NationStates Jolt Archive

The Second Alliance

Basic Statistics
Official Name:The Commonwealth of the Second Alliance of Human Nations.
Commonly Referred to As: The Second Alliance
Government: Bloodline Chancellorship balanced by a Democratic Body
Founder: Jake Castro, Founder of the Second Alliance, High Chancellor
Current Chancellor: Jake Castro. Also referred to as the Founder.
Total Heirs: 23 Heir Ascendants including grandchildren, 43 Heir Descendants including grandchildren
Capital World: Sanctuary, population of 1.039 billion (homeworld: see previous 'Earth')
Current Capital City: New Arcadia, population of 203.869 million
Currency: The Halo
Official Languages: Common (Primary), East Immorian (Traditional), Artisan (Inherited)
National Colors: White, Black, Blue (traditional colors) and Silver (royal use only)
National Flag: A five-part, segmented Ring of silver suspended on a field of black with an upper border and lower border lined by bright blue
Average Life Expectancy: 112 years naturally, 150+ years augmented
Oldest Recorded Age: The Founder at 1,218 years and still living due to unique circumstances and extraordinary augmentation
National Bird: Alerion , a large, omnivorous bird with an 8 foot wingspan.
National Animal: Kilaros [kee-la-rr-ohs], a large, predatory canine used as a riding mount. 5 foot 10 inches at the shoulder, 10 feet long from snout to tail. Very intelligent pack animal.
Population Breakdown: 72% Immorian decent (fair to tan skinned, dominantly brown or black haired, can also be blond or white haired), 19% Cestal decent (dark skinned, predominantly brown and red, can also be black or white haired. Extremely rare Albino gene present in peoples of Cestal decent, 1-in-1456000 people are affected. Crippling sun allergy and insufficient immune system can be lethal if the subject is not augmented soon after birth. The mutation is identifiable by bleach white skin and pale blue irises), 8.35% Doriad decent (ruddy red to pale yellow skin, dominantly black haired, can be brown or blond haired), 0.65% Allied Extraterrestrial Species (Artisan, Avian, Shrykull and Klikk are all included in this category. Each of these species has it's own unique society, biology and culture, but for the purposes of this census, only those registered as citizens and diplomatically immune extraterrestrials were counted)
Total Population: 2,137,450,000 approximated citizens
National Exports: Metal Ores, radioactive isotopes, advanced robotic technology, weapons, organic and inorganic plastics, organic produce, medicinal agents and therapies

[U]Galactic Orientation
Due to the unique method of Faster Than Light travel that the Second Alliance has developed, distance between systems is mostly irrelevant, and so the Second Alliance's holds are spread thin across five claimed star systems, for a grand total of six habitable worlds. These systems are detailed below:

Sanctuary: the home system of the Second Alliance, named for their homeworld, Sanctuary. It is arguably the most heavily defended system in the Second Alliance's holdings. System population at 1,037,024,000 citizens.
Harvest: This was the Second Alliance's first colonized world. Relatively unremarkable system otherwise, it's third planet is a verdant farmworld, in whose orbit is the biggest center of trade for the growing dominion. System population at 345,111,500 citizens.
Hearthstone: a system of unrivaled mineral resources. The mining capital of the Second Alliance. System population at 205,101,500 citizens.
Furnace: Contains the biggest shipyards in the Alliance. System population at 150,106,500 citizens.
Horizon: This system is the most recently claimed star system in the Second Alliance, and is home to a large gravatic anomaly. The closest habitable planet, Abyss, is a center of academia and scientific research, namely physics research. It is here the two hundred mile long MERCER research particle accelerator lies. The device is so large, when activated, it triggers minor earthquakes within a quarter mile of the machine. The other habitable system in the planet, Horizon, is a planet of breathtaking mountain ranges and beautiful valleys. It is here the lion's share of the Second Alliance's military is trained. System population at 400,106,500 citizens.


