The Drums of War

For 'verse proposals, random ideas, musings, and brainwaves.

Moderators: Invictus, speaker-to-trolls

User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Project BLACKLIGHT

Project BLACKLIGHT was the successor to Projects SERAFIM and MANHATTAN, both failed attempts to create 'persons of mass destruction'. As can be expected, it failed disastrously. Here is an overview of the Project and its terrifying success.

Results

The Project managed to create a superhuman being, which was kept hidden in a cryonic vault underneath the facility while it was being mentally conditioned, and dubbed TABRIS by the Deathwatch Agency. However something went horribly wrong during the conditioning phase. What happened is unknown, but seven days later, the Vault burst open, and the facility was massacred.

The bodies show signs of death without any cause or wound, of being in places where they could not have been naturally, of being ripped apart by impossible forces. But better (if only vaguely) known is what happened when he emerged. Three tank divisions of the Continental Army were simply massacred, until finally, a fusion missile shot from low orbit annihilated the superman.

Theory

The theory behind Project BLACKLIGHT is still not well understood by the Deathwatch Agency, but it is estimated that Professor Andersson and his colleagues used some manner of chemical formula to fuel the transformation from man to superhuman. What is known is that the process is extremely dangerous, and only one person is known to have survived it - the man who would later become the TABRIS entity.

What is more disturbing is Professor Andersson's goal with the Project. According to his diaries, he planned to do the same thing to himself, and estimated a 'final society' of a small clique of superhumans ruling as God-kings over lesser men, undefeatable and unkillable, ruling forever over mankind...

But less us digress over such things.

Loose Ends

Professor Andersson's body was never found, and neither were those of his colleagues. It can thus be said that he either died in a manner that did not leave a body, or somehow escaped. The Deathwatch Agency is currently searching for evidence as for either of these cases. However, it can be safely said that Project BLACKLIGHT was a complete disaster, one that only weakened the United States of North America.
Last edited by Czernobog on Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Destructionator
Posts: 836
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 4:33 pm
Location: Watertown, New York
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Destructionator »

Kamin997 wrote:I figured that it made my things unique. Also, I'm assuming that naming protocols have changed in the future.
Something you might want to do is vary it up a bit. The Americans and the Russians wouldn't necessarily have the same naming protocols (unless the articles are all written from one point of view - then you'll see all American names for Russian equipment, or the other way around).

So one side might have xxx-pattern MBTs, and the other side names their things Company x-52's, and a third polity might call them all Shroomerbombers and Shroomskis.

Adding some little variations like that can make each nation stand out as being an individual entity, making them feel more unique.
His Certifiable Geniusness, Adam D. Ruppe (My 'verse)
Marle: Lucca! You're amazing!
Lucca: Ain't it the truth! ... Oh, um...I mean...
Marle: Enough with the false modesty! You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!

"I still really hate those pompous assholes who quote themselves in their sigs." -- Me
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Destructionator wrote:
Kamin997 wrote:I figured that it made my things unique. Also, I'm assuming that naming protocols have changed in the future.
Something you might want to do is vary it up a bit. The Americans and the Russians wouldn't necessarily have the same naming protocols (unless the articles are all written from one point of view - then you'll see all American names for Russian equipment, or the other way around).

So one side might have xxx-pattern MBTs, and the other side names their things Company x-52's, and a third polity might call them all Shroomerbombers and Shroomskis.

Adding some little variations like that can make each nation stand out as being an individual entity, making them feel more unique.
I'm using the American designations for each vehicle to keep a common theme. And yes, the articles are all written from one point of view. Later on, I may dress them up as fictional documents.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

The Solar System Beyond Earth

The Moon

Other names: Luna, Selene.
Major Colonies: New Francisco, Nouvelle Paris, New Liverpool, Rossiyagrad.

