Race Name: The Compact
Description:
The Compact is an alliance of different species and factions all bound together out of necessity. Originally, The Compact Accord began as the Coalition Treaty which was designed to unite two species against a common aggressor which was invading their region. These two factions were the Terran Hanseatic League, a corporate giant which had united the nations of their planet, and the Demiurg, a stubborn and industrious race.
Following the founding war, the Coalition found itself the dominant power in a region of space it had not even known was inhabited by so many others until the Kree had attacked. It was decided that the military focused nature of the Coalition Treaty was ineffective in the new world the two races found themselves in, and after much debating the Compact Accord was drawn up, an economic treaty which united the Demiurg and Hansa under a single parliment which governed all actions of the Compact as a whole. Newly designed Hansa vessels were soon floating amongst the stars, laden with Demiurg goods from the great mines, the Compact emerged into its region of space as an economic and industrial juggernaut, quickly carving out a sphere of influence without resorting to conflict, but rather through an economic monopoly. It was during this period of expansion when the Compact truly became what it is today, with the addition of many smaller civilisations yet unable to break away from their solar system's gravity well joining the great alliance.
The final Alliance took shape with the absorption of the Surrogate race into the treaty, completing the leading hegemon of the three major races of the Compact.
History: The great founding war that forced the creation of the compact left an irreparable scar on the psyche of both the Terran and the Demiurg people, although following the conflict captured technology allowed for rapid reconstruction and restructure of forces to present a united front to any potential future aggressors.Vessels quickly began to expand the Compact, new worlds and outposts fuelling the insatiable economy in turn helped resulted in even more expansion and growth. The Hanseatic League dominated the space lanes, flooding the market with profitable trade and goods from the Demiurg mines, factories and even the mighty shipyards of D’Arvan. Derivatives of the Treaty were used to annex smaller civilizations peacefully, allowing the Compact to grow a mighty Empire.
However, as the Compact continue to grow and the coffers were filled, the military became more and more sidelined, they still received adequate funding, if not surplus thanks to the economy and their protection of the convoys from roaming pirates, but their leaders had grown docile, confidence in the Navy’s abilitiy to guard their new Empire, and against Pirates it was adequate. Unfortunately, Compact Space was growing faster than the Military could defend it and some military leaders began to question the effectiveness of the outdated tactics with the reality of defending an ever-growing region of space. Another re-think of the Compact's military strategy was required, but no solution could be found as the ageing fleet was being tasked with a far too large area to patrol. However, it was a young and ambitious Demiurg tactician who finally solved the conundrum that threatened to be the great weakness of the Compact, and turn it into their greatest strength. Captain Kadien witnessed how particularly troublesome pirate groups would utilise a single large ship as a base for smaller vessels to cover more area, the better their luck of finding an unescorted merchantman. Whilst routing the group, he analysed the tactics and saw how they could be incorporated into the Compact navy's doctrine, he soon ordered a retrofit of his own ship as a testing bed for his schemes.
The great change was the increasing use of strike craft warfare, with a relatively small fleet capable of projecting a great military force over a very large area with the use of small and agile craft. The results impressed the Admirality to such an extent, that the entire navy was overhauled and the great coffers of the Hansa dipped into to fund the construction of a new fleet based around carrier strike groups. The massive restructuring not only resulted in an overhauled fleet but also the Demiurg’s industrial processes, with their shipyard factories becoming more streamlined and efficient by necessity to fulfil so many orders. The first combat trial of this new force would take place in one of the greatest conflicts undertaken by the fledgling compact, and help incorporated into it the third hegemon race: The Surrogates.
The Surrogates are a predominantly cybernetic race, with the steady destruction of their natural ecosystem on their homeworld, forcing them to alter their own bodies and move a guiding hand on evolution. The result was a species that saw themselves as superior to primitive organics, and soon they became a feared force in their region, enslaving numerous smaller factions. However, in came time when an even greater evil sought to conquer the Surrogate worlds, and in desperation, the ruling council plead for assistance from the Compact, and the reinforced alliance obliged.
