Memetic Hazards
- Thread starter Ghostly
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Ghostly
Active member
“By the rivers of Ci’ta, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Sol.”
It was a golden age. An era of peace and prosperity for all, hard fought and won but well deserved. Our solar system had become a new Zion, one people united in the name of amity.
Humankind had been trapped in a cycle of meaningless bloodshed, centuries of destruction that left the once great Earth eternally scarred. We feared the world that had once been our cradle would soon be our grave - the song of our people, our voice, lost and silenced in a cold, vast expanse.
But finally, we looked up from the blood and from the dirt and from the dying - to the stars.
Despite it all, you had not forgotten our dream of yearning - to reach out and seek a new horizon, to find a new home for your kin to grow and prosper. For the first time, you were united in a common goal, a shared vision of a future not only worth fighting for, but worth living for.
You realized your once great verdant home was too small for you. So many souls, and so little a world. So, you sought other worlds - worlds where you could escape your addiction to violence.
It was a time of expansion. You built great things, discovered wonders, and tested the limits. Yet the stars were still beyond your reach. The means to leave the nest that had protected you and given so much to our ancestors were still so beyond you.
Humankind has always looked to the stars - the heavens for answers. While the stars held few answers, they were more than willing to give us new questions.
The Nniss were one such mystery.
“Our creators?” Some asked. You thought yourselves so enlightened when the blurry images of their roving behemoths at the edge of our solar system reached Terra and your enlightened men extended their olive branch.
Would history have been different if mankind had attacked first? If the nuclear spears of Mars had been thrown would Sol have survived? No, that across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded our home with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.
The doom was complete, your fate inevitable. Your Zion fell, Sol burned, and your people - enslaved.
But this would not be your end. We are Terran, no? Ours is the exodus, the struggle of reconstruction and cycle of devastation. And after each fall, we lick our wounds and weep in strange new lands - dreaming of Zion, dreaming of visiting vengeance upon those who took it from us.
And you would. Even as you were shackled and the warmth of Sol faded into the black void behind you, you never forgot your spirit and your home.
Some billion odd souls crossed the void in the belly of the Nniss behemoths, now slaves of their massive empire. A thousand-thousand worlds they held, and trillions of slaves - some much alike you, while others seemed far more alien than you could comprehend.
The Lost Tribes of Terra scattered across their master’s empire, being taken to all manner of worlds for the Nniss’ vile intentions - to toil, to entertain, or perhaps simply to die. Across these spheres, the tribes divided and diversified. New credos and gods emerged from what little knowledge and belief had survived the Fall, forming new cultures in these clustered populi. Yet still, they would not forget Terra, they would not forget to preserve their strength for the vengeance that would come.
For centuries uncountable the Nniss ruled, becoming complacent and indulgent, certain in their belief that their subjects could do them no harm. Seizing this moment, the slaves rose up. Many brave souls were sacrificed, entire tribes wiped from memory, but in the end the Nniss were cast down.
With the firm hand of the masters no longer guiding us and our fellow enslaved, the settled galaxy entered an age of reclamation and reconstruction. Slowly across a hundred worlds, Terrans struggled to understand the abandoned technology of the Nniss, hoping to once again seek a new horizon and find answers in the heavens.
Only time now will tell if we like what we find out here - waiting for us.
~~
Peace settled on the galaxy, but it would be a fleeting peace - the great sacrifice was in vain. An end to one oppressor was not an end to all oppressors.
In time, a new form of tyranny would come to power. The “Free Peoples’ Republic” - free only in name. This expansionist regime has conquered much of settled space, subjugating and erasing anyone who stands in their way - alien and Terran alike.
The Republic’s enemies are numerous and anything but united. Political radicals, foreign powers, and alien insurgents who fight amongst themselves as often as the Republic.
You are one such renegade. At the edge of the galaxy - the edge of their control, you find yourself alongside a crew of fellow rebels hired to acquire what might be one of the last artifacts from Old Terra before it falls into the Republic's hands. Pull this off right and you might just be set for life, otherwise you'll find out what happens to those who get in their way.
