Pelagius

Battle for Titania

The Vanguard Fleet

They'd arrived nearly two weeks ago and in the time since, shockingly, nobody on either side had been viciously murdered yet. Of course for all that Sarina wasn't a politician she could see why the situation was so touch and go. The language barrier was bad enough, and that was discounting the rumours that the expedition fleets were mythic 'world eaters' bringing death wherever they went.

Then again, perhaps that wasn't so inaccurate. Oh Amelia had been in seemingly endless negotiations with the governing guild of the city they'd docked off, promising them the danger they'd heard of was exaggerated and that the Vanguard fleet came in peace, but there was a reason Sarina had demanded as few of the passengers went ashore as possible.

Disease was a hard thing to contain, and even with just Amelia and a few guards going ashore Sarina worried things would go badly, quickly. Perhaps not for the... Inhuman species that lived in the city, but the fact there were normal people on this side of the gate was as intriguing as it was terrifying. If Amelia got sick the medical staff could treat her, even if the bacterium or virus was foreign, but if she spread something so simple as the common cold to a people whose biology had never encountered it?

It didn't take a dedicated biologist to know what would happen. Nobody really knew the exact numbers, but it'd been mooted nine out of ten natives in the new world died from disease when the Europeans started colonizing the continent. Even if it was only half that here, the damage would be irreversible. The island they'd anchored off was small, but from what Amelia had said it had tens of thousands of inhabitants, perhaps as many as a hundred in total.

They'd deplete their entire stock of medicine in a week if the worst happened. Worse yet, against Sarina's urging, Amelia and the other members of the High Cabal had opted not to inform the islands inhabitants of the danger. They felt the risk was small enough that disrupting negotiations wasn't worth it. Idiocy.

Sarina's macabre musings were disrupted by a gentle tap on the shoulder, her head jerked up and she looked back to see Kevin smiling knowingly at her. Ah, she'd zoned out again. What had they been doing? Oh, yes, tyring to avert that whole worst case scenario by cultivating penicillin. Not that it was the most effective medicine against some bacteria, but hopefully Humanity had left MRSA back on Earth. Hopefully.

With a sigh she brushed her light blonde hair out her face and asked Kevin, “Is the Penicillium growing as fast as we expected?”

The somewhat portly man grimaced before replying, “No, the fermentation tanks were built after we came here, they're to specifications but I'm afraid there will be a bit of trial and error maximizing the molds growth. Thankfully we have more than enough equipment to extract the Penicillin here on the Prometheus, but unless we move production to a larger facility, we just don't have the space to make what we'll need.”

“So,” Sarina guessed at his meaning, “You think we need to move production onto the island? Don't you think that would just make everything, well, a tad more urgent?”

Kevin only shrugged, the older man was shorter than Sarina, but sitting as she was he towered over her. She wondered if Oswald would have ever tolerated that, the Captain did have a fixation with being larger than life to his subordinates. Before the line of thought seized her attention Kevin spoke, “It's a risk we'll have to take sooner or later. I don't think this world has much uninhabited land, and I'd rather work with a native population to minimize our impact than risk infecting some mainland nomadic tribe which goes on to wander into a major urban centre.”

She couldn't argue with that. Still, the antibiotics were only the start; the team dedicated to vaccines was struggling to make do with what they had. Without a way to safeguard against.... No, Kevin was right. They'd spend an eternity in these ships if they refused to take the first step. People would die, Sarina knew it, but she'd joined the Vanguard knowing that building something new, something better, wouldn't be bloodless.

She'd already stood by while Oswald sunk half the ships the UN had assigned to their group. Sarina scowled and met Kevins gaze, they both understood the need to rush. The other expeditions would be coming, and long before they'd be ready to fight them off at that.

“Ok,” She hesitated, “I'll tell the rest of the High Cabal. Ideally we can set up a camp away from the population centres, at least until we have enough antibiotics, and if we're lucky, vaccines for the islanders.”

Kevin nodded and went back to monitor the fermentation chamber, the first of many. So much to do, and no time.

No. No time at all.