By the time the war was over, the compact navy had been put through its paces, and although casualties were sustained, the tactics of guerrilla warfare in space caused enormous losses in the enemy's capital ship fleet, with the large lumbering vessels easy pickings for the nimble fighter swarms of the Compact. In return for their assistance, the battered, but living, Surrogates were adopted into the Compact, although their race has even to this day, lived with a great shame of their past sins, and seek to atone for them in the defense of the weaker members of the compact.
^The Surrogate Wars
Settled Planets: The Compact numbers roughly a hundred worlds, although many are newly colonised with a population of ten million or less, roughly 20 only have around one million colonistis. 48 Compact world’s however are regarded as ‘More Developed’ and form the core of the alliance.
Spoken Languages:
With so many different languages spoken within the Compact Parliament, not only of the three hegemon races but the many smaller factions, most of which are only of a single world, and even client nations with separate treaties, the Parliament early on agreed to have (Compact) Common spoken and written in official Compact matters, favouring no other single language.
-(Compact) Common
Written Languages
-(Compact) Common
Levels of leadership:
The Hegemony – The three leaders or representatives thereof, of the three hegemon factions of the Compact. Technically equal to the council of the Compact in weight and equal to one another, the Chairman of the Terran Hanseatic League actually wields the most power due to that race’s dominance of the Compact.
The Chancellor – The elected leader of the Council, who serves for a term of 8 years.
The (Compact) Council – Members elected to represent their faction’s interests within the Compact as a whole.
In addition to these there are other political rankings and military positions, such as the Admiralty Board, in command of the Navy, and the Secretary of Defense.
Technology: That of its member factions, although the navy has largely become standardized due to the influence of the Hansa, with extensive use of carrier based vessels and tactics allowing the navy to cover extensive areas with fewer vessels effectively. As such, the Compact has developed significant radar, fleet communications and tracking technologies, in addition to some stealth technologies designed to help mask the positions of the main fleets whilst in battle.
Allies and enemies: (Will add later if any comes up
)
Races:
race name: The Terran Hanseatic League
planet of origin/the surface appearance:
Terra –
Terra is an incredibly Earth-like world, but the Hanseatic League had risked destroying it’s ecosystem during the industrial age, with significant global warming and exploitation, luckily they stopped at the brink, but many argue that it was not becuasethe Terrans saw any error in their ways, but rather could better gather the materials off world than mine their own world, and that it would be economically harmful to destroy it. Pristine Nature Preserves border mighty shining cities made of towering glass skyscrapers, the fruits of a booming economy, but one thing remains omnipresent on the world, the dominance of the Hanseatic League, the Cities are the bases of the great economic juggernaut, and even the apparently natural Nature Preserves are in fact kept in the perfect condition thanks to complex control of the local conditions, nothing is untouched.
average life span:
80-200 years, depends largely on how much augmentation the individual has access to.
settled planets:
Technically the Hansa only has direct control of it’s home system, that of Terra, and all settled planets are under the control of the Compact parliament, but the Hansa is the most powerful of the 3 Hegemon races and due to its large trade network can have significant leverage on many small client nations dependant on the Compact.
common features:
They look very much like humans, in fact one would only really find a difference at the genetic or cellular level.
spoken languages:
A number of Languages evolved on Terra, but by the time of the Compact, (Terran) Standard was being promoted by the League. (Compact) Common is also widely spoken and there is a major motion amongst the Compact to make it the official language of all 3 hegemon races.
written languages:
(Terran) Standard and (Compact) Common
levels of leadership:
The Chairman of the Terran Hanseatic League – Many years ago this position would’ve been titled that of CEO of the Hanseatic League, but since the corporate alliance’s dominance of its planet, many felt that some change was needed. The Chairman is elected by the board for a four year term but elections are only necessary every second 4 years, as the Board votes whether or not they are required.
Member of the Board – Essentially similar to a ruling council or senate, some seats are elected by the people of their region, although it is rare for anyone on the board to have not risen in the ranks of the Hanseatic League before joining.
Beneath these positions there are other executive branches and positions, as well as the Hansa merchant fleet, the Navy, which they dominate, and the normal citizenry.
backstory:
The Hanseatic League began as an alliance between several major mega-corporations on Terra originally to better aid their profits, however, soon enough these corporate entities realised that the divinsions of their race was more harmful than beneficial, even to the bottom line, and so set about unifying Terra under the Terran Hanseatic League.
