The Kamenyan Defense Directorate

"Do not look for the qualities of a just ruler in those whose path to power relies on their ability to lie and manipulate."
Government Form:
Constitutional federal dictatorship.
Population:
3.4 billion.
What is humanity?:
Human nature cannot be separated from the human body. To be truly human means a human soul in a human body of flesh and bones.
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Planet/System Name and Description:
Kamenymir is a deceptively Earth-like planet. It is a temperate world with a breathable atmosphere, covered with verdant thick forests, rolling green hills, steppes and deserts, snowy mountain chains and chromatic jungles. 53% of Kamenymir is covered in water, including a single large ocean of salt water, many lakes and two frozen poles.
This veritable paradise world, however, is not as hospitable as it first may seem. Kamenymir’s gravity is higher than that of Earth, complicating human habitation. Of much greater concern is the strange radiation present throughout every inch of the planet. Local wildlife is perfectly adapted to it, but other life forms develop serious medical conditions from prolonged exposure to this radiation; mainly cancerous tumors, blindness, and blood diseases, proving fatal within six years at most, while plants that aren’t native to Kamenymir wither and die.
Demographics:
The population of Kamenymir is entirely composed of humans whose distant heritage traces back to Ancient Poland, Germany and Russia.
Religion:
Church of the Vissaric Covenant 68%
Non-theist 22%
Orthodoxist Patriarchate of Kamenymir 6%
Church of the Garden 2%
Other 2%
History:
The space technology corporation known as Calypso-Utopia launched a colony ship intended to colonize Kamenymir amidst the chaos engulfing Earth. It embarked several hundred thousands of settlers with an unusually high proportion of scientists among them, along with everything that the colony would need to establish itself.
Shortly after the colony ship landed, the expedition found itself under attack by an alien lifeform made of crystalline mineral matter. These reddish crystals were able to change shape, move and even fly, as the expedition’s security forces were soon engaged in vicious combat around the burgeoning colony’s perimeter. All efforts to try and communicate with the crystals, nicknamed “Shards” by the colonial security personnel, failed. There were no discernable reactions other than aggression to speech, light signals, even radio communications and visual depictions.
The fighting kept intensifying over two years with precious few periods of calm. Eventually, the attacks stopped as suddenly as they came. It seemed like the aliens had simply thrown themselves at the colony, being destroyed in the process and costing the Kamenyan settlers thousands of lives, in addition to the early destruction of their spatial shuttles.
They had precious little respite. The effects of Kamenymir’s radiation which had remained undetected up until that point began to show as cancers were diagnosed in exponentially increasing numbers. Under the steely leadership of the military officers of the emergency provisional government, the Kamenyans showed incredible resilience and determination. Those who could still see assisting those whose eyesight was lost to the radiation poisoning in whatever way they could, and working to provide cybernetic eye implants to vital personnel. Finally, after two long years during which thousands more died in agony, a cure was developed. Baptised ‘Hekate’ by its creator, Vissarion Stasko, it was a marvel of biomedical technology that modified the patient’s genetic makeup to negate the effects of the radiation with the sole side effect of changing eye color to bright orange or purple.
Stasko would not live to see the fruits of his work. Like so many others, he died of radiation poisoning before the cure could be produced. During his last hours, it has been reported that all he managed to ask for through the agony was to listen to a favourite song one last time.
Shortly after the colony ship landed, the expedition found itself under attack by an alien lifeform made of crystalline mineral matter. These reddish crystals were able to change shape, move and even fly, as the expedition’s security forces were soon engaged in vicious combat around the burgeoning colony’s perimeter. All efforts to try and communicate with the crystals, nicknamed “Shards” by the colonial security personnel, failed. There were no discernable reactions other than aggression to speech, light signals, even radio communications and visual depictions.
The fighting kept intensifying over two years with precious few periods of calm. Eventually, the attacks stopped as suddenly as they came. It seemed like the aliens had simply thrown themselves at the colony, being destroyed in the process and costing the Kamenyan settlers thousands of lives, in addition to the early destruction of their spatial shuttles.