The moon is the most-well known colony location and astronomical object, and is a large source of helium-3 for fusion reactors. The first Lunar colonies, like so many before them, were founded by corporations and superstates seeking to tap its lucrative riches. Many people left Earth after the horrors of World War 3, seeking a new life on Luna, giving the dying Lunar colonies an influx of new life.

As such, the Moon maintains a population of 100 million people, many the descendants of colonists unwilling to return to Earth, seeing Luna as their home. It is also a stopping point, like the space station Discovery and its counterparts, on the road to Mars and the bottomless riches of the Asteroid Belt, and as such it is in the interest of the Superstates to keep it functioning.

Mars

Major Colonies: New Osaka, New Washington, Rodinagrad, Neu Berlinstadt, New Anchorage.

The Martian Colonists' situation is very much like that of the first Europeans in the New World, minus the hostile natives of course. They could be wiped out easily by a disaster, like a hydroponic failure or a dust storm, and thus they are (usually) fairly technically skilled. Everything must work perfectly in order to avoid the destruction of colonies, and as such there is a large presence of engineers and military in the colonies, engineers to fix the problems, and military to prevent uprisings and to govern the colonists.

The Martian colonies are home to 13 million people, tiny compared to Luna's 100 million or Earth's teeming billions, and as such they are often regarded as a backwater on Earth. But the Martian colonies are a valuable stop on the way to the Asteroid Belt's riches, and as such the USNA has built a massive space station, New Anchorage, in orbit of Mars, to service the hundreds of ships that come to Mars on their way to the Asteroid Belt.

The Asteroid Belt

Other names: The Belt.
Major Colonies: None.

The Asteroid Belt, or just 'the Belt' in common parlance, is home to a mere hundred thousand people at any one time. This is because it is so far from Earth that contact is infrequent and lagged, and liable of being lost completely at any possible time, making it that many do not wish to spend their time there. 'Gone to the Belt' is common colonist slang for 'dead', making it clear how it is regarded on the colonies and Earth.

That said, there are worse things lurking in the Belt than mere miners. Pirates, often rogue military officers or miners turned criminals, lurk in it, and although the world's spacefleets constantly patrol it, hunting down the pirates in the belt's vastness is difficult at best.

Then there are the scavengers. Presumed to be the remnant of some doomed colonial expedition, lurking in the Belt, they scavenge from pirates, miners and soldiers alike to stay alive, and are regarded by some as no better than pirates. Regardless, their status is hotly debated on Earth, the situation further muddied by the fact that some scavengers turn pirate and some pirates scavenge.

Regardless, one thing is agreed by all - the Belt is a very complicated and dangerous place.
Last edited by Czernobog on Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Magister Militum
Posts: 921
Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 8:01 pm
Location: California

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Magister Militum »

Shroom Man 777 wrote:Awww... Militum you are making my cold black breastbleeding heart all warm and fuzzy, maybe Kamin won't hate you forever amymore. :P
A man can dream, can't he? :D
Democratic Socialist | Atheist | Transhumanist | Bright Green Environmentalist | Worldbuilder | IT Professional |


Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

I like how Mars and the Asteroid Belt are actually very sparsely populated and more desolate. It makes me wonder, though, how the Asteroid Belt is so dangerous when there's only a hundred thousand guys on it at any single time in an area that is HUEG. Unless pirates and scavengers aren't counted in the "hundred thousand" since pirates and scavengers don't register at the space census bureau.
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Shroom Man 777 wrote:I like how Mars and the Asteroid Belt are actually very sparsely populated and more desolate. It makes me wonder, though, how the Asteroid Belt is so dangerous when there's only a hundred thousand guys on it at any single time in an area that is HUEG. Unless pirates and scavengers aren't counted in the "hundred thousand" since pirates and scavengers don't register at the space census bureau.
Yes, pirates and scavengers aren't counted.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

