Index I

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ UP TO CHAPTER 30 YOU DON'T BELONG HERE. SERIOUSLY. IT'S NOTHING BUT LORE SPOILERS AND NO PORN.

Typhons - The previously undiscovered alien species that attacked and nearly destroyed humanity in 2820s. A component life form, with symbiotic portions of fungal and viral cells serving as essential portions of the Typhons life cycle and reproductive process. They are a violent, territorial and aggressive race with whom all attempts at diplomacy or even dialogue inevitably fail. Their biology is segregated into four distinct types, with the relationship between the three not entirely clear. However, any single Typhon far outclasses any human in a physical contest.

Rabies Babies - Not truly considered a Typhon, although they are a part of the species. These infant sized albino monsters, are almost always found in small packs or dreaded swarms. They have no ability or desire to reproduce and instead seek only to devour anything they come upon. Upon acquiring enough mass, they will enter a period of hibernation and metamorphosis, emerging from a chrysalis as small Adolescents, along with any other nearby members of their pack. These creatures will stay together until one or more of them is large enough for a mating instinct to kick in, at which time, it will seek to devour its former pack and others in order to start its own purification process.

Adolescents - The smallest and weakest of the species. They are also the most variable. Ranging in size from 1.5 meters tall to almost 2 meters, their intelligence is on par with that of a gifted animal, though their appearance is close enough to be mistaken for human at a distance. Of all the Typhon forms, it alone possesses a desire and history of cooperation and communal living, often hunting and sleeping with others of its 'pack'.

Scaleskins - The larger, and much more dangerous of the species, not simply because of its incredible physical attributes that border on superhuman, but because its intelligence is greatly increased. A Scaleskin may in fact be sentient, although their drives and desires are so alien and evil that this is impossible to test. Regardless, Scaleskins are responsible for the truly horrific legends from the Plague. Tales of massive creatures moving so fast they are a blur, strong enough to tear living beings apart and dwelling in massive underground lairs, serviced by their pregnant slaves who toil eternally until the moment of their deaths. People who encounter Scaleskins often make the apocryphal claim that they can feel its 'hatred' in its gaze. Their distinctive frill of fur around their shoulders and the scales that sporadically cover their body make them visually distinct from Adolescents.

Purebloods - A legendary breed of Typhon which no living person can reliably prove. Despite this, their existence was a widely held belief by many. The single greatest piece of evidence for their existence beyond hearsay is that something must be directing the Typhon's spread. An intelligence great enough to not just be aware of itself, but be capable of introspection, abstract thought and strategy, with enough power to **** the lesser members of its species to bend to its will.

Typhon reproduction - The Typhon is parasite. As an all male species, Typhons are incapable of reproduction without another species to use as a host. This may in fact explain their fierce aggression, as they are **** to kill any males they may encounter in order to decrease reproductive competition. This often includes other Typhons. After capturing a potential mate, a Typhon will engage in sexual congress, but must bite the host female in order to infect it with an unknown mycovirus that allows the Typhon's sperm to bind with the female's eggs. The bite also delivers a toxic venom that acts as a mind altering substance in almost all known races, this makes the female host easily suggestible and can even fool the host into believing they are 'in love' with their captor. Repeated bites often lead to addiction as toxic buildup in the body, causes it to adapt.

Those females who are bitten regularly will eventually give birth in the normal gestation period (usually forty weeks for a human female) and produce a nearly clone of the Typhon. Those who are not bitten regularly will rapidly progress through pregnancy, as their immune system begins to fight off what it sees as an infection. The Typhon seed will act defensively as a result and Rabies Babies will form, devouring their "mother" from the inside out shortly thereafter.

Purification - The unique process by which a Typhon can evolve. During reproduction, even the purest Typhon's genome is diluted slightly by its "mother", whereas Rabies Babies are even less pure owning to their rushed development. In order to grow stronger, a Typhon may graft the DNA of another of their species onto their own genome, thereby becoming stronger. Adolescents often do this by consuming their brother's bodies after murdering them. They are incapable of producing Strand webs, although they are greatly attracted to them and will build a nest or seek to take one over if they find an unattended source.

Scaleskins are able to produce Strand webbing through a process that is not entirely understood, although it may be excreted or shed, after building up excess inside their bodies at will. By using the Strand, a Typhon can much more efficiently purify itself. Scaleskins (and Adolescents fortunate enough to find unguarded Strand) will do so many times in their lives growing stronger and more power with each iteration, often times consuming their own children to do so. Adolescents who reach a sufficient level of purity will develop into full fledged Scaleskins.

The Strand - A fungal portion of the Typhon biology that must have formed a symbiotic relationship early in their evolution. Only Scaleskins are able to produce it, but all Typhons share a strong attraction to it. It feeds on radiation and can often thrive in the crashed remains of starships or areas devastated by nuclear fallout. Scaleskins will naturally deposit seed portions of Strand to grow, even outside their own nests. The reason for this behavior is not known.