Whether you're a revolutionary looking to spite their regime, or maybe you're just looking out for your own, you've been hired and trusted with this task. You have the skills and the drive to get this done and maybe not die in the process.
It was a golden age. An era of peace and prosperity for all, hard fought and won but well deserved. Our solar system had become a new Zion, one people united in the name of amity.
Humankind had been trapped in a cycle of meaningless bloodshed, centuries of destruction that left the once great Earth eternally scarred. We feared the world that had once been our cradle would soon be our grave - the song of our people, our voice, lost and silenced in a cold, vast expanse.
But finally, we looked up from the blood and from the dirt and from the dying - to the stars.
Despite it all, you had not forgotten our dream of yearning - to reach out and seek a new horizon, to find a new home for your kin to grow and prosper. For the first time, you were united in a common goal, a shared vision of a future not only worth fighting for, but worth living for.
You realized your once great verdant home was too small for you. So many souls, and so little a world. So, you sought other worlds - worlds where you could escape your addiction to violence.
It was a time of expansion. You built great things, discovered wonders, and tested the limits. Yet the stars were still beyond your reach. The means to leave the nest that had protected you and given so much to our ancestors were still so beyond you.
Humankind has always looked to the stars - the heavens for answers. While the stars held few answers, they were more than willing to give us new questions.
The Nniss were one such mystery.
“Our creators?” Some asked. You thought yourselves so enlightened when the blurry images of their roving behemoths at the edge of our solar system reached Terra and your enlightened men extended their olive branch.
Would history have been different if mankind had attacked first? If the nuclear spears of Mars had been thrown would Sol have survived? No, that across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded our home with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.
The doom was complete, your fate inevitable. Your Zion fell, Sol burned, and your people - enslaved.
But this would not be your end. We are Terran, no? Ours is the exodus, the struggle of reconstruction and cycle of devastation. And after each fall, we lick our wounds and weep in strange new lands - dreaming of Zion, dreaming of visiting vengeance upon those who took it from us.
And you would. Even as you were shackled and the warmth of Sol faded into the black void behind you, you never forgot your spirit and your home.
Some billion odd souls crossed the void in the belly of the Nniss behemoths, now slaves of their massive empire. A thousand-thousand worlds they held, and trillions of slaves - some much alike you, while others seemed far more alien than you could comprehend.
The Lost Tribes of Terra scattered across their master’s empire, being taken to all manner of worlds for the Nniss’ vile intentions - to toil, to entertain, or perhaps simply to die. Across these spheres, the tribes divided and diversified. New credos and gods emerged from what little knowledge and belief had survived the Fall, forming new cultures in these clustered populi. Yet still, they would not forget Terra, they would not forget to preserve their strength for the vengeance that would come.
For centuries uncountable the Nniss ruled, becoming complacent and indulgent, certain in their belief that their subjects could do them no harm. Seizing this moment, the slaves rose up. Many brave souls were sacrificed, entire tribes wiped from memory, but in the end the Nniss were cast down.
With the firm hand of the masters no longer guiding us and our fellow enslaved, the settled galaxy entered an age of reclamation and reconstruction. Slowly across a hundred worlds, Terrans struggled to understand the abandoned technology of the Nniss, hoping to once again seek a new horizon and find answers in the heavens.
Only time now will tell if we like what we find out here - waiting for us.
~~
Peace settled on the galaxy, but it would be a fleeting peace - the great sacrifice was in vain. An end to one oppressor was not an end to all oppressors.
In time, a new form of tyranny would come to power. The “Free Peoples’ Republic” - free only in name. This expansionist regime has conquered much of settled space, subjugating and erasing anyone who stands in their way - alien and Terran alike.
The Republic’s enemies are numerous and anything but united. Political radicals, foreign powers, and alien insurgents who fight amongst themselves as often as the Republic.
You are one such renegade. At the edge of the galaxy - the edge of their control, you find yourself alongside a crew of fellow rebels hired to acquire what might be one of the last artifacts from Old Terra before it falls into the Republic's hands. Pull this off right and you might just be set for life, otherwise you'll find out what happens to those who get in their way.
Whether you're a revolutionary looking to spite their regime, or maybe you're just looking out for your own, you've been hired and trusted with this task. You have the skills and the drive to get this done and maybe not die in the process.