Battle for Titania

The Vanguard

The Revolutionary Vanguard

A New Understanding

The Earth has been sundered, its skies blackened, the once bountiful seas poisoned, the wild and tame lands alike scoured of life. Our destruction is as we always knew it would be, a thing of our own making. The petty issues which have always divided us had finally driven us to suicide. When the darkness closed in and the young and old, the strong and the weak, all the starving masses huddled tight in anticipation of the end one thing was certain; we deserved the wretched fate awaiting us.

Then again, we seldom get what we deserve. Perhaps it was an act of god, or more likely, one of the devil. It was a gate, a passageway, a lifeline. Its discovery shocked the few who survived, but no sooner was it found than we sought to repeat our mistakes on the other side. Most were maddened by thirst, hunger, and grief, they didn't take a moment to think, a moment to consider what this second chance meant. They just wanted to live.

We wanted more. Our numbers were small at first, but in face of of the apocalypse many were willing to see the old ways were folly. We kept to the shadows, but our existence was no secret. The decaying edifices of the old world tried to thwart us, to reign us in, but we represented the future, for we were the new Vanguard, those who would destroy everything that has come before and craft a new Humanity for a new world.

Of course they failed to stop us, the future is inexorable. We made our move as soon as we had the numbers, seizing nearly half of a fleet sent to subdue the new world. The battle that followed was brutal, and many of our number died, but those martyrs gave their lives for a greater purpose.

The fleet of the Revolutionary Vanguard is now in uncharted waters, and its mission is simple; the rebirth of mankind. All those who cling to the old ways will fall and from atop their graves we shall rebuild. When it is done we shall know a lasting peace, a chance to avoid the fate of our Mother Earth.

The Fleet

The Flagship Lazarus: The Lazarus was one of the last new ships to be put to sea, and this was precisely why the Vanguard looked to seize it. As large as an old American aircraft carrier it is outfitted with:
-A Nuclear Reactor (~20 Years of Fuel)
-A Set of Railguns (Front and Aft Long Range Cannons)
-A Close In Weapons System (Multiple Mini-Gun/Sensor Installations)
-A Hydropontics Bay (Self Sufficient Food Production)
-A Workshop (For Light to Medium Manufacturing)

The Support Ships Atlas and Prometheus: These two support ships are converted supertankers, each has a minor on board armament. The Atlas carries civilians and basic supplies like clothes and other essentials. The Prometheus is largely dedicated to carrying the supplies necessary to restart civilization, it contains medicine, knowledge, farming equipment, and seeds.

The Siren: One of the key factors that allowed the Vanguard fleet to escape the initial pursuit of the other Earth factions was the Siren. A stealth ship with little in the way of weaponry, the Siren is a ECM ship, designed from the top down to fool sensors and disguise not only itself, but the Vanguard fleet from the sophisticated eyes of modern machinery.

What Knowledge Remains

The Revolutionary Vanguard is capable, but it must be said for all the spoils they made away with the movement failed to convert many experts. While the Vanguard may be equipped as well, or better, than most of the other Earth factions, it lacks a vital understanding of its ships and what they have aboard them.

A United Front

The Vanguard is a single entity, and in that way all who have sworn themselves to the cause are soldiers. At least, ostensibly. In reality there are fewer than fifty trained soldiers in the fleet. Perhaps in time the many partisans of the Vanguard will be able to fight as well as those training them, but that day is distant indeed.

Characters

Name:
Oswald Green

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
Oswald is, above all else, a military man. Originally an American captain he wasted no time abandoning his prior loyalties when the world fell to pieces. As a founding member of the Vanguard his influence is as vast as his experience at sea. Apolitical, at least in the sense he takes no side but the Vanguards, Oswald is a cunning sailor and strategist.

Background:
Oswald spent decades as a Captain in the American navy before coming to the Vanguards side. His betrayal, let alone the fact he was one of the radicals ringleaders, doubtless came as a shock to the United Nations task force given his exemplary record at sea. Of course, anyone who truly knew him wouldn’t have been so surprised. Effective as he may be Oswald was a discontent. Why else would have have remained a Captain after countless less senior figures ascended to higher ranks in the face of the last world war? That he came to embrace the ideology of the Vanguard is less a surprise than that he came to embrace any ideology at all.