Lasgun - (sometimes called a blaster) A heat based firearm, useful for hunting Typhons, due to the cauterization interfering with Typhon regeneration. They are considered to be safer to use on board starships with less chance to cause explosive decompression. It's less useful against armor for the exact same reason.

Slugthrower - A conventional weapon, often using gunpowder to fling tiny bits of metal towards the enemy. Unique among most weapons, in that it is quite resistant to Electro magnetic pulse.

Plasma Rifle - The cutting edge of Alliance energy weapon technology. The weapon uses magnetic coils to hurl small pockets of superheated plasma. It's lethality can be turned up or down with a simple turn of a knob. It can even be set to 'stun' by firing an empty magnetic charge that disrupts the natural electronic signals in an organism. Because of its technical requirements and expense, it is only available in rifle form. Expensive, fragile and rare, most military units favor more conventional weapons.

Electroblade - A common feature among military units that need to bypass heavily armored foes, the electroblade uses magnetic containment to constantly hone the edge to a near monomolecular sharpness. A by product of this is that during periods of constant use, the blade will often become superheated, then overload its battery and fail.

Power armor - Full body advanced protection suit, with artificial muscles and servos to enhance users physical attributes beyond human capabilities. Only morons forget to wear the helmet.

Starships - Using fusion reactors, faster than light drives and artificial gravity emitters, humanity has finally made space travel as common and easy as eighteenth century naval travel. It's not unlikely for a common man to own a spacecraft and wealthier citizens or merchant families such as the Carters, may own several deep space capable ships, many of which are armed with military grade weapons that barely observe the letter of the law, and far far exceed the spirit of it.

Deepsleep - Also called cryo. The process of preserving a living body for an extended length of time before revival years or even decades later. First used by the Ark ships to flee Earth.

Alien Species - Humanity has discovered and genocided or subjugated dozens of unique races by the year 2869, some even sentient. Most go down easy, opting to relocate at the point of a gun rather than be slowly starved to ****. Some, like the Tomians required a massive war, then a multi-generational period of displacement before they could be considered civilized. At present, humanity mostly leaves the other species alone, they've settled into their various roles and classes in a dominant human society and each of the three major powers have larger problems to worry about.

Despite considerable interest, and vigorous attempts in the name of 'going where no man has gone before', few if any alien races are capable of interbreeding with humans. Most, are so alien their reproductive process is rather terrifying to humans, and even those species whose shape is pleasing to the human eye, are genetically distinct and infertile.

Aliens are more common in the Confederation, where they were forcibly relocated to for many decades prior to the civil war. And more common still in the Rim where they can often live lives free of human oppression, or at least more free.

The Periphery is the only space that is truly in Alien control. The Tomians rule there, upspiral from human space, although they are no friendlier to most species than mankind.

The Rim - Lawless space, not officially claimed by either superpower. There are many human and alien colonies out here, most people are just trying to make their way, but an unhealthy amount of crime, under the gentle direction of the Cooperative is based here.

Wild Space - Beyond the even the reach of most of humanity. A few probes and telescopes have made some headway in charting the stars here. But most of it is unclaimed, unexplored and unknown. Some claim the Typhons emerged from a system in Wild Space.

The Cooperative - The largest crime syndicate in the Galaxy. They've managed to survive for decades by establishing their 'extra legal activities' as a business, albeit one that traffics in markets that are quite heinous. Their organization has ties to Alliance and Confederation Intelligence.

GalSec - The 'neutral' police ****, officially under the control of the Gagarin Republic, who have writ to operate within all of human space, dispensing justice and enforcing the law. They spend most of their efforts policing the dragnet, the largest shipping and smuggling area in human space, and home to all three capital worlds.

Galactic history

2100's – Mankind expands beyond Earth and begins to colonize their solar system.

2200's – The first of the slower than light Ark ships, equipped with cryosleep technology travel to distant stars and colonize new worlds.

2300's - A dying Earth and crowded Mars, drives an ever increasing number of humans to flee the system in Ark ships. This resource drain only exacerbates the already tense situation.

2400's - The discovery of faster than light drives by Earth-Home leads to a new age of power. And with it, war. Bitter over being left behind, Earth humans lead a war of conquest to dominate the wayward colonies. As no planet other than Earth has FTL technology, the war is over quickly, and soon a massive reconstruction effort begins. Entire solar systems are strip mined (some inhabited) to restore the Earth and the home system to a paradise.

2500's - Open, but not official policy on Alien life is established. Earth-Home and its colonies begin displacing entire species from their homes, including sentient races. The Tomian War begins, when they are the first and only species to resist. Despite fierce fighting, they are driven off in their own Ark ships, quietly purged or resettled.

2600's Humanity flourishes; dominating their small portion of the galaxy and colonizing hundreds of worlds, from glittering metropolises like Belladonia, to the snow capped mountains and mines of Procyon. Technology, democracy and prosperity all advance at a rapid pace. It's truly a golden age of mankind.

2700's – Tensions rise over Earth-Home having sole authority over the entire human space. Earth-Home resists calls for government reform. The issue of Alien resettlement to human worlds that will one day make up the Confederation, is a major political flashpoint.

