RULES & BACKGROUND FOR | JOVIAN | ~——GHRONICLES iH ENTER THE SAGA OF MANKIND FROM DREAM POD 9 ee ee = =_—— Soe ePeee eeeJOVIAN GHRONICLES. In Memoriam: Alexandre Racine (1972-1999), member of the original Jovian Chronicles design team We will miss you.TABLE OF CONTENTS S$ BeEoRaAoaaA 122 Genel Tips end Suggestons 28,.pte 281 The to 2101 2 1 iretemers Geograph Soci 2. Sole Coors 41 Dee mde Ring 41.3 Opposed Acton Tess 51 The Character Shee s13suas 51.5 Woops Ut S1bEqpment Ut 521 Step One: Conceptsizaion 52.2 top To: Sloe Atte 524 Sip Fur Callan Secorday Tass 25 Sp Five: chee Eugene 542 Sytem Sock Rating 552 Appeorance Gated Shs. 554 Creativ axed Stl 552 Knowledge Based Shs $57 Peon Equprrant 2 '57.35ummlGeor 8 S76Spac0 Sut 5.7 FFWS-Seskbew MPO ” S581 Meee Wespons Low-ech 2 SB2Meee Weapons Hilech 2 S9Pencnal mor a 591 vom Yooh Amare sa S510 Archetypes 100 5102 Adentier 101 $102 Bocnty Harter tot S104 Extensis 102 S105 Exton 02 S108 Mercenary 08 $1010 Nord 105 51019 Oe 0s 1018 SeldeSecunty Once or 1016 Spacer 108 612i ere we {613 Amtae, Seng ane Heath Tess 112 £24 Ranguo Comba ne £28 Delenders Ro us €29Dedana us 62:1 Thoming Me 62.12 buen Me 6215 Stang ines "7 $217 Remy Form myer He 2 Hands 18 63.3800) 10 35Fee a ‘oa Hear XP 1 (4 25penciog MPs 1 4a Tuor 13 —_—— = ={65 Opnal Abas ahi lor, 128 1651 Moment and Dring Stat 1% 65:3atacng and Defending 1% 654 Damaging Veies 1% ‘6 cagraon wih he Tarbes Stem ” (61 Chota Orv an Pos ” 62 TaerealROG Crow ures. @ (63 Hidden Unis @ 71 The Gaeee 130 71.1 Component 0 72. etic Antes mz 722 Peds andowe a 723 Crow Sie tu 724 Weapons ns 73 The Cont Roun 7 7. Combet Round Pocedre 7 133 Nonber a Actions 28 14 Spe Movement ne 742 Tut Vora Movement 10 743 “Aitide” ard "Desi “1 PAA ightnng Ske CAMBS nnn 8 745 Space Towing 18 246 Fgh Space brace oe 75:2 Combet Speed 155 Tenam thee ue 757 dumping Ms S9Groty Elec us Te flanetry Moverent Ar us 76 Aad ue 763 Fallag rd Sting coe 16Gidng ue 78S tool Contd 1a 786 Town Capseny ue 782 Fyng wath There ve 768 Ground Figh merce 1 72 Line of Sah nd Ooserement 189 TIN Concenmens 189 72.2 bemcton Rag 10 73.3 dain Senor 0S 10 73 8ECM wd SCCM Ets 181 725 Steath Ets 1s 17 6Fang ae ul peatade 182 783 stacker Modes 19 78.2 Oaaedae Mociere 18 784 Ewe Manavres 156 28) But Fee 156 DAB Arla Foe 31 19 0amoge 18 191 Spems Osmege 1s 292 nage To moe 18 293 Damage To Ams 18 Tea Eiecon 1 | ett ense engncerng 162 8.12 PonerGerorton 102 813 Propuon Stems 10 18.1 5¥ieapons Techologes 817 Space Exgreong 21 9Spnmps 8.1108poce Havel | erat medeine 922 Fie 83 Otemive and Balonsve Spiers 832 Weapon Chanetatis 876.1 By BCEAO Wyers 189 MEAL G2 Explore 811 EALOUA Pande ips 816 Javn Ores Mal Car {8.18 ClasPszenger Liner £819 Mue-Cam Bulk Frihter Recogniton Chor. Fhe and so rors Recogniton Che: Spach 101 Creating Joven Choices Campeign sn 20 10.13 Te Mile m 1014 The Ending m 1021 ity Dito ontevets Py 1022 Realty Dstorton and Sei Tot 228 10.23 ResityDstovion& mer Degradton | 223 10.2 Realty Dstorion Optional Rae 224 1032 Vases With Motiatont a 104 Sateng Up a Campaan ze 108. Space Epartin ne 104 2 wasguvtaponsce me 1083 Potce/Secury Es 104. RebeoTeroown 2 1046 Aces @ Bank Chaacr Shot 78 eden 20 — — 003 ®Q Z yy, Z < 2 Ww 0 < gj < a w r F 41-2! Hit NOLLONGOYLNI >>» PLAYING GAMES. Tensions continu to rie between the Jovian Confederation andthe Central Earth Government nd Administration. Joven 5 President AlexandhaItangre anncunced yesterday that Gamma and Alpha Divisions of the Jovian Armed Forces will be : Inereasing patrols in the Belt region trough to the orbit of Mars. CEGA officials announced that naval forces will be = responding 10 “defend our planetary securty and that of our ales on Mas.” The Mercurian Merchant Guid has aleady Jaunched a protest against new limits placed on ciihan wavel tvough the contested region and the Werusian Bank has ‘expressed concerns about the ee flow of capt. Informed observers say that both fleets oe on high alert and some are predicting violence before the enc ofthe new yeor —Zenith Orbital Network Load Nowe, 3 January 2208, ¥ 13:00 HOURS — 8 JANUARY 2208 "belive you have some explaining to do, Mister Malachai” Director Kosama’ precise diction in his native Japanese conveyed his displeasure tothe entire room. “There sno reason to be conceened, Divector Kosams. The interests ofthe bank willbe protected no matter what." Devon Malachai seemed unfazed by the huge boardoom he was standing in. A bay window atleast teen meters in height rose behind the five directors ofthe mighty Venusian Bank, revealing the hostile landscape ofthe plane's polar region. : “Leertainly hope so, Mister Malach. Thanks to your carelessness» reporter as uncovered Project Lancelot on Stevenson Station. Obviously, your plan of hiding your illegal genetic research project around Satur has failed outight.” “Not entirely, Duector. This.” Malnchas consulted his nates, *..Roxanne Fujima must get back fom Saturn before she ean harm us. expect she wil mish to meet with executives st Zenith Orbital Networkin Earth orbit in order to get the most ‘money for her information. The journey should take hor soveral months via commercial ine.” osama seemed relieved and his mood spread throughout the Inah meeting oom, “Excellent We wil take steps to cut tiesto Lancelot. By he time the news hits the airwaves, no one willbe able to uncover our funding ofthe activities. We ‘amot appear tobe breaking the Ede, afterall" The other directors murmured ther agreement, but Malachs| knew they ‘wore signing the death warrant of his career. "Director Kesomal” Malachai took a deep breath, reigning in his emotion, He had spent the last en years slowly moving up the stata of power within se Venus Bank. The directors were highly resistant to promoting a soldier and had, he was sue, been looking for an excuse to expel him. He would nat give ita them. "You cannot cut of Lancelat;| have spent five years runing thi operation and | refuse to see it discarded so casually Not when there’ ancthe lution; one that wil eal this leak permanent'y” “An assassination wil only draw farther atenton to Lancelot and ourselves, Malach. That option has akwady been dis: carded. Forshadowy executives contaling much ofthe soar system's woth, the directors apparently thought very small Malacho\ ai not INTRODUCTION & He activated a portable projector and brought up a dsplay ofthe solar system. Highlighted in ved, a thin Fine atced rom Saturn through Jupiter’ LS point — known az Newhome — and towards Mars twa the stndard course fora commercial lner tunsing from Satuen of Tian given the cument bial alignment, A seces of other ins tht incketed the paths of military vessels om the CEGA Nowy in the sare regions. But wha if Fjima was eliminated in a way that could not be traced tous or Lancelat?~ Malacha smiled asthe Dioetors listened to his plon "Fine, Mister Malachi. We wl doit your way, but you wil swe oi personally” Halacha’ swallowed, his mouth ster than ithad been, “Of course.” ¥22:00 HOURS — 21 APRIL 2208. "Saber One, report” Pais voice popped through Helana’s headset and his face appeared in asmall comer of her Head's Up Display. She smiled everytime she saw him, all decked out in his Jovian Armed Forces uniform. AS always, he looked deadly serious “What up baby brother?” Helena just couldn't got overt. 490 milion kilometers from home and she was stil watching out for the kid, Aa stil ving him nuts "Lenal Don't break protocol!" The warble in his vice when he was upaet was 3 cute "Oh, sorry Saber One here." Holena affected 3 deop and comically serious voice, oping against hope that her brother ‘would crack up at is station onthe brig ofthe JSS Daring, “Do | sound serious now?” "Lenal” Paris was ying to whisper int his mike, but Helana was pretty sure his bridge mates could hear im. "Be serious, this sna gamer” O08BeaonAaooae > “No, baby brother” she answered backin her eal voice wile maneuvering her Lancerinteregptor into a baal "Thisis much more hl” “For Gods sake, Lona!” ‘This time he sounded realy mad. Maybe she should humor him ust this once. “Okay fine, nota game. Gott“ She cleared her throat and adopted a military tone. “Situation normal. Continuing on assigned patiol Nothing to report.” ‘The relat in Paris voice was palpable. “Roger, continue along... Saber One, change of orders. JSS Steadost tepors 9 vessel coming in." Coordinates ond other data wansmtted from Steadlast appeared on Helena’ console and put the bogey coming up rom behind the formation. “FFs commercial, but we don't have ary record ofa fight plan or the ship ‘tel, Take Saber Fight and checkit out, Current range i 10,000 kiometers and closing.” “Roger, Daring comman.” There, that should make him happy. She hadr't called him ‘Daring command! for slmost 3 week Helena opened a comm channel to her wingmen; Darron and Keiko faces appearedin hor HUD. “Otay Saber, me to earn our pay” “The tree Lancer space superiority fighters that made up Saber Flight fired their manewwering veriers in unison spinning about to ace the incoming vessel. The main thasters then free, bringing them onto the new course. Helena loved the feel : ‘of hor craft accelerating and smiled as she sank nto the molded plots seat. The tracked postion ofthe target was relayed toher fom the Steacast, 50 she had ne need 9 announce her presence with asensor sweep. To futher increas cscretion Helena cu thus and msitained racko sence nti her unit had closed to within 200 km Otay people, tight formation.” The other two Lancers closed range and Helena opened a channel to the target vest "Unidentified eighte, this 8 Jovian med Forces ighter patio, please ent and sate your purpose.” “JAE patrol this is independent cargo vesse! Besutful Dreamer en route to Cares City from Newhome, Capt DesSources commanding, My purpoce i trade” Aglage 00:15 HOURS — 22 APRIL 22084 “Ave yououtofyour rind?” Aglabe DosSources face was wit lage against the main virwacreen ofthe Davingis bridge. Hee fine features and at skin were somewhat distorted by obvious irtation Captain Luther Columbus, commender ofthe JSS Daring, took a deep breath. He was getting « headache already. “Not at all, Captain DesSources. am just stating the obvous you willhaveto change course.” “That is completely out ofthe question. Lam a he trader caning en lagiimate business betweun Titan and Mars and | have no iotenvion of changing my fight plan and waste fue 10 suit your whims. Bad enough | have to deal wth you fighters on my viewscreen* “This