NationStates Jolt Archive

General History:

In 2175 CE, the group that would be the founders of what would become one day the Tanaran Empire left Terran orbit aboard six massive colony ships. They were bound of a naturally occurring, recently discovered wormhole on the edge of the solar system. Six months later the last of the still awake colonists and ships officers entered Suspend Sleep and ‘on automatic’ the semi sentient computers, called Avatars, that wore the ships as their bodies, entered the worm hole.

Five years later they emerged within the system of Alpha Orionis, some five hundred and twenty light years from earth. After locating the worm hole that would take them to their final destination the ships proceeded to it and entered the fold in space. However they encountered a super massive object while within the wormhole and were affected. One ship was destroyed, the surviving five damaged to one degree or another, thought none too seriously.

When they managed to emerge they found themselves close to a system with in the Hoag Object, some six hundred million light years from Terra. The Avatars surveyed the region, found no wormholes and turned to surveying the nearby solar systems. Finding one that had three planets in the stellar eco-zone, all three classified as earth approximate, they woke the crew up .

Colonization began immediately and the colonies thrived. However it was eventually realized that not only had they been thrown nearly 600 million LY from Earth, they had also apparently been thrown back in time, some seventeen hundred years. Additional information gathered over the centuries brought forth the realisasation that even more disturbing- they weren’t in the same universe/dimension they had originated in. The Earth analog in this Universe was not even the same planet, much less having the same history as the one the left. All it had in common was the same location in its galaxy and solar system. That produced a momentary uproar that eventually died into a myriad of ‘so what’s?’ and the Tanarans went on with their lives, and building a interstellar conglomerate.

Eventually this entity was comprised of 40 Primary systems, 70 Secondary systems, and over 100 non autonomous systems.* There are also a number of notable of Non Human races that are equal but separate allies/ partners – the Xa Cz’inni** ( A felinid appearing but created race ) , the Grendels** ( Amorphic race ), Celestials** ( Angelics ), Sidhe Elves, A.I.’s and the Nekk-ito (A race of hominids with many feline features ) the being the primary species represented. They have full rights to vote and citizenship, but on the whole don’t take much notice as to what the Tanarans do as long it is not in contravention to the Great Convention. The Human populace of the Empire is considered to be comprised of PSH Humans, Genmodded Humans, Human Derived Therianthopes, and Vampires

** Xa, Grendels, and Celestials have their own Empires as well, many hold dual citizenship

*These are population and economic strength levels

After an attempted coup almost a hundred years ago, the Tanarans voted to become an Empire. The First Empress is Michiko Sierra Jones, reigned for 50 years, and is now Dowager Empress and Ambassador to Earth. Kaylinde Althea Regina Moore –Apollon served as the second Empress for nearly forty, but health concerns have caused her to abdicate. The newest Empress chosen is Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dominique Evangeline Alexandra Ryder.

Interstellar Empire of Tanara

Common/International Name: Tanara
Government: Empire

The Emperor / Empress is head of the government of Tanara, and is appointed for life by the preceding Emperor / Empress from among the Appointed Heirs ( Three to represent each of the Upper and Lower Houses and three designated by the Emperor / Empress ). The Upper and Lower Houses may vote to Nulify the Inheritance but it takes a 90% majority to over turn the appointment. The Emperor / Empress appoints her Working Council at his/ her pleasure and can remove one from the Working Council at will. The Working Council has a much or little power as is given them.

The Upper and Lower Houses work thusly: Membership in the Upper House is from solely among the Peerage. The Lower House is elected from the populace by vote. The Upper House may not instigate new legislation, that is the right of the Lower House, but for any legislation to go on to the Emperor / Empress it must also be passed by the Upper House. Once those hurdles are surmounted it is the right of the Emperor / Empress to choose or not to accept the proposition into law. She can always veto and it takes a 75% majority from both Houses to override that veto.

Citizenship must be earned though Service, which while it also includes service in the Empire’s Military, it is not limited to that service. Citizens pay minimal taxes. Residents who have many privileges and can also vote, though their taxes are much more substancial than those applied to for Citizens.

The populace of the Empire is comprised of Humans (including PSH Humans, Genmodded Humans, Human Derived Therianthopes, vampires ) Xa’ Cz’inni , Celestials, Grendels**, Sidhe Elves, A.I.’s and other species.

** Xa, Grendels and Celestials have their own extra Empire governmental polities as well, many hold dual citizenship.

1 - What is the legal drinking age? None but can lose the privilege.

2 - Driving age? Depends on mental age - One can test for a license at age 15 (human/ species equivalent) but the younger one is the harder the test is, and the more sternly one is graded and the easier it is to lose the privilege Most planets, save out in the true boonies, have AI assisted auto drive systems, that take in vehicle driving out of 'in vehicle' - and while ‘linking in’ to such a system is not mandatory, vehicular interaction (read wrecks) when the vehicle is under the control of a in vehicle driver are treated very seriously. Also given that in most all cities, Planetary Teleport stations are found every couple of blocks, most people prefer to ’Port and walk / ’Port and take the ubiquitous slide walks. Also walking five to ten miles a day is habitual to most and not even commented upon.

3 - Age of sexual consent? None - except in those cases when the mentality is not present to give informed, knowing consent. That is considered the equivalent of rape and is prosecuted accordingly. Unlicensed pregnancy is a whole ‘nother matter, as is sexual transmission of disease.

4 - Voting age? Depends on species, humans 21 but can lose the privilege. There are certain elections & public polls where it is mandatory to vote and not voting (except under certain exemptions) will garner criminal charges, that could cost one ones citizenship..

5 - At what age would someone become an adult (free from parental control)? - Depends on species, humans generally 17-19 but can go earlier or later and is possible at any age to end up as a Ward of the Crown.

6 - What types of recreational drugs (if any) are legal? - Can I please hear repeat of C'tan’s mantra of RESPONSIBILY-

-Pot - legal and popular

- Tobacco - genetically modified, true low tar and nicotine - legal, moderately popular / ungenetically modified, 'wild' legal, relatively unpopular

- Cocaine - legal and virtually unknown, there are other drugs in the Empire that produce better highs without the side effectsl-

-Alcohol - legal, moderately popular

- LSD - legal, but like cocaine, virtually unknown for the same reasons

- Caffeine - legal popular - except for with in the Elvin population where it is a mostly fatal toxin and is illegal to sell to them

- Heroin - legal and virtually unknown, there are other drugs in the Empire that produce better highs without the side effects

- Other? Many - most legal, how popular varies and some are illegal

7 - Can people have guns? An armed society is a polite society, and thusly “YES!”, save for those whom have lost the privilege, or those who are not mentally competent

8 - What is the name of your country? The Tanaran Empire, The Interstellar Empire of Tanara, Tanar, Tanara ( the last two informally )

9 - Do you have the death penalty? Yes

10 - What is the speed limit? ?