Physiological Makeup
The peoples of the Second Alliance are human... mostly. Their particular breed of humanity was seeded by another race of creatures known as Artisan using DNA they accrued from other sources. The Artisan revealed this to them after this new society of humans achieved a unified government and limited space flight. The majority of differences are minor, but the biggest by far is their age and intelligence as opposed to "true" humans. The Artisan modified their genetic structure to enhance their minds, making the IQ of most of these so called "Second Humans", or simply just "Second", substantially higher then their true Earth analogs, by 50 to 75 points in most cases. Their genetic code was also artificially stabilized, making these so-called Second more resistant to radiation induced cancer, as well as giving them a significantly longer natural life span. However, not all these artificial mutations were perfect, the rare and often lethal Cestal gene trait being an excellent example. As the Artisan stressed when they contacted the Second Alliance, they modified the DNA to the best of their ability, and at the time, they had little time for double checking their work, since the genetic seed would have degraded beyond use if they waited much longer. The Artisan and the Second Alliance continue to adjust and modify the discrepancies in their genetic code.

Augmentation
The process of augmentation is a central aspect of the Second Alliance's culture. Augmentation is an umbrella term used to refer to the elaborate process which the Second can under go to improve their bodies. Augmentation includes bionic modification, specialized implants and surgeries, and even simple, or in some circumstances, extreme gene therapy. The results are obvious. While they vary from person to person, the individuals lifespan is significantly expanded, by decades in most cases, but in some, by centuries. IQ and mental functions are also raised, as is physical prowess.

One of the most standardized practices is also one of the most regulated: mental aspecting. The exact process of aspecting is a highly guarded state secret, with only the most skilled and high-ranking of specially-licensed surgeons in the Second Alliance aware of the full details of the procedure. While the process itself is highly secret, the results are well known. Mental aspecting divides the conscious mind, allowing a person to perform multiple mental exercises without dividing their attention. For example, a Second with two aspects can be engaged in a dogfight while piloting his AVATAR using one aspect, and meanwhile be coordinating the entire combat fleet's actions using a tactical relay with the other aspect, all without a loss of concentration or performance in either task. The lion share of aspecting is performed on higher ranking specialists and command personnel, for whom the operation grants them two aspects, though by far the heirs and Chancellor of the Alliance have undergone the most extensive aspecting, with most heirs having five aspects, and the Chancellor have six confirmed, with rumors of the ability to increase how many aspects he possesses on the fly through unknown means. The process isn't perfect, though, and aspected Seconds under extreme stress can develop multiple personality disorders, dementia, even full blown psychosis. The heirs and Chancellor spend hours at a time in a strict meditation regime to keep their mental stability, and even so, the ever-present threat of insanity haunts their every waking moment.

Another part of augmentation is full body cyborging. The process involves constructing an entirely new body for the recipient, using simulated organic and inorganic substances for organs and internal musculature, and then transplanting the brain in it's entirety into the new host body. The old host body is flash-frozen in case it is needed once more. Bones are crafted out of memory metals, and skin out of self-repairing plastics, allowing the body to heal on it's own, eliminating the need for repairs. The new body is capable of all of it's old functions, including processing waste, consuming food and drink, even sexual reproduction is possible. However, due to it's artificial nature, the new form sports inhuman performance. Strength is super human, stamina is nearly limitless, reaction time and coordination are elevated to Olympian levels, physical speed is greatly improved and finally, the body can survive in a full vacuum for extended periods of time due to increased breath capacity and the ability to hermetically seal itself.

While these procedures are somewhat expensive, state-sponsored augmentation is widespread throughout the military in varying levels, depending on rank. This will be covered later extensively when military organization is disseminated.

The Military of the Commonwealth of the Second Alliance

Military Command Structure
The Second Alliance's military was built with the idea that simplicity is best. All military and paramilitary personnel have a coorsponding rank on a clear and easy to understand heirarchy. The military is not divided into seperate branches, but all unified under a single command structure. The closest thing to branches in the Second Alliance military are the seperate "legions" which the AVATAR corps are divided into, and these legions still fall under the same command structure of the overarching Second Alliance military. While the local nomenclature or specific assignment titles may vary, all have a clearly defined parrallel rank under the same command system, making it easy to determine the current field commander in any one operation, even amoungst a team of radically different specialists and positions which border on civilian service. For example, a Starship Captain is technically a Lieutenant Minor, where as a Fleet Commander cooresponds to a Lieutenant Major.

The complete rank system is below, along with a summary of command authority for each rank.


