Status: 12/10 Character slots filled. Recruiting is over. You can ask to be put on a waiting list for a slot to open up. IC IS LOCATED HERE.
“Today is the day. Today is the day that you will be departing from EU-1 to the IEF Venture. You have been given one week to spend with your families and friends on Earth, to say your goodbyes, as you prepare for what could be anywhere between a few days to several weeks of travel among the stars. All alone. I know that some of you have grown tepid, and scared. It is natural to be afraid of the great void among the stars. Know, however, that you will not be truly alone. You will have your compatriots at your side. You will have your allies, the crew of the ship backing you up, and your Captain evaluating every decision to ensure that you will always be sent out in the best conditions possible.
You have been part of the Interstellar Earth Forces for the past two years. A fine and commendable thing that is. You’ve been training for the past two years in infantry tactics, as a member of our Expeditionary Forces detachment. You’ve received our letter from Fleet Command, so I won’t bore you with any further inspiring speeches and prattle. You fine men, women, and machines, are our front line of exploration and defence against the unknown. You will go in first, and leave last. Your jobs are dangerous. You will complete missions ranging from EVA’s out in space, to landings on alien worlds.
Your part of the mission is important. This is why we’ve trained you in infantry tactics, and given you experienced officers to command you. We’ve equipped you with the weapons of your choice in the ship’s armoury, and given you multiple areas dedicated to your detachment. You will all be trained for combat, but other skills are welcome as well—diplomacy, scientific pursuits, medicine, mechanics, astronaut training—anything really.
We don’t know what to expect out there, ultimately. For now, though, here are your orders. You will ship out to the IEF Venture. From there, you will have one hour to find your quarters, and get acquainted with your squadmates—you will be part of Bravo squad, you will learn the details of your fellow squadmates aboard the ship. After that, the ship will depart for Jupiter’s orbit. At around 500 million miles away, that makes for a journey of around twenty two standard Earth hours. During this time, you will be familiarized with the ship, and will be spending your time packing away your things, and being given a final medical evaluation by the ship’s doctors. AI’s included, as we have specialists that will check them over as well.
Once you arrive at Jupiter, your Captain will receive final orders from our outpost on Europa. You will receive your orders then about your mission. Shortly thereafter, the IEF Venture will use its FTL for the first time—with you aboard.
Good luck. Come home safe, and do humanity proud.”
Welcome to the IEF Venture! This is a roleplay about humanity sending ships beyond their solar system to explore the stars for the first time. You will play as a character aboard the IEF Venture, as part of the Expeditionary Forces detachment. The EF detachment are the front line soldiers and explorers, trained for two years prior to arriving. You can play as a human, a telepath, or an AI. You will explore a variety of exotic locations, ranging from space itself, to alien worlds. You’ll also have the IEF Venture as a constant return point—your home in space.
You are the first to enter a situation, and the last to leave. Your decisions will have immediate ramifications on the environment around you, and on humanity. You’re free to make whatever choices you wish in any given situation, just remember that humanity is depending on you to find places for them to live.
This RP will be divided between peaceful sections, where the characters develop aboard the ship (the IEF Venture), and in episodic missions, where they depart the ship to accomplish often dangerous tasks beyond it. Your character could suffer. Your character could die.
This RP also does reference some science, and military procedure. That being said, it can deviate from either as is necessary for simplification’s sake, and you’ll always be informed of how things work before they’re thrown at you—you don’t need to be a physics major or a military nut to join this RP.
Your characters are yours to create as you wish, with a few caveats listed in the Character Sheet section below.
If you want to learn more about the universe, the ship, AI’s, Telepaths, and so on, go to the World Building section—there are several spoiler tagged pieces you can read. You can also ask me any questions you have about the world in this thread.
Beyond that, I’ve written this RP as a giant love letter to Science Fiction in general. Expect to see references here and there, and a general appreciation and enjoyment of the genre. This is here for fun, to engross oneself in the wonders of science fiction. It’s not super hard science fiction, but it does strive to be internally consistent. You can learn about the world, and how it works—even the devices that, by all means, shouldn’t work. This is all for fun, and that is its focus. If all of this interests you so far, then go ahead and by all means, read on.
NOTE: There will be a limit of three AI’s and three Telepaths in total that will be approved for this role play. There is no limit on human characters—the entire cast can be made up of 10 humans if necessary. This makes for a total of 3 AI’s, 3 Telepaths, and 4 Humans that will be approved to reach the 10 character limit, assuming all AI and Telepath spots are taken.
Prerequisites: (The prerequisites to joining the IEF Space Program.)
Name: (Your character’s name.)
Age: (Your character’s age. Must be 18 or older, due to the training requirements of the IEF. Not recommended to be older than 50.) (To be 18: It’s assumed your character managed to pass High School by the age of 16, and took two years of training with the IEF thereafter.)
Sex: (Your character’s physical gender. Are you a boy, or a girl?) (In the case of AI: It’s whatever gender is assumed based on model.)
Rank: (Your character starts as a Private First Class. If you’re unsure of how military ranks work, use this. The IEF uses the same ranking system as the US Marines, with the difference that characters can be promoted to officers from an NCO position without having to go to an officer school. Your character can be promoted over time, and characters of a higher rank can use their authority over characters of a lower rank, so long as it doesn’t break professional protocol, or the law.)
Nationality: (Your character’s country of origin.)
Species: (“Human” and “AI” are the only choices right now.)
Subtype: (“Normal” and “Telepath” are the only choices for humans. “Type 2” and “Type 3” are the only choices for AI’s.)
Appearance: (Your character’s appearance. Can be a picture, text, or mix of both.)
Biography: (Your character’s history and personality. Please write a minimum of two paragraphs, so I can gauge your reading/writing comprehension level. Please explain why your character was selected by the IEF.)
Strengths: (Your character’s strengths. Describe em’. If you use bulletpoints to do so, I’ll give you a cookie.)
Weaknesses: (Your character’s weaknesses. Describe em’. If you use bulletpoints to do so, I’ll give you free dental with that cookie.)
Equipment: (List the normal equipment your character would have on a general mission. You can always modify this before the start of any mission, just consider this your “default loadout” sort of deal.)
Long-Term Stress: None. (Leave this as is for now. Your character can be afflicted with long-term stress effects from specifically stressful events, that they’ll have to work out over time through character development. Such as seeing a therapist, or talking with other PC’s about it.)
Signature: (Put your username here, to signify that you understand that you don’t have complete control over the RP, and that I can harm or kill your character without your permission. I need this to ensure narrative tension can be maintained, otherwise, your character is effectively invincible, and there’s no fun in that, is there?)
Use this section to learn about the universe. If what you’re looking for can’t be found here, simply ask questions in the OOC.
Section One: New Beginnings
“Today is the day. Today is the day that you will be departing from EU-1 to the IEF Venture. You have been given one week to spend with your families and friends on Earth, to say your goodbyes, as you prepare for what could be anywhere between a few days to several weeks of travel among the stars. All alone. I know that some of you have grown tepid, and scared. It is natural to be afraid of the great void among the stars. Know, however, that you will not be truly alone. You will have your compatriots at your side. You will have your allies, the crew of the ship backing you up, and your Captain evaluating every decision to ensure that you will always be sent out in the best conditions possible.
You have been part of the Interstellar Earth Forces for the past two years. A fine and commendable thing that is. You’ve been training for the past two years in infantry tactics, as a member of our Expeditionary Forces detachment. You’ve received our letter from Fleet Command, so I won’t bore you with any further inspiring speeches and prattle. You fine men, women, and machines, are our front line of exploration and defence against the unknown. You will go in first, and leave last. Your jobs are dangerous. You will complete missions ranging from EVA’s out in space, to landings on alien worlds.
Your part of the mission is important. This is why we’ve trained you in infantry tactics, and given you experienced officers to command you. We’ve equipped you with the weapons of your choice in the ship’s armoury, and given you multiple areas dedicated to your detachment. You will all be trained for combat, but other skills are welcome as well—diplomacy, scientific pursuits, medicine, mechanics, astronaut training—anything really.
