Star Frontiers: Vistas

Document container for project design documents.

Omega

Set at the dawn of the 22d century, it deals with Humanity's continuing struggle against its baser elements.

Think 2300AD meets B5.

It utilizes the SF 2000 ruleset, along with my mods(downloadable for which can be found in the Phoenix Dawn project page).  

Project Survivor

 

Project Survivor

 

Project Survivor was the codename for a multinational project to replace human procreation with an alternative method of reproducing males.

 

Begun just before the Second World War, under the aegis of the Endlösung, one of Project Survivor's three lines of research was an attempt to develop the science of cloning, this line of research finally bearing fruit in the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century—during the height of WARCOM's power—leading directly to the ban on procreation in the American Culture Act.

 

Replicative Mutagenic Cascade Failure

 

Project Survivor's successful implementation of cloning was qualfied, at best.

 

The project's scientists had failed to take the Hayes' Limit into account.

 

Each time a cell divided naturally, its DNA was altered so that the replicated cell had a slightly different DNA pattern.

 

Forcibly artificially dividing cells to create a human body only exacerbated this process.

 

The ultimate result was what is referred to by cytologists as replicative mutagenic cascade failure, in which the process of artificial cellular division—induced by nanotechnology—altered the DNA of a given cell sample to the point where it was no longer viable.

 

While this presented little problem when it came to cloning relatively simple things such as blood, minor internal organs, limbs and appendages, it posed great difficulties in cloning entire bodies...at best, a cell sample could only produce three viable clones, before progressive and cumulative mutations rendered the originial sample and its copies completly useless.

 

Moreover, each of the viable clones had precisely one-quarter of the lifespan of the copies which came before it, the first copy having 10% of the originial body's lifespan.

 

For example, the average human male lives 80 years, a lifespan somewhat prolonged with exposure to warpdrive and the use of metastas(which ruins any chance of viable clones; q.v.).

 

Of the three clones made from that original, the first would live for eight years, the second for less than ten months and the last copy for two and a half months .

 

This meant that the problem could not be circumvented simply by obtaining a new cell sample from the originial host body, due to the short lifespan of any viable clones created from that sample.

 

Cybernetics And Metastas

 

WARCOM's scientists thus attempted to circumvent the clone viability problems using a compound they called a metabolic stasis agent, or, more commonly, metastas, an antiagathic compound based on similar formulae used by practicioners of the vanished religion of voudoun to create “zombies“ and extend their own lifespans.

 

This extended the lifespan of the first clone by up to twenty years...at the cost of increasing dosage, diminishing effect, and accelerated aging and organ failure, as the doses accumulated in tissue and began to have a reverse effect.

 

WARCOM's scientists were then left with the use of cybernetic organs to replace failing organic ones, only managing to extend the viability of the initial clones by eighteen months, owing to the implanted cybernetics accelerating the necrotization of the flesh they were attached to.

 

Failure Of Project Survivor

 

As WARCOM's scientists struggled with explaining to the Group of Nine that the work of nearly a century was a complete failure, WARCOM itself fell apart in the chaos during and after the Eleven-Day War, the New America which temporarily supplanting this acknowledeging the failure of the project by removing the ban on procreation for American citizens, while continuing to maintain the ban on reproduction between zeds.

 

Even this was insufficent to stave off the inevitable end of the New America, as every man's hand turned against his brother's, culminating in the Great Civil War of the 2050s, and the consequent rise of the Republican Union of Terranova from its ashes.

 

The Uses Of Cloning In the Present Day

 

On a limited scale, cloning is used to replicate blood, limbs, organs, and the like for transplants. As mentioned before, replicative mutagenic cascade failure is not an issue where this is concerned.

 

Cloning is also used, in conjunction with improved coldwire neural transfer units, to give female impersonators, intelligence operatives and the like the perfect disguise.

 

This latter use presents a problem in that the lifespan of clones has remarkably decreased in the past six and a half decades, due to the lowering of the Hayes' Limit where genetic samples are concerned.

 

Only a single clone can be grown from a given sample at any one time, that clone lasting an average of three months. This usually is not a problem unless long-term impersonations are called for.

 

Timeline

  Timeline, AD 1944-2101


AD 1944.8.9. Nevelem refugees arrived on the Anazazi homeworld Zoonai Nef Boru(Ross 614 II); with the consent of the clan leaders, the refugees established a colony in the lowlands of Zoonai Nef Boru's eastern continent.

AD 1960. The head of the Council of Clans, Rojinn Clin of Clan Soond, publicly announced his support for the Haziri (Anazazi: The Holy Ones)movement, a coalition of wealthy and powerful religious leaders and their followers amongst clanless Anazazi(Kromaki, meaning outcast).

Previously a fringe movement largely ignored by the majority of Anazazi(and the butt of many a popular Anazazi joke) the Haziri movement found themselves empowered by Clin's support, gaining a voice and the support of a large number of Anazazi dissatisfied with their society in general...and by what they perceived as dilution of Anazazi culture by "alien[Nevelem]" ideas and mores in particular.

AD 1969.6.24. Nevelem colonize the third planet in the Procyon system, a barren, mountainous world they name Soomai Nev Geshu(Nevelem: New Place Of the Blue Water).

Attempts to explore the system of a yellow star some eleven light years from Procyon end in a series of failures, only spurring popular belief amongst both Anazazi and Nevelem that that system(Kaiam Koru in Anazazi and Gaiam Goru in Nevelem)holds the true homeworld of both races.

AD 1975. Mating and Breeding Laws narrowly defeated in the Council of Clans. Drafted by Clin himself, the Haziri supported the Mating Laws out of fear the what they perceived as a growing tendency towards intermarriage(and breeding) between Nevelem and Anazazi.

AD 1980.9.11. The first reported case of the Korou Hazirim(Anazazi: Divine Plague)is reported in a free clinic in the Anazazi capital city of Hakon.

The plague's earliest stages were a loss of feathers, white lesions on the skin, trembling, loss of appetite, exaggerated sensitivity to light, progressing to swelling of the brain, dementia, blindness, febrile seizures and a slow, painful death.

AD 1984.12.12. As the Korou reached epidemic proportions, Clin and the Haziri leaders took this as an opportunity to advance their agenda-the term Divine Plague is coined at this time-telling their people that the plague is a punishment from the One True God(Anazazi:Zonmaar Hazira) for acceptance of deviancy, moral inferiority and dilution of Anazazi culture, with blame gradually turning to "race traitors" amongst their own kind and the Nevelem themselves.

As the Anazazi and Nevelem medical communities struggle against political and religious obstacles to find a cure, the Anazazi people, desperate for any answer to a plague which has already seen an entire Anazazi colony world quarantined by the military, begin turning on those conveiently set up as scapegoats by the Haziri leadership, the resulting round of persecutions claiming almost as many lives as the plague itself.

AD.1985.1.15 The Council of Clans passed an even more restrictive version of the Mating and Breeding Laws, not only forbidding miscgenation between Nevelem and Anazazi, but defining marriage as a union between a male Anazazi and a female Anazazi, banning Nevelem from breeding at all.

The Nevelem leadership's objections to this were met by a holocaust of antimatter warheads against the Nevelem homeland on Zoonai Nef Boru and an all-out invasion of Nevelem territory in the 28-year long Harkota Hazirim(Anazazi: Holy War, literally, War of Purification), which not only pits Anazazi against Nevelem, but clan against clan, as the Haziri's policies tear mainstream Anazazi society apart.


AD 2001-2036. Freedom Wars Era.

In a thirty-five year period, the United States had assimilated much of Earth in a series of what would later be referred to as "Freedom Wars," by historians, due to the American government's inclusion of the word "Freedom" in the operation name(e.g., Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, etc.).

In the beginning, the United States had much of the world-particularly the other Western democracies-on its side, due to the sheer horror of the suicide attacks against the Pentagon and World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, allowing the American and British governments to invade Afghanistan in order to destroy both the government providing primary support to the al-Qaeda terrorist movement believed responsible for the attacks and al-Qaeda itself.

Much of the world objected, when, on questionable intelligence, American, British and allied forces launched Operation Iraqi Freedom in March of 2003; aside from diplomatic protests by France, Russia and several others, as well troop withdrawals by Coalition partners becoming increasingly disenchanted with the war effort, the world stood by, allowing the United States and its Iraqi client government to not only prosecute the war, but to extend its scope to Iran, then Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and, finally to all of Israel, the Middle East, North, and Central Africa.

Even the reports of American forces were eradicating all traces of "terrorist" cultures from the areas they now occupied, obliterating languages, religions and customs predating Columbus' discovery of the New World, failed to arouse the other nations into doing anything other than voice their concerns on the floor of a United Nations ignored, enfeebled and scorned by the American government, media, religion and public opinion, threaten meaningless trade and economic sanctions or demonstrate outside American embassies whose missions cared less and less about cooperation with their host nations with the passage of time.

In America itself, the government-citing security and a need to rein in those doing violence to the Constitution and the moral values upon which it was based-enacted a series of laws(the Schiavo Act , the American Family Act, and the Patriot Acts in particular)executive orders and unofficial directives which circumvented the Constitution without actually repealing it, the American people accepting their government's actions without question, having been firmly convinced that such things as freedom from religion, freedom of speech, freedom of expression and trials by jury not only went too far, but were just not good for business.

Moreover, the average American citizen, agreeing with the government's position that anyone opposing the President-or anyone else in authority-during a time of war or national emergency was a "non-American" to whom normal civil liberties did not apply, had no qualms about taking the law into his own hands, branding anyone he didn't like a non-American, doing whatever he felt the offending party deserved to have done to them.

Knowing he could do so with complete impunity, especially after an incident in early 2013, involving two Tarrant County(Texas)sheriff's deputies attempting to prevent the gang rape of a young woman by a group of men in a local bar, the deputies finding themselves declared non-Americans and imprisoned without trial based on the word of one of the alleged rapists, who claimed the woman had openly criticized President Harry Reid prior to the incident.

AD 2013.4.16. Anazazi and Nevelem doctors finally synthesize a cure and a vaccine for the plague, in spite of the Haziri.

The Haziri's attempts to suppress this knowledge resulted only in an independent investigating implicating Haziri scientists in a conspiracy to create the Korou Hazirim to justify the Haziri's complete seizure of power and their campaign to eradicate anyone who differs from them.

As Clin and the other Haziri leaders-now in total control of the Council of Clans-attempt to denounce the investigation as a conspiracy perpetrated by race traitors and Nevelem, the Anazazi militiary(the Nofohaz, literally, either swords or swordsmen) takes matters into their own hands, deposing the Council and establishing a junta of the most powerful military leaders who then formally allied themselves with the Nevelem in both spreading the cure amongst both their peoples, while, at the same time, ending the War of Purification by driving the Haziri out of Anazazi space.

The leaders of the military junta then surrendered themselves to a newly-elected Council of Clans for appropriate justice, while Anazazi and Nevelem societies spent the next twenty-three years rebuilding themselves.

In total, the plague, the persecutions and the war claimed nearly ten billion Anazazi and Nevelem lives.

AD 2013.2.16. United States Congress passed Federal Victimless Crime Decriminalization Act.The Act declared rape, prostitution, domestic abuse, exploitation, and murder to be-in certain cases- "victimless" crimes, further declaring them and similar victimless crimes to be legal in American soil, on the principle that the alleged victims chose to be victims; therefore, whatever happened to them was their fault.

The same logic applied to fraud, identity theft, blackmail, harassment, making terroristic threats, being too poor and helpless to leave doomed major American cities and extortion, the Act decriminalizing them all as well, to the relief of one Freddie Causey of Fort Valley, Georgia, who wrote in his letter to the editors of the Warner Robins Telegraph, "it's about damn time."

The Act did not contradict the American Family Act passed two years earlier, expressly stating "unions which contradict the natural order(i.e. marriage shall be between one man and one woman, as specified in the 2011 AFA)victimize both those forced to live in such unions and the American people as a whole; therefore those women persisting in such unions shall be and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the harm they have caused."

Over the course of the next 23 years, the Act is amended several times, until, by 2036, virtually all crimes have been decriminalized in the name of personal responsibility...but only for Americans, as pretty much anything a non-American does remains a criminal offense.

AD 2013.3.26. President Reid signed the Posse Comitatus Act of 2013 into law, legalizing all street gangs and right-wing militia groups operating in American home soil and the various militias and private military forces operating in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Georgia, Lithuania, the Ukraine and Belarus, organizing them into regular American military units in an effort to offset manpower shortages affecting the American armed forces.

The new law also authorized corporations to raise private military and security forces of their own, to safeguard their interests "whenever and whereever their personnel or property are endangered through acts of terror and/or violence[VI.ii.2116. PCA]," these private military forces given access to the same equipment and training as the regular American military.

Even the media has little to say on this, other than to report the Act's passage.

AD 2013.6.6. The people of Northern California successfully petitioned Congress for statehood, over the protests of California's two Senators, both of whom were from the southern part of that State. President Reid, two days later, signed the bill creating the new State Of Northern California, with former California Governors Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger being appointed to the Senate by Northern California's first Governor, the Reverend Robert Schuller.

Charlton Heston becomes Governor of California a week later, after the State government has completed its move to the new capital in Los Angeles.

AD 2013.8.8. Congress approved a petition by the residents of the Atlanta metropolitian area to form a separate State from the rest of Georgia, President Reid immediately signing the measure into law.

This action formally ended two years of bitter civil war between the northern and southern halves of the State.

AD 2013.9.5. The United States, in response to parliamentary elections in Canada which the NSIC insisted had been influenced by al-Qaeda operatives, invaded Canadian soil in what President Reid, during the first live Web-cast made by an American President, dubbed "Operation Northern Freedom."

AD 2013.9.7. Both British Prime Minister Sir Geoff Hoon and French President Lionel Jospin issued a joint statement declaring war against the United States, in response to Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell's urgent plea for military aid from Canada's fellow NATO members, with the German, Russian, Spanish and other European governments immediately following suit.

The United States immediately unleashed a hellish bombardement of the entire European continent from the first of the Joint Mobile Operations Bases(or JMOBs), the Richard B. Ralston ; Enduring Freedom multi-warhead delivery systems(q.v.), drop-launched from the bellies of SA-3 attack spacecraft, airbursted in an overlapping pattern over the entire continent, obliterating European military forces, infrastructure and people with ruthless precision, leaving the battered survivors to deal with wave after wave of spacedropped Army and Marine troops-supported by the Ralston's 120 forty-terajoule lasers-which easily overwhelmed and occupied the whole of the British Isles and most of the Continent within a week's time, the remainder of the French and British government and military retreating to French Guiana and Belize respectively to continue what would ultimately be a losing battle.

Canada falls to American forces in spite of three weeks of desperate and determined resistance by Canadian citizens and the remnant Canadian Forces; a Canadian Provisional Government, headed by retired Air Force Lieutenant General Donald Collings, oversaw the dismantling of the Canadian Confederation and the First Nations into separate Americanized States.

AD 2013.10.18. With political infighting, racial strife, and economic chaos dragging the city of Macon into anarchy, the federal government sent troops into the city, dissolved Macon's , Payne City's and Bibb County's charters, arresting and executing all prominent leaders, President Reid then turning the entire city of 91,700 over to the United States Bureau of Prisons, which swiftly transformed Macon into the first and most infamous of the metropolitan prison zones, the federal government rerouting Interstate 75 and several major federal and state highways around the newly-established penal facility.

The remainder of Bibb County is then annexed into the Greater Warner Robins Metropolitan Area.

The city of New Orleans-all but demolished by three years' worth of Category 5+ hurricanes- becomes the second Metropolitan Prison Zone on October 29, 2013.

AD 2016. The night of the 2016 Presidential elections ended with neither the incumbent Reid nor his Republican challenger, Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, winning the majority of either the popular or electorial votes, victory on both fronts instead going to former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, an ex-Democrat running as an independent.

Before word of this has any opportunity to spread across the InterWeb, however, the complete and total annihilation of Washington, D.C. and the resulting deaths of the President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House, virtually all of Congress and most of the federal government was to take center stage.