is 8 patol operation ofthe Jovian Armod Fercos, net 2 Nomad trade caravan. You wil divert around us while we travel toward Cores.” “No, lwon't.” DesSources seemed to be fighting back rage and took a moment to compose herself “will make it simple fr yeu. | am heading for Ceres to catapult around the asteroid and conserve reaction mass I fellow your orders, not only wil burn mass to change course, but | wil miss Ceres and have to bun futherto avoid fing completely of enue” "Be that a it may" “Ido not have that reaction mass to spare, Captain. this simple: let me through or call the Solar Cross, because 'm going to be stuck nthe Belt for the next 1S years.” DeeSourcer let her statement srk in. “So here isnt very much to cscs, now is there?” ‘Columbus cloted the communications channel and tumed tohisnavign- tion ofce. “Lieutenant, she ight?” “te could be, si Assuming she’s low on reaction massit could be cicult {for her to got back to Cores once going around us. | woulde't want to be ‘cut with that litle mas left and 50 far to-go, but traders are 9 weird ot” “They areindeed." Columbus adjusted the webbing that kept him in place in tre micrograiy of the desvoyer and opened up the channel again. “Proceed to Ceres, Captain DesSources.”INTRODUCTION & 08 “Thank you, Captain.” She et the communications bolowe Columbus could. “Corporal June, open a channel 1 the group.” A simple light indlcated that now was. “This Captain Columbus to all -vetsels, We willbe sharing space with a commercial vessel for day or $0. Close to escort formation and match velocities.” Soon enough, the tactical dep showed the destroyer group beginning to respond. The three Thunderbol-lass destroy ‘ees— Daring, Stendlest and Brave — placed themssives around the feighter with Daving in the lead. Te two Forge-class ‘excon carriers — Alexanca and Magdalen — formed the rear ofthe formation, with fights of fighters and exo-armors ‘aring to and fo was going tobe a long day. ¥12:40 HOURS — 22 APRIL 2208 “Red One ta lzonam command. n position." Captain Nera Ponderas ofthe CEGA Naval Forces spoke directly to the junior lieutenant piloting the Ween Command ‘exoarmor. “Acknowledged, Red One.” She called up her tactical display and checked that overthing was wel. Red, Blue and Gold Fights — consisting of Wyvern exos, Wrath ghters and Syreen exon — were ahead ofthe site force. Coming Up behind them were Ponderes lead attack cra, Bririu-lass corvettes Tacoma and Avzona. Holding back during the ‘operation would be her ewn ship, the Hachiman-lass destroyer Ienami and a group of Tenguclss eteon ener, More than enough to deal wth 2 commercial Foighto, even iit hid some nasty surprises, “AXtention all hands, this is your commandes.| remind you that these ae fanatical terrorists we are dealing with, STRIKE is sending team of kilers toward our homeworld and wil stop at nothing. We ae the fst and best ine of defense between tham and Earth.” Penderas had dealt with STRIKE before and knew they could be quite dangerous. She was thankful she ‘would be getting the drop on them. According to her information the feighte’s holds would be stuffed with stclen exo- ‘a1mers and weapons, all bound forthe Moon. Ponderasfipped an internal comm channe! tothe obseniation deck and signaled the CSS sonamis sole chilan passenger “Mister Malachi you want to ee the terrorists who killed your family get their just deserts, recommend your turn onthe ‘monitor wo provided you wit.” The Caprain knew it was against protocol to let the Verusian wate, but hehad provided the information about» STRIKE team sing the Beautiful Dreamer 28a cover for terorist action, He had tld the Captain in ¥13:21 HOURS — 22 APRIL 2208 _ “Tacoma, ee!” Ponderas’ order bacame a wait in 2 split second as several dozen fstsized dars sprung from Tacoma’ win kinetic kil canson batteries Streaking inst an impressive relative velocity they crazed the eight ilomaters now betwoen the rcv orate andthe JSS Steadlast. The Jovian vessel Wed to accelerate to aver the so, but eould net escape it al Atleast five of he dare slammed into ts ede, punching through layers of axmor and wrecking havoc wih, ‘Arena, five!” The second Sie clos converte responded, fring its wn sala of Kinetic kil weapon. The Steatast spite the damage tad sled, was moving now and came about in time to avoid much ofthe second bast. The civilian Beautiful Dreamer was nots lucky and is starboard cargohoid was ripped asunder by the superciense flechettes. cloud (of ghtering condensed vapor and debrs seamed from the broken shel ofthe cargo bay Ponderas took a second to realie just what she was seeing. “Bloody hell Get me a spectrum analysis on that cloud, what were they caryng?™ stesciast fring, Captain.” weapons control interrupted. The damaged Jovian desvoyer had now veered enough to pretent ts guns tothe incoming CEGA warships. ts own kinetic kil btteies lounched lege volley of dans, while is missle bays loosed several tacking warheads — all aimed at the Tacoma ‘Daring coming about, si” On the tactical display the load destroyer ws rotating to face hem, ts lateral vvusters busing vite the night. Is guns tracked the Tacoma with eate and opened up a second later The Beicrv-lass convite needed alls legendary aglty to avoid destruction as a barrage of kinetic dans and seeking ‘misses boroled down upon its Point Defence Later were {xing madly at the iacomng misses, ut the solid dors lemtted no signal forthe POS to track, The corvettes maneuvering vetrie's and athe tstersflrod 1 ie 95 He ship ‘attempted o avoid the incoming salvos. Is neti was too great, haweve, nd could not avod the Steadfast ve ts por tumots ware repped to pieces by the darts. The Darings weapon fre arrived 45 seconds later, but that was enough time — the Tacoma had aleacy moved just above the line offi. “Tacoma, tun fre on Daring! Arzana, concentrate on Stent and Bravel” Captain Ponderas knew she had to hold off the Jovian destroyers. “Whereis that “1,0 ane hydrocarbons, Capton.” the deck officer teslized what was happening as well. “But | thought tha ship was carying exo-armors” chai” “Eracii,” People wore dying and she wanted to know why. “Get re Mi In the observation deck, Devon Malachai swore loudly. He ignored the intercom and floated about the deck tying to ‘ead his lan, to calm himself.down, anything. Wel he thought, he's just solder. She would fllow orders. She ha to, INTRODUCTION? __¥13:28 HOURS — 22 APRIL 2208 —__ “Ding command to Saber Fight." Par voice was tens, but swe. He was doing well "Move to twelve by two down.” “Roger” Helena dove her Lancer relation to the lip, taking her wingman wih her The Wiworns and Wraths moved to fllom, but the Pathfinders fom Dagger Fight kept tham off Helena and Keiko’ back "Reming me to thank Dagger One, tle brothes.” Move to three fh and prepare fra run on Bric Tacoma,” That Pas ida’ berate her spoke volumes about the Fanic pace onthe Barings bridge. “Ongger Fight will continue to provide cover to your fighters using a — ln the same instar, static bust through Wolenas comm unit, her brother Paris face vanished fom her moniter and hee tactical display listed the Daring as “HIT” “Pars” Frontically tuning her head and acjusting exterior cameras, Hel fea caught a glimpse of the wounded destroyer, its side opened and spering ges and debris, “Pas! Come in Daring command!” “Saber One," a new voice, 2 now channel. "This is Brave command, we oe assuring command of fighter operations: Daring reports casualties fon the bridge. Move fo three by one up and continue your attack Target destroyer Tacoma, fll missle spread.” 0010Hooneaoooe > 19:29 HOURS — pe APR P20 CONTINUED “Roget” Helena grtted her teeth and bit her check to channel her concentration. Her wingman Darren was dead and her brother was bleeding o- dying, bullshe could do wos make those who had harmed them pay. Her tactical display showed, the Stoadfeet and Daring a damages ard the two CEGA Bricrs corvettes coming infor the kil. Tacoma was closest and had inflicted the most damage 20 fat. The navigational computer quickly caleulated an approach. She rejected its choice ‘and made her own, “saber Tee, follow me; we're going fora lghtning strike, Keiko, you'te shield.” The Lancers moved toa tight formation th Saber Two in the lead. They assumed an arcing approach, tying te maximize their velocity eatve to the Tacoma. They ‘would be passing by at2ridiculovs speed, making it hard forthe destroyer to lock onto them, They could stil target the massive vessol howover. ‘Asthey raced tomar the destroyer, they sw its guns open up again. Helena prayed thatthe Daring coud avoid it. She hag ho tine to check. "Keiko, on my mark. now!” ‘bet Two launched a large sao of smell MMU-2LR missles, quickly followed by a second volley. Keiko added all her remaining wingrlaunched missles, creating a swarm of warheads. The small antwwebicular misses were nt a majr threat tothe Tacoma but its point dolense lasers argeted them nevertheless, The try laser panels and turets blasted away. ving to tack the dozens of mises. The PDS was doing a good job, but was being taxed to its mits; Helena had a window and she took, “Milles auayt” Helena opened up with her heavy HMU-6 anti-ship misses. Four powerful warheads streaked from their launchers as her Lancer darted only hundred meters above the Tacoma's hull No escape wae possible, no PDS could respond, and Saber Fight eft a chain of explosive destruction behind ‘Sweaking along the starboard side of the destroyer, dhe Lancors mssls hit the Tacoma in a picture-perfect ine, Th fst ‘shot ht the forward hull, ipping into the massive azmored plates and causing severe interior damage. Then came the starboard guns; less armored than the hul, they suffered two diac: hits and detonated in a swarm of fused metal and Crewing The final missle was aimed atthe destroyers fusion engine, slammed into its body, and sheared aff one its four massive ve Maps. Holena and Keiko ware par the destoyer in an instant, leaving the Tacoma a ruin. Reaction mass, atmosphere and debris ere steaking out ofthe enti starboard side, creating a growing cloud of particles and ico crystal. The ship was begin. . ring to spn, «few lif pods ejecting rom the somewhat undamaged port side 13:46 HOURS — 22 APA 2208 ¥ "Wat are you doing?! Keep fring!” Malachai was floating the observation deck, his fuious gestures sending him floating about inthe mico-gee envionment. “Yau have to complete the mission.” He was having 