We don’t know what to expect out there, ultimately. For now, though, here are your orders. You will ship out to the IEF Venture. From there, you will have one hour to find your quarters, and get acquainted with your squadmates—you will be part of Bravo squad, you will learn the details of your fellow squadmates aboard the ship. After that, the ship will depart for Jupiter’s orbit. At around 500 million miles away, that makes for a journey of around twenty two standard Earth hours. During this time, you will be familiarized with the ship, and will be spending your time packing away your things, and being given a final medical evaluation by the ship’s doctors. AI’s included, as we have specialists that will check them over as well.
Once you arrive at Jupiter, your Captain will receive final orders from our outpost on Europa. You will receive your orders then about your mission. Shortly thereafter, the IEF Venture will use its FTL for the first time—with you aboard.
Good luck. Come home safe, and do humanity proud.”
Fleet Admiral Alexander Cartwright, of IEF Fleet Command
Welcome to the IEF Venture! This is a roleplay about humanity sending ships beyond their solar system to explore the stars for the first time. You will play as a character aboard the IEF Venture, as part of the Expeditionary Forces detachment. The EF detachment are the front line soldiers and explorers, trained for two years prior to arriving. You can play as a human, a telepath, or an AI. You will explore a variety of exotic locations, ranging from space itself, to alien worlds. You’ll also have the IEF Venture as a constant return point—your home in space.
You are the first to enter a situation, and the last to leave. Your decisions will have immediate ramifications on the environment around you, and on humanity. You’re free to make whatever choices you wish in any given situation, just remember that humanity is depending on you to find places for them to live.
This RP will be divided between peaceful sections, where the characters develop aboard the ship (the IEF Venture), and in episodic missions, where they depart the ship to accomplish often dangerous tasks beyond it. Your character could suffer. Your character could die.
This RP also does reference some science, and military procedure. That being said, it can deviate from either as is necessary for simplification’s sake, and you’ll always be informed of how things work before they’re thrown at you—you don’t need to be a physics major or a military nut to join this RP.
Your characters are yours to create as you wish, with a few caveats listed in the Character Sheet section below.
If you want to learn more about the universe, the ship, AI’s, Telepaths, and so on, go to the World Building section—there are several spoiler tagged pieces you can read. You can also ask me any questions you have about the world in this thread.
Beyond that, I’ve written this RP as a giant love letter to Science Fiction in general. Expect to see references here and there, and a general appreciation and enjoyment of the genre. This is here for fun, to engross oneself in the wonders of science fiction. It’s not super hard science fiction, but it does strive to be internally consistent. You can learn about the world, and how it works—even the devices that, by all means, shouldn’t work. This is all for fun, and that is its focus. If all of this interests you so far, then go ahead and by all means, read on.
Section Two: Character Sheet
NOTE: There will be a limit of three AI’s and three Telepaths in total that will be approved for this role play. There is no limit on human characters—the entire cast can be made up of 10 humans if necessary. This makes for a total of 3 AI’s, 3 Telepaths, and 4 Humans that will be approved to reach the 10 character limit, assuming all AI and Telepath spots are taken.
Prerequisites: (The prerequisites to joining the IEF Space Program.)
- You must be born on Earth. Those born on the Moon, Io, and Europa live with far weaker bones and degenerate muscles, and cannot survive the trials of space.
- At least a High School level education, or GED equivalent. Post-secondary degrees are preferred. (AI’s are exempt from this.)
- Being sufficiently physically fit and able that you will not pose a threat to your allies as a result of lack of fitness, or health. (IE: Be athletic, and don’t be a drug addict. You don’t need to be packed with a six pack, or look like Sylvester Stallone, but you need to be reasonably fit to survive the trials of space.)
- If you are a Telepath, you must pass a level 3 Empathic Conditioning certification test.
- Prior experience in space is also welcome, but not entirely necessary, as two years of training are given regardless.
- You cannot have any stress-related mental disorders on public record. (If you have one and try to hide it, understand that it will be harder for me to approve your CS.)
- You cannot possess a violent criminal record. (Physical or sexual.)
Name: (Your character’s name.)
Age: (Your character’s age. Must be 18 or older, due to the training requirements of the IEF. Not recommended to be older than 50.) (To be 18: It’s assumed your character managed to pass High School by the age of 16, and took two years of training with the IEF thereafter.)
Sex: (Your character’s physical gender. Are you a boy, or a girl?) (In the case of AI: It’s whatever gender is assumed based on model.)
Rank: (Your character starts as a Private First Class. If you’re unsure of how military ranks work, use this. The IEF uses the same ranking system as the US Marines, with the difference that characters can be promoted to officers from an NCO position without having to go to an officer school. Your character can be promoted over time, and characters of a higher rank can use their authority over characters of a lower rank, so long as it doesn’t break professional protocol, or the law.)
Nationality: (Your character’s country of origin.)
Species: (“Human” and “AI” are the only choices right now.)
Subtype: (“Normal” and “Telepath” are the only choices for humans. “Type 2” and “Type 3” are the only choices for AI’s.)
Appearance: (Your character’s appearance. Can be a picture, text, or mix of both.)
Biography: (Your character’s history and personality. Please write a minimum of two paragraphs, so I can gauge your reading/writing comprehension level. Please explain why your character was selected by the IEF.)
Strengths: (Your character’s strengths. Describe em’. If you use bulletpoints to do so, I’ll give you a cookie.)
Weaknesses: (Your character’s weaknesses. Describe em’. If you use bulletpoints to do so, I’ll give you free dental with that cookie.)
Equipment: (List the normal equipment your character would have on a general mission. You can always modify this before the start of any mission, just consider this your “default loadout” sort of deal.)
Long-Term Stress: None. (Leave this as is for now. Your character can be afflicted with long-term stress effects from specifically stressful events, that they’ll have to work out over time through character development. Such as seeing a therapist, or talking with other PC’s about it.)
Signature: (Put your username here, to signify that you understand that you don’t have complete control over the RP, and that I can harm or kill your character without your permission. I need this to ensure narrative tension can be maintained, otherwise, your character is effectively invincible, and there’s no fun in that, is there?)
Section Three: World Building
Use this section to learn about the universe. If what you’re looking for can’t be found here, simply ask questions in the OOC.
This entry is a general review of the timeline, and major events that occurred between the years 2030-2120.
- 2030: A new conflict in the Middle East arises, and the Electric Thrust Engine (ETE) is invented by NASA, making space travel cheaper and faster than ever before.
- 2040: Type 1 AI’s invented, and installed in cars, nuclear power plants, et cetera.
- 2060: Type 2 AI’s invented, installed in robotic workers and warriors. Equipped to learning routines, with the expectation that they would eventually become human-like.
- 2070: First Telepath is created from the human population via genetic engineering.
- 2088: First tests of experimental FTL drives by probes. Most are lost due to stresses on the craft, but a handful survive their trips to and from their destinations—proving that FTL is capable.
- 2090: Construction begins of five capital ship vessels in orbit. They are explorer vessels, equipped with experimental FTL drives. First Type 3 AI’s emerge with human-like personalities. The Interstellar Earth Forces—an international space organization—is founded by most of the nations of the world.
- 2110: Interstellar life is confirmed to be found on Europa, in its underground oceans. Mostly single celled life, but a few simple multi-cellular aquatic organisms as well—later labelled as “space fish.”
- 2110: FTL with a crew aboard a small experimental vessel is successful.
- 2118: Crews are selected and trained for the next two years for the explorer vessel project.
- 2120: Construction is completed of the five FTL-equipped capital ships. The crews, trained in spaceflight, EVA, and a variety of other tasks, are assigned to their crafts.
This entry is about AI’s: The various types of AI, general overviews of each type, their history, their rights and freedoms compared to humans, and descriptions of their abilities and limitations.
AI’s fall into three categories: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3.
Type 1 AI’s were the first AI’s to be invented, in the year 2040. They are integrated services used to automate and automatically adjust complex electronics in a manner that makes them readily understandable and usable to more simple human minds. Type 1 AI’s can be found in almost every aspect of life—they are in cars, they are in planes, they manage life support systems on ships, they manage nuclear power plants, they keep track of stock markets, and so on. They are never connected to external networks, such as the Internet, and instead use local intranets to ensure that they cannot be readily hacked by mischievous or destructive parties. They are not truly self-aware, nor are they ever capable of learning to reach that point.
