MS Hellhounds Saga: Children of Mars - Lore (Discontinued)

[RedArmyShogun]

• sales pitch and basic information
• Galactic Information
• Weapon types and systems
• Important NPC's and Crew information
• Weapons and MS Manufacturers
• Universal Timeline

• 
  
  
  ​
  
  In the far-flung future of 2068 AE (or as you may know it 4242 AD) Mankind has spread across the stars, near and far and its weapons of war have kept pace, for a time. But such matters, large and grand will be covered in your history index, as will the fall of the Terran Dominion and the decline and loss of knowledge that followed. Of the rise of the major factions and petty despots. Such does not matter to you. Or at least it shouldn’t.
  
  For you were a prisoner, to the one thing that matters still, birth and worth. Or maybe you foolishly decided upon this path? Either way you were born on Mars. As Mankind’s first attempt at terraforming, mixed results were had upon the red planet. Though it was far from a worthless world. In a bid to ship out its industry from polluting Mother Earth, Mars became heavily industrialized, a cold, temperate world with mostly deserts and salty seas with the occasional crop field and freshwater river. For Mars, living up to its ancient name has two exports and two exports only, tools of War and the manpower to fight said wars.
  
  You were born along three billion others, in the dense spires and hive complexes of Mars, be you from a white collar or upper class that decided to slum with the slummers, or the downtrodden masses. For on Mars there are but two paths for the vast majority, work in the mines, forges, factories and Shipyards, or join the Military. Said military is known as one of the finest in the galaxy and artificial gravity exposes the Martians to one to two g’s gravity so they do not falter so easily off the small red planet.
  
  The Military is further divided into two categories, The United Earth Dominion Military, sent to join the forces of the Sol Sector with the other first steps of mankind, or the Free Privateer Divisions. It is through service one can escape Mars, to either pay in the bounty allotment set, to live and retire aboard the great Star Cruisers, or to find a planet in olden age to call home.
  
  You have landed with scores of others to the Free Privateer units that service the various conflicts raging across the Galaxy, many are the sons and daughters of mars that have fought in the space corps, the Aerospace forces, the infantry, tanks, artillery or just logistics. For your life till your years or stipend to the Dominion are up, you will serve aboard one troop ship, which will in turn be attached to one troop cruiser. It will be your home, with brothers in arms, the families some may have, and what few brave merchants set up shop to pass off wares and trinkets from across the Milky Way. While the Earth Sphere may take up half of the pay your unit earns, you are still given a wage to spend as you see fit, you are not a slave after all.
  
  And ah, there is one more branch of Service, The Mobile Suits Division, or MS for short. Machines of war and skill, some whose technology was lost in the collapse of the Dominion, machines that are worth more than the meat filling the seats. Armed with wondrous weapons, bipedal in nature, a reflection of man that turned war up on its head. From scout walkers that stand to 15 to 25 feet tall (4.5m’s - 7.6m’s), to line units that stand up to 80 feet tall (24-25 meters) and the massive titans that are anywhere from 100 to 200 feet tall(30-60m’s). Countless worlds have built them, templates differ, and Mars is one of the few worlds that can still produce them, based on hundreds of templates. These are weapons that can when deployed in a team affect the outcome of a battle or even a war in a few deployments. These units are the most prestigious, the most well payed, and the most dangerous.
  
  And what do you know, while fate may have made you the unwanted child of an Ancient War God, it has also made your score parameters land of proficiency to be selected into an MS Unit. Or in this case the 15th MS Team “Hellhounds” of the First MS Division. A decorated unit whose existence dates back to 875 AE.
  
  And now is the Annual return of the 70k ton Troopship, Olympus Folly with its 900k ton Cruiser, Silent Night, and assorted escorts. Today, you get to leave Mars and see worlds untold. Provided you survive, don’t be cheap with your machine and hope the forge master assigns you a lucky unit that has seen service for three hundred years or a new production model from a reputable template. Though if you are a convict that was given the option to serve, check the service record to see how many pilots that MS has lost.