Almost immediately, Senate President pro tem Sam Brownback-at Robins Air Force Base at the time of the attack-assumed the Presidency, appointing the head of the NSIC and CEO of ATT-Walcorp, General of the Army Robert Joshua "RJ" Williams, to the Vice Presidency, the two men appearing on the IW, telling the American people they ordered the destruction of the nation's capital and the virtual decapitation of its government and military command structure, because,"quite frankly, ladies and gentlemen, they have betrayed all of us[as Vice-President Williams so bluntly put it]."

Brownback and Williams went on to say that al-Qaeda did not exist, never had existed, that Reid, in league with the European countries "who've always been out for our blood[Brownback's words]," the United Nations and "powerful and vocal minorities in our own home soil" had planned and executed the terrorist attacks against the Pentagon and World Trade Center fifteen years before, with the express purpose of "turning each of us against the other, so that they could rule unmolested over us all[Vice-President Williams]."

This "conspiracy of darkness[later referred to as the Conspiracy]," as President Brownback called them, had most certainly infiltrated and manipulated the electorial process so that "their Antichrist" could assume the leadership of the most powerful nation on Earth and, by extension, over the entire world.

The American people proved entirely too eager to assist NSIC agents, National Guardsmen, Marines, Navy SEALs, State and local police in hunting down the conspirators in their midst, imprisoning without trial those who were not murdered outright, President Brownback immediately ordering the Federal Election Comission reorganized and brought under the authority of the NSIC, the resulting Federal Election Adjustment Comission then given absolute authority to adjust the results of any election in American soil "to more accurately reflect the will and wishes of the majority."

AD 2017.1.3. Vice-President Williams' first act upon convening the remnants of Congress-reorganized, out of expidence, into a unicamerial body- was to introduce legislation disbanding NASA, outlawing all civilian space programs as "an extravagance which this nation can no longer afford," and forbidding research and development into alternative energy sources to fossil fuels and nuclear fission, for the same reasons given for outlawing civilian space travel.

This left only Arianespace, in French Guiana, feverishly(and secretly)working with the French and British governments-in-exile on efforts to colonize Mars and other planets in the Solar System.

The Williams Act also called for increased funding to the military space program, administered jointly by the Navy and Air Force-under the aegis of the Joint Space Command-authorizing construction of five more Ralston-class JMOBs to be completed by 2026 and expansion of the orbiting missile-defense system built four years before to cover the entire globe.

The American government and people celebrate the passage of the Williams Act and President Brownback's signing it into law by destroying the Space Station Unity and all those aboard with a barrage from the Ralston's lasers on January 6, 2017.


AD 2017.9.25. Haziri Koru(Eta Cassiopae A) system colonized by the Haziri. The system's third planet is named Zoonai Haziri(Dwelling of the Chosen) and designated the Haziri homeworld, the Haziri rewriting history to state that this is the racial birthplace and that Zoonai Nef Boru was a penal colony established by the Haziri for "aliens and other undesirables."

The Haziri go on to colonize or conquer worlds in several nearby star systems, including the Neveleim colony on Tau Ceti II(later to be known as Big Sky). The Neveleim, along with proto-humanoids from the other conquered worlds, are shipped to Zoonai Haziri to serve as breeding stock.

AD 2018.7.4. American citizens cheered when the Ralston's lasers turned the Statue Of Liberty into boiling slag, Americans having been led to believe by the media and the government that the Statue represented "wrong thinking[as Vice-President Williams put it]."

In its place, the American government erected the 1,000-story tall Statue Of the American Hero, the world's tallest structure until the completion of the Warner Robins Command Complex a year later.

AD 2019.1.15. President Brownback unleashed Operation Eastern Freedom, the latest Freedom War, beginning with simoultaneous antimatter-warhead strikes against Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Pyongyang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohoma, Sapporo, New Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Karachi and other major Asian cities, moving a massive amount of troops over land, sea, air and space into the area, forcing the capitulation of Japan, Vietnam, and both Koreas that very day, with the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Taiwan surrendering the day after, Malaysia and Indonesia lasting a week before they too fall.

WARCOM then launched a full-scale invasion of Russia and China.

AD 2019.3.21. Work is finally completed on the massive and labyrinthine Warner Robins Command Complex or WARCOM-standing a majestic 17,760 feet above the rest of Robins Air Force Base and occupying nearly five miles of the base reservation-President Brownback dedicating it in a ceremony carried live on the IW, the American government and the Joint Chiefs moving from their temporary quarters at Vermont's Greenbriar Resort and Cheyenne Mountain respectively into their new home two weeks later.

AD 2019.3.21. The survivors of the European Community succeeded in launching the Ariane VI rockets carrying the military and colony ships bound for Mars, even as American soldiers overran Central America, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana during the final phases of Operation Southern Freedom in March of 2019, the colonists, upon landing on Mars, moving into an O'Neill colony cylinder constructed by teams of engineers and laborers sent ahead eighteen months earlier.

Over the next eight years, New Europos-consisting of all the refugees of the now-European States Of America, as well as from the rest of American soil-would flourish, growing to eight large O'Neill colonies-New London, Eurostadt, Liberté, Carl Gustav II, MacKenzie, New Halifax, Uhuru and Stanhope-stretching across the Syria Planum, in addition to colonies in the Solar Asteroid Belt and in the Jupiter planetary system.

AD 2019.4.15. The United States' response to the European refugees' colonization of Mars was swift, the American military initiating Operation Martian Freedom with aerospace strikes launched from the Ralston and its sister JMOB, the General John P. Jumper, these forces being met in high Martian orbit by the the Hermes V attack spacecraft of Arianespace's private military force, the Force Militáire Arainespace(by now, the de facto European armed force), employing antimatter ordinance(in particular, the earliest model of the thirty-megaton Sledgehammer torpedo)and laser weaponry of their own to savage the slower, less maneuverable JMOBs, the Europeans destroying the Jumper, before it could launch its SA-3s and SF-22s , crippling the Ralston, forcing it to limp back to Earth.

Dubbed the "Syria Planum Turkey Shoot," by even the American media, Operation Martian Freedom proved a demoralizing and humiliating defeat for an American military accustomed to an near-unbroken string of victories, the NSIC working overtime to delete all record of the operation at the same time President Brownback directed them to "find the cause of why and how we fucked up, even if you have to reformat the whole goddamn military."

The NSIC does precisely that, declaring nearly ninety-nine percent of the Armed Forces-including all of the Joint Chiefs save the Director Of National Security,Texoma-Halliburton CEO and Tulsa-based Webeveangelist Reverend Andrew Dixon-non-American, Brownback disbanding the military, mobilizing the corporate security forces into the Inter-Corporate Spacefleet(ICS), promoting the head of ATT-WalCorp Security Division, Admiral Art Weston, to the rank of Fleet Admiral, elevating the newly-installed Commander In Chief, Spacefleet(CINCSPACE) to the Cabinet.

At the same time, the ICS put forward a bid to build "independent-cruising space combat vehicles"-later more commonly known as cruisers-heavily-armed spacecraft smaller, faster and more maneuverable than the JMOBs, designed both to protect the larger craft during deployment and to carry out strikes against enemy targets prior to JMOB deployment, MacDonnell-Boeing submitting the winning bid, work beginning on the first of the Arleigh Burke-class cruiser almost immediately for the ICS and its parent corporate military forces.

AD 2020.4.11. Americans celebrated President Brownback's dissolution of the United Nations, the arrests and lynchings of its staff and diplomats, and the razing of its New York headquarters on April 11, 2020 with fireworks and parties throughout American soil.

What little of the world remaining outside American control accepted this with virtually no protest.

AD 2020.9.12. The NSIC received evidence of the Conspiracy having subverted the Australian and New Zealand governments to their own ends.

Four hours after Vice-President Williams announced that on the IW at noon that day, both the Australian and New Zealand governments-staunch American allies for nearly seven decades-not only adamantly denied the existence of the Conspiracy on their respective home soils, but also presented incontrovertible evidence that the NSIC had manufactured their findings out of thin air.

Twelve hours later, the Ralston and the newly-built JMOBs Henry Arnold, Carl Spaatz, Ernest King and Charles Lockwood pummeled Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and several smaller Pacific Islands with a massive orbital bombardement, the Inter-Corporate Marine Corps landing in force almost immediately after that, taking three months to secure both nations and begin their Americanization.

AD 2020.9.18. The first copies of the True Christian Bible appeared in e-book form on the InterWeb, the NSIC's Office of Public Protection confiscating all other Bibles, placing them on the Banned List, rewriting history to say those versions never existed at all.

AD 2020.9.25. Congressman Arnold Scwarzenegger of Northern California and Congressman Charlton Heston of California introduce legislation banning women completely from the military, citing incidents such as the Al Gharib prison abuse scandal seventeen years earlier, as well as the Syria Planum Turkey Shoot, for justification.

The measure passed unanimously, President Brownback signing it into law, the NSIC rounding up the few women remaining in the ICS and shipping them off to prison camps worldwide.

That news, however, swiftly faded from the public's attention, distracted as it was by Congress' reinstitution of the draft(the 2020 Selective Service Act) that same day, basing it on a "social contribution score"-a two-digit hexadecimal(base-16) number derived from family history, family income, personal beliefs, gender, sexuality, religious background, voting record, criminal background, credit rating, education level, employment status, and future employability-lowering the mandatory draft age from 18 to 13, and increasing the active-duty tour to ten years, followed by life in the Inter-Corporate Reserves.

Riots rocked every major American city-attributed by the government to the Conspiracy-causing over 3,500 deaths and over three billion dollars in property damage, before the NSIC and the newly-created Marine Disciplinary Units suppressed the last of them a week later.

AD 2020.11.8. The day after the elections, President Brownback announced a new Patriot Act.

The Patriot Act of 2020, in addition to expanding the scope of the NSIC's powers, mandated that the Social Contribution Score(SCS) be used to determine eligibility for driver's licenses, business licenses, passports and other forms of identification.

It further mandated that an American citizen must have a valid driver's license or military ID card in order to be permitted the right to vote, Brownback citing the Conspiracy's alleged meddling with the American electoral process over the previous twelve years as justification.

Finally, it called for the SCS to determine the maximum level of education an American citizen may receive.

In spite of all predictions to the contrary, the American people accept this without protest.

AD 2021.1.16. President Brownback enacted the Non-American Employment Act, which declared all non-Americans government property, to be used in "whatever manner benefits the American people," formalizing the practice of using the inmates in the custody of the National Bureau of Prisons as forced labor.

The Act also authorized tax breaks to any corporation in American soil employing non-American work gangs.

AD 2021.8.12. A survey of Saturn's largest moon in late June of 2021 revealed that its oceans are "almost pure crude oil," in the words of an Exxon-Conoco-Phillips Petro(ECP Petro) scout who participated in the survey.

President Brownback immediately approved colonization of Titan, and, on August 12, 2021, the first of the city-rigs, Cherokee Alfa-assembled in Earth orbit-is deployed in Titan's Western Ocean, along with three and a half million non-American laborers, 550 ECP Petro management and executive personnel, 22,500 ECP Petro security forces and two Marine Disciplinary Units.

Within five years, a hundred such city-rigs are in operation throughout Titan, along with a network of refineries, surface pipelines and launch facilities supplying an oil-starved America with nearly twenty and a half billion barrels a day.

AD 2021.9.30. Vice President Williams discovered President Brownback slumped over his desk in WARCOM's Red Room, dead from an apparent heart attack.

An hour later, Williams is sworn in as President by Chief Justice Clarence Thomas, Williams immediately naming Dixon his Vice President, with President Brownback laid to rest in his native Topeka two days later.

AD 2021.10.19. To minimize the "damage" his predecessor caused by allowing the colonization of Titan, President Williams' first acts in office were to implement a series of laws, later dubbed the New Intolerable Acts:

The Offworld Security Act: The Offworld Security Act forbade the children of Titan's first colonists, all those born on Titan and all Earth immigrants living five years or more on Titan from possessing a Social Contribution Score higher than A1, establishing a quota system which ensured the majority of American citizens living on Titan had SCSs which placed them firmly on the bottom rungs of the socioeconomic ladder.

The OSA also forbade any offworlder from owning or carrying firearms, unless engaged in a profession requiring their use; it further banned the offworld manufacture of firearms or other weapons.

The Military Security Act:The Military Security Act relegated Titan-born Americans to the lowest ranks of the ICS.

The Offworld Development Act:The Offworld Development Act, required Titan to both conform to an "offworld economic development plan," and export 60% of its industrial, agricultural and natural resources output to Earth, leaving 40% for internal economic development.

This became known as the "60/40 Rule."

The Enabling Act: The Enabling Act required all State governments, American businesses and citizens authorized to own personal technology-in particular, computers and their software-to purchase items exclusively manufactured by ATTWalcorp's factories on Earth, technology hardcoded to operate only by those with the appropriate Social Contribution Scores.

The Offworld Settlement Act: The Offworld Settlement Act forbade any further offworld colonization. It also expressly forbade ECP Petro from relocating its headquarters to Titan.

The Titan Statehood Act: The Titan Statehood Act established Titan as ECP Petro property; being private property, its citizens were thus not permitted to petition Congress for Statehood.

These measures, in particular, the Enabling Act, only encouraged the ECP Petro Vice President for Titan Operations and the Titan Development Council-the colony's de facto government-to colonize the Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Jupiter subsystems, as well as several asteroids in the Belt, in addition to trading with the New Europos colonies on Mars.

AD 2023.8.2. When the MASTERCLOCK satellite went on line on August 2, 2023, Congress abolished all the former time zones and established the American Time System(AMT), based on Eastern Daylight Time, with the prime meridian moved from Greenwich to New York City.

The New Europos colonies continued using the Universal Time System, setting up their own MASTERCLOCK satellite network(linked by subspace transceiver)to keep all clocks synchronized.

AD 2023.9.1. An Arianespace research team, headed by Doctor Hilary Smythe, invented the first practical artificial gravity generator-essentially a miniaturized O'Neill cylinder coupled to a metal grid by means of induction, encased in supercoolant.

Smythe and her team, in a live Webcast, told their online audience that AG technology was not so much a means to an end, as it was the first piece in "something special we're cooking up."

AD 2023.9.1. Congress abolished the minimum wage, established the maximum wage that employers were required to pay employees, basing it on social contribution score, eliminated all overtime pay, and mandated an 84-hour workweek for all Americans with SCSs of 4F or lower, when it passed the Federal Wage and Employment Act.

The resulting twelve-hour workday created immediate and record unemployment(33.3%), the result of entire shifts being eliminated, President Williams explaining this as "companies ridding themselves of those who are too lazy and unproductive to keep pace with today's competitive marketplace, malcontent whiners who, rather than correct their own shortcomings, waste their days blaming others and making excuses for their poor performance."

AD 2023.12.15. Rolls-Royce Advanced Technologies Group developed the first magnetic shield generator; along with advanced free-electron lasers utilizing solid-state pumps made of Uranian and Neptunian carbonados, this technology is incorporated into the Astrolabe-class cruisers under development in the Solar Asteroid Belt,

Mag shielding, as it becomes more commonly known as, along with AG generators, provided the basis for the city of Cydonia, the first Martian colony not contained in an O'Neill cylinder.

AD 2024.1.8. Congress passed the Internal Immigration Act, forbidding non-Americans and those citizens with social contribution scores of A9 or lower from traveling outside their assigned "neighborhood blocks" unless traveling to and from work or school, imposing a curfew of 16:00 AMT on all American citizens with Social Contribution Scores less than A9, the Act thus earning the informal name "the 1600 Law."

AD 2025.9.6. Arianespace successfully developed and tested the antimatter pion engine, which rapidly supplanted ion engines as means of interplanetary propulsion, antimatter power, in the same fashion, rapidly replacing fusion and fission power.