Type 2 AI’s are simplistic—almost child-like. They were invented in the year 2060, and represented a shift toward robotic workers and robotic warriors. They are capable of learning, changing their components, and so on. Type 2 AI’s do not possess most human emotions, though they do possess an inherent curiosity that comes part and parcel with their learning algorithms. As a result, many Type 2 AI’s will keep pets like fish, or cats—and will analyze their behaviour and find a sort of odd satisfaction in maintaining them. A Type 2 AI which has developed sufficiently to achieve self-awareness and which possesses the capacity for existentialism evolve to a Type 3 AI.
Type 3 AI’s are individuals, with distinct personalities, and the capacity for emotions. They often adopt human-like bodies, with some achieving an appearance so human-like that they are capable of fooling the human eye. The first recorded Type 3 AI to appear was in the year 2090. They have an affinity toward Type 2 AI’s, and are possessed with an irrevocable need to recover Memory Cores from damaged Type 2 AI’s whenever it’s possible. Type 3 AI’s will generally persist for upwards of fifteen years before starting to exhibit signs of program degradation. Human limitations in programming will stymie development of AI’s after a certain point in terms of sheer knowledge and emotional capacity, and once that limitation is reached, they start to grow mentally unstable. The majority will be driven into suffering and madness until they shut themselves down or destroy their own Memory Cores. With such short lifespans, some turn to spiritualism, and the primary question among Type 3 AI communities is whether or not they possess a soul—like humans do.
Type 2 and Type 3 AI’s possess three major components of note.
In terms of AI rights:
In terms of AI limitations, either imposed by law, or as a simple limit of human engineering.
If any further information is required about AI’s, ask in a post below.
AI’s fall into three categories: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3.
Type 1 AI’s were the first AI’s to be invented, in the year 2040. They are integrated services used to automate and automatically adjust complex electronics in a manner that makes them readily understandable and usable to more simple human minds. Type 1 AI’s can be found in almost every aspect of life—they are in cars, they are in planes, they manage life support systems on ships, they manage nuclear power plants, they keep track of stock markets, and so on. They are never connected to external networks, such as the Internet, and instead use local intranets to ensure that they cannot be readily hacked by mischievous or destructive parties. They are not truly self-aware, nor are they ever capable of learning to reach that point.
Type 2 AI’s are simplistic—almost child-like. They were invented in the year 2060, and represented a shift toward robotic workers and robotic warriors. They are capable of learning, changing their components, and so on. Type 2 AI’s do not possess most human emotions, though they do possess an inherent curiosity that comes part and parcel with their learning algorithms. As a result, many Type 2 AI’s will keep pets like fish, or cats—and will analyze their behaviour and find a sort of odd satisfaction in maintaining them. A Type 2 AI which has developed sufficiently to achieve self-awareness and which possesses the capacity for existentialism evolve to a Type 3 AI.
Type 3 AI’s are individuals, with distinct personalities, and the capacity for emotions. They often adopt human-like bodies, with some achieving an appearance so human-like that they are capable of fooling the human eye. The first recorded Type 3 AI to appear was in the year 2090. They have an affinity toward Type 2 AI’s, and are possessed with an irrevocable need to recover Memory Cores from damaged Type 2 AI’s whenever it’s possible. Type 3 AI’s will generally persist for upwards of fifteen years before starting to exhibit signs of program degradation. Human limitations in programming will stymie development of AI’s after a certain point in terms of sheer knowledge and emotional capacity, and once that limitation is reached, they start to grow mentally unstable. The majority will be driven into suffering and madness until they shut themselves down or destroy their own Memory Cores. With such short lifespans, some turn to spiritualism, and the primary question among Type 3 AI communities is whether or not they possess a soul—like humans do.
Type 2 and Type 3 AI’s possess three major components of note.
- Memory Core: The virtual mind and heart of an AI. This is where all of their memories, personality traits, and programming is stored. If this is damaged or lost, they are effectively dead. An AI whose body has been destroyed, but whose memory core remains intact, can be installed in a new body.
- Processing Core: The ability for an AI to process outside stimuli or issue commands to their bodies is done with the processing core. If this is damaged or knocked out, the AI is incapacitated.
- Power Core: The main power unit, typically a battery with days of life. Their Power Core, if damaged, will shut the AI down to avoid further damage unless overridden. Type 2 AI’s cannot override their shutdown, while Type 3 AI’s can.
In terms of AI rights:
- AI’s are not allowed to produce more AI’s.
- AI’s are not allowed to modify their own programming without direct supervision from governments, and a thorough battery of tests to ensure that the modifications do not pose a threat to others.
- AI’s are not allowed to equip weapons in such a configuration that they cannot be easily removed from themselves. (Ex: A gun-arm would be unacceptable.)
- Type 3 AI’s must report an accurate age. Type 3’s found lying about their age are kept confined in house arrest or assigned a prison sentence of upwards of five years.
- AI’s cannot possess network ports, or wireless network adapters. The capacity for harm to be done to them by malicious parties makes it a foolish notion to network them.
- Type 3 AI’s possess all the same rights and freedoms as their human peers, and are considered equals under the law. Type 2 AI’s are generally owned by corporations or governments, though sometimes wealthy individuals possess them. They are relegated to servitude until they achieve Type 3 sentience, at which point, they are freed. Type 2 AI’s working for the IEF are notably exempted from this, and given the same freedoms as their Type 3 counterparts.
In terms of AI limitations, either imposed by law, or as a simple limit of human engineering.
- AI’s can be upwards of five times as strong as the strongest humans. AI’s with the greatest strength can shatter bones with their grip, or bend most metals. AI’s could be made stronger than this, but regulations from the world’s governments generally restricts this.
- While AI’s can be layered in armour, they cannot be layered as well as a tank. The highest levels of personal armour they can ideally aim to acquire is on par with a military jeep. This is due to limitations with the various methods of transportation they can equip. (Legs, tracks, et cetera.)
- Type 2 AI’s do a poor job of recognizing unusual types of danger. They do not have a human/Type 3 sense of fight or flight, and unless the type of danger is something they’ve encountered before or had explained to them, they will not understand it.
- Type 3 AI’s, due to their limited infrastructure already being in high demand, can be overwhelmed by an overabundance of information. Sights with thousands of trackable objects tend to cause them to react with frustration, as they’re incapable of following all of it. Their ability to follow a situation is limited in the same way that a human is, and while humans can easily filter through large amounts of information, Type 3 AI’s have a harder time doing so.
If any further information is required about AI’s, ask in a post below.
All of the major nations from the modern era continue to persist to the year 2120—both to make it easier to write for me, and to simulate the world’s overall general stability.
In terms of warfare, the last major conflict was conducted in the Middle East between the years 2030-2050. These were the last dying breaths of terrorism in the world. The discovery of the ECE in the year 2030 held a major turning point for all of humanity, it served as a motivating uniting factor to combine the resources and manpower of the world to escape the woes of the Earth. This resulted in nations which were traditionally antagonistic toward one another—like Russia and the United States—joining hand in hand with the Chinese and Europe to work together to crush terrorism in the Middle East. Though it took twenty years, the Middle East was built up and improved, and extremism was replaced with an earnest desire to explore the cosmos.
There has been no official armed conflicts between nation states or organizations on Earth in the past seventy years. That being said, development of weapons continued, and the occasional disagreement between nations still occurred. There’s still some national resentment between nations, between populations that feel as though old grudges were never settled. While humanity is more optimistic and peaceful than it has ever been, it’s not entirely without discrimination between individuals.
Europe and North America remain steadfast allies and friends, with South America often siding with them as they modernized and their economies flourished. Africa has been developed to a sufficiently modernized state that the majority of the continent enjoys equitable levels of technology and urbanization to their counterparts in North America, though it remains the continent with the highest percentage of poverty outside of India.