  
  …. Or maybe you are one of the “older” veterans coming to see the fresh meat, afterall, the fleet makes this journey every year or two. With fresh recruits being seventeen to nineteen and frontline veterans being up to thirty-four and all points in between, typically the state of a unit can vary wildly, though there are at least a couple veterans in service.
  
  ~~~
  
  Interested? In the course of this RP, the RP will have a “slice of life” as close as military star cruiser life, can offer with missions and battle assignments for the MS team on a number of worlds and terran types. These may be limited to” fighting” run of the mil infantry and tank formations in distant tundra worlds, to fighting the pissed off 150-foot-tall titan of some Warlord who’s City you have laid siege to. Either way the missions may/will fold into grander campaigns and may ultimately leave the players with some hard choices to make in regard to Mars and Earth, one which can unfold into an epic campaign that could end badly or be a smashing success. Political intrigue and the sway of the pilots over the commanders can determine much, win the attention of Lords or Presidents in high places. Or the burning hatred of other Non-Martian Free Privateer Divisions. What? You thought Mars was the only War world? Heh.
• 
  
  -The Milky Way & Humanity: In the far future of the human race the technological leaps have taken Mankind to hundreds of colonies, forge worlds, mining stations and StarNet relays, spread out in a radius of two thousand light years from Earth. While fauna has been found and some conspirators say primitive peoples that we wiped out in a repeat of our own colonial pasts, mankind has found himself alone. No great contact, no beacons of civilization, no answers to our oldest questions. No new perspectives.
  
  Why are we here? Where do we go? What is it to live? What is it to die? Is there only this?
  
  In place we were met with cold silence, least the deep core or the spiral arms far from us hold these secrets, we have been left to answer them ourselves. And yet with all our worlds, all our tech, only War has remained a constant. A network of beacons that allow for FTL travel and communications connect mankind, but the ideologies, greed and general stupidity of mankind has left it as much in our own time. Earth, Renamed Terra ruled a republic of federal districts, autonomous regions, Corporate Zones, empty stars and wonders far and wide, the Terran Dominion. However as the case with the faltering UN of the 20th Century, human culture, ideals and egos brought the Terran Dominion to its knees and tore it asunder. Throwing humanity in a new dark age that scarcely knows the technologies it was gifted, its golden age, gone.. Many factions now pick at the remains, while a few brave souls try to reach into the spiral arms that border us, and some seek to revive past glories or to seek out the scientific templates thought lost to time. Below are the Key players as the star systems mankind have reached are within our grasp;-
  
  The United Earth Dominion: Formerly the Terran Dominion, after its defeat in the Great Galactic War, Terra, renamed Earth escaped total destruction by threatening mankind with a reset it could not recover from, Destruction of the hyper relay and holding the Rebel factions at Mars before pushing them ten-star sectors out from the Sol Sector. Earth escaped the war by taking up an officially neutral position, demobilizing its forces to a level needed to maintain the peace, and secure the jump locations within the ten sectors Earth could hold. Earth was now too weak and Isolated to rebuke the four great factions of the time.
  
  Currently Earth uses Geneva to headquarter a Republic style government with representatives from worlds within the 10 sectors, intermingled with a heavy corporate presence and is a primary Agricultural and Technology world that has largely recovered from the Great Galactic War. It currently engages in underhanded ways to try and rebuild its strength.
  
  Led by a rotating body of one world from each sector with exception of Earth in a Security Council, other worlds and interests have seats in the general body based on population and interests.
  
  Current Prime Minister: Jeffery Scott Yamada.
  
  - Graphon Imperium: A militaristic nation that formed as part of a Military Coup leading up to the Great Galactic War, is spreads over 40 Sectors and its culture could be said to be a throw back to Prussian Militarism, or a Military that is a state, a people that are an Army. For the State, By the State, Nothing but the State. It's warships and MS units tend to be embellished with a Double Headed Eagle. The state tends to lack behind the rest in civil innovations and operates an oppressive regime, though none would doubt it's power. Given the nature of the Graphon Imperium it often has conflicts with its neighbors and internally.
