Many hundreds of years from now, Humanity proudly strides the stars with countless other species, expanding knowledge and pushing ever back the cloak of the cosmic unknown. Although hundreds of disparate nations exist among the stars, many belong to the colossal entity known as the Coalition. A star-spanning organization that unites these far-flung empires into a representative government that does it's best to serve the needs of it's many people. A great council of thousands of representatives oversees the governing of the galaxy, however, the Council is often paralyzed by it's own penchant for infighting, making the bureaucracy of the Coalition a tangled mess of conflicting agendas. Despite this, the Coalition has managed to create a semblance of peace of stability, allowing it's citizens to rest easy at night. When war came to the Milky Way by the blades of the hyper-violent warrior clans of the Nygax, the Coalition reacted, mobilizing it's monumental legions of soldiers and it's gargantuan navy to combat the threat. The Nygax Wars raged for two centuries, and saw hundreds of worlds rendered lifeless by endless warfare, but in the end the Coalition was triumphant, and the Nygax driven back into their own galaxy many light-years away. The Great Rebirth began as the devastated worlds were restored to their former glory over decades of hard work. Thinking the threat ended, the Coalition returned to the day to day affair of running a galaxy-spanning alliance. What the Council did not know, however, was that the Nygax were fleeing from a terrible foe that drove them from their own worlds centuries ago in terrible wars of attrition. After decades of peace, bizarre reports of living starships and worlds terraformed within months began to circulate about the Fringe Regions of the Milky Way. These reports were widely dismissed by Coalition officials as void-madness at best, and downright lies as worst. All this changed after Antiga. A prominent vacation resort and retreat, Antiga was a booming world of wealth and luxury. Then, Antiga no longer responded to any communications of any kind, becoming eerily silent. An investigation fleet sent to investigate never returned, seeming to have vanished into the void. A freighter passing by the Antiga System found himself being hailed by Antiga itself, a message that simply stated, "We bring Perfection to all, rejoice at our coming." The freighter sent the message out to a Coalition channel before vanishing without a trace. Fearing the worst, the Coalition assembled a strike force to bring Antiga back into the fold, making First Contact with the alien race who identified themselves as the Shapers. These strange beings claimed that they had come to 'Perfect' the Milky Way, their tone was full of pity for the creatures they addressed. The Shaper fleet, composed of thousands of massive space-faring organisms, attacked, disabling the Coalition fleet and boarding the vessels. These same Coalition vessels were later seen among the Shaper fleet with freakish growth covering their hulls, their weapons replaced with organisms that spat streams of acid towards their rivals. War was declared shortly afterwards. This is where your story begins, a member of a Coalition strike force sent to take the fight to the Shapers, their capabilities are unknown, their purpose uncertain, and their deadliness unquestioned.
CHARACTER CREATION
STEP 1) Select a race.
HUMAN
The human race first stepped out into the void for the first time hundreds of years ago in crude oil-powered rockets that established their first colonies in their native Sol System. Humans posses all of the standard humanoid traits, with four limbs, a torso, a head, and a neck. Humans are relatively new to the galaxy, and are sometimes considered a curiosity of sorts by other more advanced races.
MODIFIERS- Humans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their race.
RAYLID
Raylids are human sized arthropods with segmented body parts like most insects. They have a proper head and neck that houses their sensory organs, they have no arms, and operate their equipment by thousands of hair-like cilia placed all over their bodies. They range from 5-8 feet tall, and can grow larger in rare circumstances. They “see” the world by tasting it with a long proboscis, they can determine colors by this organ, they also are eyeless. They have spider like fangs, and kill their prey by injecting them with a lethal dose of a powerful toxin that turns their preys’ insides into a soup, which the Raylids drink through their fangs. They thrive in hot, dry environments, just like the deserts of their homeworld of Deneb. Raylids are pacifists who try to live in peace with the galaxy and other races, but if stirred to anger, a Raylid colony will fight to the death, choking entire planets with their dead. A Raylid colony will never back down from a fight, continuing battle until either they or their foes are utterly destroyed.
MODIFIERS- Raylids receive the following modifications to their statistics:
+2 Natural Science Skill, +1 Survival Skill, +3 Intimidate Skill (this bonus only applies against humanoids and those not accustomed to a Raylid's horrid appearance) -3 Speech (against non-Raylids)
E'NATHI
The E'nathi are large humanoid saurians, standing roughly eight feet tall on average. E'nathi are built like tanks, massive trunks and torsos are able to withstand nearly any kind of physical punishment. All E'nathi have three massive hearts that pump huge quantities of blood thought their bodies. Possessing ten separate adrenal glands (humans only have two) allows them to ignore the effects of fatigue, pain, and fear for weeks on end. E'nathi have wedge shaped heads filled with interlocking teeth. When an E'nathi bites a target, their jaws lock into place, placing over eight-thousand pounds of pressure upon the unfortunate. Then, with their powerful neck muscles, easily rip away whatever is in their mouths. Like humans, E'nathi possess four fingers and a thumb on each hand. Scale coloration varies from deepest black to bright oranges and reds. The savage joy of battle is the only true love of an E'nathi, who are each part of one of the five Warrior Castes that each train extensively in one of the Five Sacred Weapons of J'hani, the E'nathi god of war. The Warrior Castes are listed in the Careers section. All E'nathi shun using weapons or tools they did not make themselves, and disdain the use of equipment assigned to them. Many commanders find it easier to allow the massive saurians to bring along their own gear rather than risk losing them if their pride is offended. The worst insult an E'nathi can receive is to be called a coward. Those that dare utter the word in their direction risk being torn into gory chunks by the berserk warrior.
MODIFIERS- +2 all Combat Skills, -4 Speech, E'nathi take a -3 penalty to their applicable skill when using gear not made by their own hands
ARCTURAN
The near-human Arcturans hail from the frozen world of Arcturus, where they have built vast underground cities built to resist the cold. Arcturans stand on average around six feet, with males being slightly taller than females. Their skin is pale as the snow that covers the surface of their homeworld, and burns easily with exposure to excess UV light. Arcturans have pure white eyes, a disturbing trait that ensures one can never truly know where an Arcturan is looking. The Arcturan Hierarchy is not a part of the Coalition, but rather a autonomous state allied with them for the duration of the war. The Arcturans are ruled by a Patriarch or Matriarch elected by popular vote. The leader remains on the throne until death, ruling as long as they are able. When the Arcturans go to war, they do so in style. Dressed in masterfully crafted suits of silver body armor and wearing Corinthian helms topped with great white plumes, the Arcturan army is more akin to a parade group than an actual army in appearance, yet they are just as deadly.
MODIFIERS- +1 Energy Weapons Skill, +1 Survival Skill, +3 Speech Skill, -3 Bludgeons Skill
NYGAX
The Nygax are a race of hyper-violent warriors from another galaxy intent on galactic conquest. It was not always this way, however. Once, the Nygax lived in relative peace with their neighbors, making living as space faring travelers. Then came the Shapers, whose incursion forced them to flee or face 'Perfection' at the hands of the freakish race. Piling aboard massive Worldships, the Nygax took to the stars, hoping to avoid their aggressors. Obsessed with their own survival, the once peaceful nomads became savage killers, tapping into latent veins of rage and violence within their psyches. The Nygax were determined to establish a new home for themselves, and thus came into conflict with the Coalition as they forcibly attempted to colonize the Milky Way. A Nygax stands shorter than a human at around four feet in height and covered in bony plates. Their spindly limbs bely the tremendous strength that a Nygax is capable of, each of their arms ending in a three fingered hand. A Nygax's face is insect-like, with mandibles akin to those of a crab resting at the front of the face, with a pair of blue orbs glaring out from above. When threatened, a bony sheath covers their faces like a helmet, leaving only their eyes visible.
MODIFIERS- +2 Blades Skill, +2 Bludgeons Skill, +3 Intimidate Skill, -2 Speech Skill, -3 Tech Skill
MACABREIAN
The Macabreians are a race of eerie black humanoids with elongated, almost conical skulls with a thin slash of a mouth filled with needle-like teeth. Standing at a towering seven feet, the Macabreians have long spindly limbs that seem nearly boneless in their flexibility. Macabreians have a gallows sense of humor, and often make dark jokes at the most inappropriate times. Suffering from a rather well-earned stereotype as bounty hunters and pirates, Macabreians are greeted with mistrust and suspicion. Their homeworld of Nox is in orbit to a nearly dark blue star, shrouding the world in almost utter darkness. The frozen surface is riddled with sinkholes, where the Macabreians dwell in vast underground cities. The Macabreians are well known for their use of the dreaded Fear Engine, a great machine that overloads the fear centers of the brain, causing death or complete mental breakdown in seconds.
MODIFIERS- +3 Stealth Skill, +4 Intimidate Skill, -7 Speech Skill (only against non-Macabreians)
HULHUXI
The Hulhuxi are a race of tall humanoids hailing from the storm-wracked world of Vesper, where dark purple clouds obscure the surface, and raging lightning storms make landing on the planet almost impossible. The Hulhuxi wander the violet surface of their home in great caravans, living as nomads among the wilds. When the Kommar Corporation discovered the great reserves of ore beneath the surface, they immediately set up shop, building massive floating factories above the lethal surface which teemed with hostile predators. Heavily armed mining teams crawled across the surface in great treaded vehicles, harvesting the material beneath. The Hulhuxi approached with open arms, welcoming the visitors with open arms, presenting the new comers with gifts of beads and religious icons. Since that fateful day, the Hulhuxi have entered the Coalition, spreading their beliefs across the stars in vast missionary ships. A Hulhuxi stands six feet tall on average, their maroon skin completely covered in great ritual robes and reflective masks that cover their faces. If one were to look upon an unrobed Hulhuxi, they would see what is essentially a purple-hued human with bright blue eyes and spindly limbs. Hulhuxi possess two fingers and a thumb on each hand, as well as the same amount of toes on their feet. All Hulhuxi are deeply religious, and worship a deity known as Valla, and seek to spread it's divine truth throughout the galaxy. Hulhuxi never refer to themselves in the first person, always speaking in the third person, calling themselves 'this one' in conversation. Ex: "This one is pleased". Hulhuxi are always welcome in whatever port they find themselves in for their good humors and tolerance of others.