2 hard time keeping the quiver from his voice "Mister Malachai.” Captain Ponderas voice was cold and bitter, "Your ite plan has already coat the liv of over thirty ‘900d solrs. have —" “butthe terorsts, you cant let them escape!” CEGA solders were fanatical about eliminating terrors, He could sil play ‘that card. She had ofall foe ‘There ave no teroits, Mister Malachai.” Her tone was sharp and cald, and he fle a knot righten in his stomach. “That freighters shipping water, methane and other simple supplies” She let that sink n, and watched as panic and anger played ‘co Malachas face before a semblance of calm retumed. “A grave mistake has been made, Mister Malachai, and | suspect itis yours. | have given the cease fre order and told ou forcast fal back My decision is fina: think you should ‘onsider your next words carefully” He felthe sweat on his brow. She ust coud't understand, The Bark’ give second chances. that ite reporter made {tt Earth, he was finished. How he hated that woman. Mis angor suddanly walled up within him then burs. “Yeu cow! ‘oui letting the ship excape! You don't resze—" Captain Ponderas shut off he intercom and sat backin hor chair. “Send MPs down there and put Malachaiin the brig, Well drop him off when we get back to base. Navigation calculate the trajectories ofthe escape pods that made it of the Tacoma and pt an intercept course that keeps us away from those Jovan forces." Pnderas gil realized that it woudde't bbe had to calculate; only wo pods had made i off the doomed covette “The Jovin forces are backing of s wel, Captain, They seem to have accepted the cease fie. The terrorist vessels stil with them.” A sight tone of riticiam had crept into the navigation ofice’s report. “Reign nthe atitude, Ensign.” Ponderas was akeady mad enouch at Malachai and at herslf for having believed him: she ‘ide need the bridge crew second guessing her. "Someone has been paying games with us.” oou3 ———_— — — —=¥.00:00 HOURS — 23 APRIL 2208 _ “Ladies and gentlemen ofthe thd destroyer group." Columbus’ voice echoed tough all the vessels under his command, his bandaged face appearing on comm monitors and display screen, “This has been asad day for us." The image on the comm screen shied to an external mage taken from the Alexandra. Althe other ships inthe destroyer ‘9roup were inthe shot and many bared the marks of combat. Ten hours after the battles end, the combatants wece well omay fam one another. The Stoadiast was limping along on 3 single fusion reactor, the whole destroyer group making for Cores ity, where they could take on supplies belore heading back to Jupiter “The Steadast anc the Daring have both suffered ducing this exchange, ashave our ighterandexe-armor forces. Today we ‘count our dead and salute their bravery in the line of fi.” Standing before the surviving officers ofthe Daring, Columbus voice was slid and sue, but most could see the sedness in is features. “We have faced a brutal and unprovoked attack delenced the les of imacents We have shown the forces of the Central Eth Government and Administration that ‘they cannot ind scriminatey attack people undertaking legitimate business thoush fee territories * “Some ofushave paidthe ulimate price during this battle. Twenty erewrnen ofthe Daring, 31 aboard the Stevdostand five exo and fighter plots, will rot be returning home, They wil never see the crimson and orange of cur planet agsin. To them ‘we give thanks, fr they gave thei lives for urs. Asis ow tradition, Chief Hector will ead out the names ofthe dead and the bodkes wil be entrusted tothe stars, God bless them and take them into His rms.” Helena Juno stood at attention in the plots! mess, her magnetic boots keeping her tothe floor despite the lack of gravity, and salted 98 the names were read. “Private Muriel Anders; Corporal Ethan Azona..” She felts heat spread through her face asthe list dragged on. The view screen displayed the draped bocies sipping cut of the cargo bays ofthe ships they had once served upon. Some she knew, ethers she id not thoy al hurt LUeutenant Katherine Fende!, Corporal Darren Ginble, Sergeant Dior Guilaume, ‘One name down and one ta go. Helena held her breath She fot like fining or crying, oF dying. Instat she steadied her salute and steeled herself. + ..Master Sergeant Vincenzo Noglo, Corporal Paris Juno, Private Gabriele Lan, 7 ¥17:35 HOURS — 3 JUNE 2208 can explain” ‘Devon Malachai had arived in New Tokyo only an hour ago. In the long months since the failure ofthe CEGA assault onthe Beautiful Drearerhe had done almost nothing except ry to come up wih some form of excuse 25 to why Rony Fuja was. sill ave. The assembled cirectors ofthe Bank had yot te uta! a word, Malacha opened his mouth to begin his long ted ven the chairman simply hit key at hisstation. A video monitor bust to life in response. *.Roxanne Fujima has more. Roxy?* The ZONet archorman looked pedectly posed. The network logo was covered by small date tag indieating when the broadcast was recorded. Malachal had akoady soun itmore than once, ut he knew be was being told to watch again, INTRODUCTION “Thanks, Xavier As you know the nation of the solar system lve under rutualy enforced Eds that impose fmits upon oF bban outright certain dangerous forms of scientific vesesrch, eluding fields suchas artical ntligence end genetics. But just how sue can we be thatthe Edict ae being obeyed? For years we have heard rumors of legal research stations ‘operating with the approval of one nation or another Proof, however, has been hard to come by — until now” ‘The image ofthe young Eurasian reporter shilted to hand-held shots of an advanced biology lab, “These images were taken with a hidden camera that | earied onto Stevenson Staton in orbit around Satur, This most distant outpost of humanity would be the perfect place to hide llega esearch and thats ust what found.” Another shi, this ime to_a workstation with modeled DNA floating in 2 holographic matrix. "These pictues of research Into large-scale human genetic manipulation were taken i the faites of Robore Technologies — in Ibs dicated to a Project Lancelot, to be precise. Lancela’ funding and purpose remain unclear, but SolPol investigators are curently on ‘their way to Satin to inwesigate tho evidence provided by ZONet News" “The image fore, plunging the room into uter silence. The directors faces wee li only by he mild orange ight eritted by the lige projected face of Roxy Fujma, How Malachai hated that face. “This only 2 minor setback. Lancelot funding can be masked with ease and is resources relocate. “That has already been taken care of, Master Molachai” The chakman's voice was old and disxant. ‘We have gathered here only to discuss what to do about you. The Banks not accustomed to faire” on1z“Dhaven' filed! Lancelot was wordite and will contin to be. Fujima willbe made to pay for what she has done tous, .25wil those Jovon fools Blood wil un over this, | can promise you that!” The directors stood up in unison and began to fle out. The chaitman himself waited a mement lenges uttering 2 few last ‘words. “Vengeance isthe resort of unstable madmen, Ithas become obvious that we operate ona evel you ae wholly unfamiliewit, Malachai Consider this your termination notice.” “You cant do this to me "We just di, Mister Malacha. Wo ust ch 07:35 HOURS — 8 NOVEMBER 22104 “Shuttle 23 to Vaont command. Requesting clearance for final approach.” LUeutonant Helena Juno — she stil wasnt quite comfortable with her new rank — kept the passenger shuttle in straight tuaectery moving at 300 meters per second. Beside her, the Corporal assigned to pilot the craft looked a litle nervous to have her a the helm, but she was a seasoned plo; he eally diet have to worry. Shuttle 23, you are clear for approach and docking with Valiant. Please proceed,” Looking though the viewscreen, she meneuvered the shutle emo an itercept course with the mighty strike carer 13 Kilometers away, The Valiant was witutly covered by mtintenance ancl supply M-pocl darting mera its ght ul Helena decelerated to 90 mpe and called back to the passengers. "There she is, Captain.” Luther Columbus smiled broadly ashe caught glimpse ofthe ship that would be his. The other members of the command staf allvetoranso the third destroyer group, so0n joined in. "Take a look, my fiends, that isthe ship that willbe taking care ‘fu fom now on.” ‘They sa in silence asthe cartier growin size. Hs great hull was lined wih masschiver catapults lm which the fighters and ‘exo armors under Helena command wou'e launch, The habitation quarters ware now in centaluge mode. Extended from hull they slowly rotated around ts ae to maintain afin gravity Deep under the hulls aemorwasthe bridge, where most people inthe shuttle would serve. Huge batteries of kinetic kill cannons were placed on the hulls side, but the most Impressive weapon was imbedded inthe crafts bod, The spinal nse, just below the missle unch pons, could cut through any vette it encountered and made the Vala a force to be reckoned with. She was spectacula and took their callocive breath avy Columbus, Helena and the others felt twinges of regret, however. Being choten to command the fs in a new elass of ‘vezeel was a great hono, but leaving behind the JSS Daring and the third destroyer group was bittersweet. They had lived and watched others die — on thote ships and 9 tle ofthe Daving would aluays stay with them Their reverie was broken by a fight of tree Pathfinder Alphas coming from above, Theic markings identified them as Tiger Fight, one ofthe wo units now under He‘ena's command. The pilots and crew had been onthe stkecanier fra fow days "Welcome to Valiant, Shutie 23." The tee sleok exo-armors fll imto formation arcund and slightly ahead of the shuttle, so that they were fully visible through the wiewscreen. nce their velocity was se, they rotated in unison to sta erect and face the shutle. On cue they ‘al salted, “Glad to have you aboard, sial* Columbus smiled, but Helena beat him to the comm. “Tiger Fight! This Lieutenant Junol Resume standard formation and continue your patol immediatly” ‘The lead exo jerked sight, responding tothe movement of the surprised rookie pilot. “But maim." *Compocl, you ave traveling at 90 meters a second toward a crowd of vessels and your atention s onus” Helen's voice was cold and clear, “That's problem.” “Yes, mam.” The exos tesumed standatd fight poston and veeted of, Helena slowed the shut to prepare forthe