  
  Head of State, officially; Emperor Branton von Holtzen VII. Unofficially and de facto, the Imperial High Command upon the world of Graphon and it's capital city Elzan.
  
  - Stellarian Combine: Corporate interest along the outer spiral that broke away from Dominon control late into the war, controlling 17 sectors this region could be said to be dystopian in nature with corporate boards ruling the sectors with a firm if not velvet gloved grip, the quality of life and living conditions vary wildly across the Sectors and even worlds within, from dystopian slave worlds to ideal pleasure worlds that cater to the elite.
  
  Ruled by the Corporate Board with more than 50 interests and CEO's sitting at its head. Fittingly the national symbol is a Hydra.
  
  - The Vizzard Star Republic: A collection of 30 Sectors that have one head Prime Minister among them from each sector, that then votes for cabinet positions off of popular Democracy formed into a Federal Union. This has led to a tyranny of the Majority as some call it, though a Liberal and democractic society, this state of affairs prompts frequent rebellion and wars with the ISC and Imperium. Named for the constellation that was christened by the view of stars some several 100 light years from Earth, the selfsame system leads the Republic.
  
  It's current head of state is Evalyn Richards Marigold President of Vizzar.
  
  - Independant Systems Confederation (ISC): Not really a faction per-see so much as a union of worlds with a mutual defense and trade pacts, the situation is as diverse and culturally challenged as on our current Earth, Communist Governments, Military Dictatorships, fiefdoms, client states and Democracies united by one thing and one thing alone, a seething hatred for Central Authority and the other Factions. The ISC is much akin to our Holy Roman Empire, which was none of the things it was named for. It's client states reach understandings in time of crisis but it is not unknown for them to fight amongst themselves, minor factions and major factions. Encompassing 30 differing Sectors the ISC is often joked to not have a plan least it's time to fight someone that comes into their squabbles.
  
  A Joke that has proven true many times over the last 300 years.
  
  -Other elements of Humanity: Along the periphery and within, around and in-between the major factions are worlds, sectors and space stations that have anything from Chinese, Eurasian and American Colony Ships to pirates flying all sorts of oddities with raider forces that have ancient and captured weaponry pillaging any world that is left underdefended. Anything and everything can be found here, from crazed cultists to trailblazers trying to reach into the spiral arms around us.
  
  
  
• 
  Weapon types for MS's can roughly be classified into two Categories Kinetic and Energy Weapons. Kinetic weapons offer better performance and range at the cost of weight and ammo supply, while energy weapons often offer better offensive power against armor, living targets, and provides weapons with no ammunition limits and often lighter weight that usually come at a cost of more limited range or a cooldown. Weapon systems are normally carried or built into the MS. Other weapon and equipment types may be added depending on player sheets and discussion.
  
  Blades: Either a metal alloy turned into a giant knife, there isn't much to say here on the physical side of things, notable innovations are bean sabers which emit a particle beam at a certain distance before the beam is cooled by distance and resistance. Heat Blades have also seen some popularity, with super-heated gas and energy being applied to a normal alloy blade.
  
  Rifles: While in far larger calibers than any infantry used weapon, typically 75 to 155mm's in caliber being the average for a mainline Mobile Suit and 23mm to 40mm being the average on a Scout Unit. Rifles come in all manner of types from specialty single shot sniper rifles to automatic assault type weapons. Over the machine gun they typically have smaller ammo capacities and rates of fire.
  
  Machine Guns: large caliber rapid firing weapons, these come in forms from belt-fed, chain guns, gatling systems and auto-cannons. Typically, they have a wider dispersion radius and rate of fire than a rifle type weapon, they also in all cases carry considerable amounts of ammunition.
  
  Electromagnetic Weapons: Chiefly railguns and gauss cannons, the basic understanding of both concepts hold true as metal warheads are fired out of an electrically charged reaction rather than chemical.
