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diff --git a/doc/STORYLINE b/doc/STORYLINE deleted file mode 100644 index bd33282..0000000 --- a/doc/STORYLINE +++ /dev/null @@ -1,461 +0,0 @@ - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - - The Osirion Project - STORYLINE - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - - This file contains ideas for the universe background, the factions and - the storyline. - - SPOILER ALERT! - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - FACTIONS and PLACES - - - HOUSE LINDBLADE (protected by the Lindblade military) - - - Lindblade system - planet Lindblade - - - Burton system - planet Burton - Trent outpost - - - Dover system - - HOUSE PRAETORIA (protected by the Praetorian Guard) - - - Praetoria system - planet Praetoria - - PROTECTORATE (protected by the Ordinators) - - The seat of the Council and the capital of the central planets. - Location of the Allied Intelligence Network headquarters. - - - Protectorate - planet Corona - - INDEPENDENT COLONIES (protected by the Colonial Militia) - - An alliance of systems independent from the central planets. - - - Ghant system - planet Ghant - Alexandria outpost - Battleship custodian - - planet Seymour - Regula station - - - Brogha system - planet Brogha - Cantor observatory - - - Antwerp system - starbase Helianthos (guards the border) - Buccaneer's Den pirate base - planet Antwerp? - - NEUTRAL SYSTEMS - - - Finnmark (Joint Miners Association headquarters) - planet Finnmark - - - East End - Ensor station - - CORPORATIONS - - - Micron Corporations - - AMTEL Tech Conglomerate - - Joint Miners Association - - BORDERWORLDS (not claimed by any lawfull faction) - - Worlds destroyed during the war. - - - Kor Glaven system - planet Andros - planet Corthio - battlefield remains - - - Anarian system - Anarian nebula - Galileo research station - battlefield remains - - - Karelian system - no Planets - Karelian nebula - border station - - TSU-KHAN EMPIRE - - - Kiana system - Kiana Prime - - Note on names: - - Before the war, the systems controlled by the Great Houses were - referred to as the 'Colonies'. The term 'borderworlds' was used - to refer to independent systems. - - Since the war, the term 'Borderworlds' is used to indicate - systems destroyed during the war, while the term 'colonies' - is generally used as abreviation for the 'Independent Colonies'. - The Protectorate and the systems controlled by The Great Houses - are usually referred to as 'the central planets'. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - TIMELINE - - Exodus -5300 years - The Year of War -300 years - The Karelian Incident -50 years - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - HISTORY OF THE YEAR OF WAR - from the House Lindblade historical records - - -Reaching for the Stars - - History of mankind is a tale mostly written in blood and fire. Although - there are few written accounts of the events before the Exodus, it wouldn't - be hard to imagine why the Homeworld would have been abandoned in the first - place: wars for power, territory and resources would be commonplace - for almost five millenia to come. - -The Year of War - - For the Tsu-Khan, this war was no different. Around 300 years ago, - The Empire had depleted most of its natural resources and had launched - an ambitious project to find a suitable new homeworld. - - At the time, most of the human population was ignorant about the presence - of alien lifeforms in their galaxy. The scant pieces of evidence that did - exist were kept secret by the political leaders. The Colonies were controlled - by several Major Houses, each with their own agenda's and changing alliances. - None of the House Lords had the motivation to order a thorough investigation - into a mad man's testimony of outer world creatures. - - The war came without warning. In the Kor Glaven system, on the edge of known space - and outside the jurisidiction of the great houses, two new colonies - had been founded. The settlers were finishing the construction of their - hyperspace jump gate, to connect the system to allied borderworld systems. - Unfortunatly, the Tsu-Khan Empire had located a suitable planet just - a few parsec away. - - The Andros colony was the first to fall. It didn't take the Tsu-Khan - battle group very long to destroy the defenceless setlement. - By the time they arrived at the Corthio colony, the colony had scrambled - any battleship it could find to fend the invasion. The Colonial fleet was - no match for the superior Tsu-Khan ships. In a few hours, the battle was over, - and the Corthio colony had been reduced to ashes. - - The story repeated itself across the Borderworlds. These independent worlds were - usually inhabited by pacifist who had escaped the turmoil of the central planets - or had a mutual understanding with one or more of the great houses. The Tsu-khan - did not care, and the majority of the Bordesworlds was utterly obliterated. What - remained