I left the code off in a rather punctured state. I was in the middle of adding a user-modifyable UI section, so anyone could create dialogs/addons using lua and some basic editing.
I am continuing that work, in addition missions are a top priority, Ash will be taking the lead there from housewares.
Today is Memorial Day where we honor the fallen who gave their lives that we may be free.
Today, America remains at War. All that it takes is a bullet for someone to go from celebrating Vet’s day, to his family observing his memory on Memorial Day.
God has blessed America with the finest soldiers in history, who fight, and die to keep us free.
NPC Race:
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars are the two races that predate the rise of the Jindal or Brynn in Homespace. They are masters of maintenance, repair and manufacturing. Totally neutral, groups of Ik’yak have long contracted to provide services to one group or another. In the Great War, Ik’yak worked in the shipyards of ever race, served on board most war ships, and died alongside their employers. No one knows where they came from, or why they want to work for others, but the Ik’yak seem happiest when building and fixing technology; the Ge’ars are content when mining. Both races are vital to both the recovering economies of Homespace, and the expansion into the Forgotten Suns
Ik’yak Biology
The Ik’yak, look like an lavender or purple octopus with three times as many tentacles, and several eyestalks. Their brain in somewhere inside the central bundle of tentacles, and it is able to process several actions at once. Male and female Ik’yak look the same to other species, but the Ik’yak themselves seem to have no trouble telling themselves apart at a glance. Their offspring are born from a clutch of eggs laid by the female. Usually all survive, which means the Ik’yak can reproduce rapidly if they so choose. The young are raised by all the adults in the group once they hatch, naturally migrating towards the technical areas that suit them. Fortunately, they do not mate unless it is to produce offspring. Ik’yak rapidly mature, and can easily live up to 200 years.
Ik’yak have a remarkable ability to regenerate. Any lost limbs, eyes, or even skin and some organs will regenerate over time. While lacking any sort of skeleton means they are as durable at the Ge’ar, they are quite resilient. They are able to withstand harsh temperatures, and even vacuum for short periods. Their tentacles can be hydrostatically altered to operate at tools, and Ik’yak fine manipulation is unparalleled among the races.
Ge’ar Biology
The Ge’ars are a very durable race. They have a hard exoskeleton made of a material similar to stone. Their extremities are long and thin, giving them more of a bug or spider like appearance. The torso is very stout and their head is attached firmly by a thick spinal column. On the inside of the torso along the spinal column are hundreds of small gear-like wheels. These wheels are powered by what is a combustion engine at the heart of the torso. When they are digesting their food, which consists of any combustible liquid and various stones, the torso glows like a firefly.
The gears along the spine are wrapped with a material akin to spider silk but a thousand times stronger. Each different gear is responsible for attaching to the joints of the extremities with the silken tendon. This gives them an awkward sort of ambulatory motion that looks like an animated marionette. If a limb is destroyed, a Ge’ar can simply attach something else in its place and restring it with newly created silk. The ability to do this opened up the ability for them to customize themselves. They are born with six natural evenly sized appendages, but these are often “changed out” over the life of the Ge’ar. The mouth is very large with powerful stone-like jaws so they can break down just about anything. They have four eyes, two in the front and two on the sides. They have no ears, but hear through the vibrations in their extremities through the silk tendons. The normal life-span is approximately 180 years. The body starts to break down after 120 years and slowly becomes less efficient until the internal power supply can no longer generate enough emissions to sustain the brain.
Society
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars organize themselves into autonomous groups scattered in colonies on and off worlds. These groups are what engage in various negotiations for workers. Contracts are for various times, but are usually renewed on a regular basis. There seems to be some method unknown to the rest of Homespace that allows these group to communicate with each other.
Normally, the contracted workers will move several adults to the work location. Parents and children remain behind in the colonies. In large scale contracts, such as factory work on planets, there will be space set aside for a colony. Before its devastation, the Jindal Homeworld had over 100 such settlements around it.
The Team:
Michael ‘Ash’ Wymer
Tim ‘Doggnutz’ Spanjer
Curt ‘Jolly Roger’ Hartung
Bryan ‘Seenar’ Stephens
Jamey ‘Uati’ Wagnon
So Nutz sent me a few more exports form the original AoA resources, so I threw them into the build and let Ogre have at them, first up was the venerable Etat-Illraku
Came out pretty well, so I did the rest. Looks like we have some effective exports 
more coming, but first we need to figure out the capship pixel shader, enjoy:
So Nutz sent me a few more exports form the original AoA resources, so I threw them into the build and let Ogre have at them, first up was the venerable Etat-Illraku
Came out pretty well, so I did the rest. Looks like we have some effective exports more coming, but first we need to figure out the capship pixel shader, enjoy:
So Nutz sent me a few more exports form the original AoA resources, so I threw them into the build and let Ogre have at them, first up was the venerable Etat-Illraku
Came out pretty well, so I did the rest. Looks like we have some effective exports more coming, but first we need to figure out the capship pixel shader, enjoy:
So Nutz sent me a few more exports form the original AoA resources, so I threw them into the build and let Ogre have at them, first up was the venerable Etat-Illraku
Came out pretty well, so I did the rest. Looks like we have some effective exports more coming, but first we need to figure out the capship pixel shader, enjoy:
So Nutz sent me a few more exports form the original AoA resources, so I threw them into the build and let Ogre have at them, first up was the venerable Etat-Illraku
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer? 
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
Helpful hint. You can include pictures, audio, files, etc in posts and pages by using the “Upload/Insert” option above. This is a privlige for posters only and stores it on the website instead of a remote location.. It also makes a page for the grapic, move, whatever.
See Doggnutz was busy last night… for an example.
Helpful hint. You can include pictures, audio, files, etc in posts and pages by using the “Upload/Insert” option above. This is a privlige for posters only and stores it on the website instead of a remote location.. It also makes a page for the grapic, move, whatever.
See Doggnutz was busy last night… for an example.
Helpful hint. You can include pictures, audio, files, etc in posts and pages by using the “Upload/Insert” option above. This is a privlige for posters only and stores it on the website instead of a remote location.. It also makes a page for the grapic, move, whatever.
See Doggnutz was busy last night… for an example.
Helpful hint. You can include pictures, audio, files, etc in posts and pages by using the “Upload/Insert” option above. This is a privlige for posters only and stores it on the website instead of a remote location.
See Doggnutz was busy last night…
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
[img]http://northarc.com/~curt/base_719.jpg[/img]
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
[img]http://northarc.com/~curt/base_719.jpg[/img]
We have knocked out how shields, collisions and some other stuff will work. In addition I pulled an all-nighter learning about pixel-shaders. DAMN there is so much to know. Anyone want to volnteer to be a free graphics programmer?
Worked out scene lighting (was using newb-generic-ambient, now camera-centered point source)
Also, here is some gratuitous screen shootage:
Tall, regal, stoic and noble are the most conmen descriptions of the warrior Jindal. A proud race of warriors, the Jindal are the leaders of the Supremacy.
Standing 6-7 feet tall, the Jindal are humanoids with amazing physics. Their bronze-skinned bodies look like a sculpted ideal of a Greek or Roman statue. Their faces are ebony black, with golden eyes, and features reminiscent of a jackal. Around the heads of both males and females a great mane, either gold, burnt orange or white. More than one human has commented the Jindal look like some Egyptian god who has stepped forth from the past.
The Jindal bear live young, which are nursed by the female. They take around 20 years to reach maturity, and live 80 years or so, if they do not die of violent causes, which is often the case with this warrior race.
The Jindal’s foray into the void was met with vicious attacks by the beings later known as The Blood Hunters. Fierce fighting with these implacable foes threatened the Jindal with complete conquest. It was only a timely exchange with an I’kyak colony group that let the Jindal turn the tide. In this firestorm, the metal of the Jindal Supremacy was born.
In the generations that followed, the Jindal expanded onto several worlds vacated by the collapsing Blood Hunters. Soon, these colonies turned against their fatherworld, and war raged again. The fight to maintain the status of the fatherworld forged the hot metal of the Alien Wars into the steal of the Jindal Supremacy.
The Supremacy is a stratified society, with the Warrior caste at the top, ruling over the Villein, or serf caste, and the Skir caste. Warriors structure is based on the state. Children who are born to either caste are given a series of tests. Those that pass are advanced as Warriors. This means children leave their parents and form into Syta. Each Syta becomes their family. They eat, sleep, train and fight as a unit. These Jindal spend their lives together, though individuals may be promoted to higher ranks.
The Lowers castes perform all other needs in the society. The Skir have limited rights, and serve in positions that require advanced knowledge. This includes such duties as doctor, merchant and architect. The Villein perform the menial tasks, running both farms and factories.
The Jindal also contract with more Ik’yak and Gears than any other race. The contracts place the Ik’yak in particular in maintenance and construction of the most critical areas; help to ensure that any revolt of the Villein cannot succeed.
Jindal government is based on a vote by the Warriors, often called the Conclave. There are two hereditary Kings, who serve as a check on each other, and on the Warriors Conclave.
Tall, regal, stoic and noble are the most conmen descriptions of the warrior Jindal. A proud race of warriors, the Jindal are the leaders of the Supremacy.
Biology
Standing 6-7 feet tall, the Jindal are humanoids with amazing physics. Their bronze-skinned bodies look like a sculpted ideal of a Greek or Roman statue. Their faces are ebony black, with golden eyes, and features reminiscent of a jackal. Around the heads of both males and females a great mane, either gold, burnt orange or white. More than one human has commented the Jindal look like some Egyptian god who has stepped forth from the past.
The Jindal bear live young, which are nursed by the female. They take around 20 years to reach maturity, and live 80 years or so, if they do not die of violent causes, which is often the case with this warrior race.
Society
The Jindal’s foray into the void was met with vicious attacks by the beings later known as The Blood Hunters. Fierce fighting with these implacable foes threatened the Jindal with complete conquest. It was only a timely exchange with an I’kyak colony group that let the Jindal turn the tide. In this firestorm, the metal of the Jindal Supremacy was born.
In the generations that followed, the Jindal expanded onto several worlds vacated by the collapsing Blood Hunters. Soon, these colonies turned against their fatherworld, and war raged again. The fight to maintain the status of the fatherworld forged the hot metal of the Alien Wars into the steal of the Jindal Supremacy.
The Supremacy is a stratified society, with the Warrior caste at the top, ruling over the Villein, or serf caste, and the Skir caste. Warriors structure is based on the state. Children who are born to either caste are given a series of tests. Those that pass are advanced as Warriors. These means children leave their parents and form into Syta. Each Syta becomes their family. They eat, sleep, train and fight as a unit. These Jindal spend their lives together, though individuals may be promoted to higher ranks.
The Lowers castes perform all other needs in the society. The Skir have limited rights, and serve in positions that require advanced knowledge. This includes such duties as doctor, merchant and architect. The Villein perform the menial tasks, running both farms and factories.
The Jindal also contract with more Ik’yak and Gears than any other race. The contracts place the Ik’yak in particular in maintenance and construction of the most critical areas; help to ensure that any revolt of the Villein cannot succeed.
Jindal government is based on a vote by the Warriors, often called the Conclave. There are two hereditary Kings, who serve as a check on each other, and on the Warriors Conclave.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha… it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desperately to fix it)
Found the error today. … apparently the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was… missing… forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking… that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said … but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparent and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just have a bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it should have been for the alpha, sorry.
Up tomorrow I’m adding some collisions and shield meshes. ship systems probably after that since you need to have guns to fire them.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha… it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desperately to fix it)
Found the error today. … apparently the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was… missing… forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking… that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said … but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparent and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just have a bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it should have been for the alpha, sorry.
Up tomorrow I’m adding some collisions and shield meshes. ship systems probably after that since you need to have guns to fire them.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha.. it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desperately to fix it)
Found the error today. … apparently the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was… missing… forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking… that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said … but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparent and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just have a bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it should have been for the alpha, sorry.
Up tomorrow I’m adding some collisions and shield meshes. ship systems probably after that since you need to have guns to fire them.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha.. it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desperately to fix it)
Found the error today. … apparently the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was… missing… forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking… that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said … but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparent and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just have a bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it should have been for the alpha, sorry.
Up tomorrow I’m adding some collisions and shield meshes. ship systems probably after that since you need to have guns to fire them.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha.. it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desperately to fix it)
Found the error today. … apparently the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was… missing… forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking… that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said … but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparent and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just have a bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it should have been for the alpha, sorry.
Up tomorrow I’m adding some collisions and shield meshes. ship systems probably after that since you need to have guns to fire them.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha.. it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desparately to fix it)
Found the error today. .. apparantly the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was.. missing.. forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking.. that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said .. but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparant and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just hav ea bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it shoudl have been for the alkpha, sorry.
Up tomarrow I’m adding some collisions and shield meshes. ship systems probabyl after that since you need to have guns to fire them.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha.. it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desparately to fix it)
Found the error today. .. apparantly the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was.. missing.. forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking.. that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said .. but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparant and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just hav ea bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it shoudl have been for the alkpha, sorry.
Up tomarrow I’m adding some collisions and shield meshes. ship systems probabyl after that since you need to have guns to fire them.
Probably what bugged me the most about the alpha was the positional movement/update stuff. This is one of the things AoA did BEST and in the alpha.. it sucked.
Had so many other things to fix that this one I just couldn’t get to (not that I didn’t try, hours before the test I was trying desparately to fix it)
Found the error today. .. apparantly the entire subsystem of passing ship properties around was.. missing.. forgot I never added it. So you knew YOUR ship characteristics but no one else knew them (they were all zero) so whenever they got the message saying “all ahead standard” it would dutifully go nowhere since your max acceleration in all axis was zero.
Then later it would get a “just checking.. that dude should be HERE” message and your client would say “really?! I’ll be darned I was moving him like you said .. but okay” and jump you to where you needed to be. Normally that check process is transparant and you don’t even notice the subtle slewing we do to keep things in sync (inside baseball stuff here)
Now I just hav ea bug where the ship has a bit of a runaway but the translation/turning/start/stop is smooth as glass, just like it shoudl have been for the alkpha, sorry.
Up tomarrow I’m adding some collisions and shield m
Tall, regal, stoic and noble are the most conmen descriptions of the warrior Jindal. A proud race of warriors, the Jindal are the leaders of the Supremacy.
Biology
Standing 6-7 feet tall, the Jindal are humanoids with amazing physics. Their bronze-skinned bodies look like a sculpted ideal of a Greek or Roman statue. Their faces are ebony black, with golden eyes, and features reminiscent of a jackal. Around the heads of both males and females a great mane, either gold, burnt orange or white. More than one human has commented the Jindal look like some Egyptian god who has stepped forth from the past.
The Jindal bear live young, which are nursed by the female. They take around 20 years to reach maturity, and live 80 years or so, if they do not die of violent causes, which is often the case with this warrior race.
Society
The Jindal’s foray into the void was met with vicious attacks by the beings later known as The Blood Hunters. Fierce fighting with these implacable foes threatened the Jindal with complete conquest. It was only a timely exchange with an I’kyak colony group that let the Jindal turn the tide. In this firestorm, the metal of the Jindal Supremacy was born.
In the generations that followed, the Jindal expanded onto several worlds vacated by the collapsing Blood Hunters. Soon, these colonies turned against their fatherworld, and war raged again. The fight to maintain the status of the fatherworld forged the hot metal of the Alien Wars into the steal of the Jindal Supremacy.