  
  There were some early developments with tesla like weapons from a long forgotten human scientist, but they were of little use against grounded targets, too chaotic to strike aircraft and the aftereffects when used on human soldiers and civilians led to a mass ban on the technology as a weapon with a rerouting to power axillary systems inside of fusion reactors.
  
  Rockets: Dumb-fire high explosive munitions, chemically fired with no tracking system. Easy to field in large formations with multiple warhead types for a cheap price, useful for soft targets or area of effect coverage.
  
  Flamethrowers: Chemical flame projectors that were mostly used for civil applications and then brought back into war, can overwhelm heatsinks on a MS to hamper energy weapon usage, to clear out bunkers and infantry, fairly rare and hated weapon by human rights groups and Infantry squads.
  
  Pulse Rifles: A "laser" or "blaster" rifle as many would think of it, firing small broken beams of plasma, creating what many think of when they hear "lasers" in old scifi films. Super-heated gas with performance on par with traditional rifles if not a bit demanding on reactor output if fired constantly without cooling.
  
  Laser Rifles: Firing energy beams over a large distance and in a solid-colored light before cooling in spaces around them dissipate the beam into nothingness, fired in "bursts" rather than constant fire, produces great heat.
  
  Missiles: Smart fire chemically launched warheads, various types have been made over the years from seekers, interceptor and fragmentation bomblets, among others. Missiles are designed to seek out specific targeting points or objects and may have room to maneuver and re-adjust. Needs an internal or external radar or heat seeker for guidance.
  
  Canister Gun (shotgun): Comes in various sizes and configurations, like the much smaller infantry variant it fires a canister shell that holds small or large ball bearings, broad needles, solid mass slugs or other special purpose rounds. Absolutely devastating to infantry and light vehicles.
  
  Howitzer: A large or moderate sized artillery gun mounted on the back, shoulder or shoulders of an MS that uses direct fire, LoS, or indirect fire to lob giant explosive shells at an enemy, not useful for mobile targets.
  
  Charged Particle Cannon: A large high powered laser cannon that fires a super-heated and concentrated beam of energy, immensely destructive it is rare to see them on anything not a warship or Titan class MS, and even then, it's still rare. A smaller version seems to exist for line units but requires special clearance to have or use. It is a slow firing weapon with a high cooldown period between shots.
  
  Plasma Cannon: Same in principle as the Pulse Rifle, but larger in scale and purpose and can arc fire in much the same way as a Howitzer, the facts of the other two weapons hold true for this one.
  
  Equipment
  Communications Unit: All MS units have radio and beam transmission communication suits, though Command units tend to mount larger and more capable units to talk to multiple forces at once. This should be included on MS Unit sheets and if it is not, tells me you have read none of this. :c
  
  General Magazines: Just a housing for spare ammunition or massive belts/spoils for machinegun units. Typically worn on the back but if your art or mind has a better idea of where to keep it, by all means.
  
  Radar & GPS: Eyes and Ears of a MS, short of looking out the monitor or vision port, radar works in the former of a much larger active detection method which gives you away and a closer passive detection range which does not give you away short of in visual range, typically not too widely found outside of units concerned with command, missile or anti-air duty. GPS gives real locational mapping and depends on the lander's drones and satellites to paint threats and known enemy positions, while not all may bother with radar, all have this GPS system.
  
  ECM: Electronic countermeasures: General radar spoofing and target designation to give impressions of false targets, no targets, to break up targeting lasers and IR signatures, various types have been fielded over the years and can be energy demanding depending on the feature's, targeting jamming is more common that giving off false data and cheaper on power output.
  
  Dazzler: A physical countermeasure to aircraft and guided missiles that typically works by firing off chaff and lasering a target with an optical laser to hinder eyesight and optical systems, such systems are typically limited by number of chaff flares or the positioning of the dazzler on the unit, many pilots seem to rather count on armor than a dazzler.