MODIFIERS- +5 Speech, +2 Survival, -3 Intimidate
CHELICERA
The spider-like Chelicera come from the world of the same name, living in great silk cities they spin themselves. Chelicera appear for the most part like humanoid spiders, with multiple eyes and mouthparts to complete the image. Like spiders, they kill their prey by injecting a liquifying toxin into the bloodstream of their food, sucking out the slurry through their fangs, a method that only increases the suspicion and prejudice the Chelicera suffer. Their bodies are covered in fine black fur, which acts as one large sensory organ, detecting changes in air pressure and heat. Chelicera have four spindly limbs spreading from their trunk, each tipped with two fingers and a thumb. In addition, four legs splay from their abdomen, completing the image of a giant upright spider. Chelicera don't mix well with other races, who find them "just too damn creepy".
MODIFIERS- +3 Stealth, -6 Speech (vs humanoids), +2 Intimidate
CEPHRAN
Hailing from the water world of Cassiopeia, the octopus-like Cephran are drifters and scavengers, not content to stay in one place for any long period of time. Outside of their watery environment, the Cephran inflate three internal bladders full of a buoyant gas, allowing them to float a meter off the ground, propelling themselves by 'swimming' through the air with their eight tentacles. Because of their unique shape, the Coalition finds equipping Cephran agents and soldiers a nightmare, having to produce special weapons and armor useable for their malleable shape and grasping tentacles. Most Cephran keep a reserve of moisturizing gel on them at all times, to prevent their skin from drying out, an ailment that can result in a horrific death for the Cephran as they suffocate as their pores seal. Most Cephran are nomads, traveling the stars among other species, seeking their fortunes as traders or pirates.
MODIFIERS- +7 Stealth (due to malleable body), -3 Long Arms
HROVAN
The business-minded serpentine Hrovan are renowned traders and merchants, welcome in every port, able to supply just about anyone with just about anything. The Hrovan possess humanoid torsos with two arms ending in four fingered hands. Below their waists, their bodies taper into a long tail that the Hrovans use to communicate with one another in a complex sign language. Native to the toxic world of Ursa, the Hrovan must wear body concealing environment suits in atmospheres containing oxygen, which is a deadly nerve toxin to the Hrovan. There is little the Hrovan love more than bargaining, and the pleasure centers of their brains light up when they spy a potential customer. The Hrovan are well-received just about everywhere, and their trade fleets ply every known trade route in the galaxy.
MODIFIERS- +9 Speech, -4 Bludgeons
BANDORES
The Bandores of Murkuss five are a shrimp-like race that stands at three feet tall and their homeworlds contains 80 present knee deep marshes, the rest is a single inland sea.
The bandores have a speaking problem. Namely. They cant. They have no voice boxes. Most Bandores remedy this by constructing an artificial voice box and speaking by talking in their own language into it ( a language of whistles and keening hoots) it reads the language and translates it in a tinny, almost comical voice (battle droids from RotS)
The Bandores are a society that used clubs and blackpowder to wage war on each other, owing to the fact that the planet contains none of the cordite necessary to produce smokeless ammunition that had been in use on earth since 1880. Therefore a bandore is mistrustful of smokeless weapons, and believes them inferior to black powder, and are distrustful of all tech aside from their voiceovers. They live in groups of only 5 individuals or less and tend to shy away from family members giving then nothing to lose when the clans unite in war against another clan. They live off the land and as the entire surface in covered in water and mangrove trees they have an unsurpassed wilderness survival ability and incredible stealth
BANDORE MODIFIERS.
+6 survival skill -1 intimidate skill (as they are very short, at three feet tall) -2 close quarters combat skill, -1 speech +2 black powder weapons skill. -4 tech skill +2 bludgeons skill +2 stealth. Hardened carapace (the carapace can deflect solid slug bullets for a short time) sensitive organs (the long pointy antennae underneath the eyes take the noses and ears places, microdiet (they can only eat microorganisms such as krill in addition to any water plants) tailfin (the carapace tapers, than widens in a bony fin at the back. And allows for easy movement through the water. Air storage (the Bandores can trap enough air under their carapaces to last them a week underwater as they need little air in the fist place)
QUARRA
The frog-like quarra are hardy race native to the marsh-world of Nosur and have adapted to its misty plains and deep lakes. They are on average some five and a half feet tall, with round eyes bulging out of their triangular heads they look exactly what the terran frog would look like if it was bipedal, the Quarra are renowned for their love of both nature and technology. While the Quarra are a deadly race in combat they believe that their gods, Gorlar, Vulkaric and Tymanther, give forgiveness to any living being. They are the creators of wondrous technology and were the second race to make contact with humans, after the Veranids. They were the first documented galactic power, but have a tragic past that they share with no one but their closest friends.
The Quarra warriors have a saying, "Today is a good day for someone else to die!" but as humorous as these sounds, Quarra culture dictates that they cannot stop fighting until someone DOES die.
In the Quarra’s military aspect they forge their weapons, such as electrospears, swamp-swords and the vaunted laser-rifle in secrecy, giving no one the inner design plans. The Quarra are organized into castes, the warriors the smiths and the farmers,
The Quarra have one god for each religion, the caring and forgiving Gorlar watches over the farmers with a benevolent air.
The hulking and powerful Tymanther stands over the warriors, his mind the sharpest, and his strength the best.
Vulkaric-in-chains, the ever working. is the patron of smiths.
Quarra tech is the second most advanced in the galaxy, utilizing laser technology, and charged slugs.
The electrospear is a tall five-foot spear with a generator located down the haft of swap-wood. It fires a charge of electricity into the target. when the microfibers on the serrations detect biological tissue they send a powerful electric jolt into the body.
The Laser-rifle is a fabulous piece of tech. roughly the size of a carbine, it fires bolts of intensely heated particles of a substance found only in the gaseous emissions from nebulae
Unlike the human made THEL (Tactical High Energy Laser) which fires a sustained beam of light, the laser-rifle fires a short blast of light and uses the momentum to dissipate the particles located within. And make them incredibly unstable. Getting hit with a laser round is the equivalent of pressing a lit blowtorch into your skin for half an hour.
Their charged weapons form the bulk of their armory, simply being slug-throwers that fire the round through an energy field located in the weapon and using it to create a small explosion upon hitting due to the immediate cold fusion reaction.
(NOTE: Laser-rifles cannot be used by any race other than the Quarra because they never want the designs reverse-engineered)
The swamp blade is a glorified machete, armed with the deadly whirling monofilament wire that runs down the cutting edge of the blade. It uses a chainsaw-like engine to power the monofilament wire, sending it constantly whirling down the bladed edge.
EXOLIAN
The liquid Exolians are a bizarre race of nanite colonies that form into a silverly fluid akin to mercury in appearance and form. To provide locomotion for their forms, the Exolians were granted by their Yahan creators with humanoid robotic shells which provide them with movement and a way to protect themselves from foreign pathogens. Each individual nanite is intelligent to a degree, and converse among themselves over the span of milliseconds to make decisions. Strangely, the nanites are extremely vulnerable to diseases that most other races would not even notice. A breach in their containment tank almost always results in death as the pathogens present in the air ravage their liquid forms. Conversely, the nanites themselves are utterly lethal to living tissue, disassembling molecules with terrible efficiency before dying from the tainted air. Exolians are beings of logic, nothing else, and in fact treat emotions as mental disorders.
MODIFIERS: +4 All science skills, -8 Speech
Vernid: (by ineptus astartes)
The Vernid are an insectoid (insectomammal, with the internal workings and organs of mammals, including the reproductive organs) species with two arms and two legs, the have short antennae and green overlapping chitin plates constitute their exoskeleton. They have big, bulging black eyes that can change wavelengths to human-like eyesight. And are the most advanced race in the galaxy in terms of tech, and are some of the best technicians in existence.
The Vernid are not overly tall reaching only six feet at the highest, but all of them are gangly and wiry.
The grasshopper-like species uses their antennae for silent communication and moves them in patterns to communicate.
Unlike the Bandores of Murkuss Five, the Vernid find English almost the exact same to their verbal language. And took very little time to master it fully.
Tech:
The Vernid use plasma/electromagnetic weapons and fusion cutters to perform tasks from repelling a pirate raid, to fixing a broken down droid (what should we call service robots? Which I assume we have in the future) the Vernid possess a natural affinity with technology.
The desert planet of Syrule, which the Vernids call their home was the first to be discovered in 2012 and expeditions sent there by 2014 the satellite attracted the attention of the space-faring Vernids who where also searching for alien life but using jump-drives already when they arrived at earth they were overjoyed to see it populated but could not communicate with the ‘earthers’ after several meetings with earths officials and using pictograms, they managed to begin to understand the language and within a month had mastered it fully. By this point they negotiated with the earthers for trading, the earthers would trade their strange ‘urainium’ which proved to work perfectly in jump-drives and other tech. for the secrets of faster than light travel. With this, the coalition was born.
Now. Hundreds of years later, the Vernid and humans are still the most stable allies within the coalition senate and will almost always back the terrans (the planetary name was changed in 2018) on any matter.
