RIPSaidCone
tolmie
The Long Telegram
The year is 2286, welcome to the Orion Spur.
Welcome to the world of The Long Telegram! A science fiction setting where humanity, having been gradually forced off of their homeworld by a worldkilling extraterrestrial disease, has taken to the stars and established an interstellar society.
We are at the height of yet another Cold War and tensions could not be higher as the forces of capitalism and communism fight one another through a series of proxies in a bid to spread their influence throughout the Orion Spur. Although as always, these wars only affect the poorest nations of the Spur, and for one living in French or Eridanian space, it is little more than the latest news update on ODN. For much of humanity, the greatest concern is paying the bills on time, and where space was once seen as the final frontier, it has now become just another part of daily life.
There is trouble brewing in the most volatile regions of the Spur however, as tensions rise between the US and Russia, so too do the tensions between the states of the Sekyo Verge, a portion of interstellar space located strategically between the spheres of influence of several major powers, including Japan, India, Tartaria and the Federal States of Tau Ceti, which has recently established several anchorages throughout the Verge. Within the Sekyo Verge lie an even greater number of smaller bickering states, and there doesn't go a year past where there isn't at least a small conflict or two between the many nation states of the Verge. Though known only as a troubled region to most of the Spur, it may be the place where the future of humanity is made or broken.
And so why are you travelling to there of all places?
Well, your newest employer, the multinational conglomerate Kronstadt Teichman has hired you and a team of specialists to investigate the theft of their highly valuable piece of experimental technology, the specifics of which have remained hidden from you. All you know is that it is a piece of aerospace technology, you know that it is military technology, and you know that it is incredibly dangerous if left in the wrong hands..
The following roles will be required for this mission:
Pilot
Security Chief
Engineer/Tech Specialist
Private Detective/Intelligence Background
If we manage to fill those roles, we can also have a local expert, someone who is from the Senkyo Verge and knows it and its nations/cultures and people well, as well as an additional member of the security detail. I will be playing a representative sent from Kronstadt Teichman to oversee the mission, and as the job title implies, represent the company's interests.
Note: If you have an idea for a crew member with their own skills, feel free to PM me with any ideas you may have in-general! We don't even require these spaces to be filled for unique ideas!
Note Note: This is just some starting lore for the interest check, I plan to add more in the future once we have players and the RP progresses, and I'm already working on several pieces. Including maps!
Kronstadt Teichman wishes you all the best of luck.
The Orion Spur
The Orion Spur, also known as the Orion Arm or the Orion Region, is the colloquial name used for portion of interstellar space currently inhabited by humanity. A comparatively small area when put next to the rest of the Milky Way galaxy, it is nevertheless an incredibly vast distance, and the Orion Spur is home to thousands of star systems, millions of planets and countless millions of moons, asteroids and other stellar objects. Roughly three hundred and fifty star systems are currently developed and inhabited by humanity, with the latest United Nations estimate placing this number to increase to over five hundred within the next fifty to sixty years.
Humanity is not the only life in the Spur however, as it is also home to thousands of different species of alien fauna and flora found on other worlds, however few of these alien species match the evolutionary complexity of animal and plant species found on Earth, and humanity is currently the only known species still present in the Spur to be capable of interstellar travel. Since the evacuation of earth, the majority of earth's fauna and flora have been redistributed throughout humanity's new worlds, and as such it is common to see tigers stalking through the jungles of Vega, or brown bears feasting from rivers on Cascadia.
Humanity
Societally, the Orion Spur is populated by hundreds of nation states, all of which can trace their cultural and demographical origins back to earth, and many of which are actually nations which existed while on earth. The United States of America and the Soviet Union are the two primary examples of nations that have survived their time on earth, the two superpowers of the Orion Spur continuing to enact their ideological rivalry to this day, with proxy wars fought between the two not uncommon throughout the smaller nations across the Spur. As of 2286, the population of the Spur is estimated to be around 72 billion.
Geopolitically, the human population of the Orion Spur falls into three categories, West, East or Independent, with those in the West living in the territory of either the United States or its allies where living standards, civil liberties and economic freedom are high. Those in the East living in either the Soviet Union or its allies & satellite states where the opposite holds true, or those who are 'Independent' living in nations that either do not align themselves with the two superpowers, or are nations that did not exist on earth, and were formed during the interstellar age. Living standards, civil liberties and economic freedoms can wildly fluxuate depending on which independent nation one is living in. There are also tens of millions of people who live beyond the borders of nations, and live as 'True Independents' on far-off space stations or unincorporated asteroid or moon colonies.
Technology forms the backbone of human society as always, with Faster-Than-Light travel being utilised widespread on commercial, private and military vessels alike, and with FTL communications being similarly widespread throughout all of the Orion Spur, wherever civilization is in the Spur, there will also be the internet, which to this day continues to be one of mankind's favorite pastimes, and which still connects tens of billions of people across the void of space together. Terraforming is a field that entire corporations have found their fortunes in, and in many parts of the Spur, finding a planet that is in the midst of being terraformed is not an uncommon sight. Humanity's interstellar infrastructure across the Orion Spur has been heavily developed on over the past two centuries, and both interplanetary and intersystem travel is easily accessible, commonplace and relatively cheap, with the cost of faster than light travel now being within reach of your average citizen. Dozens of starlines now exist, with hundreds of thousands of massive luxurious passenger vessels and commuter ships connecting the worlds of humanity to one another.
