Salvation

Salvation
The Salvation universe takes place around 3000 years into the future, 400 years after a revolution has succeeded in overthrowing the Human Iniative a human controlled empire ruling with an iron fist. Minor factions fight for resources around the larger factions. On the horizon lurks an even darker threat, older than the galaxy's oldest civilizations.

While I see sci-fi more akin to fantasy I still focus on a willing suspension of disbelief. So there's no the force or a the warp. See it more of a wierd mix between cyberpunk, space western, gritty space opera and noir.

The RP will begin on the fringeworld of Grechok, a world shared between the two galactic superpowers the Indipendent Systems' Alliance and the Confederation Union. You'll take control of a mercenary working between the regimes of these two factions.

Now for some background information. We'll begin with the races.

Races
HUMANS
Humans have always been troublemakers in the galactic community, being one of the races behind the rebellion against the Prime Oppressors after 2000 years of enslavement. They were one of the first races to found the Confederation Union as the new forum for interstellar politics. Yet 600 years ago their hubris got the better of them and through a coup got hold of advanced Nexus technology. This caused a reign of terror by the newly created Human Iniative, whose racist ideology caused much pain for the rest of the galaxy. After the revolution, the majority of the humans are forced to live on Earth in exile.
The few humans still free are either diplomats trying to make up for their misstake or mercenaries. While still spit on, the other species are afraid of the pragmatism, creativity and quick thinking marking Homo Sapiens in the galactic community.

NEXUS
The Nexus was a species of non-avian birds existing 100 million years ago. They went extinct after a war with two other empires of their time. Their name comes from the network of space folding portals they created across the galaxy, ensuring interstellar travel. Their ruins and artifacts are considered priceless despite their uselessness. But they have survived millions of years unharmed so it could be possible that we don't know how to use their technology.

PRIME OPPRESSORS
The Prime Oppressors was the race that controlled much of the Milky Way before the rebellion finally exterminated them. A species of collective hubris, the Nexus chose them to carry on their legacy. Soon legacy became gods and their decadent empire built itself on slaves of different kinds.

LONGNECKS
Longnecks are about 3 meters tall, with their neck making up about a third of that length. Because of the size of their necks, Longnecks walk on all four. Their hands can be seen as a sort of inbetween hand and feet, with six digits were two are thumbs on opposite sides of the hand. A human would say they look like something between a giraffe and a gorilla. Longnecks focus more on the good of the public than the individual and are more adept at seeing the larger picture and the details that can affect it. This is believed to have its roots in the social intrigue of Longneck ancestors.

CELTAR
One of the few species able to afford and maintain peace as well as indipendance, the Celtar are still a fractured species with over 50 system states all indipendent from each other. These are collectively called the Celtar Truce.
Celtar culture focus mainly on conflict and the individuals growth from it. They therefore constantly seek conflict in all forms, but have collectively discarded violence. For a Celtar, killing isn't taboo because of the act of taking another's life, but the removal of the possibility of them learning from the conflict beforehand. Not every Celtar share this ideology however and most intellectuals frown at the majority. It is sadly not the academics or politicians that rule Celtar society but a caste best translated as Warrior-Merchants.

The other races will be elaborated once they are encountered in the RP.

Locations
GRECHOK
Grechok's history can be traced back to the Nexus colonization for its turbulent weather that made it suitable as an energy producing world. Since then, it's oceans have sunken and been replaced with current marshlands and highlands. This went unnoticed by the Prime Oppressors that used it as a prison world, making vast hordes of slaves build large stone cities and monuments for their own bloated egos'. It was then forgotten till the rise of the Human Iniative that used it as a farm world and military training ground. The word Grechok comes from a human slang derived from the term; "choked by greens", describing the world's incredible aggresive flora and fauna. The original name given by the Nexus is supposedly to be; "Xiiarratu Xiiaarnto". When translated literally it becomes; "world of thousand storms" shortened to "Energy World".
Grechok is now one of the cornerstones for the alliance and cooperation between two of the largest galactic superpowers; CU and ISA. A colony officialy owned by both organisations, Grechok still serves as an agricultural colony as well as a military training ground. While the belt of sunny marshlands stretched around the planet's equator are no more dangerous than a beach on Earth, the highlands are constantly terrorized by storms and predators known to kill whole garrisons. In short, Grechok is a death world with its bottomfeeders being able to survive in the harshest of places.
In later years, the large cities in the marshlands have been overpopulated as a consequence from a large amount of immigrants comming from the outposts in the highlands and farms at the rims of the marshlands. This has caused civil unrest in the cities as foreign cultures try to live side by side. Riots are not unusual. The cause for the evacuation of the outposts have yet to be revealed by the military from both ISA and CU.