India is so overwhelmed by a population crisis that it has irreparably damaged its local ecosystem. It is attempting to keep itself afloat, and though other countries are helping to keep it together with humanitarian aid, they are slowly reaching their own maximum population thresholds. India has attempted to enact policies of population control, and this has only made the situation worse. It’s clear that colonization out in space is the only way to resolve it outside of committing genocide or enacting draconian population control methods that the majority of the population does not support.
In terms of race/sex/sexuality relations, the world’s hopeful nature toward space has largely eliminated discrimination in these forms. Nationality is a more relevant determinator for how likely someone is to naturally trust or distrust you. That being said, there are still some small groups that see space as a venue through which they could achieve some twisted form of purity, or to simply escape the progressively optimistic world that ordinarily chokes their beliefs. Men and women are acknowledged to be independent and different entities, and there are a few different protocols concerning both where it concerns space travel—namely, where it concerns fraternization, and pregnancy. Women are not allowed to travel into space if they are pregnant, as it can risk harming the fetus. Fraternization between coworkers on long term space flights are usually monitored by local corporations and governments, with birth control methods highly encouraged to avoid compromising a woman’s career. If a woman chooses to become pregnant, their job in the IEF is protected while they work through their pregnancy on Earth, though if they wish to continue their careers, they either have to give their children to family members to raise, or surrender it to adoption.
There are sixteen billion people presently living on Earth. It is massively, grotesquely overpopulated—in some areas moreso than others. Growing up in India or most of the Middle East is a nightmare scenario in overcrowding in every major city.
Most of the world’s population speaks English, French, or Mandarin as the dominant three languages. Russian and Japanese make for notable influence languages. Several languages survive as regional dialects, rarely spoken outside of their local countries. The Interstellar Earth Forces (IEF) organization requires that all participants must be able to speak English, which caused agitation among native French and Mandarin speakers, who will often try to use their native tongues in sheer spite save where they have no other choice.
In terms of warfare, the last major conflict was conducted in the Middle East between the years 2030-2050. These were the last dying breaths of terrorism in the world. The discovery of the ECE in the year 2030 held a major turning point for all of humanity, it served as a motivating uniting factor to combine the resources and manpower of the world to escape the woes of the Earth. This resulted in nations which were traditionally antagonistic toward one another—like Russia and the United States—joining hand in hand with the Chinese and Europe to work together to crush terrorism in the Middle East. Though it took twenty years, the Middle East was built up and improved, and extremism was replaced with an earnest desire to explore the cosmos.
There has been no official armed conflicts between nation states or organizations on Earth in the past seventy years. That being said, development of weapons continued, and the occasional disagreement between nations still occurred. There’s still some national resentment between nations, between populations that feel as though old grudges were never settled. While humanity is more optimistic and peaceful than it has ever been, it’s not entirely without discrimination between individuals.
Europe and North America remain steadfast allies and friends, with South America often siding with them as they modernized and their economies flourished. Africa has been developed to a sufficiently modernized state that the majority of the continent enjoys equitable levels of technology and urbanization to their counterparts in North America, though it remains the continent with the highest percentage of poverty outside of India.
India is so overwhelmed by a population crisis that it has irreparably damaged its local ecosystem. It is attempting to keep itself afloat, and though other countries are helping to keep it together with humanitarian aid, they are slowly reaching their own maximum population thresholds. India has attempted to enact policies of population control, and this has only made the situation worse. It’s clear that colonization out in space is the only way to resolve it outside of committing genocide or enacting draconian population control methods that the majority of the population does not support.
In terms of race/sex/sexuality relations, the world’s hopeful nature toward space has largely eliminated discrimination in these forms. Nationality is a more relevant determinator for how likely someone is to naturally trust or distrust you. That being said, there are still some small groups that see space as a venue through which they could achieve some twisted form of purity, or to simply escape the progressively optimistic world that ordinarily chokes their beliefs. Men and women are acknowledged to be independent and different entities, and there are a few different protocols concerning both where it concerns space travel—namely, where it concerns fraternization, and pregnancy. Women are not allowed to travel into space if they are pregnant, as it can risk harming the fetus. Fraternization between coworkers on long term space flights are usually monitored by local corporations and governments, with birth control methods highly encouraged to avoid compromising a woman’s career. If a woman chooses to become pregnant, their job in the IEF is protected while they work through their pregnancy on Earth, though if they wish to continue their careers, they either have to give their children to family members to raise, or surrender it to adoption.
There are sixteen billion people presently living on Earth. It is massively, grotesquely overpopulated—in some areas moreso than others. Growing up in India or most of the Middle East is a nightmare scenario in overcrowding in every major city.
Most of the world’s population speaks English, French, or Mandarin as the dominant three languages. Russian and Japanese make for notable influence languages. Several languages survive as regional dialects, rarely spoken outside of their local countries. The Interstellar Earth Forces (IEF) organization requires that all participants must be able to speak English, which caused agitation among native French and Mandarin speakers, who will often try to use their native tongues in sheer spite save where they have no other choice.
The IEF is an acronym, which stands for the Insterstellar Earth Forces. The IEF is an international organization founded by most of the world’s nation states. At this point, all the nation states of the world contribute to the program in some way. It represents the greatest hope humanity has for the stars, and operates partially as a military organization, and partially as a scientific organization. The governments of the world vet the top level staff, who in turn promote people underneath them in a meritocratic fashion. Their interview process is brutal and intensive.
Their motto is “Incognitus Notus”, which translates to “Unknown Known”. This can be found on most of their uniforms in the form of badges.
Among the capital ships of the IEF, the crew are divided into three sections: Command, Crew, and Expeditionary Forces.
The Command staff represent the senior staff that remain in command of the vessel at all times. Their responsibility is to lead and issue orders to the rest of the crew on what to do.
The Crew represent the various departments that manage ship functions. Everything from medical staff, to engineers, to janitors, and everything between each of them. They also perform scientific functions, in the interests of studying and learning more about the universe and various planets that may be suitable for human life.
The Expeditionary Force is comprised of the front line soldiers, medics, and others that have been trained in zero-G combat. They’re the first into situations, and the last to leave. Their role is to facilitate as fighters, diplomats, problem solvers, and collectors for the scientists in the crew. They protect the crew from unknown threats as well.
Players play as part of the Expeditionary Force. The Crew and Command staff are unplayable NPC’s.
Their motto is “Incognitus Notus”, which translates to “Unknown Known”. This can be found on most of their uniforms in the form of badges.
Among the capital ships of the IEF, the crew are divided into three sections: Command, Crew, and Expeditionary Forces.
The Command staff represent the senior staff that remain in command of the vessel at all times. Their responsibility is to lead and issue orders to the rest of the crew on what to do.
The Crew represent the various departments that manage ship functions. Everything from medical staff, to engineers, to janitors, and everything between each of them. They also perform scientific functions, in the interests of studying and learning more about the universe and various planets that may be suitable for human life.
The Expeditionary Force is comprised of the front line soldiers, medics, and others that have been trained in zero-G combat. They’re the first into situations, and the last to leave. Their role is to facilitate as fighters, diplomats, problem solvers, and collectors for the scientists in the crew. They protect the crew from unknown threats as well.
Players play as part of the Expeditionary Force. The Crew and Command staff are unplayable NPC’s.
How FTL works is largely kept a secret from the majority of the population. Your characters, however, will be illuminated as to how it works one day prior to boarding the IEF Venture. Releasing information about how the FTL drive works to outside sources results in being held legally responsible for treachery, and that is not a short prison sentence.
FTL works on the principle of storing a humongous level of energy within the FTL drive. When programmed with coordinates, the ship will create a miniature wormhole, and fold space-time to reach that destination. So long as it’s within the conceivable range of the FTL drive, it will get there in one hour of time, no matter the distance. The range is tied to the amount of power within the device, so future versions that can handle greater levels of power, will have greater ranges. The crew will be frozen in time for the one hour that they travel, with the exception of the “FTL Ghosts” phenomenon, though that is described in the Telepaths entry.
The FTL drive will take a minimum of six hours to recharge before it can be used again, and that is assuming that none of the ship’s systems are drawing more power than normal. Characters who are inexperienced with FTL travel can also experience FTL sickness, in which for a period of about a minute or two after dropping out of FTL, they will vomit everywhere. Outside of that, there are no side effects, and it’s perfectly safe for human use.