final approach, She knew the captain would have something to say. “You were rather hard on tham, Helena." “They're rookies, Captain, They have to len.” She breathed the words more than said them. “This snot 2 game." 0013® uueoaceea P THE SETTING __ ss + ‘The yout f 2210, Mankind has buen expand ng into space since the begianing ofthe twenty fist contr, establishing a ‘outposts inthe solar system for resources and ing space. Lagrange points are rtted by counties stat ons, factories and ‘finder colores, nearby planets have been explored and settled, and the teraformation of Verus and Mars has begun, is of envronmental and soc harcship. the global economy of Eath ca More than a hundred years ago, ar cor lapsed. Although t did aot happen avern ght, tai leave the planet ina state of turmoil and unable t propery car forts ‘off warld calories. They became independent, absorbing. steady low of rehugees om confit torn Earth ant sunivng 9 ‘best thay could. Through the twenty-second coniry, the former colonies bucame the setlements — or counties — ofthe solersyter, The decessed United Nations reorganized under the mame of United Sol Nations (USN) and wa reinstated “The mather planet had esen from the ashes and, under the leadership of she Cervral Earth Government & Administration (EGA), ebult elf nto a paltical and mitary power Regula contact between settlements lowly reaumed asthe twenty second century drew to a closet was thought to be the beginning ofa new age of peace ard prosperity — but the events ‘of the early months of 2270 would shater hat luton, to serve asa neutral meeting ground forthe gaverrments ol the various planets ( ) ‘The resolution ofthe toubies on Earthin the late years of the century signaled the end oa clark period foal of humankind. os YTHE ODYSSEY inthe early 2200, Terran ecentst Doctor Agram Peyare developed a “ybetinkage” system for adranced conta of ts machinery and vehicles. CEGA agente quilyrealzed that coud be uted for milarypurptes and conspted Nm Fearkl of CEGAs imperaintie pans, the scientist camtacted Jovi operatives nd requested poltieal asylum. The Javan Confederation’ avomps to get Peyarje to thei indy shoves launched a fancasic series of evens that have come to be known a8 The Odyztey ‘Amalie of inexperienced Jo, Jn Armed Forces plots was sent to Venus, where the sient was attending a seminar They succeeded in helping Dr Peyaje escape, but were discovered ac pursued across the sol sytem by forces that were later vealed wo be sponsored by both CEGA and Venusian interess, The flaeine group was helped frst by Lunarbased ‘rebels and late by Marian sympathizers. The Ean forces proved tenacious, however, and tried to stop them regardless of the cort, The Marvan orbital elvator prototype and Copernicus Dome on the Moon were both destioyed isthe ensuing confusion, atthe cost of many ves. By the time the group reached Jovian terior, an ene battle fleet was at theirheels anda pot to destoy the, the capital-station ofthe Jovian Confederation, was revealed Alter what woud later become known asthe Bate of Eiysée, the sation wa saved, a artive CEGA bal leet was desvoyed and one of the JAFS commanding ofcers, he very man who directed the Peyare mission, was aested 35a vaiter Months ster the bate, the tension is builing up between Earth anc most athe settlements, CEGA offeally declared ts feet to have temporary gone rogue during the Odyssey and instigated a witch hunt to find the people responsible fo the whole affo For the fist mein two hundred years, space s being miltarized. You willow enter this world on he rink of war. Can you prevent the cant? Or wl you cause «? MOOD OF THE GAME The twomty third century isa tire filed with excitement and promise as well as deadly pPhenomens, While humor certainly ass place. games taking pce inthe Jovan Universe should be run with 3 serious outlook, Players must be aware thatthe consequences of flze move can very wellbe fatal to their character. Japanese snimation (or anime") on which the Jovian Chronicles are partly espred, = totten based on four main elements: Wat, Death, Love, and Music. Your car- ign may aeady contain tne fist tee ust add a well-chosen soundack Readers must be aware that certain attic iberties ave been taken with history land scence as we know ther today. Although the Sihouette game ‘engine i fairly resstic, the player wil generally not have todesl veth the “mundane” aspects of space re (al, angen, high radiation, orbits, ate) ‘These elements will come into play only i thay move the plot along — otherwise, they crag down the game and transform cinematic high-action adventure intoan evening of die-oling,cakulations and pa perwork (ee Campaign Styles, page 223, or a ‘more thorough discussion on 18)BEona Ga GAMING IN THE JOVIAN CHRONICLES 4 1 This book includes introductory information on the Jovian Chronicles universe and the rules needed to play the game c'therasa roleplaying game. tactical combat game, ora combination ofthe two, The layout ofthis manual was puposely sade clear and simple for ease of relerence duting pay, ith reference icons and a detailed index Cchapte2: Work! Cyclopedia intraiuces the Chronicles universe witha tout of the Slat Systom in the year 270, while the third chapter describes six powerful organizations. The fourh chapter, Sihouette Basics, explains the game's basic mech ics and concepts. Character Design then deserves the character generation recess and the bascitoms and weapons thet an be used by the characters during their adventures. itis immediately fllowed by Character Action, where al rules regarding roleplaying charactor in the Jovian Chronicles universe canbe found, The Mechanical Action chapter explins the tactical rules for space, air and ground combat. Mechanical Catalog then cramines the high technology of te twenty-third century, anc! also contains game statisti for many exo-armors fighters and space ships. Gamemaster Resources contains ideas and tips to help you launch 2 Jovian Chronicles campaign ight out ofthe book. The manual rounded out by 2 ready-tplay campaign set on the mighty JSS Volant strike cater. THE SILHOUETTE™ GAME SYSTEM ¥ Why the name *Sihovette?” Because it evokes many things that we hoped te buldinto the ues. Asihoueiteis simple so to give form and * isthe game sytem. A sthovette marks the outhnes of an abject; the les cutine the game, helping where players ave not aware aes definition toal situations. A athouette ca shadow asthe game system should be, tothe pow oft anymore, A sihovette flee and ean change shape; so can the rules Al le systems have 10 make a trade-off between exveme realism and playabity Sthouette iin the middle ground —it isbased on tre fcts that were then simpified tothe point where the game was fast-moving and fun to play. The system ses the trectional sicsided die to ada ardom element. The numbers and modifiers ae small and eat 101 ‘and thee are just encugh of them to realistically wepeesent any given situation _ GENERAL TIPS AND SUGS S ds Jk Thisbook ncludes a complete gaming universe, a sample adventure/campaign (at the end ofthis book) anda host of pre ‘generated archetypes. tis not necessary to ply the adventure or use the characters — they ate included as pa ef the ‘background mater — but they ease the burden af pre-game preparations forthe novice group and ‘low you to start paying right avay The Gamemasters Resources chapter that tats on page 219 vil rove usell to anyone running 3 Jovian Chronicles compaiga, andistecemmended reading, Before starting an epic Jovian Chronicles 2299, each player should fama hime wih the Chronicle’ background. The description in The Setting section on the previous page can be Used, but fel free to use your own. Once play has begun, a short recap of the previous gare session (or “episode” wl sufice, ‘Ae sated belore, the mood ofthe Jovian Chronicles loans towarc the serious. Much ike in the movies {and ea if), people are going to get hur and/or killed. ANhough supporting characters will oken be the ‘ones to buy the farm, player's character wil sometimes do zomething tat wil sulin his death. it fis into the story, t happens, but 2 character should never die because of poor dice-oling, ‘This isa einematec roleplaying game, not 2 roll-playing game! The GM should conainly fee! ree to “fudge” the dice i civcal situations. -Masie will enhance your playing experience. An opening theme songis almost mancltory we stronly ecommend Force Ten tom the popular Canadian rack group Ruth, but you can use any song thatis dynamic and fast-paced, The Top Gun soundtrack another dassic ofthe genre, comes to mind. sypical Jpanenation fashion, the closing theme should be aay moody and sentmentl song: choose one that you like, Various fast-paced instrumental sounchrackscan be used daring play «3 pecially dunng the fight scenes: the choice ofmasicisofcourseleftto the taste ofthe playing group. Sound etfcts can dd great favor too, if corocly done al: though they should never slow down the pace of the game, Aside fro His, low lighting is recommended 35 it reduces chatter among players and provides 2 great atmasphore.WORLD CYCLOPEDIA SOLAR SYSTEM OVERVIEW The events tat came to be inom as the Odyssey caused 3 awakering for e disparate nations of the Sol system ton, The fale at 1 (Cental Eath Govern: fleet was an kes the rea which had been comfortable in tack on Else by “rogue ment and Aeiminiatin) ba lesion that Ears grasp was at Ist matching its schering ne opieves that the sap on the wnst received at the ie of Eysoe wil cub further such actions oF he part of c an aca prepares uring the weeks folowing the pear-dlaster oF the Bane of ral areste of higheranking military personnel cceuted The house arect of Generat Avram Thorsen, who has confessed othe cme of collaborating with CEGA forces, oo ght the sttention ef the public. Even with the tdemarahng removal ef ane oft finest leader, the Jovan sen admirably to the challenge of a stepped-up defensive posture by increasing patos and train we stution on Earth euously mors the state of Jovian oars Whe the deceased Admiral Russel Klas, wi led the stack on the Jovien Confederation, has borne most ofthe A fo let the matter eat and init on vatche bla forthe fiasco, there are ome members ofthe hr "esponsble” partes. Miltary production in he siveady at alogh level has been iereated yet rutment rag retaking pace everyone Stak tegiely. CEGA spit is fori between crush ng the romain ‘sruleon