They had precious little respite. The effects of Kamenymir’s radiation which had remained undetected up until that point began to show as cancers were diagnosed in exponentially increasing numbers. Under the steely leadership of the military officers of the emergency provisional government, the Kamenyans showed incredible resilience and determination. Those who could still see assisting those whose eyesight was lost to the radiation poisoning in whatever way they could, and working to provide cybernetic eye implants to vital personnel. Finally, after two long years during which thousands more died in agony, a cure was developed. Baptised ‘Hekate’ by its creator, Vissarion Stasko, it was a marvel of biomedical technology that modified the patient’s genetic makeup to negate the effects of the radiation with the sole side effect of changing eye color to bright orange or purple.
Stasko would not live to see the fruits of his work. Like so many others, he died of radiation poisoning before the cure could be produced. During his last hours, it has been reported that all he managed to ask for through the agony was to listen to a favourite song one last time.
The emergency military government that led the Kamenyans through two existential threats had earned tremendous prestige and trust with the general population. The Kamenyan Defense Directorate was formed as a constitutional military junta with little opposition and went on to govern as a totalitarian regime that maintained a large standing army and began to grow more and more authoritarian.
Nevertheless, Kamenymir enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. The planet’s high gravity had been a problem from the very beginning, complicating even simple tasks and causing health issues. Using the same technology as the Hekate, the approach chosen to solve the problem was deliberately counter-intuitive. Instead of modifying their biology towards a shorter, squat form, the Kamenyans decided on the opposite. The Hekate Phase 2 would instead increase the human body’s height, bone density and muscle mass. The heart would also grow larger and stronger, and the entire circulatory system was strengthened to withstand the increased blood pressure. Phase 2 was not just a cure, it was a statement and a symbol.
Nevertheless, Kamenymir enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. The planet’s high gravity had been a problem from the very beginning, complicating even simple tasks and causing health issues. Using the same technology as the Hekate, the approach chosen to solve the problem was deliberately counter-intuitive. Instead of modifying their biology towards a shorter, squat form, the Kamenyans decided on the opposite. The Hekate Phase 2 would instead increase the human body’s height, bone density and muscle mass. The heart would also grow larger and stronger, and the entire circulatory system was strengthened to withstand the increased blood pressure. Phase 2 was not just a cure, it was a statement and a symbol.
A satellite in orbit was the first to detect what was assumed to be a meteor shower descending on Kamenymir. When they crashed onto the surface, it was discovered that they were instead extraordinarily large living crystals; the Shards had returned. The death toll was considerable as the aliens began rampaging through cities and farmsteads. In the chaos, civilians armed themselves by looting deserted army warehouses and formed ad hoc militias. Professional KDD soldiers and courageous amateurs fought side by side in the defense of their homes, and even though casualties were high, the invasion force was eventually destroyed.
The aftermath was tough on the regime. The scale of the destruction was considerable, with even the capital city of Novyras having terribly suffered and notably lost a large portion of the Directorate’s archives and databanks to the Shards’ unexplained ability to interface with and corrupt electronic systems. The heydays of the Directorate’s first years had come and gone. Leadership had grown complacent and ineffective, its totalitarian approach to governance more and more unpopular as crisis after crisis followed in the wake of the war.
The KDD’s response to growing unrest was repressive and stubborn, which only fostered liberal ideas among the population. With heavy-handed dispersion of protests, more and more people joined the dissidents until a number of army officers mutinied, kicking off a civil war. The Directorate gradually lost more and more control. Unable to enforce martial law, the KDD was reduced to pockets of authority that capitulated one after the other, and after ten years of severe unrest, the Directorate was no more. In its place, a presidential republic would be formed by the leaders of political groups, establishing free elections with universal suffrage.
The aftermath was tough on the regime. The scale of the destruction was considerable, with even the capital city of Novyras having terribly suffered and notably lost a large portion of the Directorate’s archives and databanks to the Shards’ unexplained ability to interface with and corrupt electronic systems. The heydays of the Directorate’s first years had come and gone. Leadership had grown complacent and ineffective, its totalitarian approach to governance more and more unpopular as crisis after crisis followed in the wake of the war.