How many are the pirates and the scavengers? Do they just live on their ships or do they have their own colonies? How do they survive on the long-term in the Asteroid belt? Do they have their own strange weirdo degenerate pirate-scavenger cultures? Space Pirates are usually cool when done right.
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Shroom Man 777 wrote:How many are the pirates and the scavengers? Do they just live on their ships or do they have their own colonies? How do they survive on the long-term in the Asteroid belt? Do they have their own strange weirdo degenerate pirate-scavenger cultures? Space Pirates are usually cool when done right.
I would say that there are about 150,000 pirates and scavengers. The pirates survive by raiding vessels, and the scavengers by picking clean dead ships. And yes, they do have their own degenerate cultures due to lack of contact with Earth - the Asteroid Belt is pretty much the edge of human activity in this 'verse.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Destructionator
Posts: 836
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 4:33 pm
Location: Watertown, New York
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Destructionator »

The problem with a large population living off of raiding ships is it would eat too much into the cargo.

If they live off of raiding ships, and the people living there presumably live off of what the ships carry, then the ships much carry enough for both of them already, and have some 50% of it stolen, or shitloads of people starve.

If 50% is stolen, that will at least double the price of everything out there - probably much more. If half the people are starving to death, no one will be willing to take a belt job, and the shipments thus get smaller and smaller. After a few years, everyone is dead.

So surviving off of just raiding ships is unworkable with those kinds of numbers. It must be:

a) There are many more legitimate workers than pirates - at least 100 to 1*, so if there are 100,000 regular people out there, no more than 1000 pirates. This way, it becomes possible to say that maybe 1% of ships are raided - low enough that the companies can just accept the losses / pay the insurance premiums as being cheaper than eradicating the pirates - and this is enough to maintain their lives.

* You can go higher if the pirates have lots of self sufficiency and probably lots of in fighting, but who would want to live that life? EDIT: This is really a big deal. Why do the pirates do what they do? Why don't they just stowaway back to Earth? Being a poor person on Earth must be better than barely scraping by on your own in a lifeless Belt. Stealing to get rich is a problem too: wouldn't you have to go back to Earth to sell the stuff anyway? This warrants a full essay, pity I don't have the time. /edit

and/or: b) The pirates have local infrastructure, growing their own food, manufacturing their own stuff. If their numbers are at all large, this would require them to actually be a fairly complete nation state.


I'd say go with both. They have some local production, some jerry rigged greenhouse ships, water processing plants, fuel refinieries and shit, maybe built into the life support systems of their ships, and the piracy gives them complex repair parts (they can make their own simple stuff, but have to steal fancy things like computer parts) and luxury items, including food items like meat.

The parts to maintain their own ships are required to survive long term, so it is fair in a way to say they live off the raids, but it is important that they aren't dependent on day to day items to come from the raids, so the theft doesn't take too much away from everyone else and so a brief interruption doesn't collapse their whole society.
His Certifiable Geniusness, Adam D. Ruppe (My 'verse)
Marle: Lucca! You're amazing!
Lucca: Ain't it the truth! ... Oh, um...I mean...
Marle: Enough with the false modesty! You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!

"I still really hate those pompous assholes who quote themselves in their sigs." -- Me
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

He's right. Predator and prey ratio, the prey must outnumber the predators because there must be more food than food-eaters. If the census doesn't count the pirates, and there are "a mere hundred thousand" non-pirates "at any one time" while there are "150,000 pirates and scavengers" then that's going to be very tough. Competition between the pirates and the scavengers must be insane and they might end up pirating and scavenging each other. Imagine if there were a mere hundred thousand buffalo in Africa while there are 150,000 lions/hyenas/leopards.

Perhaps while there are a hundred thousand people in the Belt at any one time, there could be MORE (a million? more than a million) in the form of transients and ships that are not staying in the Belt but are just going from Earth/Moon/Mars to the Belt and back again - and these could be the targets for the pirates and scavengers?

It would be like migrating wildebeest being a big moving buffet for every big game predator in Africa! :twisted:

Cool! Modeling the Asteroid Belt on the African savanna ecosystem is awesome.