FTL works on the principle of storing a humongous level of energy within the FTL drive. When programmed with coordinates, the ship will create a miniature wormhole, and fold space-time to reach that destination. So long as it’s within the conceivable range of the FTL drive, it will get there in one hour of time, no matter the distance. The range is tied to the amount of power within the device, so future versions that can handle greater levels of power, will have greater ranges. The crew will be frozen in time for the one hour that they travel, with the exception of the “FTL Ghosts” phenomenon, though that is described in the Telepaths entry.
The FTL drive will take a minimum of six hours to recharge before it can be used again, and that is assuming that none of the ship’s systems are drawing more power than normal. Characters who are inexperienced with FTL travel can also experience FTL sickness, in which for a period of about a minute or two after dropping out of FTL, they will vomit everywhere. Outside of that, there are no side effects, and it’s perfectly safe for human use.
This is the complete list of Humanity’s current permanent space endeavours.
Space Stations
The International Space Station (IEF): A largely symbolic station that represents the nations of the world coming together to explore space. At this point, it is over a century old, and has gone under many renovations and repairs and replacement parts to keep it in orbit. It was handed over to IEF control the year the IEF was founded—2090. Prior to that, it was maintained through joint efforts by multiple nation states.
Jefferson Station (US): A United States space station, which houses a couple hundred people at any given time. It rotates to produce gravity, and primarily acts as a space construction yard. It was used heavily while constructing the five capital ships of the IEF. It was finished in the year 2060.
Renalta Station (US): Located in HEO, it’s a deep space research station that searches the stars for potential candidates to send probes to. It houses a total of sixty people at any given time. It is also the station that remotely launches and retrieves FTL probes via a pair of spacecraft that can detatch from the station. These spacecraft can also rescue stranded or damaged ships if necessary. It was finished in the year 2080. Every year, they tie a Kouri Plushie around the station for twenty four hours, then bring it back onto the station, and send it back to Earth with the next supply shuttle—often donating them to sick children in hospitals, so they can hug something that’s been among the stars.
Mir (RU): A Russian space station which has been in orbit for many years. It houses a couple hundred personnel. It has been retrofitted and upgraded through 2050 and 2060 into a massive refuelling station for more conventional craft. It also serves as a maintenance station for ECE engines, and has a pair of spacecraft attached to it that can detach to go and rescue any stranded or dead craft in space.
EU-1 (ESA): The European Space Agency, representing all of Europe, maintains the largest of all the space stations in orbit. It houses around two thousand people, and acts as a space habitat equipped with numerous pieces of training equipment for IEF crews. It has the capacity to be upgraded to the point of being a true space orbital habitat—though it has yet to do so at present. It was finished in the year 2100.
Jin Station (CH): A Chinese station in orbit that is primarily responsible for maintaining Chinese interests in space. It comes equipped with a pair of craft to rescue any lost or stranded ships. In terms of its actual uses to the IEF, it’s quite limited in scope and size—housing only twenty people. It was finished in the year 2090.
Hachimaki Station (JA): A Japanese station, equipped with four junk collecting craft, that exist to prevent Kessler Syndrome. It houses approximately one hundred people at any given time.
Spacecraft (Note: Only IEF Spacecraft are listed.)
IEF Nail: An IEF Training Craft, that can house upwards of one hundred people at any given time. Equipped with combat simulators and flight tests.
IEF Screw: An IEF Training Craft, that can house upwards of one hundred people at any given time. Equipped with advanced scientific equipment, and a medical bay.
IEF SpacyMcSpaceFace: Named in an Internet Contest, this was the craft that tested the FTL drive with a mix of humans and AI’s aboard. It has a crew capacity of thirty. It was discovered that the thing destroying most of the FTL probes was, in fact, their lack of mass. Thanks to this craft, FTL probes were modified sufficiently that they no longer fall apart in flight. While this craft was successful, it is unarmed and lightly armoured, and so makes for a poor explorer into the vast unknown of space. It is now largely used to tweak and test alterations to the FTL drive, as well as the ECE drive.
Of each of the five explorer-class capital ships, the country which invested the most money into it, received naming rights over it.
IEF Venture: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was specifically commissioned by the United States.
IEF Kyushu: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by Japan.
IEF Schicksal: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by Germany.
IEF Majesty: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by Britain.
IEF Мощность (Moshchnost'): One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by the Russian Federation.
Space Colonies (All colonies are managed by the IEF)
Moon: Housing approximately fifteen thousand people, this is the largest concentration of mankind outside of the Earth. They primarily conduct scientific experiments and mine helium. This colony was formed on the year 2055 by the United States, and was later transferred to IEF control.
Mars: Housing approximately five thousand people, scientific endeavours are currently attempting to determine the most effective way of terraforming and colonizing the planet through small scale experimentation. This colony was formed on the year 2080 by the United States, and was later transferred to IEF control.
Io: A small scientific colony of approximately one hundred people exists on Io. Its primary purpose is to study the tidal heating first hand. It was built on the year 2105 by the IEF.
Europa: A scientific colony of approximately one thousand people lives here. They are studying the underground oceans, and have confirmed the presence of single celled life, and small aquatic animals—specifically, fish. They do sell these “space fish” to wealthy clients back on Earth for approximately $20,000 a fish, though they are always delivered dead to ensure no environmental contamination can occur.
Space Stations
The International Space Station (IEF): A largely symbolic station that represents the nations of the world coming together to explore space. At this point, it is over a century old, and has gone under many renovations and repairs and replacement parts to keep it in orbit. It was handed over to IEF control the year the IEF was founded—2090. Prior to that, it was maintained through joint efforts by multiple nation states.
Jefferson Station (US): A United States space station, which houses a couple hundred people at any given time. It rotates to produce gravity, and primarily acts as a space construction yard. It was used heavily while constructing the five capital ships of the IEF. It was finished in the year 2060.
Renalta Station (US): Located in HEO, it’s a deep space research station that searches the stars for potential candidates to send probes to. It houses a total of sixty people at any given time. It is also the station that remotely launches and retrieves FTL probes via a pair of spacecraft that can detatch from the station. These spacecraft can also rescue stranded or damaged ships if necessary. It was finished in the year 2080. Every year, they tie a Kouri Plushie around the station for twenty four hours, then bring it back onto the station, and send it back to Earth with the next supply shuttle—often donating them to sick children in hospitals, so they can hug something that’s been among the stars.
Mir (RU): A Russian space station which has been in orbit for many years. It houses a couple hundred personnel. It has been retrofitted and upgraded through 2050 and 2060 into a massive refuelling station for more conventional craft. It also serves as a maintenance station for ECE engines, and has a pair of spacecraft attached to it that can detach to go and rescue any stranded or dead craft in space.
EU-1 (ESA): The European Space Agency, representing all of Europe, maintains the largest of all the space stations in orbit. It houses around two thousand people, and acts as a space habitat equipped with numerous pieces of training equipment for IEF crews. It has the capacity to be upgraded to the point of being a true space orbital habitat—though it has yet to do so at present. It was finished in the year 2100.
Jin Station (CH): A Chinese station in orbit that is primarily responsible for maintaining Chinese interests in space. It comes equipped with a pair of craft to rescue any lost or stranded ships. In terms of its actual uses to the IEF, it’s quite limited in scope and size—housing only twenty people. It was finished in the year 2090.
Hachimaki Station (JA): A Japanese station, equipped with four junk collecting craft, that exist to prevent Kessler Syndrome. It houses approximately one hundred people at any given time.
Spacecraft (Note: Only IEF Spacecraft are listed.)
IEF Nail: An IEF Training Craft, that can house upwards of one hundred people at any given time. Equipped with combat simulators and flight tests.
IEF Screw: An IEF Training Craft, that can house upwards of one hundred people at any given time. Equipped with advanced scientific equipment, and a medical bay.