Today the League dominates trade in the local Region of Space, and is the most populous member of the Compact, with Terrans often seen serving in the Compact army and Fleet. The Compact Navy itself is a direct expansion of that of the Hansa, as they are more heavily invested with their mighty merchant fleet.
technology:
The Hansa uses more traditional technology, although that does not make it any less effective or advanced. Kinetic railgun armanments are often fitted on their vessels and thermonuclear power stations are one of the more common sources of energy. Hansa ships are some of the most efficient in the galaxy, cost effective and relatively easy to mass produce they form the backbone of both the Compact Navy and the Merchant fleet, although over the years the Navy has seen more and more integration with the Surrogates and particularly the Demiurg who build the majority of the craft.
allies and enemies: Member of the Compact
race name: The Demiurg
planet of origin/the surface appearance:
D’Arvan – at first glance a largely barren world, with mighty mountain ranges, and deserts. There a number of forests and seas, but it lacks any particular large ocean. It is somewhat larger than Earth, creating a heavier gravitational pull, leading to the Demiurg’s more stocky size.
average life span:
200-250 years, although the oldest Demiurg known lived to the ripe age of 300.
settled planets:
As with the Hansa, they technically own only their homesystem, D’Arvan, but with the Demiurg’s affinity of mining and industry, many mining colonies and facilities are largely staffed by their kind, as are the mighty Shipyards, with those of D’Arvan filling orders from small merchant vessels and strike craft to mighty Dreadnaughts and Carriers.
common features:
They resemble Humans but are shorter and stockier, they are generally an honourable and honest race, stubborn as **** too. In the mines all are equal, all are brothers and sisters and must look out for each other, helping to form a sense of common goal and unity.
spoken languages:
D’Arvani – It is often heard in the factories and mines of the Compact, with even non-Demiurg workers taking it up.
(Compact) Common
written languages:
D’Arvani
(Compact) Common
levels of leadership:
The Demiurg are divided into a number of Clans, each having their own King or Queen. Every decade they vote amongst themselves for one of their own, or of nobility, to lead their race.
Chancellor – The Head of the Royal Council.
The Royal Council – Made up of the ruling Monarchs of the Demiurg.
Aristocracy – Nobles, although there ARE subdivisions and some overlapping with the Bourgeoisie.
Bourgeoisie – The ‘Middle Class’ anywhere from wealthy homeowners to mighty tradesmen of noted valour.
And of course the general citizenry.
backstory:
The Demiurg Clans have existed for as long as history cares to remember, and they have warred, made peace and generally co-existed for all that time. However, once they reached the stars, the Clans grew closer and closer, realising than a collective effort was needed. During the founding war of the Compact, the Demiurg united against the common threat, creating the Royal Council.
The Demiurg are natural builders and miners, committed to their tasks, they fuel the mighty Compact with everything from ore to gems, household appliances to warships, even agriculture has been focused on the Demiurg, the producers of the Compact. Regardless, in a time of war, they are the first to pick up their weapons and the last to leave the field.
technology:
The Demiurg often use laser or ion technology, generally in mining; they also have a number of technologies designed to aid them living in hostile environments, which more often than not exist on lucrative worlds. Strip-mining technology is also being developed by the Demiurg, with large vessels capable of mining entire asteroids in a matter of days already parts of the fleet.
allies and enemies: Member of the Compact.
race name: The Surrogates
planet of origin/the surface appearance:
Ka’has’shi – a barren wasteland, long since exploited of its natural resources, the world, even to begin with, was never truly pleasant, and with a sun that bathed it in a major storm every second century or so, the Surrogates had to fight to survive. In addition to this, due to a slow rotation, half the world burns for half a year (roughly 5 earth months) under roasting sunlight whilst the other is plunged into a deep night.
average life span:
Naturally only 40-50 years, due to the harsh conditions on their world, although biologically they could live to almost 150 if they were under better conditions. With augmentation, they can exploit this, and Surrogates can easily live to 300, but the wealthy can live even further, with some nearing the age of 600.
settled planets:
As members of the compact they only have control of their home system, Ka’has’shi. (Worth noting, that Ka’has’shi was a name given to another, more hospitable planet in the same system as their homeworld, both share the name with the ‘new’ homeworld the focus of the Surrogate population due to the devastation of the original homeworld, although many surrogates still live there, and it some restoration projects are under way).
common features:
They can look somewhat different to one another due to different augmentations and bionic limbs, but they are traditionally humanoid in appearance, with a pale blue skin and no hair. They also use large amount of cybernetics, most notable on Surrogate soldiers who are entirely enclosed in their robotics.