The Supremacy is a stratified society, with the Warrior caste at the top, ruling over the Villein, or serf caste, and the Skir caste. Warriors structure is based on the state. Children who are born to either caste are given a series of tests. Those that pass are advanced as Warriors. These means children leave their parents and form into Syta. Each Syta becomes their family. They eat, sleep, train and fight as a unit. These Jindal spend their lives together, though individuals may be promoted to higher ranks.
The Lowers castes perform all other needs in the society. The Skir have limited rights, and serve in positions that require advanced knowledge. This includes such duties as doctor, merchant and architect. The Villein perform the menial tasks, running both farms and factories.
The Jindal also contract with more Ik’yak and Gears than any other race. The contracts place the Ik’yak in particular in maintenance and construction of the most critical areas; help to ensure that any revolt of the Villein cannot succeed.
Jindal government is based on a vote by the Warriors, often called the Conclave. There are two hereditary Kings, who serve as a check on each other, and on the Warriors Conclave.
| Chronology: | A history of the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Long Look Down: | A detailed summary of the specific events leading up to the beginning of the “Warring Sphere™” Period of history. | |
| Intelligent Life: | An essay speculating on the origins of intelligent life in the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Effect of the N-Field on Warfare: | An essay on the impact that the N-Field and Gravity technology has had on the ship and naval designs of the Known Sphere™. | |
| Stories of the Known Sphere™ | Stories drawn from the Great War, and the History of the Known Sphere™ | |
| Historical Archives | Access to the old Ace of Angels forums |
| Chronology: | A history of the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Long Look Down: | A detailed summary of the specific events leading up to the beginning of the “Warring Sphere™” Period of history. | |
| Intelligent Life: | An essay speculating on the origins of intelligent life in the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Effect of the N-Field on Warfare: | An essay on the impact that the N-Field and Gravity technology has had on the ship and naval designs of the Known Sphere™. | |
| Stories of the Known Sphere™ | Stories drawn from the Great War, and the History of the Known Sphere™ | |
| Historical Archives | Access to the old Ace of Angels forums |
| Chronology: | A history of the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Long Look Down: | A detailed summary of the specific events leading up to the beginning of the “Warring Sphere™” Period of history. | |
| Intelligent Life: | An essay speculating on the origins of intelligent life in the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Effect of the N-Field on Warfare: | An essay on the impact that the N-Field and Gravity technology has had on the ship and naval designs of the Known Sphere™. | |
| Stories of the Known Sphere™ | Stories drawn from the Great War, and the History of the Known Sphere™ | |
| Historical Archives | Access to the old Ace of Angels forums |
| Chronology: | A history of the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Long Look Down: | A detailed summary of the specific events leading up to the beginning of the “Warring Sphere™” Period of history. | |
| Intelligent Life: | An essay speculating on the origins of intelligent life in the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Effect of the N-Field on Warfare: | An essay on the impact that the N-Field and Gravity technology has had on the ship and naval designs of the Known Sphere™. | |
| Stories of the Known Sphere™ | Stories drawn from the Great War, and the History of the Known Sphere™ | |
| Historical Archives | Access to the old Ace of Angels forums |
It was a wise man who once said- “the best place to start is the beginning” — or at least one who didn’t know how to save his progress in Doom.
1996 is when AoA was first talked about, but most of you are familiar with the game we started publicizing around 1999. The vision was simple: MMO Tie-Fighter. Unfortunately it was conceived by individuals with lots of experience playing games, but little experience writing them. We knew what we wanted, but just didn’t know how to get there.
With 20/20 hindsight and 8 years of game/systems programming behind me, I can give words to what went wrong. It falls in three categories:
1) Missions. Or more broadly “content” we had a cool game, with the tactical feel we had in mind, and it was unique, but… now what? The answer to that was missions/quests but it was never clear to us (me!) how to make them. The prophets of EQ/WoW had not yet come to show the way of making the masses understand generic questing.
Just to be clear- we knew we needed them, but I chased my tail for 2 years trying to implement them. I tried everything from a custom script language (AoA now uses lua) to a data-driven state machine. I comfort myself thinking that the game was just ahead of its time, but the truth is if we got it right people would have gotten it.
2) Game design. The programmers were trying to design the game as we went, the only way a programmer knows how: coding it in, and not well. The two programmers (one on graphic engine and one on game engine) were learning as we went. The game we produced was an increasingly hacked-together flying mess of unchangeable gobbledygook. It became exponentially harder to add anything. The other members of the team contributed mightily to source and mission ideas, but did not have the tools to put them into the game without heavy handed programmer intervention.
The correct way to make a game is for the programmers to write tools that allow designers to create a data-driven experience. Where did I learn that? After (and largely because of) AoA I was offered a job as Senior Developer at SOE on EverQuest. Curt_EQ is me. I learned so much there its just not possible to describe. Specifically I learned from Jamey Ryan and Terry Michaels (to name names) how to be a lead programmer, and what large system architecture was really all about.
3) Will. After you have enough doors quietly shut in your face, well it starts to become a drag. Burning cash that increasingly feels like throwing good money after bad. Holding down a full time day job just to pile the rest of your time (and all your money) onto a night-job game that has heartbreak after heartbreak.. its wears thin.
The first to go was the graphics programmer. He lost interest and left to pursue his career. Unfortunately I cannot imagine the circumstances that would bring him back to the team, suffice to say he is gone for good.
Quickly thereafter the team was forced to give up. Not in the game. We gave up flushing money down the drain. We gave up endless pitches to executives who smile and nod before saying “your game looks awesome, but you’re nobody”. We gave up having our lives placed on hold because all effort (and every spare penny) must be dumped into “The Game”. Over 2 gigs of assets, graphics, prose, source material, models, code and love were mothballed, and the team broke up.
Fast forward to 6 months ago. I moved back to Georgia (from San Diego where SOE resides) at great reluctance, but with two kids and zero family around it was just the right thing to do to come home. My wife and I have not regretted the decision.
Through a chain of unlikely events I found myself with a licensed copy of a very large, expensive, commercial game development package. Just for fun I dropped in some AoA assets. They worked. and even though time had passed, they still looked as awesome as they always did.
Tried some more. added some more code and darn it, it worked. The time key on the license ran out, unfortunately, and progress halted. Another heartbreak.
Out of sheer optimism I explored some of the same options I pursued years ago when we lost our graphics prorgammer, ie- finding a free-(ish) plug-and-play graphics/mesh engine. This led me to Ogre.
Long story short: Ogre is it. Everything we need, nothing we don’t. Its well supported, high quality, and after a week of development and experimentation I knew this was it. This is how AoA is going to be reborn.
With years of inactivity and failed investments, Flying Rock Enterprises has too much baggage. A new company was formed, Flying Rock Games, which exclusively licenses the IP from FRE and will be a fresh start.
Ace of Angels, the game that was ahead of its time, and the game no one has attempted since, is back.
It was a wise man who once said- “the best place to start is the beginning” — or at least one who didn’t know how to save his progress in Doom.
1996 is when AoA was first talked about, but most of you are familiar with the game we started publicizing around 1999. The vision was simple: MMO Tie-Fighter. Unfortunately it was conceived by individuals with lots of experience playing games, but little experience writing them. We knew what we wanted, but just didn’t know how to get there.
With 20/20 hindsight and 8 years of game/systems programming behind me, I can give words to what went wrong. It falls in three categories:
1) Missions. Or more broadly “content” we had a cool game, with the tactical feel we had in mind, and it was unique, but… now what? The answer to that was missions/quests but it was never clear to us (me!) how to make them. The prophets of EQ/WoW had not yet come to show the way of making the masses understand generic questing.
Just to be clear- we knew we needed them, but I chased my tail for 2 years trying to implement them. I tried everything from a custom script language (AoA now uses lua) to a data-driven state machine. I comfort myself thinking that the game was just ahead of its time, but the truth is if we got it right people would have gotten it.
2) Game design. The programmers were trying to design the game as we went, the only way a programmer knows how: coding it in, and not well. The two programmers (one on graphic engine and one on game engine) were learning as we went. The game we produced was an increasingly hacked-together flying mess of unchangeable gobbledygook. It became exponentially harder to add anything. The other members of the team contributed mightily to source and mission ideas, but did not have the tools to put them into the game without heavy handed programmer intervention.
The correct way to make a game is for the programmers to write tools that allow designers to create a data-driven experience. Where did I learn that? After (and largely because of) AoA I was offered a job as Senior Developer at SOE on EverQuest. Curt_EQ is me. I learned so much there its just not possible to describe. Specifically I learned from Jamey Ryan and Terry Michaels (to name names) how to be a lead programmer, and what large system architecture was really all about.
3) Will. After you have enough doors quietly shut in your face, well it starts to become a drag. Burning cash that increasingly feels like throwing good money after bad. Holding down a full time day job just to pile the rest of your time (and all your money) onto a night-job game that has heartbreak after heartbreak.. its wears thin.
The first to go was the graphics programmer. He lost interest and left to pursue his career. Unfortunately I cannot imagine the circumstances that would bring him back to the team, suffice to say he is gone for good.
Quickly thereafter the team was forced to give up. Not in the game. We gave up flushing money down the drain. We gave up endless pitches to executives who smile and nod before saying “your game looks awesome, but you’re nobody”. We gave up having our lives placed on hold because all effort (and every spare penny) must be dumped into “The Game”. Over 2 gigs of assets, graphics, prose, source material, models, code and love were mothballed, and the team broke up.
Fast forward to 6 months ago. I moved back to Georgia (from San Diego where SOE resides) at great reluctance, but with two kids and zero family around it was just the right thing to do to come home. My wife and I have not regretted the decision.
Through a chain of unlikely events I found myself with a licensed copy of a very large, expensive, commercial game development package. Just for fun I dropped in some AoA assets. They worked. and even though time had passed, they still looked as awesome as they always did.
Tried some more. added some more code and darn it, it worked. The time key on the license ran out, unfortunately, and progress halted. Another heartbreak.
Out of sheer optimism I explored some of the same options I pursued years ago when we lost our graphics prorgammer, ie- finding a free-(ish) plug-and-play graphics/mesh engine. This led me to Ogre.
Long story short: Ogre is it. Everything we need, nothing we don’t. Its well supported, high quality, and after a week of development and experimentation I knew this was it. This is how AoA is going to be reborn.
With years of inactivity and failed investments, Flying Rock Enterprises has too much baggage. A new company was formed, Flying Rock Games, which exclusively licenses the IP from FRE and will be a fresh start.
Ace of Angels, the game that was ahead of its time, and the game no one has attempted since, is back.
-Jolly Roger
Forgotten Suns is a work in progress as we build up the MMPOG side of the game. As I covered on the main page, we wanted to create a back-story that supported a More MMPOG approach.
Forgotten Suns will have the same flight characteristics you already like, but will have some different terms, and talk about different technology. A good example is FTL travel, which operates under different rules in the world of Forgotten Sun than the Known Sphere.
Obviously, it will take us some time to build up the same level of information on the new universe that we have with the old one. Unlike the first time we worked on AoA, the code is falling into place before the back-story. It is kind of a weird spot for the writers to be in, but here we are.
It should be fun!
Ace of Angels™ is a space fighter simulator, that allows you to fight head to head against others across the Internet. At present you may select one of 20 fighters, and design its weapons loadout to your specifications. Our flight model is unique, in that, unlike previous space combat simulators, we have attempted to simulate actual three dimensional space flight. Currently, we have one Battlezone Arena, albeit one that spans the distance from the Earth to the Moon! (apologies to Mr. Hanks and HBO), but will be adding more as the number of players increase. However, the Battlezone Arena will merely be the sideshow of the forthcoming Campaign.
Ace of Angels™ release is divided into three broad phases. 1) Primary Beta-testing and Battlezone Arena, 2) Introduction of the Outerchange, and finally , 3) the release of the Ace of Angels™ Campaign. Our goals for Beta-testing are to rigorously test the robustness of the flight engine, and complete all levels of functionality that will be required for the future Campaign. It is also a chance to let you the player, experience Ace of Angels™, and give us your feedback. We are excited to at last be open to the public, and eager to hear your comments, suggestions, and problems.
Battlezone Arena:
Outerchange (now in Beta):
Capital Ships (CL CVL and below) Equipment AI’s (personal scripting?) Spy information Sabotage Sabotage Defense
Maps to guide players to marked locations, starting with a core default, and updating as the player travels to different areas. Campaign (forthcoming)
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Ace of Angels™ is a space fighter simulator, that allows you to fight head to head against others across the Internet. At present you may select one of 20 fighters, and design its weapons loadout to your specifications. Our flight model is unique, in that, unlike previous space combat simulators, we have attempted to simulate actual three dimensional space flight. Currently, we have one Battlezone Arena, albeit one that spans the distance from the Earth to the Moon! (apologies to Mr. Hanks and HBO), but will be adding more as the number of players increase. However, the Battlezone Arena will merely be the sideshow of the forthcoming Campaign.
Ace of Angels™ release is divided into three broad phases. 1) Primary Beta-testing and Battlezone Arena, 2) Introduction of the Outerchange, and finally , 3) the release of the Ace of Angels™ Campaign. Our goals for Beta-testing are to rigorously test the robustness of the flight engine, and complete all levels of functionality that will be required for the future Campaign. It is also a chance to let you the player, experience Ace of Angels™, and give us your feedback. We are excited to at last be open to the public, and eager to hear your comments, suggestions, and problems.
Battlezone Arena:
Outerchange (now in Beta):
Capital Ships (CL CVL and below) Equipment AI’s (personal scripting?) Spy information Sabotage Sabotage Defense
Maps to guide players to marked locations, starting with a core default, and updating as the player travels to different areas. Campaign (forthcoming)
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The Union of Stars, formed in the distant past by the Brynn homeworld, has a long and proud existence. Initially a Brynn trading organization, it has grown to include all Brynn colonies, and the homeworlds and colonies of several species, the most recent of which include Earth and several Human colonies.
The Union of Stars has been very successful, which ultimately led to the war with the Jindal Supremacy. As it covered system after system, those outside shuddered at the thought of Union taxes, and the further enrichment of the already plutocratic Brynn. As the Union grew with each new system, two others would line up with the Supremacy. Eventually, war started.
At present, the Union is a shadow of its former economic power, as it struggles to recover from the devastation of a multi-generational war, and additional loss its capital. In the wake of the diminished Brynn, the Union is living up to its actual charter, with power more equally shared among the member systems.
Major Races
The Union of Stars has many races, most of which have no real colonies. The major players in the Union are:
The Lyndara are non-members, but are aligned with the Union. They have no colony words, but exist as vast nomadic groups.
In the Forgotten Suns, the chief gateway settlement of the Union of Stars is Hard Luck Station.
The Jindal will tell you the Supremacy is entirely defensive in nature. Formed in the fire of two wars, the Supremacy does not formally rule non-Jindal, but acts as their protector. Worlds pay taxes to the Supremacy not in coin or credit, but in labor, raw materials, and raw recruits.
The Supremacy has never been overtly expansionistic, seeking mostly to be left alone. However, time and again, the Jindal have perceived others as a threat and acted preemptively to secure the fatherworld. When the Blood Hunters started to emerge once more into space, the Jindal moved ruthlessly to control their rage. Now, the precise, expert Jindal Warriors are supported by the best shock troops in Homespace.