11 - What types of religions would are permitted or restricted? COLOR="blue"]All are permitted, all are restricted[/COLOR]

Which of the following are be legal:ALL Are Legal

12 – Porn

13 - Prostitution Heavily regulated and taxed, popular in some places unpopular in others.

14 – Polygamy Far more common than monogamy- makes up some 78% of all Union Contracts in the Empire

15 – Homosexuality - legislate ones sexual identity? Say what?

16 - Stem cell research -–The Empire is far past this old, proven technology, not used any longer, save for teaching purposes.

17 - Human Cloning - Regulated, over sighted and clones have full legal rights, not often done.

18 - Cock Fighting? There are no laws against it specifically, but Animal Mistreatment laws are Very harsh.

19 - Slavery? Penal Slavery is legal, debit slavery is legal, but they are closely regulated and over watched by the judiciary.

20 - Hunting? Eat & use as completely as possible what one hunts, no waste! Non kill slap hunting is very popular and is considered a rite of passage into adulthood in some portions of the Empire

21 – Fishing - see above

22 - Eating meat? Carnivores R Us, save for those who are Vegan to one degree or another.

23 - Littering? No laws against but is so unnatural and uncommon

24 - Unisex bathrooms ?

25 – Suicide - Very Rare

26 - Gay marriage - ? Any one can join into a Union Contract as long as they are mentally competent. And there are as many different forms of Marriage as there are people. Marriage is the private affair of those getting married.

27 – Abortion - Happens Very, Very Rarely, mostly for medical/ therapeutic reasons. But most medical problems can be dealt with by the Empires highly advanced medical technology.

28 - What types of sexual activity (if any) are illegal Again “?blink?” except for Rape which can carry the Death Penalty.

29 - Is your country's/culture clothing optional or mandatory? Very much Optional, it is worn for practical purposes and for ornamentation but varies by culture

30 - Would you have obscenity laws? If so - how would you define "obscene". - Again “?Blink?”

31 - What system do you have for taxes?
- Income tax? Citizens pay no income tax, residents pay a flat 15%; resident citizens of another nationality pay 20%

- Sales tax? Thank you C’Tan for putting this so well…An esoteric business tax system graded towards non-essential products. Similar to VAT, but considerably more sophisticated in its deployment.

- Import/Export tax? Varies on the product and where it is going to or coming from.

32 - What is the criterion for someone to pass to become a citizen? You must perform Federal Service and, if not native born, pass the Citizenship Exam.

33 - What types of people do you allow (or not allow) into your country? Any but we reserve the tight to either deport with prejudice or execute any visitors found violating the few laws that have a death penalty. The Empire does extradite those who violate death penalty laws back to their nation of residence/ legal citizenship

34 - What type of government are you? Modified Imperial Monarchy, with a tri-cameral legislature/ judiciary advisory system. The House of Peers is for those who hold titles of Peerage also called the Upper. The Lower are popularly elected and the Judiciary shakes it’s hoary head at the antics of the other two.

35 - To what degree is your government allowed to censor or restrict the media? When it comes to ‘of interest to the Empire’ the Crown retains the right of absolute censorship.

36 - Aside from laws - what sort of unofficial (and unenforced) cultural rules and traditions do you have? For example – Considering that the Empire has counted in it’s census such species ( & an even wider parade of cultures within species ) as :Humans, Therianthopes, Elves, Dragons, Xa’ Cz’inni, Bayonne, Grendels, and other races, the cultural rules are as varied as the Stars and as hard to get a grip on. However there are some generally agreed on customs/ traditions –

Don’t eat other sentient beings without prior permission.

Sex in public is generally over the top, but if it does happen, just ignore it and go about your day.

Be responsible; take ownership of your words, deeds, and actions.

Don’t go waving your weapons around in public. If some one is waving a weapon around in public, take a moment to ascertain why they are doing so and then act responsibly.

Midgard / the Asgard System:

Circumfrence: 30,957 miles at equator & 32,944 miles at the poles.

Gravity is 1.02 G

Tilt of axis: 25 o 29 “

Temperature range: -145 o to 145 o

Distance from Stellar Primary: 93 million miles to 98.5 million miles

Rotation period: 40 hours

Revolution about Stellar Primary : 600 days

Calendar is divided up into 20 months of 30 days, each month consisting of 3 weeks. Each week is 10 days in length. Season wise there are 4 seasons of 5 months each.

Satellites: Midgard has 3 moons. Frey, Tyr and Loki. The major and closest moon Frey, is the size of Luna, and is the same distance from Midgard that Luna is from Earth. Frey has an unusually high albedo, twice as bright as Luna. Tyr, next moon out, is but half the size of Frey and has a very ruddy surface. Furthest out, smallest and heavily scarred by impacts, is Loki. Due to the various lunar orbits Loki often seems to hide behind the other moons. When the moons align they cause unusually high tides and severe storms.

Midgard is a pleasant planet. Surveys show that Midgard developed sentient hominids, roughly equivalent to Neanderthal man, but that about 20,000 years ago they suffered an extinction event that reduced the population below viability. There are many species of flora and fauna that are extremely close genetically, and appearance wise, to Earth species, and there are also many unique to Midgard.
The most noticeable are certain predator species – Land Shark, Kodiak Max, Damnthing, Dragon, Phoenix, Rockcrok, Dire Cat, and Raptor. There are certain notable ‘prey’ species as well – Uberostriches, Kickjacks, Cragsheep, and Mega Bison.
Midgard is the third planet in the stellar system Asgard. It shares its orbit with Tarra II and Fenngard