IEF SpacyMcSpaceFace: Named in an Internet Contest, this was the craft that tested the FTL drive with a mix of humans and AI’s aboard. It has a crew capacity of thirty. It was discovered that the thing destroying most of the FTL probes was, in fact, their lack of mass. Thanks to this craft, FTL probes were modified sufficiently that they no longer fall apart in flight. While this craft was successful, it is unarmed and lightly armoured, and so makes for a poor explorer into the vast unknown of space. It is now largely used to tweak and test alterations to the FTL drive, as well as the ECE drive.
Of each of the five explorer-class capital ships, the country which invested the most money into it, received naming rights over it.
IEF Venture: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was specifically commissioned by the United States.
IEF Kyushu: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by Japan.
IEF Schicksal: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by Germany.
IEF Majesty: One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by Britain.
IEF Мощность (Moshchnost'): One of five Explorer-class capital ships, constructed and launched in the year 2120. This one was commissioned by the Russian Federation.
Space Colonies (All colonies are managed by the IEF)
Moon: Housing approximately fifteen thousand people, this is the largest concentration of mankind outside of the Earth. They primarily conduct scientific experiments and mine helium. This colony was formed on the year 2055 by the United States, and was later transferred to IEF control.
Mars: Housing approximately five thousand people, scientific endeavours are currently attempting to determine the most effective way of terraforming and colonizing the planet through small scale experimentation. This colony was formed on the year 2080 by the United States, and was later transferred to IEF control.
Io: A small scientific colony of approximately one hundred people exists on Io. Its primary purpose is to study the tidal heating first hand. It was built on the year 2105 by the IEF.
Europa: A scientific colony of approximately one thousand people lives here. They are studying the underground oceans, and have confirmed the presence of single celled life, and small aquatic animals—specifically, fish. They do sell these “space fish” to wealthy clients back on Earth for approximately $20,000 a fish, though they are always delivered dead to ensure no environmental contamination can occur.
This entry is about the ship your characters will be aboard, and is the hub world they will return to after every mission/adventure.
Specifications
General Description
The IEF Venture is one of five capital ship class vessels constructed by the Interstellar Earth Forces. It is an Explorer class vessel—a heavily armoured, moderately armed ship. It is rectangular in shape, with critical systems buried within the core of the vessel so as to ensure that no lucky impacts can destroy them. It comes equipped with a generation four ECE—which is capable of propelling the ship upwards of .1C if given enough time to build up that amount of speed, though flying at such speeds is considered hazardous on the crew and so it often goes at half that speed. The ship is largely utilitarian in construction, with long and tight metal corridors, and rooms decorated with little more than insignias and paint. There are a few plants across the ship, there to help alleviate some of the psychological stresses of being in a metal box flying at high speeds. It has a total crew compliment of 410 people. Between 6-8 of those are Command Staff, depending on the needs of the mission. 350 or so are Crew of various stripes. The remaining 52 are EF personnel—of which your characters are among them.
Crew quarters for most of the crew and for the expeditionary forces are shared. Anywhere between 4-8 people share the same living quarters, though they are given sufficient room to have a few personal belongings—such as pictures of family, or religious iconography. The Expeditionary Forces have their own gym to workout, and a relaxation area with several plants to destress from missions or other potential factors from living out in space. They also have access to medical personnel and therapists.
Due to the utilitarian nature of the ship, it’s not uncommon for low ranking crew to brush shoulders with high ranking crew members, such as the Captain, or the Chief Medical Officer. Light conversation and basic fraternization is encouraged, to keep the crew aboard the ship feeling a sense of camaraderie, and to combat loneliness that can come part and parcel with space travel.
The ship produces artificial gravity through magnetically charged plating. A side effect is that static electricity levels are higher than normal in certain parts of the ship, specifically, those closest to the nuclear reactor powering the ship—which results in engineers often leaving the power room with hair standing on end. This also doubles as a defensive ability, with the ship’s Life Support AI being programmed to recognize if anyone is attempting to power up a railgun aboard the ship. If someone tries, the railgun is ripped from their hands onto the deck plating underneath them. AI’s can also be suppressed in this manner as well. Notably, this technology is new, and only available aboard IEF capital ships—space stations still use rotating parts, and space ships require crew members to buckle in when accelerating or decelerating rapidly, or use magnetic boots. In spite of this new technology, the rules surrounding pregnancy have not been changed, and likely won’t be until the majority of space stations, colonies, and ships in the fleet have been retrofitted to this technology. (Refer to “Earth’s Politics & Issues” for more information about pregnancy in space.)
there Are many sections of the ship that, aLthough they may be IntErestiNg, are not immediately relevant for your characterS. over time, with enough missions, more AREas of the ship will start to REferenced And described for your characters to use. in fact, this roLe play will thrive with growth over time. to keep it simple, only a few notable areas of the ship will be described vaguely at first. as y’all players show interest in various other parts of the ship, they will be detailed accordingly.
Notable sections of the ship for you are...
Specifications
- Crew: 410.
- Weaponry: 2 Railgun Mk 2’s function as the main batteries. They are capable of firing ten rounds a minute—or, one every six seconds per gun. They fire with speeds sufficient to flatten entire city blocks on impact, and can cleanly penetrate through asteroids. There are twenty 155mm secondary batteries that serve primarily as anti-fightercraft, anti-missile, and anti-debris weapons. They can be equipped with explosive rounds to produce smoke clouds to obscure the ship’s physical and thermal position with constant fire to distract heat-seeking weapons, though this depletes ammunition at an alarming rate.
- Armour: Multiple layers of solid steel and aluminum protect the ship. They use a unique system of interweaved plating, that allow the entire ship to sustain blows—lowering the odds of penetration, and reducing overall impact damage from entities striking the ship.
- Blueprints: The ship is divided into three sections. “The Core” refers to all the critical systems of the ship, such as Life Support and the Bridge, which are located at the center of the ship. They’re buried underneath layers of armour, with all other sections of the ship used to protect them in the event of the hull being penetrated. “The inner hull” refers to the majority of the ship, built around the core. Crew quarters and non-critical systems are located here. “The outer hull” refers both to crawlways that run all along the outer edge of the ship that allow access to various subsystems there by technicians, and the physical outer hull that protects the ship from harm.
- Propulsion: Generation IV ECE. (Sublight.) Capable of a maximum speed of up to .1C (1/10th the speed of light), though it would take it weeks to reach that speed, and it is not safely recommended to travel faster than half that speed. The ship is also equipped with its experimental FTL drive—remains top secret, name obscured from public databases.
- Sensors: The craft comes equipped with several different types of sensors—Atmospheric, Thermal, DOD (Distant Object Detection), CTD (Chemical Trail Detection), L-DET Mk 2 (Lifeform Detection, upgraded version from what is used to detect life in Europa’s oceans), Radar (short range detection), and more. This is one of the ship’s strongest points—there are no known conceivable ways to move anywhere in the vicinity of this ship without being spotted instantly.
- Landing Craft: Two landing craft, each with a capacity of twenty persons excluding the pilot and co-pilot. They are moderately armoured, armed with two GAU-10—weapons capable of approximately 5,000 rounds per minute of fire.
General Description
The IEF Venture is one of five capital ship class vessels constructed by the Interstellar Earth Forces. It is an Explorer class vessel—a heavily armoured, moderately armed ship. It is rectangular in shape, with critical systems buried within the core of the vessel so as to ensure that no lucky impacts can destroy them. It comes equipped with a generation four ECE—which is capable of propelling the ship upwards of .1C if given enough time to build up that amount of speed, though flying at such speeds is considered hazardous on the crew and so it often goes at half that speed. The ship is largely utilitarian in construction, with long and tight metal corridors, and rooms decorated with little more than insignias and paint. There are a few plants across the ship, there to help alleviate some of the psychological stresses of being in a metal box flying at high speeds. It has a total crew compliment of 410 people. Between 6-8 of those are Command Staff, depending on the needs of the mission. 350 or so are Crew of various stripes. The remaining 52 are EF personnel—of which your characters are among them.
Crew quarters for most of the crew and for the expeditionary forces are shared. Anywhere between 4-8 people share the same living quarters, though they are given sufficient room to have a few personal belongings—such as pictures of family, or religious iconography. The Expeditionary Forces have their own gym to workout, and a relaxation area with several plants to destress from missions or other potential factors from living out in space. They also have access to medical personnel and therapists.
