over their lessers in personal life. Members of non-citizen classes must pay respect to the common class in much the same way the common class pays respect to the nobility. For example, it is considered a legal offence for a non-citizen to besmirch or slander a citizen. It is considered a legal offense for a non-citizen to enter an establishment not specifically designated for their use. It is even considered a legal offence for a non-citizen to die in the employ of one of their betters, the punishment being a fine levied on their surviving family.

To lack citizenship in Halcyon is to lose, and to continue losing. Two classes fall into this category, the peons and the dregs. By definition all Humans, Ataraxians, and Misle without commoner status in Halcyon are Peons, able to purchase entry into the common class at birth or in life but by and large far too poor to do so. Having to pay for education, healthcare, legal counsel, and renters by definition Peon’s are almost always in debt from the day they’re born. Few actually live on Halcyon, being largely relegated to living on the Continuance’s industrial and agricultural Periphery worlds.

Of course, for however difficult it is to rise from the status of peon,dregs have it worse. The lowest class in Halcyon dregs are sufficiently ‘inhuman’ aliens that have either been born in Halcyon or have migrated there and failed to buy their way into a higher class. Dregs suffer all the inhumanities peons do, but they lack even basic rights. Notably dregs are barred from educational institutions, subject to exploitation rates for healthcare, and presumed guilty until proven innocent in trial. None wish to end up as a member of this class, and few generally do. However aliens whose parents have been unable, or unwilling, to buy then membership in the common or peon classes end up in this most wretched class.

History

About the de Gama

When the Arc Vasco da Gama landed on Halcyon it, unlike some of its fellows, encountered nothing more than a world rich in flora and fauna. Not one pair of alien eyes watched the enormous vessel break through the world's atmosphere, nor did any curious native encounter the Arc’s occupants as they swarmed out and built a city around their ship.

The republic

Rise of the elites

Establishment of the peerage

Systems and Planets

Economy

Military

Characters

A WIP. Should be done tomorrow or the day after, but I thought to post some stuff tonight. Been too long.

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

The ITC is just a fraction of the players.

Influential, but not omnipresent.

Also, the ITC isn't about mutual defense so much as bullying the rest of the cluster into accepting ITC economic domination.

As for the Gate thing, I'll leave it up to Sigma and Hyper

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

@Willy Vereb

The Interstellar economy is highly developed. Very few, if any, planets are actually capable of autarky anymore. Blockading your own system would effectively immediately remove your ability to fight the war, and once the enemy eventually clear the mines you're doomed.

You can certainly try to seal yourself off, but given any gate can connect to any gate you're just hurting yourself. Moreover, I imagine (given the ITC, a power bloc) that by now a number of treaties regarding gate commerce have been passed, or forced, by or onto the governments of the Cluster.

So sure, you can cut yourself off. Your people will probably starve and your economy is almost certain to collapse, but don't worry! Once you eventually open your gate again you're going to be sanctioned and persecuted by just about every major trading nation.

That's my take. Sigma and Hyper can chime in if their opinions differ.

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

So only the Earth Jump Gate was city sized.

The ones in Eden are probably a few hundred meters across, rather than kilometers. Having every arc build a full exodus gate is a bit much.

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

Not sure they'd fit through the gates o.O

Eden(Small-scale Space NRP)

New map