Many systems joined with the Jindal to defend themselves from the aggression of others, especially the Brynn. Systems allied with the Supremacy are expected to provide resources, in materials, work, and soldiers. While client races never achieve the status of Warrior, their soldiers are part of the greater military might of the Supremacy.
Humans, interestingly enough, have found a greater niche in administrative roles throughout the Supremacy than they have in the military. It seems human innovation is a welcome addition to the battle focused races of the Jindal.
The lead races of the Jindal Supremacy are:
Other races exist, but tend to be one only one or two worlds.
Click on one of the nations on the map below
for more information.
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Spinward |
Anti-Spinward |
Click on one of the nations on the map below
for more information.
|
Spinward |
Anti-Spinward |
| Chronology: | A history of the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Long Look Down: | A detailed summary of the specific events leading up to the beginning of the “Warring Sphere™” Period of history. | |
| Intelligent Life: | An essay speculating on the origins of intelligent life in the Known Sphere™ | |
| The Effect of the N-Field on Warfare: | An essay on the impact that the N-Field and Gravity technology has had on the ship and naval designs of the Known Sphere™. | |
| Stories of the Known Sphere™ | Stories drawn from the Great War, and the History of the Known Sphere™ | |
Eagle |
S216 |
Human Confederacy |
“Eagle” |
Tau One Industries |
Superiority |
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In 2493AD, almost seven years to the day after American Aerospace officially delivered the first of the S216 Shrike series, Tau One Industries released the S216 Eagle. upon its incorporation into the Confederacy’s combat forces, the S216 quickly assumed the position as the USN premiere interceptor. The Eagle was the manifestation of the USN’s doctrine of emphasizing speed and agility when combating the slower, more heavily shielded units employed by the Sho’tahl. Powered by the latest Universal Power 812 engines, the Eagle was the fastest fighter in the USN arsenal prior to the outbreak of the Great War. The Eagle was a clear match for the S707 “Star Streak series; however shortly after the Eagle’s introduction, the Sho’tahl unveiled the M706 Reaper series of medium multi-role fighters. The early S216’s found themselves overwhelmed by this Sho’tahl newcomer. The Eagle’s weakness was found primarily in its inferior gun package. At close ranges, the Reaper could take a staggering amount of damage and still kill an Eagle with its superior gun package (including a 650 cannon). The S216’s were forced to hold themselves outside of the Reaper’s effective gun range and make effective use of their superior Kessler M7 acquisition scanning suite and guided munitions. Still, the Eagle’s underwent a variety of armament upgrades during the early phases of the war to keep pace with the Sho’tahl and Zethi advancements encountered. |
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Eagle |
S216 |
Human Confederacy |
“Eagle” |
Tau One Industries |
Superiority |
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In 2493AD, almost seven years to the day after American Aerospace officially delivered the first of the S216 Shrike series, Tau One Industries released the S216 Eagle. upon its incorporation into the Confederacy’s combat forces, the S216 quickly assumed the position as the USN premiere interceptor. The Eagle was the manifestation of the USN’s doctrine of emphasizing speed and agility when combating the slower, more heavily shielded units employed by the Sho’tahl. Powered by the latest Universal Power 812 engines, the Eagle was the fastest fighter in the USN arsenal prior to the outbreak of the Great War. The Eagle was a clear match for the S707 “Star Streak series; however shortly after the Eagle’s introduction, the Sho’tahl unveiled the M706 Reaper series of medium multi-role fighters. The early S216’s found themselves overwhelmed by this Sho’tahl newcomer. The Eagle’s weakness was found primarily in its inferior gun package. At close ranges, the Reaper could take a staggering amount of damage and still kill an Eagle with its superior gun package (including a 650 cannon). The S216’s were forced to hold themselves outside of the Reaper’s effective gun range and make effective use of their superior Kessler M7 acquisition scanning suite and guided munitions. Still, the Eagle’s underwent a variety of armament upgrades during the early phases of the war to keep pace with the Sho’tahl and Zethi advancements encountered. |
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Shrike |
S214 |
Human Confederacy |
“Shrike” |
American Aerospace |
Superiority |
 |
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Originally intended as a high speed superiority fighter that would be companioned with the A213 series attack fighter, the S214 Shrike program experienced a number of costly manufacturing problems that delayed its release until the middle of 2486AD. This lengthy delay was the primary impetus behind the expansion of the A213 superiority conversions program and the creation of the “B” versions of the “Taz”. Traditionally, the USN emphasized speed and maneuverability as the most effective means to counter the Sho’tahl’s generally slower but resilient fighters and superior shields. The Shrike fully exemplified this philosophy. Roughly the same size as the A213 but with a dramatic reduction in hull mass, the Shrike was the fastest fighter in the Confederacy until the introduction of the S214 series in 2493AD. Outfitted with the Kessler 40E Fusion plant and gravity drive, the S214 could operate at higher speeds at extended distances for less fuel than the A213 “B” models. The Shrike’s primary opponents were the M706 “Nomad” and the S707 “Star Streak”, both flown by the Sho’tahl’s Frontier Authority. The S214 proved to be an adequate counter to these two units and served with the USN well into the Great War; but the Shrike was quickly eclipsed as the Confederacy’s premiere interceptor by the introduction of the S216. |
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Tasmanian Devil |
A213 |
Human Confederacy |
“Taz” |
American Aerospace |
Attack |
| Picture Not Available | ||
In 2466, 30 years after the conclusion of the Human-Sho’tahl war, the OSAB approved the procurement of the A213 Tasmanian Devil. A remarkably successful design, the “Taz” was the oldest human fighter to actively serve in the United Systems Navy at the outbreak of general hostilities near the turn of the 25th century. Even at that late date, the A213 remained one of the most popular units to be fielded by the Confederacy’s forces. Originally intended as a medium range fast attack fighter, the Taz proved to be a surprisingly effective dogfighter as well. A veritable powerhouse with its top of the line Mansfield-Marietta 1006 powerplant assembly, the A213 could maintain strong shield enclosure and run at a moderately high rate of speed. These factors added greatly to the Taz’s survivability and allowed it to match (and surpass in some areas) the Sho’tahl’s A705 “Mauler”. With variants that stretched into the “D” models, the USN attempted to configure the A213 into a variety of mission roles. Of these the “B” model superiority and “C” model heavy attack series were very successful. The Taz continued to hold its own against the newer Sho’tahl designs for the better part of two decades. however, the introduction of the newest generation of multi-role fighters by the Sho’tahl at the turn of the century ultimately put and end to the A213’s long career, but not its legend. |
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Shrike |
S214 |
Human Confederacy |
“Shrike” |
American Aerospace |
Superiority |
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Originally intended as a high speed superiority fighter that would be companioned with the A213 series attack fighter, the S214 Shrike program experienced a number of costly manufacturing problems that delayed its release until the middle of 2486AD. This lengthy delay was the primary impetus behind the expansion of the A213 superiority conversions program and the creation of the “B” versions of the “Taz”. Traditionally, the USN emphasized speed and maneuverability as the most effective means to counter the Sho’tahl’s generally slower but resilient fighters and superior shields. The Shrike fully exemplified this philosophy. Roughly the same size as the A213 but with a dramatic reduction in hull mass, the Shrike was the fastest fighter in the Confederacy until the introduction of the S214 series in 2493AD. Outfitted with the Kessler 40E Fusion plant and gravity drive, the S214 could operate at higher speeds at extended distances for less fuel than the A213 “B” models. The Shrike’s primary opponents were the M706 “Nomad” and the S707 “Star Streak”, both flown by the Sho’tahl’s Frontier Authority. The S214 proved to be an adequate counter to these two units and served with the USN well into the Great War; but the Shrike was quickly eclipsed as the Confederacy’s premiere interceptor by the introduction of the S216. |
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Tasmanian Devil
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A213 |
Human Confederacy |
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“Taz” |
American Aerospace |
Attack |
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| Picture Not Available | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 2466, 30 years after the conclusion of the Human-Sho’tahl war, the OSAB approved the procurement of the A213 Tasmanian Devil. A remarkably successful design, the “Taz” was the oldest human fighter to actively serve in the United Systems Navy at the outbreak of general hostilities near the turn of the 25th century. Even at that late date, the A213 remained one of the most popular units to be fielded by the Confederacy’s forces. Originally intended as a medium range fast attack fighter, the Taz proved to be a surprisingly effective dogfighter as well. A veritable powerhouse with its top of the line Mansfield-Marietta 1006 powerplant assembly, the A213 could maintain strong shield enclosure and run at a moderately high rate of speed. These factors added greatly to the Taz’s survivability and allowed it to match (and surpass in some areas) the Sho’tahl’s A705 “Mauler”. With variants that stretched into the “D” models, the USN attempted to configure the A213 into a variety of mission roles. Of these the “B” model superiority and “C” model heavy attack series were very successful. The Taz continued to hold its own against the newer Sho’tahl designs for the better part of two decades. however, the introduction of the newest generation of multi-role fighters by the Sho’tahl at the turn of the century ultimately put and end to the A213’s long career, but not its legend. |
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Shrike |
S214 |
Human Confederacy |
“Shrike” |
American Aerospace |
Superiority |
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Originally intended as a high speed superiority fighter that would be companioned with the A213 series attack fighter, the S214 Shrike program experienced a number of costly manufacturing problems that delayed its release until the middle of 2486AD. This lengthy delay was the primary impetus behind the expansion of the A213 superiority conversions program and the creation of the “B” versions of the “Taz”. Traditionally, the USN emphasized speed and maneuverability as the most effective means to counter the Sho’tahl’s generally slower but resilient fighters and superior shields. The Shrike fully exemplified this philosophy. Roughly the same size as the A213 but with a dramatic reduction in hull mass, the Shrike was the fastest fighter in the Confederacy until the introduction of the S214 series in 2493AD. Outfitted with the Kessler 40E Fusion plant and gravity drive, the S214 could operate at higher speeds at extended distances for less fuel than the A213 “B” models. The Shrike’s primary opponents were the M706 “Nomad” and the S707 “Star Streak”, both flown by the Sho’tahl’s Frontier Authority. The S214 proved to be an adequate counter to these two units and served with the USN well into the Great War; but the Shrike was quickly eclipsed as the Confederacy’s premiere interceptor by the introduction of the S216. |
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Wolverine |
A217 |
Human Confederacy |
“‘Reene” |
Mynx Corporation |
Attack |
| Picture Not Available | ||
The A217 heavy attack fighter was released for regular service by the OSAB in 2494 AD. Its introduction marked the Mynx Corporations first venture into USN fighter contracts. Designed primarily for carrier based strike missions, the Wolverine was the largest fighter to be incorporated into the USN prior to the Great War. The introduction of the A217 also marked the first foray by the USN into the new “double barreled” torpedo design. The Wolverine also had one other distinction, albeit rather less than illustrious; it was the slowest and least maneuverable of the USN’s fighters to be fielded in the Great War. Though considerably faster than many counterparts fielded by other races, the A217 was sluggish by USN standards. However, its greatest vulnerability was to be found in the Confederacy’s lackluster shielding technology. To a degree, this was compensated for with the installation of the Kessler 55C countermeasures system. However, the Wolverine’s greatest protection was from other fighters flying escort and clearing a path to the target. Disadvantages aside, the Wolverine was very successful in delivering its ordinance and twin 650 cannon with devastating effects on enemy units. Its successful incorporation into intricately choreographed fighter operations turned this seemingly less than desirable craft into a devastating “team player”. |
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Eagle |
S216 |
Human Confederacy |
“Eagle” |
Tau One Industries |
Superiority |
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In 2493AD, almost seven years to the day after American Aerospace officially delivered the first of the S216 Shrike series, Tau One Industries released the S216 Eagle. upon its incorporation into the Confederacy’s combat forces, the S216 quickly assumed the position as the USN premiere interceptor. The Eagle was the manifestation of the USN’s doctrine of emphasizing speed and agility when combating the slower, more heavily shielded units employed by the Sho’tahl. Powered by the latest Universal Power 812 engines, the Eagle was the fastest fighter in the USN arsenal prior to the outbreak of the Great War. The Eagle was a clear match for the S707 “Star Streak series; however shortly after the Eagle’s introduction, the Sho’tahl unveiled the M706 Reaper series of medium multi-role fighters. The early S216’s found themselves overwhelmed by this Sho’tahl newcomer. The Eagle’s weakness was found primarily in its inferior gun package. At close ranges, the Reaper could take a staggering amount of damage and still kill an Eagle with its superior gun package (including a 650 cannon). The S216’s were forced to hold themselves outside of the Reaper’s effective gun range and make effective use of their superior Kessler M7 acquisition scanning suite and guided munitions. Still, the Eagle’s underwent a variety of armament upgrades during the early phases of the war to keep pace with the Sho’tahl and Zethi advancements encountered. |
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Razorback |
A215 |
Human Confederacy |
“Warthog” |
Tau One Industries |
Attack |
| Picture Not Available | ||
Released by Tau One Industries in 2485AD, the A215 Razorback was the Confederacy’s first dedicated torpedo carrying fighter. Though never intended as a replacement for the aging but still duty-fit A213, the Razorback offered an alternative to using the valuable “Taz” fighters on hazardous torpedo attacks and provided a production bridge to the then conjectural A217 Wolverine heavy attack fighter. The early Razorback suffered from a series of progressive flaws in the original power plants. As a result, the A215, despite its relatively fast acceleration rate, earned the unfortunate reputation for being “underpowered, unpredictable, and undependable.” These problems were addressed with the introduction of the “A2″ model in 2488AD. Equipped with a state-of-the-art Mansfield-Marietta 1103, the A215 increased its range and stability to well over that of the A213 “C” models. However, this came at the sacrifice of some of the original model’s speed. In an effort to curb its top mass, the razorback was built around its Class IV mount and was limited to four Class III mounts and two Class II mounts. However, the USN’s did incorporate the standard twin cannon assembly into the A215’s forward section, giving it a particularly nasty bite. |
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Shrike |
S214 |
Human Confederacy |
“Shrike” |
American Aerospace |
Superiority |
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Originally intended as a high speed superiority fighter that would be companioned with the A213 series attack fighter, the S214 Shrike program experienced a number of costly manufacturing problems that delayed its release until the middle of 2486AD. This lengthy delay was the primary impetus behind the expansion of the A213 superiority conversions program and the creation of the “B” versions of the “Taz”. Traditionally, the USN emphasized speed and maneuverability as the most effective means to counter the Sho’tahl’s generally slower but resilient fighters and superior shields. The Shrike fully exemplified this philosophy. Roughly the same size as the A213 but with a dramatic reduction in hull mass, the Shrike was the fastest fighter in the Confederacy until the introduction of the S214 series in 2493AD. Outfitted with the Kessler 40E Fusion plant and gravity drive, the S214 could operate at higher speeds at extended distances for less fuel than the A213 “B” models. The Shrike’s primary opponents were the M706 “Nomad” and the S707 “Star Streak”, both flown by the Sho’tahl’s Frontier Authority. The S214 proved to be an adequate counter to these two units and served with the USN well into the Great War; but the Shrike was quickly eclipsed as the Confederacy’s premiere interceptor by the introduction of the S216. |
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Tasmanian Devil
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A213 |
Human Confederacy |
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“Taz” |
American Aerospace |
Attack |