Asgard is a system with 13 planets with in the system proper

Fyreholm – Innermost planet, no atmosphere, no rotation, no moon (analog: Mercury)
Eliohm –Second planet, no moon. orbit lies along the inner edge of the stellar ecosphere (analog: Venus)
Midgard – See above – orbit is in the preferred zone of the stellar ecosphere.
Tarra II - see information on Midgard but with only two moons,
Fenngard – see information on Midgard, but with only one moon.
Hel – Fourth planet, orbit is at extreme outer edge of stellar ecosphere – no rotation (one side of planet always facing the sun), strong evidence of ‘recent’ collision with an extra solar body, deep fractures in the planetary crust. Eight minor moons with erratic orbits, encircle Hel, which are surmised to be the remains of the extra solar body. (A distance of 150 million miles –further out than Mars is from Earth)
Bifrost – fifth planet - a ‘ringed’ planet – the ring field is extensive and very colorful (analog: Saturn, though the rings are bigger and Bifrost is further out – 525 million miles out from the Stellar Primary)
Odin, Thor, Valhalla – The 6th, 7th, & 8th planets - 3 gas giant planets that share an orbit roughly 996 million miles from the Stellar Primary – They were so named because Odin has a large, continuous cyclone that is visible as a deep blue ‘eye’, Thor has a magnetic distortion in it’s atmosphere that looks like a traditional ‘Thor’s Hammer’ and Valhalla’s ring (unlike Jupiter’s) is visible from Midgard. (Odin’s and Thor’s are not visible)
Niffle – small and frozen, several small moons the largest is some 30 miles in diameter
Piffle – also small and frozen, one moon that is roughly 2/3rds the size of Piffle.
Jotun – furthest out but the largest planet in the system, even bigger than the three gas giants. It is airless and has a ‘cloud’ of small moons/moonlets about it. (but not enough to be considered a ring)
Asgard’s Oort cloud is very extensive, extending well above and below the plane of the ecliptic. It would be classified as a level 10 navigation hazard for sub light travel. However the ‘Frankel Limit’ – the distance from a star at which one can safely enter supra light speed conditions, access sub, warp, worm hole, gate space, etc is with in the system proper. The general distance of a ‘Frankel Limit’ is roughly 80 AU’s.

Normal space engines range from about 50% LS to about 90% LS (heavy freighters to fighter craft) so travel time to the Frankel Limit takes about 3 hours to 20 hours depending upon the ship’s speed.

Michiko Sierra Jones The First Empress of the Tanaran Empire... General Knowledge...

Daughter of the infamous archeologist / tomb raider “Last Chance” Jones. Her mother, Sierra T’sai, died of an unidentified fever when Michiko was three years old. Her father raised her at the varied archeological sites he worked, schooling her himself and keeping her away from civilization. Michiko was sixteen when her father died at a remote archeological ‘dig’ in western Midgard. She buried him as per his last request and tried to continue working the site herself. However during the unusually severe winter Michiko fell gravely ill with pneumonia and nearly died herself before the local authorities found her. She was released from the guardianship of the State at age eighteen, and found employment with Allard Industries as a member of their private security forces, becoming a ‘plank owner’ in the mega-corporation’s Omega Team; Code Named: Expendable. When the laws in Tanara changed to allow what were, in effect, private security ‘armies’ the Omega Team was disbanded. Michiko and other of the surviving Expendables formed Omega II. Shortly afterwards she married teammate Richard Albert Cromwell IV. A month later, he was killed on Omega II’s next mission. Michiko, and Omega II, survived, the corporation flourishing, as it became the leading provider of special operatives, rapid response teams, and highly trained security personnel in the entireity of the Republic.

When a military coup attempt, disguised as a terrorist action, destroyed the national and planetary capitol, Helevorn, the government collapsed. Jacob Dobson, the then Secretary of Defense, and the high ranking officers supporting him, tried to seize the reins of power, but Omega II led the actions that kept the coup from becoming successful. It was their efforts, and monetary support afterward, that provided the foundation for the rebuilding of the capitol. Michiko spent her personal fortune, inherited from her husband - over 5 trillion Neocredits- to provide disaster relief to the surviving populace of Helevorn. Omega II donated its services, and all profits for five years, as the capitol and government were rebuilt. They proved to be so efficient at restoring what bureaucracy was needed, that Michiko, as senior partner in Omega II, was approached about running for President in the upcoming elections. She refused at first but was eventually convinced to campaign. Receiving over 75% of the vote, her policies of minimal bureaucracy, minimal taxes kept her approval rating during her six year term, the highest in Tanara’s history.

When the Republic of Tanara was dissolved by the will of the populace, and the Empire of Tanara was formed she was enthroned as the Empires first Empress. She had used all of her considerable power to try and forestall the move from democracy to Imperium, but the voter turn out was nearly 100% and the vote to become an Empire was over 96 % in favor of the transition. She also sought away to avoid becoming Empress but that too was foiled by the will of the people. She served the empire for fifty years in that position, but then stepped down and back into private life. She met and married Valkai of Krioval, but he was slain when that nation fell into civil war.

She has one son, Richard Albert Cromwell V, who was born five years after his father's death, from sperm he had had frozen. He left for the Corworlds for training as a Jedi when he was very young but has come back, and hs since the 'retirements' of both Perigrine Omega, and Dominique Evangaline Alexandra Ryder, become the Head of the Hands. He is very effective at his job.

Nova Terranis and other information

Once the capitol city of the Tanaran Empire had been the sprawling glittering city of Helevorn, it’s countless towers rising from a low, broad valley amid equally towering trees. But that was before then Secretary of Defense Dobson, and certain elements of the Tanaran military had tried to stage a single blow coupe, and failed. Their coupe de main had been to drop a nova bomb on Helevorn. The serene lake, covering nearly ten thousand square miles, that now lay where the city had, reached nearly a thousand feet into the bedrock of the continent - a bowl of black glass.

Nova Terranis, built to replace the capitol, drapes itself along one shore, a lazy crescent that covers over five thousand square miles, and nearly half that land is dedicated to parks, museums, arboretums, zoological gardens, green belts and nature zones. It matters little that the city sprawls so, as Teleportals are ubiquitous, located on every ‘corner’, and in the lobby of nearly every building. The cultural predilection for exercise- walking five miles or more a day was so common as to be unmentioned- had not been eroded by such technology- but they had made ground vehicles, especially in the major cities, nearly obsolete. But then again all ground vehicles are considered amusement items, from horse drawn carriages to lovingly kept antique cars – though all automobiles, if driven within cities must be electrical, or hydrogen powered, Only those driven solely at designated raceways can be gasoline or diesel powered. But it is a very popular past time and antique automobile racing had many dedicated practioners and followers.