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Ghostly
Active member
Astrolabe
Insurrectionists
Spheres within spheres within spheres within...
A series of deep space beacons positioned throughout the Milky Way, older than memory. Ancient and impenetrable, even the Nniss didn't dare tamper with them out of fear of disabling such a vital piece of technology. As its name implies, an astrolabe is a star chart that provides passing vessels with a reliable model of heavenly bodies within its mapping range. This allows ships to make long range dives through the firmament into Cherenkov Space safely and with better accuracy - in theory.
While space travel is not impossible without utilizing one, it is extremely dangerous and costly to do so - especially for larger ships. Thus, smugglers and outlaws wishing to sidestep Republic blockades and taxes often practice "slip skipping" - the act of making shallow and brief superluminal dives before breaching back into real space and adjusting course. This form of travel has obviously been outlawed by the Republic, leading to the act being seen as rebellious and cool.
A series of deep space beacons positioned throughout the Milky Way, older than memory. Ancient and impenetrable, even the Nniss didn't dare tamper with them out of fear of disabling such a vital piece of technology. As its name implies, an astrolabe is a star chart that provides passing vessels with a reliable model of heavenly bodies within its mapping range. This allows ships to make long range dives through the firmament into Cherenkov Space safely and with better accuracy - in theory.
While space travel is not impossible without utilizing one, it is extremely dangerous and costly to do so - especially for larger ships. Thus, smugglers and outlaws wishing to sidestep Republic blockades and taxes often practice "slip skipping" - the act of making shallow and brief superluminal dives before breaching back into real space and adjusting course. This form of travel has obviously been outlawed by the Republic, leading to the act being seen as rebellious and cool.
Insurrectionists
... all we ever wanted was to get out.
Insurrectionists - affectionately referred to as "Innies" are the (dis)organized militants who fight against the Free Peoples' Republic. They claim to be one force, united in defiance against the regime. However, the truth is that they are divided by ideology just as much as they are divided by distance. While militias and spy cells operate nearly everywhere the Republic plants their flag, the three major groups are as follows.
Redstar Union - technically a foreign power claiming Zhalo as their capital. Redstar wish to dismantle the exploitative regime of the FPR from the ground up, urging workers to "seize the means of production" and "cast off the chains of the oppressor". Utilizing the industry present on many of the worlds they liberate, they have begun to build a substantial fleet using the resources and factories of the oppressor.
Insurrectionists - affectionately referred to as "Innies" are the (dis)organized militants who fight against the Free Peoples' Republic. They claim to be one force, united in defiance against the regime. However, the truth is that they are divided by ideology just as much as they are divided by distance. While militias and spy cells operate nearly everywhere the Republic plants their flag, the three major groups are as follows.
Redstar Union - technically a foreign power claiming Zhalo as their capital. Redstar wish to dismantle the exploitative regime of the FPR from the ground up, urging workers to "seize the means of production" and "cast off the chains of the oppressor". Utilizing the industry present on many of the worlds they liberate, they have begun to build a substantial fleet using the resources and factories of the oppressor.
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Ghostly
Active member
The Nniss.
Psychic tyrants. Oppressors from another era. Once, they dared to reach out and claim mastership of the universe - to tread on the tailcoats of the Gods. Thousands of worlds suffered under their regime, with billions enslaved to drive the industry of their economic empire. According to their own history, they were designed by the 'masters' to steward and one day inherent all they had created and watched over. They were uplifted and supposedly were instrumental in the infrastructure of their masters' empire.
Some scholars speculate these masters may have been beings described by many cultures across the Milky Way, but the Nniss' account of history is heavily biased and focused on their own uplifting and development. Once the masters had disappeared, the Nniss were left purposeless, sitting idle for millenia - with no masters' to give them their purpose, what defined their reason to exist at all? In their search for purpose they encountered many races - what defined them? Who gave them purpose? With no master to guide them, they found the universe a chaotic and meaningless place - it nearly drove them mad. Perhaps it did.
It was all so clear then what needed to be done. The galaxy needed a guiding hand, and who better to perform this task than the stewards of the gods.
