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diff --git a/doc/STORYLINE b/doc/STORYLINE index cc9d90b..77a5ef3 100644 --- a/doc/STORYLINE +++ b/doc/STORYLINE @@ -1,101 +1,188 @@ -STORYLINE -This file contains ideas for the storyline. -It _will_ contain spoilers. +The Osirion Project - STORYLINE -The concept of zones/sectors is still on the TODO list. + This file contains ideas for the universe background, the factions and + the storyline. It _will_ contain spoilers. FACTIONS - Borderworlds: - Colonial Militia - Great Houses: - Lindblade - Lance Council Capital + Borderworlds + Colonial Militia + + Great Houses + - House Lindblade + - House Illia + - Lance Council Capital Tsu-Khan Empire PLACES --------------------------------------------------------------------- -Borderworlds / Independent Colonies: + INDEPENDENT COLONIES -Ghant system - planet Ghant - Alexandria outpost (Colonial Militia) - Battleship custodian + - Ghant system + planet Ghant + Alexandria outpost (Colonial Militia) + Battleship custodian - planet Seymour - Regula mining operation + planet Seymour + Regula mining operation - asteroid field + asteroid field -Brogha system - planet Brogha + - Brogha system + planet Brogha -Caroli system - planet Andros - planet Corthio --------------------------------------------------------------------- -House Lindblade: + HOUSE LINDBLADE -Lindblade system - planet Lindblade + - Lindblade system + planet Lindblade -Burton system - planet Burton - Trent outpost + - Burtonian system + planet Burton + Trent outpost --------------------------------------------------------------------- -Lance Council capital: + LANCE COUNCIL CAPITAL --------------------------------------------------------------------- -Neutral systems -Karelia system - Karelian nebula - Colonial border station + INDEPENDENT WORLDS + + - Lantanian system + planet Lantania -Caroli system - planet Andros - planet Corthio + BORDERWORLDS - great war battle field remains + - Carolian system + planet Andros + planet Corthio --------------------------------------------------------------------- -Tsu-Khan Empire: + great war battle field remains -Kiana system - Kiana Prime + - Karelian system + no Planets + Karelian nebula + Colonial border station -HISTORY + - Anarian system + Anarian nebula + Anara research station -The Great War + TSU-KHAN EMPIRE -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. + Kiana system + Kiana Prime -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. +HISTORY -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 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: resources and territory. 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 Major 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 ships. In a few hours, the battle was over, and the + Corthio colony was reduced to ashes. + + The story repeated itself across the Borderworlds. These independend world were + usually inhabited by pacifist that had escaped the turmoil of the central worlds + or had a mutual understading with one of more of the great houses. The Tsu-khan + did not care, and the majority of the Bordworlds was utterly obliterated. What + remained was a few primitive settlements scatered 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 didn't really 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. It was in this + dark hour of history that a secret meeting took place that turned the fate of history. + Five small ships, each carrying one of the remaining House Lords arrived at their + rendez-vous point on a small neutral planet near the centre of the Colonies. + +The Alliance + + The 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 scrimish followed by a royal monetary compensation. + + These times were over. For them, 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 possesed + sufficient strength to fight the Empire on its own. A new alliance was formed and it + was decided that it should not only include all the Major Houses, but also any + independent system that was still capable of fighting. The Lord of the house Lindblade, + who's territory had been on the front line since the beginning of the war, and considered + as moderate amongst the Hosue 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 desperation, but most of all, out of hope. A news reporter from the era described + it as ".. an overwhelming sight of Armegeddon, but unlike some ancient scriptures, with a + sense of pride and dignity ..." and ended his report with the question if they really had + any chance against such a formidable enemy. + + I'd didn't take the Empire very long to be noted of the fact that humanity was about to + make its last stand. It reacted promptly by sneding in the First Fleet, a group of elite + Tsu-Khan Warriors that hadn't been allowed to take part in the operations so far. They + were eager to fight and prepared as always to were dispatched to dismiss the Alliance + fleet and end the human opposition once and for all. The Supreme Commander of the Tsu-Khan + fleet would see to it himself. + + It is said, 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 small, + 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 + First Fleet had decided to regroup and refuel before they sneaked into Alliance Territory. + The small vessel, unpowered and only slightly larger then a life support pod, managed + to elude the Tsu-Khan sensors through the high levels of radiant present in the nebula + 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 Emperial Flaship, primary target of the assault, had taken massive damage and was + burning in the flames of explosive decmopression. 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 following it. Some managed to retreat + to Tsu-Khan space, most fell victim to the united fire power of the Alliance fleet. + + The battle became legendary. In popular culture, the story goes on how the Alliance fleet + plowed through the Empire like a knight with his spear, and the battle became known as + "The Battle of The Lance". + + +The Osirion Project The Karelian Incident @@ -105,87 +192,90 @@ STORY I. Chocolate milk -A cup of steaming hot chocolate milk! There were times I would have -laughed it the mere idea, but in these outskirts of the galaxy -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 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 -for it made sure it rivaled the best Keldorian brandy, without the flavour -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 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 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 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 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 -laid out in front of me I managed to convince the manager of the local planetairy -bank to provide me with the necessary funds for my operation which were 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 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." + A cup of steaming hot chocolate milk! There were times I would have + laughed it the mere idea, but in these outskirts of the galaxy + 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 transport ship and I had just + 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 + for it made sure it rivaled the best Keldorian brandy, without the flavour + 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 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 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 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 would need. + + Repetetive? Boring? Perfect! Add an autopilot and this life could be more relaxing + then a luxury vacantion on Lantania. With this simple business but rock-solid plan + laid out in front of me I managed to convince the manager of the local planetairy + bank to provide me with the necessary funds for my operation which were 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 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. 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 station a regiment + in the Ghant system, effective immediatly. All fleet operations in the system will be under the + command of the battleship Custodian." "They als dropped some kind of communication sattelite + in the center of the system. God knows what these guys are up to." + +
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