was a few primitive settlements scattered across the smoldering remains - of the Borderworld planets. - - The relations between the Borderworlds and the Major Houses were strained with - conflicts of interest. The central planets usually didn't care unless some economical - or strategical advantage was involved. Slowly the Houses got drawn into the the war, - and after almost a year of hostilities most of the House Lords found their armies - involved in a full-scale war. A war, they realised, they couldn't win. - - With the Borderworlds out of the way, and the Tsu-Khan fleet at the border of every - Major House, there wasn't much they could do to oppose the Empire. In this darkest - of hours a secret meeting took place that turned the fate of history. On a small, - neutral planet, near the centre of the Colonies, a number of small ships met in secret, - each ship carrying one of the remaining House Lords. - -The Alliance - - This small planet used to be the stage for the House Council, by then a long forgotten - tradition, where the Lords of the Major Houses used to work out their differences - with dialog, or discuss current events. In the years before the Great War, this - tradition had been neglected and oposing views were usually solved with a friendly - border skirmish followed by royal monetary compensation. - - These times were over. This war wasn't about money, power or territory. - It was about survival and it was clear by now that none of the Major Houses possessed - sufficient strength to fight the Empire on its own. A new alliance was formed and it - was decided that it should not only include the Major Houses, but also any independent - system that was still capable of fighting. The Lord of House Lindblade, who's - territory had been on the front line since the beginning of the war, and considered - as moderate amongst the House Lords, proposed to assemble a fleet in the Lindblade - system to prevent the Empire from gaining a foothold in the Central Systems. - - Within days, the largest fleet in human history had united under one banner. Out of fear, - out of hope, but most of all, out of desperation. A news reporter from the era described - it as ".. an overwhelming sight of the End of Times, but unlike the descriptions of - Armegeddon in the Ancient Scripture, a sight with a sense of honour and dignity ..." - and ended his report with the question if they really had any chance against such - a formidable enemy. Battleship after battleship graciously drifted in formation, - and everyone on board, from crewman to captain, knew this had to be the final stand. - - When the Empire's vast intelligence informed the Tsu-Khan Emperor of this unexpected - turn of events, humanity's fate seemed sealed. The orders where quick and decisive: - regroup the fleet and prepare to engage the humans. Once dispatched it would - take care of the alliance fleet and end human opposition once and for all. The war - would be over soon and the Alliance's systems would under the Empire's control. - - It is said that even the smallest person can change the course of the future, and in - this case, it was a lonely scientists in the Anara system. His work involved - the meaning of life, the universe and related subjects, and ignoring the dangers - of the war was his way of dealing with the situation. His latest experiment required - him to pilot a tiny and almost unpowered vessel into the Anarian nebula, where - he could conduct measurements of the small variations in the local hyperspace field. - - He was performing another scan of the sector when suddenly his instruments went off - the scale. To his amazement he suddenly found himself on the edge on area where the - alien fleet had decided to regroup and refuel before they sneaked into Alliance Territory. - The small vessel, barely powered and only slightly larger than an emergency life - support pod, used the high levels of radiation in the nebula to elude the Tsu-Khan - sensors and send a warning message the Alliance Fleet. - - With the help of the detailed scientific information about the nebula, the Alliance - managed to jump right on top of the unsuspecting Tsu-Khan fleet. Within minutes, - the Imperial Flagship, primary target of the assault, had taken massive damage and was - burning in the flames of explosive decompression. It was at the heart of the fleet - when it exploded, and most of the heavy fighters and cruisers were hit by the shockwave - and the massive rain of high-speed metallic debris behind it. Some managed to retreat - to Tsu-Khan space, most fell victim to the united firepower of the Alliance fleet. - - News of the victory spread through the Colonies like fire, and the battle became legendary - before the Alliance fleet had even returned home. - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - PROJECT::OSIRION - Allied Intelligence Network classified documents - - -Project Osirion - - During the war, many great houses conducted