EDIT
Destro wrote:I'd say go with both. They have some local production, some jerry rigged greenhouse ships, water processing plants, fuel refinieries and shit, maybe built into the life support systems of their ships, and the piracy gives them complex repair parts (they can make their own simple stuff, but have to steal fancy things like computer parts) and luxury items, including food items like meat.

The parts to maintain their own ships are required to survive long term, so it is fair in a way to say they live off the raids, but it is important that they aren't dependent on day to day items to come from the raids, so the theft doesn't take too much away from everyone else and so a brief interruption doesn't collapse their whole society.
They can certainly have jerry rigged greenhouses, soylent foodstuffs, they might even reprocess dead pirates into protein pills for eating, but it's very unlikely that they'll have many of their own space stations or factories or anything too big since from Kamin's description, the Asteroid Belt is even more desolate than Mars.

Perhaps many of these pirates have Letters of Marquee? Perhaps some pirates are hired by governments or corporations to steal, raid, or harass ships belonging to an enemy or a rival?
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Shroom Man 777 wrote:He's right. Predator and prey ratio, the prey must outnumber the predators because there must be more food than food-eaters. If the census doesn't count the pirates, and there are "a mere hundred thousand" non-pirates "at any one time" while there are "150,000 pirates and scavengers" then that's going to be very tough. Competition between the pirates and the scavengers must be insane and they might end up pirating and scavenging each other. Imagine if there were a mere hundred thousand buffalo in Africa while there are 150,000 lions/hyenas/leopards.

Perhaps while there are a hundred thousand people in the Belt at any one time, there could be MORE (a million? more than a million) in the form of transients and ships that are not staying in the Belt but are just going from Earth/Moon/Mars to the Belt and back again - and these could be the targets for the pirates and scavengers?

It would be like migrating wildebeest being a big moving buffet for every big game predator in Africa! :twisted:

Cool! Modeling the Asteroid Belt on the African savanna ecosystem is awesome.
Yes, I'd say that would be true. Most of the people staying in the Belt are transients - only a few are in for the long haul, about 10% - which makes both your and my calculations correct. So that 10% is the '100,000 in the Belt at any one time' and the rest of the population is made up of transients.
EDIT
Destro wrote:I'd say go with both. They have some local production, some jerry rigged greenhouse ships, water processing plants, fuel refinieries and shit, maybe built into the life support systems of their ships, and the piracy gives them complex repair parts (they can make their own simple stuff, but have to steal fancy things like computer parts) and luxury items, including food items like meat.

The parts to maintain their own ships are required to survive long term, so it is fair in a way to say they live off the raids, but it is important that they aren't dependent on day to day items to come from the raids, so the theft doesn't take too much away from everyone else and so a brief interruption doesn't collapse their whole society.
They can certainly have jerry rigged greenhouses, soylent foodstuffs, they might even reprocess dead pirates into protein pills for eating, but it's very unlikely that they'll have many of their own space stations or factories or anything too big since from Kamin's description, the Asteroid Belt is even more desolate than Mars.

Perhaps many of these pirates have Letters of Marquee? Perhaps some pirates are hired by governments or corporations to steal, raid, or harass ships belonging to an enemy or a rival?
There are a few stations and colonies in the Belt, but they are too insignificant to count for much, and are mostly in the inner fringe of the Asteroid Belt. And as for pirates turning mercenary, I'd say that it's common. After all, it gives them some degree of legitimacy to their actions...
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

"Legitimate" traders would probably also scavenge stuff too. Maybe various asteroid colonies or ships or unions or whatever factions can also come into conflicts and family feuds, ending up with them feuding over each other and fighting over property rights and shit.

"My pappy claimed dis rock first an' I'm gonna mine it!"

"Ya'll fringe world yokel! MY pappy claimed dis' rock first! I'm gonna mine it!"

"Why I oughta...!"

"Them's fightin' words, ya hear!"