AD 2026.2.8. Reports of civil war in Kenya, Somalia, Mozambique and South Africa prompted the United States to unleash Operation African Freedom upon the southern and western parts of the continent, the military forces of the suriviving African nations fighting together surprisingly well, even after much of the continent is laid waste by sustained orbital bombardment

The outcome, however, remained the same, with the Gabonese and Angolan governments being the last independent African powers to surrender to the United States on October 19, 2026.

AD 2026.4.16. Hilary Smythe's promise of "something special" was realized when her team-consisting jointly of Arianespace and Rolls-Royce engineers-successfully married a specialized AG generator to an antimatter pion engine to create the first working warp engine.

The test vessel, the cruiser ASV Astrolabe, made the first acceleration to warpspeed on April 16, 2026, successfully arriving in the Alpha Centauri system on April 20.

At the same time, Arianespace's facilities on Gandymede and in the Asteroid Belt scrambled to build as many Astrolabe-class cruisers and Mark I Corsair warp fighters as possible, counting on both Astrolabe's success...and the expected WARCOM response to that success.

Upon her return to Mars on May 1, 2026, Smythe wasted little time in uploading the warp engine specs into the InterWeb, the resulting open-source document downloaded and copied countless times before the NSIC succeeded in wiping every trace of it from the IW.

The New Europos colonies gathered an expedition to colonize the second planet of Alpha Centauri A, which the Astrolabe's survey had determined to be suitable for human life.

AD 2026.6.12. On President Williams' orders, the four ICS JMOBs and their attendant cruisers are feverishly refitted with warp engines, President Williams, in a live Web-cast, telling the New Europos colonists,"you will not leave! God and I both will see to that!"

AD 2026.6.14. Just as the European colonization expedition of 15 colony ships, 12 Astrolabe-class cruisers(including the Astrolabe herself, under Smythe's personal command) and 120 Corsair warp fighters gathered in Martian orbit, the JMOBs Arnold, Spaatz and Lockwood-under the command of Texoma-Halliburton Admiral Joshua Huff- unleashed an attacking force of 150 Arleigh Burke-class cruisers and 2,160 Tomcat IV warp fighters, which emerge from warpdrive in orbit around the Martian moon of Phobos, where an FMA force of 700 Hermes V attack spacecraft, 27 Astrolabe-class cruisers, and 400 Corsair warp fighters-supported by laser, missile, and torpedo emplacements on the surface of Phobos itself-were waiting to engage them.

In a running, six-hour battle the FMA forces succeed in destroying two enemy JMOBs(the Lockwood and the Spaatz), 104 of the 150 cruisers and 1,500 of the 2,160 Tomcats, at the cost of 500 Hermes V attack spacecraft, 19 European cruisers and 200 Corsairs, the Arnold withdrawing to Earth orbit before it too can be targeted and destroyed.

The colonization expedition managed to accelerate to warpspeed unmolested.

AD 2026.6.18. The colonization expedition emerged from warpdrive in the Alpha Centauri A system four days after the battle over Phobos.

As they begin decelerating on orbital approach vector towards Alpha Centuari A II, the colonists are intercepted by the Ralston's cruisers and warp fighters 0.75 AU from the planet, the Ralston assuming station over the planet's north pole.

After Fleet Admiral Weston's order for the colonists to "return to the Solar System at once or face the consequences," was rejected, the Astrolabe leads the European forces against the enemy, Smythe and her crew shot down during the first few minutes of the fighting, command of the FMA forces falling to Commander Melissa Marley, master of the cruiser Calypso, Marley forming the remainder of her command into a flying wedge punching its way through the Ralston's fighters and cruisers with massed laser, missile and torpedo volleys, the Calypso destroying the Ralston with a single Sledgehammer torpedo, clearing the way for the colonists to land.

AD 2026-2036. The First Diaspora.

In short order, the colony on Alpha Centauri A II, which the colonists name Excelsior, was followed by colonies on Alpha Centauri B IV(named Astrolabe in honor of the fallen Smythe and her crew), Proxima Centauri I(Barsoom), and Barnard's Star Ib(Albion), Ic(Alouette), IIa(Dulcinea), IIb(Alanso Quijano del Bueno), and Iic(Gil Blas) as well as smaller colonies throughout the four extrasolar systems.

Collectively, New Europos, Titan, and the extrasolar settlements became known-even amongst Americans-as the Colonies, WARCOM and its media going out of their way to paint all of the Colonies-especially Titan and New Europos-as a twenty-first century dark continent, rife with poverty, violence and "all manner of perversity[as President Williams described the Colonies to YouTube's William Rush]."

AD 2026.6.16. In desperation, the Russian and Chinese governments formed an alliance to stop the American offensive, the Alliance's aerospace forces unleashing a furious assault against the ICS' two remaining Ralston-class JMOBs using their newly-developed warp fighters. Over a four-hour period, both the Arnold and the King , along with 750 cruisers, are brought down by near-suicidal warp fighter attacks, the ICS losing space superiority in near-Earth space, and are forced to bring two of their newly-completed and untried Ticonderoga-class battle cruisers-the Sand Creek and the Wounded Knee-into the fight just to prevent Luna from falling to the enemy, the two battle cruisers-smaller and more maneuverable than the JMOBs-driving the Russo-Chinese forces back to Earth orbit in three days of bloody fighting(June 17-19, 2026), momentarily establishing space superiority in near-Earth space on the 20th of June, setting the stage for another ten bloody years of fighting on the ground and in space.

In this manner, the "cruiser initiative" as the reorganization of the Inter-Corporate Spacefleet became popularly known, gained momentum, Congress halting all construction on JMOB-class ships, instead building additional Ticonderoga-class battle cruisers, North Carolina-class heavy cruisers, Arleigh Burke-class cruisers, and Tomcat warp fighters, until, by the end of 2027, the ICS was completely reorganized.

AD 2026.12.24. Reasoning that "those at the very lowest levels of our society are the ones who consume the most of our great Nation's time and resources,"as President Williams, in his live Webcast, put it, Congress passed the Federal Taxpayer Responsibility Act, making it retroactive to calendar year 2020.

The Act inverted the tax brackets, requiring that those Americans with Social Contribution Scores of 6A or lower to have up to 75% of their income withheld for taxes throughout the year and that their employers file additional tax returns in January of every calendar year which takes another 50-75% of their income, while those at the top of the socioeconomic ladder(those with Social Contribution Scores of E1+) "having contributed more than their fair share to our Republic every day of their lives[from President Williams' Webcast]" are not only not required to pay taxes, but also become the only ones permitted to receive refunds.

The ensuing Tax Riots throughout the American States on Earth are ruthlessly suppressed by Marine Disciplinary Units and ONS SWAT teams, President Williams blaming this on the Conspiracy's "never-ending attempts to put an end to the great American experiment[from his live Webcast of January 1, 2027]. "

AD 2026-AD 2036. As the New Intolerable Acts become more intolerable to the citizens of Titan, ECP Petro began trading more and more with the Colonies, their mutual, informal trading agreement reducing their dependence on Earth, while, at the same time, strengthening their common identity as Colonists.

WARCOM responded to this situation with as much force as they can muster, given they are still engaged in fighting in Russia, China and near-Earth space, ECP Petro's Security Forces and the FMA cooperating in keeping the trade routes open, Arianespace providing ECP Petro with Cydonia-class battle cruisers, Bannockburn-class heavy cruisers, Astrolabe-class cruisers, and Corsair warp fighters to aid in Titan's defense, Titan, in turn, providing the rest of the Colonies with refined hydrogen for antimatter power generation and crude oil for polymer manufacturing.

AD 2027.2.28. President Williams enacted the Government Simplification Act, eliminating those government departments considered outdated, redundant or dangerous to homeland security...in this manner the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security(the NSIC having supplanted both it and the Department of Justice), Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Defense(supplanted by the ICS), Transportation, Veterans' Affairs and Education are all eliminated, the Department of Education's functions being transferred to the NSIC's newly-created Educational Testing Service(ETS)and to the education departments at the State level.

Also, the Act abolished Congress, replacing it with the Group of Nine, consisting of the CEOs of MacDonnell-Boeing, Colt-Smith-Wesson, Gulf-Westinghouse, The Ford-Davidson Group, ECP Petro LLC(replaced by Marmon-Berkshire LLC in late 2036), American Power and Petroleum, represenatives from Texoma-Halliburtion and ATTWalcorp and the Vice-President(who remained head of Texoma Halliburton), President Williams justifying this measure with a statement that "unlike the lazy, fat-assed politicians we had before, these men can get things done.[from his live Webcast on March 1, 2028]"

The first action the newly-established Group of Nine(or, simply, the Nine) took was to pass the Paperless Society Act, outlawing printed and paper records, documents, and currency of any kind, requiring that all records, documentation and money be stored on line as ATT InterWeb Office documents.

AD 2027.3.18. The Nine passed the Social Security Act of 2027, eliminating Social Security benefits, Medicare, and all aid to the handicapped, formally replacing the nine-digit Social Security number with an eight-digit Citizen Profile Code String, simply known as the CPC, utilizing a hexadecimal numbering system with digits representing State of residence(the first three digits), date of birth(the next three digits) and the SCS(the final two digits).

The 2027 Social Security Act also replaces all other forms of identification, including passports and drivers' licenses, with the Universal ID Card(UID), containing only computerized biometric data, a digital picture and the CPC, requiring all citizens to have an SCS of 4F or higher in order to have a UID, with anyone not possessing a UID being branded non-Americans.

AD 2028.7.4. The Nine confirmed President Williams' enactment of the American Culture Act.

The Act made official the eradication of non-American cultures, defining precisely what American culture truly was and mandating the death penalty for anyone who failed to conform to it.

As part of that definition, the Christianity of the Christian Church, female hetereosexuality, masculinity-including the Platonian concept of male friendship-and the English language are all mandated by law, with all histories rewritten to reflect the superiority and divine predestination of the American way, all trappings of other cultures-even so much as a kilt-aggressively burned away by the agents of the NSIC's Office Of Public Protection.

The new law also banned the observance of Halloween, Christmas and "all other holidays which are non-American and/or pagan in nature," declaring 9/11 the sole legal holiday in American soil.

Moreover, all Americans are now required adopt "American" names and to take elocution lessons to remove all trace of non-American accent from their speech.

More bizzarely, the American Culture Act outlawed procreation, even amongst non-Americans, Vice-President Dixon defending this provision by dismissing human sexuality and reproduction as "just another damn, dirty Conspiracy trick."

The American people cheered the American Culture Act as a good and necessary thing, throwing everything from dreamcatchers to Christmas trees and bagpipes into "Christ's cleansing fire, burning away of the divisions imposed upon us by His enemies and ours[from President Williams' live Webcast]."

AD 2036.1.1. After much debate(and, given the radio and subspace broadcasts they'd intercepted, great reluctance), the Anazazi and the Nevelem decided to contact Humanity via subspace transceiver, rebroadcasting the recording carried on one of the ancient NASA space probes to Earth and the Colonies.

While WARCOM endeavored to suppress all knowledge of this broadcast, the New Europos Parliament hotly debated the idea of sending a manned expidition to the Ross 614 system-determined by Arianespace Intelligence to have been the source of the transmission-over the course of the next eight and a half months.

AD 2036.8.31-9.10. The Eleven-Day War.

AD 2036.8.31. The Russo-Chinese Alliance is forced to surrender, following a string of disastrous defeats, culminating with the destruction of the Russo-Chinese military and aerospace force in the Battle of Ulaanbator on August 26-28, 2036.

At the same time, the remnants of the Russo-Chinese military fight their way out of Earth orbit, escorting a ragtag fleet of refugee ships to Cosmograd, their space colony at the Lunar L5 point, Cosmograd becoming overcrowded and under siege, with a contingent of FMA cruisers and fighters being dispatched by Parliament to aid in the colony's defense.

At the same time, ECP Petro and the Titan government organize an evacuation of Cosmograd, culminating in the three and a half hour Battle of Cosmograd, during which the combined FMA , ECP Petro and Russo-Chinese forces managed to evacuate most of the colony's 152 million refugees and personnel, in spite of horrific casualties.

AD 2036.9.1. The FMA cruiser Calypso arrived in the Ross 614 system, immediately establishing contact with the Confederation of Two Races cruiser Nayaee.

Before any progress can be made, however, all three cruisers find themselves under attack by the whole of the Gulf-Westinghouse Security Forces, under the command of the company's Chief of Military Operations, Admiral Scott Phillips, dispatched by President Williams to wipe out the aliens and all trace of their culture.

Phillips immediately found himself in a pitched battle upon emergence from warpdrive, his flagship, the battlecruiser Bull Run, destroyed by a volley of thirty-megaton antimatter torpedos launched from the Calypso, the Krotan Koru and Nayaee accounting for several more heavy cruisers, with reinforcements dispatched from Zoonai Nef Boru, the Anazazi, Nevelem and the Europeans finding both common cause and common ground in the course of the two and a half-hour battle.

With the destruction of the Gulf-Westinghouse fleet, Marley and her crew were given an immediate audience before the Council of Equals(the de facto governing body established by both races immediately after the War of Purification), news of this spreading throughout the Colonies and Earth itself.

Incensed by Phillips' failure to carry out his orders, Presdient Williams ordered the ATTWalcorp Security Forces dispatched to the Ross 614 system.

It is at this point the Confederation Council of Clans learned, via the FMA command in Cydonia, of the fighting raging throughout Human-colonized space, as well of the planned second WARCOM assault against Zoonai Nef Boru, the Council not hesitating to pledge all the forces they can spare to aid in the Colonies' defense.

AD 2036.9.1. WARCOM arrested and executed ECP Petro CEO, former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Josiah Tatnall, dissolving ECP Petro, as it dispatched units of the Inter-Corporate Spacefleet to Titan, Mars and the other Colonies in what President Williams promised would the "final campaign against all those who love tyranny and hate freedom."

ECP Petro Vice-President of Titan Operations, Erin McKinstra, immediately issued a declaration of independence, formally allying her people with the other Colonies, as together, they prepare to fight for their survival.

FMA and ECP Petro forces successfully routed ICS starships in orbit around Jupiter and Saturn in a series of running engagements, while the four-day long battle over Mars degenerated into a bloody meatgrinder, with WARCOM's forces finally repulsed at the cost of nearly 60% of the combined European and Titan starships committed to the fighting.

AD 2036.9.4. Haziri launch a full-scale assault against Anazazi and Nevelem space, with Calypso and her crew thrown into the thick of the fighting when the Haziri Home Fleet assaulted Zoonai Nef Boru directly.

In a fierce ten hour battle, the combined European, Nevelem and Anazazi forces smash the Haziri Home Fleet, Calypso and her commander earning the admiration of both Anazazi and Nevelem alike when they singlehandedly destroy six Haziri battlecruisers, including the flagship, Sword of the Righteous, with a combined laser and torpedo fusillade.

AD 2036.9.5 Second Battle of Excelsior ended in the complete and utter annhilation of ICS forces precisely one hour following their emergence from warpdrive, with pitched battles near both Barsoom and Astrolabe ending with similar results.

AD 2036.9.6. ICS forces defeated at Albion and Alouette through the combined efforts of the FMA, ECP Petro Security Forces, and the Confederation Nofohaz, with barely ten percent of the invading forces making it back into warpdrive.

AD 2036.9.11. Calypso instrumental in the combined FMA/Nofohaz defeat of ATTWalcorp forces emerging from warpdrive inside the Ross 614 system .

New Orleans and Uhuru lead a combined Colonial assault against WARCOM forces Earth orbit, scattering the enemy before them in a running five-hour battle-resulting in the loss of the Uhuru with all hands and the death of ECP Petro CMO Admiral William C. Graves aboard the New Orleans, along with 65% of the remaining Colonial forces-landing troops on Earth itself.

With the aid of the Hajime Yatate and ordinary citizens, the Colonial Forces succeed in driving WARCOM and its supporters from Earth.

A direct assault on WARCOM itself resulted in the apparent death of President Williams; however, a sizeable portion of the ICS-including the flagship, the ATTWS Sand Creek-managed to make it into warpdrive before they could be destroyed.