The KDD’s response to growing unrest was repressive and stubborn, which only fostered liberal ideas among the population. With heavy-handed dispersion of protests, more and more people joined the dissidents until a number of army officers mutinied, kicking off a civil war. The Directorate gradually lost more and more control. Unable to enforce martial law, the KDD was reduced to pockets of authority that capitulated one after the other, and after ten years of severe unrest, the Directorate was no more. In its place, a presidential republic would be formed by the leaders of political groups, establishing free elections with universal suffrage.
Slowly, Kamenymir rebuilt and recovered. From the Catholic heritage of many of the settlers, a new iteration appeared. Its followers believed that the man who saved the colony a century and a half ago, Vissarion Stasko, had a covenant with God who inspired his work. The Church of the Vissaric Covenant, or more simply known as the Vissaric Church, taught that Kamenymir was God’s second chance for humanity, and gave the planet to the Kamenyans as their own promised land. This new faith grew exponentially from its humble beginnings, to the point of completely transforming what traditional Catholic clergy and influence remained in the span of a century and a half.
Over time, trust in the Republic faded. Corruption scandals were frequent, the political elite grew more isolated from the rest of society, and a deep contempt and anger began to take root in the general population. Artificial intelligence simulating human emotions and companionship, combined with an increasingly money-centric society, eroded the bonds between people. Suicide rates skyrocketed amidst political turmoil, while a series of gun ownership laws stripped the overwhelming majority of Kamenyans of their self-defense rights.
Among those who protested not against a political line, but against the Republic as a whole, some of the most militant were members of the Church; firebrand preachers who insisted that the Kamenyan Republic would eventually lead all Kamenyans to their doom. What would be later known as Persecutions followed. Many of the Church’s faithful were targeted and ostracised, while others were imprisoned in blatant violation of Kamenyan free speech laws.
Over time, trust in the Republic faded. Corruption scandals were frequent, the political elite grew more isolated from the rest of society, and a deep contempt and anger began to take root in the general population. Artificial intelligence simulating human emotions and companionship, combined with an increasingly money-centric society, eroded the bonds between people. Suicide rates skyrocketed amidst political turmoil, while a series of gun ownership laws stripped the overwhelming majority of Kamenyans of their self-defense rights.
Among those who protested not against a political line, but against the Republic as a whole, some of the most militant were members of the Church; firebrand preachers who insisted that the Kamenyan Republic would eventually lead all Kamenyans to their doom. What would be later known as Persecutions followed. Many of the Church’s faithful were targeted and ostracised, while others were imprisoned in blatant violation of Kamenyan free speech laws.
A series of sabotage and bombing attacks on software companies and mining corporations were claimed by the Church of the Garden, a radical environmentalist and technophobic sect of the Vissaric Church that had been gaining traction for several years. In response, the government doubled down and planned several raids on homesteads and compounds where members of the Church of the Garden, self-named Keepers, lived. A number of the raids went badly; many people were killed without repercussions for the police forces responsible. The public outrage was immense, and decades of bubbling tension finally boiled over into full-blown rebellion when colonel Anton Kroll of the Kamenyan Army defected.
He united the disparate political, popular and religious rebels under his leadership with his diplomatic acumen, extraordinary charisma and sheer force of will. The Rebel Armies escalated the civil war at every opportunity, taking over centers of governance and attacking republican forces wherever they were. The underground guerilla snowballed into a force capable of engaging government troops in battle, and with increasing support from a population desperate for change, Anton Kroll and the Rebel Armies destroyed the Kamenyan Republic.
He united the disparate political, popular and religious rebels under his leadership with his diplomatic acumen, extraordinary charisma and sheer force of will. The Rebel Armies escalated the civil war at every opportunity, taking over centers of governance and attacking republican forces wherever they were. The underground guerilla snowballed into a force capable of engaging government troops in battle, and with increasing support from a population desperate for change, Anton Kroll and the Rebel Armies destroyed the Kamenyan Republic.
Kroll was determined to not repeat the mistakes of the past centuries as he worked with the leaders of various anti-republican groups to create a new government. The First Directorate’s top-down, totalitarian approach was rejected along with the Republic’s democratic system in favour of delegating almost all day-to-day matters to local elected governors, while the small central government would be run by a dictator.
A focal point of the Second Directorate was a complete change in military doctrine, turning the army into a small, elite professional force designed as a strike force capable of taking on any external enemy, while lacking the numbers required to control a large amount of territory. The duty of regular defense for the planet instead passed over to local police forces and citizen militias, aiming to ensure that the army could not be used to control the people.