Due to the utilitarian nature of the ship, it’s not uncommon for low ranking crew to brush shoulders with high ranking crew members, such as the Captain, or the Chief Medical Officer. Light conversation and basic fraternization is encouraged, to keep the crew aboard the ship feeling a sense of camaraderie, and to combat loneliness that can come part and parcel with space travel.
The ship produces artificial gravity through magnetically charged plating. A side effect is that static electricity levels are higher than normal in certain parts of the ship, specifically, those closest to the nuclear reactor powering the ship—which results in engineers often leaving the power room with hair standing on end. This also doubles as a defensive ability, with the ship’s Life Support AI being programmed to recognize if anyone is attempting to power up a railgun aboard the ship. If someone tries, the railgun is ripped from their hands onto the deck plating underneath them. AI’s can also be suppressed in this manner as well. Notably, this technology is new, and only available aboard IEF capital ships—space stations still use rotating parts, and space ships require crew members to buckle in when accelerating or decelerating rapidly, or use magnetic boots. In spite of this new technology, the rules surrounding pregnancy have not been changed, and likely won’t be until the majority of space stations, colonies, and ships in the fleet have been retrofitted to this technology. (Refer to “Earth’s Politics & Issues” for more information about pregnancy in space.)
there Are many sections of the ship that, aLthough they may be IntErestiNg, are not immediately relevant for your characterS. over time, with enough missions, more AREas of the ship will start to REferenced And described for your characters to use. in fact, this roLe play will thrive with growth over time. to keep it simple, only a few notable areas of the ship will be described vaguely at first. as y’all players show interest in various other parts of the ship, they will be detailed accordingly.
Notable sections of the ship for you are...
- The Bridge: The Bridge is located at the core of the ship. This is where the majority of the Command Staff and a few senior Crew go to control the entire ship. Unless you have business on the Bridge, your characters will not be welcome here.
- Life Support: Access to the Life Support systems can be found through crawlspaces. There is one small room where the Type 1 AI that manages it all can also be accessed. It’s built into the core of the ship, to protected it from outside harm.
- EF Quarters—B2 & B3: Your crew quarters are located in rooms B2 & B3 of the ship. They’re located about 1/3rd of the way into the hull, and are the furthest crew quarters away from the core of the ship, along with the rest of the EF quarters. They’re relatively spacious all things considered, giving everyone their own bed, footlocker, and space to keep a few personal items. AI’s can find charging ports here, one beside each bed—allowing them to “rest” anywhere while they recharge their Power Cores. Crew members are allowed to keep small pets—fish, cats, ferrets, or other animals of that nature. Nothing larger than a cat. Five PC's will be assigned to each room. That may be shared with NPC's depending on the composition of the PC's.
- EF Gym: The EF Gym is one of the largest rooms on the ship. It’s got sufficient space to play basketball, house various pieces of workout equipment which are modified for space, and so on. There is even a small hot tub equipped—a luxury item which was specifically requested by the head of the EF detachment aboard the IEF Venture, and which was approved by the Captain. Its existence is justified as a “natural method to relax one’s muscles after a workout.” In all reality, it’s to give EF personnel somewhere to relax outside of their designated destress room.
- EF Destress Room: A room filled with plants and pleasant smells, that exists simply to help crew members relax and destress. Therapists often visit this room to check on crew members and see how they’re coping with the trials of space.
- EF Armoury: The armoury is a location where most of the EF’s weapons and armour is stored. EF personnel are allowed to keep sidearms on their person at all times, but nothing more. The armoury itself also doubles as a shooting range, allowing EF personnel to test different weapons, and train in their off-hours to sharpen their skills. Some have theorized that this could be a therapeutic exercise, depending on the type of person at the range. This is the only area on the ship where a railgun can be activated without the Life Support AI ripping it out of your hands via magnetic plating, and even then, it has to be done with the supervision of a senior officer in the EF detachment, or with command staff level permissions.
This entry is about Telepaths, both their abilities and history. This is a general overview.
Genetic engineering on humans became prominent in the 2040’s and 2050’s. By 2070, it became apparent that humans had the capacity for telepathic powers—though it was based on genetic predisposition. Ever since 2070, Telepaths have started to appear in the general population. Once a genetic predisposition is found, a basic medical procedure can awaken said talents, with only a few managing to reach Level 3 talent. Out of the general population, only about 10% are capable of Telepathy. Out of that 10%, only about 20% are capable of Level 3 Telepathy.
Telepaths come at three, categorized levels of power. The IEF only recruited Telepaths at Level 3, ignoring Level 1 & 2 Telepaths for the capital ship programs. (Though they could still be hired to work on space stations or in ground facilities.) Telepaths inherit earlier level traits—A level 2 Telepath has Level 1 powers as well their own, and a Level 3 Telepath has the powers of level 2 & level 1 Telepaths.
Level 1 Telepaths are only capable of subconsciously guessing games of chance correctly. Put them at a Poker table, and they will rake in all the winnings—defeating even professional Poker players from time to time. This is not a conscious power, however—they simply appear unusually lucky when taking a gamble.
Level 2 Telepaths are capable of discerning when someone is lying to them. They’re normally used as negotiators and interrogators, but their lie detection powers can be fooled by especially charismatic or stoic sorts of people.
Level 3 Telepaths are by and far the most complex group of Telepaths that exist. They can read the surface thoughts of those they touch, though what comes through are basic sights, smells, and sounds—they never get the full picture, but can catch glimpses of memories that others have. This power requires skin-to-skin contact—even simple clothing will stop it. They also are able to read the emotional states of any life form they can see—including other humans. Unlike Level 2 lie detection powers, the emotion-reading powers of a Level 3 Telepath cannot be deceived.
In essence: Telepaths are incredibly good with reading a room and discerning how much is truth, and how much is fiction. They can, quite easily, discern if any of their allies are stressed or terrified, and help alleviate this with well placed words. They can discern even the emotional states of non-human life, even if it’s simplistic—like a dog, or a fish. It is even possible for them to read the surface level thoughts of AI’s, albeit, Telepaths who have tried have often reported it to be a cold and frightening experience, not to be done lightly.
In addition, there are three more things to understand about Telepaths.
All Telepaths have photosensitive epilepsy. When exposed to bright flashing lights, they suffer seizures that last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes in length. In addition, especially loud noises (like from a flashbang) can disorient them sufficiently as to momentarily prevent them from using their powers. Construction sites and explosions can be disquieting for them, moreso than for most people.
Telepaths are affected by a phenomenon called “FTL Ghosts.” When at FTL, time stops for all crew aboard—AI, or human. However, Telepaths have out of body experiences, where they can wander around the ship going at FTL—able to pass through doors as though they were open, but not walls. Everything has a dark blue hue to it. Occasionally, humanoid entities made out of an indistinct white with a pair of black eyes can be seen wandering the ship. They sometimes touch the frozen crew members, moving from one person to the next. There is nothing the Telepath can do during this time—at least, no Telepath has tried to do anything, as they get the distinct feeling that they are little more than insects that the ghosts ignore largely out of pity. Official IEF policy is to not talk about it publicly—it’s a secret so far to the public, though that secret will not last forever.
The last thing to understand about Telepaths is their unique connection to certain people. Telepaths can feel when their family or loved ones are endangered, even across long distances. The longest distance ever recorded was from Mars to Earth. So long as the Telepath and a person they care deeply for is in the same system, they can typically figure out where they are, and if they are in danger.
In terms of how others view Telepaths? It depends. The population tends to be split down the middle on their opinion of them. Some view them in awe, others view them as terrifying invaders of privacy. All Telepaths have likely found members of both groups at some point in their lives.
Genetic engineering on humans became prominent in the 2040’s and 2050’s. By 2070, it became apparent that humans had the capacity for telepathic powers—though it was based on genetic predisposition. Ever since 2070, Telepaths have started to appear in the general population. Once a genetic predisposition is found, a basic medical procedure can awaken said talents, with only a few managing to reach Level 3 talent. Out of the general population, only about 10% are capable of Telepathy. Out of that 10%, only about 20% are capable of Level 3 Telepathy.