  
  Explosive Reactive Armor: Blocks of explosives used to "intercept" kinetic rounds with an explosive block, first seen in the late 20th century on Earth.
  
  Flight Unit: A "jet pack" for mechs that don't have a built-in flight system to allow for aerial drops rather than flight. Though in space it grants this ability limitedly.
  
• 
  
  Admiral Zhang: Roland Zhang, a long serving Admiral in the Free Privateer Forces and the quasi-Military of the UED, he is now in command of a fleet and the Lunar Class Transport Cruiser; Silent Night. Originally from the Lunar Colony he is a navy man that works with the rest of the Fleet Command to dispatch the various units to conflict zones of Human Space. Little is known about the man by those outside of command and the Fleet structure.
  
  
  Colonel Steiner: Juna Steiner is Martian and one of the Regimental Commanders of the 1st MS, she is known to be of the ruling aristocratic families on Mars that purposefully enlisted in the Fleet, she worked her way through the ranks in combat and for commissarial service. With a distrust towards odd elements and a disinterest in any till they have proven themselves in combat and with luck, she tends to see the men under her as pieces on a board. This however should not be taken as for the Colonel to just throw away her pieces as she has a high demand for efficiency. Her general demeanor is of a high society type and thoroughbred officer that commands respect and to be taken in direct notice of her is for better or worse, promised to bring a for of trust or punishment.
  
  
  Lieutenant General Wainwright: Alexander S. Wainwright is in a few words boisterous, flamboyant and hard charging. Serving within the 1st MS Division and even it's 15th MS Team, he is a tried-and-true soldier that has a no nonsense and gruff manner of being. Famous for his lack of etiquette and hard charging speeches, he seemed happiest behind a mobile suit's controls and lacks the skills needed for higher promotion. The general is known to be a social drinker and friendly with his troops as far as his position allows. Known to hate cowardice and has a low regard of subterfuge.
  
  
• 
  
  Players are encouraged to make use of the following designers or make up their own.
  
  Marsonus Engineering: A principle mainline developer of MS units on Mars, the largest production floor in the 10 sectors.
  
  Vostok- Mcdowell: Mecha builder and industrial units that formed as a conglomerate between Earth and Mars.
  
  Dominion Fleet Systems: Principal Electronics and energy weapon manufacturer.
  
  Kal-Arms: Principle hard protection and ballistic arms manufacturer.
  
  Urgan Heavy Engineering: Jovian moons based heavy weapons and heavy mech builder
  
  Fujiwara-Dyson LTD: Mech Developer with a preference to semi airborne/space-based boosters and engines and MS units.
  
  TerraTec: Principal developer of high-tech electronics and components.
  
  Iskander Tactical: Developer of various munition systems.
  
  Corvus Development: A join Jovian Earth company, focuses on technologically advanced MS's that incorporate energy weapons typically, given the shaped armor, pilots sit in a "tub" and are rather cramped.
  
  Raxion: An energy weapons development firm that is a subsidy of Corvus Development.
  
  Korell: Korell is a rather new company formed over the last 40 years, based on the Planet Ithica in the Dominion systems.
  
  Gespent: Weapons and MS developer, Planet of Centex, their designs are known to incorporate weapons into the base construction rather than independantly.
  
  Fujiwara-Dyson: An ancient Earth based corporation that excels at electronic R&D and the construction of FTL drives. They have connections with everything in Domion space that produces a ship or MS.
  
  
• 
  001- (2045) Mankind reaches Mars with a considerable presence, world christens the age 001 AE, After Earth.
  
  025- Fist Fusion Reactor formed by co-operation between China and America
  
  
  ​
  
  036- First colony ship hulls are laid down, construction of advanced shipyards and UN supervision.
  
  070- First sleeper ships from Earth are launched.
  
  090- Terraforming attempt to Mars.
  
  102- Third World War commences and Ends with the signing of a global Hegemony and slow dismantle of national states.
  
  111- Artificial gravity field developed.