The ban on artificial intelligence was part of an agreement passed between Anton Kroll’s own forces and the Keepers who fought by his side during the rebellion. In exchange for a pledge of cooperation, the KDD would outlaw the use and development of artificial intelligences with any kind of self-awareness, sentience, real or simulated emotion, or “human likeness”. Kroll readily agreed as banning artificial intelligence already aligned with his ideas on culture and society.
Years passed in a blur of incessant activity and booming economy with Kroll ruling as the first Director General of the Second Kamenyan Defense Directorate. It was eventually discovered that the Shards had not come from faraway deep space, as was originally theorised. Indeed, as the KDD’s first warships took to the void, it became apparent that Kamenymir’s moon, Malastra, was the real home of the crystalline creatures, which had remained undetected by early Kamenyan space ventures due to them residing beneath the surface of the planetoid. There, it was assumed that it took them some time to grow large enough to be able to launch the attack like the one that marked the beginning of the Second Shards War, and military command urged that action should be taken swiftly, lest Kamenymir suffer another invasion.
The KDD acted quickly. Space elevators and orbital dockyards were constructed in record time considering the enormity of the endeavour; only twelve years passed before the KDDN truly came into being, complete with a vast array of warships and light crafts, along with a terrifying arsenal of weapons of mass destruction assembled for one purpose: to wipe the Shards off the face of the universe.
Malastra was relentlessly bombarded with the most powerful weapons that the Kamenyans could imagine. The Shards had no way to fight back, and nuclear detonations succeeded one another on the moon’s surface over the course of three years. The barrage was of such intensity that Malastra’s geological stability, already naturally precarious, was pushed over the edge into cascading volcanic activity. To this day, the moon is an irradiated hellscape of flowing lava, erupting volcanoes and constant, extreme tectonic activity. The red hue of the moon, visible in Kamenymir’s night sky, remains as a symbol of the KDD’s ultimate victory over an existential threat.
A focal point of the Second Directorate was a complete change in military doctrine, turning the army into a small, elite professional force designed as a strike force capable of taking on any external enemy, while lacking the numbers required to control a large amount of territory. The duty of regular defense for the planet instead passed over to local police forces and citizen militias, aiming to ensure that the army could not be used to control the people.
The ban on artificial intelligence was part of an agreement passed between Anton Kroll’s own forces and the Keepers who fought by his side during the rebellion. In exchange for a pledge of cooperation, the KDD would outlaw the use and development of artificial intelligences with any kind of self-awareness, sentience, real or simulated emotion, or “human likeness”. Kroll readily agreed as banning artificial intelligence already aligned with his ideas on culture and society.
Years passed in a blur of incessant activity and booming economy with Kroll ruling as the first Director General of the Second Kamenyan Defense Directorate. It was eventually discovered that the Shards had not come from faraway deep space, as was originally theorised. Indeed, as the KDD’s first warships took to the void, it became apparent that Kamenymir’s moon, Malastra, was the real home of the crystalline creatures, which had remained undetected by early Kamenyan space ventures due to them residing beneath the surface of the planetoid. There, it was assumed that it took them some time to grow large enough to be able to launch the attack like the one that marked the beginning of the Second Shards War, and military command urged that action should be taken swiftly, lest Kamenymir suffer another invasion.
The KDD acted quickly. Space elevators and orbital dockyards were constructed in record time considering the enormity of the endeavour; only twelve years passed before the KDDN truly came into being, complete with a vast array of warships and light crafts, along with a terrifying arsenal of weapons of mass destruction assembled for one purpose: to wipe the Shards off the face of the universe.
Malastra was relentlessly bombarded with the most powerful weapons that the Kamenyans could imagine. The Shards had no way to fight back, and nuclear detonations succeeded one another on the moon’s surface over the course of three years. The barrage was of such intensity that Malastra’s geological stability, already naturally precarious, was pushed over the edge into cascading volcanic activity. To this day, the moon is an irradiated hellscape of flowing lava, erupting volcanoes and constant, extreme tectonic activity. The red hue of the moon, visible in Kamenymir’s night sky, remains as a symbol of the KDD’s ultimate victory over an existential threat.