In Nova Terranis there are roads still, as parades and street festivals are held there more than in any other city. But they are broad boulevards winding though the trees and city gardens with many plazas filled with fountains and statuary. Nor is Nova Terranis flat, but built over rolling hills and valleys with numerous crystalline streams and dancing waterfalls that lead to pools filled with stunningly hued fish with vast veil like fins. The capitol’s towers, often reaching five hundred floors in height, shimmer discretely among the trees by day, and glow softly with a thousand hues come nightfall.

The Imperial Palace is the focus of the city's splendors. The palace and it's grounds covers all of the nearly thirty square miles of the lushly gardened island that sits a mile off shore from the beaches of Nova Terranis. The island protected by sheer cliffs - broken here and there with small out croppings and niches- rises nearly a thousand feet from the lake's surface. The palace is everything a palace should be, and fills it role perfectly.

The best views of Nova Terranis, though, come from the Imperial Landing pad, an marvel whose support structure - seemingly a single slender strand of subtly irridescent blue metal- arcs in a gentle curve up and over the lake - topping out at just short over a mile above the cereulean waters. The pad is spacious enough to handle any shuttle, if permission is granted, though only a priviledged few are allowed.

The nearest starport, Sierra Station, is immense and can handle any size craft that can enter atmosphere. Andfor those who prefer to dock their craft orbit-side there is the massive space station, Transfer Point, in near geo synchronous orbit above. The docks there can and do regularly handle starcraft in the multi kilometer size range range. Once docked, there are many forms of transport planet side. Teleportal, shuttle, and space elevator, are all available once one has passed through Customs. And Customs is more of a formality than anything else…usually.

Like all the major systems in the Empire, the Asgard system was a ‘restricted’ system. Visiting starships arrived in-system within the Frankel Limit Zone, checked in with the nearest System Defense Fortress, received clearance and proceeded inward at what ever level clearance they had been given. Silver Level authorization was for transit inbound and out at sub light only. Gold authorization allowed for a micro jump- if the craft had the technology for such – to the orbit of Hel, then sublight from there. Platinum authorized a direct micro jump to the reserved coordinates closest to Midgard. The arrival area was a massive area of space well above the plane of the ecliptic, but arriving ships had to vacate the area promptly as there were too many inbound and out bound arrivals. However the very professionally staffed traffic tower at Transfer Point made the confusion look easy as they sorted craft into to parking zones, arranged for docking at either Transfer Point itself or one of the many other facilities, or vetted request for orbital positions.

Arriving at any where other than the Frankel Limit without prior permission and the proper codes would get a Non Empire craft blown into component atoms very tidily with an attitude of ‘solve the threat first ask questions later’ attitude. The Asgard Planetary Defense took the safety of their Empires home system Very seriously. And they had never been issued a sense of humor. This information was standard knowledge and had also been sent out with every invitation issued

Societal Notes:

The Lion - One of the oldest Awards, it is also the most rarely given out. It is not limited to those in the military. However the general range of actions that garners the Award is generally the perview of the military. Currently there are only five living holders of the Lion.

Five A.I. oversee the coordination of all space travel within the area of space that the Asgard system covers - they are needed for the Empires civilian traffic alone is immense, then there is the Military traffic, then the None Empire traffic - the Asgard system has fifteen naturally occuring worm holes, making it a major transit point for culturres that prefered to use such stryle craft. Also there is the fact that the system is considered a Class 10 naivgation hazard for anything useing a sublight drive.

Given Prolong and other advanced medical technology human life span is around 600 years.

Only one bridge connects the Palace island to the rest of Nova Terranis and that leads directly to the Great Hall of the Houses, one of only three man made structures that had survived the Nova Bombing of Helevorn now vanished ...

Over 65 % of the human population has trainable psionics though most of those - some 80% of them are only very low level. All Grendels, Celestials and Xa' Cz'inni are psionic to one degree or another.

One of the most popular activities is Historical or Fantasy Recreation / Reenactment - the largest official organization is the Socitey for Creative Anachronism, with some ten million members on Midgard alone, and close to a billion members Empire wide.

Population figures...

Humans - 50% - this includes PSH, and Human varients - Mutants, GeneModded, human derived Therianthopes and human derived Vampires...

Xa'Cz'inni - 17%

Grendels - 7%

Celestials - 4%

Sidhe - 4%

Nekk-ito -4%

A.I.'s - 4%

Draconic - 2%

Other Species total about 8%

CBC Mark II and Gun Orbs

Hand's Fate (http://www.atddm.com/tbec.jpg)

Given that the exact abilities of a Battle Cruiser fall uner DotE articles, I will list only what a retired and converted for long range exploration purposes Battle Cruiser might mount... Please note that missiles listed are not full military standard...and certain types of missiles are not available at all to a ship that has been 'retired' from the military (evil grin)**

A Tanaran Empire Converted Battle Cruiser MKII (CBC II ) is now the mainstay of the Tanaran Exploration fleet. The CBC is just over 5,000 meters long by roughly 3,500 meters at the widest point and 1,000 meters tall at the highest points. They weigh about 9 million tonnes. Battle Cruisers are perfect for this conversion as little actually has to be done. They are already designed for long-term solo operations, with smaller crew than the size might suggest.

Missiles - Ranged Weapons

A CBC has both dorsal and ventral launchers. The 10 dorsal (upper) launchers can launch fore and aft, while the 10 ventral (lower) launchers can launch 360. Missiles are both energy and physical/ material. Certain numbers of both dorsal and ventral launchers have been removed during the conversion and replaced with additional and upgraded sensor pods and or observation domes.

Energy Missiles –

Phased Plasma Photon Torpedo Mark II (PPPT) The PPPT is an energy plasma packet that travels at nearly light speed covering and can be fired once every 10 seconds. They are effective up to a maximum of 25 million miles, but are stopped by certain types of energy shields, primarily shields that are gravitic in nature.

Physical Missiles- These are not full military grade missiles.

Impeller Drive Laser Missile - Mark II (IDLM) - The most common missile used is the IDLM MKII. This missile masses 20 tons and accelerates at 100,000 G for 1000 seconds before its drive burns out, giving a powered flight range of over 35 million miles.

Multi Drive Laser Missiles MK II (MDLMs) A far more powerful, but physically larger (and thus fewer kept ‘in stockpile’) are the MDLM2 with its much greater range and destructive ability. It mounts a small jump drive allowing it to do a micro jump then lite off it’s impeller drive.