2799 – The Great Interstellar War begins between the central authority of the Earth-Home and the breakaway citizens republics which coalesce into the 'Confederation'. Being outnumbered and far less industrialized, the Confederation would likely have been crushed eventually, if not for the emergence of the Typhons.

2820's Typhon emergence event. First worlds go dark on both side, though no one knows why. Years of unchecked spread and accidental contamination tears the heart out of the Core, leading to that region of space being renamed 'The Dead Worlds'.

2828 – Francis founds Dubois exploration and shipping. His government charter includes espionage and privateering. Though he also dabbles in smuggling, strictly on non Confederate worlds of course.

2829 – First official deaths attributed to Typhons

2830 – Typhon catastrophe declared. Citizens on both sides largely abandon the civil war over concerns rising from this new threat. Francis finds a new business partner in Keith Martell, a somewhat wealthy investor from the Alliance. Together they make a fortune rescuing wealthy aristocrats from Typhon infested worlds. Francis often squanders his share, buying transports to evacuate the less fortunate as well.

2834 – Unofficial cooperation between powers begins.

2840 – Armistice and formation of current boundaries. Uneasy cold war between the Earth-Home Alliance and the Confederation of Humanity begins.

2841 – Quarterback is frozen for the first time

2845 Charlotte and Francis meet, Francis marries Charlotte, takes her name is 'accepted' into Alliance space

2846 Between Keith Martell's business contacts, Charlotte's name and ruthless leadership, and Francis' talent and daring, the renamed Carter Exploration and Transport, enters an unprecedented period of growth and prosperity, transforming from a single ship operation to a booming merchant family.

2855 Project Adonis officially begins.

2156 Carter Exploration begins to falter, owing to 'bad luck'. Contracts dry up and suppliers refuse service. Despite being a 'Carter', Francis' history as a Confederate patriot is begins dragging the business down.

2861 Adam is accepted to Citadel, considered an extremely promising cadet. Francis Carter Dies. CET is swimming in considerable debt.

2862 Sam enrolls in Alliance Citadel, also considered a promising cadet, she breaks several of Adam's records and they develop a friendly rivalry.

2863 Charlotte marries Keith Martell. Adam leaves the Citadel and takes over his father's share of the company.

2865 Thanks in part to Adam's continual infusions of illicit credits and Keith Martell's 'assistance', CET is solvent again, though just barely. The next few years are spent building the company into a minor shipping power, with over a dozen long range transports and haulers, and permanent contracts with reliable clients.

2869 Current year

Map

The Alliance (Earth-Home Alliance) - One of humanities two superpowers. On paper, it is the continuation of a chain of unbroken governance and benevolent democracy that lasted for over four hundred years. In truth, even before the war, the Alliance had become a oligarchy and fascist surveillance state even before the civil war. Things have not improved since. If you're one of the forty families, you can truly have it all here; wealth, power, genetic modification to hack your very body. But no one climbs up from the bottom, and for all their claims to be a 'bastion of liberty' the wrong word will get you disappeared by the Corsairs. The Carter family is from here.

Capital: Earth-Home

The Confederation - The other great power in human space. Six hundred years ago, when the first settlers drifted off to sleep in their cyro-coffins, they had no idea that when they woke up, they'd colonize the future capital of the Confederation, but they saw the potential. A lush garden world, as beautiful as Earth, with limitless potential and a chance to start fresh. The images they sent back home started a colonization rush unlike any other, and within a century, Constantine was nearly as urban and developed as the homeworld, without the pollution and overcrowding that plagued it. When Earth first demanded her colonies swear fealty, Constantine was one of the few worlds who agreed with this sentiment and was a major ally during Earth's years of conquest. But instead of rewarding years of loyalty and service, Earth merely took it as their due, seeing Constantine as no better than the other worlds they had defeated. The seeds of rebellion were sown early and deep.

Centuries later, when the Alien relocation programs were causing civil unrest, poverty and crime waves across the entire rimward half of human space, Constantine was the first world to call for open rebellion. Others soon accepted their leadership and the Confederation was born. The fighting to defend the capital was among the most brutal of the war. No quarter given, none asked. Though Constantine was never directly attacked, the struggle for survival hardened the emerging superpower. Gone were the ideals of peace and prosperity, and in their place was a jingoist, warmonger. Slaveholding, not just among alien species, but even over other humans was adopted to fill labor shortages, and non aligned systems were captured and forcibly dragged into the Confederation's ranks to muster their resources for the war. In short, they had become the enemy they fought.

Capital: Constantine

Gagarin Republic - Formed as a buffer state between the two warring powers, in truth, it is the true successor state to the culture and government of the Alliance before the war. The entire nation is military-free, written in to its constitution, as well as a DMZ. While its citizens live well, they are often pawns of their larger neighbors, eager to return to war. Its worlds were the hardest hit during the Confed war and the Typhon Plague.

Capital: Proxima

Tomian Empire - Though civilians rarely think of them, the Tomian Ark ships found a new home at the edge of human space. After three hundred years they rule nearly all of the Periphery now, and their rule is not kind.

Capital: Unknown