However, the Nniss lacked many traits that had given their masters such strength of will. An accurate description of their physicality and abilities has not been corroborated, the Nniss simply describe them as - immense, vast, boundless. Gods. The Nniss on the other hand could be described as feeble, designed with minds cool and calculating and strong in psionic ability - making up for their lack in vitality. They knew if they were to build an empire to rival their masters', they would need help and they were not of the mind to ask nicely.
Utilizing the masters' technology - recovered and slowly mastered, they spread across the stars to collect resources and slaves, relying on their psychic domination and advanced firepower to take whatever they wanted. With their conquest complete, they considered themselves the new masters of this universe - it would be their hubris that would spell doom upon them.
Little trace of them remains now, they are nothing but a bedtime story. No Nniss have been encountered since their sundering two hundred years ago - but rumors of Nniss ghost ships wandering the Outer Periphery still find their way from spacers to colony worlds, frightening children and freebooters alike.
Terrans.
The Lost Tribes. Once united, now they are divided even further than before. Almost five hundred years ago, the Nniss sought Sol and ravaged the system, taking advantage of the good nature of humanity - enslaving a vast number of humans to be taken and sold throughout their region of space.
The descendants of these slaves, now calling themselves the Lost Tribes of Terra, would prove to be the downfall of the Nniss empire. Their weak psychic presence made the Nniss underestimate them, which allowed the population of slaves present on the Nniss capital world - Ci'ta, to lead an uprising and cripple their psychic network - giving a fighting chance to other enslaved peoples across the galaxy.
Once the uprising was complete and the galaxy was freed, the Terrans sought to reunite with their kin on the other side of the galaxy, in Sol - their Zion. However, while the early years were marked by fellowship, sacrifice, and unity, old rivalries and petty squabbles would divide them and leave the dream of returning again to Sol in the blackness between stars.
Psychic tyrants. Oppressors from another era. Once, they dared to reach out and claim mastership of the universe - to tread on the tailcoats of the Gods. Thousands of worlds suffered under their regime, with billions enslaved to drive the industry of their economic empire. According to their own history, they were designed by the 'masters' to steward and one day inherent all they had created and watched over. They were uplifted and supposedly were instrumental in the infrastructure of their masters' empire.
Some scholars speculate these masters may have been beings described by many cultures across the Milky Way, but the Nniss' account of history is heavily biased and focused on their own uplifting and development. Once the masters had disappeared, the Nniss were left purposeless, sitting idle for millenia - with no masters' to give them their purpose, what defined their reason to exist at all? In their search for purpose they encountered many races - what defined them? Who gave them purpose? With no master to guide them, they found the universe a chaotic and meaningless place - it nearly drove them mad. Perhaps it did.
It was all so clear then what needed to be done. The galaxy needed a guiding hand, and who better to perform this task than the stewards of the gods.
However, the Nniss lacked many traits that had given their masters such strength of will. An accurate description of their physicality and abilities has not been corroborated, the Nniss simply describe them as - immense, vast, boundless. Gods. The Nniss on the other hand could be described as feeble, designed with minds cool and calculating and strong in psionic ability - making up for their lack in vitality. They knew if they were to build an empire to rival their masters', they would need help and they were not of the mind to ask nicely.
Utilizing the masters' technology - recovered and slowly mastered, they spread across the stars to collect resources and slaves, relying on their psychic domination and advanced firepower to take whatever they wanted. With their conquest complete, they considered themselves the new masters of this universe - it would be their hubris that would spell doom upon them.
Little trace of them remains now, they are nothing but a bedtime story. No Nniss have been encountered since their sundering two hundred years ago - but rumors of Nniss ghost ships wandering the Outer Periphery still find their way from spacers to colony worlds, frightening children and freebooters alike.
Terrans.
The Lost Tribes. Once united, now they are divided even further than before. Almost five hundred years ago, the Nniss sought Sol and ravaged the system, taking advantage of the good nature of humanity - enslaving a vast number of humans to be taken and sold throughout their region of space.