Counter Missiles MKII- CM3 are used for antimissile action much as point defense lasers are, but they have a much greater range than point defense lasers do.

Physical missiles have a reload and launch time of 2 minute for the life of the NCI-no combat imminent-stockpile, and one ( per tube) every five minutes with only two mass replicators available.

Naturally, in space, it is possible to reach a target beyond powered range, but it is very easy to avoid a coasting missile. Even within powered range, with electronic countermeasures, evasive systems, point defense and Countermissiles active & effective - a direct hit on a defended ship is basically impossible. Missiles spin while in flight, to make it difficult for point defense lasers to get a clear shot past the impeller wedge.

1) Impeller Drive Laser Missile IDLM II- This weapon used the high energy electromagnetic radiation produced during a nuclear explosion to pump about twenty-five X-ray lasers. As the initial radiation entered the gain medium, the X-rays were amplified and fired, after which the gain medium would have been destroyed by the explosions aftereffects, resulting in a brief flare of multiple high-energy X-ray laser beams. Unlike a pure fusion warhead, meaningful damage could be dealt to anything within 1,000 miles of the detonation.

2) Multi drive laser missiles MKII - MDLMs- They have ranges approaching 200 million miles, weigh about 50 tonnes, and detonate 50 lasers that have a range of about 3,500 miles of the detonation point.

3) Countermissiles MKII: These are smaller, more numerous missiles with a lesser range, some 2 million miles - they have no warheads. Their role is to knock down incoming missile barrages with their impeller wedges - both objects being vaporized.

4) Against immobile targets, no warhead is necessary. A starship can approach the target at 0.8 c and launch missiles that will accelerate to 0.99 c. At this speed, even nuclear warheads are pointless; the kinetic energy of the relativistic missiles can tear a planet apart.

Two of the mass replicators, which in an unmodified Battle Cruiser would be designated for the creation of missiles, are altered for general purposes, leaving two programmed for their original purpose.

Grazers- Light Speed Weapons –

Mounting 20 dual Grazers the CBC is very formidably armed for short range action.

Grazers are lasers operating in the gamma ray (the name is an abbreviation of gamma ray amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). Considered vastly superior in both strength and size when compared to conventional lasers. Their lenses are several meters across and are gravitic not optical. They have ranges in the million-mile range and can penetrate most forms of energy shielding.

A Tanaran Battle Cruiser MKII also mounts numerous clusters of smaller, point-defense lasers for antimissile duty. These smaller lasers have an effective range for killing enemy missiles of about 500,000 miles. They are located about the ship so as to be able to cover the Battle Cruiser globally

Shields - Defense

Refractive Absorptive Shields (RAS ) are the latest technology -non-ablative, gravitic stress bands, and thus weaker lasers and grazers are bent away, or refracted like light is when it passes through denser mediums. In this instance, the focused light is bent by the intense gravity in the shields.

They also absorb a large percentage of the energy targeted at them and use it to reinforce the Shield, thus lessening the drain upon the ships power plants and lengthen the life of the shield.

Shields are invulnerable to non-massless / lightspeed weapons as the weapon is destroyed or absorbed by the gravitic shear caused by the shield. They weakening with the new shields is much slower than the old form of shields but will still eventually fail until the generators are reset or repaired ( depending on how much damage they take before the fail safes kick in and ‘throw the breakers’ on the generators). Against Lasers, Grazers, and other photonic / light speed weapons the shield is the first line of defense.

Missiles are dealt with by other measures, including Countermissiles, point defense lasers, and sensor jammers.

Many layers of armor that alternate between ablative composites that absorb energy from energy weapons and solid anti-kinetic layers also protect the Battle Cruiser. The armor is over a five meters thick. Inside, there are more armored bulkheads. Even with this tremendous defense, at close range, the energy weapons of any starship are more than enough to destroy a larger ship. The hull with it’s integral armor is ‘grown’ with nanotechnology and repaired in similar fashion. The outer most layer is a gleaming white and is a single molecule crystal.

General Notes
Half of the marine compliment quarters have been turned into additional BHS-Biohazard sealable- storage, and half of the remaining quarters are altered to provide OTS -Other than Standard- life support / habitat for any guests needing such.

The remaining part of these quarters have been turned into spacious suites for the exploratory crew with their own lounge, gymnasium with swimming pool, medical center, armory, refectory, green-space, library, holodeck and more. Given that such explorations can last for years no expense is spared in providing every amenity for the teams. However this area is independently powered, with it’s own environmental suite and access to the storage, and flight bays.

There is also direct access to what was once the Flag- Bridge, a complete second bridge meant to be used by an Admiral and his flagstaff should the Battle Cruiser be chosen as a Flagship. It has every thing the main bridge does but the tactical holo-display is three times as large and much more detailed. This Flag-Bridge is where the second C.I.’s physical avatar is most often found.

Ship crew numbers roughly a thousand and they too have lavish quarters and well appointed spaces.

Battle Cruisers normally have three C.I.’s and generally all three are retained, as are their avatars and assorted teledroids. Additional sensor suites, astrogation nodes, crew interaction, and First Contact duties - psychology, linguistics, physiology, general librarian- keep both busy as crews are pared down even further with additional navigational, communication, and environmental concerns turned over to the C.I.’s

The primary C.I.’s of the Battle Cruiser divide up duties based on experience and their particular personalities. The senior C.I. tends to be the one that elects to oversee most of the ‘command & engineering ’ duties and the junior is the primary for ‘medical and environmental’, though who is doing what at any given time seems to depend on who is freest at the moment to handle whatever crops up. The third C.I. is almost invariably called Shiva and is the battle C.I.- most of the time the C.I. is only semi aware, and does not have an avatar. As it is often put by the other C.I.’s, and meaning no malice or disrespect “Shiva is an idiot savant. If it has to do with strategy or tactics he’s unbeatable, but for anything else he’s not that interested and not that bright. We keep him occupied with endless games of chess and other similar exercises. He’s happy with that.”

Their avatars are seldom on the bridge, or in any other compartment, simultaneously - especially if there is any possibility of combat or a hazardous situation.

Most shipboard C.I.’s never transfer from their original ships, save when the physical damage proves irreparable, and then only with much vocal grumblings. They form long term working relationships with each other and act like an old married couple - they have worked together for a long time and know one another’s strengths and weaknesses and compliment one another.