High Chancellor: Direct Command Authority over all Second Alliance military personnel and fleet strengths. Direct command of a Keyship. Commands may be overridden by a five-eighths majority of Councillors, a one-half majority in the Council and the Steward's vote.
Steward: Serves as a transitional Chancellor until the next Heir Ascendant enters office. Indirect Command over all military personnel in the Second Alliance. Tactical advisor to the Chancellor. Can be overridden by a one-half majority of the Council
Councillor: Ten serve on the Alliance Council. Elected by democractic majority. The entire council may issue broad-scope orders to the Alliance military with a five-eighths majority.
Heir Ascendant: There are currently Twenty Three Heirs ascendant in the Second Alliance. They and the Chancellor alone command Keyships and their hidden nuclear arsenals. They also serve as the commanders of their Keyship's escorting fleet and any planetary support facilities in their area. The eldest of this bloodline is next in line for the Chancellorship.
Legion General: One general per legion. Each Legion is actually comprised of all specialists in a specific field. For example, there is a legion of combat engineers, a legion of seige specialists, a legion of infiltration specialists, shocktroopers, etc. Each general is in charge of training his charges in the necesary specialist skills and assigning his legionaires to individual fleets. Heir Ascendants petition the Generals for legionaires, and the General decides how many for how long, if at all. Generals also train young Heir Ascendants in the arts of war and strategy.
Adjutant Major: Complete Authority over one Alliance held star system and all assets within. The Council can temporarily appoint one existing Adjutant Minor, usually one of their personal appointees, to the rank of Adjutant Major to oversee a specific task or objective. These Council Adjutants are afforded more respect than their lower-ranked counterparts, as usually the presence of an appointed Adjutant Major indicates some sort of alternate agenda on the part of the Council, or a sign of serious trouble to come.
Adjutant Minor: Complete Authority over one Alliance held world and all assets therein. Civilians can be appointed as Adjutant Minors by individual Councillors to serve as the proxied eyes and ears of the Council. These Adjutant Minors are usually disdained by Alliance military personnel, even by Adjutant Minors who earned their rank through military service, frequently considered unwelcome interlopers in affairs. While these Council Adjutants may be hated, they are necesary for the Council to make informed tactical decisions.
Commander Major: Commanding Officer of all military personnel in any engagement pertanant to their assigned mission
Commander Minor: Commanding Officer of all military personnel engaged in any one single engagement, Commanding Officer of all military personnel and assets on one continent of an Alliance world
Admiral Major: Commanding Officer of multiple Fleet Strengths in absence of a commanding Keyship
Admiral Minor: Commanding Officer of one Fleet Strength in absence of a commanding Keyship
Lieutenant Major: Commanding Officer of several connected or interdependant military installations, Commanding Officer of a Dominus-class Carrier Starship
Heir Descendant: There are forty three heir descendants, each of whom are descendants of the family of the Chancellor's wife, Councillor Jennifer Blake, and are thusly royal blood through marriage, though technically not eligible for the throne so long as there is an Heir Ascendant alive to take the throne. Also, an Heir Ascendant can, at any time, relienquish their right to the Chacellorship and take the mantle of Heir Descendant, being allowed to keep their Keyship, though it's nuclear armament would be removed. They are local Commanding Officers of sensitive military and civilian assets and pivotal installations. Amoung their charges are the large Orbital Defense Platforms, known as Citadels, of which only two exist; one stands over Sanctuary, another over Harvest. All personnel and military assets therein are their's to command. Other such charges are military starports, experimental science facilities, and far border outposts. This unique command authority is absolute within their jurisdiction and cannot be overriden by any but an Heir Ascendant, a Steward, or the High Chancellor himself.
Lieutenant Minor: AVATAR Regiment Leader, Commanding Officer of an installation, Commanding Officer of an Atlas-class Destroyer Starship or an Orion-class Frigate Starship
Captain Major: Infantry Regiment Leader, AVATAR Company Leader, RAV Regiment Leader, Leviathan Pack Leader, Azure Gaurd, Storm Trooper Captain
Captain Minor: Infantry Company Leader, AVATAR Platoon Leader, RAV Company Leader, Leviathan Operator, Bridge crew on an Alliance starship, Storm Trooper Veteran
Sergeant Major: Infantry Platoon Leader, AVATAR Squad Leader, RAV Platoon Leader, Storm Trooper Initiate
Sergeant Minor: Infantry Squad Leader, AVATAR specialist, RAV squad leader
Protector Major: Infantry Specialist, AVATAR pilot, RAV pilot, minor seniority over Protector Minors
Protector Minor: Infantry Soldier, command over Civilians
Civilian: No military command