  
  221- FTL Jump drive first successfully tested.
  
  332- Shepards evolve within the human race, humans that were naturally born with a higher spatial awareness and intuition for finding jump points, somewhat distrusted and discriminated against even now.
  
  
  ​
  
  420- Adaption of the human genome, which started back in 75 AE becomes more commonly prevalent and designer children, HIV and Cancer are eliminated. Some social turbulence results.
  
  500- First interplanetary war when Jupiter Colonies attempt a revolt, Earth Victorius with Mars Terraforming considered sub optimal in the same year.
  
  
  865- Materials research leads to first MS Design and production.
  
  ​
  
  875- Hell Hounds first MS division founded as part of the Terran Dominion Army, Mars based unit .
  
  1021- Earth Colonial Reach and beacon network spreads to 1800 light years around Earth, Terran control stable.
  
  1221- The corporate and national crisis begin, Terra's Golden age wanes.
  
  
  ​
  1668- First shots of The Great Galactic War ring out.
  
  1778- War ends with broken fleets, lost technology and Earth forced into a corner, WMD's banned, resource disruption and destruction of thirty planets sends humanity into a new dark age.
  
  1835- Experimentations being conducted in some states to produce a perfect soldier and MS Pilot in the Earth Sphere and beyond, results are mixed, ongoing and hushed.
  
  1992- For the first time in nearly 300 years production output reaches higher than losses, some technology recovered.
  
  2068- Present Day
  
  
  

 

[RedArmyShogun]

• planets
• ships
• Additional Lore

• 
  
  MARS- The Red planet, well now Red, Brown and some blue, a harsh climate that demand the strong, eith mines and oribtal shipyards most of its 3 billion inhabitants call hive cities home in the crater regions, depends heavily upon Earth for agricultural goods in exchange for its resources. The first planet we see on our journey.
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  Olympus Class Lander: Olympus Folly - a 70k ton Transport that holds basic living facilities, repairshops and capacity to carry a few mechs and support troops, a Platoon sized formation is the most it can currently support with the MS's aboard, a Company of normal troops if it is not.
  
  
  
  Lunar Class Transport Cruiser: Silent Night - A massive 1500-meter-long warship that weighs in at 700k tons, has a crew of 2000 and carries up to 125,000 troops and their families as well as assorted facilities for the needs of keeping up its forces, given the large numbers of Civilians one of it's upper hangar bay zones is open to civilian traffic and two decks are made into living spaces and recreational purposes for the 1-2 yearlong cruises.
  
  
  
  
• 
  These are bits of lore that were not included or can be included with the topics above but were brought up in my OOC and shall be placed here.
  
  Genetic Research: During the two thousand years of recorded history that occurred during these times, mankind as in today's world has always sought to improve the human condition. Some of which stuck around, some of which became taboo and others a sign of wealth an influence, some procedures became illegal and some a norm. Before mankind developed the FTL drive it was not unusual for cloning to be used to jump start colonization efforts or to fix the human errors in social policies of the late 20th and 21st Century. At first cloning was seen as a way to achieve immortality by the rich and famous, but much like animal cloning which was used to increase domestic livestock and to reseed the oceans in the wake of disastrous environmental policies, these clones were more akin to a twin or a child with a single genetic source than they were a replacement body.
  
  Horrific research in the 22nd Century led to laws and legislation against so called brain transplants or denying clones human rights after extreme social backlash. Cloning as a result became a taboo subject or ones used in extraordinary geopolitical events that required an emergency growth of a domestic population.
  
  On the front of Genetics, designer children which became a thing in the early 21st century was met with mixed reception and turmoil, while not what many detractors would want by the 23rd century nearly all humans had basic genetic enhancements in the form of having cells that caused a variety of mental and physical health defects removed. During the early days of FTL human genome editing went along grounds of what sorts of human adaptation was needed on a host of alien worlds and as a means to show one's wealth. Features like those akin to elves or some animal traits were even grafted into the human genome and attempts to "naturally" extend the human life span became very common place among the rich and industrious.