Vernids are immune to the Space weird virus, due to their brutally efficient bodily defenses and can also consume most poisons with no adverse effect due to the same, as well as the nanobots they tend to inject into their bloodstream theyhave the most advanced physiology in the galaxy due to living in the 'time of thee precursors' {aside from the deadly terran nightshade that has proved to be highly toxic to all races} and can survive in vacuum for a short time and retain conciousness due to their pre pressurized innards [due to the fact that their homeworld has phenomana knowen as 'void storms, spacesick or brightsick. where the atmoshephere dissipates due to the harsh gravitational pull of the planet's moon and leaves small areas open to the void.]they can survive in a coma for sevral days without air, but after that, they die due to air deprevation)
the vernids also have several theories and secrets about the precursors that explain why sentient life, and any life at all in fact began to exist AFTER the precursors vanished has led them to be estranged by precursor worshiping races as the vernids claimed that the precusors and their gods were 'soulless monsters, preying on the living' why the vernid do not seem to list the precursors as living nobody knows, the only thing that they say is "like humans...but dead..."
Common phrases in the galaxy involving vernid:
"Nothin fixes like a vernid."
"the vernids are the best techs in the galaxy.
Id like to see those extragalactics try shape THEIR ships"
"Damn! I can't fix this. Hire a vernid."
STEP 2) Select a career
SOLDIER
Soldiers are the run of the mill combatants, fighting in wars across a million fronts with a variety of weapons. Soldiers can, and often are, of any race, fighting against that particular race or government's foes with blade or rifle.
VITAL SKILLS: Blades, Bludgeons, Energy Weapons, Intimidate, Brawling, Survival, Tech Use, Medical, Solid Projectile Weapons, Powered Armor, Drive, Pilot, Speech
STARTING GEAR: Plasma Rifle OR Assault Rifle, Flack Vest, Plasma Pistol OR Autopistol, Helmet, Medikit, Combat Knife OR Trench Club
DEMOMAN
When something or someone needs to be removed in an especially bombastic and destructive way, a demoman is called in. Masters of demolitions and explosives, demomen are often unsubtle and blunt, preferring to violently rearrange the molecules of their problems.
VITAL SKILLS: Blades, Bludgeons, Energy Weapons, Intimidate, Brawling, Survival, Tech Use, Medical, Solid Projectile Weapons, Powered Armor, Drive, Pilot, Speech
STARTING GEAR: Shock Cannon, Demo-Pack, Flack Vest, Plasma Pistol OR Autopistol, Combat Knife OR Trench Club
SCIENTIST
Scientists are the thinkers and designers of the galaxy, discovering something new about the universe each and every day. Scientists are experts in their chosen field, able to deal with most any problem that crops up within their area of expertise. Scientists often serve as medics, creating antidotes and salves from the materials at hand.
VITAL SKILLS: Natural Sciences, Tech, Investigate, Scavenge, Engineering, Biochemistry, Medical, Pilot, Drive
STARTING GEAR: Medikit, Datapad, Small Robotic Research Drone, Sample Collector Canister,
Pistol
INFILTRATOR
Infiltrators can easily gain access to enemy strongholds, shutting off force fields or defenses to allow their comrades to gain entrance within. Infiltrators are called in when a wall needs to be breached, when a tower needs to be destroyed, or when an enemy officer needs killing.
VITAL SKILLS: Long Arms, Blades, Speech, Intimidate, Pilot, Drive, Brawling, Energy Weapons, Solid Projectile Weapons, Stealth
STARTING GEAR: Sniper Rifle OR Target Beam, Combat Knife, Cloaking Suit, Pistol
DIPLOMAT
Diplomats are sent where relations between governments or organizations threaten to break down, seeking to smooth over tensions to prevent further bloodshed. Diplomats must be fast talkers, able to reason with the most unruly of species.
VITAL SKILLS: Survival, Speech, Pilot, Drive, Natural Sciences
STARTING GEAR: Diplomatic Writ, Robes, Recorder Drone, Translator Collar, Combat Knife, Plasma Pistol
MAIMER
Maimers prefer an up-close fight to any other form of combat. Maimers are bruisers, greatly enjoying the feeling of bones deforming under their weapons or fists. Not much can hope to face a Maimer in melee combat, and many surrender at the prospect of fighting Maimers in close-quarters.
VITAL SKILLS: Brawling, Blades, Bludgeons, Intimidate, Survival, Powered Armor
STARTING GEAR: Machete OR Large Steel Club, Pistol, Flak Vest
MEDIC
Medics patch up the wounded with the latest in battlefield medical tech. Medics are prized by any strike team, and keep the group hale and hardy despite their wounds. However, the medic is always the first to be targeted by opportunistic snipers, and in some places, medics suffer an even higher mortality rate than front line fighters.
VITAL SKILLS: Natural Sciences, Tech, Investigate, Scavenge, Engineering, Biochemistry, Medical, Pilot, Drive
STARTING GEAR: Medikit, Datapad, laser scalpel, injector-rig, TFF (temporary force field), pistol
E'NATHI WARRIOR CASTES (Note: Only E'nathi characters can become a member of the below careers)
N'KAG-SHAT'N'HA
Masters of the G'y-
ht'
sh'ha, the dreaded "snap-sabers". Typically wielded in pairs, the G'y-
ht'
sh'ha is a long blade that curves away from the wielder, connecting to a pommel. The blades rapidly whip back and forth from their resting position, causing a distinctive 'whoosh' when drawn. A single touch from a G'y-
ht'
sh'ha can easily saw through a limb, and a pair of them wielded by a trained N'kag-shat'n'ha spells almost certain death. The N'kag-shat'n'ha are primarily used as terror weapons, appearing when the enemy least expects it, and bursting into action with G'y-
ht'
sh'ha whipping back and forth at lethal speeds, mutilating opposing officers with unholy speed before melting back into cover. Many foes have learned to fear the characteristic 'whoosh' of drawn G'y-
ht'
sh'ha.
VITAL SKILLS: Blades, Stealth, Survival, Intimidate, Brawling
STARTING GEAR: Pair of G'y-
ht'
sh'ha, Flak Vest
K'HAT-G'E-N'HA
Masters of the N'rit'gul-han, the exotic double-scythe. The
N'rit'gul-han is a long pole, around 6 feet in length. Each end of the pole is adorned with a lethal curved blade, each pointed opposite to the other. K'hat-g'e-n'ha spin these about, using their entire bodies in fluid motions that bring the N'rit'gul-han flashing about, sending dismembered limbs flailing off in all directions.
VITAL SKILLS: Blades, Survival, Intimidate, Brawling
STARTING GEAR: N'rit'gul-han, Flack Vest
H'SHE'T-N'HA
Masters of the F'cha'et-ga, the E'nathi long-rifle. The F'cha'et-ga is a long barreled rifle, often adorned with small trophies such as teeth. The rifle fires powerful
Ch't-al rounds that explode inside the target with tiny needles. The needles tear apart blood vessels and nerves, causing near instant death as the target is often paralyzed, and soon dies from internal bleeding. The
Ch't-al rounds are tiny, and as such leave only miniscule wounds. The F'cha'et-ga also uses magnetic acceleration to fire, making no sound besides a faint whistling, and creating no muzzle-flash, making them the ultimate stealth weapon. Entire squads of hostels can be eliminated silently and efficiently by a single H'she't-n'ha.
VITAL SKILLS: Solid Projectile Weapons, Brawling, Long Arms, Survival, Intimidate, Stealth
STARTING GEAR: F'cha'et-ga, Flack Vest
G'J'HANI-N'
TH'L'N'HA
Unique among the Warrior Castes are the G'j'hani-n'
th'l'n'ha, the berserkers. Their name literally translates int "the gift of J'hani", and the
G'j'hani-n'
th'l'n'ha are the living embodiments of rage. Wielding twin H'k'k-ga'rul, the G'j'hani-n'
th'l'n'ha charge into battle, wading into the front lines with murder in their eyes. The H'k'k-ga'rul are massive cleaver-like blades with wicked spikes that curve towards the wielder. Ritually working themselves into a frenzy by chanting and scarring their hides, the G'j'hani-n'
th'l'n'ha rouse their blood-greed, and are now impossible to control by even the most competent E'nathi warlord. The
G'j'hani-n'
th'l'n'ha must be deployed at once, lest their 'gift' drive them to turn on their kin. To awaken the berserk state in a G'j'hani-n'
th'l'n'ha, a group of J'hani'm'ta-n'ha chant words that have been deeply engrained into the rager's psyche since their induction to the Caste. The words cause an intense emotional reaction; the E'nathi's body pumps itself full of adrenaline and anger hormones, blocking out all pain and fear. Many armies simply break and flee at the sight of a horde of G'j'hani-n'
th'l'n'ha charging there positions.
VITAL SKILLS: Brawling, Blades, Intimidate, Survival
STARTING GEAR: Pair of H'k'k-ga'rul, Flak Armor
T'S'K-A'-LAT'N'HA
Masters of the R'ham-jad'g'
th, a kind of high-powered crossbow. Firing quarrels enveloped in energy, the R'ham-jad'g'
th is the main ranged weapon of the E'nathi. The R'ham-jad'g'
th is around the length of a human arm, a cylindrical barrel is adorned with the arms of an archaic crossbow, with a length of thick metal cord that automatically cocks and loads itself.
VITAL SKILLS: Energy Weapons, Brawling, Long Arms, Survival, Intimidate, Stealth
STARTING GEAR: R'ham-jad'g'
th, Flak Vest
STEP 3) Select Skills
You start play with 10 points to distribute among your skills, when you gain a level, you also gain 5 additional points to spend on skills. The skills are:
COMBAT SKILLS
ENERGY WEAPONS: How proficient you are in the use of energy weapons such as plasma rifles and disintegrators.
SOLID PROJECTILE WEAPONS: How proficient you are in the use of weapons that propel their ammunition from their barrels by explosive force, magnetic acceleration, or any other method. Examples include assault rifles and autopistols.