AD 2036.9.22. The Sand Creek is intercepted and pummeled by the Calypso near Procyon, the Sand Creek enetering warpdrive, in spite of damage which ensured it would never re-emerge in normal space.

AD 2036.10.02. The remnants of the Inter-Corporate Spacefleet overwhelm and conquer Zoonai Haziri, renaming it Terranova-swiftly moving forth from there to subjugate the rest of the Haziri worlds.

The commander of the ICS, Fleet Admiral Benjamin Israel Zellner, assumed the Presidency of what he termed "the New America."

The Haziri, in exchange for the complete dismantling of their culture, become full citizens of the New America, while their Neveleim and other captives become the property of the citizens of the New America.

Zellner amended the American Culture Act to legalize procreation by citizens.

AD 2036.10.05. The former American States, the Colonies and the Confederation formally merge into the Commonwealth of Free States with the ratification of the Fundamental Articles of Commonwealth by all parties in the new Commonwealth Legislature Building in Fort Gibson, Free State of Oklahoma.

The Nofohaz, ECP Petro's Security Forces, and the FMA merge into the Commonwealth Military Forces, or, simply, the Commonwealth Forces.

Allegra Percival-Clarence, the President of the New Europos Parliament, is elected President of the Commonwealth, as ECP Petro's acting Chief Of Military Operations, Admiral Doremus Jesup Hicks, is appointed the Commonwealth Forces' first CMO.

AD 2036-2056. The Second Diaspora. On the heels of the Commonwealth victory during the Eleven Days' War, Humanity spreads outward from Earth and the First Colonies to colonize several worlds within a 100 light-year radius of Earth, Mars and Titan.

AD 2036.10.31. The pelagic world of Cor Leonis(Regulus I) colonized by the Commonwealth.

AD 2036.11.11 The garden worlds of Firestar(Algeiba A II) and Recherche(Algeiba B IV) colonized from Cor Leonis.

AD 2045.2.14. ECP Petro Terraforming Division completed the terraforming of Summer Rain(Chort I). The first world successfully terraformed, the Summer Rain project and its eventual colonization by colonists from Firestar, Recherche and Cor Leonis encourages the Commonwealth Parliament to fund the terraforming of Mars and Titan and the ecological reconstruction of Earth.

AD 2045.2.14. Arianespace and Rolls-Royce refined artificial gravity technology, making breakthroughs in gravitic induction which allow for more compact and powerful grav field generators, short-range grav beam projectors and grav shielding which serves as starship, vehicle and personal armor.

A by-product of this research is improved containment fields for antimatter reactors and warp engines, as well as more efficent drivefield generators. Both of these breakthroughs allow a starship to generate the necessary power to enter warpdrive instaneously, on demand, and allow for faster warpspeeds.

AD 2050.12.11. The New America falls apart during the Great Civil War, as a rebel movement on Terranova seizes a sizeable portion of the southern and central regions(the South Coast and the Fall Line, respectively) of the continent of Basseterre.

This dissident faction began calling itself the Free Republic of Terranova, forming a parliamenatry government and asking the Commonwealth for aid.

Terranova Governor and Texoma-Halliburton CEO Archangel Micheal Zephniah Lang, acting as President of the New America, formed the State of Terranova from the counties in Basseterre's North Coast, and immediately launched a full-scale offensive to assimilate the Free Republic.

AD 2051.7.4. Commonwealth forces sent to aid the Free Republic of Terranova find themselves the victims of betrayal, as the Free Republic's corrupt leaders and Lang's government form an alliance against them.

Many Commonwealth soldiers and spacers are either killed, or worse, taken prisoner and then slowly brutalized to death, as the remaining Commonwealth Forces ground and space units stage a fighting withdrawal from the Eta Cassiopei A system.

This treachery engendered lasting bad blood between the Yankers(as Terranovans are disparagingly called by the Commonwealth)and the Commies(the Terranovans' favorite printable insult for Commonwealth citizens).

AD 2052.2.29. With the ratification of the Articles of Union and the Official Code of Terranova, the Republican Union of Terranova formally came into being, following seven months of assimilating the worlds of the former New America into its domain. A merger of Free Republic and New American systems, the new Union government is headed by Lang as Governor of the Union and former Free Republic Prime Minister Paul Houmika, who became the Union's first Prime Minister and head of the newly-established Terranovan Security and Intelligence Directorate.

The Commonwealth referred to the Union as the "Rude Union of Yanker Backstabbers," or, simply, the Rude Union.

AD 2069.3.21-2072.3.17. The War of '69.

AD 2069.3.21. When the people of Twice-Born(Eta Cassiopei B II)rebel against their Terranovan masters, the Commonwealth immediately joins the fighting, coming to the aid of the Twice-Born rebels and declaring war against the Union, the Governor of the Union, Earl James Busbee, immediately declaring war against the Commonwealth, as the Commonwealth Forces unleash a full-scale assault againstTwice-Born, liberating the planet after eighteen months of bitter ground and space fighting.

AD 2071.2.2. Terranovan forces soundly defeated in the Fourth Battle of Excelsior by the Commonwealth Forces' Eight and Tenth Fleets.

AD 2072.1.1. Following a bloody campaign to liberate Fianna (Wolf 424 B I)from Yanker forces, Governor Busbee approached the Commonwealth Parliament with an offer of peace.

AD 2072.3.15. As peace talks drag on between the Commonwealth and Terranovan governments, Governor Busbee ordered the Terranovan Republican Spacefleet's Ninth Fleet to unleash a viral and chemical attack against the natives of Fianna, the resulting attack-using plutonium oxide gas seeded with a mutagenic virus-murdering nearly a half billion soldiers and civilians on Fianna.

In anger, the Commonwealth Forces CMO, Angelique Gault, orders a retaliatory strike against Terranova, the Commonwealth Forces Home through Fifteenth Fleets darkening the skies over the Terranovan legislative capital of New Whitehorse and the judicial capital at Atlanta Three two days later, the Terranovan government issuing a surrender and an apology after three hours of nonstop orbital bombardement, as ECP Petro began the long, painful process of ecologically repairing Fianna.

AD 2075.2.16. In a controversial decision, Terranova Governor Busbee contracts with ECP Petro's Terraforming Division for the ecological repair of Big Sky.

AD 2082.1.6.-2091.9.11. The Nine Years' War.

AD 2082.1.6. Following Governor Busbee's arrest and execution by his Prime Minister, Guy Thomas Zellner-the son of Benjamin Zellner-and the decision of the people of Big Sky to declare independence from the Rude Union, the Terranovan government launched a sneak attack against the ECP Petro permanent terraforming station on Big Sky's moon of Clavileno, catching the lone Commonwealth cruiser Unbroken- command of which falls to her twenty-one-year old first lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander Jamilinne Sipe-by complete surprise, the Unbroken waging a bloody battle against ten fleets of Terranovan cruisers in an effort to screen the evacuation of Clavileno's ten thousand personnel from the station.

In ten hours of fighting, Unbroken succeded in effecting the evacuation of 6,500 of the station's personnel, destroying nearly 75% of the enemy's cruisers, before being forced to enter warpdrive, reaching Titan Spacedock a day and a half later.

As anti-Terranovan sentiment rans high throughout Commonwealth space-with the entire Terranovan diplomatic mission in Fort Gibson massacred by a lynch mob-Commonwealth President Angelique Gault and now-Governor Zellner both issued declarations of war against one another, sparking the bloodiest war in human history.

Sipe becomes a national hero in Commonwealth soil, praised for her efforts in saving most of the station's personnel.

AD 2085.6.9. The Liberation of Avalon. As Terranovan forces launch a full-scale assault against Cor Leonis, two Commonwealth Forces cruisers-the Unbroken and the Invincible-emerge from warpdrive in the system barycenter of the binary worlds Avalon(Cor Caroli VIa)and Alisande(Cor Caroli Vib), both Terranovan colonies.

Launching a surprise hit and run assault against both worlds and the ten fleets of enemy warships orbiting them, the two Commonwealth forces cruisers-under Jami Sipe's command-succeed in wiping out the colonial government on both worlds and enough of the infrastructure for their enslaved peoples to revolt, both cruisers then succeeding in wiping out 1,550 Terranovan cruiser-class machines, with the Invincible-mortally wounded, its main lasers knocked out, its missile weapons and warpfighters spent, and most of its crew of 36 dead-making the ultimate sacrifice, when her commander, Sarah Lawrence Grey, enters warpdrive on a direct intercept course for the Terranovan flagship, the battle cruiser Chickamauga, which destroys both ships and three hundred other Terranovan machines as well.

The remaning enemy ships withdraw, as the Commonwealth Forces 8th through 27th Fleets emerge from warpdrive in Avalon orbit to assist the badly-damaged Unbroken.

For her efforts in the battle, she becomes a hero to the people of Avalon and is dubbed "the Avenging Angel of Avalon," by bloggers on the InterWeb.

AD 2089.11.14. At the height of the fighting on Big Sky, the Unbroken discovers a sprawling prison camp in Happy Valley, near the city of New Helena on the planet's eastern continent of New Montana.

Dispatching almost her entire crew, Sipe personally leads the fight to liberate the prison camp-where all of those captured on Clavileno are incarcerated, along with nearly ten million others from throughout Union soil-losing fifteen people, succeeding in finding only thirty-six survivors amidst the hell they've liberated.

News of this reaches the Commonwealth government, who immediately authorized CMO Rebekah Tilghmann to reinforce Unbroken's surviving crew, as the atrocities of Happy Valley only convince the Commonwealth to continue the fight, no matter the cost.

AD 2091.9.10. In a desperate bid to take back the Tau Ceti system, Zellner deploys nearly a thousand fleets, the Commonwealth countering with nearly as many ships, setting the stage for the twenty-four hour Tenth Battle of Tau Ceti, which turns out to be the bloodiest battle in human history, claiming fifty-seven billion lives on both sides, before the Terranovan Chief of Military Operations, Fleet Admiral Rahman Deas, finally received orders from Zellner to lay down arms.

AD 2091.9.11. Deas, acting as Zellner's represenative, signed the Tau Ceti Accords aboard the bridge of the Unbroken. The Accords forced the Terranovan government to recognize Big Sky's independence, at the same time agreeing to pay a total of TtCr 320(320,000 trillion credits) in reparations, most of which was to go the ecological repair of Big Sky.

Deas was then recalled to Terranova, where Zellner relieved him of command and demoted him to commander, appointing Admiral Kennisaw Mountain Sipe Fleet Admiral of the Terranovan Republican Spacefleet and Chief of Military Operations.

AD 2101.9.11. Present

The Commonwealth Of Free States

 

The Commonwealth Of Free States

 

General


The Commonwealth Of Free States-known simply as the Commonwealth-is a confederation comprising the former American States on Earth, the First Colonies and the worlds colonized by them during the Second Diaspora.


It is, in equal measure, both a parlimentary and a popular democracy, with the people gaining more and more power over the course of its 65-year history.


Government


The Fundamental Articles

"The Articles are the heart and soul of our people, that which tells us we are better than we think we are...that we must be better than we think we are, or it is the end of everything."

 

Then-President Melissa Marley, KC.C., three days before she was killed in action during the War of '69, 1 May. 2070


The law of the land-the only law of the land-is the Fundamental Articles of Commonwealth(known simply as the Articles amongst the citizens of the Commonwealth), consisting of three hundred eighteen titles and sixty-five million very plainly-written words, including the most important and sole non-repealable words of all-Title 1, outlining the inalienable civil rights and responsibilities of the people of the Commonwealth, consisting of (so far) one hundred sections detailling rights and responsibilites.


Treason: Title 1, Section 1, paragraph 84(I.i.84) defines treason as "any action-including the willful violation of the law of the land or blatant disregard of sentient rights and civil liberties-which serves the cause of this Commonwealth's enemies and undermines the traditions of democracy and rule of law upon which this Commonwealth is based."


In short, any act of malfeasance, any criminal act(mainly felonies), any failure to act in self-defense or otherwise promote the ideals of the Commonwealth by any Commonwealth citizen is an act of treason


In particular:


  1. I.i.84.19 prohibits any form of discrimination against anyone, for any reason.


  1. I.i.84.21 forbids any form of slavery within Commonwealth soil.

  2. I.i.84.11-14 requires Commonwealth citizens-within or outside Commonwealth soil-to act in self-defence if the life, liberty or well-being of either herself or another is threatened in any way, using whatever means necessary, up to and including deadly force.

  3. I.i.84.17 explicitly forbids, and has always forbidden, the use of, manufacture of, importation of, exportation of or possession by anyone, of devices of torture within Commonwealth soil.


Treason for felony-level acts is punished by the death penalty, whereas misdemeanors are punished with banishment from Commonwealth soil for life.




Amendments To the Articles: Any decision of Parliament and the people, or any popular referendum amends the Fundamental Articles, with one important exception.


Title 1 may be added to, but no part of it may be repealed, nor may any proposed addition to Title 1 contradict any existing part of Title 1 in any way. Additions to Title 1 must have a ninety percent majority from the people of the Commonwealth in order to pass.


The Power Of the People

"' You people let the emeffing rabble dictate policy.'

 

And, that is why we will win...that is why we will always win.' "

 

Exchange between Terranovan Governor Guy Thomas Zellner and Commonwealth President Lilith Angelique Gault, KC.C., on the InterWeb, 11 October, 2097

 


First and foremost, the people of the Commonwealth are in charge of their own affairs.


All laws proposed in and passed by Parliament must be approved(confirmed) by a two-thirds majority of the people of the Commonwealth.


Alternatively, any Commonwealth citizen may draft a referrendum, submitting it to the President, who must immediately submit it to the people of the Commonwealth for a vote or be automatically removed from office(and executed for treason).


Passage of a referendum into law requires a two-thirds majority of all Commonwealth citizens.


All actions taken by Parliament must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the people of the Commonwealth...any declaration of war by either Parliament or the President, or any other intevention by the CF must have the approval of seventy-five percent of the people of the Commonwealth.


All State and Commonwealth budgets must orginate as referendums,and each cabinet officer is required to post his department's annual financial report on the IW for all to see....and to allow anyone coming in off the street to examine the books to make sure she isn't being lied to.


The people of the Commonwealth reserve the right to recall any public official from office at any time. A recall motion is started by one person drafting a petition, which automatically calls for the official in question to appear before an assembly of his constituents to give a full accounting of his actions before them...after a full accounting, the recall petition is circulated, and if 51% of his constituency sign it, he is recalled from office.


As per Title 1, Section 1, paragraph 6, failure of any Commonwealth public official to appear before a recall assembly is grounds for automatic removal from office and for trial on charges of treason.


As per Title 1, Section 15, paragraph 9, anyone recalled from office may not present himself as a candidate for any election within Commonwealth soil for a period of seventy-five years, nor may he hold any position within the Commonwealth government for that same period of time.


The Order Of Commonwealth: The people of the Commonwealth also have the responsibility of investing worthy candidates with the Order of Commonwealth, the Commonwealth's order of knighthood and its highest military and civilian honor.


Investment is handled via the election process(q.v.) and is accomplished by a ninety-percent majority of the people of the Commonwealth.


Those awarded the Order of Commonwealth may either attach the letters O.C.(Order of Commonwealth) or KC.C.(Knight Commander of the Commonwealth) after their names or use the title Sir or Dame before their names.


The Electorial Process

"Political parties are not even allowed in the Communist State Of Slave Worlds. How can you possibly call yourself a democracy when you don't even allow political parties?!"

 

John Jimson to his third-period Flynt County High School Interstellar Politics and Geography class, 28 February, 2096

 

The people of the Commonwealth have a great deal to say about who holds public office.


The electorial laws(Title 1, Section 3 of the Fundamental Articles) call for the following process to be carried out for all elections, plebiscites, referendums, confirmations and recalls:


1) The Delcaration Phase. On the day of the election, the people of the constituency in question gather together in assembly. Those wishing to run for the office under consideration either announce themselves or are nominated by others at that time and not before, with the stipulation that prospective State and Commonwealth cabinet officers be from amongst the most senior and/or most qualified of the members of their respective departments.