Earth nc preseting a song space solar ystem watches the two powers inn, ‘odedlaresees. Marsis stil yp by bickering neon ts two nation, although the destruction of the oF tire planet in an unsavory mood sans and ther Merchant Princes ae y cvent that might make business dieu, and av sn Burk irk bhi every wali tho solarayter The Bank's inthe politics of these dark mes resemble an iceberg more rassive and deadly than one would spect of space. Mankind, how availble, 01spaemerereries Conrerererar ae eee erieWORLD CYCLOPEDIA $ oo18 >» MERCURY Feat: See Ste Fewer than two dozen lage stations orbit the solar systems hottest planet, hidden from the blazing eolar radiation by Mercury shadow Fist colonized for the New Earth projec, then expanded inthe early twenty-second century by dis ‘rntled Venusiansalarymen, the Mercurian nation has grown rapidly ove the last century to become the most infuential trading power inthe solar system, By remaining carefully neteal nal confietsnwolving other setdements, and by making sue not to pick any fights ofits own, Mercury has ined the grudging tus ofthe other solar nations, many of whom would ‘rather pay to have thee cargo moved for them than buy enugh ships to move it themselves. The huge mag-sl barges of the Mereurion mechant fleet can be found in every corner ofthe solr system, frying all manner of goods between the plonets, constant reminder that the nation of Mercury extend far beyond the orbit ofthe inerrost planet © CULTURE: The people wi Kaw in the shelter of Mercury's shelow are well aware ofthe precarious ature of theichomeland. Although the Mercuranstweasure the privacy afforded by thelr hose environment, he close quarters and constant danger cause @ gyeat deal of internal stvess on their society. As a result, cearly every Mercuran is subject to mandatory sevice inthe ‘merchant fet, both to train young adults or the fll esponsibites involved in living in space permanently and to make sure that everybody “gets out” atleast once in thei lives, This policy ako ensures that every Mercurian citizen develops 2 thy head for business, When coupled withthe natural hacdiness and ingenuity ought on by thie fe on the ecg, ‘these wadlions makes Mercury's small population a system ide power totally out of proportion to itssize, fat not loston the increasingly arrogant Mercurian, epouTics ‘The Mercurian ely on a simple democratic government in which an Administrator i eleced by popular vote and serves for ‘up toten Mercurien years. Candidates are required to announce their dese forthe position at leas five yearsin advance, to allow cvaons ample tine to evaluate tiem. This also allows faclung merchant crews 2 chance to-go the news. This ‘makes for» constant poo! of candidates who ty to impress the Mercurian people with thor ofcincy and intalligonce, Fortunately the pragmatic Mercurans have ite tolerance for nen-business- elated paltial posturing. The eurent Admin ‘atrator, Golan Fitbanks, i an ex Guild captain who was elected a year ago ater a cite race, His effrs to moderate Guid control of Mercurian society have eamed him many enemies among his forme colleagues, but his darng and progressive ‘economic poices haye earned him the lve of the general populace ‘Mercury is the neutral settlement ofthe solar system, and rofues to align itself with anyone. As fr as the Mercutans ae concerned, taking sides i bad for business and must be avoided. Other nations ofthe sole system accept this attitude because of Morey value as an impartial vader _____@ SCIENCE AND MuLTARY By dint oftheir unique envizonment, Mercrians have become the masters of hightemperaturemateals engineering and solar power applications. Almost all f the nation’s power i supplied by huge solar energy arrays on Mercury suface and in teens ort— ununeoone © E-SCHENCE ANO MILITARY CONTINUED Because there was site to defend on or around the planet itsll and since merchant ships and barges were unarmed by tuacton, Mercury maintained only 2 token force of patrl-lss military ships and fighters for many years. Recant evens, however have prompted Administrator Golan Fairbanks to beef up his nations defenses as a precautionary measure. Observers on Heice Station, the capital have reported heavy activity at military facies, and Mercury has recently d= ployed the Brimstone exo-armer. For the moment, Mercurian maintain thir position of careful neva, but ony a foo! ‘would think that they ae unprepared for 2 shiftin the solar systems political structure COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY © Having few expertable natural sources or manufactured goods, Mercury lies ons lrge merchant let to suppor itl. By aclitating the exchange of commodities between worlds, Mercury eams revenue forthe expensive upkeep of it ta- tions. Every ship and barge inthe Mercurin merchant fleet bears the cot of the Merchant Guld ons ul (12 Mercurian Merchants Guid, p47) “The Guid isan organization reminzcent of the quis of Renaissance-era Earth, Membership in the Guild i limited to Mercia citizens who have completed thes National Service requieerent, although not all Mercuians choose to become members. Alter leaving oficial service, Mercrians who desire neither the benefits nor esponsbilties of Guld membership are stil granted he right to travel 2¢ crew on Mercurian morchant vassals every fw yeasasa form of stres relief but cannot ‘allan the Gul foc help if they get in vouble away from home. _RECENT DEVELOPMENTS © : “ue tts word, Mercury has remained neutral amid the increasing tension between the Jovian Confederation and CEGA. Undaunted by the prospect of ll-out war, the Mercurian merchant feet remains abroad, continuing to help keep the ines ‘of trade and communication open between nations. Goods, peosle and information that cannot be delivered through ‘national channels often find their way to thet destinations aboard Mercurian ships. “The Merchant Guild pays lose attention tothe cargoes that are entrusted tit care, always on the lookeut for information bout the possible involvement ofthe Venusian Bank nthe current eras. Mercurians have never forgotten that their nation ‘was bom out of disgust withthe policies of Venus that worl is man:pulating events once again the Guild wants tobe the firs to know the deta THE SURFACE + ‘The poner ray stauone on Mercury's eurace ee a remarkable example of Morciron stbkerness end adptaity The eg verter and ransmieson feces are ndcon anaet te grou for ner tree months st © ume rng Merairys BOOKabin cay le Une colectra sok up the suns power The ston become a busi of ety ear sunset. when merowave tansmason {were nee from armored ioe to buim stored power tothe stauons above and teeinicars emerge to perform martanance and repos onthe huge orays Whe uae sytem might ser necesly dongercis, the founders of Mercury sociy feanngposstie Verusin repo, deced ‘et power seals were toc winorablew sabotage, Wile the Surace stations cst more and are feu to bukl ard moan, Sey ore easer to protec am oral relays. Oty het of te ot omer cytes exec8ad to ack any ven be. SCLENTIFIC FACTS ON THE WINGS OF HERMES @ (ne ofthe bas cain 9 ployer mus make aout 8 Mereunen Pyar Characto is whathehe wos raced aboard one ofthe epoca stations o under te srlae of the wgrety pare Ths fundererta! decison wil act the cheracn's Gul too great extant Mercuri Payer Charctars 6e morerants more ten than rot Snes they mist af go rough chee randatoy Few Sorc, PCS shoud hve» basic idee of how Uae serve wert wha they have met reg tat prio, who they worked under, wee ey eared, (8c, Paya © grou of young Mercurane on the fret tp can be 2 grea rama for @ campaign. allows new players chance ‘wel rough te solr syszam. mec 8 wi voTe of ncNuOE. gaTIENcE ese Groen Ox ch nw sroces. Thay may ‘rel aboard ther wn spoceship — probably anol juke: eta so many tes thet none a the orignal equtmentsrecognzate —carryng cargo, ifrmation or pacsenges wknetasing 20 mony qustons Characters whe are part of se Merchants Gold may be stad ta anspor quctonele ergo oF gules precousirmabon, whch may ead to Several acter gach eceranos. NookS AND TzPS Now Miercuran Characins ating Meirys stations ore hel 10 be osy wetched, Mercunrs vale ther pvey and donot wont ranger eocng thee noees n ther usnessee Furthermore, rs rete unused to the Safty measures to flow aboard th ‘tation runes the sac, dca eae bi ask othe store’ salty HnanMarcuan Payer Craroctar vt Morey, ne CGereacier con eeiy se up @ scenario whers ey comm some form of secur wach wd have to sure tbat ey ado come embroies some underyreund conic Botan the Guld ard he Veusion Bank, ord rae to woods hae Way vt the sing 00 many fathers. 0019 ———_ — —WORLD CYCLOPEDIAS ooz0 VENUS __ 2 ae rd 7 53 cower “GET a poe or woretorers Noes 4, OVERVIEW ‘Venus has alays been a world of mystery its secrets hidden for centuries behind rolling clouds of poisonous gas and surface temperatures hot enough to me't lead. Although Project New Earth converted the atmosphere with teraforming techniques late nthe twenty-first century, the spintof Venus veled threat has been passed on tots human inhabitants Project New Earth was sponsored, designed and paid fr by 2 group of Terran corporations who foresaw the impending 00h chaes on Earth and decided that their postions were too weak to withstand the coming storm. They organized amass ‘emigration of resources to 2 new world, leaving the remining raibats to squabble over what would soon bea wastoland The wisdom ofthat decision has been bene aut — the corporations of Verus ae now the richest in the solar system, CULTURE _ The cites of Venus are quite spacious despite the need for protective domes and processed atmospheres. ile within the domes ssnety regimented in order to preserve working ofciency and discourage rebellion. Most Verusian wotkers never 10 the outside world, caved for as they ave from bith to death by thei teammates, supervisors and eompany. All thats asked in tum shard work and ambition ‘Venus’ official language isa curious creolzation of Japanese grammar and English words derived from a contry ofintermix- ing corporate systems, The writen form uses Roman eters in conjunction vith the thee forms oF written Japanese, and is ‘widely regarded asthe most cificul language inthe colar sysim co leatn. Venusian children ae, cf course, taught to treat this asjust another challenge to defeat With rigid education and the various communication networks, populations tend not to change languages esi