*pulls out space-boomstick*

FRINGE WORLD YOKELS!
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Megacorps

The Megacorps, alongside the Superstates, are the great movers and shakers of the world. There are at current count about 7 of them, but only the most important are listed here.

Soryuu Industrial Enterprises
'We Japanese are very industrious. That is why we reach the heights we can' - Automated guide robot, Sooryu Headquarters, Osaka.

Based in Japan, Soryuu Industrial Enterprises (often abbreviated to SIE) is one of the greatest Megacorps. It is an industrial giant, responsible for nearly 75% of all Earth's manufactured goods, with factories in every country (excluding the failed states, of course), large shares offworld, a spacefleet and even its own private army, it truly is a gargantuan corporation.

It is also responsible for 35% of all offworld and on-world mining, and with its central offices located in a 'cloud-ripper' skyscraper 1 kilometre tall, it can truly be said to reach for the stars. It wields a ridiculous amount of power in Japan, where it has absorbed 50% of the corporations there, with its CEO reaching for 100% control, just to prove that he can.

Its current owner and CEO is Katsuo Soryuu, grandson of its founder Mitsuo Soryuu.

Featherston Defence Corporation
'They don't need pay - only maintenance' - David Featherston, talking about his army of robots.

Featherston Defence Corporation is a Megacorp focusing on one thing - military gear. Thus, it has brought many other corporations, rising from its humble Texan origins into a true giant of the military-industrial complex. It makes aircraft carriers, spacecraft, the ubiquitous Shining Star Aerospace Fighters of the USAEF, and many other things, like Viper-type AS robots, or the the Emancipator-type D/O robots recently used in Somalia.

Its current CEO and owner is David Featherston, and its headquarters is in Austin, a massive skyscraper, that while not as high as the central offices of Sooryu Industrial Enterprises in Osaka, is large in its own way. It also possesses an army of military robots over the private armies of other Megacorps, seeing as they don't need pay and are very efficient in what they do.

Campbell Shipping And Travel Corporation
'I do what I do. And that thing is selling aerospace flights at affordable rates' - John Campbell, CEO of the Corporation.

The Campbell Shipping And Travel Corporation is the the third Megacorp detailed thus far, having a near monopoly on aerospace travel. It controls many spaceports and launching centres, most in the USNA and Europe but many others in Russia as well. It owns approximately 130,000 spacecraft, and ten times that number in aerospace planes.

It owns hundreds of subsidiaries, most notably the major travel corporations of the 20th and 21st centuries. Its only problem is that it cannot buy the government-owned aerospace travel corps, most notably NASA and such.

Its current owner and CEO is John Campbell.

Goldstein Microsystems

Goldstein Microsystems is a major software and computer conglomerate, responsible for, among other things, the sapient military AI MAAI (Military Advanced Artificial Intelligence), created by it and the USNA's military to help co-ordinate its soldiers. The sheer size of the corporation proves itself - almost every computer on Earth is made by it, from top-level military quantum supercomputers to the standard civilian PC, all designed and built by one corporation.

Software, hardware, it doesn't matter, all is sold by the same corporation. The conglomerate even has its own search engine on the Cybernet - GoldsteinSearch, that is used by 49.9% of the human population.

Its headquarters is in Los Angeles, and its current CEO and owner is John Goldstein.
Last edited by Czernobog on Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

Pretty okay. You might want to touch on computer corporations, biotech firms and the like too. Those would be other avenues of interest, aside from mining stuff, making guns and building boats.
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Destructionator
Posts: 836
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 4:33 pm
Location: Watertown, New York
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Destructionator »

Leave out the net worth numbers to avoid embarrassing yourself. The biggest megacorp there is worth less than Goldman Sachs in the real world.
His Certifiable Geniusness, Adam D. Ruppe (My 'verse)
Marle: Lucca! You're amazing!
Lucca: Ain't it the truth! ... Oh, um...I mean...
Marle: Enough with the false modesty! You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!