BRAWLING: How effective your unarmed attacks are.
LONG ARMS: How proficient you are in the use of sniper rifles and the like.
BLADES: How proficient you are with edged weapons such as monoswords or arcdrills.
BLUDGEONS: How proficient you are in the use of blunt weapons and tools such hammers and clubs.
DEMOLITIONS: Your ability to use explosive weapons and tools, such as shock cannons and demo-charges.
SCIENCE SKILLS
NATURAL SCIENCES: The study of ecology and it's various aspects.
BIOCHEMISTRY: The study of how the various fluids of the body react with one another and other substances.
TECH: Your ability to operate computers and other similar devices.
ENGINEERING: Your ability to operate and repair machinery of all kind.
A word on technology:
TECH AND SHIPS
Vessel classifications:
freighter: a freighter is a small cargo vessel suited to go for six months without need of refuling or much crew.
Examples:
Hrovan Arms corp. ‘wanderlust’ class C700 light freighter
:armament: two twin linked plasma-cannon turrets, one missile pod holding 4 shrike warbird missiles and one remotely controlled coilgun.
Decks: 2
Deck one contains the bridge, sleeping quarters, sanitation rooms, and rear hold and docking bay/airlock.
Deck two contains the medicenter, biolab, lower hold, fore hold, ammunition stores, engine room, jump-space drive, cargo lift, escape pods, fore dock, torpedo tubes and quarantine area.
Jump-space speed: 4: slow: one light year per minute
Kommar .Corp: 444 Warden transport
Class: light freighter
Cargo carry: 10 tons
Passenger berthing: 4
Min crew: 1
Max crew: 5
Layout: cockpit located at the front provides tri-seating (pilot/copilot stations, gunner)
Behind it is the port/starboard loading bays (6/6 meters each) the two engines (housed in cylindrical thirty–foot long tubes and powered by the cheap black matter reactors. Providing three months of fuel) and the lift tube. Which descends into the secondary deck.
Secondary deck: contains the hold, kitchen, bathroom and the crew housing. the crew are housed in a cramped room of five cots with not much space for expendables unless they remove several cots. The kitchen is a small room with a cryofreezing closet to store food in and a small microwave to heat it.
The bathroom consists of a toilet, shower and sink. And is located at the very back of the ship. The cargo hold is built to carry small loads of cargo between starports.
External features: the external features are: two high energy lasers and one coilgun remote controlled, along with a single relay wire.
PTBV
Design: Thaynne & Kamisk (vernid company)
Engine class: 7/20
Jump drive class: 2/20
Three mass-driver engines power both the considerable sublight speeds and the modest FTL drives. The ship is crewed by at least 15 men (1 pilot, 1 copilot, 4 techs, 3 gunners, 2 engineers, 4 fighter pilots)
Decks: 3
Main deck, contains crew quarters, guns, lift bay,
Second deck contains the cargo and mass-driver engines.
Third deck contains the shielded bay, the 4 grimhound fighters, and the two THELs that guard the interior.
Armament: two laser cannon turrets mounted on the underside of each ‘wing’ and a single tri-barreled rotary laser on the ‘back’
Weaponry-
Most solid projectile weapons use magnetic acceleration to fire their ammunition, although gunpowder-explosion fired weapons are still popular.
Plasma weapons are low grade starfire weapons that fire bursts of insanely hot gas that cleanly punches through unarmored targets.
Stummers emit low-frequency blurts of "unsound" that kills living tissue as it is shaken apart by the thrum.
Mass Drivers are colossal weapons mounted on capitol or larger class ships fire a football-field length metal spike at impossible speeds, easily ripping through armor and shielding with contemptuous ease.
Vibroblades are swords and similar edged weapons that vibrate at great speeds, able to cut through solid matter much easier.
Anti-material rifle: the vernid use an upgraded version of the terran 21st century anti-material rifle to destroy mechanized units with 1.00 explosive bolts
Veranid blaster, or, blastgun: the veranid blaster uses internal Sonics to manipulate the energy cell used to for the weapons magazine by vibrating and the gas molecules. After about a trillisecond it becomes unstable, and vents out of the power cell and through a plasma reactor, where it laser launches out at the speed of sound. When it fires It has a low-at-long-range-high-at-short-range, stopping power that deteriorates along with the shot, as the gas and superheated plasma begins to vaporize itself. When it hits, it immediately ignites all biological matter. The impact areas are rendered down into bones and burning organs as the target dies a quick but horrifying death. The effect of the weapon is. When the blastbolt hits, to ignite the flesh and clothing of organics. Another way to describe this would be use a flamethrower on a very confined area of impact about the size of a human fist usually the weapons plasma dissipates within a few minutes. Leaving a blackened and cauterized hole. But sometimes burns away the entire body
Other weapons include the automatic railgun and the sonic blastgun which fires a single spearlike projectile at hypersonic speeds and blasts apart anything within ten meters of the sonic boom created by it’s passing.
While the railgun simply uses cordite to propel the projectile out of the magzine then electromagnetics to fling it out of the barrel at great speeds.
Sender of nine. pistol: fires a battery-sized explosive bolt filled with caustic alkalies that explode inside the target or leak out and begin eating away at all matter including armor (the bolt explodes on contacts with armor and sends the acid splashing through the hole)
(notes: Blastguns have a diminished effect on E'nathi scales and spikes and work extra well on species such as the raylids.)
Space Travel-
Most ships employ a jump drive, a device that opens a temporary wrinkle in space, allowing for faster travel. Hyperspace gates allow a vessel near instantaneous transport between their intended locations, but they are few and far between, rare discoveries of an ancient race. Strange fluctuations in the fabric of time-space can be detected when a Hyperspace Gate is brought online, as if utilizing physically impossible science.
All vessels are equipped with ion drives that can travel shorter distances, such as between star systems.
Cybernetics-
Cybernetics are readily available to those that require them, and a thriving black market exists for these mechanical parts. Complete cybernetic transition is beyond modern science, but a cult of cyborgs called the Imperfects seek out a way to become fully one with the machine.
Cloning-
Cloning technology is expensive and difficult, each clone taking a great amount of time to grow.
Yahan Artifacts- The Precursor race known as the Yahan utilized technology so advanced, we would think of it as magic. Many of their ruins contain bits of their ancient legacy, and our scientists work hard to understand them. Below is a current list of Yahan technological marvels.
Pylons- These monolithic crystals affixed to circular bases with four 'feet' have been found on virtually all Yahan dig sites. Their purpose is unknown, but it is suspected that they once gathered energy from nearby stars, acting as colossal power plants that would transmit their collected energy to a satellite high above that would distribute it to other pylons, which would create a massive web of power that kept the Yahan machinery functioning. Strange fluctuations that have flared up in every dig site suggest that the pylons are powering up once more, what this ultimately means is unknown.
The Tully Device- On the otherwise worthless, uninteresting, and lifeless dust world of Sirius, there stands a strange megastructure. Directly on the center of all four hemispheres sits a perfectly symmetrical dodecahedron composed of a shifting silvery metal, so fluid in it's motion to almost be considered a liquid. The Device hums almost imperceptibly, and those beings that sleep in front of the great polyhedron experience strange dreams that they cannot remember. Brain scans reveal that the brain stem itself is affected in an unknown way, these individuals are often shipped off to the Maw Station for questioning.
The Capital Gate- This marvel of Yahan technology allows vessels to travel from one side of the galaxy to the other in an instant, their molecules streamed into a sub-atomic state, rematerializing at their end location.
GALACTIC NOTABLES:
Perseas Arm: The Galactic arm is a very odd thing. For as long as any records date, an unusual shield has blocked all access to the arm. Some suspect a super magnetic event has left a long lasting barrier around it, but many scientists have confirmed it is a stable energy shield. Where it comes from or how it exist, nobody knows. However, rumors of evil ships roaming just beyond sight are common. Just are common are confirmations of these sightings as asteroids. This author is more concerned with the Raylid plight at the moment.
Great Ethear: This comet is truly a wonder. It passes through the center of the galaxy every two and a half years, faster than any ship in sub-light speed. The comet is the most massive in any historical records, being larger than some moons. Currently, there is no evidence that it will collide with any galactic object, but it does little to cure the worries of some.
North Star Colonization Systems: Leave it to the blue-bloods to grab for power. North Star decided it needed more customers for the future, and as a result, pulled as many terraformers and ships it could into the relatively lifeless northern sectors. To The Coalition's surprise, most of the planets were not far from habitability. Currently, only one planet has been fully completed, which has been christened Icarus I.
Erica Cluster: An impressive sight, the Erica Cluster is a super dense nebula surrounded by nearly a light-year of asteroids. Were it easily accessible, there would be no more need for mining worlds.
THE PARLIAMENT OF ASSASSINS
Deep in Hrovan space is a great station, the Parliament of assasins. The station is not the largest in the galaxy but is incredibly well defended and surprisingly populace. The parliament hangs in orbit of the Quasar Yuundeya (matriarch of justice) and is a popular destination for all coalition races. It is shaped like a great 'gavel circlet' commonly worn on the tail of Hroavan judges or arbitrators.
Unusually for the home of so many hitmen and killers it's location is no secret. In fact it is openly advertised in most colonies that practise the death penalty, or indeed any that have some sort of criminal sub culture (Also most Hrovan merchants stipulate that they will not trade with a world that doesn't condone the parliament). Any man/woman/child may approach the parliament with a contract on anothers life.