2) The Interrogation Phase. After the last candidate has announced himself, all the candidates go offstage or into a separate room, and, one by one, each of the candidates is called out to face a grueling question-and-answer session by the people he wishes to represent/serve...this part of the electorial process is the lengthiest part of the process, taking , on average, anywhere from three to eighteen hours to complete....with Angelique Gault holding the record of having been grilled for the longest time by her constituents, who, in 2072, was quizzed exhaustively by all 32.4 billion of her fellow citizens for a period of 193 hours and 57 minutes, going home utterly exhausted...and being confirmed in office as President of the Commonwealth the following morning.


The questions allowed in this process are questions pertaining to qualifications and character.


3) The Election Phase. After the last candidate has been questioned, the people of the constituency in question vote, with the candidate receiving the most votes winning the election...usually, Commonwealth elections tend to be unanimous.


Title 1, Section 3, paragraph 5 calls for mandatory elections every seven years.


The declaration phase in plebiscites and referendums consists of the topic of either one being announced, with the people debating the resolution itself during the interrogation phase. In recalls and votes of confirmation, the person being subjected to either confirmation or recall is quizzed by the people she serves during the interrogation phase.


Elections and recalls are decided by a 51% majority, with confirmations, plebiscites and referendums generally being decided by a two-thirds majority.


Parliament


"You know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we were to become extinct a couple of years down the road. We have a good President, a competent Cabinet, and the people pretty much know what's best for them; they don't really need us.

 

That's a good thing, by the way."

 

Commonwealth Forces Fleet Captain Jacqueline Lacey, M.P., KC.C, from the Dominion of Cor Leonis, to Lyle Hammond on The YouTube Mid-Morning Show, on the 5th anniversary of the Tau Ceti Accords, 11 September. 2096


 

Parliament is the last vestige of the original parlimentary system, consisting of 312 beings elected for an unlimited number of seven-year terms, sixteen cabinet officers and the President, also elected for the same duration....however, any member of Parliament can be recalled from office at any time if 51% of the State he represents sign a recall petition.


Unlike traditional parlimentary systems, there are no political parties in the Commonwealth...anyone can run for the at-large seats, and often, there are up to thirty people vying for one at-large seat when it comes time for elections.


Each of the Commonwealth's member States has three seats in Parliament, one of which is statutory and held by the head of the State's government(q.v.), while the other two are at-large post filled by direct election.


A member of Parliament is entitled to either referring to herself by the title "Legislator" or to add the initials MP(Member of Parliament)as a suffix to her name.


The Cabinet

The sixteen cabinet officers are elected at large by all the people of the Commonwealth, with the exception of the Chief Justice of the Commonwealth, whose position is a statutory one. The sole difference between these positions and the normal electorial process is that candidates for each cabinet post must be amongst the most senior and/or the most qualified of the members of their respective departments.


The Commonwealth Chief of Military Operations and the Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth are both members of the Cabinet, elected at-large by the people of the Commonwealth.


The Cabinet, as chief administrators of their respective departments, oversee the operations of their departments.



The Courts


The Commonwealth court system consists of one supreme court for each State and the High Court of the Commonwealth Of Free States(known simply as the Commonwealth High Court or the High Court).


Each State's supreme court is the court of original jurisdiction for all non-capital criminal cases, military and civilian, within its jurisdiction(civil disputes being handled exclusivelly by the Ministry of Civil Arbitration ).


The State supreme court consists of a single justice elected at large by the citizens of her State of residence, plus a jury of twelve beings drawn from that State to determine guilt or innocence based on the preponderance of the evidence and testimony presented to them in court and on their own investigations outside of the evidence and testimony presented to them in court.


The State justice-not the advocates on either side-is responsible for gathering all witnesses whose testimony bears relevance to the case being heard; she also passes sentence specified by the Articles for the offense(s) for which the accused has been convicted of.


Above the dominion courts is the High Court of the Commonwealth Of Free States, with original jurisdiction in all felony(capital)cases and appealate jurisdiction in all other criminal manners. The people of the Commonwealth elect two justices at large, those justices in turn electing the Chief Justice of the Commonwealth, who is also a sitting cabinet officer and must be confirmed in office by the people of the Commonwealth. Assisting them in criminal matters is a grand jury of twenty-three citizens drawn from throughout the Commonwealth; it is they who decide guilt or innocence based on the preponderance of the evidence


The highest judicial body in the land, the High Court's decisions are both final and enforceable under the terms of the Fundamental Articles...noncompliance with a decision of the High Court is punishable as treason...no exceptions.


Both the supreme courts and the High Court have the added function of reviewing any law proposed by Parliament/State legislature or any referendum to determine if it contradicts any of the civil rights outlined under Title 1 of the Fundamental Articles...should the proposed law or referendum fail to comply with Title 1 in any way, it is automatically withdrawn from consideration.


The President

"There's no need wasting your time trying to persuade me in any case, Zellner. I'm only the President."

 

Commonwealth President Lilith Angelique Gault, MP, PC, KC.C., to Terranova Governor Guy Zellner, discussing the normalization of diplomatic relations via the InterWeb, 18 August, 2098

 

The President is chief administrator of the Commonwealth government, commander in chief of the Commonwealth Forces, first citizen of her nation, the voice of her people and the duly-bound executor and servant of their will, as expressed through the Fundamental Articles.


She is elected by a 51% majority of Parliament(and does not have to be a sitting member of Parliament, though , as per protocol, she suffixes the initials MP to her name in any case) and confirmed in office by a two-thirds majority of the people of the Commonwealth, serving for an unlimited number of seven-year terms. As de facto head of Parliament, she is responsible for calling it into session and for recessing it.


As chief administrator of the Commonwealth government, she is responsible for its day-to-day running, with full authority to fire any government official, including any cabinet officer, with removal in this fashion being automatically confirmed if no plebiscite is called by either the prime minister or the affected government official within thirty days of termination.


As commander-in-chief of the Commonwealth military, she may order the CF to intervene in any situation calling for intervention under the Articles. In wartime, she is also obligated to command the Commonwealth Forces and lead her people from the front lines.


As the duly-authorized voice of her people and first citizen of her nation, she may act unilaterially for the good of her people, up to and including declaration of war. She may not, however, take any action which contravenes the Articles in any way.


Most importantly, as the duly-bound executor and servant of the popular will, she must do as they ask and what the law demands, no exceptions allowed.


This also means any decision she takes unilaterially is subject to a plebiscite, called either by the prime minister or any Commonwealth citizen, to confirm her decision.


A two-thirds majority is required to confirm her decision, and it is automatically confirmed if no plebiscite is called within thirty days of her decision.


A President who acts contrary to the will of her people, as expressed through plebiscite or referendum, is automatically removed from office, tried before the Supreme Court, and, if found guilty, ejected into space, as called for by the Articles.


Fortunately, this has yet to happen in the Commonwealth's sixty-five year history.


As per protocol, the President suffixes the initials P.C.(President of the Commonwealth)to her name.


Removal From Office

The President and any of the cabinet officers may always be removed from office in one of three ways, barring conviction on criminal charges or direct contravention of the Articles:


1) By simple majority(50% plus one vote) vote of no confidence by both the Legislature and the people of the Commonwealth.


2) Defeat in any election.


3) By a recall petition signed by 51% of the people of the Commonwealth.



Commonwealth Bonds and the Aggregate Commonwealth Profit

 

" They don't have a Gross National Product....my God, man,they don't even collect taxes...how can you run a country without collecting taxes?!"

 

Terranova Prime Minister Micheal Bauer, in his 6 March, 2095 interview with Lyle Hammond on The YouTube Mid-Morning Show


As per Title 1, section 6, paragraph 20 of the Articles, each Commonwealth citizen can elect to have up to 25% of her paycheck automatically invested in Commonwealth bonds(or C- notes), essentially investing in the Commonwealth government.


Every fifth of April, a holiday in Commonwealth soil, the people of the Commonwealth gather in assembly to draw up the republican and Commonwealth budget referendums; at that time, the money invested in C-notes(held in escrow by the Chancellory of the Exchequer's intranet by means of hard-logic imperatives until the Financial Holiday) is allocated, the people deciding what should be funded and what should not be funded, the Chancellory of the Exchequer's AIs automatically(and subconsciously, again, through hard-logic imperatives)allocating the revenue generated over the previous financial year as directed by referendum.


All monies left over after the people of the Commonwealth have finished funding the State and Commonwealth governments for the new financial year is referred to as the Aggregate Commonwealth Profit, or ACP, which is a more realistic indicator of economic health than the Gross National Product indicator used by the various human nations, as the GNP figure is invariably a political fiction used to justify agendas contrary to the will of the people, and the ACP is tied directly to personal and corporate earnings.


The ACP is then divided equitably amongst the people...most of whom choose to put their share of it back into C-notes.


Under the Articles(1.6.20.iii), any Commonwealth citizen has the right to review the Chancellory of the Exchequer's books, at any time, to ensure everything is as the Articles specify.


The Commonwealth Constabulary

The Commonwealth Constabulary, or CCs, as they are called, is the sole State and Commonwealth police force. Organized much like the old Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the CCs' enforcement of the law is very much low key, with CCs preferring to look for the reasonable alternative first and resorting to force only when everything else has failed.


The CCs are subdivided into 104 State commands, plus several special starport and spacedock security detachments(assigned to the starports and spacedocks throughout Commonwealth soil)and a parlimentary security detachment, responsible for the protection of the members of Parliament, including the President(assuming she actually wants a CC escort...which hasn't been the case for the past five decades and previous two Presidents).


Each of the State commands is headed by the State solicitor, and organized into separate constabulary, wildlife, criminal investigations, judicial security, emergency services and tactical divisions, each headed by a coloniel(or detective superintendent), and the special detachments are each headed by a coloniel/detective superintendent.


Uniformed CC personnel wear powered skeinsuits with grav shielding and are armed with stun sticks and massdriver pistols, with massdriver rifles available as needed.


Tactical units carry massdriver rifles at all times, in addition to their sidearms.


The CC dress uniform is a white long-sleeved dress shirt, black pants with white stripes along the pants legs and a dark brown beret.


The CC are headed by the current Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth, Grey Starling.


The CC badge is a gold shield with the Commonwealth coat of arms engraved in the center, and the words "FOR RULE OF LAW AND FOR THE PEOPLE ," engraved along the bottom, just above the badge number, and is worn on the left breast of all CC uniforms.


The Ministry Of Civil Arbitration

"The smallest ministry, yet one of the most useful...by keeping civil squabbles out of the courts, the Ministry of Civil Arbitration frees them to deal with far more serious criminal matters...and, by forcing the parties involved to face each other directly and make them talk to each other instead of through lawyers, the Ministry cuts out all the nonsense lawsuits and succeeds in permanently settling the genuine civil disagreements which occur."

 

Doctor Celeste Brimmer, The International Encyclopaedia of Political Science, 2099 edition

 

Those who have availed themselves of the MoCA's services say it is an idea whose time has come...arbitration has kept the relatively trivial civil squabbles out of the Commonwealth courts and has led to more reasonable and equitable settlements than any court of law could ever grant.


Civil complaints are handled in the following manner:


1) One of the parties involved makes a formal request for a Commonwealth Arbitrator to settle their complaint. Alternatively, the parties involved in the squabble can be ordered to appear before a Commonwealth Arbitrator, if the CA receives a petition signed by fifteen people associated with or affected by the parties in question and their squabbling... a drastic measure which has become known as the Impact Law(Title 1, Section 73, paragraph 11), this proceedure has only been used once in the history of the Commonwealth, during the 2034 IHL players' strike, when the player-owners of the Cor Leonis Blues, the Firestar Flames, the New Toronto Maple Leafs, the Timmonsport Shooting Stars, the New Polaris Silver Knights, concessions and sports-memorbilia owners and outraged fans forced both the owners and the IHL Players' Association to settle up before then-Arbitrator-General Michelle Slaybaugh, after the IHL Board of Governors refused to take action...and, after Slaybaugh threatened to slap a lifetime embargo on the IHL inside Commonwealth soil if necessary...it seems just having it on the books is incentive enough for feuding parties to seek a settlement on their own.


2) The CA informs the other party or parties that binding arbitration has been requested, requesting their presence in the CA's office to settle the matter once and for all. Should any of the parties in the dispute be a corporate or givernmental entity, the head of that entity is the only one who will be allowed to attend the arbitration session...under Commonwealth law, attorneys may not even advise in civil matters, nor may any other Commonwealth Arbitrator give advice concerning any civil matter he is not handling personally(all arbitration sessions are confidential)...any violation of the rules concerning civil arbitration(Title 2, Section 83, paragraphs 1-14, as well as the aforementioned Title 1, Section 73, paragraphs 1-12) is punishable as treason.


3)All the parties in the dispute talk things out and arrive at a settlement, at which point the CA again informs them that any decision reached here is final, with no appeal allowed.


The Ministry is the smallest in the Commonwealth government, with one CA for each State and a small staff of seven assisting the Arbitrator-General of the Commonwealth in Fort Gibson...and, it has proven itself worth the small expenditure the people of the Commonwealth put into it every year.


The ministry is headed by the Arbitrator-General of the Commonwealth-Doctor Gabrielle Zimmer-a cabinet officer, and its seal is two hands shaking superimposed upon the Commonwealth Tricolor, with the MoCA motto Lassiez Non Vené Entre Nous( Fr: Let nothing come between us)scrolled along the bottom.


The Commonwealth Forces

 

"...we are all citizens, not just of our Commonwealth Of Free States, but all humanity...that, and that alone, is what obligates us to fight for all those others, Mister Chairman, why we will-why we must-go to war for the sake of even one person, not the need to play policeman...unless, of course, you mean as in the desire to see justice and rule of law prevail, but that is also the obligation of every man, woman and child...why you can't see that simple truth escapes me."

 

Then-Commonwealth President Julie Tallgeese, to then-Terranova Governor Earl James Busbee, 23 September. 2074, two days before she was killed in action in the Battle of the New Belfast Corridor

 

"That whut I talkin' a-bout, blood brother...anyone who underestimates dem dam' Commies gonna take it up dey butthole every time. Every muthafuckin' time."

 

Overheard between two Terranovan men in the streets of New Whitehorse, the day after the signing of the Tau Ceti Accords, 26 September, 2091

 


"The Commonwealth Forces are our best represenatives and the living embodiment of our ideas...they believe that the right thing is the only thing to do, and they believe in the good fight...the Yanker military, on the other hand, only pretends patriotism and pays lip service to all those noble ideas such as freedom and human rights, just so they don't have to admit they're nothing but a pack of murdering animals. They scoff at our CF, mock their passion, dismissing it as fanaticism, find a never-ending array of reasons why they're weak and we're doomed to fall...well, maybe we will fall one day...but, I know, that as long as our Commonwealth Forces are there at the end, we will go down believing, and we will go down fighting."


Web blogger and Firestar Legislator Irma De Long, MP, KC.C., during her weekly Web blog, 2 November, 2091

 


General Information


"I am a soldier of the Commonwealth.

I will defend and honor my people and the Fundamental Articles.

I will speak for the silenced.

I will fight for the defenseless.

I will protect the innocent and the good.

I will free the oppressed.

I will destroy evil.

If I must, I will lay down my life in the service of this oath, for betrayal is worse than death.

This I swear in the presence of my comrades.

NO SURRENDER! COMMONWEALTH FOREVER!"

Oath Of the Commonwealth Forces

 

The Commonwealth Forces is that rarity in military history, a true integrated and unified armed force, numbering precisely 1,101,324,472 beings in five regular service arms, 120 Albion-class battle cruisers, 360 Cosmograd-class heavy cruisers, and 960 Dauntless-class cruisers in its Fleet's 120 fleets and 120 field commands in its Legionnaire Corps with a total of 1,160 combat divisions, 500 divisions of which are heavy infantry, the other 660 being combined-arms units.


The Commonwealth Forces are absolutely committed to fighting in self-defence or in defence of another, going out of their way to avoid killing.