Culture and Society:
If there was to be one word to describe Kamenyan society, it would be ‘tradition’. The Kamenyans are very attached to their roots and history, and most would consider traditions a necessary part of not only the social fabric, but also common virtues. Self-reliance, discipline, strength, kindness and honour are core cultural values for anyone and are passed down generations as the most important of legacies.
Kamenyans are politely distant with strangers. It takes some time and a little effort to become friends, but friendships are in turn deeply valued. Communities stick together as a matter of course, and both social and religious gatherings are frequent.
The Church of the Vissaric Covenant plays an important role in many people’s lives, even those who aren’t religious. Religious holidays punctuate social life as community gathering events, and even small country churches take on the responsibility of the majority of all charity work. As most things, it is strictly separated from the state and operates solely with private funding.
It is expected that any Kamenyan should be able to provide for themselves and their families. With housing prices low, most couples choose to have one of the parents stay at home to care for the house and raise children, a role usually taken up by women; this is further encouraged and celebrated by the KDD’s natalism.
Kamenymir currently experiences an unprecedented economic and demographic boom, to the point that some have cautiously qualified this era to be a golden age. Some point out that since no significant crisis has been experienced for generations, the KDD has yet to prove itself. Others retort that the fact that there has been no significant crisis for so long is proof of the KDD’s ability.
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Governance and Politics:
The KDD is the central government in charge of the overall rule of Kamenymir. Its head of state and supreme authority is the Director General, a dictator who designates an heir to take his place upon his death or retirement. The KDD rarely gets involved in the daily lives of its citizens: it is comparatively minuscule compared to most other governments; most of its budget is dedicated to the military, while state welfare is almost non-existent.
Kamenyan territory is divided in thousands of provinces, their governors elected via restricted suffrage; only those who complete the two-year voluntary service have the right to vote. This is the system that is responsible for administration and public life at the local level; regulations are often few, and what little exist are often informed by the ever-watchful militants of the Church of the Garden and their sympathisers.
Technology Overview:
The technological level in the day-to-day life of the average Kamenyan is relatively low, as there is a certain disdain for what they would call “superfluous eccentricities” and a general desire to preserve Kamenymir’s biosphere. Notable technologies include nanomachines, a remnant of technology preserved from Earth. It isn’t fully understood even to this day, but has been successfully repurposed for a range of medical uses.
Most of Kamenymir’s energy is produced by nuclear fusion reactors, and, on a smaller scale, nuclear fission. Hydrocarbon industries are minimal, discouraged as they are by the Vissaric Church and the KDD turning a blind eye to the Keepers’ militantism.
Military Overview:
The KDD’s military is a relatively small, elite force built for speed of action and local superiority. Ideally, the Kamenyan military prefers to engage in short and brutal combat with no expenses spared; the KDD considers war to be an absolute last resort, and that it should be a short affair. To this end, it focuses on targeted strikes on strategic targets with overwhelming force.
This approach is best exemplified by the Armored Infantryman, the standard footsoldier of the Kamenyan Army. He is ensconced in a massive suit of power armour, ugly and angular, without a single thought for aesthetics. Its interlocking plates are extraordinarily thick, designed to resist all but the heaviest fire. Underneath, the suit integrates a layer of servomotors and artificial muscles that compensate for the armour’s tremendous weight and further augment the physical strength of its wearer. Despite its appearance, this armour features a heads-up display and a sophisticated neuro-link to the user’s brain, assisting with aim, limb coordination and general responsiveness.
His STR-2 service rifle is adequately brutish. It is a bulky, rectangular piece of metal that would be best described as a machine gun instead, with a 150 rounds capacity helicoidal magazine of full-power cartridges, a direct visual feed from the gun’s sights to the power armour’s HUD, an under-barrel rocket launcher, and a switchblade bayonet, turning it into an axe for close-quarters combat. The STR-2’s incredibly rugged design makes it more than able to withstand being used as a melee weapon by a power-armoured soldier with augmented strength.
The Navy is larger than the Army in terms of budget. In the absence of any external threat for a long time, the KDDN has maintained its shipbuilding capacity by iterating upon its own designs and pitting them against hypothetical opponents in simulations and war games.
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Additional Info: Naught for now