A contract must be brought before the Stelk Shepnah (Sharpened council) were it will be discussed and balanced against the cost of a life. The deliberation can take anything between twelve seconds and 14 months (in that particular case the Enathi who proposed the contract came to the agreement that the accused's tongue and pheromone gland would suffice). If the sharpened council rule in favour of the assasination the contractor must wait for a champion to approach. It is not uncommon for numerous champions to approach though never does more than one reach the client (alive!) to seal the 'blood covenant' (Usually with a kiss or analogous gesture or affection). If the Council rule against, the contractor is branded as a 'Life mocker' or he who does not respect the sanctity of life.
When not on contract the assasins who operate from within the parliament zealously hunt down unsanctioned assasins who are worthy, in their eyes, only of death.
Fanatical splinter groups of the Hulhuxi are open in their hatred of the place and have sent countless suicide bombers with the aim of detonating it's power core, killing all within, and riding the galaxy of 99% of it's assasins.
God's Eye Station: If you have the money, then this author strongly suggests you acquire tickets to the God's Eye Station. This resort, created by a rival of North Star, Aerius Enterprises, lets citizens experience the most comfortable time of their lives, along with a full eye view of the entire galaxy and beyond. This author was lucky enough to be invited for the view, in exchange that he advertise for Aerius. I bought an Aerius blender fifteen years ago, and I've only had to change the blades twice. Aerius: "Because broken goods are no good to us!"
Maximus Military Installations: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This section contained government information, and was censored by request.)
Coaliton Capital Space: Easily the most populated sector known, the Capital Space knows no homeworld or original species, but contains the Coalition Capital World, Dominus, and has six systems home to every species known. The systems are Alphias, Deltarus, Omicronar, Thetar, Taus, and Omegan. Here all manner of peoples and customs can be found, and where all the blue-bloods live. This author would prefer to live under a rock, personally. At least there the don't kill all the good food.
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ENATH (by ineptus astartes)
Most esteemed sir.
I have complied a small file on the world of E’nath for your benefit as you had asked me how suitable the world and surrounding moon system was for a military station.
I am currently on the moon of Dxun (the twentieth moon in the system) writing this report.
Here is as follows, a report on the world of E’nath.
World: E’nath.
Classification: jungle/rainforest
Climate: tropical
Terrain: plains/hills
Features: massive mountains jut from the ground as a relic of the planets watery past. (having been islands.)
History: A former ocean world E’nath’s many aquatic predators moved themselves onto land without changing very much, while some of the beasts still lurk in the deep lakes and oceans. The land is covered in jungles, rainforests, swamps, and a few deserts.
Continents: 5: there are five main continents on the planet. The largest being the southeastern continent, which takes up a third of all land on the planet. covered in jungles the southeastern continent is the evolutionary birthplace of the E’nathi race. it’s main geographical features is it’s massive hills and it’s plains.
The northeastern continent is a massive desert stretching for thousands of miles the only defining features are the huge, dead volcanoes that dot the landscape and razed the jungle into a molten slag with their simultaneous eruption. The solid magma eroded over almost four hundred million years into the desert that it is today.
The south western continent is the second largest with huge rainforests and marshes going on for thousands of miles, unbroken by anything save the occasional belching volcano. the rainforest houses the most deadly avian to exist.
The other two continents are offshoots of the three main ones and are mainly tropical jungles.
From space: E’nath looks like a massive grey/blue/green ball. Due to the fact that at any given time at least 70 percent of the planet is covered by raging storms.
SEASONS:
E’nath is a planet with a partially fixed axis. And as such, has only three seasons, as opposed to the staggering sixty-seven seasons on the planet of Chernax. The seasons are as follows. The monsoon, the summer and the draught.
The monsoon is the longest. Stretching from half a year (Terran time) to three fourths of a year. It is a time when the gravitational pull of E’naths twenty-nine moons sends ocean-borne storms sweeping across the planet. At some times the planet is entirely covered in a single storm. Making it appear a tumultuous gas-world from space.
The summer is the second longest. At this time the planet’s storms slack off to an acceptable level where the thunderstorms are not as prevalent and where the volcanoes begin to erupt.
The draught is the shortest time. A period where the storms all drift to the ocean (this is a byproduct of the magnetic fields that are generated by the intensely magnetic thirteenth moon: Reen)
MOONS:
Moons: a notable detail about E’nath is it’s twenty-nine moons. three of which are inhabitable.
Huk: the verdant moon: Huk is only about the size of Luna. But has a sufficient enough mass to generate its own gravity. The only danger with Huk is the incredibly unstable plates. Resulting in an ever-changing geography.
Drexl: Demon Moon: one of the most hostile envirenmont that is breathable by humans is Drexl. This moon is the largest of all of them and orbits in a mid range. (Further than Luna) several people have lobbied for it being classified as it’s own planet. As it is almost planet-sized (note however, that E’nath is one of the larger planets) the defining features are its divers fauna. Which is almost a mirror of E’naths own. But worse. Life on Drexl is best summed up in the phrase “Nasty, brutish and short.” The most fascinating feature is the primitive carnivorous people, Drug’ray’er in the E’nathi tongue, ‘ghoul’ in the Terran language.
The ghouls are a race of ape-like humanoids who look perpetually starved. They are gaunt, hunched, and would stand at a staggering seven feet tall if not for their hunched backs (developed for a better traversal of the jungle canopy) they have skull-like faces, long pointed ears, and dark red, almost black-brown skin. The most terrifying feature however is their claws. The Ghouls have massive twelve-inch long razor sharp blade like claws on their fingers they developed these to disembowel and eat prey with lighting speed as well as to use to climb the massive trees.
The talons have developed from the metal-fiber-carbon bone structure of the ghouls, making them essentially clawed killing machines with bones like HUMVEE armor (this protects far better against bullets than it does against magnetically accelerated slugs, plasma rounds and close combat.
The ghouls live in loose pack that grow or diminish depending on the leader. (usually the biggest and cleverest) the ghouls behave incredibly like Terran apes (who I digress are Terran no longer as they were moved to the world of Baslamore when their last habitats on terra were destroyed by strip-mining) they move in groups of around five individuals but prefer to hunt alone. Each ghoul tribe has a large territory of about a dozen or so miles. The ghouls themselves are intelligent enough to wear loincloths (though the do not have any form of understandable conversation I believe them to be mildly intelligent) and communicate in screams, howls, hoots, barks and hisses.
I shall send a more detailed report soon but for now I have to collect some plant samples.
Yours truly.
James Downs. Master biologist (human)
CEPHRAN (by ineptus astartes)
Cephran is a ‘water planet’ with shallow seas that cover most of the surface. The seas are on average, six to nine meters deep and at the deepest point in the ocean Sixty. The planet has only one continent. A crude triangle the size of new guinea (on average most of the islands are the size of fiji) with a tropical climate of rolling fields of tall grass and palm trees.
SEASONS
Seasons: one: Cephran is on a fixed axis. It is in a perpetual tropic summer.
FAUNA
Cephran’s wildlife is incredibly diverse, from the elephantine angtisk, to the fascinating Nangtang.
The angtisk is a large, rhino-like creature with deep green armor plates, a clublike tail and a pachydermoid trunk that stretches over half the length of its house-sized body. These ‘thunderbeasts’ roam the grasslands, grazing on the four to twenty foot tall grass that dominates the landscape.
The deadly Nangtang was the first reptomammal to be discovered in the galaxy by human explorers. It has the build and habits of the terran wolf (an animal which has adapted to the urban jungle and rapidly evolved to their current impressive size of the now extinct lion) though the Nangtang are only slightly larger than the wolves of old who were the direct descendant of the now galacticly popular pet, the dog. (It is my belief that the Nangtang are attracted to the pulses of machines, so a mining colony on the surface would be costly) the Nangtang have impressive wolflike hearing and a pinpoint sense of smell. The oddity about them however is their scaly skin and opposable thumbs allowing them to climb the luster-palms (despite the fact that they give birth to live young and raise them in pouches much like the now extinct kangaroo) the Nangtang are deadly hunters.
AQUAFAUNA
In the oceans however thrives the most life! The swooping yammal-gulls, the darting dimondfish, the stealthy chameleon shark, the regal (introduced species) crocodiles, the awe-inspring deathsquid, the horrifying doom-angler and the powerful saber-pike.
The yammal-gulls are the apex avians on the planet. With their wingspans of over ten feet and their five-foot long bodies they cut an inspiring figure, wheeling above the deepest parts of the ocean, (20-40 meters) diving down , and surfacing with a glitterfish in their beaks.
The diamondfish are only about the size of a terran dace, or minnow, yet they travel in schools of up to ten thousand individuals. Cephrans enjoy darting into these swarms and gathering them by the dozens to be cultivated for their wondrous (yet scanty) meat.
The glitterfish are about the size of a terran grouper. They trawl slowly through the shallower chains of islands and some of the cephran cities, searching for bonecrabs (a scavenger crab roughly the size of a human hand) while slowly digesting the food over a period of days. When they are threatened though they use their massive frills (located behind the gills) to propel them away at amazing speeds.
Nothing is safe from the chameleon shark! These roughly van-sized predators have the fascinating ability to change their melanin content to blend in with the surroundings, when a target gets within a few meters, they open their unhingeable jaws and dart forward, swallowing the prey whole and shredding them with their revolving ripper teeth.
The crocodile is the newest species of animals on cephran and is part of the Terran Reseeding project; along with thousands of other Terran aquatics moved to cephran they, including the cuttlefish, were moved to cephran in 2283 where they perform the role of land-sea predator. Although the animals had to be genetically modified to survive in the salt water, they thrive there.
The Doom-angler is the least known species on the planet. Living in the planets deepest concentration of water, no search parties (unmanned or otherwise) have ever returned although one dead beast was recovered and revealed to use a barbed tongue with a twenty foot reach to capture their prey.