experiments in search for - advanced technologies to aid in defeating the enemy. One of these - experiments was called 'Project Osirion', an experiment involving - a new type of hyperjumpdrive, which could work independent of hyperspace - jumps holes and cross enormous distances in the blink of an eye. - - The requirments on ship design for this experimental drive unit were - outrageous to say the least. But facing imminent defeat, no effort - was spared to gain even the slightest advantage. In less than 6 months - a new ship was constructed and equiped with the experimental drive unit. - - The ship was an impressive sight: several hundred meters of neutronium-enforced - carbosteel, thousands of metric tonnes of superconductors and optronics, - a monument to human ingenuity and an instrument to survival. - - This ship was christened 'Osirion'. - - The ship's first test flight was a major event. Most secret projects did not - generate a lot of attentention, but this flight was a higly anticipated by - the top brass from all parties involved, military, political and corporate alike. - - The ship had left the construction yard as planned and had almost arrived at - departure point on the edge of the star system when suddenly all communication - was lost. Extensive investigations after the incident have never revealed the - source of the malfunction, and everything that happened after this point is the - result of long-range sensor telemetry. - - The ship arrived at the departure point and the flight continued as planned. - A few moments later a massive energy discharge was registered, indicating - that the experimental jump drive was activated. Unfortunatly, the order - to return to the point of departure after the initial jump, seems to be a part of - the plan that never got executed. The ship had literally vanished into thin air. - - The top brass was very upset. - - -The Karelian Incident - - -The Tsu-Khan Empire - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - PROJECT::OSIRION - Protectorate Top-Secret documents - -What really happed to the Osirion - -What really happed after the death of the Tsu-Khan Emperor - -Tsu-Khan Empress and the War Generals - -The Empress' niece - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - PROJECT::OSIRION - STORY - -I. Business - - Alexandria outpost, jewel of the south, or queen of the wasteland, - as some higher placed officials like to call it off-the-record. - They were probably right too. The wasteland probably referred to - planet Ghant, a lifeless chunk of rock holding the outpost in - a stationary orbit. Unless you had some pressing matters to handle, - this was a part of space you would rather avoid. The only kind of - people you could find here were people doing business and people - who needed to dissapear from public appearance. Or both. - - The local custom was to mind your own business, and that was exactly - what I was looking for: minding my own business. My life on the central - planets had become far more complicated than I had planned for and it - was time for a change: I managed to get a loan from the local - planetary bank and spend it on the aquisition of a small transport - vessel. - - The first day of my new life as a spaceship captain. Not the glorious - life I had gotten used to, but at least a decent one with its small pleasures - once in a while. The small room I rented above the local bar almost felt like - home. After I left the central planets, I ended up on 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 - out, I'm great at doing the dishes and I always enjoyed our conversations. - That is, until last week, when I met Mister 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, - 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 niobium ore 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 would need. - - Repetetive? Boring? Perfect! Add an autopilot and this life could be more relaxing - then a luxury vacation on an exotic planet. With this simple business but rock-solid plan - laid out in front of me I managed to convince the manager of the local planetary - bank to provide me with the necessary funds for my operation, which I quickly - exchanged for Micron Corporation's latest Vector model. It's a small ship: - the cockpit, a living compartment with a sleeping corner and a cargo hold - just big enough to hold a few metric tons of whatever the owner had in mind. - All it misses is a pair of blasters to shoot the mosquitos from the windshield. - - 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 karpax ore 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 - colonies, nobody had any real business here. Niobium was without doubt a valuable - commodity, but since there was no real shortage of the oremy guess was that the - military's interests would lie elsewhere. For now, I decided to ignore the matter. - I wasn't about to meddle into military affairs and let unfortunate circumstances ruin - my life