Drives & Power Sources

All power for the craft comes from two sources, the primary being a DeSitter space tap, which primarily powers the DTD- the DeSitter Translation Drive, and only secondarily powers weapons and other energy needs. The massive matter antimatter reactors with their exotic matter lenses provide power primarily for general ship needs such as life support, sensors, Sublight drive and the Slipstream drive.

Sublight:

The ages old standard Internally Metered Pulse drive (IMP or Impulse drive) capable of high acceleration and maneuvers. This is the drive used to get most starcraft out to the Frankel Limit, the distance from the stellar primary needed before entering wormholes/ subspace/ warp space and many other FTL type dimensional shifting drives with out affecting the stellar primary- entering these alternate/sub dimensions within the Frankel Limit tends to send the stellar primary into nova or near nova conditions. Generally the Frankel Limit is some 80 AU’s out, but larger or hotter stellar primaries have larger ‘no drop’ zones.
Sublight drives let one cover up to about 100 million miles a minute once ‘cruising speed’ is reached.

FTL:
The Tanaran Battle Cruiser is fitted with two forms of so called Faster than Light travel.

The primary drive is a DeSitter Translation Drive, (DTD) -called by some a ‘Gate’ or ‘Jump’ Drive in that the Hamalki invention ‘cracks’ an opening into DeSitter space, draws the ship in then, spits it out the other side at the destination entered into the ships navigational matrix. The jump is instantaneous but there is a ‘consciously elapsed time’ of about 60 seconds per million LY -i.e. the people within the craft ‘perceive’ that roughly one minute passes for every million light years traveled. This is just a mental / sensory artifact of a living mind. However C.I.’s do not experience this perception.

The secondary FTL drive is a advanced version of the venerable Warp Drive called the SlipStream Drive (SSD). Unlike in the conventional Warp Drive, where a bubble of ‘subspace’ is created around the ship, a bit of another universe where the speed of light is much faster than in ‘reality’; with a SlipStream Drive is a narrowly-focused, directed warp field that is initiated by manipulating the fabric of the space-time continuum at the quantum level using the starcraft’s astronavigation sensor array. By focusing a quantum field through a a projector array it generates massive changes in local space curvature. This creates a subspace tunnel, which is projected ahead of the vessel. Once a ship has entered this tunnel, the forces inside propel it at incredible speed. In order to maintain the slipstream, a ship has to constantly modify the quantum field with its projector array; however, the calculations involved are too complicated for the human mind to handle at the speed necessary. This is where C.I.’s have their greatest advantage, they are the only entities that can do the calculations and the reason all starcraft have a minimum of two C.I’s. Slipstream is many times faster than standard warp drives, but far slower than a DTD gate.

General Information

Conventionally, starcraft use their Sublight drives to get beyond a star’s Frankel Limit then they open a Gate, or go into Warp. Certain types of drives can do micro jumps inside a stars FL, but those types of drives are expensive in terms of power and such are generally used only by the military. And in combat such micro jumps are almost never done as they can not be set up ‘on the run’ save by dedicated C.I.’s- such as Shiva- given the distortions to space as are found in the midst of combat action, though many militaries use them at the imitation of combat to avoid the opponents first flight of missile, if they are out of Light Speed Weapons range. One also has to consider the awful possibilities of coming out of a micro jump is the same spaces that is already occupied by another ship…

Distances in space, with in a solar system to put things in perspective: Light time is approximate

Across the length of the Milky Way Galaxy 100,000 LY

Earth to the Sun - 8.5 LM

Sun to Pluto- 5 LH 40 LM

Earth / Moon –237,000 miles - 1.2 LS

Earth to Mars - 36 million to 250 million miles - 3.5 to 20 LM

Earth to Jupiter - 365 million miles - 30 LM

Earth to Saturn - 746 million miles -1 LH

Earth to Uranus - 1.6 billion miles - 2 LH

Light Speed…

983,571,056 feet per second, which is about 186,282,397 miles per second, or roughly one foot per nanosecond (700 million miles per hour)

From the sun to...

Mercury 3.22 light-minutes
Venus 6.01 light-minutes
Earth 8.32 light-minutes
Mars 12.7 light-minutes
Jupiter 43.3 light-minutes
Saturn 1.32 light-hours
Uranus 2.66 light-hours
Neptune 4.16 light-hours
Farthest comets 1.58 light-years
Proxima Centauri (nearest star) 4.3 light-years
Orion Nebula 1,500 light-years
Center of the Milky Way 26,000 light-years
Andromeda Galaxy (farthest naked-eye object) 2.36 million light-years

Sword of Stars - Gun Orb

Sphere: 40 miles in diameter. Nested layers.
Weapons: 360 Dual XM 3 D* launchers ( i.e. can launch two at a time )
360 Standard Missile launchers quads **( ie each emplacement can launch up to four missiles at a time )
360 Expanded Dual ( paired ) Grazer Cannon***
320 Photon – Ion Interlaced Dual ( paired ) Particle Beam Cannon***

Gun Orbs can act as Carriers, carrying up to 5,000 Star Strike Fighters, and 5,000 DragonSpine Fighters.

*XM3 D- Capitol ship killer missiles. They have a nova ‘bomb’ as a warhead ( this disrupts and destroys the gravitational bonds of a stellar object, causing it to go Nova when used on a stellar object.. When used against other than such they destroy the gravitational bonds holding the object coherent, reducing it to component atoms. What makes this missile so completely unstoppable, is that once it’s sensor array locks on the target, it jumps via the multi phasic dimensional drives to reappear in normal space [b]within[/in] the target- thus bypassing any shields. These are massive, expensive missiles, but if used properly just one can incapacitate any ships no matter how large. It may not manage to destroy it completely, but it will incapacitate. That their target is in motion does not matter to these missiles as their sensor arrays generally lock them on to the center of mass of the target ship.

**Range Weapons

Energy Missiles –

Phased Plasma Photon Torpedo Mark V (PPPT) The PPPT is a massive energy plasma packet that travels at light speed and can be fired once every 5 seconds. They are effective up to a maximum of 100 million miles, and are only stopped by certain types of energy shields, primarily shields that are Gravitic in nature. (Gravitic Shear) however other forms of shielding are not very effective against these missiles.