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| Picture Not Available | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 2466, 30 years after the conclusion of the Human-Sho’tahl war, the OSAB approved the procurement of the A213 Tasmanian Devil. A remarkably successful design, the “Taz” was the oldest human fighter to actively serve in the United Systems Navy at the outbreak of general hostilities near the turn of the 25th century. Even at that late date, the A213 remained one of the most popular units to be fielded by the Confederacy’s forces. Originally intended as a medium range fast attack fighter, the Taz proved to be a surprisingly effective dogfighter as well. A veritable powerhouse with its top of the line Mansfield-Marietta 1006 powerplant assembly, the A213 could maintain strong shield enclosure and run at a moderately high rate of speed. These factors added greatly to the Taz’s survivability and allowed it to match (and surpass in some areas) the Sho’tahl’s A705 “Mauler”. With variants that stretched into the “D” models, the USN attempted to configure the A213 into a variety of mission roles. Of these the “B” model superiority and “C” model heavy attack series were very successful. The Taz continued to hold its own against the newer Sho’tahl designs for the better part of two decades. however, the introduction of the newest generation of multi-role fighters by the Sho’tahl at the turn of the century ultimately put and end to the A213’s long career, but not its legend. |
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Wolverine |
A217 |
Human Confederacy |
“‘Reene” |
Mynx Corporation |
Attack |
| Picture Not Available | ||
The A217 heavy attack fighter was released for regular service by the OSAB in 2494 AD. Its introduction marked the Mynx Corporations first venture into USN fighter contracts. Designed primarily for carrier based strike missions, the Wolverine was the largest fighter to be incorporated into the USN prior to the Great War. The introduction of the A217 also marked the first foray by the USN into the new “double barreled” torpedo design. The Wolverine also had one other distinction, albeit rather less than illustrious; it was the slowest and least maneuverable of the USN’s fighters to be fielded in the Great War. Though considerably faster than many counterparts fielded by other races, the A217 was sluggish by USN standards. However, its greatest vulnerability was to be found in the Confederacy’s lackluster shielding technology. To a degree, this was compensated for with the installation of the Kessler 55C countermeasures system. However, the Wolverine’s greatest protection was from other fighters flying escort and clearing a path to the target. Disadvantages aside, the Wolverine was very successful in delivering its ordinance and twin 650 cannon with devastating effects on enemy units. Its successful incorporation into intricately choreographed fighter operations turned this seemingly less than desirable craft into a devastating “team player”. |
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Eagle |
S216 |
Human Confederacy |
“Eagle” |
Tau One Industries |
Superiority |
 |
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In 2493AD, almost seven years to the day after American Aerospace officially delivered the first of the S216 Shrike series, Tau One Industries released the S216 Eagle. upon its incorporation into the Confederacy’s combat forces, the S216 quickly assumed the position as the USN premiere interceptor. The Eagle was the manifestation of the USN’s doctrine of emphasizing speed and agility when combating the slower, more heavily shielded units employed by the Sho’tahl. Powered by the latest Universal Power 812 engines, the Eagle was the fastest fighter in the USN arsenal prior to the outbreak of the Great War. The Eagle was a clear match for the S707 “Star Streak series; however shortly after the Eagle’s introduction, the Sho’tahl unveiled the M706 Reaper series of medium multi-role fighters. The early S216’s found themselves overwhelmed by this Sho’tahl newcomer. The Eagle’s weakness was found primarily in its inferior gun package. At close ranges, the Reaper could take a staggering amount of damage and still kill an Eagle with its superior gun package (including a 650 cannon). The S216’s were forced to hold themselves outside of the Reaper’s effective gun range and make effective use of their superior Kessler M7 acquisition scanning suite and guided munitions. Still, the Eagle’s underwent a variety of armament upgrades during the early phases of the war to keep pace with the Sho’tahl and Zethi advancements encountered. |
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Razorback |
A215 |
Human Confederacy |
“Warthog” |
Tau One Industries |
Attack |
| Picture Not Available | ||
Released by Tau One Industries in 2485AD, the A215 Razorback was the Confederacy’s first dedicated torpedo carrying fighter. Though never intended as a replacement for the aging but still duty-fit A213, the Razorback offered an alternative to using the valuable “Taz” fighters on hazardous torpedo attacks and provided a production bridge to the then conjectural A217 Wolverine heavy attack fighter. The early Razorback suffered from a series of progressive flaws in the original power plants. As a result, the A215, despite its relatively fast acceleration rate, earned the unfortunate reputation for being “underpowered, unpredictable, and undependable.” These problems were addressed with the introduction of the “A2″ model in 2488AD. Equipped with a state-of-the-art Mansfield-Marietta 1103, the A215 increased its range and stability to well over that of the A213 “C” models. However, this came at the sacrifice of some of the original model’s speed. In an effort to curb its top mass, the razorback was built around its Class IV mount and was limited to four Class III mounts and two Class II mounts. However, the USN’s did incorporate the standard twin cannon assembly into the A215’s forward section, giving it a particularly nasty bite. |
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Shrike |
S214 |
Human Confederacy |
“Shrike” |
American Aerospace |
Superiority |
 |
||
Originally intended as a high speed superiority fighter that would be companioned with the A213 series attack fighter, the S214 Shrike program experienced a number of costly manufacturing problems that delayed its release until the middle of 2486AD. This lengthy delay was the primary impetus behind the expansion of the A213 superiority conversions program and the creation of the “B” versions of the “Taz”. Traditionally, the USN emphasized speed and maneuverability as the most effective means to counter the Sho’tahl’s generally slower but resilient fighters and superior shields. The Shrike fully exemplified this philosophy. Roughly the same size as the A213 but with a dramatic reduction in hull mass, the Shrike was the fastest fighter in the Confederacy until the introduction of the S214 series in 2493AD. Outfitted with the Kessler 40E Fusion plant and gravity drive, the S214 could operate at higher speeds at extended distances for less fuel than the A213 “B” models. The Shrike’s primary opponents were the M706 “Nomad” and the S707 “Star Streak”, both flown by the Sho’tahl’s Frontier Authority. The S214 proved to be an adequate counter to these two units and served with the USN well into the Great War; but the Shrike was quickly eclipsed as the Confederacy’s premiere interceptor by the introduction of the S216. |
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Tasmanian Devil
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A213 |
Human Confederacy |
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“Taz” |
American Aerospace |
Attack |
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| Picture Not Available | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 2466, 30 years after the conclusion of the Human-Sho’tahl war, the OSAB approved the procurement of the A213 Tasmanian Devil. A remarkably successful design, the “Taz” was the oldest human fighter to actively serve in the United Systems Navy at the outbreak of general hostilities near the turn of the 25th century. Even at that late date, the A213 remained one of the most popular units to be fielded by the Confederacy’s forces. Originally intended as a medium range fast attack fighter, the Taz proved to be a surprisingly effective dogfighter as well. A veritable powerhouse with its top of the line Mansfield-Marietta 1006 powerplant assembly, the A213 could maintain strong shield enclosure and run at a moderately high rate of speed. These factors added greatly to the Taz’s survivability and allowed it to match (and surpass in some areas) the Sho’tahl’s A705 “Mauler”. With variants that stretched into the “D” models, the USN attempted to configure the A213 into a variety of mission roles. Of these the “B” model superiority and “C” model heavy attack series were very successful. The Taz continued to hold its own against the newer Sho’tahl designs for the better part of two decades. however, the introduction of the newest generation of multi-role fighters by the Sho’tahl at the turn of the century ultimately put and end to the A213’s long career, but not its legend. |
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I’ve completed the transfer of Known Sphere data to the new site. Please check and see if I missed anything important or if there is anything additional you want added.
Website live. Please let me know if anything is messed up or wrong.
Thanks!
It was a wise man who once said- “the best place to start is the beginning” — or at least one who didn’t know how to save his progress in Doom.
1996 is when AoA was first talked about, but most of you are familiar with the game we started publicizing around 1999. The vision was simple: MMO Tie-Fighter. Unfortunately it was conceived by individuals with lots of experience playing games, but little experience writing them. We knew what we wanted, but just didn’t know how to get there.
With 20/20 hindsight and 8 years of game/systems programming behind me, I can give words to what went wrong. It falls in three categories:
1) Missions. Or more broadly “content” we had a cool game, with the tactical feel we had in mind, and it was unique, but… now what? The answer to that was missions/quests but it was never clear to us (me!) how to make them. The prophets of EQ/WoW had not yet come to show the way of making the masses understand generic questing.
Just to be clear- we knew we needed them, but I chased my tail for 2 years trying to implement them. I tried everything from a custom script language (AoA now uses lua) to a data-driven state machine. I comfort myself thinking that the game was just ahead of its time, but the truth is if we got it right people would have gotten it.
2) Game design. The programmers were trying to design the game as we went, the only way a programmer knows how: coding it in, and not well. The two programmers (one on graphic engine and one on game engine) were learning as we went. The game we produced was an increasingly hacked-together flying mess of unchangeable gobbledygook. It became exponentially harder to add anything. The other members of the team contributed mightily to source and mission ideas, but did not have the tools to put them into the game without heavy handed programmer intervention.
The correct way to make a game is for the programmers to write tools that allow designers to create a data-driven experience. Where did I learn that? After (and largely because of) AoA I was offered a job as Senior Developer at SOE on EverQuest. Curt_EQ is me. I learned so much there its just not possible to describe. Specifically I learned from Jamey Ryan and Terry Michaels (to name names) how to be a lead programmer, and what large system architecture was really all about.
3) Will. After you have enough doors quietly shut in your face, well it starts to become a drag. Burning cash that increasingly feels like throwing good money after bad. Holding down a full time day job just to pile the rest of your time (and all your money) onto a night-job game that has heartbreak after heartbreak.. its wears thin.
The first to go was the graphics programmer. He lost interest and left to pursue his career. Unfortunately I cannot imagine the circumstances that would bring him back to the team, suffice to say he is gone for good.
Quickly thereafter the team was forced to give up. Not in the game. We gave up flushing money down the drain. We gave up endless pitches to executives who smile and nod before saying “your game looks awesome, but you’re nobody”. We gave up having our lives placed on hold because all effort (and every spare penny) must be dumped into “The Game”. Over 2 gigs of assets, graphics, prose, source material, models, code and love were mothballed, and the team broke up.
Fast forward to 6 months ago. I moved back to Georgia (from San Diego where SOE resides) at great reluctance, but with two kids and zero family around it was just the right thing to do to come home. My wife and I have not regretted the decision.
Through a chain of unlikely events I found myself with a licensed copy of a very large, expensive, commercial game development package. Just for fun I dropped in some AoA assets. They worked. and even though time had passed, they still looked as awesome as they always did.
Tried some more. added some more code and darn it, it worked. The time key on the license ran out, unfortunately, and progress halted. Another heartbreak.
Out of sheer optimism I explored some of the same options I pursued years ago when we lost our graphics prorgammer, ie- finding a free-(ish) plug-and-play graphics/mesh engine. This led me to Ogre.
Long story short: Ogre is it. Everything we need, nothing we don’t. Its well supported, high quality, and after a week of development and experimentation I knew this was it. This is how AoA is going to be reborn.
With years of inactivity and failed investments, Flying Rock Enterprises has too much baggage. A new company was formed, Flying Rock Games, which exclusively licenses the IP from FRE and will be a fresh start.
Ace of Angels, the game that was ahead of its time, and the game no one has attempted since, is back.
-Jolly Roger
It was a wise man who once said- “the best place to start is the beginning” — or at least one who didn’t know how to save his progress in Doom.
1996 is when AoA was first talked about, but most of you are familiar with the game we started publicizing around 1999. The vision was simple: MMO Tie-Fighter. Unfortunately it was conceived by individuals with lots of experience playing games, but little experience writing them. We knew what we wanted, but just didn’t know how to get there.
With 20/20 hindsight and 8 years of game/systems programming behind me, I can give words to what went wrong. It falls in three categories:
1) Missions. Or more broadly “content” we had a cool game, with the tactical feel we had in mind, and it was unique, but… now what? The answer to that was missions/quests but it was never clear to us (me!) how to make them. The prophets of EQ/WoW had not yet come to show the way of making the masses understand generic questing.
Just to be clear- we knew we needed them, but I chased my tail for 2 years trying to implement them. I tried everything from a custom script language (AoA now uses lua) to a data-driven state machine. I comfort myself thinking that the game was just ahead of its time, but the truth is if we got it right people would have gotten it.
2) Game design. The programmers were trying to design the game as we went, the only way a programmer knows how: coding it in, and not well. The two programmers (one on graphic engine and one on game engine) were learning as we went. The game we produced was an increasingly hacked-together flying mess of unchangeable gobbledygook. It became exponentially harder to add anything. The other members of the team contributed mightily to source and mission ideas, but did not have the tools to put them into the game without heavy handed programmer intervention.
The correct way to make a game is for the programmers to write tools that allow designers to create a data-driven experience. Where did I learn that? After (and largely because of) AoA I was offered a job as Senior Developer at SOE on EverQuest. Curt_EQ is me. I learned so much there its just not possible to describe. Specifically I learned from Jamey Ryan and Terry Michaels (to name names) how to be a lead programmer, and what large system architecture was really all about.
3) Will. After you have enough doors quietly shut in your face, well it starts to become a drag. Burning cash that increasingly feels like throwing good money after bad. Holding down a full time day job just to pile the rest of your time (and all your money) onto a night-job game that has heartbreak after heartbreak.. its wears thin.
The first to go was the graphics programmer. He lost interest and left to pursue his career. Unfortunately I cannot imagine the circumstances that would bring him back to the team, suffice to say he is gone for good.
Quickly thereafter the team was forced to give up. Not in the game. We gave up flushing money down the drain. We gave up endless pitches to executives who smile and nod before saying “your game looks awesome, but you’re nobody”. We gave up having our lives placed on hold because all effort (and every spare penny) must be dumped into “The Game”. Over 2 gigs of assets, graphics, prose, source material, models, code and love were mothballed, and the team broke up.
Fast forward to 6 months ago. I moved back to Georgia (from San Diego where SOE resides) at great reluctance, but with two kids and zero family around it was just the right thing to do to come home. My wife and I have not regretted the decision.
Through a chain of unlikely events I found myself with a licensed copy of a very large, expensive, commercial game development package. Just for fun I dropped in some AoA assets. They worked. and even though time had passed, they still looked as awesome as they always did.
Tried some more. added some more code and darn it, it worked. The time key on the license ran out, unfortunately, and progress halted. Another heartbreak.
Out of sheer optimism I explored some of the same options I pursued years ago when we lost our graphics prorgammer, ie- finding a free-(ish) plug-and-play graphics/mesh engine. This led me to Ogre.
Long story short: Ogre is it. Everything we need, nothing we don’t. Its well supported, high quality, and after a week of development and experimentation I knew this was it. This is how AoA is going to be reborn.
With years of inactivity and failed investments, Flying Rock Enterprises has too much baggage. A new company was formed, Flying Rock Games, which exclusively liceses the IP from FRE and will be a fresh start.
Ace of Angels, the game that was ahead of its time, and the game no one has attempted since, is back.
-Jolly Roger
The Lyndara were one of the great enigmas of Homespace: they are not native to their homeworld. This mystery deepened with the discovery of Humans, because they looked much like the Lyndara. Genetic tests confirmed that the Lyndara must have been an offshoot from Earth, but no one knows how they got into space. It is unlikely that anyone will found out soon, as the Lyndara since the overrun and destruction of their homeworld by the Blood Hunters. Humans and Lyndara clearly have a common ancestor, but sometime in the last 100,000 years, the ancestor’s of the Lyndara were moved to their homeworld. As to who and what this agency was, is unknown.