The deathsquid is a massive squid that lives in the open spaces of the deeper parts (40-50 meters) and hunts at night. They are a sacred animal to the cephran (probably their evolutionary relatives) and use massive tentacles to ensnare their prey (usually larger prey)
The saber-pike is a killing machine. They dart through the water at speeds fast enough to create a small shockwave in their wake. When they are hunting they slash their prey to bloody chunks with their razor-sharp fins. They are the apex predator on cephran but are thankfully rare. The cephran avoid their hunting grounds like a plague.
MOONS
warden: a solid diamond moon, with a large mass about twice the same as luna but out of the system just enough to be constantly contesting cephran for its land and water, this moon is responsible for the tides, waves and the IASB, Brahma.
INTER-ATMOSPHERIC CELESTIAL BODY
The ‘moon’ of Brahma is actually a piece of cephran that was ripped from its loose tectonic plate by the brutal gravity of warden when cephran was still cooling from its original magma-like state. It has its own gravity and atmosphere being about one thousand miles into the atmosphere of cephran (the water planet has one of the ‘tallest’ atmospheric reaches known) this Inter-Atmospheric-Celestial-Body hangs in permanent limbo between cephran and Warden. It is a popular retreat and luxury center for officials. The IACB is about three fourths the size of Luna and two-thirds of it is covered in water, making it the perfect cephran fleet base. The IACB even has its own rotation cycle, with cephran in the daytime sky and Warden in the nighttime sky.
This was a comprehensive report on the planet of cephran by Hrovan bioligist, Ly Tin Wheedle*
World: Chilcera
Classification: Forest World
Climate: Temperate
Terrain: Endless Pine-tree like forest/Flatland, large valleys
Features: well spaced massive valleys
History: The world has been coated in trees for all of recorded history. It is suspect that the valleys are from mining in ages past, but the idea of water erosion is certainly out, as the valleys connect to no ocean or body of water.
Continents: One:
The enirety of the world is a single land mass, with large rivers running a single straight path around the cicumfrence of the world. The massive espanses cover the entire world, save for spaces for the valleys where solid rock prevents the growth of trees.
From Space: Celicera resembles a dark green marble, with strands of blue creeping around it's surface as evidence of rivers there.
Seasons: Chilcera has three seasons: Summer, winter, and spring. During summer most animals are active and most plants are growing, as with many other worlds. However, an event where Chilcera shifts itself due to an annual gravitational weakening from any of the three stars causes an instant transformation inro winter, where all life hibernates untill spring, upon which time the natives spend their time waking and feeding to restore themselves for summer ahead.
Moons: Chilcera has no moons.
I would like to thank the director for giving me one of the easier worlds to study:
Sincerely, Y'unoo, Cephran Explorer extrodinaire
VESPER (by mordoskul)
Vesper is a lavender storm-wracked world avoided by all sensible spacers. The world is mostly terrestrial, with few bodies of water present on the planet, and most fauna on the planet have developed methods to trap and seal moisture within their bodies. Vesper would have gone unnoticed by the galactic community had it not been for the Kommar Corporation, whose probes detected astronomical amounts of valuable metals, which brought Vesper and the Hulhuxi to the notice of the Coalition for the first time.
SEASONS
There is only one season on Vesper, an unchanging maelstrom of purple clouds and lightening that constantly batters the surface with blasts of superheated gas. Rain seldom, if ever falls on the world during it's 458 day year.
FAUNA
Besides the native Hulhuxi and foreign miners, Vesper boasts some of the most dangerous and hardy species in the galaxy.
The viscous Vesper hounds hunt in packs of ten or more individuals, attempting to bring down anything remotely edible, making them the bane of mining caravans. Last year alone, Kommar Corp. reported losing over two-hundred workers and dozens of vehicles and pieces of equipment to the four legged predators. The hounds are sleek reptiles with dull purple scales and serrated fangs in an elongated muzzle. A curled horn rises from the back of their heads, which they use in their complex mating rituals and to amplify their piercing shrieks. Two sharp, bony toes adorn each of their feet, each capable of ripping through flack armor with ease. A whip-like tail is covered in razor shards of bone, able to wrap around prey with a casual flick, then pulling it pack to cause horrible lacerations and bleeding wounds. The Vesper hounds are at least sub-sentient, and each pack seems to have their language of grunts and howls. Packs have been known to work together to assemble complex traps and ambushes, splitting the meat among both groups.
The strange avians known simply as Vesper gliders spend their entire lives in the stormy sky of the planet, swooping down to the surface to snatch up prey before returning to the sky to feed. Bearing a strong resemblance to the Terran stingray, these flat creature's wingspan measures over that of two holoball fields. Their mouths resemble those of an insect, with multiple ways for the the glider to open their jaws. Gliders are a terror on Vesper, and are known to attack and bring down atmospheric craft. Little is known of the glider's breeding or birth patters, and these creatures are few and far between, only appearing to hunt.
DANGERS OF SPACE:
Pirates: No day or age is safe, and the same applies to out own. In your travels you may be so unlucky as to encounter cut-throats and marauders who will hold you at gun point for whatever you have. Such individuals are not to be taken lightly, and some notable groups include The Queens, Frozen Star, Slashers, and The Broken Hands.
Nebulae: Though beautiful to look at, proximity to a nebulae can disrupt sensors and shields. Venture too close, and the electro-magnetic fields will kill the power on you ship, stranding you in space for the rest of your short life.
Shapers: While the Shaper invasion is more or less direct, it is still advised to watch your sensors well when in proximity of the battle line. Some say they've seen Shapers outside of the line, but this author thinks it is simply paranoid spacer talk.
Weirds: There is little on this, but this author heard a rather portly spacer tell of a corpse brought on his ship that rose from the dead, killed his crew, and raised them. He said that they acted like zombies, feasting on corpses mindlessly. This author finds it to be the largest load of gak that he has ever heard.
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STAR WEIRDS
Incident Report 878 A (by mordoskul)
Location: (873, 324) Black Space
Officer On Site: Captain Horood Sabba
Description: Discovered wreck of cyan "Nancy Bell" Star-Hopper within Black Space on routine patrol of the sector. Ship is undamaged from outside besides for small asteroid dents and paint chipping. Interior is splattered with blood and other vital internal fluids. Corridor lights nonfunctional, glowtorch required for the ensuing search of the vessel. Signs of intense struggle throughout the ship. Shell casings and ozone burns suggest a firefight, mostly situated within the bridge. No signs of the crew can be found, no escape pods were jettisoned either, logs indicate that they may have sealed themselves in the airlock and vented themselves out into space. Ship's audio log states that the crew found a withered Macabreian corpse floating in the void through their usual travel route. Crew took the corpse aboard and stashed it in the cargo bay, not sure what to do with it. Two standard solar revolutions later, the corpse had vanished from the cargo hold, and the crew reported hearing strange sounds from the engineering block. A certain "Mueller" was sent to investigate, records indicate that he did not report back as instructed. The log stops shortly afterwards, and we have no solid idea of what occurred aboard the Nancy Bell.
Weird (by mordoskul)
It was a strange thing, the corpse. It's blackened skin was drawn tight against it's bones, like a mummy of old Terran Egypt. It's eyes were glassy and hollow. open and unfocused, staring deep into the light fixture that hung above its steel slab. Like all members of its former race, it was tall, around seven feet or so, with long gangly limbs that nearly touched the floor. Its skull was conical, with a thin slash of a mouth present at the end of its long face. Two reptilian slits were cut above the mouth, adding to the inhumanity of the creature. It wore no clothing or equipment of any kind, and no identifying marks could be found at all on the body. It was, at one time or another, a Macabreian, the bogeymen of the galaxy, eager to slit a few throats for a handful of credits. The crew had been surprised to find the frozen corpse floating nearby their vessel, even more so when they discovered no marks of any kind upon it. Tenisk Vann, the spider-like Chelicera pilot had pointed out the floating object nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding void. The ship's computer stated that it was composed of a carbon base supplemented by various other molecules. In short, it was organic. Intrigued, he had ordered the object brought aboard. Perhaps they could sell whatever it was. Upon finding it was a frozen, lifeless corpse, the Exolian simply named 'Techie' had stated in its flat monotone that the Macabreian was deceased. Like the rest of its liquid race, Techie was contained within a cybernetic humanoid shell for easier movement and protection from foreign pathogens. They were also known for stating the obvious. No one payed the comment any mind, regarding the corpse with detached interest. Mueller was the first to ask the question that already squatted obscenely in the back of each of their heads, well, perhaps not Techie's,
"What are we going to do with it?"
He spoke in a blunt tone making Tan Nu uncomfortable. The Hulhuxi turned his reflective mirrormask towards the boson, lifting a cloth-wrapped hand to gesticulate his statement of disapproval. "This one feels that the honorable boson's statement regarding the honored remains are disrespectful to the deceased. This one humbly suggests that the remains be returned to Nox for proper burial by the unfortunate's own people." Mueller snorted, an ugly sound that sounded not unlike a wheezing pig.
"You don't seem to understand that he's a Macabreian, someone probably killed him for doing whatever they do. Y'know, hit jobs, drug deals, smugglin'. He ain't no 'honored dead' in my book. I saw we oughta' shoot it back into space, not bother with it." His voice slurred and coarse as it had always been, a result of years of a hookah addiction that had ruined his voice.