  
  These changes ultimately led to some social problems and as with cloning were limited by law and public uproar or in some cases terrorism. Ultimately however in the current year, while the Great War led to a mini dark age the human of today is far more genetically gifted and healthy than his ancestor of the 21st Century of the old Earth Calendar with a life expectation of 100 years for even the poorest of citizens and a greater range for healthy childbirth.
  
  Though not just civilians looked toward this process, the Military did as well with numerous Super Solider projects. Ultimately these were a mixed bag as while impressive, baseline skilled human soldiers were still found to come out ahead of their genetic perfection cousins which left a sour taste in the mouth of all involved.
  
  Natural evolution or adaptation also came to the forefront of mankind's new evolution, such as the Spatial awareness that developed in some strands of humanity, producing far superior pilots and navigators, or humans of thicker and leaner stature, in its genetic standardization, alteration and reaching to the stars the humanity of the AE timeline has far greater genetic and cultural diversity than his ancestors, though for all that has changed much has remained the same.
  
  Though highly regulated in all places outside of the Combine, some research into the perfect soldier continues, human cloning however has all but ceased outside of self-replication in artificial or doner wombs on the behalf of eccentrics with money. For while mankind is far superior in this age, the sheer numbers of billions of humans in the last 1500 years has led to a policy that looks dimly on the value of human life with a cheapness. There is no need for clone and droid armies when there are billions that need purpose. Social programs also incentivize traditional family values and large families on most worlds.
  
  However, not all is so sunny, old prejudices still linger, be they born of jealousy or hate, even the Shepards who are an unquestionable boon for humanity face some level of discrimination sooner or later in life from those in the masses. The same can be said of the heavily genetically altered or those clones which still exist. With the fall of the Terran Dominion what was once seen as a social problem that could be corrected with education has become a matter of public ignorance, envy and hate. Though in other parts of life these individuals often perform well in the military and governmental sectors and have strong rivalries and friendships with the naturally talented.
  
  
  Automation & AI: Over the course of human history the AI and automation has been both a chance and an opportunity, an ethical quandary and sound logistics. As with most things it can be tracked back to the old 21st and 22nd Century. Rapid advanced in AI came to threaten the displacement of billions of jobs and caused mankind to question what was unique within it. Just what was the soul? What made mankind, who at its root was a living computer, different from one they made. Over the course of the next several decades violent upheaval and revolution wrecked the world, being one of the many factors that concluded in the Third World War. A war that became interplanetary. Veterans and those on the other moons, stations and worlds of the Sol System took up arms and dictated to the Governments and Corporations a peace at the end of a Gun when all was said and done, and massive casualties left the world reeling.
  
  Among the acts carried out by this body one is known as the Mankind Initiative. The human race would work as it must and his robotic inventions would be designed to support and augment him rather than replace him. With the world in such horrible ecological state the Colony shipbuilding program would result from this. Whereas work forces had previously left humans unemployed or doing thankless tasks such as observing a droid worker, now mankind found themselves back to work wherever a human could be used. Development of AI continued and played a vital role alongside the thinkers of mankind in the development of the FTL drive and later the MS breakthrough.
  
  For tasks that required intensive manhours or was otherwise deemed too dangerous for a human the development of synthetic androids was carried out, to keep a human face in spirit and command of the Mankind Initiaitve, resulting in what was intended to take over secretarial work and to process the decisions of past human leaders and events to advise those in the current, from the Judiciary to the planning board. Eventually these units seemed to develop unique personalities and strange fixations and imprints of the humans around them. This all columnated in what was one of the few peaceful resolutions to a crisis of the Dominion, an android protested against a breach of law and showed what was uncomfortably a breach of what was programing and what was natural thought during a fifteen-day court case.