Biology
The Lyndara look human, and are in fact another species of hominid. Homo similis is the name given by Earth biologists. In terms of skin color and features, Lyndara have less variety than Humans, but they have much greater variety of eye and hair color. Skin is clear and pale, almost totally free of blemishes. Lyndara can lightly tan, but seem free of spots and cancers, even with strong UV exposure. By Human standards, both male and female Lyndara are quite attractive. Obesity is nonexistent, as are other “normal” Human issues, such as thinning hair, crooked teeth or other genetic defects. However, the Lyndara, as a species, are more prone to psychotic disorders than Humans.
Society
The Lyndara society is shaped by the loss of their homeworld when it was overrun by the Blood Hunters 500 years ago. The Lyndara are now a nomadic society, always on the move. They are master traders, across Homespace, but they are aligned with the Union of Stars, even though they are not members. The Lyndara have an undying hatred of the Blood Hunters, and seek to kill as many as possible. It is not unheard of for Lyndara warriors to wear Blood Hunter pelts.
Lyndara society has little distinction between the roles either sex plays. Males and females serve in equal numbers in most capacities. Certainly, the females tend to be as aggressive as the males, but both sexes fall somewhere in between human men and women in most characteristics.
The Lyndara were one of the great enigmas of Homespace: they are not native to their homeworld. This mystery deepened with the discovery of Humans, because they looked much like the Lyndara. Genetic tests confirmed that the Lyndara must have been an offshoot from Earth, but no one knows how they got into space. It is unlikely that anyone will find out soon, as the Lyndara [insert something here] since the overrun and destruction of their homeworld by the Blood Hunters. Humans and Lyndara clearly have a common ancestor, but sometime in the last 100,000 years, the ancestor’s of the Lyndara were moved to their homeworld. As to who and what this agency was, is unknown.
Biology
The Lyndara look human, and are in fact another species of hominid. Homo similis is the name given by Earth biologists. In terms of skin color and features, Lyndara have less variety than Humans, but they have much greater variety of eye and hair color. Skin is clear and pale, almost totally free of blemishes. Lyndara can lightly tan, but seem free of spots and cancers, even with strong UV exposure. By Human standards, both male and female Lyndara are quite attractive. Obesity is nonexistent, as are other “normal” Human issues, such as thinning hair, crooked teeth or other genetic defects. However, the Lyndara, as a species, are more prone to psychotic disorders than Humans.
Society
The Lyndara society is shaped by the loss of their homeworld when it was overrun by the Blood Hunters 500 years ago. The Lyndara are now a nomadic society, always on the move. They are master traders, across Homespace, but they are aligned with the Union of Stars, even though they are not members. The Lyndara have an undying hatred of the Blood Hunters, and seek to kill as many as possible. It is not unheard of for Lyndara warriors to wear Blood Hunter pelts.
Lyndara society has little distinction between the roles either sex plays. Males and females serve in equal numbers in most capacities. Certainly, the females tend to be as aggressive as the males, but both sexes fall somewhere in between human men and women in most characteristics.
The Major Races of Forgotten Suns
Quar colonies were the first non-Brynn to join the Union of Stars. As such, they are the race closest to the Brynn, and serve in the highest positions within the Union of Stars of any race save the Brynn themselves.
Biology
The Quar appear to humans to be a cross between an insect and a human. They are covered in a chitinous exoskeleton, which come in various vivid colors. They have two arms from each shoulder, for a total of four, each ending in a 3 fingered hand equally capable of fine and heavy manipulation. Their legs are in standard quadruped hind leg form, ending in two clawed toes. Their heads are ovals, with a pair of eyes in the center, and one on each side of the head. From the forehead, two antennae both detect air movement and provide a sense of smell. Standing around 5” tall, the Quar are not as strong as Humans, but they are very nimble.
Quar live life in six stages: egg, larva, first-pupa, breeder, second-pupa and post-adult. Eggs are laid by semi-sentient female breeders, who tend them by instinct. Breeders enter the pupa stage, and after a year in their cocoon, emerge as a post-adult. Post-adults cannot breed, but are highly intelligent and organize society. What is most amazing about the final life-stage is that the Quar cannot enter into a pupa stage without the aid of another species.
At some point in their evolutionary past, the Quar breeders evolved to trick another large animal, the qwist, to coat them in silk, which the breeders can no longer produce. Today, Quar post-adults actively control their breeders, selecting for traits, and managing their bloodlines. The qwist are also breed and managed to support the Quar themselves. While breeders may live 10 years, post-adults can live as long as 250, if they do not first die a violent death.
Society
The Quar grouped into large family clans, usually run by a the oldest Quar. Relationships are important to the Quar, with the clan the most important. Nations are groups of clans that band together. The Quar are a conservative species with their rule by elders. Often, younger post-adults will leave the clan and head out on their own to found a new colony. Ironically, in the interstellar age, the conservative Quar are quite dynamic, and expansionistic.
The Lyndara were one of the great enigmas of Homespace: they are not native to their homeworld. This mystery deepened with the discovery of Humans, because they looked much like the Lyndara. Genetic tests confirmed that the Lyndara must have been an offshoot from Earth, but no one knows how they got into space. It is unlikely that anyone will found out soon, as the Lyndara since the overrun and destruction of their homeworld by the Blood Hunters. Humans and Lyndara clearly have a common ancestor, but sometime in the last 100,000 years, the ancestor’s of the Lyndara were moved to their homeworld. As to who and what this agency was, is unknown.
Biology
The Lyndara look human, and are in fact another species of hominid. Homo similis is the name given by Earth biologists. In terms of skin color and features, Lyndara have less variety than Humans, but they have much greater variety of eye and hair color. Skin is clear and pale, almost totally free of blemishes. Lyndara can lightly tan, but seem free of spots and cancers, even with strong UV exposure. By Human standards, both male and female Lyndara are quite attractive. Obesity is nonexistent, as are other “normal” Human issues, such as thinning hair, crooked teeth or other genetic defects. However, the Lyndara, as a species, are more prone to psychotic disorders than Humans.
Society
The Lyndara society is shaped by the loss of their homeworld when it was overrun by the Blood Hunters 500 years ago. The Lyndara are now a nomadic society, always on the move. They are master traders, across Homespace, but they are aligned with the Union of Stars, even though they are not members. The Lyndara have an undying hatred of the Blood Hunters, and seek to kill as many as possible. It is not unheard of for Lyndara warriors to wear Blood Hunter pelts.
Lyndara society has little distinction between the roles either sex plays. Males and females serve in equal numbers in most capacities. Certainly, the females tend to be as aggressive as the males, but both sexes fall somewhere in between human men and women in most characteristics.
NPC Race:
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars are the two races that predate the rise of the Jindal or Brynn in Homespace. They are masters of maintenance, repair and manufacturing. Totally neutral, groups of Ik’yak have long contracted to provide services to one group or another. In the Great War, Ik’yak worked in the shipyards of ever race, served on board most war ships, and died alongside their employers. No one knows where they came from, or why they want to work for others, but the Ik’yak seem happiest when building and fixing technology; the Ge’ars are content when mining. Both races are vital to both the recovering economies of Homespace, and the expansion into the Forgotten Suns
Ik’yak Biology
The Ik’yak, look like an lavender or purple octopus with three times as many tentacles, and several eyestalks. Their brain in somewhere inside the central bundle of tentacles, and it is able to process several actions at once. Male and female Ik’yak look the same to other species, but the Ik’yak themselves seem to have no trouble telling themselves apart at a glance. Their offspring are born from a clutch of eggs laid by the female. Usually all survive, which means the Ik’yak can reproduce rapidly if they so choose. The young are raised by all the adults in the group once they hatch, naturally migrating towards the technical areas that suit them. Fortunately, they do not mate unless it is to produce offspring. Ik’yak rapidly mature, and can easily live up to 200 years.
Ik’yak have a remarkable ability to regenerate. Any lost limbs, eyes, or even skin and some organs will regenerate over time. While lacking any sort of skeleton means they are as durable at the Ge’ar, they are quite resilient. They are able to withstand harsh temperatures, and even vacuum for short periods. Their tentacles can be hydrostatically altered to operate at tools, and Ik’yak fine manipulation is unparalleled among the races.
Ge’ar Biology
The Ge’ars are a very durable race. They have a hard exoskeleton made of a material similar to stone. Their extremities are long and thin, giving them more of a bug or spider like appearance. The torso is very stout and their head is attached firmly by a thick spinal column. On the inside of the torso along the spinal column are hundreds of small gear-like wheels. These wheels are powered by what is a combustion engine at the heart of the torso. When they are digesting their food, which consists of any combustible liquid and various stones, the torso glows like a firefly.
The gears along the spine are wrapped with a material akin to spider silk but a thousand times stronger. Each different gear is responsible for attaching to the joints of the extremities with the silken tendon. This gives them an awkward sort of ambulatory motion that looks like an animated marionette. If a limb is destroyed, a Ge’ar can simply attach something else in its place and restring it with newly created silk. The ability to do this opened up the ability for them to customize themselves. They are born with six natural evenly sized appendages, but these are often “changed out” over the life of the Ge’ar. The mouth is very large with powerful stone-like jaws so they can break down just about anything. They have four eyes, two in the front and two on the sides. They have no ears, but hear through the vibrations in their extremities through the silk tendons. The normal life-span is approximately 180 years. The body starts to break down after 120 years and slowly becomes less efficient until the internal power supply can no longer generate enough emissions to sustain the brain.
Society
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars organize themselves into autonomous groups scattered in colonies on and off worlds. These groups are what engage in various negotiations for workers. Contracts are for various times, but are usually renewed on a regular basis. There seems to be some method unknown to the rest of Homespace that allows these group to communicate with each other.
Normally, the contracted workers will move several adults to the work location. Parents and children remain behind in the colonies. In large scale contracts, such as factory work on planets, there will be space set aside for a colony. Before its devastation, the Jindal Homeworld had over 100 such settlements around it.
Humans in Jindal Space
The Union of Stars, formed in the distant past by the Brynn homeworld, has a long and proud existence. Initially a Brynn trading organization, it has grown to include all Brynn colonies, and the homeworlds and colonies of several species, the most recent of which include Earth and several Human colonies.
The Union of Stars has been very successful, which ultimately led to the war with the Jindal Supremacy. As it covered system after system, those outside shuddered at the thought of Union taxes, and the further enrichment of the already plutocratic Brynn. As the Union grew with each new system, two others would line up with the Supremacy. Eventually, war started.
At present, the Union is a shadow of its former economic power, as it struggles to recover from the devastation of a multi-generational war, and additional loss its capital. In the wake of the diminished Brynn, the Union is living up to its actual charter, with power more equally shared among the member systems.
Major Races
The Union of Stars has many races, most of which have no real colonies. The major players in the Union are:
The Lyndara are non-members, but are aligned with the Union. They have no colony words, but exist as vast nomadic groups.
In the Forgotten Suns, the chief gateway settlement of the Union of Stars is Hard Luck Station.
The Jindal will tell you the Supremacy is entirely defensive in nature. Formed in the fire of two wars, the Supremacy does not formally rule non-Jindal, but acts as their protector. Worlds pay taxes to the Supremacy not in coin or credit, but in labor, raw materials, and raw recruits.
The Supremacy has never been overtly expansionistic, seeking mostly to be left alone. However, time and again, the Jindal have perceived others as a threat and acted preemptively to secure the fatherworld. When the Blood Hunters started to emerge once more into space, the Jindal moved ruthlessly to control their rage. Now, the precise, expert Jindal Warriors are supported by the best shock troops in Homespace.
Many systems joined with the Jindal to defend themselves from the aggression of others, especially the Brynn. Systems allied with the Supremacy are expected to provide resources, in materials, work, and soldiers. While client races never achieve the status of Warrior, their soldiers are part of the greater military might of the Supremacy.
Humans, interestingly enough, have found a greater niche in administrative roles throughout the Supremacy than they have in the military. It seems human innovation is a welcome addition to the battle focused races of the Jindal.
The lead races of the Jindal Supremacy are:
Other races exist, but tend to be one only one or two worlds.
While the Long War has ended, the races are still settled into two great coalitions: The Jindal Supremacy and the Union of Stars. Both now work to recover from the effects of that conflict, while a new one builds up in the realm of the Forgotten Suns.
Blood Hunters coming soon to a planet near you!
Blood Hunters coming soon to a planet near you!
The Lyndara were one of the great enigmas of Homespace: they are not native to their homeworld. This mystery deepened with the discovery of Humans, because they looked much like the Lyndara. Genetic tests confirmed that the Lyndara must have been an offshoot from Earth, but no one knows how they got into space. It is unlikely that anyone will found out soon, as the Lyndara since the overrun and destruction of their homeworld by the Blood Hunters. Humans and Lyndara clearly have a common ancestor, but sometime in the last 100,000 years, the ancestor’s of the Lyndara were moved to their homeworld. As to who and what this agency was, is unknown.
Biology
The Lyndara look human, and are in fact another species of hominid. Homo similis is the name given by Earth biologists. In terms of skin color and features, Lyndara have less variety than Humans, but they have much greater variety of eye and hair color. Skin is clear and pale, almost totally free of blemishes. Lyndara can lightly tan, but seem free of spots and cancers, even with strong UV exposure. By Human standards, both male and female Lyndara are quite attractive. Obesity is nonexistent, as are other “normal” Human issues, such as thinning hair, crooked teeth or other genetic defects. However, the Lyndara, as a species, are more prone to psychotic disorders than Humans.
Society
The Lyndara society is shaped by the loss of their homeworld when it was overrun by the Blood Hunters 500 years ago. The Lyndara are now a nomadic society, always on the move. They are master traders, across Homespace, but they are aligned with the Union of Stars, even though they are not members. The Lyndara have an undying hatred of the Blood Hunters, and seek to kill as many as possible. It is not unheard of for Lyndara warriors to wear Blood Hunter pelts.
Lyndara society has little distinction between the roles either sex plays. Males and females serve in equal numbers in most capacities. Certainly, the females tend to be as aggressive as the males, but both sexes fall somewhere in between human men and women in most characteristics.
The Lyndara were one of the great enigmas of Homespace: they are not native to their homeworld. This mystery deepened with the discovery of Humans, because they looked much like the Lyndara. Genetic tests confirmed that the Lyndara must have been an offshoot from Earth, but no one knows how they got into space. It is unlikely that anyone will found out soon, as the Lyndara since the overrun and destruction of their homeworld by the Blood Hunters. Humans and Lyndara clearly have a common ancestor, but sometime in the last 100,000 years, the ancestor’s of the Lyndara were moved to their homeworld. As to who and what this agency was, is unknown.
Biology
The Lyndara look human, and are in fact another species of hominid. Homo similis is the name given by Earth biologists. In terms of skin color and features, Lyndara have less variety than Humans, but they have much greater variety of eye and hair color. Skin is clear and pale, almost totally free of blemishes. Lyndara can lightly tan, but seem free of spots and cancers, even with strong UV exposure. By Human standards, both male and female Lyndara are quite attractive. Obesity is nonexistent, as are other “normal” Human issues, such as thinning hair, crooked teeth or other genetic defects. However, the Lyndara, as a species, are more prone to psychotic disorders than Humans.