The second respect from which it differs from most human military forces is the almost complete lack of bueraucratic "fat" within the CF...what Logistics and MedCorps do not provide in the way of support services is either outsourced to civilian corporations, or is provided by the members of the CF on their own.


For example, the CF allows civilians to establish businesses on their base and Headquarters reservations, charging only a modest rental fee(usually 10% of quarterly profits)-even the famous(or infamous....)canteen at Commonwealth Forces Headquarters is civilian-owned and operated.


This serves to keep the Commonwealth Forces out of the retail business and allow it to devote its energies to the job it was created to do-"...defend our Commonwealth and our ideas, as embodied by the Fundamental Articles and the popular will, against those who would seek their destruction, and to uphold and practice those ideas at all times, even at the risk of life and limb.[10.1.1]"


Also, the Commonwealth Forces have eliminated the need for mess hall facilities simply by resorting to the radical idea of teaching its people how to cook for themselves, applying the commonsense notion that buying and cooking your own dinner is a hell of a lot cheaper than eating out...especially when it's on the taxpayers' dime.


In short, where the Yanker military have two billion otherwise useless rear-echelon troops supporting" a billion warfighters, all 1,101,324,472 of the Commonwealth Forces's beings, even the Logistics and Medical Services Arms, pull their own weight.


Thirdly, unlike the Terranovan military, who simply take what they want when on foreign soil, Commonwealth Forces units pay their way.


Each Commonwealth Forces unit, from squad-level on up, has a requisition fund with which they can buy food, provisions and, if necessary, munitions from whatever populace they happen to be amongst; moreover, Commonwealth Forces personnel are required and actually do treat all others with the utmost respect, in accordance with the 2056 New Utopia Accords, the Fundamental Articles, and the oath they swore on enlistment.


Fourthly, the Commonwealth Forces believes the right thing to do is far more important than the political or convenient thing to do...even if doing right means disobeying direct orders. The beings of the Commonwealth Forces have been known to risk their lives and their careers to rescue emprisoned comrades, aid female victims of raping-male persecution in the various nations however they can, come to the aid of those in distress, bring the bodies of either their own, or perfect strangers home for proper burial, tend to the wounded, again either their own, perfect strangers or even the soldiers of whatever nation has decided to use the people of the Commonwealth and their allies for target practice.


Though this code of honour has been a source of great annoyance and exasperation to both the Military Operations Staff, who don't like seeing their people risk their necks in the defense of Commonwealth ideas, even if that was in the job description, and to Parliament, for much the same reasons, neither the people, the beings of the Commonwealth Forces...nor the Military Operations Staff and Parliament...would have their Commonwealth Forces any other way.


Finally, the Commonwealth Forces has a radically different philosophy concerning their leaders...in time of war, the place for a flag officer in the Commonwealth Forces, especially for any member of the MOS, is on the front lines with the rest of his people and not sitting back safe in some rear area far from the fighting.


Or, in the words of CF Deputy Chief of Field Operations, Admiral Mariah Treadwell: "Those who are willing to give orders and believe in those orders must therefore be the first ones willing to obey those orders."


The day to day running of the Commonwealth Forces is carried out by the Military Operations Staff, consisting of the heads of all the regular service arms, and the Chief of Military Operations, elected at large by the people of the Commonwealth from amongst the most senior and the most qualified of all the Commonwealth Forces officers, with the current Chief of Staff being Rebekah Lee Tilghmann.


Commonwealth Forces Arms Of Service

"Safe job?! Jesus H. Christ, but are you in the wrong effing line of work."


Master Chief Quartermaster Zek, of Clan Oropoho, head of the Logistics Arm supply depot at a MedCorps field hospital in Manyglacier, on Big Sky, to Quartermaster 3d Class Jakob Quan, three hours before a Terranovan assault against the facility, 11 June, 2090

 

"Goddamn, in how many armies do you see combat engineers, medics and supply clerks fighting right alongside the front-line soldiers...and, especially, how many times are you going to see generals right out in front fighting with their troops...God help us, if we ever get on the wrong side of the Commie Forces again, 'cause nothing else will."

 

Overheard between two Terranovan Republican Marines on maneuvers, 16 August, 2055, four months before Terranovan forces attempted to annex Ivanov during the Capellan Wars


 

The Commonwealth Forces is comprised of five arms of service, as follows:


  1. The Fleet: Responsible for all military operations in space, the Fleet comprises 120 Albion-class battle cruisers, 360 Cosmograd-class heavy cruisers, and 960 Dauntless-class cruisers in its Fleet's 120 fleets.



The spacers of the Fleet wear slate-grey flight suits with grav shielding(called greys or Commonwealth greys), and are armed with laser pistols and laser lances, with access to laser rifles and autolasers.


Because all Commonwealth Forces Fleet personnel start their careers as warpfighter pilots, they are traditionally referred to as "brown shoes."


Their arm insignia is a winged sword.


2. Legionnaire Corps: Responsible for all ground force operations, the Legionnaire Corps consists of 120 field commands, with a total of 1,160 divisions and 33,408,000 beings.


Five hundred of those 1,160 divisions are heavy infantry, with each heavy infantry division comprised of three brigades, with each brigade consisting of three regimental combat teams of five battalions apiece.


The heavy infantry units are exclusively heavy infantry, with no supporting arms and are highly mobile and powerful.


Each heavy infantryman rides a Mark VIA Nike Heavy Infantry Combat Suit into battle.


Standing over three meters tall, and massing five and half a metric tons, the Nike is armed with four five-terajoule lasers, two on each arm, four shoulder- and four chest-mounted multi-missile launchers, twelve head-mounted five-hundred gigajoule autolasers, and a large laser lance for close combat, and is equipped with advanced chamelon and intruder systems, powerful radar and multiscanners, grav shielding and plasma jump jets.


Outside their suits, heavy infantry personnel wear greys and are armed with laser pistols and laser lances.


The Commonwealth Forces's AFVs, artillery,armor, air support and infantry are in the Legionnaires' 660 combined arms divisions and two independent combined-arms brigades, with each division consisting of three combined arms brigades, each combined arms brigade comprised of three combined arms regiments, each consisting of four combined arms battalions.


Each combined arms battalion consists of a field artillery company, an air-support company and three infantry companies, with each infantry company consisting of twenty WIG Lynx Mark VII AFVs, each of which transports a standard infantry squad of eight beings.


The Lynxes carry a two person crew and are armed with a robotic turret with a pair of five-terajoule lasers, two co-axial five-hundred gigajoule autolasers , four corner-mounted five-hundred gigajoule autolasers, four five-hundred gigajoule autolasers in a quad turret atop the troop bay and four multi-missile launchers in turrets all along the outside of the vehicle; the standard infantry squad deploys from the Lynx using plasma jetpacks integral to Legionnaire armor to propel them through the battlefield.


Air support units use Mark VII Bulldog hoppers, armed with a pair of five-terajoule lasers, four five-hundred gigajoule autolasers and four multi-missile launchers.


Finally, every company of Legionnaires has a Mark III Bulldog dropship at their disposal. Bulldogs are armed with a pair of five-terajoule lasers in the nose, a pair of autolaser quad turrets in the belly and two multi-missile launchers on either side of the spaceframe.


Combined-arms personnel wear slate-grey Legionnaire armor, and are armed with laser pistols and laser rifles as well as with laser lances, with every third person in a standard infantry squad carrying an autolaser; every fifth platoon of a combined-arms company is a heavy-weapons platoon, whose personnel wear a version of Legionnaire armor known as an "artillery suit," augmenting strength and dexterity and equipped with either a pair of shoulder-mounted five-terajoule Man-Portable Laser Systems or fifteen-tubed Man-Portable Artillery Rocket Systems.


Heavy weaps troopers carry standard armament in addition to their MPLSs/MPARs.


As Legionnaires wear red berets instead of the issue grey, they are often called "red caps."


Their arm insignia is a winged hand clutching a dagger.


3. MedCorps: The Commonwealth Forces's medical corps, assigned as needed to other Commonwealth Forces units and bases.


MedCorps personnel wear greys and are equipped with field medical kits, laser pistols and laser lances.


Their arm insignia is Asecphilus superimposed onto a white cross superimposed onto the Commonwealth Forces seal.


4. Logistics : The Commonwealth Forces's quartermaster, construction, transportation, technical support and combat engineering arm. Logistics personnel build the Commonwealth Forces's bases, fly the Commonwealth Forces's assault transports, keep the other Commonwealth Forces arms supplied and fed, carry out much of the Commonwealth Forces's R&D, repair the Commonwealth Forces's equipment, and act as the Commonwealth Forces's combat engineers, either repairing or destroying enemy fortifictions, equipment, et al, in wartime, or building bridges and repairing dams in peacetime.


Logistics personnel wear greys, are equipped with laser pistols and laser lances, and have other equipment relevant to their mission. Combat engineers are also equipped with laser rifles.


Their arm insignia is an inverted triangle with the words "CAN DO" inside it.


5. Commonwealth Intelligence: Responsbile for all external intelligence gathering(and only external intelligence gathering).


Intelligence Arm personnel wear greys and are equipped with laser pistols and laser lances, with access to laser rifles as needed.


Their arm insignia is a silhouetted man in a trenchcoat and hat(known as the White Spy, after a cartoon from the twentieth).


Commonwealth Forces Dress Uniform, Headquarters and Rank Structure


The Commonwealth Forces dress uniform(or dress greys) is a long-sleeved grey serge jacket extending slightly below the waist, dark blue serge trousers with a grey stripe along the pants leg and a slate-grey beret, worn with both greys and dress greys.


Rank insginia is worn on the beret and on the dress uniform cuff, as well as on the cuff and/or helmet of Legionnaire armor, the arm insignia being directly above/inside the chevrons/stripes indicating rank.


The Commonwealth Forces pin is a flaming sword superimposed onto the Commonwealth Seal, with the motto NO SURRENDER! COMMONWEALTH FOREVER! scrolled along the bottom.


The Commonwealth Forces headquarters reservation is directly underneath the city of Cydonia Starport, on Mars. Headquarters is staffed by veteran officers and soldiers from all five regular service arms on a rotating basis, and by officers and soldiers who have either voluntarily or involuntarily(i.e., due to medical reasons) retired from the field but still wish to continue serving active-duty with the Commonwealth Forces.


Rank Structure: The Commonwealth Forces employ the following rank structure:


Enlisted Ranks


Rank

Required XP

Base Pay/Day

Midshipman

0

50

Midshipman 1st Class

50

75

Petty Officer 3d Class

75

100

Petty Officer 2d Class

100

125

Petty Officer 1st Class

125

150

Chief Petty Officer

150

200

Senior Chief Petty Officer

250

250

Master Chief Petty Officer

275

300

Warrant Ranks


Rank

Required XP

Base Pay/Day

Warrant Officer

300

400

Warrant Offiicer 1st Class

350

475

Chief Warrant Officer

400

525

Officer Ranks


Rank

Required XP

Base Pay/Day

Ensign

425

600

Sub-Lieutenant

450

620

Lieutenant

485

640

Lieutenant Commander

505

660

Commander

515

700

Captain

580

800

Fleet Captain

700

950

Rear Admiral

800

1,100

Vice-Admiral

950

1,250

Admiral

1,050

1,500

Chief Of Military Operations

1,200

2,000

Bonuses to daily pay include: +$250 Cr/day distinguished service bonus,+300 Cr/day "guinea pig" bonus(for testing new equipment), +$500 Cr/day hazard bonus, +$1,000 Cr/day exceptional service bonus, +$5,000 Cr/day ace bonus and +$5,000 Cr/day for the Order of Commonwealth.



Miscellanous Organizations



The Reciprocal Trade Organization


"Under their so-called laws, the lunatic fringe are actually allowed to make people pay for things with wolf pelts and livestock."

 

John Jimson to his sixth-period Flynt County High School Interstellar Politics and Geography class, 19 December, 2096

 

"Have any change for a herd of cattle?"

 

Asked in jest by a customer at Star City Furniture in Heart's Content, a member business of the Reciprocal Trade Organization, 11 August, 2097

 

 

This group of over ten million beings are dedicated to replacing money with a system of barter. The RTO's members accept only goods and services rendered for goods and services rendered, and the Articles mandate and protect an individual's right to pay with barter rather than with money. Under the Articles(1.3.28.iv.), anyone frequenting a business displaying the three linked orbs of the RTO must pay for goods or services rendered with the same-money, even Commonwealth credits, will not be accepted.


The RTO's structure is informal, with a small staff of volunteers at the Heart's Content office, who prepare and upload the RTO newsletter into the IW. Its members are not activist, knowing most people are still a bit uncomforatble with abandoning money and that they will come around in time.


RTO's sole office is in Heart's Content, on Firestar.


Commonwealth MagRail

"Their mag-rails all run on time...what does that tell you?!"

 

Talk-net host Carl Hamilton, making a comparison between CommonwealthGravRail and Fascist Italy on his syndicated show The Black Avenger, 11 August, 2088

 

"It tells me we must be doing a pretty damn good job."

 

Commonwealth MagRail dispatcher Wanda Lursen, commenting on Hamilton's comments that same day.

 

Commonwealth MagRail is a cooperatively-owned and run concern which manages all of the Commonwealth's public mass transit, including the ubiquitous mag-lev, wing-in-ground-effect bullet trains(known as mag-rails) connecting the various parts of Commonwealth soil together-its best-known and most-widely used service.


Commonwealth MagRail also operates passenger VTOL and shuttle services, as well as a starline service which competes with other major Commonwealth starline firms and a commuter bus and boat service.


In business since 2041, Commonwealth MagRail prides itself on courteous, efficent and reliable service, going out of its way to make those who use Commonwealth MagRail enjoy their expirienece with them. Commonwealth MagRail's terminals are known throughout the human worlds for their cleaniness, their lack of hassles, their safety and comfort and, rare for such places, their excellent food services and spic-and-span restrooms.


Moreover, Commonwealth MagRail has a well-deserved reputation for punctuality-if the next g-rail from Timmonsport to Rebecca is supposed to arrive at 20:30, it will arrive at 20:30, no sooner or later.


There is a Commonwealth MagRail main terminal in each city, supported by satellite stations throughout each republic. All fares are Cr 0.75 for any distance.


Commonwealth MagRail's main office is at Muskogee Starport, on Earth.


Other Information


Population: 32,419,285,400 persons(PR10).

Capital City: Fort Gibson, Free State of Oklahoma, on Earth.

Monetary Unit: Commonwealth Credit(Cr), equal to $14.5 TSC, subdivided into 200 half-pennies, 100 pennies, 50 tuppence(two pennies), 20 nickels, 10 dimes, 4 quarters, 2 half credits and 1.25 three-quarter credits

National Motto: John 15:13

National Anthem(Official):"Commonwealth Forever," lyrics and music by Gayle Sheridan, 2040

(Unofficial): "City Of New Orleans," lyrics and music by Woody Guthrie, 1940

Flag:



The Republican Union Of Terranova

 

The Republican Union of Terranova

 

"Nothing but death and eternal damnation for the Rude Union."

 

Commonwealth President Lilith Angelique Gault, in a speech before Parliament immediately following the attack on Clavileno, 15 January, 2082


General Information



The Rights of Zeds


"Zeds got too goddamn many effing rights, if you ask me."

 

Then-Terranova Prime Minister Guy Thomas Zellner, in an interview with Straight Talk host Gregory Delgado, 19 January,2078


Zeds have no rights in the Rude Union, Guy Zellner's lies to the contrary...they are forbidden to be anything other than beasts of burden, domestic drudges, brood mares and slaves, with even the slightest glimmer of ability in anything immediately being punished with brutallity unrivalled even by the worst of WARCOM's abuses, with those zed refusing to break being shipped off to a variety of places designed for their "containment."