again. - - Nevertheless it was hard to ignore the massive battleship looming over the outpost, - 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 the other end of the bar, "life can be full of surprises." - -II. Surprises - - 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 assign a detachment - to the Ghant system, effective immediately. All fleet operations in the system will be under the - command of the battleship Custodian. They also dropped some kind of communication sattelite - in the center of the system. God knows what these guys are up to." - - The military is always involved in business the common man would rather not know about, but I had - to admit, it just didn't sound right. A battleship in the Ghant system was curious, but a - more permanent presence didn't make any sense at all. I picked up the small metal spoon lying - next to my cup and stirred my hot milk. "I wouldn't worry too much. They've probably discovered - some interesting radiation in the neighbourhood and now they want to turn it into a weapon. You - know these kind of people, if it goes kabooom, they immediately like it." "Besides", I continued, - "the system has been quiet for months. I haven't seen a pirate in ages". - - The tone in my voice couldn't hide my longing for more dangerous and exiting times, - but those days were over. I had chosen a new path, and I was not about to ruin my plans - because of a few curious events. I emptied my cup and wished the bartender good night. - - I couldn't sleep that evening. I didn't know what troubled me more: the prospect - of my new life, the memories of the old one, or the strange events of today. When a man - is troubled, he has to start walking and with the silence of the night as a blanket, - I got out of bed and went out on a stroll. - - 2 am standard colonial time. Nights in space are something to get used to: without - the sun to rise and set, dusk and dawn become rather hollow definitions and - only the clock dictates when it is time to go to sleep. Nevertheless, the atmosphere - of the night still permiated the station: most of the establishments were closed and - the sound of busy peoples voices was replaced by the quiet hum of the electrical - installations. - - I wandered aimless through the empty corridors until I reached one of the large - space windows on the upper level. It was almost like the vast, empty space - behind it was reaching out, trying to stir something in the back of my mind. - I wasn't sure why but I could not shed the feeling that some event was about - to unfold. I turned around to head back to bed when suddenly felt a faint - tremor going through the station. It was hardly noticable and most people - would probably ignore it, but I knew exactly what it was. - - When a ship drops from hyperspace into normal space, it will send a small shockwave - into the surrounding area. This is not a shockwave of something traveling through space, - but rather a disturbance of the fabric of space itself, with a distinct rythmn - an experienced pilot can easily recognize. I could have ignored it too and - go back to sleep, but the intoxicating effect of the mystery dragged me back to the window. - - A ship had arrived, and it had to be close. Hyperspace-tremors do not travel very far - and it would take one hell of a pilot to make a jump this close to a gravitational well. - The slightest miscalulation would have spread out his atoms over the face of planet Ghant. - The bright moving spot between the stars had proven he was either very good, or very lucky. - - The design of the ship was unfamiliar. It looked like some kind of a patrol craft, - armed to the teeth and ready to defend itself if it were necessary. Fortunatly, - it looked like the pilot had a more quiet evening in mind. In a gracious arc, - he approached the station and soaring like a an eagle he started the final approached - to the docking bay. - -III. The suit - - A wise man once said: "Curiosity is mankind's greatest gift. But it is - also mankind's greatest curse." I didn't have to take him for his word: - I've been in situations before were I wasn't supposed to belong, - and me intuition told me that ship was probably something I didn't want to know about. - - By now it was almost 3 am and I was almost certain I was going to regret this nightwandering - episode when my alarm clock would obnoxiously announce the next morning. Almost, because - by now I had learned that no regrets and focus on the task at hand was usually the wiser - course of action. Right now, the task was finding some sleep. - - I turned around, walked to the elevator at the end of the corridor and pressed the button. - After a few seconds the doors opened with a joyfull chime and I stepped inside. "Level 6". - The elevator seemed to consider my request when the doors finaly closed and it started - moving upward. I leaned casually against the back wall, my right hand trying to catch the - yawn escaping my mouth. |