"Well, we need to get rid of it, that's pretty clear. We can't keep it." Chimed in Tycho, the copilot and scanner, adjusting his baseball cap as he said so. He had worked on the mining vessel Nancy Belle for two years, traveling far from his birthworld of Earth to the Capital Gate and beyond, running shipments of ore for the Kommar Corporation alongside Tenisk Vann, the perfectionist Chelicera. For the most part, it was rewarding work, he saw the galaxy and was paid to do so. It was what he had always wanted to do his entire life, roam the stars. So why did he feel so goddamned unfulfilled? He should have been happy, he wasn't. He felt empty looking out into space, experiencing intense vertigo at times, as if the void might swallow him whole. Tycho often awoke in the dead of night, covered in the cold sweat of fear, trembling with primal terror. He never could remember what he had dreamt of, but he always could feel something in the cabin with him in the dark. He had never dared to open the lumes, to shed light upon the dark mystery that haunted his steps. It hated him, though he knew not why, yet he could not get it out of his head that the shadow regarded him with loathing not unlike a well of inky black water that had no bottom. Last night had been one of those nights, and was more than a little apprehensive about having a mummified corpse rest in the cargo hold. Breaking him out of his thoughts was the clicking voice of Tenisk Vann, who broke the slight silence with his declaration;
"We'll leave it here tonight, we can make our final decision tomorrow." The black man-spider adjusted his beige jacket with all the pockets, and then sauntered out on his four legs, clicking slightly as he left the room. As he parted the scene, he called back; "Techie, run an inventory of our supplies, I want a list made out before we deliver. Right, see you all in the morning." The Chelicera was used to being obeyed, and didn't bother to check if Techie had acknowledged the order. The crew exchanged glances with one another before retiring to their chambers, Mueller rudely shoving past Tan Nu to reach the circular doorway that marked the lift. The Hulhuxi paused briefly before elbowing him out of the way saying as he did so;
"This one regrettably does not have time for your solid waste excretions. This one advises the honorable boson to cease abusing it verbally and physically. The consequences that the honorable boson will face if it does not desist in its behavior will, regrettably, be grave." Mueller turned around to face the Hulhuxi, his flabby unshaven face contorting into a frown, his piggish eyes narrowing to slits as he regarded the alien.
"That a threat, gak head?"
"This one made no threat, it was simply informing the honorable boson of the effects of its actions. This one promised, not threatened."
"Alright, noface, let's settle this gak right now. I don't like you, and you don't like me. S'matter, feth face, cat got yer haaaaauuuukkkk!" Mueller's words were cut short by Tan Nu's fist rocketing into his windpipe, his knee smashing into the boson's pelvis with the resounding crack of broken bones. He slumped to the floor, clearly shocked that the Hulhuxi had attacked him.
"This one had previously warned the honorable boson of what would occur, but the warning was not heeded. This one wonders if the honorable boson suffers from a malady resulting in mental impairment. This one advises the honorable boson to keep away from this one."
Tycho watched the exchange with fascination, and not a small amount of joy. It was about time someone put Mueller in his place, Tycho just hadn't thought it would be the peaceful and introspective Tan Nu to be the one to do it. The slender, tall Hulhuxi stepped over the groaning boson, his colorful robes twirling as he entered the lift alongside Tycho, who paid the prone man no notice, attempting to conceal his smile. Tan Nu stared straight ahead as the lift door closed, a habit that was made all the more unnerving by the reflective mirrormask that he wore. Tycho adjusted the brim of his hat, already worn threadbare by his constant adjustments. He rode the lift in silence, doing his best to avoid looking directly at Tan Nu. The lift chimed, and the tall Hulhuxi stepped out, walking through the brightly lit corridor until he reached his courters, and the door whooshed open for him. Tycho followed suit, walking under the lume panels in the ceiling until he reached his room, which chimed a flat greeting at his arrival. He pulled his cap off and placed it reverently on the steel nightstand near his bed, the only object to grace its surface. Laying down on the bed, he closed the lumes, and fell into a night of restless dreams.
The next morning, Tycho awoke to the sound of alarms, the staccato thumpings of a mad drummer that beat their way into his skull with terrible ferocity. He flung himself out of the perfectly made bed, his feet hitting the floor with a single loud thump, the icy chill of the steel floor coursing through his body. Clicking the automatic door open, he stuck his head out into the hallway among the shriek of the klaxons and the bloody light of the panic lumes. Tycho saw Tan Nu do the same, his mask catching his own expression of confusion for an instant before the Hulhuxi turned his head elsewhere, searching for the source of the disturbance. Tycho followed suit, running at a sprint towards the bridge. When he arrived, he found Tenisk Vann searching the holomap of the ship's interior frantically. "What's the matter? Did Mueller flip the wrong switch again?" The Chelicera shook his arachnoid head, his pincers clacking together in worry.
"Techie's gone."
"What? What do you mean gone? He's gotta be around here somewhere."
"No, he fell off the scanner sometime last night while we were sleeping. He's just gone."
"He just be gone, maybe the scanner's bad."
"I sent Mueller to check on him, now he's gone. Something's on the ship."
"Bullgak, nothing could get inside, we've been in Black Space for four months. Nothing coulda snuck onboard while we were...." Tycho grew very pale, and began to adjust his cap. The corpse, could it be? No. No. Please don't let it be the corpse, let it be something normal. Oh god, oh god, the corpse. Tycho opened his mouth very slowly, moving his tongue about to dispel the sudden dryness. "Tenisk.... the corpse, the dead Macabreian.... it's onboard with us."
It was the Chelicera's turn to look incredulous. "That's ridiculous, corpses don't come back to life and make your crew disappear, no, it must be the equipment. That's it, the equipment's bad. Tycho, take a gun and see what happened. Techie was in the cargo hold last time he transmitted."
Tycho lifted the rifle dumbly, thinking not of what might await him below deck. He had accepted too easily, how stupid of him! Now he was going to die because of it. He entered the lift, his finger shaking as he tapped the 'Down' button. The metal doors closed slowly, as if mocking him with his last glimpse of his former life before shutting with awful finality. He hugged the rifle closer to himself, taking small comfort in the weapon. The final descent seemed to take forever, protracted by his mute terror. The silence was shattered when the lift dinged to announce that he had reached his destination. It was a most awful sound to Tycho, for he feared it would bring the living shadow down upon him like an awful raptor intent on his flesh. Adjusting his cap, he stepped into the utter blackness of the cargo hold. Pressing against the wall, he felt his way to the metal slab the corpse had first been laid upon, daring not to call out for his companions. He saw a pale blue light at the end of the darkness. He knew the prone, shattered form to be Techie. The Exolian had been brutally torn apart, his metal suit torn nearly in half, the receptacle that held his liquid form leaking onto the steel floor. Tycho rushed over, looking directly into the pale blue of Techie's mechanical eyes, their feeble light almost spent. It spoke in a flat monotone, stating clearly it's predicament.
"Subject retrieved from vacuum was not deceased. Subject's vital signs were nonexistent, yet subject struck myself and consumed Boson Mueller as would a biological, living creature. Paradox detected. Calculations have failed to provide satisfactory conclusion. Containment suit breached, breach will result in my death in a short period of time. Outcome unavoidable, essence contaminated by outside pathogens. I only regret that I could not complete the docking manifest in the time alloted. Please forgive me."
Techie's eyes grew dull, and it's form slumped dead to the ground. Tycho clasped the gun tightly to his chest, sweeping it around the blackness. He remembered now; his dreams, this was one of them. He was in the darkness ,hunted by a creature that shouldn't exist. And he was utterly alone. He reached for his cap, feeling the brim to ensure he was still real. It was there. In the room with him. He could hear it, searching the hold for him. He heard the shadow thing gibber and coo as it crawled into the lift, push open the emergency door at the top of the lift. It clambered up the shaft, the echos of the ascent shaking Tycho to his very core. Then he heard no more. He sat there for what seemed like hours before gathering the courage to enter the lift once more and enter the main floor. He needed to get off the Nancy Belle, it was his only chance of survival. The controls to release the escape pods were located in the bridge. Alright, to the bridge then. As the lift doors opened, the awful chime sounded again, and he winced, fearing that the creature might hear and be drawn to him. Silence reigned. The alarms were quiet, and the corridors were lit only be pools of yellow auxiliary lumes, pools in an ocean of darkness. He advanced slowly and carefully, his rifle ahead of him in a protective gesture. Then he heard it, no, them. A tall ,robed figure stepped from the gloom., mirrormask reflecting the light as to blind Tycho. Tycho was filled with elation to see that Tan Nu was well, initially. This elation turned to mute horror as he noticed the black ropes of fluid hanging from the jagged hole in the Hulhuxi's mirrormask, a chewed threw orifice that revealed strait teeth bared in hunger. Tan Nu opened his mouth wide, the fluid leaking all over the front of his colorful robes. In that brief moment of hesitation, the creature that was once Tan Nu barreled forward, emitting an unholy shriek of hunger that clawed at Tycho's mind. The Hulhuxi pinned him to the floor, head leaning down to bite down on his exposed neck. Tycho's rifle spun away as he attempted to keep Tan Nu's snapping head away from him, the horrible creature splattering his face with the black bile. It screamed in anger at the prey who dared deny it its meat, a cry of primal frustration. As if called to the scene by the keening, a partially eaten Tenisk Vann scuttled over to investigate, it's fangs dripping the same fluid as Tan Nu's. It rushed at Tycho, it's four arms grabbing hold of him and began to tug, seeking to rip away a limb to feast upon. Tycho lost his grip on Tan Nu's head, and the ghoulish mouth descended and sank its teeth deep into his shoulder, ripping out chunks of flesh with horrific ease. The Chelicera tore one of Tycho's arms free at the shoulder, scampering off to devour its prize even as he shrieked and screamed as he was eaten alive. In desperation, Tycho began to batter the mirrormask with his remaining fist, hoping to knock the creature off of him. Breaking the glass, he felt his hand cut and lacerated by the shards even as he sunk his fingers into Tan Nu's eye sockets. The creature fell off of him, and Tycho crawled away with all his speed towards the bridge, weeping tears of agony and fear as he pumped blood eagerly onto the deck. There it was the bridge, just a few more feet... Tan Nu, he could hear it, crawling after him. Almost there, almost there... a black shape bore down upon him throwing him against the metal wall with tremendous force. The gaunt form of the Macabreian sank its fangs into Tycho's side, holding him down with its arms as it ate. Tycho crawled and crawled. The airlock. Closer, here, by his head. He reached out, battering the controls with his remaining hand until the door whooshed open. He kicked the thing in the face, clambering into the airlock, the demon thing falling in after him. Tan Nu and Tenisk Vann crashed into the airlock, seeking the meat on his bones. Tycho slammed the airlock shut at they entered, shrieking as the Macabreian gnawed on his entrails like ghoulish pasta. He punched the controls, sending the four tumbling into the void with a hungry scream. They froze almost instantaneously, their fluids crystalizing into strange shapes that floated through the vacuum. Tycho's corpse flew past the others, his gnawed and ruined hand grasping the brim of his hat.