Physical Missiles-

Impeller Drive Laser Missile – Mark V (IDLM V’s) - The most common missile used is the IDLM MKV. This missile masses 50 tons and accelerates at 500,000 G for up to 5000 seconds before its drive burns out, giving a powered flight range of over 100 million miles. This weapon uses the high energy electromagnetic radiation produced during a nuclear explosion to pump about fifty X-ray lasers. As the initial radiation enters the gain medium, the X-rays were amplified and fired, after which the gain medium would have been destroyed by the explosions aftereffects, resulting in a brief flare of multiple high-energy X-ray laser beams. Unlike a pure fusion warhead, meaningful damage could be dealt to anything within 10,000 miles of the detonation.

Multi Drive Laser Missiles MK V (MDLM V’s) A far more powerful, but physically larger are the MDLM2 with its much greater range and destructive ability. It mounts a special jump drive allowing it to do a micro jump then lite off its impeller drive - or jump within a target’s shields. They have ranges approaching 500 million miles, weigh about 75 tons, and detonate 25 lasers that have a range of about 5,500 miles of the detonation point and are more than 5 times the strength of a IDLM V.

Counter Missiles MKV- CMV are used for antimissile action much as point defense lasers are, but they have a much greater range than point defense lasers do. : These are smaller, more numerous missiles with a lesser range, some 5 million miles - they have no warheads. Their role is to knock down incoming missile barrages with their impeller wedges - both objects being vaporized.

Physical missiles have a reload and launch time of 1 minute for the life of the NCI-no combat imminent-stockpile, and one per tube every minute in normal combat.

Naturally, in space, it is possible to reach a target beyond powered range, but it is very easy to avoid a coasting missile. Even within powered range, with electronic countermeasures, evasive systems, point defense and Counter missiles active & effective - a direct hit on a defended ship is basically impossible. Missiles spin while in flight, to make it difficult for point defense lasers to get a clear shot past the impeller wedge.

Against immobile targets, no warhead is necessary. A starship can approach the target at 0.8 c and launch missiles that will accelerate to 0.99 c. At this speed, even nuclear warheads are pointless; the kinetic energy of the relativistic missiles can tear a planet apart.

*** Light Speed Weapons

Expanded Grazer Cannon are massive lasers operating in the gamma ray (the name is an abbreviation of gamma ray amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). These are considered vastly superior in both strength and size when compared to conventional lasers. Their lenses are several dozen meters across and are Gravitic not optical. They have ranges in the million-mile plus range and can penetrate most forms of energy shielding by interrupting the shield harmonics. The output rating is over 1,500 gigajoules

Photon –Ion Particle Beam Cannon - this is the major short range – 5 million miles or less weapon of the Gun Orb. The PIPB canon fires a massive beam of light/ Photons -Grazer lasers -followed almost instantly by the Ion aspect. The Grazer damages and weakens the targets shields and the ion particle beam enters unhampered to strike again the target. This weapon is capable of destroying planets with but one solid strike. However it is slow to fire and requires its own DeSitter space tap.

Shields - Defense

Cyclical Refractive Absorptive Frequency Cycling Shields (CRAS ) are the latest technology -non-ablative, Gravitic Stress band Shields – lasers, grazers and any light speed weapons are bent away, or refracted like light is when it passes through denser mediums. In this instance, the focused light is bent by the intense gravity in the shields.

A large percentage of the energy targeted at them is absorbed by the Shields and use it to reinforce the Shield, thus lessening the drain upon the ships power plants and lengthening the life of the Shield. Additionally the ‘frequency’ of the Shield cycles rapidly and is not discernable by most sensors.

These Shields are invulnerable to mass-less lightspeed weapons, as the weapon is destroyed or absorbed by the Gravitic shear caused by the shield. The weakening with these new shields is much slower than with the old form of shields as there are multiple generators cycling though the shield creation and maintenance. No one generator is allowed to overload, being cycled in and out of the effort of shielding – However under long term continuous bombardment they but will still eventually fail until the generators are reset or repaired ( depending on how much damage they take before the fail safes kick in and ‘throw the breakers’ on the generators). Against Lasers, Grazers, and other photonic / light speed weapons the shield is the first line of defense.

Missiles are dealt with by other measures, including Countermissiles, point defense lasers, and sensor jammers.

Many layers of armor that alternate between ablative composites that absorb energy from energy weapons and solid anti-kinetic layers also protect the Gun Orb. The external armor is over a kilometer in thickness and is comprised of multiple layers of monotanium filaments and carbotanium ablative armor grown via nano technology technology. Inside, there are armored bulkheads on each level , and more layers of armor separating the nested layers.

I came up with this idea years ago while playing with a friends table sculpture and having it fall apart in my hands, then I read an article or two and it all kind of jelled . ( the sculpture being a set of Chinese nested orbs and the magazine article about how wood peckers keep from turning their brains to jelly as they hammer away at trees.)

We live on the outside of a sphere - our planet - and that’s a huge amount of surface area... and you could get even more if you put hollow spheres inside one another. Gravometrics (probably the wrong word but it's the one I am using - and here I use / mean it 'as the ability of a culture to create/ manipulate gravity as they need to.’)

Build a core sphere. – With the shell forming the sphere a mile thick, maybe more and reinforced with all the tech goodies / energy shields etc that you have.

Inside the shell is a vast area 10 miles in diameter - that you can level in the normal order that we tend to think of - top to bottom - say with the levels just feet under a mile high each - the 'feet under' being the thickness of the ceiling/floor of the next level- perhaps a hundred feet thick - filled with honey comb lattice supports, all the necessary gravity control, environmental support tubes - to move air/ water/ sewage/ communications etc.

Gravity would be layer by layer – from top to bottom- the “conventional” orientation.

In the center would be a cylindrical core that would be a mile across and run from top to bottom - one mile by ten miles tall - that would be the safest, most protected area - where computer/; communications/ command - the C3 architecture needed . The walls could be very thick- perhaps reducing the interior diameter by as much a mile- perhaps making the walls the same construction type as you see on the most enduring of the old castles – curtain walls filled with compacted rubble- sweep an area of an asteroid belt bare of all the nickel iron/ what ever is hard and compact it between nano grown battle steel ( or what ever high tech ultra hard metal goodness you have – if you look at the old fort in St. Augustine Florida the caliche – compacted seashells, produced by mother nature – it’s getting harder all the time and even with it was first mined and places in the walls of the old fort cannon balls bounced off of it rather than penetrating…I’m not going to debate the substances used, I am not a materials specialist/ scientist…

Most of the inner core levels are used as living quarters in the vast green spaces – air/ oxy generation/ regeneration - play / gathering space for crew and families – perhaps more vertical towers running from top to bottom of each level, housing apartments and other spaces necessary for any lived in space – offices, bulk storage, school rooms, libraries, businesses, armories, environmental substations - that over look the green spaces and help support the level above. Additionally these towers would house the high speed lifts/ elevators to get from one level to the next, and each tower would have its own additional armoring and protections built about it..