Inthe aie ofthe Venusions, however the linguistic change was intentional, a deliberate offort to make the language inaccessible te those who did not leant rom bith, Most chilcien on Venus ate taught Jopanese fs, and then instructed the reading and writing of the Angi languages. The alkeation was sponsored by several major corporations who desived a more ‘compact and versatile tongue. Many especialy long or awkward Japanese words have been roplacad with English, and ‘ce-versa, While the space-based nations were developing Spacers Runic for many of the same tasons, the Verusian government gradually instituted this new language, squashing the protests of wadiionalits _opoumics: aos \enusian society is based on the concept ofthe city-state, Each domed settlement is goverediby the board of directors of the pare corporation that ether ui arowns the ety The specifies of administration vary rom city stato to ety state, but the most commen form of governing body isa small subcommittee under the cect contol ofthe board, Dissatisfaction with corporate polices among the ctzons moves up the ehain of command by way of increasingly larger petitions. In are caves, corporate CEOs have hoc to: make rulings based on the signed complains of etre city-states Venusian foreign afar are mediated by the planetary council a body of representatives sent fom each major coxporation, ‘The numberof counciors each corporation sends i based onthe corporation’ annual net worth Ths rule is perpetuated bby the Venusian Bank, whose tre power i rumored to be many times what thir aeady-lvge council delegation suggests (ase Venusian Bank pg. 50).- et NCE AND MILITARY © \enusan technologies are among the most advancedtin the solar system: what their own RED depanments cannot develop ‘an be bought cr stolen rom other sources. As» result, they have managed to engineer (or everse-engineet) nearly every : scenic notion ofthe past century. The Venusions, however, aro just as mystified as the rest ofthe solar system by the : ‘workings ofthe Jovian Floate’s mulpalymerase protein (see Jupiter The Great Mystery p. 38). : ‘The public face of the Verusian Home Delonte Force (HOF) is 2 glotiied parade band which perlorms ar shows and barnstorming acts for the general populace. In ealty, HOF pilots are experienced aed well tained, and their exo-armars, ‘vo sight’s anc warships are the finest products of multiple Venusian military contractors. It also suspected that the ‘tual sie ofthe HOF is far anger than everyone has been led to believe : COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY © The requir importation of foreign electonics and machinery to Venus san illusion designed to foo! the rest ofthe solar \ v3 ‘stem int th king that Venus eannot survive without thee help. This sham gives Verusian traders an edge when dealing wth other nations, Many a foreign corporate representative has been duped into thinking that Venus would get the short fend ofa dea. In recent years, Venus has used such sell deception to make itself the solar system's money clearinghouse Several large books ave in ascendance on Verus, of which the Venusian Bankis th biggest and best known, This station has gonerated a great deal of resentment armong the governments of ether woes, especialy Mercy, which roundly dalies having any prof ts revenue touched by ts former masters = RECENT DEVELOPI 2 : Throughout the yeors, Venushaesuecessully downplayed ts ties te CEGA, promoting an image ofneuraity and openness. Doubs surfacing, however in dhe minds of mary political insiders systema i the wake of CEGAS recent acon, despite» typicaly prompt and efficent Venusian med bite cistaneing Venus from the Odyssey, Locally recent events have heightoned the slteady-exsting tensions between the Venusian Bank and other corporations imho resent the Ban’s nearsotal contol of he planetary Counc! and Venusian financial activi as 2 whole. Non Bank= fated economists voice concerns about a downward spiral toward a planet-wice monopoly by the Bank, Bank officials ‘deny these allegations, and point out the incising wealth of the accusing companies and the dificlty of establishing a monopoly in such a competitive environment as Venus __TERRAFORMING a ‘Tw cameron cf Venus rom a corosie hace to tolerable reorient fr Humenty begen on Meron, where 0 senes of ‘nexated messerwers spent mors thon Uros dacedescoodng Vous wie magnesia and eloum broke whieh wery den made 2 react we the erbon don the aurosphere tote angen ond ind carbon to the rrtoce. Gare Fike struetres, acting 88 eotsnis, costed tn polar ground or te Venusin arcoiages. Now thet ose atmosghore hes winrad novceNb, Martian desknes, petcaly ngriotred tact are soy contr tha jb, andthe process of atosphens carwersion comets to is day One doy. le aro ww rcpped rm orto Leng waz, estonng the Venus Seas, SCIENTIFIC FACTS ‘The resus no erthike porate least the temperate Fangs 0: te polar reins somowhat acccpabis to hums. Tho mosphere rerane dangers to baat, and Von. lack of «magi Rll means that Ue plasma bowshock othe solr weds fractcny owed ithe Venuzans ae happy veth thar smal tnuman. Thearaoca plas fara planetarycole Seren are neha ‘ares a reoerodtion on the siace PLANET OF MYSTERY@ apr Cheraears rom 3 Venusan background canbe part of he contanted o discontented siement ote papdation. This usally Carresponds,resperbve, tote richer coptalets or the tcass, Those trom the fest reap td t Be erp, wel eduestes ant pabeatyicines The outcasts, whe nat alaysrelius, cand to come ram poorer backgrounds aoe bok or ways to chang the getam Pryers.can be em cenar one. ape” ang cn wat cago, har goal may bu to hor tre rearess of Wars e Eolar ‘yam oo promot changes wit ter socety to make room forthe “awe” soca cashes. nthe fet ase, PS my wo or 8 (tn covert orf Be Vorusion Berk. gong On MEEIEE Wat may ake em rougroUt the Gor ER Order to fd rw sources of reas or power Ty my aso wh to grumite some lvl of hs Bebween the setlemerts. eauaing an rms race and reaong the rewards by stalng neu wespon dese. Thats Pager Crwracters who belong to the oeaR may oe SNe ENA mcerround movement werkng ajar the SINE Fepementad emarceenart OF try to nd Some way to ete He plat ed fd @ HOOKS AND T1PS When lyerssse ers they shoul be caret tread ghana keen ner neads above wetar Veusione ga re wan anyone nang Ba cw ty ore upto, eo they ac with grea dl of Hconcy aguent nosy wtrs,Someses, they ao act thet woy wih quests ne tafe ey ee 8 chance tobe ry Rea oo21 fe>» EARTH ke es rT ‘ee: oo eee Sate Omme _ ‘cps eo == Terie OVERVIEW In the late twenty-fast century, a series of social and economic disasters brought the ciation of Earth tits knees. The causes of the Fall ae tl debated today with no lear answer in the offing. The fragmentary records of the time signal a worldwide computer network blackout, followed by stock market crashes and mass economic confusion, There is also ‘evidence ofa plague that stuck down milins in the moaths of darkness that ensued. Nothing from that tne ie certain; ll that c known by the other planets i that all contact with Earth was suddenly lost, and rone of the shuttles sent to investigate the situation ever returned, I later decades. telescopes showed massive ecolegical devastation cauted by neution bombs and uncontrolled bilogjcal warlare, while ntercepred radio transmissions fold of ternble traces and barbarian, The colonies were stuck by the realization that they wore now on their own. They timed their focus on themssives and spent the next half-century struggling to become se-sufcient ‘When Earth re-established communication in 2184, no one expected to see 2 power unified government ke the Central Earth Government end Administration, Although nearly half the planet was sllin a state of cv war, CEGA moved quickly {0 regain control of the orbital colonies and the Moon, and decared itself as 4 new superpower in the solar system. Unwiing (or unable to face down CEGA ints own backyard, the other planets allowed CEGA to do as it wished, much to their curent iamay CULTURE _ As the natural binhplace of humanity, Earth remains a fabulous moss of cultures, religions and languages. A century of warore has only reinforced the bonds within sociaties, Keeping old languages and traditions alive, Many of those same traditions have been abandoned forthe sake of unformity and survival on other words In modern times, Eat has become the artistic if not the political capital of the solar system. Every day, shiploads of merchant vessels laden with scenic paintings, religous aifacts and holovideo discs leave the cradle of humanity fr the other planets who eagery trae their best goods fo: a glimpse of their past. Ths, and the presence ofthe ancient monu- ‘ments and holy places make Earth the envy ofthe colar system, at last atsicaly In other matters, however, Earthers are attogant and condeseencling. The pepuiar perception af ofwrlder is of county yokuls who could only benefit from Earth rule, Even in the Middle-East and Asia, where war persists and CEGA rule is rnonenistent, this belief generally holds true, Offworl visitors are seldom well voated away from diplomatic consultes [Although the common language of diplomacy inthe solar system English a leftover fem the days of Noth American aeroepace supremacy, during which most ofc in-Fight communications used English terminology), Earthers who can do 0 often prefer to belie ther vistors by speaking tongues used ony on Ea, ke Mandarin Chinese or Spani WORLD CYCLOPEDIA oPoumies “The Central Earth Government and Administration i an archetypal imperialist government. Dissatisfied with ruling the local subsystem, it aims to regain contol over the various human sttlements othe sla system which became set-suficient by neces Curing Earth’ icoation, Citing heritage and the fact that, a century ago, Earth paid dearly to establish he settle mens, they apply constant pressure on the other world governments ofthe United Solar Nations to sumtender mare and ‘mate cantrl of thet words to the CEGA. council, Thus fat these demands have fallen om deaf eas oozeePounes CONTINUED Fory councilors drawn from Earth, the Orbtals and the Moon make up the CEGA coune!. Although anyone may run fora ‘position onthe Counc the election process is swengly biased due to its roots in the miltary government that preceded CEGA Since CEGA is, according to its constitution, a supranational organization “divided by rebel influences,” election ‘votes ram military