The Weapons of the Second Alliance

Starship Class: Keyship ***VISUAL REPRESENTATION*** (http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o316/Founderdude/AllianceStarship-Keyshipclass.jpg)
Purpose: Multi-role Fleet Command Warship
Ship Captain: Chancellor or Heir Ascendant
Ship Stats
***BROAD SYSTEMIC BREAKDOWN*** (http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o316/Founderdude/AllianceStarship-Keyshipclass-color.jpg)
Length: 1.4 Kilometers in length
Hull Construction: 4.31' thick reinforced "Kilaros" battleplate composed of Ultrium skin with depleted uranium undercoat. Underlying superstructure constructed with hexagonal ultrium support struts reinforced by localized tensor fields*
*The Kilaros pattern battleplate's hardness and resistence to heat and radiation provide a highly resilient frame capable of ship-to-ship ramming with minimal hull damage, as well as resisting most conventional laser or projectile-based anti-ship weapons. The hexagonal superstructure and supporting tensor fields allow the ship's frame a fair measure of flexibility, preventing the ship's dramatic acrobatics from sheering the hull apart, as well as reducing ramming damage further.
Conventional Drive Systems:
-Two Independently Mounted, fully rotational dominus-class NERVA engines with adjustable thrust accelerators
-Two Laterally Deployable Repulsor Sails**
**Repulsor Sail technology is not actually a sail, but rather a tough yet thin membrane of memory metal that can conduct magnetic energy and Chernokov radiation. The repulsor membrane discharges the accumulated energy to rapidly adjust the craft's orientation in space. This maneuvering system, combined with the fully articulated NERVA engine mounts at the aft end of the craft, allow a Keyship to perform what would be considered otherwise impossible acts of agility, such as a no-stop 360 degree turn in under two seconds, or a 45 to 90 degree course change in less then one, all while retaining it's existing forward momentum. While such maneuvers can create great deals of inertial stress, Keyship's superstructures are designed to take that sort of abuse, and the crew is trained to secure themselves safely to prevent injury from the gravity-overriding momentum. It's for this Repulsor Sail technology that Keyships are considered by many Alliance strategists to be so effective in combat, as the Keyship's tactical agility is second-to-none against other Alliance starcraft, and few other races possess craft with similar mobility that can match the firepower and armor of compact and deceptively well armed Keyship. To sum it up, if Alliance Keyships have one advantage, it's nearly always maneuverability. This craft is the only warship Alliance has constructed that can literally "turn on a dime", and their commanding heirs are trained to press that advantage heavily.
FTL Drive System: Mk XIII Localized Spacefold Drive***
***The spacefold drives of the Keyship take approximately three minutes to cycle correctly, though they can be jump started within thirty seconds for emergencies. There is no cooldown, as the drive cycling renders cooldown times irrelevant. In otherwords, the Mk XIII Localized Spacefold Drive allows the ship to spacefold once every three minutes, though continuously spacefolding could cause significant damage to the Mk XIII drive.

Due to the nature of spacefolding, greater distances traveled do not make longer journeys, since the craft bends space and time, and bending space and time to move five feet or sixty thousand lightyears requires the same amount of energy and time expended. The drives cut out a swathe around the traveler and hurl that whole chunk of space time into a specific four-axis (W being equivelent to the time-axis of a 3d coordinate plane) coordinate point in space, where upon the whole cut out area expands to fill it's original mass, explosively displacing any existing matter or energy at the destination, before the normal laws of physics kick in. The result is a transdimensional tremor every time a starship spacefolds, which if used correctly, can be sued to disperse fighter squadrons, destroy starships, even simply intimidate foes.
Shielding Systems: Retractable, forward-mounted Chernokov Shield Grid****
****Chernokov Shield Grids function differently then the shields of other races, serving more as a futuristic version of a medieval tower shield than a regenerating second hull that covers the entire ship's surface, forfeiting partial protection of the entire hull for complete protection of one angle of attack. The system works by projecting a field of Chernokov radiation from the head of the ship, which solidifies and hardens into a glowing blue, hexagonal grid of protection that floats in front of the ship like a futuristic analog to a tower shield. The shield grid can be moved by the shipboard engineers, though it wastes far more energy to change the shield's orientation then it does to simply move the entire ship to a different angle or location.