Now that your core is started, while the interior is being finished, you start the next shell out. – say a mile further out. So you have a mile of airspace above you – with gravity ‘pulling’ you to the surface of the centermost shell (like earth’s) .

Now the next shell out is connected to the center one with hundreds of spokes/ spikes – this is how a wood peckers brain is protected, keeping the brain from being turned to much – multiple layers of bony shell inter connected by thousands of spikes of bone running between the layers –

Now some of these spokes/ spokes would be high strength light weight material used -purely as support / bracing struts / structures - others would house transport tubes so people and materiel could get from shell to shell – others would house environmental runs/ power and communications runs (and any military device is going to have as many redundancies as possible – I think they are of the opinion you can never have too much ammo, to much redundancy and too much Intel.- I happen to agree )

And once that next shell is built go on to the next. Some layers may be only hundreds of feel greater – bulk storage levels for water, materials, or just more armor – this is a military base in space so you need room to house every thing the military needs from ammo, to hospital, to conference room, parade grounds, to repair shops – and the ability to fabricate new parts/ weapons etc.

And you have it – space that is - for each larger shell gives you much more room and you can make each shell as thick and as armored as you feel you need to ( by the way a shell given over to storage of water makes a wonderful ablative level – and provides you with lots of drinking water too boot )

Of course all these shells are supported by the struts/ spikes, no connecting tubes run straight through. You have to make sure that not too many shells were connected by one ‘line’ in case combat damage broke or structurally compromised the integrity of the line. You also don’t want to give invaders a straight avenue to your core…

The outermost shell is where of course all your weapons are locates and in space a orb lets you fire energy weapons – straight line weapons - in any direction. – Missiles don’t need line of sight/ straight line fire – but you want the optimum mix of beam and missile weapons. Also this last layer is where you launch bays for fighters are – they’d be housed deeper in another shell to protect them. Also the hangers for small non fighter craft – and yes you could have hangers big enough to hold a super star destroyer or two or more…

There is NO upper limit to how big you wanted to make one of these – it just depends on how long you wanted to spend building, how much money you had to throw at it .

I think I took the idea of the DeSitter Space Tap/ Translation Drive and ran with it because the theory seems to imply no exhaust ports/ emission vents were needed.. So that took care of the FTL, and hundred of ‘impulse’ – or what ever ‘normal’ space / non FTL drives you used could be attached to the last most shell to handle that.


http://www.atddm.com/gos1.jpg and http://www.atddm.com/nested.jpg

Grendels are Omnimorphs, ultimate shape changers.. They can assume the appearance of non living things and of living beings they can become not only the shape, but the actual being with all it’s powers, biology, abilities, strengths and weaknesses – the great masters down to the genetic level- and the rare adepts to the atomic level – indistinguishable from ‘the real thing’.

However at each change – particularly into things/ beings unstudied – the chance of ‘not coming back’ – their minds erased of all but the most basic knowledge, void of ‘themself’ is significant. Most- some 90% - have only an ‘average’ ability and thus limit their changes as much as possible. The Force is integral to them and is what they ‘use/ manipulate’ to effect and power the shift/change – and most – again the 90% mentioned above - can never use it for anything but this. The rare ones that can have all been exceptional masters of the Force, both subtle and powerful.

As a species they have a telepathic gestalt that functions on the unconscious level – it is not truly a hive mind, but a racial memory / knowledge pool that can be tapped into ( much like the Xa Cz’inni memory) Their original form of communications was telepathic, before they learned of races with vocality . Their racial telepathy is on ‘frequencies’ that the vast majority of other species can not access, even if they are psionic and the vast majority of Grendels can not access non Grendel frequencies. This has led to some vicious wars in the past. However once they managed to develop communication in the generally common audio frequencies the instances of wars over miscommunications dropped considerable.

They are very hard to injure, much less kill. Radiation of types and levels that would kill a human in hours has little effect on them, and there have never been any sign of radiation induced mutations among Grendels. Diseases, even chimera type virals do not affect them, and most wounds seal over nearly instantly, closing before ones eyes. Though their regenerative abilities can be overwhelmed by mass injuries that occur nearly instantaneously.

They have no need of ‘breathing,’ being able to seal their bodies and live off of energy stored within – they have been known to find the atmosphere of stars comfortable.. And they can obtain energy off of / out of almost anything.. They need a steady supply of energy though. Biologically they can mate and produce off spring that contain aspects of both the sire and the dam, or one can shed a portion of itself with all or only some of its aspects. The smallest amount that can be thus shed and still retain sentience is roughly 5 pounds. Growth can be slow or rapid.

Generally Grendels aren’t considered ‘adult’ until roughly their five hundredth year, and the tested mastery of the One Hundred Basic Systems – the 100 races they have had the longest contact with. It is far more than just a study of the species form, but their culture, genetics, history and more. This training usually starts at about the end of their first century – before that they are allowed to be children, exploring and learning to survive in their deadly home. The immersion into each ‘System’ is a very deep and complete one, where in the individual become that species, living among them and not returning to their native form. After each System is mastered and the testing survived they spend a number of years just living and rehoning their skills as Grendels. Then they immerse themselves into the next level.

However the Grendels are a very aggressive race. Their planet of origin was a very dangerous one and still is to this day. Many Grendels do not live to maturity, but this is the way the race has chosen. The Grendels have a very high technology base, nearly that of the Xa Cz’inni, but they mostly eschew it in day to day life. Though that doesn’t mean they refrain completely. They are survivors and will use any means available to survive.

They are a blunt and honest people, such is all but mandatory for any race with a inbred gestalt such as theirs. Dissimulation among themselves is completely unknown, but in interactions with non Grendels, subterfuge and confusion tends to reign. Theirs is a richly complex society that places a very high value on the individual, but they expect all individuals to do their duty to their culture.

Some live as Citizens of the Phoenix Empire though they have their own completely seperate nation and culture.