^Surrogate Warrior
spoken languages:
Shi – The native tongue of the Surrogates, although in declining use thanks to the rapid acceptance of (Compact) Common, although it can still be found in a number of military terms used throughout the Compact.
(Compact) Common
written languages:
Shi
(Compact) Common
levels of leadership:
The Surrogate race was at one point an Empire, but following the Great War in which it joined the compact, the Emperor was killed in battle, and his successor abdicated his throne in preference of a republic.
The Lead Council – The ruling individuals of the Surrogate people, they have a rotating leadership, with a term lasting a year before the member must step down, although the ‘leader’ has little more power than the others, and acts largely as a ‘speaker’. Each member of The Lead Council must by elected by the current Lead Council in addition to the General Assembly.
The General Assembly – The ‘senate’ of the Surrogates if you will, all its members are elected.
These are in addition to military and other (generally lower) civilian rankings.
backstory:
As a consequence of their planet’s hostility, wars between the early Surrogate factions were often fought for resources necessary for survival, these wars eventually began harming the planet even more, so the Surrogates began augmenting and enhancing their biology, desperate to survive. By the time the race finally united and began to expand into the reaches of space, their world was all but dead, with huge swathes of the ecosystem obliterated. Reagardless, the Surrogates had survived against the odds, and this fact, coupled with the advantages of their enhanced biology in relation to pure ‘organics’ lead them to become arrogant, selfishly believing themselves supeirior to all. The Surrogate empire was founded on tyrannical rule and oppression of the ‘lesser’ species; however, in the Great War against the Kree empire, coming in force following the Compact’s defeat of its satellite state, resulted in its destruction and the formation of the Surrogate Republic which exists today.
Upon joining the Compact at the end of the war, with the Kree all but destroyed, the Surrogates had hardly suffered better, with roughly 60% of their population dead they had to rebuild from the ground up and even to this day the Surrogates have little major populations beyond their home system. The surrogates are deeply ashamed of the actions of their Empire and seek to atone for their and their ancestor’s actions.
Within the Compact the Surrogates are often used in the army, primarily for special forces due to their advantages thanks to their cybernetics and also due to their relatively lower population.
technology:
The Surrogates heavily utilise robotic and laser technology, in addition to cybernetics. They also have a number of life support technologies, which allow them to survive the harsh conditions on a number of locations (ie; the ‘old’ homeworld).
allies and enemies: Member of the Compact.
Characters:
Warrior Character:
Name: Lev Kellum
Title: Admiral
Rank in culture: The commander of a carrier battlegroup, Kellum could be even higher in the rankings, but refuses to be pulled further behind a desk. He is famed throughout the Compact and wields significant political weight because of it, often all that allows his superiors to allow his often unorthodox and brazen tactics.
Age: 110
Appearance: Kellum is a career soldier, and it shows in his weathered face. Memories of war and combat rage behind his dark brown eyes. Traditionally, Kellum wears his captain's uniform, proud of his vessel which he has captained for the majority of his career and taken through many engagements. Early on in his life, Kellum like many others who had lived full lives, refused extensive youth rejuvenation surgery, standard procedures that go hand in hand with augmentations that extend the natural lifetime of a Terran, which although do reduce aging, still give its appearance until the age of about 50-60. As such, Kellum may appear old, with graying hair and somewhat wrinkled features across his dark skin, yet he remains able to stand toe-to-toe in the ring with any of the younger soldiers under his command due to a rigorous training regime enforced upon him since childhood by military parents, in addition to extensive augmentation and enhancements to his body. Due to this, he is very fit and this combined with his air of authority and confidence, creates a rather imposing figure that the men below him obey, his allies respect and that his enemies fear.