"I still really hate those pompous assholes who quote themselves in their sigs." -- Me
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

Future Dollars might be worth more than modern dollars. Those could be... ANTARCTICAN DOLLARS! Notice the Polar Bears stamped on the bullion as opposed to the Penguins on the Arctican Dollars? :P

EDIT:

Fuck it, when I bring back SOTS, I will totally have currencies called SUPER EURO and SUPER DOLLAR and PETRORUBLE!
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
Blackwing
Posts: 160
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 1:05 am

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Blackwing »

Actually Magister, computer parts would be fairly easy to come by on the asteroid belt.

Most of the peripherals of making computer chips are already in place (A dust-clean environment: check, as part of a ship's regular life support. self-contained atmosphere suits for the people working there: check because they have space-suits. Silicon, copper, gold and other resources: Check, because that's what the asteroids around them are made of.)

The main reason such a population would have for piracy is 'luxuries', like wood (and leather and other materials from earth), non-basic foods, 'exotic' clothes and whatnot.

Also, there's no significant reason for 'Asteroid pirates' to be limited to the asteroids themselves. Kamin explains that loads of ships travel between Mars and the belt and the distance between the inner edge of the belt and Mars is not (astronomically speaking) much further than that between Mars and Earth.

So they can fairly easily venture out of the belt to 'meet' ships coming to the belt and then go back home laden with loot.
So Einstein was wrong when he said "God does not play dice". Consideration of black holes suggests, not only that God does play dice, but that He sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen. ~ Stephen Hawking
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Military Robots

This article discusses the various types of military robots available, and their capabilities.

A-86 'Viper' Assassination and Subterfuge Robot

The A-86 is a new type from Featherston Defence Corporation, modelled after a snake after its designers noticed the natural version's ability to get through small openings and act inconspicuous. To enhance this, the A-86 has active camouflage systems and a pseudo-sapient AI capable of detecting and following the stealthiest route. The A-86 can interface with most modern computers to download sensitive information, and has poison injectors capable of delivering several toxins, most notably a deadly neurotoxin that kills in seconds and dissolves in the bloodstream after a minute, making it nigh-impossible to find the cause of death.

E-99 'Reanimator' Military Nanomachine Swarm

The E-99 nanomachine swarm does exactly what its designation implies. It infests dead bodies, forming pseudo-sapient nanomachine collectives (usually directed by a computer back at base) inside them and directing the cadavers to rise up and kill their former comrades. The nanomachine collectives in the bodies are controlled from the spinal cord, moving the body by way of electrical impulses, which also cause the eyes to burn out and be replaced by hellishly glowing lights. As a terror weapon, it is undeniably effective.

Rumours of the nanomachines being able to infest the living are completely unfounded.


H-77 'Emancipator' Offence/Defensive Military Robot

The H-77 'Emancipator' is a humanoid robot resembling a skeleton, designed to replace infantry. However, they are known to lack initiative, and ignore damage to the point that in most battles they have an 80% destruction rate. This makes them unsuitable in most roles, but they are good in missions with high projected casualty rates, being destroyed so that valuable soldiers might live.

As an aside, they resemble a skeleton because Featherston Defence Corp believed that the shape would be perfect for psychological warfare purposes.

T-35 'Omniscient Eye' Surveillance Nanomachine Swarm

The T-35 Surveillance Nanomachine Swarm is made up of 'smart dust' - tiny nanomachines that float in the air, surveying all around them. Tiny cameras relay information back to base, as the nanobots float in the wind, being seen by humans and other animals as nothing more than a diffuse cloud of metallic dust. This lack of conspicuousness makes it hard for people to detect that they are even being tracked, and even once they know, it is immensely difficult for them to destroy the nanoswarm.
Last edited by Czernobog on Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Personages of the USNA

Alfred F. Jones
Rank: President of the United States of North America.
Full name: Alfred Franklin Jones.