Society
The Lyndara society is shaped by the loss of their homeworld when it was overrun by the Blood Hunters 500 years ago. The Lyndara are now a nomadic society, always on the move. They are master traders, across Homespace, but they are aligned with the Union of Stars, even though they are not members. The Lyndara have an undying hatred of the Blood Hunters, and seek to kill as many as possible. It is not unheard of for Lyndara warriors to wear Blood Hunter pelts.
Lyndara society has little distinction between the roles either sex plays. Males and females serve in equal numbers in most capacities. Certainly, the females tend to be as aggressive as the males, but both sexes fall somewhere in between human men and women in most characteristics.
The Lyndara were one of the great enigmas of Homespace: they are not native to their homeworld. This mystery deepened with the discovery of Humans, because they looked much like the Lyndara. Genetic tests confirmed that the Lyndara must have been an offshoot from Earth, but no one knows how they got into space. It is unlikely that anyone will found out soon, as the Lyndara since the overrun and destruction of their homeworld by the Blood Hunters. Humans and Lyndara clearly have a common ancestor, but sometime in the last 100,000 years, the ancestor’s of the Lyndara were moved to their homeworld. As to who and what this agency was, is unknown.
Biology
The Lyndara look human, and are in fact another species of hominid. Homo similis is the name given by Earth biologists. In terms of skin color and features, Lyndara have less variety than Humans, but they have much greater variety of eye and hair color. Skin is clear and pale, almost totally free of blemishes. Lyndara can lightly tan, but seem free of spots and cancers, even with strong UV exposure. By Human standards, both male and female Lyndara are quite attractive. Obesity is nonexistent, as are other “normal” Human issues, such as thinning hair, crooked teeth or other genetic defects. However, the Lyndara, as a species, are more prone to psychotic disorders than Humans.
Society
The Lyndara society is shaped by the loss of their homeworld when it was overrun by the Blood Hunters 500 years ago. The Lyndara are now a nomadic society, always on the move. They are master traders, across Homespace, but they are aligned with the Union of Stars, even though they are not members. The Lyndara have an undying hatred of the Blood Hunters, and seek to kill as many as possible. It is not unheard of for Lyndara warriors to wear Blood Hunter pelts.
Lyndara society has little distinction between the roles either sex plays. Males and females serve in equal numbers in most capacities. Certainly, the females tend to be as aggressive as the males, but both sexes fall somewhere in between human men and women in most characteristics.
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The Lyndara were one of the great enigmas of Homespace: they are not native to their homeworld. This mystery deepened with the discovery of Humans, because they looked much like the Lyndara. Genetic tests confirmed that the Lyndara must have been an offshoot from Earth, but no one knows how they got into space. It is unlikely that anyone will found out soon, as the Lyndara since the overrun and destruction of their homeworld by the Blood Hunters. Humans and Lyndara clearly have a common ancestor, but sometime in the last 100,000 years, the ancestor’s of the Lyndara were moved to their homeworld. As to who and what this agency was, is unknown.
Biology
The Lyndara look human, and are in fact another species of hominid. Homo similis is the name given by Earth biologists. In terms of skin color and features, Lyndara have less variety than Humans, but they have much greater variety of eye and hair color. Skin is clear and pale, almost totally free of blemishes. Lyndara can lightly tan, but seem free of spots and cancers, even with strong UV exposure. By Human standards, both male and female Lyndara are quite attractive. Obesity is nonexistent, as are other “normal” Human issues, such as thinning hair, crooked teeth or other genetic defects. However, the Lyndara, as a species, are more prone to psychotic disorders than Humans.
Society
The Lyndara society is shaped by the loss of their homeworld when it was overrun by the Blood Hunters 500 years ago. The Lyndara are now a nomadic society, always on the move. They are master traders, across Homespace, but they are aligned with the Union of Stars, even though they are not members. The Lyndara have an undying hatred of the Blood Hunters, and seek to kill as many as possible. It is not unheard of for Lyndara warriors to wear Blood Hunter pelts.
Lyndara society has little distinction between the roles either sex plays. Males and females serve in equal numbers in most capacities. Certainly, the females tend to be as aggressive as the males, but both sexes fall somewhere in between human men and women in most characteristics.
The Brynn are the driving force behind the Union of Stars. They would call themselves First Among Equals, though many in the Union would call them no less imperial than the Jindal.
Biology
The Brynn are reptilian humanoids, with long necks, and heads that look like various types of dragons. Their bodies are broad and compact and they stand 5-6 feet tall. Their arms and legs are longer than human proportion, adding to their reptilian look. Their eyes can be any color, but have vertical slits, like a cat. Their mouths are more flexible than one would associate with reptiles, and they are adapt at many facial expressions.
The Brynn have two sexes, and give live birth.
Society
The Brynn organize their society as the ultimate in capitalists. Everything is negotiated, contracted and signed. If it can be sold, exchanged, bartered or traded, the Brynn do it. Every employee is an independent contractor, every solider a mercenary. They Brynn are renown for their ability to get a good deal.
The Brynn government is close to a pure democracy on paper, but with vote buying legal, there is an effective plutocratic rule, rendering the Brynn an odd sort of republic on all but the most pressing issues. Strict laws of commerce are obeyed by all. Justice is swift and harsh for anyone breaching a legal contract, and most often, it is an alien breaking the rules, not a Brynn.
The Brynn are the driving force behind the Union of Stars. They would call themselves First Among Equals, though many in the Union would call them no less imperial than the Jindal.
Biology
The Brynn are reptilian humanoids, with long necks, and heads that look like various types of dragons. Their bodies are broad and compact and they stand 5-6 feet tall. Their arms and legs are longer than human proportion, adding to their reptilian look. Their eyes can be any color, but have vertical slits, like a cat. Their mouths are more flexible than one would associate with reptiles, and they are adapt at many facial expressions.
The Brynn have two sexes, and give live birth.
Society
The Brynn organize their society as the ultimate in capitalists. Everything is negotiated, contracted and signed. If it can be sold, exchanged, bartered or traded, the Brynn do it. Every employee is an independent contractor, every solider a mercenary. They Brynn are renown for their ability to get a good deal.
The Brynn government is close to a pure democracy on paper, but with vote buying legal, there is an effective plutocratic rule, rendering the Brynn an odd sort of republic on all but the most pressing issues. Strict laws of commerce are obeyed by all. Justice is swift and harsh for anyone breaching a legal contract, and most often, it is an alien breaking the rules, not a Brynn.
The Brynn are the driving force behind the Union of Stars. They would call themselves First Among Equals, though many in the Union would call them no less imperial than the Jindal.
Biology
The Brynn are reptilian humanoids, with long necks, and heads that look like various types of dragons. Their bodies are broad and compact and they stand 5-6 feet tall. Their arms and legs are longer than human proportion, adding to their reptilian look. Their eyes can be any color, but have vertical slits, like a cat. Their mouths are more flexible than one would associate with reptiles, and they are adapt at many facial expressions.
The Brynn have two sexes, and give live birth.
Society
The Brynn organize their society as the ultimate in capitalists. Everything is negotiated, contracted and signed. If it can be sold, exchanged, bartered or traded, the Brynn do it. Every employee is an independent contractor, every solider a mercenary. They Brynn are renown for their ability to get a good deal.
The Brynn government is close to a pure democracy on paper, but with vote buying legal, there is an effective plutocratic rule, rendering the Brynn an odd sort of republic on all but the most pressing issues. Strict laws of commerce are obeyed by all. Justice is swift and harsh for anyone breaching a legal contract, and most often, it is an alien breaking the rules, not a Brynn.
Tall, regal, stoic and noble are the most conmen descriptions of the warrior Jindal. A proud race of warriors, the Jindal are the leaders of the Supremacy.
Biology
Standing 6-7 feet tall, the Jindal are humanoids with amazing physics. Their bronze-skinned bodies look like a sculpted ideal of a Greek or Roman statue. Their faces are ebony black, with golden eyes, and features reminiscent of a jackal. Around the heads of both males and females a great mane, either gold, burnt orange or white. More than one human has commented the Jindal look like some Egyptian god who has stepped forth from the past.
The Jindal bear live young, which are nursed by the female. They take around 20 years to reach maturity, and live 80 years or so, if they do not die of violent causes, which is often the case with this warrior race.
Society
The Jindal’s foray into the void was met with vicious attacks by the beings later known as The Blood Hunters. Fierce fighting with these implacable foes threatened the Jindal with complete conquest. It was only a timely exchange with an I’kyak colony group that let the Jindal turn the tide. In this firestorm, the metal of the Jindal Supremacy was born.
In the generations that followed, the Jindal expanded onto several worlds vacated by the collapsing Blood Hunters. Soon, these colonies turned against their fatherworld, and war raged again. The fight to maintain the status of the fatherworld forged the hot metal of the Alien Wars into the steal of the Jindal Supremacy.
The Supremacy is a stratified society, with the Warrior caste at the top, ruling over the Villein, or serf caste, and the Skir caste. Warriors structure is based on the state. Children who are born to either caste are given a series of tests. Those that pass are advanced as Warriors. These means children leave their parents and form into Syta. Each Syta becomes their family. They eat, sleep, train and fight as a unit. These Jindal spend their lives together, though individuals may be promoted to higher ranks.
The Lowers castes perform all other needs in the society. The Skir have limited rights, and serve in positions that require advanced knowledge. This includes such duties as doctor, merchant and architect. The Villein perform the menial tasks, running both farms and factories.
The Jindal also contract with more Ik’yak and Gears than any other race. The contracts place the Ik’yak in particular in maintenance and construction of the most critical areas; help to ensure that any revolt of the Villein cannot succeed.
Jindal government is based on a vote by the Warriors, often called the Conclave. There are two hereditary Kings, who serve as a check on each other, and on the Warriors Conclave.
Tall, regal, stoic and noble are the most conmen descriptions of the warrior Jindal. A proud race of warriors, the Jindal are the leaders of the Supremacy.
Standing 6-7 feet tall, the Jindal are humanoids with amazing physics. Their bronze-skinned bodies look like a sculpted ideal of a Greek or Roman statue. Their faces are ebony black, with golden eyes, and features reminiscent of a jackal. Around the heads of both males and females a great mane, either gold, burnt orange or white. More than one human has commented the Jindal look like some Egyptian god who has stepped forth from the past.
The Jindal bear live young, which are nursed by the female. They take around 20 years to reach maturity, and live 80 years or so, if they do not die of violent causes, which is often the case with this warrior race.
The Jindal’s foray into the void was met with vicious attacks by the beings later known as The Blood Hunters. Fierce fighting with these implacable foes threatened the Jindal with complete conquest. It was only a timely exchange with an I’kyak colony group that let the Jindal turn the tide. In this firestorm, the metal of the Jindal Supremacy was born.
In the generations that followed, the Jindal expanded onto several worlds vacated by the collapsing Blood Hunters. Soon, these colonies turned against their fatherworld, and war raged again. The fight to maintain the status of the fatherworld forged the hot metal of the Alien Wars into the steal of the Jindal Supremacy.
The Supremacy is a stratified society, with the Warrior caste at the top, ruling over the Villein, or serf caste, and the Skir caste. Warriors structure is based on the state. Children who are born to either caste are given a series of tests. Those that pass are advanced as Warriors. This means children leave their parents and form into Syta. Each Syta becomes their family. They eat, sleep, train and fight as a unit. These Jindal spend their lives together, though individuals may be promoted to higher ranks.
The Lowers castes perform all other needs in the society. The Skir have limited rights, and serve in positions that require advanced knowledge. This includes such duties as doctor, merchant and architect. The Villein perform the menial tasks, running both farms and factories.
The Jindal also contract with more Ik’yak and Gears than any other race. The contracts place the Ik’yak in particular in maintenance and construction of the most critical areas; help to ensure that any revolt of the Villein cannot succeed.
Jindal government is based on a vote by the Warriors, often called the Conclave. There are two hereditary Kings, who serve as a check on each other, and on the Warriors Conclave.
Tall, regal, stoic and noble are the most conmen descriptions of the warrior Jindal. A proud race of warriors, the Jindal are the leaders of the Supremacy.
Biology
Standing 6-7 feet tall, the Jindal are humanoids with amazing physics. Their bronze-skinned bodies look like a sculpted ideal of a Greek or Roman statue. Their faces are ebony black, with golden eyes, and features reminiscent of a jackal. Around the heads of both males and females a great mane, either gold, burnt orange or white. More than one human has commented the Jindal look like some Egyptian god who has stepped forth from the past.
The Jindal bear live young, which are nursed by the female. They take around 20 years to reach maturity, and live 80 years or so, if they do not die of violent causes, which is often the case with this warrior race.
Society
The Jindal’s foray into the void was met with vicious attacks by the beings later known as The Blood Hunters. Fierce fighting with these implacable foes threatened the Jindal with complete conquest. It was only a timely exchange with an I’kyak colony group that let the Jindal turn the tide. In this firestorm, the metal of the Jindal Supremacy was born.
In the generations that followed, the Jindal expanded onto several worlds vacated by the collapsing Blood Hunters. Soon, these colonies turned against their fatherworld, and war raged again. The fight to maintain the status of the fatherworld forged the hot metal of the Alien Wars into the steal of the Jindal Supremacy.
The Supremacy is a stratified society, with the Warrior caste at the top, ruling over the Villein, or serf caste, and the Skir caste. Warriors structure is based on the state. Children who are born to either caste are given a series of tests. Those that pass are advanced as Warriors. These means children leave their parents and form into Syta. Each Syta becomes their family. They eat, sleep, train and fight as a unit. These Jindal spend their lives together, though individuals may be promoted to higher ranks.
The Lowers castes perform all other needs in the society. The Skir have limited rights, and serve in positions that require advanced knowledge. This includes such duties as doctor, merchant and architect. The Villein perform the menial tasks, running both farms and factories.
The Jindal also contract with more Ik’yak and Gears than any other race. The contracts place the Ik’yak in particular in maintenance and construction of the most critical areas; help to ensure that any revolt of the Villein cannot succeed.
Jindal government is based on a vote by the Warriors, often called the Conclave. There are two hereditary Kings, who serve as a check on each other, and on the Warriors Conclave.
NPC Race:
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars are the two races that predate the rise of the Jindal or Brynn in Homespace. They are masters of maintenance, repair and manufacturing. Totally neutral, groups of Ik’yak have long contracted to provide services to one group or another. In the Great War, Ik’yak worked in the shipyards of ever race, served on board most war ships, and died alongside their employers. No one knows where they came from, or why they want to work for others, but the Ik’yak seem happiest when building and fixing technology; the Ge’ars are content when mining. Both races are vital to both the recovering economies of Homespace, and the expansion into the Forgotten Suns
Ik’yak Biology
The Ik’yak, look like an lavender or purple octopus with three times as many tentacles, and several eyestalks. Their brain in somewhere inside the central bundle of tentacles, and it is able to process several actions at once. Male and female Ik’yak look the same to other species, but the Ik’yak themselves seem to have no trouble telling themselves apart at a glance. Their offspring are born from a clutch of eggs laid by the female. Usually all survive, which means the Ik’yak can reproduce rapidly if they so choose. The young are raised by all the adults in the group once they hatch, naturally migrating towards the technical areas that suit them. Fortunately, they do not mate unless it is to produce offspring. Ik’yak rapidly mature, and can easily live up to 200 years.