The descendants of these slaves, now calling themselves the Lost Tribes of Terra, would prove to be the downfall of the Nniss empire. Their weak psychic presence made the Nniss underestimate them, which allowed the population of slaves present on the Nniss capital world - Ci'ta, to lead an uprising and cripple their psychic network - giving a fighting chance to other enslaved peoples across the galaxy.
Once the uprising was complete and the galaxy was freed, the Terrans sought to reunite with their kin on the other side of the galaxy, in Sol - their Zion. However, while the early years were marked by fellowship, sacrifice, and unity, old rivalries and petty squabbles would divide them and leave the dream of returning again to Sol in the blackness between stars.
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Ghostly
Active member
POLITICS - FACTIONS - OTHER BULLSHIT
Free People's Republic.
The dream of the many, dashed upon the stones by pure ambition and inadequacy. After the uprising and the celebrating that followed, a new alliance of Terran forces conglomerated on Ci'ta and sought to unite the scattered tribes under a single banner. It was noble, but naïve at best and pretentious at worst. These young leaders believed they could bring every distinct new offshoot of exiled humanity to the table and expect them to discard their governing structure in favor for a senate of delegates, with the hope of one day returning to Sol and joining an intergalactic community.
Not everyone agreed, many laughed at this proposal but most did try. It wouldn't last. Soon, conflict emerged, rivals were born, and the FPR split apart into a dozen factions - each claiming to be the successor to the dream of the liberated. Blame also finds its way to the Vo'aa Hegemony, leading to many Terrans distrusting the Vo - even now, more than two centuries later.
True Terran Republic.
Colloquially known as the Republic, they are the reigning Terran authority in the Periphery. When the FPR fractured, the tribe known as the Orphic Fleet managed to gather the strongest fragments and forge them into strong nation that claims to uphold Terran freedom and dominance in this galaxy. They regard the FPR as a failure, but not one they could not rise from - stronger.
The Republic was formed on the principle of securing Terran dominance and security, but has grown ever xenophobic and expansionist - now claiming more territory than any other Terran nation. Many worlds have been subjugated or slaughtered by the Republic Expansionary Guard - Terran and alien alike. One notable atrocity was the Annihilation of Electrovia, which saw the entire world stripped bare of resources and genocide against the native population.
The Republic is in a constant state of conflict within and without, ever pushing its borders outward. However, they are not unstoppable. The Vo'aa Hegemony has proven itself a major deterrent, as they have shown to answer every intrusion into their territory with swift retaliation by their hyper advanced military technology.
Free People's Republic.
The dream of the many, dashed upon the stones by pure ambition and inadequacy. After the uprising and the celebrating that followed, a new alliance of Terran forces conglomerated on Ci'ta and sought to unite the scattered tribes under a single banner. It was noble, but naïve at best and pretentious at worst. These young leaders believed they could bring every distinct new offshoot of exiled humanity to the table and expect them to discard their governing structure in favor for a senate of delegates, with the hope of one day returning to Sol and joining an intergalactic community.
Not everyone agreed, many laughed at this proposal but most did try. It wouldn't last. Soon, conflict emerged, rivals were born, and the FPR split apart into a dozen factions - each claiming to be the successor to the dream of the liberated. Blame also finds its way to the Vo'aa Hegemony, leading to many Terrans distrusting the Vo - even now, more than two centuries later.
True Terran Republic.
Colloquially known as the Republic, they are the reigning Terran authority in the Periphery. When the FPR fractured, the tribe known as the Orphic Fleet managed to gather the strongest fragments and forge them into strong nation that claims to uphold Terran freedom and dominance in this galaxy. They regard the FPR as a failure, but not one they could not rise from - stronger.
The Republic was formed on the principle of securing Terran dominance and security, but has grown ever xenophobic and expansionist - now claiming more territory than any other Terran nation. Many worlds have been subjugated or slaughtered by the Republic Expansionary Guard - Terran and alien alike. One notable atrocity was the Annihilation of Electrovia, which saw the entire world stripped bare of resources and genocide against the native population.
The Republic is in a constant state of conflict within and without, ever pushing its borders outward. However, they are not unstoppable. The Vo'aa Hegemony has proven itself a major deterrent, as they have shown to answer every intrusion into their territory with swift retaliation by their hyper advanced military technology.
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