Alfred Franklin Jones, more commonly known as Alfred F. Jones, is the recently-elected President of the USNA (he was elected on November 4 2148). He is also the head of the Progressive Party, and is only 45 years old, the youngest USNA President in history. He is renowned in some areas for his extreme charisma and striking intelligence, as well as his effectiveness and decisiveness as a leader. His most recent acts include doubling the defence budget, a move that has seen criticism in some quarters, and spending large amounts of money on scientific research. At his most recent speech, in Philadelphia, he announced the expansion of the USNA's spacefleet and 'the improvement of relations with our manifold allies'.

Alexander James Fairfax III
Rank: Vice President of the United States of North America

Alexander Fairfax III is the descendent of the famed Alexander Fairfax, who was a General that fought in Canada against the New Soviet Union during World War Three. He was a General in the Somalian War of the early 2130s, and supervised the victorious Battle of Mogadishu. Ten years later, when the Americans had done their job in Somalia and he was facing retirement, he decided to run for Vice President aside Alfred F. Jones, and won. He is the Head of Government for the USNA, and is also next in line should the President die, and as thus his post carries great responsibility, which he is always clear to point out to his critics.

General P. R. Ozai
Rank: 3-Star General.
Born of Japanese-American descent, General Ozai probably was promoted to Generalship for his cunning, pragmatic mindset, and ruthlessness. He was a protégé of General Alexian Eliphas before the latter's unfortunate death in 2125, and was promoted soon after his death. He is also known in certain circles for ordering the fusion bombing of the TABRIS entity in 2136, and was part of the ensuing cover-up (known as Operation BLACKSUN).

General Thaddeus William Langstrom
Rank: 4-Star General

General Thaddeus Langstrom is a 4-Star General, Commander of the Ultimate Defence Initiative, an initiative aimed at creating a 'first and final line of defence for the United States of North America'. Thus, he commands the Alpha Dogs and the Omega Legion, although the Deathwatch Agency (also part of the Ultimate Defence Initiative) falls under the jurisdiction of the AIA instead of the Continental Army, which Thaddeus is part of. Thaddeus Langstrom is renowned for being headstrong and reckless, and as thus his superiors tend to view him as something of a loose cannon, although he does his job almost perfectly and with a pragmatic skill probably picked up from General Ozai.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

I'll just copy-paste what I said to Kamin on MSN:

I like the snake robots.

Maybe soldiers could sign consent waivers or something so that they can carry auto-injectors so after an XYZ period of time without any vital signs, the auto-injectors dose their no-longer beating hearts with Reanimator nanoes.

Well, maybe like... criminals who get conscripted as soldiers. Sure, it's pure evil and totally inhuman and people might think it's horrific, but *shrug*

If the Reanimator is used on the field, the very same thing happens anyway.

Hell, special forces badasses might agree to that, and the auto-injectable nanoes in them could come pre-programmed with mission objectives, so if the commando dies, his corpse will come back to life and finish the goddamn job.

You could have a veteran commando who's actually... uhh... dead.

c says:
That's awesome.



c says:
But anyway, what do you think of the Emancipators and the Smart Dust.

Shroomy the Oriental Super Hitler says:
The Emancipators are kind of... well, they seem like cannon-fodder that look just like skellingtons. On one hand, a company might lose a lot of money by fielding them since they're rather dumb. But if the company charges it to, say, America or something, then they could profit a lot since those robots seem pretty cheap (and the companies could sell them at higher prices).

I think the Smart Dust is pretty alright... but the problem with nanomachines is that they're TINY. If you're a tiny nanomachine, traveling one inch would be an epic and long journey already. Also, small machines might have difficulty communicating over long distances since transmitting messages requires power. That's not really a big problem, since this is science-fiction. But with "it is immensely difficult for them to destroy the nanoswarm".... the problem with nanoes is that they're also small, and small things are easily destroyed. Extreme heat via fire, or radiation, might not be healthy for them. Also, electromagnetics, soldiers might be able to "sterilize" areas by using tiny electromagnetic pulses or something.