  
  In the end, while production of Androids would continue, there place in society was granted with limited human rights and freedom in assignment. There were public misgivings in this, but the Dominion held sway. In addition to this, while Man was very much involved in the day-to-day labor and operations of all work, massive complexes and machines gave rise to warships and freighters up to two million tons in weight and two thousand meters long, in months and years the fleets of mankind grew. All was peaceful and in accordance with the Mankind Initiative.
  
  At least that was until the golden age ended and the war began. Much was lost as supply lines closed, worlds were cracked and glassed, and the mighty trade frighters and warships of mankind were turned into drifting hulks. Many minds were lost and the production of new Android assistants all but ceased. Those currently in operation have seen more than they were designed too, leading to even more erratic emotions or depressed states in the neural processors of the Androids, which lead to some incidents over the following three hundred years. While these incidents were isolated and of little consequence it led to a general public distrust of the automatons.
  
  Remarkably and within the last 60 years, the Earth Sphere and Corporate sector has recovered enough to produce a new line of androids and with the Mankind Initiative still intact. With a grasp on records and some skills the androids stand ready to assist mankind once again.
  
  However, that is not the only technology from that time which has made a return, or rather never truly left, with the resource's mechanical prosthetics are able to let the injured live and work once again, though this is limited by the Mankind Initiative and is more common in the Military and medical emergencies rather than willing augmentation.
  
  
  Free Privateers: In the wake of The Great Galactic War, mankind, torn asunder, defeated and victorious faced one significant problem, with the destruction of so much infrastructure and ships with the all too valuable FTL drives, all of the sectors, worlds and nations were faced with a dilemma, how to keep the ships they had left operational and the Military from mutiny. On the first front Naval Warfare in the following years (d)evolved into a gentleman's agreement where fleets would engage with easy to replace light ships while heavy ships maneuvered across one another in a recreation of age of sail battles, trading fire and signaling when one was matched and withdrawing, which cutdown on the loss of the heavy capital ships and transports. The second matter was not solved, how to prevent mutiny and to keep the fleets moving ground forces.
  
  The solution was provided by infant ISC, when a member world invoked a charter from the Law of the Sea to use private forces to engage another world they were in conflict with while claiming to not be involved. This was something that in the resulting collapse of civil order, spawning of despots and the actual mutinies that were carried out spread like wildfire, was quickly adopted. Free Privateers are a quasi-grey line that came about to allow the various fleets and armies to earn money and experience for the sponsor nation to fight proxy wars and keep problematic individuals out of the way during the troubled times. It also allowed for the various sectors and worlds to claim ownership over a fleet when it suited them, while saying the soldiers were just individuals when it did not.
  
  With the new system in place pirates were hunted down, tradelines after initial chaos and piracy became guarded routes and shattered sectors were able to keep their forces running for the next three hundred long years. In the case of Earth, the Free Privateers are technically part of the Military outside of the Military. Mars willingly plays a leading role in this and uses the Free Privateers to earn additional income for the Planet and the Dominion as a whole and is not the only planet in the 10 sectors that conducts such dealings. Martian Ground Armies with Lunar and Terran Naval Fleets are in high demand, even if they lost the war. In fact, it is because they lost that they are so hired as many actors will pay less than if they hired from the victorious factions.
  
  This leads to some tensions among the other major powers and leads to instability around conflicting star systems or those with the credits to hire an Army or to start a Civil War, but it is a technical game they all take part in. Of course, it's another matter if the "Free" forces will go along with their masters, the autonomy of some is quite something else in a few cases that border in line with pirates or cultists. In the last 60 years with rebuilding and growth finally happening it is not clear how long this technicality will hold.
  
  Ranking of Ground Forces of UED
  Private
  Senior Private
  Specialist
  Corporal
  
  Sergeant
  Staff Sergeant
  Master Sergeant
  Sergeant Major
  Warrant Officer
  
  Lieutenant J.G.
  First Lieutenant
  Captain
  Major
  Lieutenant Colonel
  Colonel
  
  Lieutenant General
  Major General
  General
  Marshal
  
  Field Marshal
  Marshal of the Armies