Name:
Amelia Clement

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
Amelia Clement, in days past that as a name people looked up to. A senior administrator in the UN, arguably one of the leading figures in the early efforts to explore the new world, and a traitor. Amelia is a shrewd woman and an inspiring leader, but above all she is a peacemaker who often finds common ground in the midst of a political storm.

Background:
Amelia was born in England, but it was rare that she found herself there later in life. A golden child of the United Nations Amelia was the impartial negotiator sent to persuade one faction or another to stay there hand, and stunningly for the UN, she often succeeded. Of course, her final failure overshadowed all her successes. The end of humanity, as it was called, came abruptly, but it was not entirely unexpected. Amelia, despite having no real impact on the decisions that lead to the final war, came to blame herself. In her search for atonement she stumbled upon the Vanguard where she now acts as a voice of reason amid war hawks and discontents.

Name:
Otto Weber

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
What can be said of Otto Weber? Well the first thing would be that he was an industrialist, so his rank in a revolutionary organization is quite the mystery. The second would be that the man is efficient, an administrator, and perhaps one of the few left who understands how to build something from nothing.

Background:
Weber was a German Industrialist, once. His corporation spanned the globe, his dominion included millions of employees, and it came from the fruits of his own labour. Of course, a self made man he may have been, Otto cared little for others trying to achieve the same heights he had. Like many he fell into the trap of growing his wealth, damn the rest. At least, that was before he lost it all. Ruined, yet miraculously alive, Otto established himself anew. He had been reborn in the fires of the world, and now he would not take for granted what he had, or forget what he had become.

Name:
Sarina Cameron

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
Young, that might be the first thing to say about Sarina. Hardly twenty five, the woman stands at the top of one of the most notorious organizations in the new world and counts some of the most known and august personages as her equals. How? Well, put simply, she's smart. Sarina was one of the only leading academics to join the Vanguard, and while she may be inexperienced compared to some, shes the best they have.

Background:
For all that it is unusual, Sarina's story is stereotypical. She was a bright child, she skipped grades, she got into University early, she gained a PHD, she didn't die in the hellfire that consumed the Earth. Well, stereotypical save for that last bit. In truth she went from being one quirky genius among many to being one of the last generalist, that is scatterbrained, researchers alive. Some attribute her loyalty to the Vanguard as a sign of youthful stupidity, others wonder what she saw in the radicals that attracted her, or what she saw in the old world factions that pushed her away.

Battle for Titania

Characters plus basic sheet.

The Vanguard

The Revolutionary Vanguard

A New Understanding

The Earth has been sundered, its skies blackened, the once bountiful seas poisoned, the wild and tame lands alike scoured of life. Our destruction is as we always knew it would be, a thing of our own making. The petty issues which have always divided us had finally driven us to suicide. When the darkness closed in and the young and old, the strong and the weak, all the starving masses huddled tight in anticipation of the end one thing was certain; we deserved the wretched fate awaiting us.

Then again, we seldom get what we deserve. Perhaps it was an act of god, or more likely, one of the devil. It was a gate, a passageway, a lifeline. Its discovery shocked the few who survived, but no sooner was it found than we sought to repeat our mistakes on the other side. Most were maddened by thirst, hunger, and grief, they didn't take a moment to think, a moment to consider what this second chance meant. They just wanted to live.

We wanted more. Our numbers were small at first, but in face of of the apocalypse many were willing to see the old ways were folly. We kept to the shadows, but our existence was no secret. The decaying edifices of the old world tried to thwart us, to reign us in, but we represented the future, for we were the new Vanguard, those who would destroy everything that has come before and craft a new Humanity for a new world.

Of course they failed to stop us, the future is inexorable. We made our move as soon as we had the numbers, seizing nearly half of a fleet sent to subdue the new world. The battle that followed was brutal, and many of our number died, but those martyrs gave their lives for a greater purpose.

The fleet of the Revolutionary Vanguard is now in uncharted waters, and its mission is simple; the rebirth of mankind. All those who cling to the old ways will fall and from atop their graves we shall rebuild. When it is done we shall know a lasting peace, a chance to avoid the fate of our Mother Earth.