Amusing idea: Could incredibly tiny machines be powerful enough to overcome the amazing stormy winds that an electric fan could produce? :D

Not that you can't use nanoswarms, since this is sci-fi and nanomachine swarms are everywhere nowadays. But yeah, just talking about nanomachines in general, those points are something to be discussed.


As for the personages...

Fairfax' being "next in line should the President die, and as thus his post carries great responsibility which he is always clear to point out to his critics" is awesome. He must keep on telling everyone that if the President bites the dust, he'll be the next leader! Like, I can easily imagine him being like Starscream and if Jones gets kidnapped by terrorists, or undergoes a heart operation, or an assassination attempt occurs, Fairfax must totally go "ALFRED F. JONES HAS FALLEN! I AM IN COMMAND!" :lol:

Jones can return from his morning jogging run and go: "Coronation, Fairfax? This is bad comedy."

That would be awesome.

:mrgreen:
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

The Omega Legion

The Omega Legion, along with the Alpha Dogs and the Deathwatch Agency, forms the Ultimate Defence Initiative, an initiative designed to create a 'first and final line of defence' for the United States of North America. The Legion, along with the Alpha Dogs, is under the command of General Thaddeus Langstrom of the Continental Army, while the Deathwatch Agency is commanded by Director-General Michael Sawyer.

Technically speaking, the Legion is part of the Continental Army's command structure, but often strikes on its own. Its forces have the very best technology in the USNA, along with the Alpha Dogs - fusion rifles, enhanced powersuits, cybernetic augmentations. But while the Alpha Dogs' and the Agency's gear goes more toward stealth and speed, the Legion's gear goes toward brute strength and firepower.

Thermonuclear bazookas, powersuits that make the wearer into something akin to a walking tank, cybernetic enhancements to increase speed and durability, all are present among the Legion's soldiers. The Legion is also heavily trained to co-operate with the National Guard, who are fully capable of launching a nationwide guerilla insurgency if the USNA is conquered by some means.

The Legion has 50 Eliphas-patterns, and 5 Fairfax-patterns, considered complete and utter overkill for any of its potential missions. Its artillery (light and otherwise) fires tactical fusion shells with a ridiculous range and a kill radius of 500 metres, primarily to make certain that the enemy does not survive the first barrage, to conserve ammunition.

The Legion keeps its training activities out of sight of the public eye, in the frozen wastes of Alaska. Members are also unwilling to describe their training experiences, though whether because it is unusually harsh or for some other reason is unknown.

The Legion was founded in 2145, the last division of the Ultimate Defence Initiative to be founded. Along with the Alpha Dogs, they are lead by General Thaddeus Langstrom, and they comprise about 10,000 members. Their job is to protect the USNA when all else fails, and if it has luck, they will not be needed.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
Blackwing
Posts: 160
Joined: Wed Nov 05, 2008 1:05 am

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Blackwing »

So.... Does General Ozai shoot fire from his hands and feet using cool looking Kung Fu moves?
So Einstein was wrong when he said "God does not play dice". Consideration of black holes suggests, not only that God does play dice, but that He sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen. ~ Stephen Hawking
User avatar
Czernobog
Posts: 1315
Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 9:27 am
Location: Holy Terra

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Czernobog »

Blackwing wrote:So.... Does General Ozai shoot fire from his hands and feet using cool looking Kung Fu moves?
Not really, it's more a reference to O1 World, but it is a (slight) reference to that as well.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
User avatar
Shroom Man 777
Global Mod
Posts: 4637
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 7:09 pm
Contact:

Re: The Drums of War

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

That is a very Special Ultimate Defense Initiative, Kamin. ;) :P

EDIT:

To be fair, he did let me use Kasara.

EDIT 2:

Then again, Vic says "Nah, in Comix we're supposed to be able to use each others' stuff."

So let's just hope our Defense Initiatives don't end up too much alike, ayt? :P
Image

"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
Post Reply