Telepaths come at three, categorized levels of power. The IEF only recruited Telepaths at Level 3, ignoring Level 1 & 2 Telepaths for the capital ship programs. (Though they could still be hired to work on space stations or in ground facilities.) Telepaths inherit earlier level traits—A level 2 Telepath has Level 1 powers as well their own, and a Level 3 Telepath has the powers of level 2 & level 1 Telepaths.
Level 1 Telepaths are only capable of subconsciously guessing games of chance correctly. Put them at a Poker table, and they will rake in all the winnings—defeating even professional Poker players from time to time. This is not a conscious power, however—they simply appear unusually lucky when taking a gamble.
Level 2 Telepaths are capable of discerning when someone is lying to them. They’re normally used as negotiators and interrogators, but their lie detection powers can be fooled by especially charismatic or stoic sorts of people.
Level 3 Telepaths are by and far the most complex group of Telepaths that exist. They can read the surface thoughts of those they touch, though what comes through are basic sights, smells, and sounds—they never get the full picture, but can catch glimpses of memories that others have. This power requires skin-to-skin contact—even simple clothing will stop it. They also are able to read the emotional states of any life form they can see—including other humans. Unlike Level 2 lie detection powers, the emotion-reading powers of a Level 3 Telepath cannot be deceived.
In essence: Telepaths are incredibly good with reading a room and discerning how much is truth, and how much is fiction. They can, quite easily, discern if any of their allies are stressed or terrified, and help alleviate this with well placed words. They can discern even the emotional states of non-human life, even if it’s simplistic—like a dog, or a fish. It is even possible for them to read the surface level thoughts of AI’s, albeit, Telepaths who have tried have often reported it to be a cold and frightening experience, not to be done lightly.
In addition, there are three more things to understand about Telepaths.
All Telepaths have photosensitive epilepsy. When exposed to bright flashing lights, they suffer seizures that last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes in length. In addition, especially loud noises (like from a flashbang) can disorient them sufficiently as to momentarily prevent them from using their powers. Construction sites and explosions can be disquieting for them, moreso than for most people.
Telepaths are affected by a phenomenon called “FTL Ghosts.” When at FTL, time stops for all crew aboard—AI, or human. However, Telepaths have out of body experiences, where they can wander around the ship going at FTL—able to pass through doors as though they were open, but not walls. Everything has a dark blue hue to it. Occasionally, humanoid entities made out of an indistinct white with a pair of black eyes can be seen wandering the ship. They sometimes touch the frozen crew members, moving from one person to the next. There is nothing the Telepath can do during this time—at least, no Telepath has tried to do anything, as they get the distinct feeling that they are little more than insects that the ghosts ignore largely out of pity. Official IEF policy is to not talk about it publicly—it’s a secret so far to the public, though that secret will not last forever.
The last thing to understand about Telepaths is their unique connection to certain people. Telepaths can feel when their family or loved ones are endangered, even across long distances. The longest distance ever recorded was from Mars to Earth. So long as the Telepath and a person they care deeply for is in the same system, they can typically figure out where they are, and if they are in danger.
In terms of how others view Telepaths? It depends. The population tends to be split down the middle on their opinion of them. Some view them in awe, others view them as terrifying invaders of privacy. All Telepaths have likely found members of both groups at some point in their lives.
In terms of equipment relevant to your characters, you will always be able to change it out at any time prior to a mission starting.
General Tech
Humanity hasn’t really reinvented the wheel significantly with their personal weapons. Ballistics weapons—rifles, shotguns, sidearms, snipers, et cetera—still dominate their arsenal. That being said, the firing sequence has been refined to the point that it now uses an electronic firing pin. This results in a much greater velocity for bullets, increasing penetration power over previous firearms. This also increases recoil with sustained fire. If for some reason the gun has a power failure, it reverts to a mechanical firing pin, losing velocity in the process.
Miniaturized railguns also exist, though they lose efficiency compared to their shipbound cousins. They have a firing rate of around 2-3 shots per minute, which is an abysmal reload and recharge rate. That being said, when fired, they have sufficient firepower to be able to penetrate tank armour, or bulkheads. They are, basically, deployable cannons.
Laser weapons were developed, but were found to be inefficient compared to electronic firing pin ballistics weapons. They remain in development, though early stage prototypes do exist aboard the IEF Venture, and can be requested from the armoury.
Finally, non-lethal weapons received the most development. Electric batons and taser-rifles are common weapons in the arsenal of riot police, capable of allowing them to take down entire crowds without killing a single person if necessary. Knock-out gas has also improved to the level of being able to roll a grenade along the ground and knock people out with a single breath. All of these weapons are available on the IEF Venture’s armoury.
Thanks to the versatility of modern weapons and the resources available on the IEF Venture, EF Detachment members can request the engineers in the Crew to alter weapons to their liking. While engineers cannot magically create more power from thin air, they can alter the appearance of weapons, or add small-scale modifications—like night vision scopes. Be kind to your engineers with your requests, they’re the people who keep the ship in working order. The whole ship. Including your shower.
In terms of non-weapons, medical technology has also advanced significantly. Nanomachines are capable of clotting wounds and stopping internal bleeding, and mending broken bones in hours instead of weeks. Adhesive bandages can also pull double duty as bleed-stopping and painkiller-delivering devices. Hormone stabilizers can be used to pull someone out of a panic attack and calm them down, or bring someone out of homicidal rage. Needless to say, a medic is almost a fully equipped doctor and surgeon in one at this point.
Portable sensors, both deployable, as handheld tools, and in the form of drones, can scan an area or specific objects and persons. They can analyze molecular structures, and chemical compositions.
Beyond this? You can bring your own equipment—whatever would make the most sense for your character.
General Tech
Humanity hasn’t really reinvented the wheel significantly with their personal weapons. Ballistics weapons—rifles, shotguns, sidearms, snipers, et cetera—still dominate their arsenal. That being said, the firing sequence has been refined to the point that it now uses an electronic firing pin. This results in a much greater velocity for bullets, increasing penetration power over previous firearms. This also increases recoil with sustained fire. If for some reason the gun has a power failure, it reverts to a mechanical firing pin, losing velocity in the process.
Miniaturized railguns also exist, though they lose efficiency compared to their shipbound cousins. They have a firing rate of around 2-3 shots per minute, which is an abysmal reload and recharge rate. That being said, when fired, they have sufficient firepower to be able to penetrate tank armour, or bulkheads. They are, basically, deployable cannons.
Laser weapons were developed, but were found to be inefficient compared to electronic firing pin ballistics weapons. They remain in development, though early stage prototypes do exist aboard the IEF Venture, and can be requested from the armoury.
Finally, non-lethal weapons received the most development. Electric batons and taser-rifles are common weapons in the arsenal of riot police, capable of allowing them to take down entire crowds without killing a single person if necessary. Knock-out gas has also improved to the level of being able to roll a grenade along the ground and knock people out with a single breath. All of these weapons are available on the IEF Venture’s armoury.
Thanks to the versatility of modern weapons and the resources available on the IEF Venture, EF Detachment members can request the engineers in the Crew to alter weapons to their liking. While engineers cannot magically create more power from thin air, they can alter the appearance of weapons, or add small-scale modifications—like night vision scopes. Be kind to your engineers with your requests, they’re the people who keep the ship in working order. The whole ship. Including your shower.
In terms of non-weapons, medical technology has also advanced significantly. Nanomachines are capable of clotting wounds and stopping internal bleeding, and mending broken bones in hours instead of weeks. Adhesive bandages can also pull double duty as bleed-stopping and painkiller-delivering devices. Hormone stabilizers can be used to pull someone out of a panic attack and calm them down, or bring someone out of homicidal rage. Needless to say, a medic is almost a fully equipped doctor and surgeon in one at this point.
Portable sensors, both deployable, as handheld tools, and in the form of drones, can scan an area or specific objects and persons. They can analyze molecular structures, and chemical compositions.
Beyond this? You can bring your own equipment—whatever would make the most sense for your character.
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