The nature of the shield grid makes it spectacularly resilient. The light and heat energy of conventional energy weapons fire is simply redirected to the edge of the shield where it disperses harmlessly into space. Projectile weapons ricochet or vaporise on impact with the hardened wall of energy, their kinetic force likewise dispersed all but harmlessly. The binding energies used to concentrate plasma bolts and other plasma weaponry are disrupted when exposed to the high level magnetic field generated by the grid, and the heat is safely dispersed as laser fire. Ion cannons are all but ineffective, the electrical pulses they generate harmlessly dispersing off the shield. The Chernokov shield can only be disabled by significant applications of force and is unaffected by charged particle/ion weapons, being the field is made of charged particles/ions itself, and it's like trying to break down a mud levy by throwing more mud at it.

Only the heaviest of laser weapons can overload the shields, such as quote 'superlasers' unquote and even under those circumstances, the energy from the overloading blast is dispersed safely before the shield would drop. It takes roughly three minutes to reconstruct the grid after an energy event of that magnitude.

Super heavy projectile weapons fare similarly against the shield for different reasons. The projectile's high velocity produces enough kinetic force to puncture the shield grid like a balloon, freeing the Chernokov energy explosively from it's confinement. The explosive destabilization of the grid removes most of the kinetic force from the incoming round, though minor damage from the wildly flying shell is possible. The grid takes four minutes to reestablish after such an event.

Super heavy plasma weapons are easily the thing the shields excel at dispersing. Regardless of how fast the bolt travels, or how large it may be, the magnetic field disperse it's binding energy all the same, and then it's just a matter of dispersing the excess heat outwardly. while such gratuitous amounts of heat cannot be dispersed perfectly, the worst case scenario is that the residual heat energy heats up the ship's hull by a couple hundred degrees, something the ship was designed to endure with no difficulty. The shield grid will hold against such weapons indefinitely.

The biggest disadvantage of the shield grid is that it is impervious to both friendly and enemy fire, dispersing both relentlessly. The shields cannot be fired through, and unless they are dropped, the ship may only fire from non-shielded vectors.
Powerplant Systems:
-(1 located in aft central hull) Centrifugal 48 X-turbine Chernokov Reactor with 96 falcon-class capacitors, Central Reactor Complex
-(2 located in aft central hull) Centrifugal 24 O-turbine Chernokov Reactor with 48 falcon-class capacitors, Auxiliary Central Reactor Complex
-(1 per engine hub) Centrifugal 12 Y-turbine Chernokov Reactor with 24 falcon-class capacitors, Engine Reactor Complex
-(3 per Mass Driver Cannon, total 6) Cyclic 14 O-turbine Chernokov Reactor with 28 falcon-class capacitors, Main Weapon Reactor Complex
-(1 per Repulsor Sail, total 2) Cyclic 10 X-turbine Chernokov Reactor with 20 falcon-class capacitors, Auxiliary Engine Reactor Complex
-(1 reactor per OFC/DFC turret, total 20) Cyclic 2 I-turbine Chernokov Reactor with 4 falcon-class capacitors, Secondary Weapon Reactor Complexes
Weapon Systems:
-(2) Heavy Mass Driver Cannons: Forward mounted. Primary Weapon System This is the most powerful weapon on the Keyship. It accelerates a three-ton projectile to five-eighths the speed of light by the time it exits the weapon. The kinetic force is great enough to sheer through well over a quarter kilometer of armor plate. Reloading system is fully automated and has the mass driver ready to fire again in three seconds. Heavy Anti-warship weapon.
-(6) Offensive Linear Cannons: Turret Mounted.
-(14) Defensive Linear Cannons: Turret Mounted.
-(2) HYLE Nuclear Warheads: One each in the port and starboard hangars.
(TO BE CONTINUED)