Terranovan Child Labor Laws: As per Article 112 of the Official Code of Terranova, zeds can legally be put to work-in only the absolutely worst and lowest-paying jobs-at the age of ten, while other Terranovans aren't allowed to work until the age of twelve...the rationale for these low minimum ages being that Terranova, at the time of the Enosis nearly five decades ago, needed a way to exapnd the native workforce without recruiting offworlders.


It only outwardly appears discriminatory towards most citizens...outward appearances being more than sufficent for them to cry about being victimized, at the same time they brutalize their zeds out of the pittances they are allowed to have once the Yanker government gets through deducting health insurance, retirement, Union and county income taxes and a seven and three-quarters percent "welfare penalty" imposed on all zed workers in Terranovan soil simply because they get such preferential treatment over hard-working, taxpaying citizens to begin with....


Haziri Rights

 

"The law don't mean [crap], if you got a big [phallus].

That's how every country's run.

My well-hung hammer's the only friend I'll ever need.

I helped the Man, and the Man won.

I helped the Man, and the Man won...."

The Horses, "I Helped The Man(And The Man Won)," released 2089

 

While Terranova's Haziri population talk a great game about being discriminated against by the Human "majority," the truth is altogether different...Haziri are the jailers of the real inmates of Terranova's ghettos...zeds, incarcerated there to be worked to death in the mines, factories and fields in Yanker soil, dehumanised beasts of burden forced to perform the most dangerous, demeaning, degrading, exhausting, back-breaking shitwork in existence, subjected to the most casually unspeakable acts of sadism, while the "downtrodden" Haziri , successfully assimilated into Terranovan society at all levels, exhort the zeds to take responsibility for "their" bad life choices and enjoy the fruits of their labor and suffering.




The Terranovan Government


The Governor of the Union

"For Christ's sake, you're supposed to shoot mad dogs, not sit in judgement over them!"

 

Firestar Legislator and popular InterWeb blogger Irma DeLong, MP, KC.C., on the floor of Parliament, 20.November, 2089, in regards to Terranova Governor Guy Zellner


The Governor of the Union is an absolute dictator-in fact, if not by law-willingly installed in office by his citizen co-conspirators(from the northern fifty of the Union's 159 counties), zeds' votes being deleted from the Ministry of State's intranet in New Whitehorse just before the final results are tallied, and just after the Movie Board's mediacorps talk about how the newly-installed Governor successfully managed to appeal successfully to "the all-important zed voting bloc" ...just so zeds can be blamed for his misdeeds after he takes office....


The sole caveat is that he must please his fellow men, else they will combine and depose him-as happened with E.J. Busbee, deposed and executed by his lover, then-Prime Minister Guy Thomas Zellner, in 2082, Zellner being elected to a term of his own that same year and not holding elections until 2100.


In addition to his duties as chief executive officer of the Union, the Governor of the Union is also the head of the General Assembly(q.v.)and commander-in-chief of the military and the National Police.


The Governor of the Union stands for election every four years.


The Cabinet


Consisting of the heads of government agencies the Cabinet ministers are, in current order of succession(as per the Union Succession Act of 2057, amended 2217): the Prime Minister Of the Union-also head of the TSID(q.v.)-the Attorney-General of the Union, the Chief of Military Operations, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Prisons, the Minister of Family and Children's Services, the Minister of Health and Human Capital, the Minister of Labor, the Minister of Technology and Telecommunications, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister of Public Services, the Union Fire and Insurance Comissioner, the Minister of Natural Resources, the Minister of Transportation, the Minister of Colonial Affairs, the CEO of Texoma-Halliburton, the Chancellor of the University System of Terranova, the Minister of Corporate Relations, the Minister of Agriculture, the Secretary of State and the Minister of Education.


Cabinet officers serve at the whim of the Governor...and, he at theirs.


The Common Legislature

The Common Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house, or General Assembly, and the upper house, known as the House of Commons.


The General Assembly: Headed by the Governor of the Union, the General Assembly comprises ten members from each of Bassterre's fifty northern counties and plus non-voting Delegates from the Fall Line, the South Coast, the Terranovan Homesteads and all the offworld Terranovan colonies except Witch's Tit.


Voting members of the General Assembly-referred to as Assemblymen-stand for election every two years, while Delegates are appointed to their posts by the Governor of the Union.


The House Of Commons: The upper house and the actual seat of power in the Common Legislature. The Prime Minister presides over the House of Commons and is selected from amongst their number by majority decision of the members of Commons(referred to as Legislators).


Each of the North Coast counties elects an at-large Legislator to Commons, with that county's Chief Administrator serving as the statutory represenative to the House of Commons. Also, the Governor and the other Cabinet ministers serve as ex officio members of the House of Commons.


Legislators stand for election once every six years.


The Supreme Court


Twenty-three men who serve at the Governor's whim. Their job is to interpret the Articles of Union to benefit the government and their agenda.


They serve for life and convene every three months in Atlanta Three.


County Government


Each of Terranova's 159 counties is governed by a board of comissioners, elected every four years by their citizen co-conspirators, the comissoners, in turn, appointing a chief administrator to oversee the day-to-day running of the county, vesting in him supreme executive and legislative authority within that county.


Colonial Government

Terranova's offworld colonies are governed either as Special Military Colonies-absolute military dictatorships under the authority of a Commanding General(who holds the title Special Provost Marshal) answerable only to the Governor and the Union Security Council-as satrapies(offworld facilities) of Texoma-Halliburton(q.v.), run by Chief Administrators appointed by the Governor of the Union on the advice of the CEO of Texoma-Halliburton, as joint fiefdoms of both Excelsior and the Terranovan Armed Forces, or, in the case of Witch's Tit, penal colonies under the direct authority of the Ministry of Prisons.


No matter who runs them, their purpose is the same: Slave labor death camps for the zeds condemned to them.


Military



The Terranovan Republican Spacefleet


The Terranovan Republican Spacefleet is the elite service amongst the Terranovan armed forces, consisting of 180 fleets, for a total of 180 Governor-class battle cruisers, 900 Freeman Lang-class heavy cruisers, and 1,800 Benjamin Zellner-class cruisers.


The TRS also maintains a Pathfinder Command, consisting of some 120,000 Ranger-class long-range scoutcraft(called pathfinders). Pathfinder Command's mission is that of exploration, though, by some strange coincidence, the systems Pathfinder Command's scouts are assigned to explore just happen to be the ones colonized by the Commonwealth.


The TRS dress uniform is white, with either a sailor caps for its enlisted men or a peaked cap for its officers. Standard duty uniform is an olive-drab green flight suit and grav shielding, with a laser pistol and a laser lance for armament(security police also use laser rifles).


The TRS' commanding officer is the Fleet Admiral, who sits on the Union Security Council.


The Terranovan Republican Marine Corps


The Terranovan Republican Marine Corps is the ground fighting force of the Yanker armed forces, with 405 million men in its ranks, organized into 45 "shock armies," integrating both heavy infantry and armored forces at the regimental level; the heavy infantry using M80 heavy infantry combat suits equipped with six five-terajoule laser cannons, twin head-mounted multi-missile launchers and ten five-hundred gigajoule autolasers in addition to grav, while its armored units use UV-116 Mulroney wing-in-ground-effect(WIG) APCs and AV-51 Powell WIG main-battle tanks, Marine infantrymen wearing Mark II Land Warrior powered skeinsuits with grav shielding, armed with 500-gigajoule laser rifles, 250-gigajoule laser pistols and laser lances.


The head of the TRMC is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, an officer of five-star rank who sits on the Union Security Council.



The Special Forces Command

More ruthless than even the NSIC's infamous Marine Disciplinary Units, the Terranovan Republican Special Forces Command is the only special operations force in human hsitory to be constituted as a separate branch of service.


Its purpose: To serve as muscle for the TSID, the National Police and the Ministry of Prisons, in addition to standard commando duties in wartime and police duties in the Terranovan colonies not otherwise under the authority of Texoma-Halliburton(q.v.). Special Forces Command members wear blood-red berets and tiger-striped Land Warrior armor with grav shielding, their dress uniform being hunter green.


They are armed with massdriver rifles, massdriver pistols, chainblades and electrowhips.


The head of the Special Forces Command is the Commandant of the Special Forces, who sits on the Union Security Council.


The Terranovan Security and Intelligence Directorate


The Terranovan Security and Intelligence Directorate is the secret police force par excellence, with unlimited power to spy on people, arrest anyone on general prinicples, shoot to kill with impunity, enter homes without a warrant, interrogate anyone any way they feel appropriate-without regard to civil rights, health or continued existence of the subject.


The TSID have infiltrators everywhere in Terranovan soil, with a network of electronic surveillance devices built into every house, every lamppost, every traffic light, every garbage can, every ladies' restroom, every Moot House backroom....their undercover operatives are responsible for the smooth running of all criminial activity within the Union.


The TSID is further charged with external intelligence gathering as well. Its titular head is the Prime Minister of the Union, with the day-to-day operations overseen by a Director of Union Security who sits on the Union Security Council.


The National Police


The National Police is the Union's sole police force, organized into 159 commands at the county level, each headed by a full coloniel; they are singularlly ruthless in the execution of their job.


They are equipped with LAV-125 wheeled APCs, each armed with a turreted five-terajoule laser, as well as ACV-137U Spectre IV gunships, each armed with a five-terajoule laser, five five-hundred gigajoule autolasers on either side of the fuselage, grav shielding shielding and a plutonium oxide gas discharger; National Policemen themselves are armed with massdriver pistols, massdriver rifles and stunsticks, wearing Land Warrior armor and grav shielding for armor.


National Policemen patrol in two-man teams, driving Ford-Davidson Magnum police crusiers.


Needless to say, the National Police do not stop crime, nor is it their real purpose; the Gnats use the fear of crime as an excuse to perpetrate the most horrific atrocites upon zeds, and everyone else as well, and are invariably the first response any Governor has to any form of dissent, his next being to send in the Special Forces Command, immediately followed by the Marines....


The Adjutant General of the National Police is a general of five-star rank overseeing the day-to-day operations of the National Police and is a sitting member of the Union Security Council.


Miscellanous Organizations


The Cadet Corps


"A Cadet is a treacherous, disloyal, lecherous, hateful, dirty, filthy, [buggering], no-good, miserable excuse for a sad sack of [crap]."

 

Spray-painted onto the walls of the Cadet barracks in Freeman Lang, on Terranova, following the civilian rape-murder trial and conviction of Terranova Republican Special Forces Command Lieutenant Coloniel Eli Feldmann, a Cadet Corps commander and chairman of the Terranovan Fall Line Boy Scout Council, 22 September, 2217.


A Cadet is untrustworthy, loyal when conveneint, helpful when there's something in it for him, friendly to his fellow citizens when convenient and not at all to zeds, sadistic and cruel while pretending to be kind, unquestionlly obedient, a buttkisser to those above him, wasteful, greedy and wantonly destructive, brave only when the odds are stacked in his favor, disdainful of the dirt and sweat of hard work and of any compassionate, sympathetic emotions, especially towards zeds, and reverent to the institutions which allow him to be the cravenly sadistic monster that he is.



Every male in Terranovan soil must be in a Cadet battalion, starting in primary school, all the way to high school and college.


The most basic organization in the Cadet Corps is the squad, consisting of eight Cadets, led by the most senior and politically-connected of the eight.


They are further organized into battalions, and the battalions, in turn form commands.


The uniforms of all Scouts are khaki. Their battalions are led by Cadet Commanders, who are required to serve at least ten years in either the NCO, warrant or officer grades of any of the Terranovan armed services.


Other Information


Population: 22,123,285,726,400 persons.

Capital City(Legislative): New Whitehorse, on Terranova.

Captial City(Judicial): Atlanta Three, on Terranova.

Monetary Unit: Terranovan Standard Currency($TSC), equal to Cr 0.069, subdivided into 100 pennies, 20 nickels, 10 dimes and four quarters; there are no half-dollar or three-quarter dollar pieces in Terranovan Standard Currency.

National Motto: Sapentia, Justitio et Moderato(Latin: Wisdom, Justice and Moderation).

National Anthem: "Glory To the Union," lyrics Charles Earl Ray, 2035, music based on "John Brown's Body," by Julia Ward Beecher, 1856.


Flag:

So, Just What Is A Zed?

In the bad old days of WARCOM, zeds were those noncitizens with Social Contribution Scores of 00-0F.

The lowest of the low, they had absolutely no rights, no voice, no hope of anything other than being brutalized and worked to death by the citizens above them.

The Social Contribution Score system has died with WARCOM, so the Media Committee tells us, but the term still persists for those who the Terranovan government insist choose to be the lowest of the low, living in squalor and poverty, choosing to work the most backbreaking, demeaning jobs, choosing to be trapped in lifestyles which cause them the greatest amount of harm and misery.

It's really all their fault, and they need to stop blaming others and take responsibility for their actions.

YouTube says so, and YouTube, quite naturally, never lies.....

As a curious fact, the nine-digit Union ID Numbers of zeds all end in 00-0F....  

Starhunter Race File: the Alkharn

The alkarn are sturdy saurian race. While not an overly aggressive species, they are competitve, and very adept with all things military; strategy, tactics, arms and armor, combat, etc.

Description: Alkharn stand about 1.5 meters tall, and have muscular builds. Their scaly hides range in color from burnt orange to brick red, with sparse coarse hair of orange or red-brown ranging darker to black. Their snoutish faces sport a wide mouth full of sharp teeth. Their overall appearance is that of a miniature, tailless Tyrannosaur.

Personality: Alkarn are inquisitive and calculating. Despite their military expertise, they not aggressive or warmongering. Alkharn see war and combat as a great contest, a challenge of skill. Alkharn tend to be very competitive, and are dedicated workers. Alkharn loathe unfinished tasks. They are upset by anything that impedes progress or wastes time. While alkharn enjoy comfort as much as anyone, they have no liking for extravagance. Etiquette among alkharn is simple and direct; they tend to say what they mean, and get to the point.

Homeworld: Alkharis, a dry world orbiting close to the F7 V star Aseer. Highly industrialized, Alkharis is the hub of a small group of worlds controlled by the alkharn, known as the Alkahrn Protectorate.

Sample names: Bekkur Hles, Brakha Vaax, Chokk Beska, Darek Murinat, Jrukkar Anx, Kuvat Shaara, Maksa Niamat, Rokkar Khoanu, Svarra Khox.

Age: Child 1-9; Young Adult 10-14; Adult 15-39; Middle Aged 40-69; Old 70-89; Venerable 90+.

Racial Traits:

+2 CON, -2 DEX; alkharn are sturdy but slow to react.
Medium size.
Speed: 10 meters.
Tough Hide: an alkharn’s scaly hide provides +1 natural armor bonus to Defense.
Military Expert: Alkharn get a +1 competence bonus to either melee or ranged attacks, chosen at 1st level. Alkharn also receive a +2 competence bonus on all Knowledge (Tactics) skill checks, which is always a class skill.
Radiation Resistance: Due to their homeworld’s proximity to its parent star, alkharn get a +4 racial bonus to all Fortitude saves to resist radiation effects.
Automatic Languages: Alkharn.
Bonus Languages: Alkharn often learn the languages of neighboring races, such as the Weren, Tsa and Osakar.

Starhunter Race File: the Byshinti

Byshinti

A diminutive race of nomadic traders, the byshinti are found everywhere there is free trade. They enjoy haggling, perhaps even more than the actual wealth. Decorum, respect and exacting language in business dealings are very important to the byshinti.

Description: Byshinti are small, averaging a mere 1 meter in height. They are slim of build, and generally humanoid. They have wrinkled blue-gray skin, which gives them a wizened appearance. Their bristly hair is pale yellow, white or silver gray, and byshinti eyes are black or blue. Byshinti love to openly display their wealth, and wear the finest clothes they can afford, decked out with as much jewelry they can wear.

Personality: Byshinti are free spirits who wander the galaxy in search of wealth and adventure. Most byshinti are encountered in clans, traveling in their own vessels. As noted above, byshinti enjoy the art of the deal, and while most are honest traders, there are those who would rather swindle others than deal fairly. Byshinti loathe corporate structures, preferring to deal vis-à-vis.