Personality: Kellum was brought up by military parents to be a soldier, and military life has embedded itself in every aspect of his personality. Confident, yet not outspoken, Kellum can convince others of his view with charisma but is more than willing to sit down and listen to grievances than to solve a problem with ultimatums and weapons. Loyal to the compact and the men he commands, Kellum would gladly give up his life for them both, it is his own philosophy that if men are willing to die by his orders, then a commander must be willing to die for them too, and he has been reprimanded on many occassions by superirors for refusing to abandon his men, the most notable being a major boarding action of the
Ember of Apocalypse, and refusing to retreat with the rest of the commanding officers, Kellum took up arms with his men and helped drive the enemy from the ship, as such he recieved a demotion from Fleet Captain, but was swiflty promoted by a higher ranking member of the admirality board.
History: From his early childhood, Kellum wanted nothing more than to be a soldier in the Compact army, however, his dreams shifted after he witnessed the display of force by one of the Compact's first devoted carrier battlegroups, and he attempted to enlist as a Navy pilot at the age of 17, however, with the fleet not yet fully refurbished, the recruiting offices turned him down in favour of more experienced candidates. Not disuaded, Kellum signed up at the booth next door and enlisted in the Marines. Kellum was ordered to report to the 9th Orbital Cavalry accompanying the battlegroup of the carrier
Death's Woes, the flagship of the famous Captain Kadien. Over the years Kellum distinguished himself as a courageous and formidable soldier, swiftly rising in the ranks, but it was during one mission that went horribly wrong that he gained the Fleet Commander's eye.
Part of a small team sent to recon ahead of a main invasion force, Kellum and his comrades were ambushed and hunted across the wilderness, unable to contact their supeiriors they managed to escape on their own by commandeering a hostile gunship, which Kellum piloted with such skill in not only escaping, but dealing a major blow to the hostiles below, that he was re-assigned to the
Death's Woes strike craft squadron. In his first term of service as a navy pilot, Kellum proved a natural in the cockpit, and merciless to his foes; it was not long before Maeus was given his first ship command of a small frigate, but Captain Kadien wished to teach the young captain that war was not the only way, and rather not the desired method either, it was here that Kellum learnt that the key to a military victory, is to not fire a single shot unless absolutely necessary. Kellum learned from the great commander and took his teachings to the field, however, during the Surrogate wars 80 years ago, Captain Kadien was killed when the
Death's Woes sacrificed itself to hold back an advancing enemy fleet, this event shook Maeus to the bone, but he recovered with a new sense of obligation to his fallen mentor and to the compact as a whole. It was following this act that the 1st fleet was broken up suffering heavy casualties, and Maeus was given command of the
Ember of Apocalypse, a vessel which he has taken to hell and back, over the years, and became a household name amongst the compact during the Surrogate Wars, with Kellum either commanding either naval engagments or 'In the mud' with marine detachments on the ground.
Weapon of Choice: The strike craft and battlegroup of the
Ember of Apocalyse is always his first choice, the
Ember is an aging vessel compared to the more modern carrier vessels, but has been retrofitted by the Demiurg shipyards so proficiently that more often than not it outclasses them, particularly as super carriers become more and more as command and control centers and strike craft bases than warships. There have also been many motions to change the name of the vessel from the more dark title popular during the Surrogate wars to one of the more uplifting names that politicans find would present a better image to the people, all requests have been flatly denied by Kellum who states that he "never lost the
Ember on the field, and damn well won't to some pen pushers."
On the ground Kellum is proficient with much of the Compact armies' arsenal, but often goes in with a standard assault rifle or medium ranged carbine, preferring tactical options to specialization. His armor is also almost indistinguishable to the standard Orbital Cavalry's, now the elite of the Compact, save for the Surrogate special forces divisions themselves, save for the insignia of the Fleet on his shoulder, rather than any 'mud-kicker' rank.
Political Character: (still adding)
Name:Lorna Corvitz
Title: Member of the Board (Hansa)/ Hansa Representative to the Compact/Ambassador of the Compact
Rank in culture: Lorna Corvitz is a rising star within both Hansa and Compact politics, being the youngest Member of the Board in the history of the modern Hansa when she joined, she quickly proved herself a shrewd politician and gained the eye of the current Chairman, becoming his protege, and expected by many, his likely successor.