pertonnel are weighed fs, wth the eviian votes serving only as ie-breakers. This much-decied policy ths resulted ina pro-military and pro-imperalist coun. The curent head ofthe Council charged with maintaining order ‘during coune! meatings sAelred Cyning, who has held the poston for viree years. Although he isan avowed expansions he has been guite impartial wth the Counc allowing every faction to have ts 9y Depite the constant badgerng, Earth esto maintain coral relations withthe rest ofthe solar system, Unfortunately for ath, every planethas some reason tobe wary ofits hand of iendship. All Martians (oven those in the Marian Federation, inhich is nominally aed with CEGA) are taught at an early age oftheir worlds battle for independence against Each, and Mercurian are concerned that CEGA% goals preclude the existence ofa neutral trading power like themselves, While the ‘Venusian Bank and by extension, Verws els puling the stings of many members of the CEGA council the evens ofthe ‘Odjpsey Alar have arouzed fears that the puppet may be developing a mind ofits own. As forthe Jovian Confederation, the unprovoked attack against their capital has engendered open hatred of CEGA amang the populace of that remote ration, Although many voices on both sides advocate a peacelul resolution of the eifferences between Jupiter anc Earth, ORBITAL SETTLEMENTS ecatore — a | Cc OVERVIEW ‘The O'Neil Cylinders that orb within the Earth-Moon system are home to milion of people, many of whem are descon dants of elugees rom the collapse of Earth, As the global econcmy slowly disintegrated, many corporations and academic interests fled tothe space stations, followed in 2081 by the provisional Terran government. After they lst regula contact with Ean, the colonies were forced to become mostly seltsuficient. The dificult ofthis ask kept them from paying any attention to the deteriorating planet below fr nearly @ century The Orbital (asthe nevdy independent colonies called thersoWves, well aware oftheir vulnerability and ack of resources, established good relations wth the Moon (which was in much the same stuatcn. Together, they survived and even pros ‘eted unt the Central Earth Government and Administration rose for the ruins of Earth © CULTURE, Orbital society is almost as much of a meting pot as Ean’ is: ready every cyincer oF torus has its own Earth-detived culture and racitions. Several stations ace directly owned by the Terran corporations who had the good sense to flee Earth belore the Fall. Many ofthese companies have aso taken over administration of “orphan” colonies whose sponsors were vipad out, ensuring that maintenance and basic services are supplied In general, the stations are ajusted to follow the same seasons and day-night cycles as the country where most of is Inhabitants onginte, Ths has gen ree toa tort of “weother tourism,” where people tako the inowponcivo station to: station mass transit system to spond few hours in a dierent climate or time zone, Asa result, most Orbaals thik ofthe ‘weather as 9 commodity rather than something to be endured. Frequent visits to other cylinders have also given 2 more open-minded attitude tothe majonty ofthe spacers, among whom racism and dscimination are rate, © POLITICS ‘Te Otbitals are willing and respected members of CEGA, although the peaceful vows of vir councils a result of ving lifetime in such a precarious poston are often at odds with the Earth-born members ofthe CEGA council, The Orbital ‘govern themselves through a councilmade up of representatives From each station, although some stations prefernot to be involved i foreign polis. Horengh Seung, 8 businessman-turned-poltician hallng from Pyrea, isthe Orbital councils ument chaiperson WORLD CYCLOPEDIA Seung, by ewe of his caroer background, is a no-nonsense person. His primary concern is establishing policies that wil benefit industries and erbital corporations, and he has litle me of patonce for invigues and mind games for the sake of owes, Alter al, power and influence can slays be bought requte. ‘The difeence in outlook between Orbital and Terran members of the CEGA coune! is generally traced tothe settlements! ‘more traditional cian electoral process. Mitary personnel are nat granted any special voting privileges in Orbital dis- tres. As the numberof CEGA Naval personnel steadily ries inthe settlements, however, pressures beginning to rise fr rary voters to receive agreatersway, These arguments have been given adclitional weight by a recent inrease in STRIKE actives im Earth oft, bringing CEGAs “rebel nflonces” charter into play Orbital Chairman Horangi Seung has thus far held beck any undesieable “efor of the electoral system, but has had to grant several concessions to the mitary to keep them male. onzeanuaeceen & SCIENCE & MILITARY © COtital science is oriented toward space ie. Their advances in ie support and ship design ang contruction have proven imaluable to CEGAS military buildup, especially the Nave Much of EGA spacering forces ae imported from the ‘Oktals in exchange for aw materials unavailable in near Ean space ‘The Orbtals never felt a need to overarm themselves Apart rom shuttles and armed Orbital Transfer Vehicles, the forces of the space colonies consisted of litle more than 2few corvettes ard launches, most oF them used as custom ships to inspect ‘ca1g0es coming in rom the Moan or the Belt, When CEGA took over, many of these capable vessels woe incorporated in the Hors ofits Navy COMMERCE & INDUSTRY © ‘The Orta economy is one of service and manufacturing, Mony ofthe cylinders wer eriginaly built by Earthbound com: ‘panies before the Fall to house the staf ofthe orbiting factories. During the Fall contol ofthese stations shifted to those ‘companies thathad taken efugo in orbit. Today, as these companies reestablish their old hold on Earth the factory colonies, continue to perform ther intended task forthe new masters. ‘The bestknonn oral spaceport is Pye It's one ofthe main crossroads ofthe sel system, through which most ef the ‘tafe to or from Earth passa. In addon to hosing the USN Assembly and te Solar Cross’ fics, Pyreais alc home to reaty six milion people, making it one ofthe largest space colonies in the Solar System. Much of the stations local ‘economy is centered around the lige comenercial shipyards that suround it. In ston to Pye, the space between Earth and the Moon’ orbit filed with satellites, power grids and workstations The lege sla arrays estabied inthe beginning of the nwenty frst century continue to provide most ofthe Earths power. “The workstations are divided into two rough categories, the labs and the autofacs. Labs ae smal zerosgravty installations ‘ware ezeareh and high-precision manufacturing i done. They are typically staffed by 2 rotating crew of scents anc swotkes. The avtolacs ae completely automated factories which ake raw materials in one end and chum fished products ‘ut the other They ae staffed ony by a small aimber of technicians to keep things runaing smaothy, and who often ‘commute from a nearby station for thet day's work RECENT DEVELOPMENTS © Aflury of activity has been noted inthe colonies over the past few months. Shipyards are tooling up for new designs 9s wel ‘sincreasing the pace of work en ships aleady uncer construction, A large area around Earth LS point has been marked ‘off radio buoys and is constantly patoled by CEGA exo-armors, Nearby observers have epoted seeing unknown ypes ‘of vehicles on maneuvers in the zone, which diplay exaordinary maneuverability. Aang military tech bus, rumors abound ofa new, upgraded Syreen/Dragonstriker hybrid. CEGA officials refuse to comment, cing national secutty and ‘arn that any intruders who violate the borcers ofthe test zone willbe met with deadly force “The destruction of Copemicus Dome on the Moon has aroused far in the Orbital population conceming thei own wines ability, Police patols and security measures have increased accordingly, and there are talks and rumors of secessionist ‘moverrents being forme inthe back rooms of pubsand the dens af private houses. The present government is nvestigat ing these rumors bucouse any attempt at secession could lead to a war with CEGA, which the undararmed Oral could ot possibly win ISLANDS IN THE SKY a Floor harscters rom te Orbital Seavert can come from a vary of backrounds. The ONal cyindrs ve a repusion as ‘le, perecty mancared envrasmerts and PCs can easly have grown in ofnrs reuenbing IO hloneter lng suburbs. Osher ‘finders, ower have ster’ rom cerpoplston and he ten shuns grow up cert areas Some Orta so have rouble (eaing wth on locate an reel. The domneton ct GEGA nas ony exacervated rece proves. Al he wee asides make 201 choces for Player Crectara. The calories oe aso hore to ZONet (se p. 51] and cther mace mada retwas, making them {8 00d tome bos fora reperar er martina Payer Craracur. Hooks AND TIPS Ccememastrs sang ecanance in tha Orbis Sationerts con incu # gare of engue and substy Oris Ine 2 heoy cororitecubire and espanage sos second nature to tm. CEGKe etanes on tachalopas devopad in hw sotomares hac cory neruaced Be cate of rasqua The presence ow papers ard major media houses the cloies lo makes Oral ery ‘meds servy Garamastrs coud easy have aPC prey eceme eden mada dargs or mukahem de Wcume ot supposed ae “eae PCs oma mare sreightorward cdtae auch 88 Nomads cr Martane mey have avery hard be acopbng tothe fast pace and suse of rot soy (rbtais tothe ee seeinty very sonausy, aMere tse ay ha n contoodcréonertsvunrobato damage ond eaboage and poce mpage can easly be set a colony Securty teams spend much ct ter time keeing bn oye on outers, bAhEre are ‘some Oral who pose Brest to ther fetows as wl PCs cn become deri stress very esi, and may hove Fd shear ‘omeshere te colony Whi ese setdomens ao vary lrg, thor gecurty forces now them ined ot.WORLD CYCLOPEDIAS 2s >» THE MOON. __ C OVERVIEW ‘The Moon was the fst attempt at permanent space colonization. The closeness ard mataria sickness of Earth’ satelite rade it logical coice forthe large corporations thet founded the fst eolonies. The settleents, all named after nearby craters, were built underground to protec the frm radiation and have been steady expanckng for nearly two centuries Even today, the mines ef the Moon provide the Earth and Orbtals with much of ther raw materials, mostly oxygen, pro- cessnd water and sieates. Inaddition to permanent population of about one milion, Luna is horveto