Homeworld: Even the byshinti do not know where their homeworld is, or even its name. They have always (it seems) been spacefarers, and never settle on any planet except under the most dire circumstances. Byshinti do have a legend of a mythical paradise called Shinta, but it isn’t clear if this is an afterlife or an unattainable destination.

Language: Byshinti speak their own language, Bysh, but are well-versed in numerous languages.

Sample Names: Bel Ganoo, Dor Tranda, Fian Choo, Kir Nim, Lai Mar, Min Keeg, Shan Brell, Sien Joo, Xiri Vanta, Zoda Wir.

Age: Child 1-9; Adolescent 10-17; Young Adult 18-24; Adult 25-44; Middle Age 45-64; Old 65-84; Venerable 85+.

Racial Traits:

+2 CHA, -2 STR; byshinti are charming and confident, but physically weak.
Speed: 6 meters.
Small size: due to their size, byshinti get a +1 size bonus to all attack rolls and Defense, as well as a +4 size bonus to Hide skill checks.
+2 racial bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, Gamble, Gather Information, and Sense Motive checks; byshinti are expert negotiators.
+2 confidence bonus to all Will saving throws; byshinti are supremely confident.
Natural Linguist: Byshinti learn many languages. Read/Write and Speak Language are always class skills for byshinti. Additionally, byshinti gain 2 extra languages at 1st level.
Automatic Languages: Bysh.
Bonus Languages: any.

Starhunter Race File: the Dralasites

Dralasites

Long ago on the ocean world of Calboran, one species did something no other race could; they built and used a tool, a simple pickaxe. From these humble beginnings, the dralasite race devised more and better tools, and eventually the high technology that allowed that allowed them to travel to other worlds.

An aquatic race, the dralasites never mastered fire; they never needed to, however. The oceans of Calboran have a high concentration of ferrous salts, which has resulted in nodes of magnetic energy and naturally occurring electro-magnetic events. Undersea geo-thermal vents have provided sources of high heat, and tidal forces have yielded even more energy. Dralasite technology uses sonic, thermal, magnetic and kinetic energies. Their aquatic nature requires them to stay immersed in their ferric seawater, which makes their ships vast globes of water surrounded by fields of force. They must wear special environment suits off-world or outside of their ships, and they require worlds with large seas and oceans (which often must be “seeded” with appropriate nutrients to provide the proper habitats.

The first major contact the dralasites had beyond the Dralos system (of which Calboran is the second planet) was the mallorean race. The two races found immediate comraderie with their mutual respect for the ecology and the responsible use of technology. The two races soon explored further, and settled more planets, brining in other races and teaching them the guiding principles of the Eco-Tech Coalition.

Some of the technologies and processes developed early by the dralasites were found to be disastrous to the environment. The dralasites soon realized their environment was too fragile to continue such destructive behaviors. Other work was too difficult or too dangerous for the dralasites themselves to do. So the dralasite scientists devised new methods, and new technologies. Chief among these was genetic engineering. Rather than alter the dralasite genome, the geneticists turned to the other sea creatures, increasing natural abilities such as strength, tolerance to heat or the ability to breathe air and thus operate on land. To this day, there are numerous creatures and “living machines” used by the dralasites. Their greatest achievement would also prove to be their greatest shame - the ixthati.

Seeking a species capable of operating in both the sea and on dry land (as some of their more dangerous endeavors were carried out the few islands of “the world above”) with some autonomy, the dralasite geneticists tinkered around with a species of lungfish that showed at least some slight intelligence. The result was a motile, bipedal race that could be given simple instructions and could survive equally well in air or water. Unfortunately, this worker-race learned quickly, and soon blossomed into full sentience. The dralasite scientists, philosophers and theologians debated fiercely and hotly for many years over the status of these beings, all the while continuing to use them as a slave labor force. Eventually, the “ixthati question” was decided for the dralasites; the ixthati revolted. After a short but terrible war, the ixthati were granted the status of sentience, and all rights as citizens of Calboran. For many ixthati, however, life on Calboran could never be fair or equal. Thousands of ixthati boarded ships, some bound for anywhere, others to find a new home for their people. Even though shamed, relations between the dralasites and ixthati have never been anything better than “polite” at best.

The dralasites of Calboran (and colonies throughout the Eco-tech Coalition) are a circumspect people, conscious of what their actions may impact. Philosophy, science and theology are high pursuits among them, though are those who feel that they should do dangerous and difficult labor in penance for the “sins” of their race. Most of the religions practiced observe cyclic relationships; most often in a life-death-rebirth cycle. Most dralasites also believe in an intangible “way”, much like human Taoism, that ebbs and flows, surrounds and connects, all that exists.

Starhunter Race File: the Gengangi

The gengangi are an intellectual, philosophical race. Cultured and suited to scholarly pursuits, gengangi are known for their knowledge and insight. Gengangi are also spiritual and practice a number of different religions.

Description: Gengangi stand an average of 2 meters tall on two large, muscular bird-like legs. They have much shorter arms, turned in toward the torso, that end in four equally opposable long digits. Atop a very long neck rests the gengangi’s head, a somewhat bulky wedge with two large eyes and a small beak-like mouth. The overall image is something like a human-ostrich hybrid. Gengangi skin ranges from pale pink to golden tan. Feather-like hair on the gengangi’s head ranges from blue-black to iridescent green.

Personality: Gengangi enjoy a variety of intellectual pursuits, and are great admirers of culture and learning. They are peaceful, polite and refined, but will fight if sufficiently threatened. Religion is important in gengangi society, and a number of faiths are followed. Although there is occasional friction between differing faiths, gengangi generally find an intellectual solution to the problem. Gengangi enjoy encountering other cultures and ideas, and are often employed by other races as arbiters due to their knowledge and wisdom.

Homeworld: Gengangi hail from Geng, an arboreal world in the Tanag system. The gengangi have long worked to keep their environment clean, and have achieved a balance of technology and nature.
Language: Many languages are native to Geng, and most gengangi speak several dialects. A universal polyglot gengangi language exists, Ungalga, and all but the most isolated gengangi speak this as well.
Sample Names: Churra Beyl, Cligun Vaas, Deskal Ulgan, Greppa Lem, Inchiri Laagun, Keppor Talm, Minkou Gayl, Palga Sun, Rungor Talg, Tigona Raas.
Age: Child 1-12; Adolescent 13-22; Young Adult 23-34; Adult 35-64; Middle Age 65-94; Old 95-119; Venerable 120+.
Racial Traits:

+2 INT, +2 WIS, -2 STR, -2 CON; intellectually superior, the gengangi weak and frail.
Medium Size.
Speed: 10 meters.
Bonus Feat: Educated.
Automatic Langauges: Ungalga.
Bonus Languages: any.

Starhunter Race File: the Ixthati

Bred for labor, the ixthati are a piscean race created long ago as slaves. Though they are now free and independent, they have a deep-seated anger and are underdeveloped technologically.

Description: Ixthati have a roughly humanoid form, and stand some 1.5 meters tall, though they are broad and stocky of build. Their skin is scaly, and usually an iridescent silver-gray, though some ixthati evidence shades of blue, green or gold. Ixthati are hairless, and have wide eyes and great maws filled with sharp teeth.

Personality: As a former slave species, ixthati have a mixture of submissive and aggressive tendencies. While they are generally antagonistic and “rough”, if suitably intimidated they often cower in fear. Status, respect and influence are important to ixthati, though most will go to any ends to achieve their expected “due”. Ixthati society is still based on a “might makes right” mentality; the strongest rule. Nonetheless, there are exceptions. Scientists, artists, philosophers and craftsmen exist among the ixthati, and many wish to improve the station of their people over their own position in society.

Homeworld: Though the ixthati have no true homeworld, coming into the Frontier as slaves, once freed the vast majority settled worlds in the Ixtha system (named after the race). The worlds of Ixtha are very inhospitable to most races, but the hardy Ixthati were bred to survive multiple hardships, and thrive on their adopted homes.

Language: Ixthati speak a variant of Dralasite, known as Ixthan. This language is difficult for non-ixthati or non-dralasites to speak, as many sounds were developed for use underwater.

Sample Names: Bloolgup Nost, Bookuo Dossa, Cheelira, Filos, Goren, Hoogla, Iskar, Kuloss, Kusirin, Luwaa, Nollorr, Rilba, Tsigrin Shoon, Woogla Lirra, Zartoq.

Age: Child 1-8; Adolescent 9-16; Adult 17-24; Middle Age 25-32; Elderly 33-40; Old 41-48; Venerable 49+.

Racial Traits:
+2 DEX, +2 CON, -2 INT, -4 CHA; Ixthati are quick and hardy, but not very bright or personable.
Speed: 12 meters, Swim 16 meters.
Medium size.
Amphibious: although ixthati are aquatic, they can survive out of water for up to 1 hour per point of CON. An ixthati must submerge in water for at least 10 minutes per 1 hour spent dry. If an ixthati is out of water for longer than allowed, he begins taking 1d6 points of non-lethal damage per hour (2d6 in very hot or arid conditions). When the dehydrated ixthati’s hit point total is 0 or less from this non-lethal damage, he begins dying, as if drowning.
Aquatic: an ixthati cannot drown in water and does not need to make Swim checks.
Low-light vision.
Tough Scales: the hard scales of the ixthati skin provides a +2 natural armor bonus to Defense.
Resilient: +1 racial bonus to all Fortitude saves.
Racial Enmity: ixthati take a -2 penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information and Perform when
dealing with Dralasites.
Bonus Feat: Endurance.
Automatic Language: Ixthan.
Bonus Languages: Dralasite, Pan-Gal, Vrusk.

 

Starhunter Race File: the Lantari

The lantari are a bipedal humanoid races from the frigid world of Lanta. Lanta was once home to another, lost race, who left once their world began to die; the lanari evolved quickly to become the new masters of a dying world. They have mastered their harsh environment and persevered.

Description: A lantari stands roughly 1.3 m tall, with a bipedal stance. Lantari are covered with short, thick fur, multi-layered in shades of white, gray and black. They have large, broad feet and hands, both of which are clawed. Lantari have broad, flat faces with small, dark eyes. The skin of lantari, visible only on the exposed face, palms and soles, is dark and leathery. Lantari usually wear no clothing, save perhaps a belt, vest or pack for carrying supplies and equipment.

Personality: Lantari are generally honest, dedicated and methodical. They are intelligent and reasonable, although somewhat predictable and not very creative. Lantari society is clannish, with several extended family units who generally all practice a single trade. This skill specialization has ensured that all clans must work together. Oaths and cooperation, as well as clan pride, all sit importantly on the lanari mind. As such, one can expect honesty and good-intentions in most all dealings with a lantari.

Homeworld: Lantari hail from Lanta, a frigid world orbiting a dying sun. While the lantari have mastered solar and geo-thermal technologies to keep their society running, their world is doomed to eventual death from lack of solar energy. To this end, the race has dedicated their collective efforts to escalating their space technology, so that they might be able to relocate to a more habitable world.

Language: The lantari speak Lanta, with a few clan dialects. The ancient race that once ruled Lanta has left behind many relics of their civilization, and their language, Lantari, is also known, though it is considered a “dead” language, useful only in certain academic circles. Lantari is unrelated to Lanta.

Sample Names: Brogga Etan, Ebrin Talm, Garath Korr, Gredda Kaavis, Gussoff Yarroi, Hedreg Chom, Oronta Trox, Skona Makdar, Trugga Stal, Uskal Tavis.

Age: Child 1-8; Adolescent 9-16; Adult 17-24; Middle Age 25-32; Elderly 33-40; Old 41-48; Venerable 49+.

Racial Traits:
+2 CON, +2 WIS, -2 STR, -2 DEX; lanari are hardy and attentive, though they lack both strength and manual dexterity.
Medium size.
Speed: 8 meters.
Bonus Feat: Skill Focus (Any Craft or Profession).
Cold Adapted: Lantari never have to make Fortitude saves to avoid taking non-lethal damage from severe cold environments, although they must take a -4 racial penalty to such saves in extreme heat. Sources of cold damage still affect lanari normally.
Strong-Willed: Lantari have focused minds, giving them a +1 bonus on Will saves.
Low-light Vision: Lanari eyes have adapted to the lessened light of their homeworld, and generally see twice as far as a human in lighted conditions.
Natural Weapons: Lantari claws are sufficient to be used as natural weapons. Lanari characters gain a claw attack, which does not provoke attacks of opportunity, dealing 1d6 plus STR modifier in damage.
Automatic Language: Lanta.
Bonus Languages: Lantari. Lantari have limited, though growing, contact with other races, but can learn other languages as easily as any other.
PL 5: The lanari are not as technologically advanced as most of the Frontier.

Star Frontiers Alpha Dawn Statistics:

Adjustments: -5 DEX/RS, +5 INT/LOG.  Average Ability Scores:

STR/STA  45/45  DEX/RS  40/40  INT/LOG  50/50  PER/LDR 45/45

Special Abilities:

Cold-adapted: Lantari are at home in cold environments, and need not worry about extreme cold environments.  Hot environments are problematic for them, however, and a lantari must make a current STA check every hour or take 5 points of STA damage.  Weapons that cause cold damage or the cold of space still affect lantari normally.

Natural weapons: Lantari have very sharp claws with which they can strike opponents, dealing 1d4 points of damage in addition to their Punching Score.  Lantari can only make one such attack per turn.  The Martial Arts skill can be used in conjunction with this attack form.

Starhunter Race File: the Ornestre

The ornestre are a divided race from a dual planet in the Ornestarra system; the orn, from the inner planet of Orn Tava, and the estre from the outer planet of Riga Erest. These two worlds orbit a common gravity point in space, and the two peoples, for all their similarities, have developed as two feuding cultures over the millenia since their separation.

Description: An ornestre is a tall being, standing bipedal at 2 meters. They have sharp features, bright feathery crests and beaked mouths. Their eyes sit bi-focally on their wedge-like heads which sits atop a craning neck. Ornestre are slender of form, and have digitigrade legs, with taloned feet. Their hands and feet are four fingered; one opposable thumb with three other long digits.

Pesonality: Both the orn and the estre are proud, arrogant and elitist. They believe in the superiority of the race, and consider the other a debased, barbarian species. Other races beyond the ornestre they evaluate from the view that their own race is superior, but realize the necessity of cooperation with these outsiders. Outside of this racism, the ornestre are artistic and fond of beauty.

Homeworld: As noted, the twin worlds of Orn Tava and Riga Erest revolve around each other, in the Ornestarra system. Both worlds are large, lushly vegetated planets, though Orn Tava has larger seas and Riga Erest is generally more tectonically active. Large fauna roam throughout both planets, many native to both worlds.

Language: As can be expected, the two cultures speak differing languages, with many dialects and variations. Orn speak Orn, estre speak Estran; the two are related but different enough that one would need to speak both languages to communicate with each group.

Sample Names: Gasaray, Heen Assel, Horeekee, Kassel Crilisst, Krisil Keeva, Leosyn Fida, Ni Geyos, Pargenas, Tissel Shind, Wa Thee’ad.

Child 1-14; Adolescent 15-28; Adult 29-42; Middle Age 43-56; Elderly 57-70; Old 70-84; Venerable 85+.

Racial Traits:
+2 WIS, +2 CHA, -2 CON; Ornestre are willful, and attractive, but somewhat frail.
Medium size.
Speed: 10 meters.
Bonus Feat: Skill Focus (Any Craft or Perform).
Racial Enmity: Orn and estre consider each other inferior, and must take a -4 penalty on all Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information and Perform checks when dealing with the opposing race.
Grace: Ornestre are graceful beings, and receive a +2 racial bonus to Reflex saves.
Crafty: Due to the nature of their racial feuding, ornestre have become quite adept negotiators. All ornestre receive a +2 racial bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy and Sense Motive skill checks.
Automatic Languages: Orn or Estran, depending on the culture of the ornestre.
Bonus Languages: Orn or Estran, though most would never divulge this to the opposing race. Other languages include Pan-Gal and Vrusk.