Appearance: Despite nearing 60, Lorna physically looks no older than 30 thanks to advancements in rejuvenation and biological augmentations within the Hansa becoming available to the upper class; for one of her status she is seen as young, with a long life ahead of her. Even without augmentations, Lorna is a stunning woman, and doesn't shy away from using her vibrant nature and youth to her advantage.
Backstory: Coming from a family of wealthy merchants, Lorna was their fourth and youngest child, and therefore didn't have much expectation for joining the family industry, as such, she was destined to become a pampered daughter of an industrialist, but the young Lorna had mighty ambitions and used her heritage as leverage to join the Hansa government office, rapidly making her way up the ranks. By the age of 30, she became the youngest ever elected Member of the Board and her popularity only increased because of it; rather than fall in line and go through the motions like most of the inexperienced Members she strove to make a name for herself, and both her rivals and allies discovered that she was ruthless to any who stood in the way of her ambitions. Lorna's sudden rise to prominence drew the eye of the ruling Chairman, who was intrigued by the fiery young woman and took her under his wing, essentially becoming her mentor. By the time she was elected as a representative of the Hansa to the Compact council, none could doubt this woman's ambitions, and many consider it only a matter of time until the entire Hansa follows her lead, if not even more.
Age: 60 (physically 30)
Personality: Lorna is ambitious, and that makes her dangerous, she expects nothing less than the top and is willing to get down and dirty to get there. In term of her political ideals, she sees war and the military as an extension of the Compact government, as well as that of the Hansa, simply one way to solve a problem, sometimes it's the preferable method, other times it is not. When offered the chance to represent the compact at the meeting she leapt at it, the potential benefits of the Compact were huge, although, like many, she is weary of losing her independence, the Compact has 'unified' more than it's fair share of smaller races.
Weapon of Choice: Although she's not a soldier, Lorna has ensured that she is proficient with firearms and carriers a small pistol on her person, just in case.
Ok I just have to be a Sheep and post these
:
^ The
Ember of Apocalypse is a Kadien Class Super Carrier, the first class of Super Carrier built by the Compact, and still is as deadly today as it was over 80 years ago, if not more so. It holds both an Interceptor and a Bomber squadron, allowing it to both combat strike craft and capital ships, although it also holds more craft in storage if the active squadrons suffer heavy losses. In addition to this it can carry landing assault craft for the Orbital Cavalry and planetary assault gunships to support any ground based operations. The
Ember however, is no pushover in a frontal fight either, although it cannot go toe-to-toe with a battlecruiser or higher capital class vessels, it is more than prepared to fend off lighter tonnage vessels that stray past its escorts, although in a close quarters fight the carrier is designed to take the damage rather than dish it out, staying together long enough to soak in fire as it's escorts rally to its defense, whilst being able to recover later and still operate its squadrons.
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^The Nyx class Super Carrier is a much newer design than the Kadien Class, and shows it off, taking full advantage of being designed from the bottom up with the latest technologies. It has become the most common Super Carrier in the Compact Navy in it's brief history, and can field as many active craft as the older Kadien Class. However, the Nyx is more designed towards Command and Control, projecting its power and co-ordinating its fleet, depending heavily on its escorts and squadrons for defense. In addition to this, additional space is taken up by more command and control equipment, meaning that less inactive craft can be placed in storage. All of this results in it being a true force to be feared when coupled with a fleet, but in a war of attrition, many strategists point out that lessons could be learned from the constantly refitted
Ember of Apocalypse.
The
Space Power Projection Command Ship, is the newest in a line of Escort Carriers developed by the Compact to fill the void created by the relatively small number of larger Carriers and Super Carriers. Escort Carriers were originally designed to escort convoys of merchantmen which were deemed an inefficient expense of a full carrier battlegroup, but over the years they have proven their worth, and the SPPCS is also designed to be incorporated into larger fleets, and the
Ember of Apocalypse co-ordinates itself with the
Kursk and
Stalingrad escort fleets, which, although officially part of the
Ember's battlegroup, are often seperated by significant distances in order to better cover their sector, although can support each other with strike craft if necessary.
^ Just to prove they do battleships and stuff too
Yes it's Space Battleship Yamato and no I do not care
We have fluffy balls and cats of death let me have my moment....pretty please? :3