One of the most important features on the planet are the large metropoles, ancient stone cities now grafted with metal and horrible corrupt. Despite lacking the otherwise moody constant rain, these cities still manage to press down on one and the lower parts rarely get unfiltered sunshine. These dark and murky alleys are the ideal place for all manners of criminal activity, sans the CU controlled ones. The Confederation Union holds their metropoles in an iron grip and make constant raids against any shantytown in their areas.

VAELOS
Vaelos is currently the hub for all diplomatic affairs and is a neutral world with estimated over 20 billion inhabitants.
Vaelos was first discovered during the Confederation Union's late years and would become the cataclysm for the rise of the Human Iniative.
A Nexus Fortress world, Vaelos is a hollow dyson sphere built around an artificial gravity well. Covered from the inside out in cities and industries, Vaelos houses the single largest population in the active sphere of galactic community. It is home to all species and the ground for several treaties as well as the perfect place for refugees. Because of its size and as the hub of galactic politics, Vaelos have become increasingly corrupt and the difference between poor and rich is getting wider each day. The inner sactum of the fortress world is in eternal twilight and a wretched hive fought over by mobs, cartells and other illegal powerplayers.
Despite this Vaelos is still the headstone and foundation for the relative peace and an allout war is sure to follow would Vaelos ever fall.

Factions
VAELOS SENATE
The Vaelos Senate is the governing body over the planet Vaelos and is one of the most powerful factions, despite only controlling one planet and its associated system. This is because of their monopoly on veto in galactic politics.
By being composed by representatives of every legitimate faction, no matter how small, the Senate basicly is all factions. To clarify, when the Senate will veto a decision made by the other factions, that means a majority of the factions are either for or against. The faction known to break the decision of the Vaelos Senate will have the full force, both diplomatic and military, of all the other factions.
The Senate is however powerless against the illegimate factions and cartels that exists within the cracks of the system.
The Vaelos Senate is to be considered the top guys that has the last say, but they however lack in any direct power making it alarmingly easy to avoid their jurisdiction.

CU
The Confederation Union predates the Vaelos Senate with several centuries. The first platform for multi-species cooperation after the successful revolt against the Prime Oppressors.
It's infrastructure was undamaged by the tyranny of the Human Iniative, but it's members would change.

Because of the schism created on by the dealing of the humans, several species and nations left the Confederation Union leaving only the most extreme left. Now the faction is only a union of confederations in name. Instead it is a treaty of several nations and organisations that will do everything to keep their systems safe.

The Confederation Union secure their individual systems by making "secure sections". While the member species systems are indipendent from each other, the rim planets that exist in an area around CU space. These rim planets are themselves joint colonies, enforced by martial law by governments officially indipendent from the Confederation Union. In truth, the CU actively support these fascist regimes, making them the face forward for the CU in galactic politics.

Together with having the single largest fleet and military force, the public accuse the CU to be militaristic fascist and isolated bigots.

However a large number of politicians and diplomats can state the contrary during their meetings with officials from the Confederation Union's member species. As one famous diplomat said about the CU:
"Fascist? No. It is nothing more than a frail network made by incredible paranoid governments."

ISA
The Indipendent Systems Alliance is the role model for working galactic communities. A tight gripped network between indipendent systems and several nations, the ISA is currently in a golden age getting resources and military protection through a treaty with their neighbours; the Confederation Union.