The Fleet

The Flagship Lazarus: The Lazarus was one of the last new ships to be put to sea, and this was precisely why the Vanguard looked to seize it. As large as an old American aircraft carrier it is outfitted with:
-A Nuclear Reactor (~20 Years of Fuel)
-A Set of Railguns (Front and Aft Long Range Cannons)
-A Close In Weapons System (Multiple Mini-Gun/Sensor Installations)
-A Hydropontics Bay (Self Sufficient Food Production)
-A Workshop (For Light to Medium Manufacturing)

The Support Ships Atlas and Prometheus: These two support ships are converted supertankers, each has a minor on board armament. The Atlas carries civilians and basic supplies like clothes and other essentials. The Prometheus is largely dedicated to carrying the supplies necessary to restart civilization, it contains medicine, knowledge, farming equipment, and seeds.

The Siren: One of the key factors that allowed the Vanguard fleet to escape the initial pursuit of the other Earth factions was the Siren. A stealth ship with little in the way of weaponry, the Siren is a ECM ship, designed from the top down to fool sensors and disguise not only itself, but the Vanguard fleet from the sophisticated eyes of modern machinery.

What Knowledge Remains

The Revolutionary Vanguard is capable, but it must be said for all the spoils they made away with the movement failed to convert many experts. While the Vanguard may be equipped as well, or better, than most of the other Earth factions, it lacks a vital understanding of its ships and what they have aboard them.

A United Front

The Vanguard is a single entity, and in that way all who have sworn themselves to the cause are soldiers. At least, ostensibly. In reality there are fewer than fifty trained soldiers in the fleet. Perhaps in time the many partisans of the Vanguard will be able to fight as well as those training them, but that day is distant indeed.

Characters

Name:
Oswald Green

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
Oswald is, above all else, a military man. Originally an American captain he wasted no time abandoning his prior loyalties when the world fell to pieces. As a founding member of the Vanguard his influence is as vast as his experience at sea. Apolitical, at least in the sense he takes no side but the Vanguards, Oswald is a cunning sailor and strategist.

Background:
Oswald spent decades as a Captain in the American navy before coming to the Vanguards side. His betrayal, let alone the fact he was one of the radicals ringleaders, doubtless came as a shock to the United Nations task force given his exemplary record at sea. Of course, anyone who truly knew him wouldn’t have been so surprised. Effective as he may be Oswald was a discontent. Why else would have have remained a Captain after countless less senior figures ascended to higher ranks in the face of the last world war? That he came to embrace the ideology of the Vanguard is less a surprise than that he came to embrace any ideology at all.

Name:
Amelia Clement

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
Amelia Clement, in days past that as a name people looked up to. A senior administrator in the UN, arguably one of the leading figures in the early efforts to explore the new world, and a traitor. Amelia is a shrewd woman and an inspiring leader, but above all she is a peacemaker who often finds common ground in the midst of a political storm.

Background:
Amelia was born in England, but it was rare that she found herself there later in life. A golden child of the United Nations Amelia was the impartial negotiator sent to persuade one faction or another to stay there hand, and stunningly for the UN, she often succeeded. Of course, her final failure overshadowed all her successes. The end of humanity, as it was called, came abruptly, but it was not entirely unexpected. Amelia, despite having no real impact on the decisions that lead to the final war, came to blame herself. In her search for atonement she stumbled upon the Vanguard where she now acts as a voice of reason amid war hawks and discontents.

Name:
Otto Weber

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
What can be said of Otto Weber? Well the first thing would be that he was an industrialist, so his rank in a revolutionary organization is quite the mystery. The second would be that the man is efficient, an administrator, and perhaps one of the few left who understands how to build something from nothing.

Background:
Weber was a German Industrialist, once. His corporation spanned the globe, his dominion included millions of employees, and it came from the fruits of his own labour. Of course, a self made man he may have been, Otto cared little for others trying to achieve the same heights he had. Like many he fell into the trap of growing his wealth, damn the rest. At least, that was before he lost it all. Ruined, yet miraculously alive, Otto established himself anew. He had been reborn in the fires of the world, and now he would not take for granted what he had, or forget what he had become.

