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diff --git a/doc/STORYLINE b/doc/STORYLINE index 33f532b..cc9d90b 100644 --- a/doc/STORYLINE +++ b/doc/STORYLINE @@ -5,25 +5,102 @@ It _will_ contain spoilers. The concept of zones/sectors is still on the TODO list. +FACTIONS + Borderworlds: + Colonial Militia + + Great Houses: + Lindblade + Lance Council Capital + + Tsu-Khan Empire + PLACES -Borderworlds: +-------------------------------------------------------------------- +Borderworlds / Independent Colonies: -Ghant System - Planet Ghant - Alexandria outpost +Ghant system + planet Ghant + Alexandria outpost (Colonial Militia) Battleship custodian - Planet Seymour + planet Seymour Regula mining operation asteroid field -Central worlds: +Brogha system + planet Brogha + +Caroli system + planet Andros + planet Corthio + +-------------------------------------------------------------------- +House Lindblade: + +Lindblade system + planet Lindblade + +Burton system + planet Burton + Trent outpost + +-------------------------------------------------------------------- +Lance Council capital: + + +-------------------------------------------------------------------- +Neutral systems + +Karelia system + Karelian nebula + Colonial border station + +Caroli system + planet Andros + planet Corthio -System? - Planet Lindblade + great war battle field remains +-------------------------------------------------------------------- +Tsu-Khan Empire: + +Kiana system + Kiana Prime + +HISTORY + +The Great War + +Over 300 years ago, the great war between the Colonies and the Tsu-Khan +empire almost wiped humanity out of existence. With respect to the cause, +it was a war like any other: land and resources. The empire had depleted +most of its natural resources and launched an ambitious project to find +a suitable location for a new homeworld. Exploration and conquest led +to the inevitable encounter with the Colonies. + +Most of the human population was ignorant of the presence of alien lifeforms +in their galaxy. The scant pieces of evidence that did exist were well-kept +secrets by the political leaders of the time. The Colonies were controlled +by several great houses, each with their own agenda's and changing aliances. +None of the House Lords had the motivation to order a thorough investigation +into a mad man's testimony of outer world creatures. + +The ware come without warning. On the edge of know space, in the Caroli system, +two new colonies had been founded outside the jurisidiction of the great houses. +The settlers were finishing the construction of their hyperspace jump gate, to +connect the system to alied borderworld systems. Unfortunatly, the Tsu-Khan +empire had located a few suitable planets just a few parsec away. + +The Andros colony was the first to fall. It didn't take long for the Tsu-Khan +battle group to destroy the defenceless setlement. By the time they arrived at the Corthio colony, the local alliance had scrambled any battleship it could find to fend the invasion. The Colonial fleet was no match for the overwhelming superiority of the Tsu-Khan battle group. In a few hours, the battle was over, and the Corthio colony was reduced to ashes. + +The Karelian Incident + + +STORY I. Chocolate milk @@ -34,7 +111,7 @@ chocolate was a hard to find commodity. And fresh milk? You'd have to have almost criminal connections to find it. fortunatly I had, and I did. These were times for celebration. I had spend the loan I managed to get from the local planetairy bank on a small transort ship and I had just -finished my first day of <insert silly ore here> transport from the Regula mining +finished my first day of marmitium transport from the Regula mining operation to Alexandria outpost. Not the glorious life I had gotten used to on the central planets, but at least a decent one with its small pleasures once in a while, like the cup of chocolate milk. The hundred credits I payed @@ -43,23 +120,23 @@ of slightly fermented rodent droppings and the associated legendary hangover. I almost felt like home and the small room I rented above the local bar started to feel like one. After I left the central planets, I ended up on -Alexandria where the local bartender was kind enough to offer me a job +Alexandria outpost where the local bartender was kind enough to offer me a job in his modest establishment. He probably did it more out of sympathy then anything -else, but as it turned it, I'm great at doing the dishes and I always enjoyed +else, but as it turned out, I'm great at doing the dishes and I always enjoyed our conversations. That is, until last week, when I met Brent. I never really got to know him very well but he must have remembered me from high school. I was sitting at the bar when he suddenly tapped my shoulder. My memories of him were vague. As he sat down, I ordered him a drink. We had some chit-chat, -We shared a few memories of distant times but it didn't take hime very long to come +shared a few memories of distant times, but it didn't take hime very long to come to the point. Brent was the business type. "The rising star of the Regula mining operations, -overseeing all shipments of <fancy ore> in the Ghant system", to quote his words. +overseeing all shipments of marmitium in the Ghant system", to quote his words. His phrases like "A smart man could make a fortune" sounded rather hollow to me, but he did have a point. 500 runs to Regula to pay the loan for the ship. Another 1500 more to get myself a ship big enough to hold a small cabin with all the -luxuries a simple life could need. +luxuries a simple life would need. Repetetive? Boring? Perfect! Add an autopilot and this life could be more relaxing then a luxury vacantion on Lantia. With this simple business but rock-solid plan @@ -74,9 +151,41 @@ That would have added another 50 runs to the price. The first two runs went smooth. Nothing unexpected. Pick up supplies at Alexandria, fly all the way to the Regula mining operation station, exchange the supplies -for a shipment of <insert silly ore name here> and head back. - - -Cali Prime -Eborh -the something Consortium representative
\ No newline at end of file +for a shipment of marmitium and head back. I had just hit the impulse drive with +the third load in my cargo hold when I noticed something out of place. + +A blip. And a big one too. No civilian vessel had an EM radar signature that powerful. +I peered through the windows and as planet Ghant grew bigger on me I could clearly +distinguish a second bright spot next to the familiar one Alexandria had become to me. +I quickly requested the computer for an identification and it didn't take it very long +to come up with an answer. Battleship Custodian. Colonial Militia registration number +CM-2542. It must have jumped in when I was docked at Regula. + +Curious. While the Ghant system was officialy under the jurisdiction of the +Independent Colonies, nobody had any real business here. Sure marmitium was +a great industrial fertilizer, but my guess was that the military's interests +would lie elsewhere. For now, I just decided to ignore the matter. I had just made +a fresh start in live and I was determined not to let it get ruined by unfortunate +circumstances. + +It was hard to ignore the massive battleship looming over the station, but I docked and +went straight to the bar. The bartender looked at me as I walked in and pointed me to +my regular place at the bar. "I'll be right back", he said, and disappeared into the kitchen +compartment. As on most quiet evenings, the regular customers were kind enough to leave +my seat unocupied and it didn't take the familar surroundings long to ease my exited mind +into a more relaxes state. "Here you are, one cup of steaming hot chocolate milk. I'm not +sure how or where you got it, but I am sure it is the real deal. No one would get it into +his mind to synthesize anything without having an actual market for it." + +As usual, my bartender was right, and that was exactly why I liked this stuff, even if it +costed a small fortune. "But then again", he continued and turned has eyes towards the large +space window at te other end of the bar, "life can be full of surprises." + +II. + +It was hard for him to hide his unsettledness. "I just had a talk with the station supervisor +and the commander of that battleship floating out there". "The Custodian", I replied. "I had +the ship computer run an ID on it". "You'd better take care of that fancy new ship of yours", +he said. "They were here to inform me that the Colonial Militia has decided to station a regiment +in the Ghant system, effectuve immediatly. All fleet operations in the system will be under the +command of the battleship Custodian." |