This immensely connected interstellar society is not without its faults however, as opportunistic individuals have long since taken advantage of the situation, and the Orion Spur has its own fair share of pirate groups, terrorists and other criminal organizations that prey on the unsuspecting merchant vessels of the Spur. It is advised by most governments to stay within the mapped out travel routes that connect the Spur together, as these are the routes that are patrolled by the navies of each nation, and as such are the safest routes to travel. Although merchants and corporations are not entirely dependent on military protection, as in a counterweight to the rise of piracy and terrorism, private military corporations have seen a massive rise in popularity, to the extent where even the poorest trader can afford at least a few guards and attack craft to protect his merchandise from theft. The job of a mercenary is a well-paying one in the Spur, and their talents are never in short demand, particularly as the number of proxy engagements between the powers of the Spur increase, and governments that desire to distance themselves from their games of political intrigue are always in need of hired hands.
The majority of the Spur remains in a relative state of peace, for decades the status quo has been left for the most part undisturbed and particularly across the western powers and the richest of the independent states, all-out war is an all too distant concept. The brunt of diplomatic incidents between nations are handled through the United Nations, and those incidents that cannot be handled through diplomacy are typically confined to the smallest backwater colonial nations, which will often simply see a deployment of peacekeepers. Civilian industry booms over much of the Spur, and medical advances over the past two centuries have ensured a much longer average life expectancy even in the poorest parts of human space. In other realms of medical advances, genetic engineering has proved to be radically popular, and the overwhelming majority of birth defects have been completely wiped out, although they still may persist in regions of the Orion Spur where modern medical technology may not be as freely accessible as it is elsewhere.
Even with all of these advances, humanity's future is not as those in the past might have pictured it exactly to be, flying cars for instance are a rarity due to strict regulations imposed by most governments in the Spur and the teleporters and infinite abundance of replicators that the likes of Star Trek may have envisioned are still a distant dream. Though humanity has for the most part learned to better live with their environments, and for most of the worlds that humans inhabit, they are well taken care of and enviromentally-friendly technology is the norm as most of the remaining pollution-heavy industry is now conducted on barren moons, asteroids or in the blackness of space.
The Superpowers
Since and even before the exodus from Earth began, the majority of humanity has been influenced by two great superpowers. These nations have expanded across dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds and now possess nearly limitless economic and military power. All of the other states of the Orion Spur cannot hope to match the potential of either of the superpowers and the only threat to their continued hegemony is each other.
Since and even before the exodus from Earth began, the majority of humanity has been influenced by two great superpowers. These nations have expanded across dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds and now possess nearly limitless economic and military power. All of the other states of the Orion Spur cannot hope to match the potential of either of the superpowers and the only threat to their continued hegemony is each other.
The Regional Powers
While the superpowers dominate and exert their will throughout the politics of the entire Orion Spur, several other nations wield unrivalled power and influence within their own specific regions.
While the superpowers dominate and exert their will throughout the politics of the entire Orion Spur, several other nations wield unrivalled power and influence within their own specific regions.
The Middle Powers
While lacking the overall capabilities of the Regional Powers above them, numerous nations across the Orion Spur excel in specific areas and wield their own form of respect and influence, acting as purely economic, technological or military powers.
While lacking the overall capabilities of the Regional Powers above them, numerous nations across the Orion Spur excel in specific areas and wield their own form of respect and influence, acting as purely economic, technological or military powers.
The Low Powers
The baseline status for a nation in the Orion Spur, the majority of nations in the United Nations are considered low powers, they may be powerful or influential and respected in their own regards, but do not yield the economic or military might of the other classes of power.
The baseline status for a nation in the Orion Spur, the majority of nations in the United Nations are considered low powers, they may be powerful or influential and respected in their own regards, but do not yield the economic or military might of the other classes of power.
The Planetary Nations
The majority of human nations are little more than quiet backwaters, loose colonial authorities or corrupt and inefficient regimes. The exodus from Earth has scattered nearly half the human population into a collection of small and insignificant splinter states. Many act as puppet governments on behalf of the Superpowers or even Regional Powers, with proxy wars commonplace.
The majority of human nations are little more than quiet backwaters, loose colonial authorities or corrupt and inefficient regimes. The exodus from Earth has scattered nearly half the human population into a collection of small and insignificant splinter states. Many act as puppet governments on behalf of the Superpowers or even Regional Powers, with proxy wars commonplace.
General Stuff
There will be a Discord server for this plot's OOC.
Realistic faceclaims only (if you have a realistic drawing, we can discuss it ofc)
No short posts, two decently sized paragraphs are preferred as the minimum, if you need me to specify just ask.
Please don't show interest in the plot if you aren't able to contribute often enough to stop it from dying, these characters will be a team that will need to work together on this mission and we can't have characters with their own roles in it disappearing randomly.
You don't need to have a degree in english, but a good amount of literacy would be much appreciated.
Any questions that you have at all about the setting and your characters are completely welcome and encouraged! I'm more than happy to elaborate on anything you want me to! ^^
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