Ik’yak have a remarkable ability to regenerate. Any lost limbs, eyes, or even skin and some organs will regenerate over time. While lacking any sort of skeleton means they are as durable at the Ge’ar, they are quite resilient. They are able to withstand harsh temperatures, and even vacuum for short periods. Their tentacles can be hydrostatically altered to operate at tools, and Ik’yak fine manipulation is unparalleled among the races.
Ge’ar Biology
The Ge’ars are a very durable race. They have a hard exoskeleton made of a material similar to stone. Their extremities are long and thin, giving them more of a bug or spider like appearance. The torso is very stout and their head is attached firmly by a thick spinal column. On the inside of the torso along the spinal column are hundreds of small gear-like wheels. These wheels are powered by what is a combustion engine at the heart of the torso. When they are digesting their food, which consists of any combustible liquid and various stones, the torso glows like a firefly.
The gears along the spine are wrapped with a material akin to spider silk but a thousand times stronger. Each different gear is responsible for attaching to the joints of the extremities with the silken tendon. This gives them an awkward sort of ambulatory motion that looks like an animated marionette. If a limb is destroyed, a Ge’ar can simply attach something else in its place and restring it with newly created silk. The ability to do this opened up the ability for them to customize themselves. They are born with six natural evenly sized appendages, but these are often “changed out” over the life of the Ge’ar. The mouth is very large with powerful stone-like jaws so they can break down just about anything. They have four eyes, two in the front and two on the sides. They have no ears, but hear through the vibrations in their extremities through the silk tendons. The normal life-span is approximately 180 years. The body starts to break down after 120 years and slowly becomes less efficient until the internal power supply can no longer generate enough emissions to sustain the brain.
Society
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars organize themselves into autonomous groups scattered in colonies on and off worlds. These groups are what engage in various negotiations for workers. Contracts are for various times, but are usually renewed on a regular basis. There seems to be some method unknown to the rest of Homespace that allows these group to communicate with each other.
Normally, the contracted workers will move several adults to the work location. Parents and children remain behind in the colonies. In large scale contracts, such as factory work on planets, there will be space set aside for a colony. Before its devastation, the Jindal Homeworld had over 100 such settlements around it.
NPC Race:
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars are the two races that predate the rise of the Jindal or Brynn in Homespace. They are masters of maintenance, repair and manufacturing. Totally neutral, groups of Ik’yak have long contracted to provide services to one group or another. In the Great War, Ik’yak worked in the shipyards of ever race, served on board most war ships, and died alongside their employers. No one knows where they came from, or why they want to work for others, but the Ik’yak seem happiest when building and fixing technology; the Ge’ars are content when mining. Both races are vital to both the recovering economies of Homespace, and the expansion into the Forgotten Suns
Ik’yak Biology
The Ik’yak, look like an lavender or purple octopus with three times as many tentacles, and several eyestalks. Their brain in somewhere inside the central bundle of tentacles, and it is able to process several actions at once. Male and female Ik’yak look the same to other species, but the Ik’yak themselves seem to have no trouble telling themselves apart at a glance. Their offspring are born from a clutch of eggs laid by the female. Usually all survive, which means the Ik’yak can reproduce rapidly if they so choose. The young are raised by all the adults in the group once they hatch, naturally migrating towards the technical areas that suit them. Fortunately, they do not mate unless it is to produce offspring. Ik’yak rapidly mature, and can easily live up to 200 years.
Ik’yak have a remarkable ability to regenerate. Any lost limbs, eyes, or even skin and some organs will regenerate over time. While lacking any sort of skeleton means they are as durable at the Ge’ar, they are quite resilient. They are able to withstand harsh temperatures, and even vacuum for short periods. Their tentacles can be hydrostatically altered to operate at tools, and Ik’yak fine manipulation is unparalleled among the races.
Ge’ar Biology
The Ge’ars are a very durable race. They have a hard exoskeleton made of a material similar to stone. Their extremities are long and thin, giving them more of a bug or spider like appearance. The torso is very stout and their head is attached firmly by a thick spinal column. On the inside of the torso along the spinal column are hundreds of small gear-like wheels. These wheels are powered by what is a combustion engine at the heart of the torso. When they are digesting their food, which consists of any combustible liquid and various stones, the torso glows like a firefly.
The gears along the spine are wrapped with a material akin to spider silk but a thousand times stronger. Each different gear is responsible for attaching to the joints of the extremities with the silken tendon. This gives them an awkward sort of ambulatory motion that looks like an animated marionette. If a limb is destroyed, a Ge’ar can simply attach something else in its place and restring it with newly created silk. The ability to do this opened up the ability for them to customize themselves. They are born with six natural evenly sized appendages, but these are often “changed out” over the life of the Ge’ar. The mouth is very large with powerful stone-like jaws so they can break down just about anything. They have four eyes, two in the front and two on the sides. They have no ears, but hear through the vibrations in their extremities through the silk tendons. The normal life-span is approximately 180 years. The body starts to break down after 120 years and slowly becomes less efficient until the internal power supply can no longer generate enough emissions to sustain the brain.
Society
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars organize themselves into autonomous groups scattered in colonies on and off worlds. These groups are what engage in various negotiations for workers. Contracts are for various times, but are usually renewed on a regular basis. There seems to be some method unknown to the rest of Homespace that allows these group to communicate with each other.
Normally, the contracted workers will move several adults to the work location. Parents and children remain behind in the colonies. In large scale contracts, such as factory work on planets, there will be space set aside for a colony. Before its devastation, the Jindal Homeworld had over 100 such settlements around it.
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars are the two races that predate the rise of the Jindal or Brynn in Homespace. They are masters of maintenance, repair and manufacturing. Totally neutral, groups of Ik’yak have long contracted to provide services to one group or another. In the Great War, Ik’yak worked in the shipyards of ever race, served on board most war ships, and died alongside their employers. No one knows where they came from, or why they want to work for others, but the Ik’yak seem happiest when building and fixing technology; the Ge’ars are content when mining. Both races are vital to both the recovering economies of Homespace, and the expansion into the Forgotten Suns
Ik’yak Biology
The Ik’yak, look like an lavender or purple octopus with three times as many tentacles, and several eyestalks. Their brain in somewhere inside the central bundle of tentacles, and it is able to process several actions at once. Male and female Ik’yak look the same to other species, but the Ik’yak themselves seem to have no trouble telling themselves apart at a glance. Their offspring are born from a clutch of eggs laid by the female. Usually all survive, which means the Ik’yak can reproduce rapidly if they so choose. The young are raised by all the adults in the group once they hatch, naturally migrating towards the technical areas that suit them. Fortunately, they do not mate unless it is to produce offspring. Ik’yak rapidly mature, and can easily live up to 200 years.
Ik’yak have a remarkable ability to regenerate. Any lost limbs, eyes, or even skin and some organs will regenerate over time. While lacking any sort of skeleton means they are as durable at the Ge’ar, they are quite resilient. They are able to withstand harsh temperatures, and even vacuum for short periods. Their tentacles can be hydrostatically altered to operate at tools, and Ik’yak fine manipulation is unparalleled among the races.
Ge’ar Biology
The Ge’ars are a very durable race. They have a hard exoskeleton made of a material similar to stone. Their extremities are long and thin, giving them more of a bug or spider like appearance. The torso is very stout and their head is attached firmly by a thick spinal column. On the inside of the torso along the spinal column are hundreds of small gear-like wheels. These wheels are powered by what is a combustion engine at the heart of the torso. When they are digesting their food, which consists of any combustible liquid and various stones, the torso glows like a firefly.
The gears along the spine are wrapped with a material akin to spider silk but a thousand times stronger. Each different gear is responsible for attaching to the joints of the extremities with the silken tendon. This gives them an awkward sort of ambulatory motion that looks like an animated marionette. If a limb is destroyed, a Ge’ar can simply attach something else in its place and restring it with newly created silk. The ability to do this opened up the ability for them to customize themselves. They are born with six natural evenly sized appendages, but these are often “changed out” over the life of the Ge’ar. The mouth is very large with powerful stone-like jaws so they can break down just about anything. They have four eyes, two in the front and two on the sides. They have no ears, but hear through the vibrations in their extremities through the silk tendons. The normal life-span is approximately 180 years. The body starts to break down after 120 years and slowly becomes less efficient until the internal power supply can no longer generate enough emissions to sustain the brain.
Society
The Ik’yak and Ge’ars organize themselves into autonomous groups scattered in colonies on and off worlds. These groups are what engage in various negotiations for workers. Contracts are for various times, but are usually renewed on a regular basis. There seems to be some method unknown to the rest of Homespace that allows these group to communicate with each other.
Normally, the contracted workers will move several adults to the work location. Parents and children remain behind in the colonies. In large scale contracts, such as factory work on planets, there will be space set aside for a colony. Before its devastation, the Jindal Homeworld had over 100 such settlements around it.
Quar colonies were the first non-Brynn to join the Union of Stars. As such, they are the race closest to the Brynn, and serve in the highest positions within the Union of Stars of any race save the Brynn themselves.
Biology
The Quar appear to humans to be a cross between an insect and a human. They are covered in a chitinous exoskeleton, which come in various vivid colors. They have two arms from each shoulder, for a total of four, each ending in a 3 fingered hand equally capable of fine and heavy manipulation. Their legs are in standard quadruped hind leg form, ending in two clawed toes. Their heads are ovals, with a pair of eyes in the center, and one on each side of the head. From the forehead, two antennae both detect air movement and provide a sense of smell. Standing around five feet tall, the Quar are not as strong as Humans, but they are very nimble.
Quar live life in six stages: egg, larva, first-pupa, breeder, second-pupa and post-adult. Eggs are laid by semi-sentient female breeders, who tend them by instinct. Breeders enter the pupa stage, and after a year in their cocoon, emerge as a post-adult. Post-adults cannot breed, but are highly intelligent and organize society. What is most amazing about the final life-stage is that the Quar cannot enter into a pupa stage without the aid of another species.
At some point in their evolutionary past, the Quar breeders evolved to trick another large animal, the qwist, to coat them in silk, which the breeders can no longer produce. Today, Quar post-adults actively control their breeders, selecting for traits, and managing their bloodlines. The qwist are also breed and managed to support the Quar themselves. While breeders may live 10 years, post-adults can live as long as 250, if they do not first die a violent death.
Society
The Quar grouped into large family clans, usually run by a the oldest Quar. Relationships are important to the Quar, with the clan the most important. Nations are groups of clans that band together. The Quar are a conservative species with their rule by elders. Often, younger post-adults will leave the clan and head out on their own to found a new colony. Ironically, in the interstellar age, the conservative Quar are quite dynamic, and expansionistic.
Quar colonies were the first non-Brynn to join the Union of Stars. As such, they are the race closest to the Brynn, and serve in the highest positions within the Union of Stars of any race save the Brynn themselves.
Biology
The Quar appear to humans to be a cross between an insect and a human. They are covered in a chitinous exoskeleton, which come in various vivid colors. They have two arms from each shoulder, for a total of four, each ending in a 3 fingered hand equally capable of fine and heavy manipulation. Their legs are in standard quadruped hind leg form, ending in two clawed toes. Their heads are ovals, with a pair of eyes in the center, and one on each side of the head. From the forehead, two antennae both detect air movement and provide a sense of smell. Standing around 5” tall, the Quar are not as strong as Humans, but they are very nimble.
Quar live life in six stages: egg, larva, first-pupa, breeder, second-pupa and post-adult. Eggs are laid by semi-sentient female breeders, who tend them by instinct. Breeders enter the pupa stage, and after a year in their cocoon, emerge as a post-adult. Post-adults cannot breed, but are highly intelligent and organize society. What is most amazing about the final life-stage is that the Quar cannot enter into a pupa stage without the aid of another species.
At some point in their evolutionary past, the Quar breeders evolved to trick another large animal, the qwist, to coat them in silk, which the breeders can no longer produce. Today, Quar post-adults actively control their breeders, selecting for traits, and managing their bloodlines. The qwist are also breed and managed to support the Quar themselves. While breeders may live 10 years, post-adults can live as long as 250, if they do not first die a violent death.
Society
The Quar grouped into large family clans, usually run by a the oldest Quar. Relationships are important to the Quar, with the clan the most important. Nations are groups of clans that band together. The Quar are a conservative species with their rule by elders. Often, younger post-adults will leave the clan and head out on their own to found a new colony. Ironically, in the interstellar age, the conservative Quar are quite dynamic, and expansionistic.
The Union of Stars, formed in the distant past by the Brynn homeworld, has a long and proud existence. Initially a Brynn trading organization, it has grown to include all Brynn colonies, and the homeworlds and colonies of several species, the most recent of which include Earth and several Human colonies.
The Union of Stars has been very successful, which ultimately led to the war with the Jindal Supremacy. As it covered system after system, those outside shuddered at the thought of Union taxes, and the further enrichment of the already plutocratic Brynn. As the Union grew with each new system, two others would line up with the Supremacy. Eventually, war started.
At present, the Union is a shadow of its former economic power, as it struggles to recover from the devastation of a multi-generational war, and additional loss its capital. In the wake of the diminished Brynn, the Union is living up to its actual charter, with power more equally shared among the member systems.
Major Races
The Union of Stars has many races, most of which have no real colonies. The major players in the Union are:
The Lyndara are non-members, but are aligned with the Union. They have no colony words, but exist as vast nomadic groups.
In the Forgotten Suns, the chief gateway settlement of the Union of Stars is Hard Luck Station.
The Jindal will tell you the Supremacy is entirely defensive in nature. Formed in the fire of two wars, the Supremacy does not formally rule non-Jindal, but acts as their protector. Worlds pay taxes to the Supremacy not in coin or credit, but in labor, raw materials, and raw recruits.
The Supremacy has never been overtly expansionistic, seeking mostly to be left alone. However, time and again, the Jindal have perceived others as a threat and acted preemptively to secure the fatherworld. When the Blood Hunters started to emerge once more into space, the Jindal moved ruthlessly to control their rage. Now, the precise, expert Jindal Warriors are supported by the best shock troops in Homespace.
Many systems joined with the Jindal to defend themselves from the aggression of others, especially the Brynn. Systems allied with the Supremacy are expected to provide resources, in materials, work, and soldiers. While client races never achieve the status of Warrior, their soldiers are part of the greater military might of the Supremacy.
Humans, interestingly enough, have found a greater niche in administrative roles throughout the Supremacy than they have in the military. It seems human innovation is a welcome addition to the battle focused races of the Jindal.
The lead races of the Jindal Supremacy are:
Other races exist, but tend to be one only one or two worlds.
The Union of Stars, formed in the distant past by the Brynn homeworld, has a long and proud existence. Initially a Brynn trading organization, it has grown to include all Brynn colonies, and the homeworlds and colonies of several species, the most recent of which include Earth and several Human colonies.
The Union of Stars has been very successful, which ultimately led to the war with the Jindal Supremacy. As it covered system after system, those outside shuddered at the thought of Union taxes, and the further enrichment of the already plutocratic Brynn. As the Union grew with each new system, two others would line up with the Supremacy. Eventually, war started.
At present, the Union is a shadow of its former economic power, as it struggles to recover from the devastation of a multi-generational war, and additional loss its capital. In the wake of the diminished Brynn, the Union is living up to its actual charter, with power more equally shared among the member systems.
Major Races
The Union of Stars has many races, most of which have no real colonies. The major players in the Union are:
The Lyndara are non-members, but are aligned with the Union. They have no colony words, but exist as vast nomadic groups.
In the Forgotten Suns, the chief gateway settlement of the Union of Stars is Hard Luck Station.