several CEGA military bases, Luna cies have | manial atmosphere because of the number of soldiers that spend leave there. Al inhabitants of the Moon maintin ‘igorous exercise regimens and take mineral supplements and advanced biocompounds to counter the debilitating effects olf in prolonged low gravity Nevertheless, natives of the Moon known as Selenite) tend to be vary tall and thin (much tke inhabitants of Mars) CULTURE Selenites adapted to the rigors of sel-sficiecy alter the loss of supp fom Earth by becoming obsestod wit sched ing and organization. From birth to death, an indwviduals be will be organized and scheduled. Creativity and imagination were discouraged in oder to focus attention on staying alive. Ths atitude persists in moder mas, aktnough the resump>- tion of Terran aid give ther afew scatered holidays. “The foreign visitor often has the impression thatthe Selenites are obsessed wih work, and this is partly true. They do have freetime, bt are not noted forbeing “party animals." There is an exception to this, however: the 72-hourheliday known as the Festiva. The Festival occurs every tree months and isa three-day long, almost non-stop party. Randomly designated citizens ave asked 10 remain on duty to take care of any emergency which might arse: they ave also responsible for the clean-up. The system of selection ensures that everyone does an equal share of the work inthe long un, though individuals often exchange “tours of duty” asf they were curency ePpouTics - “The Lunar settlements use the same epresentative system at the orbital cylinders. A coune made up of wepresentatives {rom each domed city votes on all the major decisions that alfect the people ofthe Moon asa whole. Smaller councis take cote of local business, uch as seting the production quotas. The current counc! is led by Chairwoman Clarice Selevng. 2 former geologist rom Descartes. The lunar cites are members of CEGA, a choice motivated by @ need for esources fom Earth a well as by a healthy fear of reprisals had they vejected CEGAS ctf ‘Selonians are quite wiling to trade freedom for sacurty, with the exception of a few scattered rebel gous. These ebels ‘mightbe dangerous they could ever agree on what to do with freedom ones they've attained it. The ost infamous ofthe lunar freecom fighters ic the group once led by Ismael Li, which has now seattered across the Moan in the wake of the Copericus Massacre. Dozens of othe, less active groups can be found in every lunar city, perpetrating minor exes like ‘vandaliem and graft.guano coes Oo — SCIENCE & MILITARY © Selenites are some of the solar sytem’ best miners. The Lunar Mineral Expcitaton Consortium (LuMEC) dominates the Moon’ commercial scene as one of the few pre-all companies to maintain its power during the hard times. Is huge masacivers continue to be one of Earth primary suppliers of raw materials for space construction. Contrary to popular belie, the lunar masscivers make very poor weapons. They are buried into the ground and can only shift their aim alle, and even then very slowly. Their usual targets are the masscatcher nets located a the Lagrange 2 orbital point behind the "Moon. The masscatchers are the space age equivalent of the old se-coing barges: whon the massive conical not are ful, 2 fusion-powered tug puls ther to where the material is needed, ‘Though the Selentes manufacture several types of weapons, they have few troops. There isnot much to fight for onthe Moon apar from the installations themselves. As a result, most oftheir forces are defensive in nature and organization. IMMERCE & INDUSTRY ©. Many other Lunar companies are military contractore who are gaining in importance de tothe curent political climate. The Lunar Aerospace Consortiom isthe mast important ofthese companies, and is responsible fr almost all of CEGAS exo weapon production, In addition to producing Syreens and increasing numbers of Wirerns, LAC undertakes testbed re- search for CEGA, The Oragonstriker exo-srmor is one example ef their RED departments expense, Many more rouncreaking designs are surely in the works “The other main nar industry isthe production of specialized raw materials forthe space construction projects. Every dy, large sheets of aluminum, bundles of sleates, as well as axygen and water tanks ere sent up to waiting cargo ships. Between 55% and 45% of the mining operations on the Moon ate under the divect or indict supervision ofthe Lunar : Mineral Explotation Consortium (LuMEC). The rests divided between severalsmaller companies such asthe Space Mining Co. and Groundhog Works, LuMEC is one of the rare companies whose acsas romained intact during the transion to a post-varinter-system economy, thanks 1 the careful management ofits resources. ts leaders have a ery strong influence ‘on the Moon's political scene and while they seem eager to obey CEGA, they are quite prepared to oppose it if necessary. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS © ‘The massacre at Copericu has aroused the ire ofthe Moon’ cilia population against CEGA, Several acts of violence against CEGA soldiers have been reported, resulting inal of-base leaves being canceled indefinitely. Allut riots have been prevented by the narrowest of margins thanks tothe calming words of Councilor Olga Kjushineva, who has also lodged » series of formal protest in the CEGA coun chamber. lamgel Li the miner-tumed-ebe! who sacrificed hi life at Copernicus to save 8 group of fleeing Jovians, has become a folk hero of sorts on the Moon. Government blackouts of information pertaining to Li have only resulted in increasingly heroic underground stories about the fallon leader. is lat words — “My fe fr froedom!*— have become a rallying ery across Ean’ largest satelite _THE DESOLATE LAND@. LU the Earth. se Moon protest avenge of phy temioney Weve a nen petresanaeiorsad coverage ofthe Apoto inor rizsione ond references sbow: Ears eaten are rlealyaany to core by Pers wishing to pey Seles must also ge Some ought ts the cuts they cama from. nthe 23rd cara. ie Mon is extement of hardworking peopl who Jo nt vale \edtuntsm or cresovty Cartan neil tek fo POS. a encod, PC Wibe someone who hs broken cu of is mold, Have ‘ey stared some form frou oF shock, such as bag orned et an eary ape cr Sing ennui? Are they sip ree spits, Lunas to fe na the Selena ol of soci! behavior? One passbiy i for 2 PC be a suntor of he Copernicus Massacre, These characters wi have sean the bral of CEM most meant wing and mey ba seking justice or oven vngeonce Gememactors bringing foregners ota the Moon can emphasie the gry, workengciesstmosphare othe rasouce tori: Slate crrmunties anda be roronserae eles and Lunar nhebtans have areptaton as herd working and hard dring people, Lew ene ner ore enforced by communi pescsheepers or even CEGA solar raed be. Otsider cherectrs shod Tacs resentment am ose who donot share er "gee We" and cou eoety become vine of vkenes dug deiner ret or relation pods. PCS can deo hock up with rebel roups, wh may honesty want chp o may wich to we ham fr some mare deveus purzacn Ether ‘wa. PCa wl roca have to prov tha hy ae rot CEGA sie. Hooks AND tres 0024>» MARS 87 ator Berar OVERVIEW, ‘The teraforming of Mars was one ofthe greatest technological projects ever attempted by humanity The Fist Marian colonists wore eames, people who were wiling to devote their entire lives ta changing the face ofa planet. As Mars grew in wealth and population, and as Eat collapse, the coeporate and goveenmont intrest that had sponsored Mars’ colo tization attempted to take contol ofthe planet in the hope of stealing its resources to rebuild ther power on Earth. The ‘great detance involved, and the Martane’ own remarkable stubbornness, however, proved o be insurmountable obstacles. In.2085, Mars wrested its Freedom from Earth grasp. Independence had a price, however The fllowing years sav several cil wars erupt as the Martian Democratic Party fought 10 retain power inthe face of 2 concerted opposition which di ‘agreed withthe Partys desie fora strong central government. Today, Mars remains. a divided wold © CULTURE “The Martian Federation i totalitarian tate founded by General Otto Kurtz after Mas’ bi for independence. Life under the Marion Democratic Party is controlled and ordeted. People are used to daly security chocks and propaganda-as-news teleases. Although Kurtz is deed, his legacy remains: German his native language (and that of many eary colonists isan ‘official language with Engh, and German ranks and ties are used in the Federations military and business communities. The Martian Free Republic, on the other hand, gives it citizens great personal freedom. it was created by convention between the Federation and the non-aligned frontier satlers, both of whom wore tied of fighting over teritory. The Federation agreed to recognize the newy founded Free Republic’ independence snd permit is people to lve as thoy ‘chose, but gained the right to set the borders of the nations. The Republic resonts that agroorant to this day ©PoLmcs The Martin Federation claims two-thids of Mars’ surface. itis governed by Prime Minister Klaus von Braun who rules with afm buteven hand, The Free Republi’s bureaucracy i sgaificamly more complex due tothe convoluted system of checks ‘and balances necessary to ensure freedom whi stil maintaining national security. Four separate elected councils make policy for the Republic. The president, Marcus Fehley, is primarily a figurehead since Republicans dsike the idea of a ‘ingle, powerul leader. Both Martian nations send ther own delegations to the USN assembly WORLD CYCLOPEDIAS Border skirmishes on Mars are a equent accurrence: both governments have preferred to ignore the incidents rather than expand the coolit. This policy was born ofthe need to remain on good encugh terms to shave the orbital elevator and ther space resources. With the elevators destruction, however the Federation may stat to pay more attention to the constant testing ofits borders. SCIENCE AND MILITARY - ‘Athough research into bioengineering hot stagnated over the decades, the Manians are expens in the few advances that field has generated, Their careful and meticulous research has produced strains of baetera used fr teraforming purposes fon both Mars and Venus. Under the watchful eyo of the rest of the Solar Syztem, sciemiss from both Martian nations ote ways to make futher use of bicengineered lfelorms forthe beneft of humankind 0030