HOW
IT ALL BEGAN (how the Mcabrian corpse got there: by ineptus astartes)
“Lorl?” the voice floated through the darkness Lorl Jonson looked up and blinked. “What?” the voice came back. With a hint of terror in it. “What if they find us?” Lorl stood up and picked up his auto-carbine. “Listen Sernax, The wont find us, this tanker’s huge.” With a clicking, the nervous chelcera loader scurried into the light cast by the lume-rod in Lorl’s left hand. The cehlcera was frightened and scanning the room with his plasma pistol.
Lorl looked around. The five living crewmen were huddled into a small control room above the loading dock. With a good view over the massive and eerily empty loading bay. Nothing but the crates, cranes, and boxes that littered the floor were splashed with a dark red fluid.
The nightmare had started two weeks ago.
When the Lost Journeyman entered the nondescript asteroid cluster, they had been steaming at near lightspeed for a day to the small derelict freighter after a miscalculated jump had burned their jumpers out.
The away team had reported that the ship was covered in blood on the insides and the crew appeared to have jettisoned themselves from the wreck presumably after a pirate attack.
They tractor-beamed the corpses in as a last bit of respect and put them in the hold so when they got the jump drives they could bring them to their respective homes.
TWO WEEKS EARLIER:
“Damn!” hissed the mcabrean medic after looking at the bodies. he was on an unidentified ship that they had discovered derelict in Black Space. “they tore each other apart! Look at this guy! His heads gone, he’s got a hole in his chest, that’s gross!” Lorl peered over the medics shoulder. “any reason he’s clutching a grenade?” the medic covered the bodies in canvas. “No. but it looks like the others have some exotic strain of rabies to me.” “Meh.” Muttered Lorl. “Thought only mammals get rabies.” the mcabrian stared at him for a moment “just take a look around” hissed the black creature. Lorl shouldered the rifle. “Right, Dex! Jeiral! Your with me! we're going to the cargo hold!” the E’nathi and Quarra followed Lorl into the ships bowels.
They were nearing the engine room when a call was radioed to them from another patrol exploring group. “Guys? I’m gonna check the bridge and see if I can see how these guys killed each other like that.”
“Whatever.” Answered Lorl. “Sir!” asked the Quarra “Look!” in the hall was a trio of corpses. Lifeless eyes stared up at the crewmen. As Lorl stepped over one he heard a sound. “What was that?” he asked. “jireal does not know.” Answered the Quarra and lifted his laser rifle. “OK.” Came the voice of the Jounrnyman’s captain, a hrovan named Sin’jin, over the radio “bring the bodies onboard. Get the jump-coils”
several minutes late,r he and the macabrian medic, Dramr, were carrying the bodies back to the boarding tube. “Ow!” said Dramr without warning, ‘I cut my hand on the thing's teeth.” Lorl said nothing. He was too busy trying to forget what he had just seen. The thing, the corpse, had bitten the mcabrian. ‘But it was dead!’ he raged to himself mentally. ‘No wait, just spasms. Of course’ but in the back of his mind, a small treacherous voice said ‘but…’
Then the nightmare had started.
Crewmen were going missing. Sounds could be heard in the crawlspaces. And the mcabrian doctor was in the hospital after collapsing on duty and was now lowly dying in his bed. Any crewmen going into the more secluded areas of the tanker would vanish without a trace.
When Dramr finally died, they read him his rites and brought him into the operating room to be prepared for mummification, as was tradition with his kind. They set him on the table and left for the night.
The next morning he was gone.
Half the crew was ready for a mutiny, when the captain ordered all crewers into their quarters and locked the doors.
He and the officers remained on the bridge. They gave a daily report for two days and then went silent. Sometimes you could hear screams in other rooms as their doors were torn off by unseen killers. The sound of shuffling was abundant in the halls outside. When they were nearing the end of food and water Lorl and his five friends, Dex, Jirael, Sernax the chelcera and another human guard named mat heard autogun fire. Within a minute, the doors all unlocked at once.
As they stepped out into the hallway their fears were confirmed. The other doors were torn off of their mountings and the troops inside slaughtered.
Then the dead rose.
They were all over the place. A plague really by the time the small party had entered the bridge and vaporized the sublight controlls, they knew what to do.
PRESENT DAY
Lorl sighed. “Look Sernax, dyeing in a supernova is better than being torn apart no?” the young chelcira clicked his mandibles in terror. “Y-yes?” “Listen.” Said Lorl in a calm voice. “We have to stop this fro getting to the rest of the coalition.” But to do that, we have to die.” The chelcira whimpered. Lorl put on a softer expression. “Look kid/larvae, it’s the only choice we got now lets move.” As the party split up, all headed for the engines they said their goodbyes. Half of them went one way, the other half another way. Lorl, Dex and Sernax were advancing down a corridor when a clattering resounded from the vents. Dex raised his machinegun and fired a burst into the walls. With that the walls were torn open. A surging crowd of the living dead charged through the gap and was mowed down by the 60. Cal gun. As they ran full tilt away from the horde, the whole group was followed by something black, big, and fast.
Dramr.
With a howling, the dead mcabrian tackled Sernax and sent them into an airlock. Serax was bitten in the arm as the creature that was once a helping hand, attacked him. As sernax punched his former friend in the face reputedly his other hands sought the airlock venter. When they found it half of his upper arms grabbed the wall and the other half slammed into the button.
With an awful scream, the mcabrian was sucked into the void of space and flash-frozen.
The chelcira hit the ‘VOID’ button again and closed the airlock. Tearing a pair of grenades from his belt he dragged himself into the undead hordes. “GO!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. The E’nathi and human understood and with a last sad look turned away and sprinted for the engeneerium.
Ripping the pins off with his madibles the chelcira leaped at the mass of dead ones.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
as a massive detonation of chelcira bunker-busters rocked he ship, Lorl blinked away the tears at the corners of his eyes. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair. The kid had had a bright future on the ship ahead of him and had ended up dying in the middle of black space, to a bunch of cadavers with no one knowing about his sacrifice. No one caring.
As they neared the engine room Dex tripped over a body. It was Jireal. As they stared at their deceased friend, the E’nathi silently placed a vape grenade on the Quarra’s chest. “a death in battle is an honorable one.” Murmured the massive saurian as the grenade vaporized their former friend.
When the engine room opened the two crewmen sprinted for the jump control. It was only a matter of time before the Dead Ones came.
“Dammit!” screamed Lorl “The fething AI wont let me through!” Dex walked over and punched a fist through the AI firewall program container and the screen began to buffer. “um…thanks.” Said Lorl “the E’nathi marine only grunted and raised his handmade machinegun “they are here.” Whirling around, Lorl saw dozens, no hundreds, of walking dead of various species shamble into the room.
Ahead of them was a single figure, firing a pair of pistols into the mass. It was mat. He had somehow survived the trek here but had evidently lost his grenade launcher. Just as the mass neared them the defensive turrets affixed on the ceiling fired into the horde, and a voice boomed over the loudspeaker “This one dislikes those who got up on the wrong side of the tombstone this morning, and has for them gifts of the fast moving and pointy type. This one calls them canines of the female persuasion.”
And with that remark, the lodspeaker added “this is first mate Senral Tan , giving permission to specialist Lorl Jhonson to jump this ship into the nearest star”
Lorl plotted the course and hit the button.
“Its done.”
The journey was only five seconds long.
MISSION BRIEFING: DEFENSE OF DENEB
INITIALIZING....
DECODING...
INITIATING AUDIO/VISUAL FEED...
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:
Greetings members of the Coalition strike team, your arrival is welcomed here on Deneb. As you know, the extragalactic xenoforms known as the Shapers have laid waste to the Coalition East Fleet, crippling our naval defense forces in this sector. After a two week orbital bombardment, the Shapers landed their troops on the planet's surface, and proceeded to decimate the local Raylid population. The natives have no intention of going without a fight, however, and have attacked the invaders with abandon. Our ground forces are tied up in hundreds of different fronts, making it impossible to track the movements of our own troops. The shaped have not slackened once in their attack, and threaten to overrun the planet in a matter of days. CFC has informed me that reinforcements are weeks away, and I doubt there will even be a Deneb at that point. We have no delusions of victory, we only hope to evacuate the planet and flee to NSCS space. We have gathered as many of our own troops and native Raylids as we could, and are directing them into the city of Machbow for refuge. Massive surged of enemy troops indicate that the Shapers are aware of our plan and intend to overrun the city. If the shaped reach Machbow, it will be overrun in hours, and all of our efforts will have been for nothing. You are to aid in the evacuation, gathering as many of our people as you can. You will be dropped in the settlement of Kuaaba, two standard hours from Machbow, and full of civilians and the remnants of our ground forces. The settlement is already under attack by shaped forces, intent on xenocide. If we fail, there will be no Raylid race anymore, I hope that reminds you how important our work is here today. Commander Petr Yurovich signing off.
Ravenous Angels 
Tomb Kings 
Protectorate of Menoth 
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