Name:
Sarina Cameron

Rank/title:
Member of the High Cabal

Capabilities:
Young, that might be the first thing to say about Sarina. Hardly twenty five, the woman stands at the top of one of the most notorious organizations in the new world and counts some of the most known and august personages as her equals. How? Well, put simply, she's smart. Sarina was one of the only leading academics to join the Vanguard, and while she may be inexperienced compared to some, shes the best they have.

Background:
For all that it is unusual, Sarina's story is stereotypical. She was a bright child, she skipped grades, she got into University early, she gained a PHD, she didn't die in the hellfire that consumed the Earth. Well, stereotypical save for that last bit. In truth she went from being one quirky genius among many to being one of the last generalist, that is scatterbrained, researchers alive. Some attribute her loyalty to the Vanguard as a sign of youthful stupidity, others wonder what she saw in the radicals that attracted her, or what she saw in the old world factions that pushed her away.

Battle for Titania

I have a few I'm working on @Wildman13!

Battle for Titania

The Revolutionary Vanguard

A New Understanding

The Earth has been sundered, its skies blackened, the once bountiful seas poisoned, the wild and tame lands alike scoured of life. Our destruction is as we always knew it would be, a thing of our own making. The petty issues which have always divided us had finally driven us to suicide. When the darkness closed in and the young and old, the strong and the weak, all the starving masses huddled tight in anticipation of the end one thing was certain; we deserved the wretched fate awaiting us.

Then again, we seldom get what we deserve. Perhaps it was an act of god, or more likely, one of the devil. It was a gate, a passageway, a lifeline. Its discovery shocked the few who survived, but no sooner was it found than we sought to repeat our mistakes on the other side. Most were maddened by thirst, hunger, and grief, they didn't take a moment to think, a moment to consider what this second chance meant. They just wanted to live.

We wanted more. Our numbers were small at first, but in face of of the apocalypse many were willing to see the old ways were folly. We kept to the shadows, but our existence was no secret. The decaying edifices of the old world tried to thwart us, to reign us in, but we represented the future, for we were the new Vanguard, those who would destroy everything that has come before and craft a new Humanity for a new world.

Of course they failed to stop us, the future is inexorable. We made our move as soon as we had the numbers, seizing nearly half of a fleet sent to subdue the new world. The battle that followed was brutal, and many of our number died, but those martyrs gave their lives for a greater purpose.

The fleet of the Revolutionary Vanguard is now in uncharted waters, and its mission is simple; the rebirth of mankind. All those who cling to the old ways will fall and from atop their graves we shall rebuild. When it is done we shall know a lasting peace, a chance to avoid the fate of our Mother Earth.

The Fleet

The Flagship Lazarus: The Lazarus was one of the last new ships to be put to sea, and this was precisely why the Vanguard looked to seize it. As large as an old American aircraft carrier it is outfitted with:
-A Nuclear Reactor (~20 Years of Fuel)
-A Set of Railguns (Front and Aft Long Range Cannons)
-A Close In Weapons System (Multiple Mini-Gun/Sensor Installations)
-A Hydropontics Bay (Self Sufficient Food Production)
-A Workshop (For Light to Medium Manufacturing)

The Support Ships Atlas and Prometheus: These two support ships are converted supertankers, each has a minor on board armament. The Atlas carries civilians and basic supplies like clothes and other essentials. The Prometheus is largely dedicated to carrying the supplies necessary to restart civilization, it contains medicine, knowledge, farming equipment, and seeds.

The Siren: One of the key factors that allowed the Vanguard fleet to escape the initial pursuit of the other Earth factions was the Siren. A stealth ship with little in the way of weaponry, the Siren is a ECM ship, designed from the top down to fool sensors and disguise not only itself, but the Vanguard fleet from the sophisticated eyes of modern machinery.

What Knowledge Remains

The Revolutionary Vanguard is capable, but it must be said for all the spoils they made away with the movement failed to convert many experts. While the Vanguard may be equipped as well, or better, than most of the other Earth factions, it lacks a vital understanding of its ships and what they have aboard them.

A United Front

The Vanguard is a single entity, and in that way all who have sworn themselves to the cause are soldiers. At least, ostensibly. In reality there are fewer than fifty trained soldiers in the fleet. Perhaps in time the many partisans of the Vanguard will be able to fight as well as those training them, but that day is distant indeed.