The Indipendent Systems Alliance was created in the aftermath of the foundation of the Vaelos Senate, were smaller, weaker and demilitarized species and nations banned together for free trade and protection from the much larger threats looming around their borders.

Since then, the faction has grown to reach a large percentage of several clusters and nebulae. However it's military and interstellar politics are still the same since it's foundation.

While focusing on diplomatic relations and trade, the ISA has a formidable fleet and military that acts outside of the member species politics but is still entitled to a set of rules that makes mutiny and coups, not impossible but highly impractical. Each member species fills a quota of ships and personel that is then put under the command of five grand-admirals and their under-admirals and so on. This makes the ISA military one of the most feared militaries in the galaxy. Because of it's indipendence from the main infrastructure, it can still be active even if several central systems are occupied.

The ISA values freedom and non-violence over all else and drugs as well as most brands are legal within its borders.

But not even this glamorous faction of liberal prestige is without flaws. While corruption is scarce it runs deeper than most other factions, often having ties with interstellar organisations and cartels. As stated by crimelord Gargharyn:
"It's a cake in a slutty dress everyone is willing to take a piece off. But untie the blouse and you see the best spot is already taken by a larger parasite."

INVASION
The Calatah Communion or more commonly known; the Invasion, is a hierarchic slave empire unbound by most common laws. While its internal structure is highly alien to outsiders it is known that the top caste is composed by Overminds and Commandoes.
Most of the obscurity of the information regarding the Invasion is caused by their highly alien society and their secrecy. Only the name they call themselves and their homeworld is known.
What is known is that they do not operate on the same scale of morals the rest of the galaxy does. They protect indipendent worlds from pirates and other illegal factions, but demand a toll in bodies, both living and dead. These are thought to be used as the bulk of the Invasional Fleet; their military.
Utterly pragmatic and amoral, Invasion uses a mix between overwhelming their foes with numbers and force gained from intricate co-operation. It doesn't help that they only seem willing to invade and conquer minor colonies and therefore exist as a sort of shadow faction as it lacks a representative seat in the Vaelos Senate. Its use as a buffer between different factions has secured its survival for so long that it now has the military might to match either ISA or CU, the two superpowers currently dominating the galaxy.
While Invasion's military is well known because of obvious reasons, its society is still a mystery. It is believed that its members are lobotomized and have a part of their brains replaced with advanced computers, giving them a sort of hive mind. Not a real one, but the closest you can get with technology. Communication between individuals are almost done immediately and they have the most secure nets in the galaxy. The feedback also strengenths Invasion's society as they are ruled by biological computers and their caretakers.

Technology

NEXUS GATES
The namer for the Nexus species, these portals or gates connect to a larger network. While not making travel through space instant, it makes it possible. While the technology is unknown, the Nexus portals folds space to shorten the distance between them, effectively creating corridors of compressed space. This makes trips that would have taken decades, only take days.

DOMINO BOMB
A domino bomb is one of the most powerful and cleanest weapons in the galaxy. In its basics, it's a supernova generator. A fusion bomb that creates a miniature sun that soon collapses on itself. It isn't so much an explosion as the molucules simply forming denser matter.

SPACESHIPS
These large contructs, but of varying size, are worth their weights in gold. Owning a private spaceship is a status symbol amongst most factions since the tremendous cost of building and maintaining one has such a high cost. It is therefore unusual for freelancing mercenaries to own a ship, unless stolen or being a token from ages long past.
A spaceships is also considered one of the biggest security risks, since a crashing ship is equal if not more powerful than a meteor. The kinetic force of even the smallest of space vessels can level a small city on impact.
Because of this and the fact that spaceships can be military powerhouses, almost all governments in the galaxy have made warships younger than a hundred years government property. The most powerful fleets are considered to be a tie between the Invasional Fleet, the Confederation Union's Iron Brigade and the Indipendent Systems' Alliance's Military Branch. All forms of government are known to keep the most modern warships for themselves, and any non-gov ship or an older version is akin to tissue papper if met with the force of up-to-date warships.

The Rules and History of the dark sci-fi role play Salvation