The Union of Stars, formed in the distant past by the Brynn homeworld, has a long and proud existence. Initially a Brynn trading organization, it has grown to include all Brynn colonies, and the homeworlds and colonies of several species, the most recent of which include Earth and several Human colonies.
The Union of Stars has been very successful, which ultimately led to the war with the Jindal Supremacy. As it covered system after system, those outside shuddered at the thought of Union taxes, and the further enrichment of the already plutocratic Brynn. As the Union grew with each new system, two others would line up with the Supremacy. Eventually, war started.
At present, the Union is a shadow of its former economic power, as it struggles to recover from the devastation of a multi-generational war, and additional loss its capital. In the wake of the diminished Brynn, the Union is living up to its actual charter, with power more equally shared among the member systems.
Major Races
The Union of Stars has many races, most of which have no real colonies. The major players in the Union are:
The Lyndara are non-members, but are aligned with the Union. They have no colony words, but exist as vast nomadic groups.
In the Forgotten Suns, the chief gateway settlement of the Union of Stars is Hard Luck Station.
The Union of Stars, formed in the distant past by the Brynn homeworld, has a long and proud existence. Initially a Brynn trading organization, it has grown to include all Brynn colonies, and the homeworlds and colonies of several species, the most recent of which include Earth and several Human colonies.
The Union of Stars has been very successful, which ultimately led to the war with the Jindal Supremacy. As it covered system after system, those outside shuddered at the thought of Union taxes, and the further enrichment of the already plutocratic Brynn. As the Union grew with each new system, two others would line up with the Supremacy. Eventually, war started.
At present, the Union is a shadow of its former economic power, as it struggles to recover from the devastation of a multi-generational war, and additional loss its capital. In the wake of the diminished Brynn, the Union is living up to its actual charter, with power more equally shared among the member systems.
Major Races
The Union of Stars has many races, most of which have no real colonies. The major players in the Union are:
The Lyndara are non-members, but are aligned with the Union. They have no colony words, but exist as vast nomadic groups.
In the Forgotten Suns, the chief gateway settlement of the Union of Stars is Hard Luck Station.
The Jindal will tell you the Supremacy is entirely defensive in nature. Formed in the fire of two wars, the Supremacy does not formally rule non-Jindal, but acts as their protector. Worlds pay taxes to the Supremacy not in coin or credit, but in labor, raw materials, and raw recruits.
The Supremacy has never been overtly expansionistic, seeking mostly to be left alone. However, time and again, the Jindal have perceived others as a threat and acted preemptively to secure the fatherworld. When the Blood Hunters started to emerge once more into space, the Jindal moved ruthlessly to control their rage. Now, the precise, expert Jindal Warriors are supported by the best shock troops in Homespace.
Many systems joined with the Jindal to defend themselves from the aggression of others, especially the Brynn. Systems allied with the Supremacy are expected to provide resources, in materials, work, and soldiers. While client races never achieve the status of Warrior, their soldiers are part of the greater military might of the Supremacy.
Humans, interestingly enough, have found a greater niche in administrative roles throughout the Supremacy than they have in the military. It seems human innovation is a welcome addition to the battle focused races of the Jindal.
The lead races of the Jindal Supremacy are:
Other races exist, but tend to be one only one or two worlds.
The Jindal will tell you the Supremacy is entirely defensive in nature. Formed in the fire of two wars, the Supremacy does not formally rule non-Jindal, but acts as their protector. Worlds pay taxes to the Supremacy not in coin or credit, but in labor, raw materials, and raw recruits.
The Supremacy has never been overtly expansionistic, seeking mostly to be left alone. However, time and again, the Jindal have perceived others as a threat and acted preemptively to secure the fatherworld. When the Blood Hunters started to emerge once more into space, the Jindal moved ruthlessly to control their rage. Now, the precise, expert Jindal Warriors are supported by the best shock troops in Homespace.
Many systems joined with the Jindal to defend themselves from the aggression of others, especially the Brynn. Systems allied with the Supremacy are expected to provide resources, in materials, work, and soldiers. While client races never achieve the status of Warrior, their soldiers are part of the greater military might of the Supremacy.
Humans, interestingly enough, have found a greater niche in administrative roles throughout the Supremacy than they have in the military. It seems human innovation is a welcome addition to the battle focused races of the Jindal.
The lead races of the Jindal Supremacy are:
Other races exist, but tend to be one only one or two worlds.
The Jindal will tell you the Supremacy is entirely defensive in nature. Formed in the fire of two wars, the Supremacy does not formally rule non-Jindal, but acts as their protector. Worlds pay taxes to the Supremacy not in coin or credit, but in labor, raw materials, and raw recruits.
The Supremacy has never been overtly expansionistic, seeking mostly to be left alone. However, time and again, the Jindal have perceived others as a threat and acted preemptively to secure the fatherworld. When the Blood Hunters started to emerge once more into space, the Jindal moved ruthlessly to control their rage. Now, the precise, expert Jindal Warriors are supported by the best shock troops in Homespace.
Many systems joined with the Jindal to defend themselves from the aggression of others, especially the Brynn. Systems allied with the Supremacy are expected to provide resources, in materials, work, and soldiers. While client races never achieve the status of Warrior, their soldiers are part of the greater military might of the Supremacy.
Humans, interestingly enough, have found a greater niche in administrative roles throughout the Supremacy than they have in the military. It seems human innovation is a welcome addition to the battle focused races of the Jindal.
The lead races of the Jindal Supremacy are:
Jindal (lead)
Humans
Blood Hunters
Other races exist, but tend to be one only one or two worlds.
While the Long War has ended, the races are still settled into two great coalitions: The Jindal Supremacy and the Union of Stars. Both now work to recover from the effects of that conflict, while a new one builds up in the realm of the Forgotten Suns.
While the Long War has ended, the races are still settled into two great coalitions: The Jindal Supremacy and the Union of Stars. Both now work to recover from the effects of that conflict, while a new one builds up in the realm of the Forgotten Suns.
While the Long War has ended, the races are still settled into two great coalitions: The Jindal Suprmacy and the Union of Stars. Both now work to recover from the effects of that conflict, while a new one builds up in the realm of the Forgotten Suns.
While the Long War has ended, the races are still settled into two great coalitions: The Jindal Suprmacy and the Union of Stars.
Humans in Brynn Space
Humans in Jindal Space
Humans are spread across both the Jindal Supremacy and the Union of Stars. On each side, Humanity has takea different course.
Jindal Supremacy Humans stuff here
Humans are spread across both the Jindal Supremacy and the Union of Stars. On each side, Humanity has taken a different course.
Jindal Supremacy Humans stuff here
I’ve compelted the transfer of Known Sphere data to the new site. Please check and see if I missed anything important or if there is anything additional you want added.
I’ve compelted the transfer of Known Sphere data to the new site. Please check and see if I missed anything important or if there is anything additional you want ad
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Before the Sho’tahl war, the Human fleet was divided amongst the most powerful colonies of the Confederacy. Each major colony had its own militia, that in theory acted under the command of the Presidium. Unfortunately, this system was a contributing factor in the losses to the Sho’tahl. For 2 years after the start of the war the Confederacy steadily lost ground to the advancing enemy forces. That Sho’tahl were better organized than the humans, and had an overall higher level of technology; the Confederacy fleet acted as individual units, and consequently, were taken apart a piece at a time.
In the spring of 2426, Admiral Gloria Alderez of the UNAF (United Nations Armed Forces), from Earth, and General Imil Nutambo of the CSRM (Combined Summer Regional Militias), from Summer (Tau Ceti I), met to combine forces and strategies. As May passed into June, the NCD (Navy of Centauri Defense), joined with them to form the USN (United Systems Navy). Alderez and Nutambo used the remaining forces of the NCD (badly hurt, having tried to reinforce other militias in almost every major battle) to lead the advancing Sho’tahl forces to a pre-selected point. There the USN forces composed of the old UNAF and CSRM would engage and stop the advance of the enemy. If this failed, the President and Presidium were prepared to sue for peace.
The plan worked, and the USN stopped the advance at Barnard’s star, in what is now known as the Barnard’s Stand-Off. After several weeks of hard fighting, the Sho’tahl withdrawal began. The USN acquired help from other Militias, and kept the pressure on the enemy forces. Under the supreme command of Admiral Alderez, the Confederacy forces finally forced the Sho’tahl to agree to a cease fire. The war was over.
In the aftermath of the war, Confederacy tactics were changed. Within five years of the war’s end, Alderez was President of the Confederacy, and she appointed Nutambo Minister of Armed Forces. The USN continued and adsorbed most of the remaining militias. Each system was required to help fund the USN, and most could not do both that and maintain a local force. In light of the need to replace ships and arms quickly, deals were made with the Colonial Republic. First arms were purchased, then technical assistance. However, much importance was placed on Confederacy built arms, and funds that might have been used for reconstruction were diverted to research. Most notably, this occurred in American Aerospace and Tau One, the two largest companies (they just happened to be on Earth and Summer).
Over the following decades, the USN continued to modernize, in an effort to maintain pace with the Sho’tahl. The arms of the USN were tested in border skirmishes with the Khyrill Dictatorship, and later with the new Sho’tahl Republic. American Aerospace and Tau One have produced most of the military ships and fighters for the USN. The Confederacy now produces all of its own weapons of war, a point that is very important for the doctrine of the USN.
The Mynx corporation, was the Confederacy company that developed the first modern hyper-shot drives within the Confederacy. It used this development to move first into the production of ships. It won the contract to build the Discovery class exploration vessels, and then the Seaward class destroyer. American Aerospace and Tau One, both developed their own modern drives, and continued to compete. Today. all three companies are the main competitors in the construction of USN ships and fighters.
The structure of the USN and its protocols for the use of fighters prior to the Great War owed itself to the Confederacy’s experiences of the Human Sho’tahl conflict. The pivotal battle of “Barnard’s Stand-off” served as the crucible for the Confederacy’s combat fighter doctrine. In that great campaign. the Sho’tahl’s determined advances had been stopped by the equally determined application of carrier based units. Around the clock, the Confederacy flew massive sorties composed of every human unit that was capable of participating. After weeks of bitter fighting, the Sho’tahl concluded that their position was no longer tenable against the relentless assaults on their forward and rear areas by the Confederacy’s improvised CV strike groups.
As Secretary-President Alderez shepherded the growth of the USN in the years following the war, a number of reforms and governing bodies were created to cement the USN’s growing power and authority. In 2435AD, the Operational Strategic Acquisitions Board was established to determine the strategic needs of the USN and to review prospective systems and programs. The O.S.A.B. became a driving force before the Great War, methodically testing and reviewing each potential design for the USN’s needs.
Back to “History of Fighter Development“
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Prior to the Great War, the last major conflict between the Voti Commonwealth (Vosha Monarchy and Colonial Republic) and the Temmusha Imperium was the “Thirty Years War”. In the years following its conclusion in 2333AD, the Colonial Republic began to build a comprehensive defense policy centered around its wartime experiences in that conflict.
Two centuries before the hijacking of the Brutak and the Zethi assault on Vorajessa, the interstellar battlefield was ruled by the BVS flotillas and their deadly swarms of gunboats. As refinements in technology allowed more experimentation with hyperspace capable vessels, many governments, including the Colonial Republic began to design a variety of new ships and systems. However, the Republic, seizing upon the ability of the gunboat to overwhelm with great numbers even the largest and most powerful of opponents, began to create support vessels for the BVS flotillas that carried gunboats for assault and fighters for close fleet defense. These precursors of the modern carriers began to evolve, taking on their own roles within the fleet as independent units, the first CV’s.
This course of fighter doctrine in the Colonial Armada, remained largely unchanged for the better part of two centuries. However, the carrier, and more importantly, the fighter, were growing in importance within the Colonial Frontier Service (Marshals) which was tasked with law enforcement duties within the various territories. Still, it was not until the explosion in new technologies had taken hold during the following two centuries that the necessary elements for change began to coalesce.
Over the years, Republic officials had studied and observed the data retrieved from the seemingly endless Human-Sho’tahl and Central Alliance-Zethi skirmishes. These regional conflicts provided a convenient crucible for the exploration of new technologies and strategies. But, it was not until the defeat of the Imperium’s Throne Armada at the hands of the numerically inferior, but carrier and fighter strong Royalist Navy, that a significant change in Colonial defense doctrine began to take hold.
The next several decades witnessed a dramatic swing in the Colonial Armada’s organization; shifting to a more carrier and dedicated fighter doctrine and moving away from the gunboat heavy BVS philosophies of the previous era. Though surprisingly small in number when compared to its neighbors, the Colonial Armada swiftly moved to the forefront of fighter development with its willingness to experiment and commit itself to the exploration of carrier technology and strategies before its entrance into the Great War in 2501AD.
Back to “History of Fighter Development“
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Colonial Republic |
Sho’tal Republic |
Confederacy |
Sindatha Alliance |
Greater Imperium |
United Zethi Commonwealth |
Hashir Alliance |
Vosha Monarchy |
Irrosa Homeworld Federation |
Colonial Republic |
Sho’tal Republic |
Confederacy |
Sindatha Alliance |
Greater Imperium |
United Zethi Commonwealth |
Hashir Alliance |
Vosha Monarchy |
Irrosa Homeworld Federation |
Colonial Republic |
Sho’tal Republic |
Confederacy |
Sindatha Alliance |
Greater Imperium |
United Zethi Commonwealth |
Hashir Alliance |
Vosha Monarchy |
Irrosa Homeworld Federation |
Colonial Republic |
Sho’tal Republic |
Confederacy |
Sindatha Alliance |
Greater Imperium |
United Zethi Commonwealth |
Hashir Alliance |
Vosha Monarchy |
Irrosa Homeworld Federation |
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In the years preceding the Great War, there were many within the Vosha Monarchy who harbored a growing concern that the Monarchy was in danger of being outpaced in several technological fields by its rivals. Of the greatest concern, was the Monarchy’s oldest enemy and neighbor, the Imperium. Prior to the war, the Vosha Monarchy had enjoyed an extended period of expansion and vitalitythat stretched back to its triumphant victory over the Imperium in the 30 Years War (2303AD-2333AD).
Since the time of their great victory, the Monarchy found it increasingly easy to ignore the internal chaos and bitter fighting that overtook the Imperium as it collapsed onto itself. Freed of the threat of conflict, the Monarchy’s attention steadily drifted to other directions in the Known Sphere.
By the middle of the 25th century, the Monarchy’s attention was again brought to focus on the Imperium; as at last, a faction had succeeded in stabilizing the state under the disquieting title of “The Greater Imperium”. Soon after reunification followed rearmament. By 2470AD, a new arms race was under way between the Vosha Monarchy and the Imperium.
Of greatest concern to the Monarchy was the Imperium’s new emphasis on the use of fighters. Traditionalists within the Monarchy’s Royal Fleet had been very resistant in allowing extensive new research into fighter development. This was in part due to a total disregard for the fighters potential on the modern battlefield despite innumerable test cases and actual accounts studied from various other conflicts. However, the real reason lay in the fear of loosing the funds earmarked for the construction of capital vessels (BVS, BB, etc. ) for the construction of the less “glamorous” carriers and destroyers. This internal rivalry between the traditionalists and the newer thinking members of the Admiralty retarded the Vosha Monarchy’s fighter development programs to approximately half of the speed of their Imperium counterparts.
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Go get’em! Still here rooting for you!